Hundred Merit Points! Gaining a Talent!

Even though the ambush had failed.

Liu Kui was not flustered in the slightest, as though Jiang Bei were already a prize in his pocket.

"You're right. Someone did send me a message last night, telling me to kill you! You should know this person well too—you met him just a few days ago!"

Liu Kui sneered.

"Xie Kaiyue?"

Jiang Bei's pupils contracted.

"That's right! Battalion Commander Xie himself! Battalion Commander Xie showed me kindness years ago, so I had no choice but to repay this favor. Jiang Bei, if you must blame someone... blame your rotten luck for provoking someone like him!"

A chilling killing intent flickered in Liu Kui's eyes. He looked Jiang Bei up and down, then continued, "His letter said you were only a Ninth Rank Minor Training, but it seems you hid your strength in the Death Squad Camp after all. You're a Ninth Rank Great Training, which means... Lin Jie really was killed by you!"

Jiang Bei's gaze instantly turned icy upon hearing that.

He had already suspected as much.

After turning the matter over and over in his mind, the only person so determined to kill him could have been Xie Kaiyue.

He had not expected it to truly be that man!

That man's hand had even reached into their Ren-Rank Camp. Jiang Bei had only just returned to camp, yet Xie Kaiyue was already impatient to act.

Had he not been cautious, he might truly have fallen into the trap!

"Jiang Bei, hand over your life!"

Liu Kui glanced behind him, knowing he could delay no longer. His body shot forward as he charged at Jiang Bei with murderous fury!

Jiang Bei's eyes narrowed. Fearless, he stepped into the Cloud Shadow Steps and darted forward.

The saber in his hand slashed out, a streak of scarlet blood-light flashing over its blade!

Clang!!

A sharp clash of metal erupted.

The ground trembled violently, sending dust flying!

Liu Kui had originally believed that he could crush Jiang Bei with his superior realm. Even injured, killing Jiang Bei should have been as easy as turning over his hand.

Yet the instant their weapons collided, his expression changed drastically.

"Eighth Rank Minor Training? You... you're actually Eighth Rank Minor Training?!"

Liu Kui's eyes filled with horror, while stormy waves crashed through his heart!

He had never imagined that Jiang Bei before him was also an Eighth Rank Minor Training, just like himself!

He vaguely remembered that before Jiang Bei had been sent to the Death Squad Camp, he had not even entered the ranks.

Now, more than a month had passed. Entering the ranks was normal enough. Even if he had truly broken through to Ninth Rank Great Training, it could only mean the kid had encountered some opportunity or hidden himself deeply. It was not something entirely beyond reason.

But Eighth Rank Minor Training was absolutely impossible!

He had spent who knew how many years in bitter cultivation to reach Eighth Rank Minor Training. How could Jiang Bei, a mere green-haired brat, possibly accomplish all this?!

Liu Kui was terrified out of his wits. Jiang Bei before him was simply a living, breathing monster!

The corners of Jiang Bei's lips lifted slightly.

Ever since he had grown suspicious of Liu Kui, he had kept a trump card up his sleeve and never revealed all his strength.

The Barbarians and Dry People martial artists inside Li Star Cave were not particularly difficult to handle anyway. Relying on Ninth Rank Great Training was enough for him to hold them off.

And now, it seemed he had prepared correctly. If Liu Kui had known earlier that he had broken through to Eighth Rank Minor Training, Liu Kui would never have dared attack rashly. He might even have resorted to more sinister tricks, and that would have been dangerous!

With that thought, the force within Jiang Bei's body erupted.

Bang!!

With a deafening blast, the battle saber in Liu Kui's hand flew straight out of his grasp.

As an Eighth Rank Minor Training, even with an injured shoulder, Liu Kui could indeed overpower a Ninth Rank Great Training.

But how could he possibly be a match for Jiang Bei, who stood at the same rank?

Liu Kui's expression changed wildly. Agonizing pain shot through his arm and shoulder. Knowing he was no longer Jiang Bei's match, he turned to flee.

However, Jiang Bei had already slashed again!

Squelch!

Aahh!!

One of Liu Kui's thighs was cleaved on the spot. Blood spilled across the ground as he lay there, howling without end.

"Spare... spare me! Jiang Bei, we can talk this out! Xie Kaiyue was the one who wanted you dead, not me!"

Liu Kui begged, his face drained of color.

Where was even a trace of his earlier arrogance and confidence in that wretched appearance?

Squelch!

Jiang Bei paid him no heed. He brought his saber down and ended his life!

You killed an Eighth Rank Minor Training. Merit Points +18

After killing Liu Kui, Jiang Bei did not stop. He immediately dealt with the scene.

Kliegjin had used a Wolf Tooth Mace, yet Liu Kui's body was covered in saber wounds left by him.

If the others saw them, they would surely grow suspicious. He still needed to disguise the evidence.

Jiang Bei retrieved Kliegjin's Wolf Tooth Mace and smashed Liu Kui's corpse repeatedly, covering every saber wound.

Only after finishing all that did he feel at ease.

"This Spirit Cat is rather interesting. I wonder what breed it is..."

Jiang Bei suddenly felt that he had stepped on something. Looking down, he found the Spirit Cat's corpse.

Though the Spirit Cat had not struck him earlier.

Liu Kui, an Eighth Rank Minor Training, had become muddleheaded after being hit by it. That was enough to show how formidable the Spirit Cat was.

At that moment, a notification panel abruptly popped up before him.

Item discovered: Illusion Eye Spirit Cat. Can be refined. Requires 15 Merit Points. Refine?

Note: Refining grants the cultivation talent, Thousand Illusions True Eye.

Thousand Illusions True Eye: See through all disguises and weak points.

"A talent?"

Jiang Bei's expression stirred as he looked at the panel before him.

Previously, he had refined Tie Muler's saber and obtained the Blood Wolf Saber Technique.

But he had not expected that he could now refine this Spirit Cat and obtain the talent known as Thousand Illusions True Eye!

"Seeing through disguises and weak points... those weak points should refer to injured areas. It's quite a good talent."

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you won't have trouble finding it next time.

Jiang Bei's gaze flickered.

Only by knowing oneself and knowing one's enemy could one fight a hundred battles without defeat.

If he could discover an opponent's weakness in time during a life-and-death fight, that would be a tremendous advantage.

He glanced at his panel. After killing so many enemies just now, his Merit Points had accumulated to a staggering 106 points!

A mere 15 points naturally posed no problem.

With a thought, he immediately refined it.

At once, he felt his eyes grow incomparably hot.

When he opened them again, his pupils had turned crimson!

He lowered his head and looked at Liu Kui's corpse. Dense clusters of bright spots emerged—these were Liu Kui's weak points, the locations of his injuries!

With another thought, he withdrew the Thousand Illusions True Eye.

Then he raised his head, glanced at several stalactites on the cave ceiling, and looked outside the cave. A thoughtful gleam flashed in his eyes.

"Damn it! We finally killed them all! How are you brothers? Are your injuries serious?"

Meanwhile, in the outer layer of Li Star Cave, the soldiers of Second Squad had already finished off all the Barbarians and Dry People martial artists.

"What kind of injury is this? But why haven't the Squad Leader and the others returned yet?"

A soldier named Chen Shi asked in confusion.

"Indeed. We haven't seen them for so long. Something probably happened. Come on, let's go in and take a look!"

The man beside him, Zhao Li, frowned. He then rushed toward the depths of the cave first.

The others followed close behind.

Very quickly, the group arrived in the inner layer of Li Star Cave.

A scene of splattered blood and sprawled corpses immediately came into view.

At first glance, they saw Liu Kui lying in a pool of blood, with an enormous stalactite resting atop his body!

"Squad... Squad Leader!!"

Chen Shi, Zhao Li, and the others' eyes widened. They rushed forward in one stride. Seeing Liu Kui's miserable corpse, their eyes reddened.

"How could this... how could this happen?"

"Who did this?!"

The soldiers' bodies trembled as none of them could accept it.

They looked toward the other areas as well, soon spotting the corpses of Crimson Night Cat Lord and Kliegjin.

As well as a figure whose thigh was pinned beneath a stalactite.

Unlike the others, that figure was still alive, though he appeared extremely weak.

"Jiang Bei!"

Chen Shi, Zhao Li, and the others hurried over and urgently asked, "What happened to you? What happened here?"

Jiang Bei's face was pale. Looking at them, he said weakly, "I... I joined forces with the Squad Leader to kill Crimson Night Cat Lord, then severely wounded Kliegjin. But Kliegjin was incredibly vicious. Before dying, he knocked down the stalactites above the cave. The Squad Leader protected me and... and..."

By the end, Jiang Bei choked up.

"That damned Barbarian!"

Hearing this, Chen Shi slammed his fist into the ground. His eyes were bloodshot.

Zhao Li immediately called to the others, "What are you standing around for? Hurry and help!"

The group rushed forward and worked together to move the stalactite pinning Jiang Bei's leg.

Someone then stepped forward to bandage Jiang Bei's bleeding thigh.

"Thanks, brother."

Jiang Bei forced out a bitter smile.

"What's there to thank us for? Jiang Bei, you killed the Barbarians through your own strength. We should all learn from you!"

said the soldier handling the bandages.

Jiang Bei nodded, but his heart remained as still as an ancient well.

Naturally, he had deliberately arranged that stalactite himself. His thigh was not truly injured either—he had simply placed it beneath the stalactite on purpose.

He did so to make the story more convincing.

Otherwise, even Liu Kui, an Eighth Rank Minor Training, had been killed by Kliegjin, yet he, a Ninth Rank fighter, had survived unharmed. That truly would have been hard to believe.

"Let's go! We'll rendezvous with the Battalion Commander!"

After they had finished cleaning up Li Star Cave, the group left.

Once Jiang Bei's thigh had been bandaged, he could walk on his own, though walking was still somewhat "inconvenient."

Before long, they returned to the entrance of Iron Fist Valley.

The other squads had already been waiting there for quite some time.

Xu Qi had also led his men back after slaughtering the Barbarians at the mine. The mission had gone rather smoothly, and almost none of the Barbarians or Dry People martial artists had escaped.

This battle could be considered won.

"Hmm? Where is Liu Kui?"

When Second Squad returned, Xu Qi immediately looked over. But when he did not see Liu Kui, his brow furrowed at once.

"The Squad Leader... he died..."

Chen Shi, standing at the front of the group, choked out.

"He died?"

At those words, Xu Qi and the several Squad Leaders all changed expression.

"How did that happen? Kliegjin killed him?"

Xu Qi asked gravely.

"That's right. Jiang Bei and the Squad Leader fought Kliegjin and Crimson Night Cat Lord in the inner layer of Li Star Cave! The two of them joined forces and killed them, but Kliegjin was vicious beyond measure. In a final counterattack before his death, he brought down the stalactites from the cave ceiling, killing the Squad Leader and injuring Jiang Bei as well."

Chen Shi said.

Hearing that, Xu Qi immediately looked at Jiang Bei's pale face, then at his thigh, where he saw the bloodstained bandages.

He then hurried to the rear of the group to inspect Liu Kui's corpse, his gaze immediately sharpening.

There were wounds from the Wolf Tooth Mace all over his body. It seemed he had suffered Kliegjin's heavy blows before death, but the fatal injury had been the immense force crushing his chest.

It seemed Chen Shi had spoken the truth.

At the request of many readers, a VIP membership feature with ad-free access is now available.

Click to view