The One Who Dies Is You!

"Golden Fire Bear!"

Poison Wolf's heart clenched as a bad feeling washed over him. Golden Fire Bear had actually come!

He frantically looked around. To his rear left stood a heavyset figure holding a blood-red war blade, while to his rear right, a tall, thin warrior approached elegantly with a Crescent Moon Saber in hand.

"Bloodthirsty Blade! Chen Chong! Crescent Ghost! Wei Xin!"

Poison Wolf's lips trembled as he called out their names. Compared to the two Advanced Warlords he had invited, Bloodthirsty Blade and Crescent Ghost were famous powerhouses from the Limitless Martial Arts School, both among the very best Advanced Warlords.

He did not even dare turn around, because they were two teams. The other side might have invited more than just two Advanced Warlords.

His thoughts raced. After exchanging glances with the warriors in his squad, Poison Wolf shouted, "Escape through the front! Charge through them!"

Even as he shouted, Poison Wolf had already charged toward the Warfire Squad ahead. The two warriors he had invited, along with Fei Ying, also rushed forward.

This was the wisest choice. Those two Advanced Warlords alone were stronger than the Warfire Squad. Not to mention there might be other powerhouses behind them.

The Warfire Squad spread out, with Zhang Chen and the others each blocking someone head-on.

"Zheng Xuan, Wang Qi, cover me while I break through! I'll give each of you another two hundred million Huaxia Coin!" Poison Wolf shouted anxiously.

The two invited warriors exchanged a glance and replied, "Five hundred million!"

"Fine!" With time running out, Poison Wolf agreed without hesitation.

Ning Ze tightly gripped the Light Swan Sword in his hand, his gaze fixed firmly on Poison Wolf. Others could leave, but Poison Wolf had to stay!

A distance of fifty meters did not even take a second to cross. The Poison Wolf Squad had already charged close.

"Poison Wolf! You're not getting away!" Zuo Xingyuan bellowed, swinging his broadsword and smashing it straight down.

Just as Ning Ze was about to join in surrounding Poison Wolf, a blade slashed at him from the side. He could only raise his sword to block it head-on, catching sight of that long, thin face and the black mole above the man's left eyebrow.

Clang!

The sound of blade striking sword was crisp.

Zheng Xuan's eyes were filled with shock. That strength was clearly wrong. He had heard that this kid only possessed the strength of an Advanced Warrior, yet his power now matched that of a Beginner Warlord. His casual slash had actually been neutralized!

Intermediate Warlord.

After a single exchange, Ning Ze instantly determined his opponent's strength. With a flick of his arm, the Light Swan Sword twisted in a circle, dispersing all the force on the war blade before continuing forward in a slash.

Not good!

Zheng Xuan had not expected Ning Ze to be so troublesome. He had instantly dissolved his attack and even counterattacked. There was no way to quickly deal with him.

He retreated a step, made a diagonal slash toward his side, then ran off in that direction.

Ning Ze frowned. Was he running? His peripheral vision shifted toward Poison Wolf.

He and Wang Qi were surrounding Zuo Xingyuan. The two fought desperately, and their advantage was obvious. Zuo Xingyuan could no longer hold them back.

Ning Ze likewise took a step back, turned, and charged toward Poison Wolf.

Seeing that Ning Ze was no longer pursuing him, Zheng Xuan immediately fled forward without another word. He had never intended to kill Ning Ze in the first place. He was only here for money. Now that Golden Fire Bear had arrived with others, killing anyone would be courting death!

It was not just him. Fei Ying and another member of the Poison Wolf Squad had already fled far away.

Poison Wolf was filled with hatred as he roared, "Zheng Xuan!"

Zheng Xuan did not reply. If he did not run now, he would have to stay behind. No amount of money was worth that. As an Advanced Warlord, his speed exceeded 250 m/s. As long as Poison Wolf stalled them for a few seconds, he could easily leave their field of vision and escape.

A flash of silver appeared. Poison Wolf glanced over and saw Ning Ze, and fury surged through his heart.

"You little brat, you dare block me too?!"

Poison Wolf's eyes were bloodshot. He realized that he could no longer escape, so he would kill Golden Fire Bear's son! If he could use him as a hostage, escape might still be possible.

"Die!"

He slashed out. The pitch-black war blade reflected a dim gleam, and the strike was heavy and powerful.

Ning Ze's eyes were calm. Zheng Xuan had not held back earlier either, yet he had endured it. This was merely the final struggle of a trapped beast. Dangerous, but manageable.

He raised his sword and slashed toward the war blade, preparing to take it head-on.

In the distance, Ning Hua watched in mounting anxiety and could only shout in a low voice, "Everyone!"

He was already lame, and his speed was slower than even an ordinary Beginner Warlord's. By the time the others had run halfway over, he had only covered a third of the distance.

"This kid really dares to go at him. Looks like I'll have to use my trump card." Wei Xin muttered inwardly before calling softly, "Ghost Shadow Steps, Swift!"

In an instant, his speed rose sharply. This was a speed-bursting secret manual that consumed an enormous amount of stamina.

Clang!

Ning Ze barely blocked the strike. Poison Wolf is even weaker than that warrior from before. His eyes narrowed. It would be best if he could kill him, but even if he could not, Poison Wolf would not escape!

"Die!" Poison Wolf looked completely insane as he abandoned all defense and slashed again.

Ning Ze's expression did not change. He raised his sword to block while shifting his feet.

A black streak brushed past his cheek. The blade wind was fierce, and Ning Ze felt a stinging pain on his face, but he had finally dodged the attack.

"Ahhh!" Poison Wolf roared furiously, swinging his long blade horizontally toward Ning Ze's waist!

There was only one thought in his mind: kill this kid. Even if he died, he would take someone with him!

Ning Ze was too slow to dodge and could only raise his sword to block.

With a clang, his wrist went numb from the impact. Even after Force Generation, the opponent's power was already twice his own. The pressure was immense, and every stat on his System Panel was rapidly increasing.

"*Gale Sword Master*" Proficiency 3178/10000...

"*Gale Sword Master*" Proficiency 3259/10000...

"*Gale Sword Master*" Proficiency 3303/10000...

The earlier events had happened too suddenly. Zuo Xingyuan suddenly felt the pressure on him ease, and he had thought reinforcements had arrived. But after counterattacking with a slash and glancing over from the corner of his eye, his heart immediately tightened.

He swept his broadsword across and roared, "Get lost!"

Seeing that he had no intention of continuing the battle, Wang Qi quickly pulled away and fled. Looking back, he saw that Wei Xin, the closest pursuer, was already less than a hundred meters away. At that speed, it would take less than a second to reach him.

Wind seemed to gather beneath his feet as he ran for his life. If he did not flee now, it would truly be too late.

The two fought at an incredibly fast pace. In a single second, they could move over a hundred meters. They might not swing their blades a hundred times, but they would make at least a dozen strikes.

Poison Wolf had exchanged over ten moves with Ning Ze without being able to defeat him, driving him even further into madness until he nearly lost all reason.

"Go to hell!"

Ning Ze watched the diagonal slash descend from above and raised his sword to block it. However, this strike was slightly different from the ones before.

Just then, he felt another layer of strength emerge within his body, as though a violent gale were surging through him. Every swing of his sword seemed to unleash endless wind pressure, and his strength rose once more.

His Base Strength exceeded 4,000 kg. With twofold Force Generation, that was 8,000 kg. Adding another multiplier now brought it to 1,200 kg. Even among Beginner Warlords, that counted as mid-level strength.

Clang!

Blade and sword collided, and the sound of this strike was even louder than before.

Ning Ze lowered his body and drew out his sword as the dark war blade swept past the tips of his hair.

He had dodged another slash.

Killing intent filled his eyes, while an odd, faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips. His handsome face took on a slightly wicked air.

"The one who dies is you!"

As he spoke, Ning Ze thrust his sword directly at Poison Wolf's throat.

Watching the Sword Light stab toward him, Poison Wolf's pupils suddenly contracted, and his heart turned cold. He had attacked Ning Ze madly just moments ago, leaving him unable to parry, so he had simply continued his assault.

But Ning Ze's strength had suddenly risen. He was no longer as ragged as before. Not only could he block, he could counterattack. When Ning Ze suddenly changed moves, it was already too late for him to defend.

Poison Wolf's face twisted hideously. He did not want to die at anyone's hands, least of all at the hands of a newcomer. Ignoring everything else, he swung his blade toward Ning Ze's neck. Even in death, he wanted to take someone with him!

Whoosh!

Silver and gold light flashed. The Light Swan Sword lightly touched Poison Wolf's neck, piercing his throat before being pulled out. There was not a trace of a wound visible on his throat, while Ning Ze hurriedly leaned back to evade Poison Wolf's attack.

A massive broadsword fell from the sky and smashed fiercely onto Poison Wolf's head. In that instant, a pillar of blood sprayed from Poison Wolf's throat.

The broadsword brutally smashed Poison Wolf to the ground. Zuo Xingyuan's eyes were somewhat dazed. He had been behind Poison Wolf and had not seen Ning Ze's movement at all. He only felt that his strike had landed a little too smoothly.

However, Wei Xin had clearly seen that dazzling sword strike. He praised, "Good kid. Well done."

After casually saying that, Wei Xin swept to the side like a ghost. The Poison Wolf Squad member entangled by Zhang Chen did not even have the ability to resist before his head flew into the air, blood gushing from his lower body like a fountain.

"I'll pursue them."

Leaving those words behind, Wei Xin immediately chased after the fleeing people.

After Chen Chong arrived, he ended the battle with a few casual slashes and also gave chase.

At that moment, Ning Hua rushed over. Looking at Poison Wolf's body lying on the ground, he threw back his head and laughed wildly.

"Hahaha!"

"Son! What a sword strike!"

"Poison Wolf! I told you that you would die!"

"Not even the Thunderclap Martial Arts School can stop it!"

"My son has killed you now!"

"Hahaha!"

"Wonderful!"

"Hahaha!"

Ning Hua slapped Ning Ze's shoulder and gripped it tightly.

With his great vengeance avenged, Zuo Xingyuan was also ecstatic. Hearing Ning Hua's words, he sensed something was off. He kicked Poison Wolf over, revealing a throat covered in blood.

Clearly, before his attack had landed, Ning Ze had already pierced Poison Wolf's throat with a single sword strike and severed the nerves in his spine.

That was why his blow had so easily smashed Poison Wolf to death.

Zuo Xingyuan's pupils suddenly contracted. He turned to stare at Ning Ze, his eyes filled with shock.

He said in disbelief, "Good kid, so you really did kill him!"

Poison Wolf was a notorious Intermediate Warlord. The difference in strength between him and Ning Ze was enormous, at least fourfold!

Enduring attacks and killing someone were completely different matters.

"Your strength has completely surpassed mine already." Zhang Chen praised him with delight written all over his face.

Ma Yu also said happily, "You're not much weaker than me either."

Ning Ze said modestly, "I only improved so quickly thanks to you uncles protecting me and helping me temper myself. This time, he knew he could not escape and had already lost his mind. I wouldn't be able to defeat any other Intermediate Warlord."

Ning Hua turned to look in the direction the Poison Wolf Squad had fled. The experts they had invited had all gone after them, though he did not know how many they would catch.

Turning back, he asked quietly, "Your Sword Art broke through?"

Ning Ze nodded firmly.

"Gale Sword Master, Second Layer? No wonder!" Zuo Xingyuan was deeply shaken, though he also felt that it was only natural. Otherwise, Ning Ze could not have killed Poison Wolf.

Ma Yu was equally excited. "Good kid, you actually mastered the Second Layer!"

Xu Liang teased, "Kid, I'm just waiting for you to become a War God! When that happens, I'll retire and stop risking my life in the Wilderness Area."

Ning Ze joked, "Then you'd better cherish your time in the wilderness while you still can!"

Ning Hua glanced at his teammates. These people did not know Ning Ze's true situation, but he did.

There was no such thing as the Second Layer of Gale Sword Master. They had only bought the First Layer!

This Force Generation was not 2.1 times that of the Second Layer of Gale Sword Master, but three times! It was even stronger than the 2.8 times of the Third Layer of Gale Sword Master!

Before long, the five powerhouses returned with Yang Chao.

Yang Chao had been responsible for sniping and ambushing, as well as preventing anyone from escaping.

Chen Chong said regretfully, "We only killed two. Fei Ying and that Advanced Warlord disappeared."

Ning Hua immediately clasped his hands and said, "Killing two is already good enough. We have everyone to thank for coming today. Otherwise, let alone killing them, we might not even have been able to defeat them."

"They only gave us the chance to kill them because they panicked and fled blindly."

"Once we return, I'll immediately transfer the one hundred million Huaxia Coin I promised each of you."

Chen Chong nodded slightly, showing no objection.

They were all Advanced Warlords and renowned powerhouses. The Beast Warlord-level monsters in the higher-ranked wilderness cities were densely packed, and casually killing a few monsters would earn them one hundred million.

Fighting people was the most troublesome. Two had escaped and would become enemies in the future, while Thunderclap Martial Arts School warriors would also look unfavorably upon them. Asking for one hundred million Huaxia Coin was already out of consideration for personal ties.

With a broad smile, Ning Hua invited them, "Everyone, the Warfire Squad has avenged a great wrong today. We must hold a proper feast to celebrate. I've reserved a private room at the Underground Alliance. If none of you are busy, shall we go have a good drink?"

Chen Chong, Wei Xin, and the others looked at Ning Ze and gladly agreed.

They had all witnessed Ning Ze's performance. Naturally, it was a good thing to befriend such a promising young man.

As the sun gradually rose, the Warfire Squad and the five powerful Advanced Warlords began their return.

Meanwhile, in Jiangnan Base City, a Warrior Practical Combat Assessment was being held that day.

Within the Barracks stood a monster town that served as the trial site. Ning Ze had registered for the assessment in another district back then, but he had taken the assessment here as well.

Inside a quiet little building in the town, the observers were stationed.

In one room, upper management from several major factions had gathered, along with a few geniuses.

"Both of you are geniuses from the Limitless Martial Arts School. How do you think your strength compares to Ning Ze's?" The speaker was a thin young man holding a curved blade, with a birthmark on his face.

Luo Feng was slightly surprised. He studied Wan Dong for three seconds and recalled who he was. Instructor Jiang Nian had told him that Ning Ze had defeated an S-level genius at the Thunderclap Martial Arts School. This must be that person.

He slowly shook his head. "I'm not his match yet."

Hearing that name again deepened his impression of Ning Ze. Coincidentally, they lived in the same neighborhood, yet they had never even met once.

A middle-aged man seated before Luo Feng smiled. "You may not be his match now, but perhaps you'll catch up later. Young people have limitless potential. I believe you're excellent as well." This was Zhuge Tao, the supervisor who had given Luo Feng an S-level Contract.

Luo Feng bowed slightly and replied respectfully, "Thank you, Supervisor. I'll work hard in my training."

A trace of excitement rose in his heart. Over the past half month, rumors had constantly circulated that he had joined the martial arts school early and possessed extraordinary talent, as though no one could compare to him.

In truth, he had long set a goal for himself: surpass Ning Ze!

Of course, not in terms of Mental Power. His Mental Power was two levels higher than his physical fitness. He was currently an Intermediate Warrior, which meant his Mental Power was at the Beginner Warlord level. That would be somewhat unfair.

What he wanted was to surpass Ning Ze as a warrior!

Seeing the gloomy expression on the Thunderclap Martial Arts School supervisor across from him, Zhuge Tao smiled even more happily. "All right, go take the assessment. It won't be difficult for you."

"Yes."

"You two should go as well," the Thunderclap Martial Arts School supervisor said in a deep voice.

"Yes!" Wan Dong and a female warrior replied respectfully.