Duel with Duan Wenchang

"This kid's got some nerve!"

"That's how it should be—if there's a grudge, settle it!"

"Mercy is cruelty to yourself!"

"..."

These people discussed among themselves.

Most of them had come down from the battlefield.

They admired those who killed with decisiveness even more.

Those who hesitated and did not even dare avenge themselves only earned their contempt.

The sight before them greatly shook some of the trainees.

Many of them were children of prominent families. When had they ever seen a scene like this?

"He just killed someone outright! Isn't he too ruthless?"

"If you're not ruthless to others, then you can only be ruthless to yourself! I think he did the right thing!"

"I can barely take it. I haven't even killed many Fierce Beasts!"

"Then you'd better be careful. The road ahead will only grow more brutal!"

"..."

As they talked and watched the scene before them, some people began to change inside.

They now understood clearly what they might face in the future.

They had gained a clearer understanding of their environment.

Qian Mu stood not far away, watching the scene with a faint smile at the corner of his lips.

He had known all along that Lin Mu had such intentions; he simply had not expected him to act so decisively.

"He's a ruthless one!"

Duan Wenchang's expression was far from pleasant.

He had underestimated Lin Mu as well.

He had not expected this man to strike so cleanly!

Lin Mu moved swiftly through the forest.

To him, seizing banners was not the key. Killing Zhao Shun was his true objective.

"He wanted to kill me back at the Blood Pool!"

"How could I possibly let him go?" Lin Mu's gaze turned cold.

He continuously darted through the forest and soon hid in a relatively safe spot.

He knew perfectly well that after suffering such a loss, Zhao Shun must be itching to start a fight with him right now.

But he would not clash head-on with them.

That would put him at a disadvantage.

"The few beside Zhao Shun all have Blood Qi Values of around 6.5. Their strength is decent!"

"More importantly, this is a forest, and there are too many people around! I need to find somewhere secluded and catch them off guard!"

Lin Mu thought to himself.

After quite a while, he began moving again.

Before long, he returned to the place where he had killed someone earlier.

By now, most of the trainees had already left.

One figure stood there with a smile on his face.

"Knew you'd come back!"

Lin Mu turned his gaze toward him.

Qian Mu!

"Why are you here?"

"We're roommates, after all. I couldn't just stand by and do nothing! The moment you killed someone, Zhao Shun and the others realized how strong you are. They'll definitely be on guard!"

"If nothing unexpected happens, they should be with Duan Wenchang right now, preparing to kill you!" Qian Mu said.

"You're telling me all this—aren't you afraid of getting yourself dragged into trouble?" Lin Mu asked in return.

"If I were afraid, why would I tell you? I can cooperate with you and join forces to wipe out Duan Wenchang and the others, but you have to help me with one thing!" Qian Mu said.

"Go on!"

"The Cultivation Method I practice is somewhat special. I need to hunt some Fierce Beasts! I hope you'll help me!" Qian Mu explained.

Lin Mu narrowed his eyes slightly.

He had already felt that Qian Mu had come here with a purpose.

Now, it seemed that was indeed the case.

"What Fierce Beast?"

"Iron-Metal Beasts!"

A flicker of surprise appeared in Lin Mu's eyes.

Iron-Metal Beasts!

A particularly unusual type of Fierce Beast.

They were scarce and fed on iron and stone. Not only was their defense astonishing, their strength was terrifying as well.

An adult Iron-Metal Beast was as strong as a Second-Order Martial Artist.

Given Lin Mu's current circumstances, it would be difficult for him to defeat one.

"My target isn't an adult Iron-Metal Beast, but a juvenile one. If you can help me, I can give you five A-grade Potions!" Qian Mu said.

A thoughtful look crossed Lin Mu's face.

His eyes rested on Qian Mu.

He knew very well that Qian Mu was both highly talented and clever.

When cooperating with someone like that, one had to be cautious.

"Don't worry. I still have that much sense of honor!" Qian Mu added.

Lin Mu nodded slightly. "Then we'll do as you say. But the spoils from killing Duan Wenchang and the others will all be mine!"

Qian Mu did not care in the slightest. "No problem!"

"Do you know where they are?" Lin Mu asked.

"I can determine the general direction!" Qian Mu took out a Compass. The needle spun, then before long pointed toward a direction.

"Over there!"

Lin Mu looked somewhat curious. "What is that?"

"A Blood Qi Tracker. You just fought not long ago, so there's still lingering aura. This thing is pretty much like a police dog—it can directly lock onto the target!" Qian Mu explained.

"Pretty useful!" Lin Mu said.

"With your strength, buying one wouldn't be difficult!" Qian Mu said.

Lin Mu shrugged. If he had the chance in the future, he would buy one.

The two figures dashed forward.

About twenty minutes later, they arrived in the depths of the forest.

They saw seven or eight figures gathered around a large tree.

Zhao Shun stood before Duan Wenchang, his expression exceedingly fawning.

Duan Wenchang's face did not look good.

They had used quite a few methods, yet still had not found any trace of Lin Mu.

"He's only one person, and none of you were his match?" Duan Wenchang rebuked them.

"I didn't expect him to be so strong!" Zhao Shun said.

"This time, we have to kill him. I don't want any accidents!" Duan Wenchang said.

"Understood!" Zhao Shun replied.

At that moment, Lin Mu slowly walked out.

"You want to kill me that badly?"

When they saw Lin Mu, delight surfaced on Duan Wenchang and the others' faces.

"There's a road to heaven, yet you refuse to take it; hell has no gate, yet you insist on barging in!" Duan Wenchang said coldly.

"Whether I live or die, won't we have to try before we know?" Lin Mu said.

"Ridiculous. Your Blood Qi Value is, at most, only around 7.0. Facing so many of us, do you really think you stand a chance?"

Duan Wenchang demanded.

But the moment his words fell—

A scream rang out.

Qian Mu, wearing a mask and wielding a Long Staff, struck someone.

That person collapsed to the ground, his face twisted in pain.

Quite a few people turned their gazes toward Qian Mu.

None of them had expected Lin Mu to have help.

"Damn it!" A dark look clouded Duan Wenchang's eyes.

But at that moment, Lin Mu charged at him with a long blade in hand.

Duan Wenchang snorted coldly. His long sword danced, and powerful blood and qi erupted at that instant.

Zhao Shun and the others also drew their weapons and charged at Qian Mu.

Facing their attacks, Qian Mu remained exceptionally calm. The long staff in his hand whirled rapidly, unleashing wave upon wave of relentless offense.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The sound of air being torn apart rang out one after another.

The long staff could only be seen crashing down in every direction.

The moment Zhao Shun and the others approached him, they were sent flying, blood spraying wildly from their mouths.

Horror filled their eyes.

With their strength, even if they were no match for him, they should not have been defeated so miserably.

Meanwhile, Duan Wenchang and Lin Mu had also fallen into a deadlock.

Duan Wenchang's attacks were exceptionally fierce. The long sword in his hand was like a fallen galaxy, wave after wave crashing toward Lin Mu.

Lin Mu's expression changed visibly.

He could sense that Duan Wenchang lacked his wealth of combat experience, yet his Blood Qi Value far surpassed Lin Mu's.

That terrifying strength forced him back step by step.