It Was You!

"It really was you..."

The tall, thin man snorted coldly, narrowed his eyes, and continued, "He graduated from Ningdong City Second High School last year, was admitted to the Explorer Academy of Ningdong University, and even performed brilliantly in the entrance exam, Counter-kill a prisoner in the Foundation Establishment Realm while only at the Body Refinement Realm, right?"

Luo Jun was slightly taken aback. This guy knew so much about him? Had he done some special investigation?

"That's right."

Luo Jun, controlling Ailongtan, nodded in response.

"As far as I know, not long before that, you were just an ordinary person." The tall, thin man stared at Ailongtan: "You haven't been exposed to Yuan Qi for more than a year, yet you were able to go toe-to-toe with some of the top-ranked wanted criminals. That's quite remarkable."

Luo Jun frowned. He even knew that?

After Ailongtan returned, he only reported this matter to the school and was warned not to tell anyone else... Are these people from the Ningdong Yuan Cultivation Society?

No, if the Yuan Cultivation Society wants to question someone, they can just talk to him directly. There's no need to go through all this trouble...

There's only one possibility...

"Why waste so much breath on him?" The short, stout man waved his hand, conjuring a Blood-colored Long Blade: "Just make him hand over all his treasures!"

Sure enough, despite wearing a mask, the knife and his size confirmed that he was indeed Blood Caltrop!

They actually came knocking on their door using the name Ailongtan reported?

"My poison needles can not only manipulate minds, but also seal away vital energy." The tall, thin man shook his head. "Therefore, I can't make him issue any commands related to using vital energy, and naturally, I can't open the Hundred Treasure Box..."

"In the end, we'll still have to use Lockpick..." the tallest one said. "Hurry up, your silver needle isn't permanently effective, is it? Don't let him wake up."

"Don't worry, he won't wake up for now." The tall, thin man sneered. "Before that, I have a few questions."

As he spoke, he looked at Ailongtan: "Before you took the entrance exam, did you receive anything from a woman?"

Upon hearing this, Blood Caltrop and Mountain Shaking Ghost were both taken aback, and then their expressions became quite interesting.

"No, why are you asking such a private question?" Blood Caltrop retorted. Suddenly, the Mountain Shaking Ghost grabbed him and shook his head. "Don't ask too many details. Now you know why he was so determined to kill this kid, right?"

Blood Caltrop was taken aback for a moment, then a look of sudden realization dawned on them.

The tall, thin man rolled his eyes at them, too lazy to explain, and then looked at Ailongtan expectantly.

What did he get from which woman? Luo Jun was completely bewildered by the question. After thinking hard, he thought back to the women he had been in contact with before the exam...

Gong Shiyue?!

The moment he thought of that name, Luo Jun's mind immediately opened up.

Of all the things Luo Jun could think of that he got from Gong Shiyue, the only one was the Eternal Star!

This man's goal is the Eternal Star!

Is he from Hell Lineage? From that exchange group? How did he end up with a wanted criminal?

Luo Jun, controlling Ailongtan, replied, "Yes..."

"Just as I expected!" The tall, thin man's face turned feverish, which, in the eyes of Blood Caltrop and Mountain Shaking Ghost, looked like he was red-faced and green-headed, and somewhat exasperated.

"Is the item in your Hundred Treasure Box?"

Upon hearing this, Blood Caltrop and Mountain Shaking Ghost exchanged a glance and whispered among themselves:

"It's a treasure?"

"A token of love? It's not some kind of betrothal gift, is it? Are you trying to salvage the situation?"

"Perhaps it has sentimental value; no wonder he insisted on choosing one—that's what he came for."

The tall, thin man ignored the curves behind them, his eyes fixed on Ailongtan.

Isn't he from the Hell Creek Family? How could someone from the Hell Creek Family not know that the Eternal Star can't be stored in the Hundred Treasure Box?

Could it be that he didn't come for the Eternal Star at all?

No, he is! But he has no idea that Gong Shiyue's possession is the Eternal Star!

The problem is, he doesn't even know about the Eternal Star, so why would he be paying attention to me? Even the Hell Creek Family hasn't confirmed this to be their own.

Luo Jun's mind raced, and he quickly pieced together the man's train of thought!

This guy knows himself very well. He not only knows Luo Jun's experience very well, but he can even roughly deduce when he started cultivating Yuan Qi. So here's the question: in his opinion, how could a newcomer who has only recently come into contact with Yuan Qi and is in the Body Refinement Realm possibly kill an out-of-control Primordial Foundation Establishment Realm prisoner in the exam, and how could he become a Heart Refining Realm cultivator in just over half a year, and even be able to fight the seventh most wanted criminal on the leaderboard to a standstill!

In this man's eyes, Luo Jun's progress was too abnormal. The only explanation was that this guy had contacted Gong Shiyue, who was wanted by the Hell Creek Family, before the exam and had received benefits from her!

As for the specific benefits, he didn't know. He had only heard that Gong Shiyue had stolen a treasure from the Hell Creek Family. Judging from Luo Jun's behavior, he guessed that it was a treasure that could improve one's cultivation efficiency, which was why he came to steal it.

Thinking of this, Luo Jun controlled Ailongtan to reply, "The item is here!"

Upon hearing this, the tall, thin man's eyes flashed with a fierce light. "Then you can die!"

As he spoke, the man raised his hand, his palm gathering a surge of energy, and slashed down at Ailongtan!

Just then, Ailongtan suddenly took a step back, dodging the man's hand chop!

"Hmm?" This move surprised them. The tall, thin man frowned and stared at Ailongtan: "You've woken up? Faster than I expected."

After dodging the attack, Ailongtan staggered and knelt on one knee, panting heavily, but his protective aura still did not ignite.

"Who are you? Where is this? Why are you attacking me?" Ailongtan looked at the three people in front of him with a puzzled expression.

"Heh heh, we've only met a few days ago, and you don't recognize me?" The short, fat man sneered, stepped forward, and removed his mask.

"Blood Caltrop?" Ailongtan's eyes widened in shock. "You actually tracked me all the way to Ningdong?"

"Heh heh, I really want to kill you, but the one who really wants to take you down is this guy!" Blood Caltrop said, glancing at the tall, thin man beside him.

"You?" Ailongtan looked at the tall, thin man. "And who are you?"

"Since you're going to die anyway, I'll let you die knowing why." The tall, thin man looked at Ailongtan, knowing that even if he regained his senses, he wouldn't be able to muster his energy for a while, so he calmly took off his mask, revealing his thin, gloomy face.

Luo Jun looked closely but didn't remember ever seeing such a person before. "Who are you? Do we know each other?" Ailongtan asked.

"We haven't seen him before," the tall, thin man sneered. "Let me introduce myself. My surname is Wu, and my name is Wu Youcai. Does that name sound familiar?"

"Wu Youcai?" Ailongtan's eyes darted around, and he asked in surprise, "What is your relationship with Wu Youde?"

"You still remember my brother..." Wu Youcai sneered, "He died tragically at your hands!"

"It was you!" Ailongtan gritted his teeth and said, "So, you were the one who instructed Han Yuri to help Wu Youde escape from prison!"

"Hmph, just mentioning that useless thing makes me angry!" Wu Youcai sneered. "If he had followed my plan back then, my elder brother would have been rescued! To vent his personal anger, he actually lured my elder brother to kill you, causing him to lose his life in vain, and leaving himself a cripple!"

"You said it yourself, it was all Han Yuri ..." Ailongtan argued, "I didn't want to kill your brother, I only did it to protect myself... How about this, the grievances should be settled, you go and seek revenge on Han Yuri, and our feud will be wiped clean, how about that?"

"Enough nonsense! I'll make Han Yuri pay sooner or later, but it's also a fact that my brother died at your hands!" Wu Youcai's aura surged. "Kid, stop struggling. A quick death will save you some pain!"

"Wait!" Ailongtan raised his hand to stop him. "To be honest, I have several quite valuable treasures hidden in my Hundred Treasure Box, one of which is beyond your imagination!"

"If you kill me now, the Hundred Treasure Box will vanish into the Chaos... If you spare my life, I guarantee you a satisfactory reward!"

"Hmph!" Wu Youcai snorted coldly, flipped his hand and took out a card. "Don't worry, I know you have good stuff on you. No need for you to take it out, I'll get it myself!"

The error-free version can be read at 69 Book Bar! 6=9+shuba is the first site to publish this novel.

As he spoke, he stepped forward, clenched his fist still holding the card, unleashed his inner energy, and slammed it down towards Ailongtan!

Just then, a hand appeared out of thin air and suddenly grabbed Wu Youcai's wrist!

"What's going on?" Wu Youcai was startled and instinctively tried to break free, but he was powerless to resist. He felt as if his hands were embedded in steel!

Then, with a slight exertion of force, a cracking sound was heard, and Wu Youcai's wrist was crushed. His clenched fist immediately loosened, the card fell to the ground, and was caught by the attacker's other hand. He immediately went limp!

"Aaaaaah!"

Wu Youcai cried out in pain, and with his other hand he pinched another silver needle and stabbed it at the attacker. However, the attacker blocked it with his solid qi, and the huge reaction force caused the end of the silver needle to pierce into his palm!

How is that possible?!

Wu Youcai was horrified. This silver needle was Epic Treasure Item with a powerful energy-suppressing function. Ordinary qi couldn't block it at all. Even a prepared Martial Combat Faction wouldn't be completely ineffective unless pierced through, like hitting an iron plate. This guy's Protective Qi Strength was simply unbelievable. Just who was he...?

Wu Youcai then saw the attacker's appearance clearly. Under the hooded cloak, a young face wearing a Half-Face Mask was partially concealed.

"You are... Night..."

Due to the effects of the poisoned needle, Wu Youcai's consciousness began to Blur, and his mouth was no longer very effective. With his last bit of strength, he turned his head to ask his two wanted criminal companions behind him for help.

"Quick, let's take him down together..."

He couldn't utter those words, whether from numbness or from the shock of the scene behind him.

The two wanted criminals behind him were gone, replaced by two headless corpses falling to the ground...

It was... an instant kill?!

These were his last thoughts, after which he completely lost consciousness.

After dealing with Wu Youcai, Luo Jun began to clean up the battlefield.

Two of the top ten most wanted criminals didn't even have time to react before Luo Jun suddenly appeared and took their heads. It wasn't that they were too weak; it was simply that Luo Jun was too strong now. With his current level, even someone at their Peak would likely die if he launched such a sneak attack, let alone two guys who weren't even at their Peak.

As for the spoils of war, Blood Caltrop had previously taken out that Blood-colored Long Blade. Luo Jun picked it up and saw that it was an Epic-level weapon.

Name: Blood Drink

Grade: Epic

Description: This weapon was once used by a powerful swordsman. Having drunk his fill of human blood, it possesses extreme sharpness and a terrifying Killing Intent. After the swordsman's death, his remaining consciousness attached itself to the blade, perfectly fusing his life's skills with the sword. Even someone who knows nothing about swordsmanship can use his swordsmanship to perform his skills once he was alive, simply by holding the hilt!

Function 1: Unstoppable: Originally crafted from top-tier materials, its strength and sharpness are greatly enhanced after being transformed into a Noble Phantasm, rendering all defensive measures ineffective.

Function Two: Blade Soul Possession: Once activated, the blade spirit on the blade will automatically guide the wielder in battle, unleashing top-notch swordsmanship against the enemy. Activation consumes no resources; while in Blade Soul Possession mode, it consumes twenty Breath Vital Energy per minute. It can be activated and deactivated at any time.

Note: Blade Soul Possession for too long may have some psychological effects on the wielder; it is best not to maintain this state for an extended period.

Note: "Do you think I can use a knife?" "I don't care what you think, I care what I think!"

This is a fairly standard Epic-level weapon. Its Unstoppable special effect is similar to that of the Azure Dragon Crescent Moon, indicating that this blade focuses more on its strength and sharpness than on flashy skills. As for the second function, it's basically an add-on.

This skill looks impressive, but in reality, people who are used to using Epic-level weapons are definitely not bad at swordsmanship. Even if they were to use it, the energy consumption would be quite high, and there are also hidden side effects, so it's not a particularly good ability.

Luo Jun casually put the knife away and then took a belt from the Mountain Shaking Ghost beside him.

Name: Steel Wall

Grade: Epic

Introduction: The belt once worn by a powerful general. Protected by this belt, he charged into enemy lines many times without being injured, until one day before a battle, his political enemy bribed his guards to secretly replace the belt, which led to his death in the chaos of battle.

Function 1: Steel Wall: When worn, the belt generates an invisible shield to protect the wearer's entire body. The shield has extremely high defense values. If the shield is damaged, the wearer can inject energy to recover. However, if the shield is completely broken, it cannot be reactivated for one hour.

Function Two: Energy Storage: The belt has the function of storing vital energy, with a maximum limit of 500 breaths. The stored energy can be used to automatically replenish the shield or to replenish the user's own energy.

Note: A seemingly powerful enemy is often destroyed from within.

This belt is also very simple and straightforward. It looks like an advanced version of a Rare-level Body Protecting Belt. Not only does it have an added energy storage function, but judging from the feel of Luo Jun's attack just now, its shield value should also be much higher than that of the Body Protecting Belt.

Besides these two, the three of them were also wearing several rare or Elite-level accessories, but the effects were all rather ordinary. Anyway, there were enough slots available, and Luo Jun, adhering to the principle that the more the merrier, had scavenged them all.

Finally, his gaze fell upon the card he had snatched from Wu Youcai.

From a distance, this thing looks like a card, but upon closer inspection, it turns out to be an etched piece. When held up to a light source, you can see a fine, hair-like cutout structure. With a little force, you can pry off individual, slender parts. Roughly counting, there are nine in total.

Is this the Lockpick that Wu Youcai mentioned?

Luo Jun infused his vital energy and scanned the object's attributes.

(End of this chapter)