Breaking Defense, Making a Bet

[Slayed demon, Bear Beast, obtained entry: Ferocity of the Bear Beast (Green · Anecdote).]

[Ferocity of the Bear Beast, strength capable of uprooting trees. Detected that the host has already mastered an entry of the same type which is an innate ability. Entry cannot be replaced; has been automatically converted into double Karma Cutting Value.]

[Karma Cutting Value]: 15+12+24

A few lines of black text flashed before his eyes.

Entries of the same type cannot be stacked or replaced because they are innate abilities?

"Oops!"

The thought flashed by. Shen Qing turned his head, as if just noticing He Ying and the others, and smiled apologetically:

"My apologies, I didn't notice you were here. I accidentally snatched your mission."

Although he was smiling, his face was stained with demon blood, and his fists were still dripping with it; this smile was exceptionally chilling.

He Ying's group was stunned, their mouths agape, unable to utter a single word.

However, being young and hot-blooded, He Ying quickly regained his composure. He glanced at the dead Bear Beast on the ground, then looked at Shen Qing, who was clearly doing this on purpose.

A surge of anger rushed straight to his head, and he spat out a curse.

"You f*cking snatched our mission!"

"Hey, don't use foul language."

Xie Chong kicked the car door open and stepped out. With two "clicks," he took a photo of the mission and uploaded it.

"The mission was right here; anyone could take it. Who told you to be so slow?"

He wore an innocent expression, which made He Ying's fists clench until the veins popped.

"Pah, you loser, acting tough because of someone else's power!"

After cursing Xie Chong, he glared at Shen Qing.

"And you, what are you posturing for! If you've got the guts, let's fight. What kind of skill is it to rely on a car to ram a demon to death?!"

"Fight?"

Hearing this, Shen Qing's eyes lit up instantly, and he even took a proactive step forward. "Sure."

This was exactly what he wanted; not only could he gauge the strength of an Eighth-Rank Supernaturalist, but he wasn't the one initiating the trouble.

"He Ying."

The young man beside him pressed down on He Ying's shoulder and shook his head. "Have you forgotten what the team leader said?"

He Ying was startled for a moment, then his expression became conflicted. Their mission had just failed, and the team leader had specifically instructed them to behave; the pranks they pulled earlier were already the limit.

He didn't want to be punished and thrown into the "dark room" again, but he couldn't swallow this insult.

He Ying grew angrier the more he thought about it, especially seeing Xie Chong's smug expression. His chest heaved, and suddenly thinking of something, he looked sharply at Shen Qing.

"I know you're a rookie!"

"So?" Shen Qing felt a bit helpless. He was just going to let it go like that?

He subconsciously looked at the cautious young man, feeling an indescribable sense of discomfort, like encountering a graveyard in the middle of the wilderness.

Before Shen Qing could ponder it, he heard He Ying roar:

"Don't interrupt me! After the assessment, rookies have one chance to challenge the veterans. If you've got the guts, challenge me then!"

"But the prerequisite is that you must defeat the Night Owl rookies during the assessment. Don't just be all talk when the time comes."

After delivering his harsh words, and with the mission already snatched, there was no point in staying. He Ying snorted coldly, and the three of them turned to leave.

"Hey, wait."

Xie Chong's voice came from behind, unhurried and carrying a hint of provocation. "Just throwing out threats? As expected of kids, too scared to bet on anything?"

"Pah, who's scared!"

He Ying turned back abruptly to look at Xie Chong. He shouted loudly: "Let's bet! You think I'm afraid of a loser like you?!"

"I bet that in the assessment, he won't even be able to defeat our Night Owl rookies..."

Before he could finish, the young man shook his head and interrupted him, his gaze sweeping toward Shen Qing.

If he remembered correctly, this person had landed from a height of four or five meters without making a sound, and could kill an Eighth-Rank demon with a single punch.

Even if it was already heavily injured, that wasn't something an ordinary Ninth-Rank Supernaturalist could penetrate. This person seemed a bit extraordinary.

"Be conservative."

He gave a word of advice but did not stop him. After all, He Ying's cultivation time was there; he should have no problem winning.

"Fine! Let's bet that after the assessment, you will lose to me!"

He Ying suppressed his anger and looked at Shen Qing with disdain. "Provided you have the guts to challenge me!"

From start to finish, they didn't give Shen Qing a chance to speak before the matter was settled. Seeing this, he could only shake his head helplessly.

"So, what's the stake?" He Ying looked at Xie Chong.

"If my brother loses, thirty contribution points!" Xie Chong held up three fingers, then turned his head to explain to Shen Qing with a grin:

"Of course, I'll put up the stakes, but if he wins, they go to you."

Shen Qing raised an eyebrow; he still had some shame, at least.

Xie Chong looked back at He Ying.

He Ying shook his head, staring daggers at him, "Not enough. I want to add one more condition—you are never to go near my sister again, you must keep a distance of at least ten meters!"

If he could, he would wish for this person to never see his sister again, though that was impossible.

"Fine!" Xie Chong agreed readily, "But if my brother wins, you can't cause trouble for me anymore!"

The bet was settled just like that. He Ying glared at Shen Qing and Xie Chong one last time before the three of them turned and left.

Watching their retreating backs, Xie Chong finally couldn't hold it in anymore, hands on his hips as he roared, "Damn, that felt good! It's the first time I've ever seen that brat get shut down!"

"He's just a brat; a good beating would fix him." Shen Qing shook his head, then narrowed his eyes at Xie Chong, "But what did he mean by his sister?"

"Also, do you two not need the consent of the other participant when making bets?"

"Oh, come on!"

Xie Chong exclaimed, quickly changing the subject, "Anyway, what's the deal with your strength? You can even break the defenses of an E-rank demon?"

"Do you want to test my strength again?" Shen Qing pressed down on his shoulder, applying a bit of force.

Xie Chong shook his head vigorously. He had been nearly beaten to a pulp yesterday, and the memory was still fresh, "Don't be like that, we're brothers."

"But seriously, don't underestimate that brat."

His expression turned serious, "That kid has already broken through to the Eighth Grade. His strength is at least over a ton, and he has that strange innate ability—he can hide himself and set traps. In two words: disgusting."

After all, Shen Qing had only killed the E-rank demon before them by relying on external force.

"Then why did you dare to bet?" Shen Qing asked, puzzled.

Xie Chong scratched his head and chuckled, "I just got carried away in the moment. Besides, look at our relationship—he was provoking you, so even if we were going to lose, I had to step up!"

"Heh."

Shen Qing smiled without a word, his gaze sweeping toward a silhouette in the distance.

It was a deserted village, yet the houses were orderly. Although the slogans on the walls had faded, they clearly hadn't been there long; it looked like something from the last few years.

Shen Qing couldn't help but sigh, "Such nice houses, why were they abandoned?"

He had been thinking about saving money to buy a house for his older brother and sister-in-law, and one for himself, yet here, entire villages were being left to rot despite looking perfectly fine.

It was a pity he didn't have a rural household registration; the homesteads had nothing to do with him.

"Right,"

Shen Qing withdrew his gaze and changed the subject, "I've been wanting to ask since a moment ago, what is going on with these demons? Why have so many incidents broken out since the breakthrough?"

The matter of having his brother and the others move house seemed increasingly urgent.