First Blood

Tie Niu confessed that their previous hunts had all been directed by Su Yuan. Combined with the tracking ability Su Yuan had demonstrated, the group finally agreed to follow his lead.

Chai Nian had also warned them before the competition to be especially wary of the Shan Family and to stick together.

The Shan Family was also gathered in one spot, and Du Hengfeng cast a vicious glare their way.

Tie Niu did not back down in the slightest: "What are you looking at? I suggest you focus on the hunt and stop playing dirty. It was the Chai Family that saved you back then; you should know how to repay a kindness."

He was determined to protect Su Yuan and, more importantly, to seize the top spot so he could leave both portions of the medicinal pills for Brother Yuan.

Du Hengfeng nearly bristled at these words; that crushing defeat that night was the greatest humiliation of his life.

He had been searching for the masked man's tracks ever since, but had found nothing.

And these Chai Family martial artists, who had seen him in such a pathetic state with their own eyes, all deserved to die!

"Let's go!" Du Hengfeng knew it was not the time for a conflict. There would be plenty of time later; once they were deep in the mountains, he would settle the score.

The Shan Family team departed immediately.

Su Yuan took a deep breath, memorizing the scents on them, especially those of Han Gui and Du Hengfeng.

As the martial artists entered the forest, the young masters and misses on the viewing platform lost sight of them.

Rong Yuzhi hesitated and said, "Does that Su Yuan really know how to hunt? Did we bet on the wrong person?"

Once she said this, the others also became a bit uneasy.

This betting was meant for entertainment, and each person could bet on several rankings, with winnings distributed according to the odds if they guessed correctly.

If Su Yuan was not at the bottom, the silver they had wagered on the bottom ten would go down the drain.

Shan Xiongqing spoke coldly: "That brat is at most a master of empty talk. Besides, when it comes to the end of the hunt, it all comes down to raw strength."

The group nodded upon hearing this, their worries assuaged.

The hunt was to last seven days. These nobles would naturally not sit there the entire time, but they always had the patience to watch the first and last days.

Su Yuan led the group through the forest.

His nostrils flared slightly; he would occasionally stoop to examine tracks or stand still to discern scents. Before long, he locked onto the lair of a pack of Tusked Demon Boars.

He signaled with his hand, and the group quietly surrounded the area.

Tie Niu erupted into action, shattering the skull of the lead boar with a single punch. The others followed suit, and in an instant, they had slaughtered the entire nest of demon boars.

Zhu Yan and the others were thoroughly impressed: "Junior Brother Su Yuan, your nose is sharper than a dog's."

At this rate of efficiency, their entire team might rank very high.

When distributing the points, the group kept their promise to credit fifty percent of the catch to Tie Niu, with the remainder split according to individual contribution.

Su Yuan was speechless. Was that supposed to be a compliment?

When the first hunting gong sounded, the entire Chai Family team returned carrying their haul.

Upon tallying the points, they were ranked at the very top of all the teams.

"Chai Nian, is your team actually this skilled at hunting?" Rong Yulian could not help but ask, her gaze lingering on Tie Niu, who stood at the front.

"It is thanks to Tie Niu's leadership," Chai Nian replied with a smile, fanning himself, his expression one of satisfaction.

With the points announced, Su Tie Niu was, without a doubt, currently in first place.

Because the prey had to be counted as whole carcasses, the Chai Family team made some internal adjustments, recording several of the higher-value kills under Su Yuan's name.

In the end, Zhu Yan and Kuang Hong also squeezed into the top ten. Su Yuan ended up ranked in the twenties, and the rest of the Chai Family martial artists were all within the top fifty.

Among the prey submitted by the Shan Family, however, were many human heads—all of them mountain drifters.

While this did not violate the rules, it caused many of the noblewomen to frown, viewing Du Hengfeng as a madman.

Even so, his points only placed him second, far behind Tie Niu.

Seeing these results, the crowd's expressions turned sour.

Shan Xiongqing was the first to stir up trouble: "This is unfair! The hunting competition is meant to test individual skill. How can we allow someone to fish in troubled waters and reap the rewards of others' efforts?"

Although he did not name anyone, his target was clearly Su Yuan, who he claimed was relying on the team to coast.

Once these words were spoken, many echoed his sentiment: "Young Master Shan is right! This is too unfair to those fighting on their own!"

"The Wolf God Ritual has always valued cooperation. Only when the wolf pack is of one mind can they bring down more prey," Chai Nian retorted calmly.

"But these Jing People are dogs, not wolves! What Great Liang needs to tame are the strongest, most loyal hounds." Shan Xiongqing would not let it go, continuing to argue with Chai Nian.

Gao Mian suddenly interjected: "Perhaps the one truly 'coasting' is someone else? It is clear that Su Yuan is the brains of this team."

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" Shan Xiongqing denied it flatly.

He was determined to break up the Chai Family team; otherwise, not only would he lose the hunting competition, but he would also have no chance to strike at Su Yuan.

The two sides argued incessantly, eventually alarming the higher-ups.

At first, the leadership paid no mind, but over the next two days, the Chai Family's haul grew even more abundant, nearly monopolizing the top ranks. Even the lowest-ranked Chai Family martial artist had surged into the top thirty.

Everyone finally realized that something was wrong.

If things continue this way, the Chai Family will likely sweep the top ten; what point is there in watching this competition?

Many hunters began to slack off.

The original intention of Great Liang in hosting this competition was to use martial artists as free labor to harvest demonic beasts, or to feed the beasts with the flesh and blood of the martial artists.

Now that everyone was either banding together or going on strike, the entire situation had descended into chaos.

Pressed by the pressure, the rules were finally amended.

"This competition is intended to temper lone wolves! From now on, everyone must hunt separately and is forbidden from sharing prey. Violators will have their gains confiscated! The Fierce Horse Army and the various martial masters will be monitoring from the shadows, so do not try your luck!"

Du Hengfeng glared viciously at Su Yuan: "The opportunity has finally arrived!"

Han Gui followed by his side, also casting frequent glances at Su Yuan, his eyes like those of a butcher looking at livestock.

Su Yuan sneered inwardly: Just as I intended!

Tie Niu, however, was filled with worry: "Brother Yuan, once we enter the mountains, we can meet up in secret; they might not notice..."

Shan Xiongqing looked at Chai Nian triumphantly, feeling he had finally scored a point.

Chai Nian merely shook his fan and chuckled: "Brother Shan, why must you always fixate on Su Yuan? Without this dead weight, Tie Niu might perform even better. This top spot is surely his."

From beginning to end, the only person he cared about was Tie Niu.

Shan Xiongqing's expression shifted as he looked at Gao Mian, only to see she remained as icy as ever: "Don't be so hasty, there is a new rule."

Sure enough, the examiner immediately announced: "To incentivize everyone to hunt with all your might, there are rewards for the top ten, but the bottom ten shall face punishment. Those who end up in the bottom ten will be exiled to the Dalian Mine to serve ten years of hard labor!"

These words were like cold water hitting boiling oil, and the entire venue erupted in an uproar.

Those currently ranked in the bottom ten, in particular, all turned deathly pale.

Ten years in the mines—how is that any different from a death sentence?

Even for a martial artist, it is difficult to survive ten years in such a place, let alone losing one's freedom.

Gao Mian's expression finally changed, and she shot a cold, piercing glare at Shan Xiongqing.

Shan Xiongqing grinned, as if to say: Madam, you brought this upon yourself.

With the new rules in place, everyone feared for their own safety and fought with all their might, as no one wanted to fall into the bottom ten.

"Brother Yuan!" Tie Niu's face was full of anxiety.

Su Yuan smiled calmly: "Don't worry, can't you trust my abilities?"

"I'm worried about the Shan Family..."

"They are the ones who should be worried." Su Yuan's tone turned icy, causing Tie Niu to shiver and say no more.

Upon re-entering the forest, Su Yuan did not rush to act. Instead, he lay in wait, simultaneously improving his lurking skills while waiting for the right moment.

[Lurking: 1546/2000 (Perfect)]

He was waiting for a legitimate opportunity.

Although he did not know how strict the surveillance of Great Liang truly was, he had to keep up appearances.

Because Su Yuan remained hidden, Du Hengfeng and the others could not find him for a time.

But since he had no kills, his points plummeted rapidly.

Shan Xiongqing looked triumphant: "I said it before, Su Yuan is just a freeloader, a bottom-tier piece of trash!"

Just at this moment, good news arrived from the Void Cloud Horse Ranch; Yun Xu and the others had finally confessed, revealing many of the secrets behind the Cloud-Striding Palm.

With this double blessing, Shan Xiongqing was filled with smug satisfaction.

The others who had bet on Su Yuan finishing last also breathed a sigh of relief.

Chai Nian remained calm, but Gao Mian frowned.

This was not enough.

Shan Xiongqing sent a secret message, ordering his men to hurry up and finish off Su Yuan and Su Tie Niu, ensuring they seized the top spot.

As everyone scattered to hunt, people began to go missing in the mountains.

"The opportunity is here." Su Yuan deliberately left behind a few traces.

Han Gui discovered the trail and gave chase alone.

He was a Third-Blood martial artist, while Su Yuan was merely a First-Blood.

"This credit should be mine alone! Hahaha!" Han Gui felt that his loss of favor was entirely due to Su Yuan.

First, he lost the favor of his mistress, and then, due to his mishandling of Su Yuan, he lost the favor of his young master.

This time, he would surely take his head to prove his loyalty to the young master!

Snap—

Han Gui's sinister laughter came to an abrupt end.

He felt a bit dizzy; his head seemed to have lost its way, having parted from his body, and it rolled onto the ground.

"First blood." Su Yuan took down Han Gui with an understated air, then dragged the corpse away, silently vanishing into the depths of the forest shade.