Dust Settles

Qing Huai lay quietly on the ground, looking up at the sky.

He covered his neck with his hand to prevent the blood from spurting out too quickly.

It was as if this could delay their death and allow them to regain control of their lives.

The dark clouds have dispersed, and the plants no longer pay him any attention.

After several hours of fleeing for his life, Qing Huai surprisingly felt a sense of peace.

I was just too tired before.

Footsteps approached from afar, the soft sound of footsteps crunching on decaying leaves sounding like a lullaby, Qing Huai felt a little sleepy.

Qing Huai turned his head to try and get a clear look at the boy.

But the boy didn't approach him. Instead, he crouched down a great distance away and quietly waited for him to die completely.

"Even at a time like this, are we still being so cautious?" Qing Huai wondered to himself.

His eyes turned bloodshot, and he finally saw the boy's face clearly.

In his dying moments, Qing Huai remembered many things.

I've also figured out a lot of things...

This young man is a newly recruited knight.

But isn't it said that the knightly tradition is about to end, and that no one can cross that threshold?

Nobody knows exactly what the threshold is; everyone just knows it's very difficult.

It is said that Heng Society's Li Dongze almost became the successor to the Knights, but ultimately failed, which is one of Li Dongze's regrets in life.

So, whose apprentice is this young man? Chen Jiazhang? Wang Xiaojiu? Li Shutong?

No, Qing Huai recalled the whole story after he encountered the boy, and he suddenly remembered a question: the other party was just an ordinary person the day before yesterday, but today he was able to keep up with him at an extremely fast speed.

Even though he was injured and there was Forbidden Zone to hinder him, the other party had already transcended the realm of ordinary people!

"That young man achieved a breakthrough on this very day; he has just been promoted to knight!" Qing Huai's heart was filled with immense emotion.

Many people are still unaware that Li Shutong has secretly left Prison No. 18. Because no trace of Li Shutong has been found, the conglomerate has suppressed the matter.

After all, the conglomerate demanded that Li Shutong stay in prison, but he went in and out twice in a short period of time. If this got out, it would severely damage the conglomerate's prestige.

But Qing Huai knew about this.

Before this, everyone was speculating about where Li Shutong had gone, but Qing Huai realized at this moment that he was likely in Forbidden Zone No. 002.

Moreover, Qing Huai guessed what the other party was there for: to take the new successor to climb the Green Mountain Cliff!

"When did Li Shutong find this student? Why does that boy look so familiar? And how can he unleash the Autumn Leaf Blade so soon after his promotion?"

These questions kept churning in his mind, as if trying to turn his brain into mush.

But he found solace in the thought that Li Shutong was probably nearby, and even if the boy couldn't kill him, Li Shutong would.

Thinking about it this way, Qing Huai felt much more at ease.

Etc!

Qing Huai finally remembered where he had seen the other person before. A year ago, at the birthday banquet of Qing Xi, the direct descendant of the conglomerate, the other person was sitting in a corner.

Qing Xi had spoken a few words to the boy, but he seemed very shy.

He asked others who the boy was and how Qing Xi knew him, but no one knew him or knew which branch of the family he belonged to.

It wasn't until recently that he learned the person he had seen was named Qing Chen, one of the candidates in this Shadow Struggle.

When Qing Huai found out, he had already gradually forgotten what Qing Chen looked like and didn't take him too seriously.

Now, Qing Chen, who should be in Prison No. 18, has appeared here, in addition to the disappearance of Li Shutong.

Even if Qing Huai is a pig-brain, he should understand the truth: the other party never angered Li Shutong from beginning to end, but instead became Li Shutong's student!

As for the rumors that the other party was put in solitary confinement by Li Shutong, that was probably just for show.

A look of confusion crossed Qing Huai's eyes; it turned out he had ruled out the correct answer from the very beginning!

That most inconspicuous, seemingly useless marginal figure has actually become the most terrifying Shadow Candidate, hiding in the shadows.

Both the Knights and Heng Society are known for protecting their own members. If their own members are involved in the Shadow Struggle, they will definitely help them to the death!

The next moment, Qing Huai's eyes widened. Wasn't he also part of the other party's plan? Li Shutong had brought Qing Chen to Forbidden Zone No. 002 specifically to hunt him down, hadn't he?

Thus, in the first round of the Shadow Struggle, the four families were directly eliminated!

Qing Huai smiled with his last bit of strength. He was curious to see what the other Shadow Candidate' expressions would be when they discovered such a being.

We can't just let ourselves get scammed.

The blood beside him had already formed a pool of blood. In his final moments, the boy crouching in the distance suddenly said softly, "Cao Wei fought back like a tiger before he died, but you never even thought about fighting to the death to save your life. That's why I say you are not as good as him."

The boy squatted down calmly, his tone equally calm, as if he were stating a very ordinary conclusion.

Qing Huai's smile froze on his face instantly, then he lost all vitality.

To kill someone is to destroy their spirit.

But Qing Chen was right. He originally thought Qing Huai was the most troublesome enemy in the end, but in fact, when he killed Cao Wei, he realized that in the final moments of a life-or-death struggle, those little people who have struggled up from the bottom are the most terrifying.

Because no one has a way out.

And it has never been withdrawn.

Countdown.

Coming soon.

Qing Chen looked down at the Forbidden Item on his wrist, ACE-019, Puppet Master.

The Puppet Master the most credit for this pursuit of Qing Huai, and it also made Qing Chen realize the power of Forbidden Item.

He first hunted down five federal soldiers and sacrificed their souls.

Qing Chen watched helplessly as the five corpses turned to ashes, which were then blown away by the wind.

The horror of this sacrifice far exceeded his imagination: a life went from vibrant flesh and blood to annihilation in just five seconds.

No wonder the teacher said that Puppet Master are considered a very evil and Forbidden Item by everyone.

After the sacrifice, the Puppet Master turned from red to transparent and are now wrapped around Qing Chen's wrist. It's probably impossible to notice it unless you look closely at it in the light.

After hunting down the soldiers, Qing Chen spent thirty minutes interrogating Wang Qiang to find out his name.

Then he witnessed firsthand how horrible Puppet Master can be.

When the other end of the thread was wrapped around Wang Qiang's wrist, the living person seemed to transform into Qing Chen's fingers and arms. Without any conscious command from the brain, the "puppet" would strictly follow the host's will to carry out all actions.

There was no deviation, no delay; it felt amazing.

The battle was finally over. Qing Chen called out into the woods, "Master, are you nearby?"

"Ahem, I'm here," Li Shutong said, stepping out. "Do you have any questions for me?"

"What level am I at now?" Qing Chen asked, puzzled.

"E-Class," Li Shutong said.

"Didn't you say that after completing the first Life and Death Trial, I would be at F-Class?" Qing Chen asked again, puzzled.

"I don't know what happened either. All the physical qualities you displayed were E-Class, so of course you are E-Class," Li Shutong sighed. "You have broken many of the norms for knights."

Qing Chen thought to himself, "So that's how it is."

Li Shutong asked with a smile, "How does it feel? I've noticed that after killing Cao Wei, you've become even more adept at killing Qing Huai. One E-Class killing two C-Class, how does that feel?"

Qing Chen thought for a moment and said, "It's very easy, even easier than I imagined. Just like I told you before, Master, Cao Wei is the real tiger, while Qing Huai is just a wolf in sheep's clothing."

"But you must remember," Li Shutong said earnestly to his student, "This time you had the advantage of timing, location, and people. You made the most of your home-field advantage in Forbidden Zone No. 002, and you also had the old guys helping you. After you get out, be extremely careful when you encounter C-Class opponents. Of course, you've been cautious enough, never giving them a chance to fight back from beginning to end. I'm just reminding you."

Qing Chen nodded obediently, without the slightest hint of arrogance. "I understand, Master."

At some point, Qing Chen's address to Li Shutong had changed from "teacher" to "master".

Li Shutong chuckled and said in a low voice, "Yeah, those old guys must be thrilled to see you kill someone above their level. Remember, if you ever come back to the wilderness, take a stroll around Forbidden Zone No. 002 whenever you have time, and trick them out of all their treasures..."