Tricking Others

"Martial Brother, what do you mean by this? I discovered this spirit plant first!" he said sternly as he stared at the other man.

"What do you mean, you discovered it first? Didn't you understand what I said? I'll give you three breaths. If you don't scram by then, you won't need to leave at all!" the sword-browed youth sneered.

With a clang, he drew a fiery red longsword.

The blade shimmered with radiance and radiated scorching heat. Its tip pointed straight at Su Shi'er, releasing a razor-sharp killing intent.

A cold glint flashed through Su Shi'er's eyes as several talismans silently appeared in his hand.

At Qi Refining Stage Five, it was not as though he had no chance of fighting.

"Crack, crack..."

Suddenly, a faint cracking sound came from the ice behind him.

This was...

Su Shi'er's brows lifted slightly. The next moment, he abandoned his original plan. Without saying a word, he lowered his head, turned around, and walked off to one side.

"Hmph! That's more like it!" The sword-browed youth grinned smugly, but did not lower the sword in his hand.

He carefully surveyed the surroundings. Only after confirming there were no other threats did he hurry toward the spirit plant by the shore.

After quickly picking the Profound Clear Ice Lotus, the sword-browed youth immediately moved away from the lake. Throughout the entire process, however, the corner of his eye remained fixed on Su Shi'er, watchful and wary.

Only after running more than a dozen steps did he finally relax, shooting Su Shi'er a mocking glance.

"Pah! What a coward. Like master, like disciple indeed."

"That old fool Lu Mingshi taught you quite well. I really don't know where he got the nerve to wager against our master."

"In this wager, your Luofu Peak is doomed to lose!"

The sword-browed youth mocked him without restraint. Killing intent flickered in his eyes, while the hand gripping his sword secretly circulated True Yuan.

Su Shi'er's gaze turned cold at those words, but outwardly he remained silent. He even retreated several more steps without drawing attention to it.

He knew full well what his opponent was

planning. Those words were nothing more than an attempt to provoke him into attacking, so that the man could seize the chance to kill him on the spot.

Of course, even if Su Shi'er did not make a move, the other man would not let him off so easily.

However...

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

More than a dozen whistles of wind suddenly shot out from the ice, flying straight toward the sword-browed youth's back.

"What?! Ah..."

Hearing the movement behind him, the sword-browed youth was startled and hurriedly turned to counterattack.

He had kept his eyes on Su Shi'er the entire time, intending to strike while Su Shi'er was off guard.

As for danger behind him, he believed he had already moved far enough away from the shore. Even if there were demonic beasts, he feared none of them. He had never expected such a turn of events.

But the attack had come too suddenly, and it was exceptionally swift. Before he could even turn around, more than a dozen ice spikes flashing with dark green light all struck his back.

As the ice spikes pierced his body, waves of astonishing chill coursed through the sword-browed youth. At the same time, the deadly poison clinging to the spikes spread through him.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. The next moment, the sword-browed youth let out a miserable scream and fell to his knees with a thud. His face twisted hideously, agony wracking his entire body, while his heart filled with bitter regret.

He was no fool. The instant he was hit, he understood what had happened. Su Shi'er had said little from start to finish because he had clearly calculated this outcome.

Yet he had thought Su Shi'er had been cowed by his imposing manner. In the end, he had actually fallen to a pack of Low-Tier Demonic Beasts.

What a towering humiliation!

At that thought, the poisoned blood surged into his heart. With a wail, he spat out a mouthful of black blood.

"You... you bastard, you set me up!" At death's door, the sword-browed youth turned and shot Su Shi'er two venomous looks.

At this point, that was all he could do.

As soon as the words left his mouth, the sword-browed youth pitched forward onto the ground and stopped breathing.

Su Shi'er stood far away, taking in the entire scene. A cold smile remained on his lips.

He had indeed set this fellow up, but hadn't this fellow also intended to scheme against him?

Only after seeing the man breathe his last did he secretly let out a sigh of relief and smile knowingly.

If I hadn't learned the characteristics and information of these materials beforehand, I'm afraid I would have met with disaster before this fellow even made his move.

From what he said, Tianhua Peak seems certain of victory in this wager. Could there be some hidden secret behind it...?

Forget it. What does any of that have to do with me? I should first gather ten Second-Grade Materials as quickly as possible and make sure I pass the trial.

Shaking his head, Su Shi'er did not go over himself.

Circulating the True Yuan within him, he used the Object Manipulation Technique to seize the Profound Clear Ice Lotus, the flying sword, and the Storage Pouch at the man's waist from afar.

After doing so, he was about to throw a fireball over to destroy the evidence when he suddenly heard footsteps in the distance.

The moment he heard them, Su Shi'er did not hesitate. He immediately took out an invisibility talisman and stuck it onto himself. Then, using Shadowless Illusionary Steps, he turned and ran.

He ran without making a sound.

Less than half the time it took to burn an incense stick after he left, two Tianhua Peak disciples arrived beside the lake.

"That scream just now sounded like Junior Brother Hu Jinxi's voice?!"

"Be careful. Don't let someone set us up!"

The two walked side by side, and as they spoke, their gazes fell upon the corpse by the shore.

One of them, a short and stout disciple, instantly changed expression and hurried forward.

"This is bad!"

The moment the short, stout disciple spoke, more than a dozen poisonous ice spikes flew out from the lake.

"They're Low-Tier Demonic Beasts—Poison Thorn Frogs! Martial Brother, be careful!" The other disciple, tall and thin, decisively activated the Fire Control Technique. Two pillars of flame surged from his hands and struck the lake's surface.

The next moment, more than a dozen Poison Thorn Frogs the size of washbasins floated belly-up on the water.

"How is Junior Brother Hu?" After dealing with the Poison Thorn Frogs, the tall, thin disciple hurriedly asked.

The short, stout disciple shook his head and sighed. "Junior Brother Hu has already fallen."

"What?! How could Junior Brother Hu have been so careless as to be killed by these Low-Tier Demonic Beasts?" The tall, thin disciple was immediately shocked. Seeing the wounds on the corpse's back, he furrowed his brows tightly.

As he spoke, he remembered something and hastily asked, "Right, where is Junior Brother Hu's Storage Pouch? The four Second-Grade Materials we found over the last two days were all on him!"

The short, stout disciple hurriedly turned Hu Jinxi's corpse over. A moment later, his face turned livid. "The Storage Pouch is gone! There must have been someone else nearby just now!"

The tall, thin disciple reached out and touched the corpse on the ground, gritting his teeth. "The body is still warm. That person can't have gotten far!"

As he spoke, a packet of unknown medicinal powder appeared in the tall, thin disciple's hand. With a flick of his wrist, he scattered the powder throughout the air.

He then formed hand seals with both hands. As True Yuan surged, the powder rolled and churned, giving off a fluorescent glow before transforming into a band of starlight pointing directly in the direction Su Shi'er had fled.

Under the starlight's illumination, faint toe marks left behind by Su Shi'er's Shadowless Illusionary Steps could vaguely be seen.

"Quick, chase him! Notify the other Martial Brothers nearby as well, and have them keep watch!"

The two exchanged a glance, then immediately pursued in the direction of the footprints.

As he ran, the short, stout disciple also took out a palm-sized compass-shaped artifact.

As True Yuan flowed into it, he immediately used his thoughts to imprint a message within.