Though Yun Che was running, he showed no trace of panic, occasionally using Divine Hand on the Red Skull bandits who showed themselves.
He had to admit that these bandits were fairly capable. Even the weakest among them had Cultivation at the late stage of the Body Tempering Realm.
Ding! Grab successful. Congratulations! You obtained 2 Spirit points. Ding! Grab successful. Congratulations! You obtained 10 copper coins. Ding! Grab successful. Congratulations! You obtained the low-grade combat technique, Iron Seal Fist. Ding! Grab successful. Congratulations! You obtained one long saber. Ding! Grab successful. Congratulations! You obtained 110 experience points.
Yun Che's gaze sharpened as he looked at a man in a red headscarf standing among the trees with an amused expression. This fellow was in the Innate Realm. He would have to be careful.
He estimated that at least ten Innate Realm experts had come with this group of bandits.
"All the better if there are Innate Realm experts. I'll start by grabbing from you."
Yun Che was not the only one who had noticed something wrong. The other instructors had also realized that these bandits had no intention of killing them. They were deliberately keeping them confined within a certain area, preventing them from truly escaping.
Wei Hong shielded the students of Class Nine behind him and shouted at the nearby figures, "What exactly do you want? If you want a fight, come at me! What's so impressive about shooting from hiding?"
No one answered. Only pairs of faintly mocking eyes watched him.
Just then, an arrow shot toward the space between his brows. Wei Hong swiftly swung his sword and deflected it.
Immediately afterward, four or five arrows flew from the shadows in succession, all still targeting Wei Hong, the Innate Realm expert.
Wei Hong snorted, wielding his sword in an impenetrable defense. "Hmph! All you can do is resort to these underhanded tricks. Come out and fight me head-on if you have the guts!"
What he failed to notice, however, was that as he deflected the arrows, powder invisible to the naked eye fell from them and entered his body with his breath.
At that moment, a man wearing a pig mask walked out with a loud laugh, holding a short crossbow with a longbow slung across his back.
"Fine! If you want a fight, I'll play with you!"
"I just wonder whether those twelve students behind you can afford to play!"
With that, the pig-masked man fired another bolt. This time, however, he aimed not at Wei Hong, who was in the Innate Realm, but at one of the late-stage Body Tempering Realm students.
Furious and alarmed, Wei Hong raised his sword to block it again. Suddenly, however, his strength deserted him. He collapsed limply to the ground, his eyes filled with shock and anger.
He knew he had been poisoned, but he had no idea when it had happened. Since setting out, he had not eaten anything of unknown origin.
The other Innate Realm instructors suffered the same fate. Without realizing it, they had been poisoned by Heavenly Fragrance Muscle-Softening Powder. Although the poison was not fatal, it could leave a person utterly powerless for a time, as helpless as someone with all four limbs paralyzed.
At the critical moment, Ruan Caocao quickly drew her sword and blocked the bolt just before it struck her classmate.
Seeing this, Yun Che quietly relaxed his hand on his sword hilt. This was not yet the best time to act. Only after reaching the late stage of the Acquired Realm would he have absolute confidence in fighting an Innate Realm expert.
He continued to stand off to the side, silently using Divine Hand on the pig-masked man and the others who showed themselves.
Ding! Grab successful. Congratulations! You obtained 15 experience points. Ding! Grab successful. Congratulations! You obtained the antidote to Heavenly Fragrance Muscle-Softening Powder. Ding! Grab successful. Congratulations! You obtained the high-grade combat technique, Sky-Rending Six Directions Slash.
Yun Che's expression flickered with surprise. Sky-Rending Six Directions Slash! Isn't that the signature combat technique of the Wang Family of the count's estate?
That means this man in the pig mask is a member of the Wang Family. Who exactly is he?
The pig-masked man had no intention of giving Yun Che a chance to grow stronger in secret. He seemed to recognize Yun Che, and a glint of icy jealousy flashed through the eyes beneath his mask.
"Hmph! A mere mortal like you actually managed to get the most beautiful woman in Great Yuan. Heaven must truly be blind."
"Finding you here tonight means this trip wasn't wasted. I'll start with you."
As he spoke, the pig-masked man aimed straight between Yun Che's brows and fired three bolts in succession.
"Instructor Yun, dodge!" Ruan Caocao cried out in alarm, moving to save him. But someone was faster. A figure clad in watery blue appeared before Yun Che in a swift movement that seemed to carry her through the air, blocking all three bolts with a single stroke.
The newcomer was none other than Yun Che's sister-in-law, Qin Yelan. She tilted her head slightly and snapped at him, her tone carrying a hint of exasperation at his failings, "Get back already!"
Yun Che was speechless. He silently slid the Azure Autumn Sword, which he had drawn a third of the way, back into its sheath.
His sister-in-law's fighting prowess was no joke. The movement technique she had just used was the high-grade Drifting Willow-Step. Not only did it allow swift movement, but it also let the user change direction in midair, making it extremely rare.
A flicker of panic crossed the pig-masked man's face when he saw Qin Yelan. But remembering that Red Skull's men surrounded them, he cast aside his apprehension.
"Hmph! You may be a genius too, but you're far inferior to your sister."
"Besides, it seems you inhaled some Heavenly Fragrance Muscle-Softening Powder as well. Your fighting strength is nowhere near what it was. Let's see how long you can last!"
Qin Yelan fixed her beautiful eyes on him and said coldly, "Long enough to kill you."
Before her words had faded, Qin Yelan stepped forward. With a single stroke, several threadlike sword trails descended, bearing straight down on the pig-masked man.
The pig-masked man gave a soft snort. "They say the Qin Family's Frost Heaven Severing Sword is unrivaled beneath heaven. I doubt it!"
Everything happened in a flash. Arrogant though the pig-masked man was, his swordsmanship was by no means weak.
He parried every stroke of Qin Yelan's seemingly relentless assault, letting not a single one through.
"You're from the Wang Family?" Qin Yelan had also recognized his combat technique and felt a slight shock. A member of the prestigious Wang Family of the count's estate was conspiring with the notorious Red Skull Bandits to murder the academy's students. Even if she told others, no one would likely believe it.
Wang Hao seemed unafraid of being recognized. He smiled and said, "It would be a shame to kill a beauty like you. Why not become my woman instead?"
"Let me tell you a little secret. Before long, Falling Moon City will fall, and Falling Moon Academy will disappear for good. You, Qin Yelan, can't protect them. Your father alone, even as a King Realm expert, can't save the entire Falling Moon Fief either. In the end, he won't even leave an intact corpse."
"Oh, right. Were you about to mention the headmaster of Falling Moon Academy? I regret to inform you that he's probably being surrounded and attacked by the four great bandit chiefs right now. His chances of escaping alive are practically nonexistent."
Qin Yelan's beautiful eyes turned icy. Violent Spirit Power erupted from her and continuously gathered on her sword. Waves of freezing cold swiftly spread, coating everything within a hundred meters in frost.
The Frost Heaven Severing Sword had two Sword Forces: the "Swift" Sword Force and the "Severing" Sword Force.
The former was weaker, but its strikes were so swift that they were difficult to fend off. The latter was a single killing stroke, possessing both incredible speed and tremendous power. Its only drawback was that one strike would consume most of the user's Spirit Power. Unless there was absolutely no other choice, it could not be used lightly.
Seeing Qin Yelan take this stance, Wang Hao's expression grew solemn. The sword in his hand hummed incessantly as six golden sword shadows appeared and rapidly circled him.
"I've long wanted to test the Qin Family's Frost Heaven Severing Sword. I'll prove that my Wang Family's Sky-Rending Six Directions Slash is the strongest killing sword technique!"
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