The instant murderous intent congealed in the woods, five dark figures moved at once.
Chilly death Qi carried a pungent, corrosive stench as five pitch-black short blades sliced through the dusk, sealing off every escape route at treacherous angles.
The leading suicide operative at Foundation Establishment perfection struck the hardest. A shadowy blade at his fingertips condensed until it was almost solid and aimed straight for Chen Fan's heart, clearly intent on killing him in one blow.
Chen Fan's heart clenched, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.
This was his first brush with a life-and-death battle since transmigrating. There was no practice, no holding back; every move was meant to kill. But his panic lasted only half a second. The next moment, with a thought, he lit up the [Anger] trait in his sea of consciousness.
Buzz-
A scorching force instantly surged from every limb and bone, like a fire burning through his veins.
The fear in his chest was swept clean away, replaced by ferocious aggression. Even the Fire Cloud True Fire within him burned a good deal stronger out of nowhere.
"Bring it on!"
Chen Fan gave a low shout. Rather than retreating, he advanced, pressing two fingers of his right hand together like a sword and whipping out a thread of Fire Cloud True Fire to strike precisely at the short blade attacking from his left.
Clang!
A sharp metallic clash erupted. The Foundation Establishment late-stage operative's wrist went numb, and his short blade was forcibly knocked three inches off course.
His pupils contracted, disbelief covering his face-how could a mere Qi Refining Realm brat unleash such powerful spiritual power?
Chen Fan himself froze for a moment. He had expected [Anger] to increase his strength by only ten or twenty percent, not provide such an outrageous boost.
His thirty-six Spirit Veins already gave him spiritual power reserves far beyond others at his level. With the trait's boost layered on top, his strength could actually contend head-on with someone at Foundation Establishment late stage without losing ground.
"Take this!"
Delight filled Chen Fan, and his courage immediately swelled. With Jiang Qingyuan, a Mahayana Realm big shot, there to back him up, he definitely wasn't going to die anyway. These Holy See suicide operatives were the perfect opportunity to test his traits one by one.
As he fought, he quietly activated [Exceptional Talent] and [Diligence Can Make Up for Lack of Aptitude] as well.
When he had previously worked through sword moves, he had only felt that his thoughts were clear. Only in actual combat did he realize how absurd their effects were.
In his eyes, his opponents' moves seemed half a beat slower, every opening crystal clear; meanwhile, the basic sword moves he used went from awkward and stiff on the first attempt to smooth and effortless after just three or five repetitions. He even instinctively eliminated unnecessary exertions, increasing their power by a notch for nothing.
Was this the double buff of talent and diligence?
The longer Chen Fan fought, the more comfortable he became. Using basic footwork, he ducked and weaved through the encirclement, the trailing flames of his Fire Cloud True Fire flickering unpredictably. Every so often, he counterattacked, forcing the operatives back again and again.
"This brat is fucking freaky!"
"He's clearly only in the Qi Refining Realm. How does his spiritual power last this long?"
The operatives grew more alarmed as the fight went on. Five Foundation Establishment cultivators surrounding and attacking a Qi Refinement freshman should have been as easy as reaching out and grabbing him. Yet after half a minute, never mind taking him down, they had barely even touched the hem of his clothes. Instead, his true fire left them fighting with their hands and feet tied.
The face of the leading Foundation Establishment perfection operative darkened completely.
He had intended to hold back and take the boy alive. Now, it seemed that unless he brought out his real abilities, they might meet their downfall here today.
"Form the array! Yin Erosion Five Kills!"
With a fierce shout, he withdrew half a step. The other four immediately formed hand seals, the chilly death Qi around them gathering wildly and pouring into their leader's palm.
The mass of black power rapidly expanded. Corrosive force leaked out, instantly turning the grass at their feet into black liquid. Even the soil hissed as holes burned into it.
This blow combined all five men's full strength, its power approaching the Golden Core early stage!
"Brat, dying to this move is an honor!"
The leader's face twisted hideously as he thrust the black ball of light from his palm. It became a torrent of yin erosion over ten feet wide, crashing toward Chen Fan with the momentum to destroy heaven and earth.
Trees grazed by the torrent instantly corroded into drifting ash. Even the air in the woods warped from the scorching force.
Chen Fan stood where he was. Not only did he not dodge, his eyes lit up instead.
This was exactly what I was waiting for!
He had always been curious about the true effect of [Same Moment Name Change]. Its name was strange, its description vague. This powerful attack was just the thing to use as a touchstone.
He barely hesitated when selecting the transfer target-Zhou Xuantong, principal of Handong University.
Who in all of Handong didn't know that Principal Zhou was a Mahayana patriarch, his Dharma body as indestructible as diamond? Never mind a combined Foundation Establishment attack-even a full-strength blow from a Body Integration cultivator might not break through his defenses.
Testing it on him was absolutely safe. Even accidental injury was impossible.
"Same Moment Name Change!"
At the command in his sea of consciousness, Chen Fan felt an indescribable karmic connection settle over him.
The next second, the black torrent of yin erosion slammed into his chest.
Boom-!!
The deafening blast shook the entire grove. Dust billowed skyward, and fragments of earth flew everywhere.
All five operatives breathed sighs of relief. Taking that blow head-on, never mind someone in the Qi Refining Realm-even a Foundation Establishment perfection cultivator would have been destroyed in body and soul. This brat was dead for sure.
Meanwhile, in the principal's office in Handong University's administration building.
Holding a cup of spirit tea, Zhou Xuantong was looking down as he reviewed follow-up documents from the summit.
He wore a loose gray Tang suit, his expression peaceful, without the slightest trace of his presence leaking out. He looked like an ordinary elderly scholar.
Suddenly, a faint tingle ran across his back, as though a tiny flying insect had lightly bitten him, leaving an almost imperceptible itch.
Principal Zhou's brows creased almost imperceptibly.
He put down his writing brush, casually reached back to brush his back twice, then lowered his head to inspect the front of his clothes. He found nothing unusual.
"Strange. Where did that little flying bug come from?"
He muttered under his breath, giving it no further thought.
His Mahayana Dharma body had long been impervious to all evil. Even the lightning and fire of heavenly tribulations felt like scratching an itch against his body. That faint itch passed in an instant. He raised his teacup, took a sip, and continued reviewing his documents.
The dust in the woods slowly dispersed.
Before the smiles on the five operatives' faces could fully form, they froze completely.
At the center of the dust cloud, Chen Fan stood composed and unhurried. Never mind being injured-not even his clothes had gotten dirty. He looked down at his palms, then felt his chest. At first, his face was blank; then, barely containable ecstasy erupted across it.
It worked!
It really worked!
This [Same Moment Name Change] actually transferred all the damage he received, in its entirety, to the designated target!
He had felt absolutely nothing from that torrent of yin erosion capable of blasting a Foundation Establishment perfection cultivator to death. It had been like a breeze blowing over him.
"A god-tier skill..."
Chen Fan couldn't help clicking his tongue. With this trait, as long as he bound a sufficiently tough target, he would gain an invincible golden body on the spot.
The five operatives facing him were utterly dumbstruck. Their Foundation Establishment perfection leader stared at Chen Fan, his voice trembling. "You... how can you possibly be unharmed?! This is impossible!"