Falling into the Trap

Before long, inside the little tavern at the end of the street, which had closed early.

The four advanced-class students who had just left Bu Wuchen's residence gathered there-

"Young Master Lin, there really is an outrageously powerful young woman at Bu Wuchen's residence."

"Judging by how she condensed threads of ice to bind us, she probably cultivates water-type mystic power."

The Young Master Lin they spoke of was none other than the Lin Lineage's young patriarch, Lin Liang.

At that moment, the young man was reclining comfortably in a grand armchair, resting with his eyes closed...

But before listening for long, Lin Liang frowned impatiently. "Spare me the nonsense. Get to the point!"

"Yes, yes, of course..."

The four broke into a cold sweat inwardly.

After all, the terms Bu Wuchen had demanded were like a lion opening its jaws wide!

They feared leaving the Lin Lineage's eldest young master with the bad impression that they were incompetent.

But at this point, they could only steel themselves and tell the truth...

As Lin Liang listened, his eyes widened. "What? Five high-tier, superior-grade mystic crystals?"

"And they each have to correspond to a different one of the five attributes-metal, wood, water, fire, and earth?"

"Y-yes."

"Young Master Lin, could that fellow Bu have caught wind of something and be deliberately messing with us?"

"Impossible!"

Lin Liang shook his head fiercely. "Everyone who knows about this would love nothing more than to cut that fellow into a thousand pieces. Why would any of them let word slip?"

At that, Lin Liang seemed to suddenly think of something. His eyes swept over the four before him one by one, laden with meaning.

The four immediately felt as though an incomparably vicious, venomous beast had fixed its gaze on them. Their bodies trembled involuntarily, and they dared not even breathe loudly.

In the end, the somewhat attractive female student forced a coquettish smile. "Young Master Lin~ Surely you aren't suspecting little old me?"

"I gave myself to you without holding anything back long ago. How could I possibly conspire with outsiders against my own lover?"

"Isn't that right~?"

By the time she finished, the woman had already fallen into his arms, deliberately wriggling her rather provocative waist as she acted coy.

Seeing this, the three male students hurried to declare their loyalty, each chiming in-

"Young Master Lin, we only made it into the advanced class thanks to your support all along!"

"If you hadn't given us a helping hand back then, people from humble backgrounds like us would have long since drowned in the crowd. How could we possibly enjoy the standing we have today?"

"Exactly! Young Master Lin, your kindness gave us a new life. We would never betray you, no matter what!"

"I'm willing to swear an oath."

"So am I."

"Me too..."

Though, with their level of cultivation, they had only a partial understanding of the legendary "Blood Oath," which was powerful enough to make all cultivators strictly abide by it;

That did not stop them from swearing oaths in their own way.

After all, the people of this world took oaths very seriously.

If someone broke an oath, even if they did not suffer the "divine punishment and heavenly retribution" of a Blood Oath, it would often plant the hidden seed of an inner demon in the oathbreaker. That was no laughing matter!

Lin Liang simply watched without saying a word.

Only after all four had sworn oaths with extremely grave consequences did he put on a false smile. "Oh dear, I was merely joking with you just now. Why go this far?"

"I'll give you my word today: as long as you eliminate Bu Wuchen according to plan;"

"Once this Hundred Schools Tournament ends, I guarantee that every one of you will receive rewards in resources beyond your imagination!"

All four were overjoyed.

In truth, their cultivation was only a single step away from the elite class's threshold.

Unfortunately, they were all getting a little too old.

If they continued cultivating one step at a time like this, they would very likely be forced to graduate as "advanced-class students" for exceeding the age limit before they could reach the Qi Control Realm...

But as long as the wealthy Lin Lineage was willing to lend them a hand;

Then their chances of successfully entering the "elite class" before hitting the age limit would undoubtedly be much greater!

And in Blood Dragon City, anyone who graduated as an "elite-class student" had effectively received a ticket to a future standing above other men!

Lin Liang said with utter resolve, "With the foundation my Lin Lineage has built through generations of dealing primarily in mystic crystals, five high-tier, superior-grade mystic crystals of the corresponding attributes aren't beyond our means."

"Since that fellow Bu wants them, give them to him!"

"Once he's dead, won't he have to obediently spit back out every bit he swallowed?"

"What you have to do is bring Bu Wuchen's head back to me, completely intact!"

The four nodded repeatedly in agreement.

Before long, they brought those five mystic crystals before Bu Wuchen.

Having awakened the special profession of "Appraiser," Bu Wuchen could tell at a glance whether an item was genuine.

His heart instantly bloomed with joy. Holy freaking moly, they're all the real deal!

He truly wished he could immediately take out the [Crystal-Devouring Spirit-Transforming Token] and devour and refine all eight mystic crystals he had acquired in one go.

But reason reminded him that several strangers whose backgrounds he did not know were still standing before him. He could not act rashly.

Instead, he praised them. "You four are pretty reliable at getting things done~"

They replied with utmost respect, "Having the chance to ease your burdens is our good fortune, senior."

Bu Wuchen scratched his head. "Hahaha, now you're making me a little embarrassed."

"You've shown your sincerity, so I won't mess you around either;"

"From this moment on, count me in!"

"Wait here a moment. I'll go back in for a few more mouthfuls of food and a change of clothes, then we'll set off."

"You can tell me exactly what the task is on the way!"

In truth, changing clothes and eating were merely a pretext.

Bu Wuchen simply wanted to hide somewhere deserted and use the [Crystal-Devouring Spirit-Transforming Token]!

Just then, the young girl put on an act of being so anxious she was about to cry, pleading pitifully, "Senior, we really can't delay any longer!"

"Although that patron agreed to advance us five 'high-tier, superior-grade mystic crystals,' he was very unhappy with our lion's-jaws demand."

"He also set a time limit: if we can't finish the task within two hours, w-we'll have to compensate him for double his losses!"

"Just think, if by any chance, any chance... sob, sob, sob..."

As the girl wept like pear blossoms drenched in rain, the three boys struck while the iron was hot and urged, "Don't cry. Senior Bu certainly won't stand by and watch us pay that patron an extra fortune for nothing."

"That's right. The task location is just outside Blood Dragon City. If we spur our horses on, we'll get there very quickly."

"Besides, with your miraculous pill-refining skills, senior, it won't take long to help us extract the medicinal spirit essence from a stalk of 'Nine-Fire Ice-Ring Grass'..."

For a moment, Bu Wuchen truly was moved by their words, retreating to advance. "So you kept it from me and silently shouldered so much pressure!"

"All right, let's set off right away."