Chapter 13: Su Wanning
Chapter 13 Su Wanning
Ye Fei followed the footprints on the ground to another spiked bear’s cave.
But once again, he arrived too late. The hastily dug entrance was already splattered with dark red blood. The bear inside had been eviscerated—its spirit beast core and gallbladder removed—clearly at least a full day ago.
“Five days, sixth beast. Who is it? Who could it be?”
Frowning, Ye Fei began searching for clues, hoping to find traces of a battle nearby.
This spiked bear had been at the sixth layer of Foundation Building cultivation, a tough opponent with thick hide and quills capable of resisting spells. Even Ye Fei would’ve needed to engage in a half-hour duel, whittling down its stamina with precise sword strikes to win.
Such a fight should’ve left clear signs.
By analyzing them, he could identify the attacker’s techniques or magic artifacts, revealing their identity. He was confident—only a handful of disciples from the Five Immortal Clans had the strength to match this beast.
Yet after scouring the area, he found no signs of struggle.
It seemed the bear had been killed in mere moments. It hadn’t even had time to raise its quills in defense.
“Damn it. An outsider must’ve interfered in this trial!”
Even the Five Immortal Clans’ top disciples couldn’t kill a sixth-layer beast so effortlessly. Ye Fei concluded someone external had cheated.
He grew anxious. “I’ve only collected nine cores. At this rate, I’ll never make the top ten.”
Unbeknownst to him, the Five Immortal Clans’ disciples were thinking the same—someone was breaking the rules.
They’d all encountered similar situations.
Since Xiao Chen discovered how easily he could dominate spirit beasts, he’d become a relentless hunter. Over five days, he’d tracked beasts by sound, darting into caves and down paths with reckless speed.
The drugged beasts were sluggish and easy to follow. Worse, the hex granting him tenfold mana regeneration let him spam techniques like Golden Light and Fireball without exhaustion.
With so many cores, he’d even sewn two large bundles from fox pelts to carry his loot. Two-tailed scorpion stingers, spiked bear gallbladders, and fox pelts were all valuable materials—perfect for trading.
By now, both bundles were bursting.
Xiao Chen sighed, wishing he were an Inner Sect disciple with a storage bag.
His rampage had left the wilderness nearly barren. Later disciples struggled to find prey, forced to stray far off course. Some, armed with magic artifacts, raced ahead to confront the culprit.
Su Wanning was one of them.
Though she hailed from the Fourth Sub-Academy and started late, her family-bestowed Yufeng Sword let her quickly catch up—and even overtake Xiao Chen. She’d intercepted a sixth-layer pangolin, which she’d nearly defeated by the time Xiao Chen crested the hill behind it.
A single fireball finished the beast.
“Hey! That was mine!”
Xiao Chen turned to a sharp voice. A young woman in a pink silk gown stood before him, its hem adorned with pearls and silver tassels. Her cloud-toed brocade shoes tapped the ground as she approached, a golden flying sword in hand. Her bright eyes, like clear springs, studied him curiously.
He noticed the faint outline of embroidery beneath her gauzy blouse—a golden koi leaping through lotus blossoms, stitched in metallic thread. Her ample figure made the design dance vividly.
Recognizing the Lihuo Sect’s emblem, he bowed. “Greetings, Senior Sect Sister Su. I’m Xiao Chen from the Second Sub-Academy. No offense intended—I merely passed by.”
He had no need for this core; his bundles were already full. Besides, the pangolin’s wounds and broken trees confirmed she’d struck first.
Su Wanning arched a brow. “Senior Sect Sister? At what cultivation level, exactly?”
All trial participants were Outer Sect disciples, maxing out at Foundation Building’s sixth layer. By that standard, she was among the strongest.
Xiao Chen hesitated. He’d grown so accustomed to slaughtering sixth-layer beasts that he’d forgotten their supposed hierarchy. Seeing her, he’d instinctively assumed superiority.
“Ah, my apologies, Senior Sect Sister,” he corrected smoothly. “I’ve been alone for days. Let’s call it a slip of the tongue.”
He bowed again. “This beast is yours. I’m just passing through. Wishing you further success.”
As they crossed paths, Su Wanning’s eyes narrowed on his two bulging bundles—stuffed with fox pelts and clinking with countless cores.
Realization struck. This was the culprit who’d been clearing the trial?
She’d expected a cheating noble. Instead, it was Xiao Chen.
“Wait!” she called after three seconds.
Xiao Chen paused, wary. Does she want to rob me?
In this isolated wild, with no witnesses…
“Think carefully, Senior Sect Sister,” he warned, hand drifting toward his sword.
(End of Chapter)
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