Xu Ming felt the two people approaching him and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
At the beginning, the reason Xu Ming made the bet with Shi Xin was that Shi Xin was too pure, and Xu Ming couldn’t resist the urge to tease her a little.
But who would’ve thought that the moment he started teasing her, it felt as though her entire worldview was being overturned. Now, if he ended up winning everything, how much of a blow would it be to her? Yet, ironically, even if he didn’t want to win now, he’d still end up winning.
Zeng Rong held a poisoned dagger, aimed at Xu Ming’s heart, and thrust it directly. The dagger gleamed with a chilling light!
“Amitabha...”
Shi Xin sighed softly, reciting a Buddhist mantra. Golden light began to gather in front of Xu Ming, eventually forming a golden barrier that blocked the poisoned dagger.
Clang!
A crisp sound rang out as Zeng Rong’s dagger was flung away. The impact forced Zeng Rong back several steps.
Xu Ming and Shi Xin both opened their eyes.
Originally, Wang Mingshan and the others hadn’t been asleep. Seeing the assassination attempt fail, the four of them immediately sprang into action. They aimed to kill Xu Ming while he was unprepared.
However, the sword aura erupting around Xu Ming’s body smashed them into the walls, leaving them spitting blood.
Xu Ming leisurely got up from the ground, patted the dust off his clothes, and gripped a long sword in his hand. “Ah... you people. I have no grudges or grievances with you. I really don’t understand why you want to kill me.”
“Heh, naturally someone has paid for your life. The life of the top scholar is worth a lot!”
Zeng Rong stood up from the ground, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. Since their plan had already been exposed, there was no point in hiding anymore. If that was the case, then they’d have to rely on strength to settle things!
“Who wants to buy my life?” Xu Ming frowned deeply.
Mo Zhuer had mentioned before that someone within Wuguo (Wu Kingdom) wanted to buy his life. Now, despite numerous failed attempts, the other party not only didn’t back off but even sent people into the Rootless Secret Realm to kill him.
Whoever this was must hold considerable power within Wuguo.
In Xu Ming’s mind, he had already narrowed it down to a certain group, though he couldn’t pinpoint the exact individual.
“There’s no need for the top scholar to know that,” Zeng Rong said with a smirk. “All you need to do is hand over your head obediently.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Zeng Rong vanished, appearing in front of Xu Ming in an instant with a thrust of his dagger.
Xu Ming shook his head. If they wouldn’t talk, then he’d make them talk—with his sword.
He swung his long sword casually, and a wave of sword energy slashed out. Zeng Rong dodged, and the energy struck the stone wall of the cave, causing the entire cavern to quake.
“Hm?”
Xu Ming glanced downward and noticed his shadow swinging a sword at him.
He sidestepped, avoiding the strike, but the sword energy from his shadow hit the stone wall again.
“Interesting.”
This was the first time Xu Ming had encountered a spell that could control someone’s shadow. The attack from his shadow earlier carried nearly seventy percent of his own power.
Had it not been for his many life-and-death experiences since childhood, he might have fallen for this attack.
As his shadow prepared to launch a second strike, Xu Ming stomped on it, pinning it down. He stepped forward and delivered a powerful punch, landing it squarely on Wang Mingshan.
Boom!
Wang Mingshan was slammed into the wall by Xu Ming, his entire body embedded into it, leaving a deep dent that seemed impossible to pull him out from.
At this moment, the falling rocks in the cave became even more intense, and the structure was on the verge of collapsing.
Xu Ming grabbed Shi Xin’s hand and flew out of the cave, slashing behind him with his sword as they escaped. Under the force of his sword, the cave entrance collapsed rapidly, and a massive boulder fell toward them.
Bai Zhan punched forward, shattering the boulder into pieces.
Zeng Rong and the other two also managed to escape.
Xu Ming didn’t expect to kill them so easily, nor did he intend to kill them yet.
Like throwing a hammer in a chain hammer toss, Xu Ming flung Shi Xin far away, ensuring her safety, and then charged at Zeng Rong and the other three, engaging them in a brutal melee.
In Shi Xin’s eyes, Xu Ming resembled a ferocious beast, wielding both his fists and his longsword with unmatched ferocity. Each move and strike was wide and powerful, leaving no room for his opponents to catch their breath.
Shi Xin had fought many people before and wasn’t unaccustomed to hardship, but she had never witnessed this kind of fighting style.
Xu Ming was seamlessly combining his swordsmanship with his unarmed combat techniques.
To Xu Ming, however, Wang Mingshan’s shadow-controlling spell was indeed troublesome. Fortunately, he quickly identified the key to neutralizing it.
Wang Mingshan needed to connect his own shadow with that of his target to control them. As long as Xu Ming avoided letting his shadow come into contact with Wang Mingshan’s shadow, he could counter the spell.
After grasping this critical point, Xu Ming kept a close eye on Wang Mingshan’s every move. Whenever his shadow approached, Xu Ming immediately moved away, leaving no opportunity for Wang Mingshan to connect.
Bai Zhan’s technique was also intriguing.
He could inhale vast amounts of spiritual energy and infuse it into his body, causing his physique to expand, emit smoke, and grow increasingly robust. This allowed him to unleash tremendous power with every strike.
Although Bai Zhan wasn’t a martial artist, he utilized martial artist techniques, substituting true qi for spiritual energy.
On the surface, this technique seemed flawless—combining the destructive power of a martial artist with the longevity of a cultivator who absorbed external spiritual energy.
But in reality, it wasn’t so simple.
Martial artists were called martial artists because they didn’t rely on the heavens or earth but solely on themselves. While cultivators absorbed external spiritual energy, martial artists produced true qi entirely from within, treating their bodies as miniature universes.
This difference meant that Bai Zhan’s strikes, while powerful, lacked the pressure and destructive force of a martial artist at the same level. His physique was also inferior to that of a true martial artist in the same realm. He was merely imitating.
Boom!
Xu Ming punched forward, colliding directly with Bai Zhan’s fist.
A gust of wind swept outward from the impact.
“Ah!”
A cry of pain rang out from Bai Zhan as his arm, the one that collided with Xu Ming’s fist, was completely crippled.
Xu Ming turned swiftly, slashing his sword, and struck Xu Sheng squarely.
Xu Sheng’s eyes widened in shock. He quickly formed a hand seal, transforming his body into stone.
Even as a stone figure, Xu Sheng was shattered into pieces by Xu Ming’s sword.
However, the broken pieces of stone began to gather and reassemble, reforming into his human form.
“Your techniques are truly fascinating,” Xu Ming said, standing before the four of them with his sword, reflecting on their skills.
While he didn’t comment on the quality of their techniques, each one was undeniably unique and unlike anything he had encountered before.
Zeng Rong and the others rose to their feet, staring intently at Xu Ming.
They had long anticipated that the top scholar would be incredibly difficult to deal with. They were mentally prepared—after all, he was ranked second on the Qingyun List.
But they never expected that this top scholar would be this hard to handle.
“If the top scholar wants to learn, we can teach you,” Zeng Rong chuckled darkly.
“No need,” Xu Ming replied, shaking his head. “I only trust my fists and sword.”
With that, Xu Ming swung his sword again, slashing toward the four of them.
The four of them tensed up, quickly dodging the strike.
Zeng Rong turned into a shadow and disappeared from Xu Ming’s sight. Xu Sheng raised his hands, and stones began to gather above his head. Bai Zhan slammed his fists together, causing his body to turn bright red. Behind Wang Mingshan, his shadow began to detach, transforming into a massive shadowy creature.
Seeing this, Xu Ming knew exactly what they were doing—they were preparing to unleash their ultimate techniques.
To be fair, these “ultimate moves” were indeed quite imposing.
Xu Ming thought to himself that if he hadn’t endured the trials and gained the opportunities he had in the past year, fighting these four might have been difficult. He might have even been overwhelmed by now.
But after surviving that year of life-and-death experiences, these four seemed more like child’s play to him.
Dealing with them? It was nothing more than a matter of one sword.
And so, Xu Ming swung his sword once.
With that one strike, Wang Mingshan’s shadow monster was sliced cleanly in half.
With that one strike, Bai Zhan’s massive energy-infused punch was scattered into nothingness.
With that one strike, the meteor Xu Sheng hurled was shattered into pieces.
With that one strike, Zeng Rong, lurking in the shadows to launch a sneak attack, was sent flying several meters.
Shi Xin, standing at a distance, looked at Xu Ming in shock.
She had never seen anyone among her peers who could wield such a swift and clean strike.
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Moreover, she understood that all of this was Xu Ming holding back. Otherwise, these four would have all been dead under that one sword.
Pfft!
Zeng Rong and the others spat out blood, falling to the ground clutching their chests.
When they managed to lift their heads, Xu Ming was already walking toward them, long sword in hand.
“Spare us! Top Scholar, please spare our lives! We’ll do anything you ask!”
Realizing their lives were now in Xu Ming’s hands, Zeng Rong and the others quickly knelt, kowtowing repeatedly in desperation.
Tears streamed down their faces, their bodies trembling with fear. They looked so pitiful that it seemed as though Xu Ming was the one bullying the weak, while they were innocent victims.
To be fair, their cultivation might not be great, but their begging skills were top-notch. A softer-hearted person might have actually let them go.
After all, as rogue cultivators, they often lived on the edge of being killed or killing others. When faced with death, they’d naturally hone the art of begging for mercy.
But one had to wonder—when some kind-hearted cultivators had indeed spared them in the past, were those cultivators still alive today?
“I can spare your lives,” Xu Ming said, pointing his sword at Zeng Rong, his sharp eyes devoid of any pity. “But is it true that you’ll do whatever I ask? I don’t like being lied to.”
“It’s true! It’s true!” Upon hearing there was a chance to survive, Zeng Rong and the others grew even more frantic, kowtowing so hard their foreheads bled, staining the ground with fresh blood. “We wouldn’t dare deceive you, Top Scholar! From now on, our lives are yours! Whatever you command, we’ll do it!”
“Then tell me—who’s the one who wants me dead?” Xu Ming asked.
“This…” Cold sweat dripped down Zeng Rong and the others’ foreheads.
“What’s wrong? Can’t say?” Xu Ming sneered. “Didn’t you just swear you’d do anything I asked?”
“Top Scholar, it’s not that we don’t want to tell you,” Zeng Rong stammered, his voice trembling, “but we’ve been cursed. If we speak or write those names, we’ll die instantly—body and soul destroyed, reduced to nothing but a puddle of goo!”
“But what we can tell you, Top Scholar, is that the person behind this is not in the capital. It’s a powerful and renowned prince from one of the border regions!” Wang Mingshan quickly added, “Top Scholar, that’s as specific as we can get. If we say more, we’re genuinely afraid the curse will activate.”
“Alright, I won’t make things harder for you,” Xu Ming said as he sheathed his sword. “I’m not someone who revels in killing, especially since Master Shi Xin has been teaching me about Buddhist principles lately. She’s always telling me to show kindness to others, to spare people where possible, and not to commit excessive acts of killing. I think what Master Shi Xin says makes a lot of sense, so recently I’ve been working on cultivating my mind and chanting scriptures.”
Shi Xin: “…”
Shi Xin really couldn’t understand how Xu Ming could spout such words with such a straight face.
“So, I won’t make you my slaves either. Instead, I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourselves,” Xu Ming said, looking at the four of them. “If you’re willing to help me obtain the Bodhi Fruit, I’ll spare your lives. How about that?”
“Of course, of course! We definitely agree! Top Scholar, you’re practically a living Buddha!”
Realizing they could still live, the four of them were overjoyed. They kowtowed repeatedly, as if they were Xu Ming’s most devout followers.
“Get up,” Xu Ming said as he put away his sword.
“Y-yes, yes,” Zeng Rong and the others stood up nervously, their fear evident.
But as they lowered their heads, a flicker of malice flashed in their eyes.
Xu Ming! Just you wait! When the time comes, we’ll see who gets the last laugh!
“Let’s go find a new place to stay. Don’t attract any night beasts,” Xu Ming said as he turned and started walking into the forest.
The earlier fight had spilled quite a bit of blood, which could very well attract night beasts. They needed to leave immediately.
As he passed by Shi Xin, Xu Ming said quietly, “Sorry about this, but I’ve won the first round. How about we just call off the bet and not continue?”
“No!”
Shi Xin’s golden eyes, pure and unwavering, stared firmly at Xu Ming.
Those flawless golden eyes revealed the stubborn resolve of a young girl.
“We will continue!”