Chapter 116: The Ruthless One

“Watch out, dodge quickly!”

Though the sound wave was invisible, everything in its path—the flowers and grass in the valley—was swiftly sliced as if cut by an invisible blade. It seemed as though a massive, unseen sword centered on Sun Hao was slashing toward them.

There was no time for hesitation. These young warriors, one after another, desperately dodged in all directions. But no matter how fast they moved, most of them only possessed mid-to-late Qi Initiation cultivation, far too slow to escape the attack.

In an instant, brilliant white figures flickered as they were swept away by the Qi blade!

“That was close!”

Those who narrowly avoided the strike were left shaken, staring at the seven or eight youths who shimmered with reflected light after being struck. Deep down, their hearts sank. They realized that in just a few hours without Sun Hao’s presence, he had become even stronger.

“Do you know why I chose this valley?”

Just as these youths were still trembling from the shock, Sun Hao’s voice rang out. In that moment, a chill crept over them, as if some dreadful fate was about to unfold.

Several of the youths abruptly turned around, eyes wide as they looked toward where the Qi blade had swept. Without a word, they vanished in an instant, frantically fleeing beyond the valley’s edge.

“It’s too late!”

Sun Hao’s cold shout echoed. The invisible Qi blade released from his Demon-Slaying Zither, like a sound wave, struck the valley’s end and then sped back with even greater force.

The once ten-meter-long mighty Qi blade suddenly rebounded from the valley’s far end, expanding to nearly thirty meters before shattering into countless fragments. Like wild, swirling wind blades, the shards tore through everything in their path, leaving destruction in their wake.

Following the movements on the Demon-Slaying Zither, Sun Hao’s hands shifted, and the sounds of clashing armor and galloping horses filled the air, as if an army of thousands charged toward the youths.

The first few who reacted froze mid-motion. Suddenly, a roar resonated, countless white lights flickering like lamps igniting briefly in the night before vanishing.

Clang!

The music ceased.

Sun Hao spat a mouthful of fresh blood, but gazing at the empty valley, a faint smile curled at the corner of his lips.

Countless golden rays surged toward him, flowing into the golden token before him. The token gleamed, and a pale purple radiance bloomed.

The Purple-Gold Token was complete!

“Though I’ve only mastered the first layer, its power is truly formidable—especially in certain locations, it can amplify attacks dozens, even hundreds of times over!”

Sun Hao stared at the over 1,400 points glowing within the Purple-Gold Token and mused. The trial space of the Celestial Scriptures Academy was not only a test for students but also a fateful opportunity.

Upon entering the trial space, he had been transported near the inheritance of the Elder of the Nine Heavens, said to be a peak River Realm master. Once a figure of great renown in the Ice and Snow Kingdom, his strength was unparalleled.

Along with Sun Hao, dozens of other students were transported here, their cultivations ranging from early Qi Initiation to early Qi Pulse Realm. After enduring grueling trials, he obtained the inheritance, only to be ambushed by others.

This marked the fourth day inside the trial space. Excluding a day spent passing the trial, he had been hunted relentlessly for three days.

He fled like a cornered wild dog. Had Fan Ge not pushed him to perfect his martial skills before entering, he wouldn’t have even had the chance to escape continuously.

Even with his martial arts at perfection, under such pursuit, he was repeatedly gravely injured, facing countless near-death situations, even falling off a cliff. Were it not for his fate, he would have been eliminated long ago.

Yet, despite all this, the cost he paid was severe!

Sun Hao raised his hand and glanced at his left palm, now missing the little finger. A cold gleam flashed through his eyes. Eliminating those people was not the end; this grudge would be settled gradually after leaving the trial space.

Currently, at mid Qi Initiation, the path to breaking the body and being reborn was still uncertain. Even with powerful pills that could regrow his little finger, the cost would be far beyond his means.

After all, any pill capable of regenerating severed limbs was said to surpass the River Realm level—unattainable even by those masters. Compared to the River Realm, his Qi Initiation cultivation lagged behind by an unfathomable distance.

Therefore, for a long time to come, he would face others with nine fingers!

“Perhaps… the nickname ‘Nine Fingers’ isn’t so bad after all.”

Killing intent flared in Sun Hao’s eyes. Clenching his fists tightly, he exhaled deeply, then packed away the Demon-Slaying Zither and its scoresheet, slowly walking out of the valley.

This seemingly gentle and scholarly youth suddenly exuded an indescribable demonic aura.

Perhaps no one noticed it now, but in the future, the name “Nine-Fingered Demon of the Zither” would stir countless storms of bloodshed throughout the Ice and Snow Kingdom and beyond, striking terror into all who heard it—even soothing the cries of infants.

Five days later.

Three hundred miles from Sun Hao’s valley, a bedraggled youth was fleeing at full speed, terror etched deep in his eyes.

He couldn’t understand why the three mid Qi Pulse masters he led, along with six early Qi Pulse practitioners, were continuously hunted and eliminated by that youth—losing their qualification and being expelled from the trial space.

That youth was only late Qi Initiation, yet so fierce and powerful. Why was he so ruthless?

Had he known the youth’s strength earlier, he would never have risked fighting for his points. Being mid Qi Pulse himself, he was confident of entering the final five thousand students.

But now, having provoked the killing god, all the experts he contacted had been eliminated. He, too, was hunted all night, utterly exhausted. Yet he could feel cold eyes fixed on him from behind, ready to kill him with a single sword.

The speed of that sword was terrifying—relentlessly deadly!

A single strike, utter resolve—so dense it was suffocating. A sword that would stop at nothing to achieve its goal!

Just as this youth’s heart filled with dread, a sword light suddenly flashed, and he vanished in a white glow.

Footsteps approached swiftly.

Shangguan Feihong looked at the two thousand points glowing on his Purple-Gold Token, expressionless as he walked away into the distance.

Eight days inside the trial space, he had eliminated hundreds of students, his points exceeding a thousand. Yet now, this youth had cornered him with eight Qi Pulse cultivators, attempting to rob his points.

Because Shangguan Feihong was only late Qi Initiation, those Qi Pulse youths did not consider him a threat. So he acted decisively.

His sword was incredibly fast; in an instant, he took down three early Qi Pulse cultivators. Seizing the moment of their surprise, he struck down another.

However, their strength ultimately surpassed his. So, he chose to retreat. His sword was swift, and naturally, so was his escape. He soon vanished from their sight.

But who was he?

He was Shangguan Feihong, a man ruthless even toward himself. Surrounded and ambushed, he wouldn’t give up easily. Thus, he returned stealthily, trailing and attacking relentlessly.

Just moments ago, he had ended the trial of his last target.

Not just this youth and his companions—anyone who lost points to him was eliminated without exception. His sword tolerated no mercy.

Every strike was a full-powered, ultimate blow.

Fast—faster than a flash of lightning!

Fast—faster than an enemy’s blink!

Fan Ge had said his sword was merciless—not only to enemies but also to himself. No matter how strong the foe, his sword needed only one strike.

The enemy dies, or he does.

Half a month later.

Deep in a dense forest, Lin Fan lay against a massive tree, chewing gum. Suddenly, his ears twitched, and an inexplicable aura rose within him, blending him seamlessly with the tree. Moments later, footsteps approached.

“Hey, have you heard? Someone fierce appeared nearby, named Shangguan Feihong. Though he’s only a peak Qi Initiation, his sword is so fast even mid Qi Pulse masters can’t react.”

“How could we not? Even Zhao Yan, a late Qi Pulse master, personally tried to take him down but failed, letting him escape. Truly formidable! No wonder he still dares to act alone!”

“Yeah, I heard too. Apparently, Shangguan Feihong was cornered by Zhao Yan’s team but fought so fiercely they were routed. That’s why Zhao Yan intervened personally.”

Amid the chatter, six or seven youths appeared nearby, each radiating a fierce aura. The weakest among them was late Qi Initiation.

“How did it go? Didn’t he just slaughter most of their men and escape?”

“Yeah, my cousin wasn’t far from there and even sent me a voice message. He said Zhao Yan was utterly humiliated, his face turning green with anger.”

A youth scoffed and continued, “Can you blame him? After nearly a month of trials, over thirty thousand have been eliminated. Less than forty thousand remain, grouping into factions like us, banding together for survival.”

“Most groups cluster by prefecture or family ties. Some strong ones stick together, while weaker ones, knowing they won’t pass the test, choose to flatter the powerful for benefits.”

“Among all these groups, few have late Qi Pulse masters like Zhao Yan. They’re considered strong. Just the mid Qi Pulse alone number over twenty, with over a hundred early Qi Pulse. For a peak Qi Initiation like Shangguan Feihong to escape them is a huge disgrace—a stain on their honor!”

Hearing this, another youth nodded, “Yeah, now those who remain alone and undefeated are mostly late Qi Pulse or above. They tend to be arrogant and refuse to form teams.”

“Those below mid Qi Pulse who are alone are rare and often humiliated by Qi Initiation cultivators. I bet Zhao Yan is furious right now!”

***
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