Yang Zicang glanced at Liang Xi’s physique and reached out his hand. Moxel light flickered, tracing a completed proxy training contract in his palm.
–I’ll give you something.–
–What is this?–
–A gift for you. That two hundred years I owe you… you might have to wait a bit longer.– Yang Zicang said with a smile.
–Big brother, what are you talking about? You’ve already given me so many Chronos.–
Liang Xi pinched the phantom-like contract.
「Proxy Training Contract: Blaze Blade Path, Lucid Sense, Thousand-Fist Art, One hundred and sixty years of cultivation experience, Completion Rate 100%」
[I have obtained the –Proxy Training Contract.-** After using it, I will fully inherit the one hundred and sixty years of cultivation experience of the contract signer.**]
The information naturally surfaced in his mind.
–Wh-what?–
The boy looked up at the young man before him in disbelief, stuttering, –Th-this is for me?–
–Mm-hmm.–
Liang Xi instantly panicked in a mess.
This was something as rare as a Cent-Arms artifact!
–Big brother, this is too precious, I…–
A large hand curled his small hand into a fist.
Feeling the contract in his hand, the boy’s nose tingled, but he held back his emotions.
–Big brother… thank you…–
After taking a deep breath, following the feedback on how to use it, Liang Xi tightened his grip and crushed it.
[I begin using the Contract of Proxy Training.]
A profound, distant aura erupted.
……
Yang Zicang rubbed his growling stomach, got up to use the restroom, then returned to unscrew his water flask, grabbing food to replenish his depleted stamina.
Several minutes passed, and Liang Xi suddenly snapped open his eyes. A faint flame spread around his pupils, and an orange-red glint flashed and faded.
Within this brief period, the numerous scars and wounds on Liang Xi’s skin gradually twisted and dissolved away.
At the same time, the young boy’s meridians and internal organs, displaced by severe injuries, emitted muffled gurgling sounds. It was as if an invisible force was gently massaging them, guiding them back to their proper places slowly and naturally.
This was the effect of Lucid Sense.
–Incredible… and I’ve only synchronized five percent so far.–
Liang Xi glanced at his own hands; a surge of formidable strength erupted from within his body, bolstering every limb and joint.
A wave of heroic fervor swelled up from within.
Yang Zicang, munching on snacks, chuckled, –This is the convergence of three complete techniques, after all. Being able to synchronize five percent at once is already quite impressive.–
–Mm-hmm. I feel scarily powerful right now. Even if I were to throw a fight with those guys staking out outside, I might not necessarily lose.–
–Staking-out guys?–
–Oh by the way, Uncle Robin Lo said there might be people from the monster faction lurking outside, telling us to be careful.–
……
Xiang Xing led his entire team to the vicinity of Sheng Yuan.
Although he belonged to the Monster Hunter faction, he was actually acting on behalf of the other side.
Many people did this kind of thing, but few did it as well as he did.
Because most people listened to the other faction’s orders only to avoid offending either side, but he genuinely dared to violate the headquarters’ orders for that purpose.
According to intelligence, the C-grade intersection where Yang Zicang was last seen was nearby.
It seemed the enemy had gained control of this intersecting realm, so these ten individuals scoured the area with torches and flashlights, searching every pit that could be an entrance, while posting lookouts outside in hiding, waiting to strike him down with a single fatal blow once he appeared.
After waiting for twenty or thirty hours, just as Xiang Xingyan was beginning to wonder if the boss who had provided the intel had fed him false information, a muddy hole by a dried-up pond suddenly grew dark and deep.
{Captain, the entrance has appeared, over here.}
Xiang Xingyan, who had been gnawing on a blade of grass, tossed it out from between his teeth, excitement surging within him:
[Everyone, quickly Invest up to 6,000 on Lao Si. We must achieve a one-hit kill, absolutely not letting him react in time.]
[I am investing an additional 1000 N in Wang Longxuan.]
He removed the bow and arrows from his back, hunched over, and dashed swiftly through the dark forest toward that direction.
But before he could take two steps, the entire grove rustled with a flurry of leaves. Xiang Xing felt a sudden panic in his heart, as if trapped in a narrow, confined space, where even the air seemed to evade his nostrils.
–Boom!–
A heavy sound rang out from the direction where Old Four was.
[I have lost 1001N.]
Before Xiang Xing could react, several more screams erupted around him.
–What’s happening?–
[I have lost 1N.]
[I have lost another total of 4N.]
In just two or three seconds, the scattered team members were killed in unison.
Just as he was about to call for the remaining teammates to gather, a piercing sound tore through the leaves and suddenly struck at him.
After all, he was someone who had long crawled through the edge of life and death. He kicked off the ground hard, twisted his body sharply, and dodged the blow by turning his head. Meanwhile, he nocked an arrow and drew the bow, intending to loose it the moment he hit the ground at an angle.
–No, Yang Zicang’s ability… damn it!–
He suppressed his anger and stowed the arrow away. If ambushing with a bow were acceptable, but to use arrows to shoot down Yang Zicang after being discovered would really be asking for trouble.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, he suddenly realized something.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, he suddenly realized something and turned his head. At the same time, the iron nail he had just dodged redirected itself, hurtling toward the back of his head. He quickly rolled on the ground and assumed a defensive stance.
Thud! The silver-gray iron nail struck the dirt ground.
–We’ve been found! Run!–
Xiang Xingyan broke out in a cold sweat from sheer fright.
–Ah…–
[I have lost 1N.]
Another person had died!
How could Yang Zicang be so strong? He’d only been here for two or three days!
Clearly, it was their group that was supposed to be ambushing and hunting him, yet without even catching a glimpse of that guy, seven of their own had already fallen.
–Whoosh!– A steel sword cut through the air. His pupils shrank as the blade, carrying a fierce wind, grazed past Xiang Xingyan’s face and shot into the distance behind him.
He was about to pivot and avoid its return arc, but unexpectedly, the steel sword didn’t change its trajectory. Instead, it slammed into a tree trunk with a dull thud.
–Stop running. Come and fight—your opponent is me.–
A teenage boy’s voice rang out through the forest, and a figure barely 1.6 meters tall emerged from among the trees.
–You’re not Yang Zicang?–
The wooden stick in the opponent’s hand burst into flames with a whoosh, illuminating the boy’s silhouette clearly.
–Captain Xiang!–
The only two remaining team members in the forest cried out his name, their voices almost like screams.
–I told you, your opponent is me. Beat me, and the three of you can leave. Lose, and you stay here forever.–
–You might as well get ready to raise funds. Better yet, broadcast my battle scene far and wide, let everyone know what kind of strength the man by Brother Yang’s side possesses.–
Liang Xis crossed his arms coldly, raising the torch-like wooden stick in his hands as he assumed a starting stance.
[Dai Lian Contract, current sync proficiency: 6.5%, mental energy consumed: 95%]
The recent battle had yielded quite some insights, making Liang Xis feel that his grasp of this precious skill experience was rapidly improving.
Xiang Xingyan felt his throat go dry. Was this one of the men by Yang Zicang’s side? Just a kid, yet why did his momentum seem so fierce?
–How dare you kill someone from the same camp, you…–
–Ah!–
Before he could finish his sentence, a shrill scream erupted from the forest.
[I have failed.]
Xiang Xingyan felt as though a current of electricity was racing across his skin. His gaze shifted to behind the youth, where he could vaguely discern a looming figure.
–I killed him. You can continue now.–
–Captain, save me~–
The sole surviving partner collapsed into the forest, gasping as if on the verge of suffocating from terror.
–If we really defeat you, you’ll let us go?–
–Of course.–
Xiang Xingyan hesitated, taking a step back. He watched the other man warily as he carefully pulled the sword from the tree.
–Kid, if you die, don’t blame me.–
–Less with the bullshit.–
–Then die already!–
Xiang Xingyan viciously raised the steel sword that had originally belonged to Liang Xi, his body poised for a downward slash.
But as he leaped forward, a fierce wave of fiery wind swept across him, exploding with a deafening boom.
The man hurriedly rolled aside. The spreading flames struck the forest, and the surrounding trees erupted in fine sparks.
Xiang Xingyan was about to rise when the kid across from him had already jumped up, brandishing a wooden staff with both hands for a resolute, mountain-crushing strike.
–Boom!– Utilizing both hands and feet, he propelled himself sideways in a roll. The strike blasted a ten-meter trail of flames across the ground, and the gust of wind struck the trunk in front of him, causing the bark to explode instantly.
A tremor of shock flashed through Xiang Xingyan’s heart—it was then he realized just how formidable this kid’s strength truly was!
Capitalizing on the next two evasive maneuvers, the man dashed into the woods. His body erupted with explosive speed as he charged toward the distance.
The youth, deceived by the feint and having lunged in the wrong direction, found the distance between them rapidly widening.
Having run less than twenty meters, a final piece of news of Investigation failure echoed in Xiang Xingyan’s mind.
His heart raced with anxiety; at this moment, he cared nothing for his teammates. He simply refused to believe his opponent would let him go, and in truth, he might not even be able to defeat that kid. This time, he had thoroughly messed up.
Moxel activated, a triangular gleam flashing, suddenly boosting the man’s speed threefold, charging through the forest like a fierce gale.
–Ha, Yang Zicang, they say your ability can speed up, but don’t you know—my speed is even faster than yours!–
Seeing that he had left the two far behind, Xiang Xingyan felt a sharp relief from the pressure.
Although this attempt had failed, as long as he stayed alive, the team could regroup. After all, he wouldn’t dare risk this line of work without some safeguard.
A line of light refracted outward from Xiang Xingyan’s chest.
–Boss Xiao, you’ll have to compensate me for this loss. That little guy beside Yang Zicang is a master who can unleash sword qi—you never told me that before.–
–My teammates? Hmph, they all died because of you.–
He had already been racing at high speed for nearly a minute.
The surrounding trees grew sparser, and right after Xiang Xingyan finished negotiating compensation with his counterpart, he suddenly felt the air around him become stagnant once more.
It felt as though he had been trapped within a suffocatingly confined space—his heart grew panicked and stiflingly heavy, while his mind drifted blank for two seconds, lurching like motion sickness.
–Who is Master Xiao?–
A gentle voice sounded by his ear.
Xiang Xingyan’s consciousness felt as if it had been violently jolted by a tremendous force, crashing down with a thunderous bang.
Beneath the pitch-black night sky, he felt as though he had lost control of his body, as if trapped in a nightmare.
Above his head appeared an enormous pale maw—a phantom monster exuding a deep, chaotic aura. Its tiger-like eyes glaring, as if eager to devour his very soul.
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