Kuang Baotu sat impatiently, his fingers drumming against the armrest of his throne. His eyes never left the vision cube, where Lin Shu and Zaisheng circled each other like wolves deciding whether to fight or flee.
"If he's not going to go all out, I'll force him then."
A subordinate appeared at his side, bowing low. Kuang Baotu's voice was flat, carrying the weight of an order that would not be questioned. "Tell everyone in the hunt those two's location. Put a bounty on Li and Zaisheng—ten thousand points for whoever manages to beat them or break their tokens."
Yanqi's protest came immediately. "Don't you think that's a bit unfair, Seeker?"
Kuang Baotu didn't even look his way. "It's not like I'm not giving them something in return. How about this—if they make it out with their tokens unbroken, they get the bounty instead. And that goes for your other team members as well."
Yanqi's jaw tightened, but he said nothing more. This was Kuang Baotu's event. He could do whatever he wanted as long as it wasn't too extreme. And this, unfortunately, was well within the bounds of acceptable.
---
Back in the forest, Yu was a blur of motion, dashing from one side of the clearing to the other, making his strikes impossible to predict. Kai and Shang worked in tandem, destroying or dissipating every poison Lan Xin sent their way before it could reach its target.
Three poison spirals formed around Lan Xin, spinning with increasing speed before launching toward Yu. He moved, but Shang was faster—a sweep of his wings shattered the spirals into harmless mist. Yu's fist drove straight for Lan Xin's token.
"I can't get away!"
With no other option, Lan Xin raised her arms to protect her chest. Yu side-stepped at the last moment, his punch connecting with her face instead of her token. She gritted her teeth against the impact, her spear sweeping toward him as he tried to retreat. Kai's fire and gas intercepted the blade, deflecting it harmlessly away.
Not far from them, Lin Shu and Aoyan fought side by side against Zaisheng. They moved like a matched pair, Aoyan covering Lin Shu's blind spots while he pressed the attack from the front.
Zaisheng dodged a fist from Lin Shu and struck toward Aoyan with a palm of violet Qi. Lin Shu parried it, shoving her out of the way before clashing with Zaisheng directly. The ground beneath them cracked and cratered under the force of their exchange.
"I can't contend with him on pure strength," Lin Shu realized. He shifted tactics. White flame burst from his heels and his fist, giving him a sudden surge of power. He pushed against Zaisheng with everything he had, and Zaisheng let go immediately, stepping back to create distance.
Three Scorch Piercers streaked toward him. Zaisheng waved his arm, and a violet arc of light struck them out of the air.
"I can't tell if this guy is using a good portion of his actual techniques or not," Lin Shu thought, studying his opponent. "He seems too calm, but also surprised at the same time. It doesn't add up."
Zaisheng was thinking similar thoughts. "What is it with this guy? His cultivation is high stage, but his strength is definitely above that. I'm sure he's not using a technique to mask it. He must have a good unified system and solid path mastery to push it this far."
Lin Shu attacked again, and Zaisheng defended, his arms taking the brunt of the blow. "That armor of his is hard enough to block peak-tier techniques, so his defense is excellent. His speed is lacking, though—that's why he uses the white flame to propel himself. But it leaves him in unstable stances, which means he can't dodge properly. His armor makes up for that, so the imbalance isn't a huge loss."
Lin Shu fired more Scorch Piercers, forcing Zaisheng to defend his neck. Then he struck at Zaisheng's stomach, pushing him back.
"He can control that armor, turn it into anything he wants," Zaisheng continued his analysis. "Spikes, projectiles—he's using the flames for movement and offense. His path, which I assume is fire, must be at least quasi-master for him to pull something like this. Forming a good unified system before reaching the second rank isn't something a rogue is capable of. He might be somebody important. It would be bad if I killed him. I shouldn't go all out."
Lin Shu threw an uppercut. Aoyan struck Zaisheng's face with a flame arrow. Zaisheng didn't even try to defend—the arrow hit him square in the face and dissipated against his skin.
"He could have defended," Lin Shu thought, immediately suspicious. "Why didn't he?"
He motioned for Aoyan to step back and sent another volley of Scorch Piercers.
Zaisheng raised an eyebrow. "I suppose I wasted my Qi for nothing."
A blast erupted from the ground in a three-meter radius, the earth crumbling and reforming around him. He stood in the center, untouched. "Maybe I would have defended against that arrow if I hadn't needed my focus for this. It should have removed any doubts you had."
Lin Shu didn't answer. He was cultivating, his Infernal Force rising steadily in the Crucible.
"Well, I think we should just end it alrea—"
"DEAR HUNTERS!"
The voice boomed across the forest, cutting Zaisheng off mid-sentence. Everyone froze.
"WE NOW BRING YOU SOMETHING NEW TO THE HUNT! THE FIRST OFFICIAL MANHUNT! WE WILL NOW DISCLOSE THE LOCATION OF THE FIRST PLACE HOLDER, ZAISHENG, WITH OVER EIGHTY THOUSAND POINTS, AND THE FIFTH PLACE HOLDER, LI, WITH TWENTY-EIGHT THOUSAND POINTS, AS WELL AS LANXIN, THE FOURTH PLACE HOLDER, WITH OVER THIRTY THOUSAND POINTS! WE WILL PLACE A BOUNTY OF TWENTY THOUSAND POINTS FOR WHOEVER DEFEATS THEM OR BREAKS THEIR TOKENS! BUT TO THE HUNTED, DO NOT WORRY—THE ARENA MASTER IS FAIR. IF YOU MANAGE TO GET AWAY WITH YOUR TOKENS UNBROKEN AND YOUR HEADS NOT ON THE GROUND, YOU WILL BE GIVEN THAT REWARD INSTEAD!"
Lin Shu and everyone around him looked at each other. Yu and Shang stopped attacking Lan Xin. Kai turned to Lin Shu, his expression caught between shock and concern.
Shang was the first to break the silence, his grin returning despite the gravity of the announcement. "Hahahaha! That's my brother! You got fifth place, Li! Well done!" He gave Lin Shu a thumbs up.
Kai opened his mouth to join in, but stopped when he saw Lin Shu's gaze fixed on Zaisheng.
"Eighty thousand points," Lin Shu thought, the number burning in his mind. "Almost triple what I have. If I could kill him, there's absolutely no one who could take the top spot from me."
His eyes drifted to the token on Zaisheng's chest.
"No. What am I thinking? They just announced our location to everyone in the hunt. Even if I use everything I have and break his token, I'll just be a pile of broken bones for some opportunist to pick clean. I should play it safe and get away from here."
He stepped back, motioning for Aoyan to follow. Zaisheng didn't move—he was having similar thoughts.
"Ah, whatever," Zaisheng thought. "This doesn't matter. I'm already in first place. I should get out of here and play it easy. No use fighting pointless battles."
Lan Xin began to retreat, and Yu didn't pursue. They regrouped in the center of the ruined clearing, forming a loose circle.
"Let's go in the opposite direction of that guy," Kai suggested. "He'll be targeted more than us."
Yu shook his head. "No. I think Li will be targeted more."
Aoyan frowned. "Why?"
Yu shrugged. "Zaisheng has over eighty thousand points—almost triple what Li has. He's obviously more dangerous. Most people will go for the slightly less dangerous target." He paused. "But I could be wrong."
Zaisheng had already started moving away, his long strides carrying him toward the denser forest. Lin Shu made a decision. "We're going the same way as him. Not close—if a fight breaks out, he'll be the first one dragged into it. We can use that to escape or to pick off tokens. First, Kai—take every dead person's token and bring them to me. We'll split them later."
Yu didn't object. Shang started to lift off the ground, but Lin Shu stopped him. "Don't fly. You'll expose our position faster than the arena announcer."
Shang looked disappointed but complied.
They set off, following Zaisheng at a safe distance. The violet-haired fighter noticed them immediately.
"Are they planning to use me as a shield?" Zaisheng frowned. "I'm still not fully healed from that attack he gave me. Since I'll be swarmed soon, I can't waste my Qi fighting everyone. I suppose I'll just have to let them follow me. Maybe I can use them to defend myself."
Lan Xin ran in the opposite direction, her heart pounding.
"I'm never lucky," she thought bitterly. "Why did I have to run into someone with triple my points?" She glanced back—the clearing was already out of sight. "Actually, I was pretty lucky. Those guys were close to beating me, and I couldn't have beaten that Zaisheng guy. I should stay on the sidelines. The very, very far sidelines."
---
All across the forest, the announcement rippled through the hunt like a stone dropped in still water. Teams looked at each other, their objectives suddenly clear. Lone hunters smiled, their targets handed to them on a silver platter.
Xie Lang laughed, his voice booming through the trees. "HAHAHAHA! Finally! I was getting sick of looking around!" He held a battered cultivator by the collar, the man's face swollen and bloody. Xu Jin followed close behind, with Zeng Shiyang and Yun Qiu bringing up the rear.
In another part of the forest, Chi Su moved with renewed purpose, a smile curving her lips. Her dark hair flowed behind her, and her flame-like eyes burned with anticipation. "Who would have thought? I won't have to look for Aoyan or that Li anymore."
Chi Ran followed her half-sibling in silence, her expression unreadable.
"I'm going to kill that guy and grind that pathetic coward's bones to dust," Su continued, her voice dripping with venom.
Ran made no comment.
---
The scene shifted to a different part of the forest, where a young man with slick black hair approached a black-haired youth with emerald eyes.
"Hello, Lei. I've been looking for you."
Han Lei's hand rested on his weapon, his posture cautious. "And you are?"
The young man smiled, spreading his hands in a gesture of peace. "Sorry about that. I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Zhao Tie Zheng. I'm the grandson of Zhao Tianxue."
Han Yi squinted at him, then glanced at her brother.
Han Lei's expression didn't change. "Alright, Tie Zheng. What does the grandson of an empire general want with me?"
Tie Zheng didn't seem bothered by the casual use of his name. "Well, I'm here to make a deal. I've already made one with Xie Lang and his team."
Han Lei stayed silent. Seconds passed. Tie Zheng's smile slowly faded into confusion. "Aren't you going to ask what it is?"
Han Lei sighed. "You can just speak, man. I'm not going to ask you every time you leave information hanging like that."
Tie Zheng's smile returned. "Fair enough. I'll stop with the games then. The deal is about the last day of the hunt. I have information about what's going to happen, and it's not something we can avoid if we want points. Neither Xie Lang nor I can make it through the fifth day alone. We need more allies, and I'm sure it's the same for you." He gestured toward the trees. "Especially with everyone selling your whereabouts and targeting you. I'm sure you've noticed multiple people tailing you lately. How about you attack that tree over there?"
Han Lei extended his hand toward a specific tree. A beam of lightning shot out, and the tree exploded. A man jumped from the branches, protecting himself as he fled. Han Lei didn't bother chasing—he looked in multiple directions, noting the rustling leaves, the flickers of movement.
"Looks like you're not lying," he admitted.
Tie Zheng extended his arm. "So what do you say?"
Han Lei glanced at his team. Ouyi nodded. Xiyao gave a small shrug. Han Yi's expression was unreadable but not opposed.
"Alright. We're in an allian—"
The announcement cut him off. They listened in silence, and when the voice finished, Tie Zheng's smile widened.
"Would you look at that? They're giving us the location of the first and fifth place holders." He turned to Han Lei. "You fought the fifth place holder with Xie Lang before, didn't you? Unfortunately, I didn't have time to ask him what Li was like." He paused, his eyes calculating. "Time to see if Xie Lang told me everything or not."
Han Lei thought for a moment. "His offense and defense are both extremely good—comparable to Quasi-Rank 2 techniques. His speed is lacking, though. Probably doesn't exceed high-tier arts. Other than that, he's traveling with someone who uses flight arts and one of the Chi clan heirs. Turns out he's also a student and fighter of Chi Yanqi—the Drunken Flame."
Tie Zheng nodded. "Everything checks out." He thought for a moment. "Alright. Let's go after them. We can't let an opportunity like this go to waste." Aloud, he said, "First, let's decide how we'll split the points."
Han Yi spoke up. "We split based on who deals the most damage."
Tie Zheng agreed readily. "That's better than equal portions." He smiled. "Shall we depart, then? Unless there's something else?"
Han Lei nodded. "Let's go."
As they moved, Han Yi's thoughts churned. "That Li—I'm sure he's the one I'm thinking of. But I can't risk accusing him without evidence. All I need is to know what his armor is made of. But I can't just go to Master and say I think that guy is a fugitive and we should interrogate him. I need solid evidence. And one is if I find out his armor is made from bones, that doesn't prove everything but it would serve as good suspicion. Which would lead to the inquisitors involving themselves, they could figure out if he's lying if they ask him about his identity. The problem is, he's with Chi Aoyan, and she seems close her. So he's naturally important to Chi Yanqi, who might take offense at our accusations. And the Chi clan has been on good terms with the Empire lately, so Xie Lang's grandfather might not help my master. Meaning no inquisitors would get involved just by our request without xie tianhun's word. And I can't afford to give Yanqi a reason to hold a grudge against us—especially someone like him so it's out of the question to do it without enough evidence. Therefore I need to do this discreetly."
She glanced at her brother. "Hey, Lei. Do you know anyone who can identify what type of material something is made of?"
Han Lei thought for a moment. "I don't really know anyone like that. Why are you asking?"
"I'm interested in what Li's armor is made of. If we know that, we might be able to counter it."
Han Lei nodded. "Good thinking. But I don't know anyone like that."
Zhao Tie Zheng spoke up. "I do."
Han Lei looked at him. "Who?"
Tie Zheng pointed at himself. "Me, of course. I can help you with that."
"How?"
"By using my eyes, obviously, and a bit of common sense."
Han Lei's expression was skeptical. "Are you messing with us?"
Tie Zheng laughed. "I'm serious. I'm very familiar with most forms of metal. I can tell what type something is easily."
Han Yi interjected. "I don't think his armor is made of metal. It looked like it was made from bones, though he covered it with a dark metal layer while fighting."
Han Lei's brow furrowed. "Bones? That's not very common."
Tie Zheng shrugged. "If it's not any sort of metal, I won't know it, unfortunately. But you could ask Lan Xin. She's a Venomheart disciple—they make poisons that target all kinds of materials. All she'd need is a piece of the armor to test it. Good luck finding that coward, though."
Han Lei nodded. "Getting her to help us would be troublesome. She's probably running away right now. The only reason she was near the first place holder and Li was probably by chance, not choice. She's too careful to go against people like Li."