Chapter 58: Killing Intent

Swish!

Su Xin directly launched a fatal attack.

A hazy sword light lit up.

Dreamlike and illusory.

Its speed was unbelievably fast.

The second form of the Phantom Scroll, Shadow Play!

"Not good!"

The purple-haired elder officiating the match changed his expression drastically upon seeing this, and he moved to intervene.

However, Su Xin's swordsmanship was simply too fast. Tu San was already heavily injured, and perhaps taken aback by the fact that his own trump card had failed to kill Su Xin, he stood frozen for a split second, failing to react in time.

Rip!

A cold sword light swept past, and Tu San's entire head was sent flying into the air.

It was not until Tu San's head crashed onto the ground that the purple-haired elder finally arrived in front of Su Xin.

Seeing Tu San's fallen corpse, the purple-haired elder's expression darkened. "Su Xin, you have some nerve, killing someone during the hunt!"

"What a joke. He was trying to take my life like that, and I am not even allowed to kill him in return?" Su Xin retorted in a deep voice, showing not a shred of fear.

Right now, he was boiling with rage.

The purple-haired elder furrowed his brows.

Although... before the start of this final stage of the hunt, he had explicitly announced the rules: dealing fatal blows was strictly prohibited.

Yet, just now, everyone had seen the scene crystal clear.

It was undeniably Tu San who had struck first with a vicious, underhanded blow.

Su Xin had held back at the very first moment, but Tu San had seized the opening created by Su Xin's mercy to unleash a lethal technique.

Most importantly, the terrifying poison coated on those black needles...

That was clearly intended to kill Su Xin instantly, leaving him with no chance of survival whatsoever.

Such viciousness would enrage anyone...

The purple-haired elder could not help but cast his gaze toward the Heavenly Flame Sovereign seated upon the high platform.

Faced with the current situation, he no longer had the authority to make a decision.

Meanwhile, the Heavenly Flame Sovereign merely waved his hand and said, "It was Tu San who made the first move to take Su Xin's life. Su Xin killing him in self-defense is entirely justified and does not constitute a violation of the rules."

"Take Tu San's corpse away, and let the hunt continue."

"Understood," the purple-haired elder nodded.

Soon, people stepped forward to collect Tu San's remains, while also disposing of the black needle and the lingering poison on the ground.

As for Su Xin, he wore a gloomy expression as he slowly walked down from the combat arena.

An uproar had already broken out across the venue.

"That poison was so terrifying; he really was ruthless."

"That Tu San clearly intended to put Su Xin to death. Could the two of them have some irreconcilable grudge from before?"

"To suddenly launch an attack while Su Xin was holding back—fast and vicious, and coupled with that terrifying poison on the black needles... If Su Xin hadn't managed to block it in time, he probably would have died right on the spot, wouldn't he?"

"I never would have guessed Tu San was so malicious. During the entire match, he hadn't uttered a single word."

"A barking dog doesn't bite; that is true malice!"

...

Everyone was deep in discussion.

No one had anticipated that such a turn of events would occur during the hunt.

By now, Su Xin had retreated to the edge of the combat arena, and Duan Yunfeng hurried over to meet him immediately.

"Su Xin, are you alright?" Duan Yunfeng asked.

"I'm fine," Su Xin shook his head.

"What on earth is your grievance with Tu San that he would go to such insane lengths to kill you?" Duan Yunfeng asked with a frown.

"A grievance?" Su Xin's gaze narrowed.

What grievance could he possibly have with Tu San?

If there truly was a grudge, it was with the one behind Tu San—the Prince Qi Manor!

Su Xin had previously suspected that the Prince Qi Manor was closely tied to the Situ family. Could the Prince Qi who had sent the Yinglong Guards to launch a night raid on the Su family be the mastermind?

And now, following the incident with Tu San, there was no longer any need for doubt.

Su Xin was certain that the Yinglong Guards had been dispatched by Prince Qi.

Only this explanation made sense of why Tu San was driven to such madness to kill him during the hunt.

"Prince Qi!"

Su Xin involuntarily clenched his fists, the intent to kill surging within his eyes.

Up on the high platform, Prince Qi's heir, Xia Yuanji, was seated in one of the VIP chairs.

Upon seeing Tu San killed by Su Xin, this young prince was filled with irritation.

"Useless trash!"

"Situ Yu is trash, and Tu San, failing to kill Su Xin even like that, is equally trash!"

Xia Yuanji growled in a low voice, completely unconcerned whether those around him overheard his words.

Even if they heard and knew that he had ordered Tu San to make the kill, so what? Who would dare to trouble him?

Even if the Heavenly Flame Sovereign heard it, he would likely just pretend he heard nothing.

As for Tu San's death, Xia Yuanji cared not in the slightest.

He was merely a household slave. Even if he possessed some talent, he had long since lost his humanity and become an emotionless machine.

Even if he entered the Heavenly Flame Palace and was cultivated with their resources, the probability of him reaching the Nirvana Realm in the future was negligible. He held little value to the Prince Qi Manor—dead was dead.

Xia Yuanji was simply infuriated that Su Xin had such blind luck and refused to die.

Standing right behind Xia Yuanji was an elderly hunchback with a weathered face.

This hunchback was a retainer under the Prince Qi Manor and was fiercely loyal to Prince Qi.

At this moment, the hunchback's deep gaze was fixed in the direction of the Heavenly Flame Sovereign.

"Arranging for Tu San to face Su Xin in advance was an intentional design by the Heavenly Flame Sovereign. I daresay His Majesty had long guessed that, given the Heir Apparent's temperament, he would certainly order Tu San to assassinate Su Xin."

"And by doing so... if Su Xin had truly been killed, the Su family would likely have gone completely mad. Although the Su family has declined, they were previously able to wipe out an entire elite squad of Yinglong Guards sent by the Prince, meaning they still possess hidden cards unknown to others. Once driven mad, they would pose a major threat to the Prince."

"Even if they failed to kill Su Xin, the act itself would lay their hostility entirely out in the open. Furthermore, it was highly probable that Su Xin's fury would drive him to slay Tu San, thus barring Tu San from entering the Heavenly Flame Palace."

The hunchback mused inwardly.

That squad of Yinglong Guards had indeed been sent by Prince Qi.

Yet the matter had remained buried in the shadows, unexposed. Even with their suspicions and doubts, the Su family had not dared to openly confront the Prince Qi Manor based merely on conjecture.

But now, it had been completely brought to light.

"Exposing the hostility entirely, forcing the Su family—including a genius like Su Xin—into direct opposition with the Prince Qi Manor: that is the first."

"Using Su Xin's hand to eliminate Tu San, depriving the Prince Qi Manor of a talent with a slim future chance of reaching the Nirvana Realm: that is the second."

"Allowing Tu San to strike in broad daylight, letting everyone witness the viciousness of the Prince Qi Manor: that is the third."

"Three birds with one stone, and crucially, keeping himself entirely detached. This Heavenly Flame Sovereign truly possesses formidable schemes," the hunchback sighed inwardly.

During the battle for the throne back then, the Heavenly Flame Sovereign had initially been at a disadvantage, yet he had ultimately turned the tables and emerged victorious. His capabilities and methods were indeed extraordinary.

Though outwardly the Heavenly Flame Sovereign showed no overt hostility toward the Prince Qi Manor, beneath the surface, he was constantly suppressing them at every turn.

Unfortunately, even though the hunchback saw through the Heavenly Flame Sovereign's schemes, he could not make Xia Yuanji change his mind or stop him from trying to kill Su Xin.

After all, Xia Yuanji's temperament was simply that way, and Prince Qi indulged him endlessly.

At times, Prince Qi even deliberately exploited Xia Yuanji's disposition to eradicate certain political dissidents.

As for the Su family, if they wished to oppose them outright, let them. A family that had long since fallen—even if they held some hidden cards—was of no consequence to the Prince Qi Manor.

The only potential threat remaining was this genius named Su Xin.

...

The second round of eighteen matches was over, and all nine duels had concluded.

The nine victors, including Su Xin, Xiamang, and Duan Yunfeng, were now guaranteed admission into the Heavenly Flame Palace.

As for the tenth and final spot, it would be selected from among the defeated geniuses of the previous nine matches.

Ordinarily, given Tu San's strength, even if he had lost to Su Xin, as long as he hadn't courted his own death, he still could have competed for this final spot.

Unfortunately, he had been slain on the spot by Su Xin, leaving the selection to be made among the remaining eight defeated geniuses.

In the end, a genius named Lingyu was chosen to join the nine of them.

From this point on, the ten strongest individuals of the hunt, those who directly earned the qualification to cultivate within the Heavenly Flame Palace, were finalized.

However, the hunt was still not completely over.

On the combat arena, the ten geniuses stood side by side. Aside from Xiamang, Su Xin, Duan Yunfeng, and a few others who possessed absolute confidence in their own strength, the rest wore expressions tinged with excitement.

Whoosh!

A figure suddenly fluttered down onto the combat arena. It was Palace Master Diyue of the Heavenly Flame Palace, and she smiled faintly as she looked at the ten geniuses before her.

"The ten of you are confirmed to be absorbed into the Heavenly Flame Palace as disciples. Within the palace, the single most important thing is 'Fire Points'."

"The Heavenly Flame Palace will allocate different initial 'Fire Points' to each of you based on your rankings in this hunt."

"Sixth to tenth place: one thousand Fire Points."

"Fourth and fifth place: two thousand Fire Points."

"Third place: three thousand Fire Points."

"Second place: five thousand Fire Points."

"And the champion of the hunt directly receives ten thousand Fire Points!"

"As for how many Fire Points you each end up accumulating hereafter, it will depend entirely on your own efforts to fight for them."

With that, Palace Master Diyue returned to her seat.

"Fire Points?"

The ten geniuses exchanged glances, each of them instinctively clenching their fists.

Having existed in the Heavenly Flame Empire for so long and having absorbed countless geniuses, the Heavenly Flame Palace's secrets were largely public knowledge.

Take these Fire Points, for instance...

Within the empire, many knew that the Heavenly Flame Palace possessed these special 'Fire Points'. Nearly all cultivation resources within the palace, including everything beneficial to one's progress, required Fire Points for exchange.

Naturally, for these geniuses, the more Fire Points, the better.

The champion received ten thousand Fire Points, while sixth to tenth place received only a thousand—a tenfold difference.

Therefore, every single one of these ten geniuses burned with the desire to push forward and secure more Fire Points.

"For the upcoming matches, you will draw your own battle order. Come over here," announced the purple-haired elder officiating the hunt.

Now that they reached the final bouts, all ten geniuses were guaranteed entry into the Heavenly Flame Palace; the only variable was the quantity of Fire Points they would obtain.

Consequently, the Chilong Pavilion no longer needed to deliberately arrange the battle brackets to shield the top geniuses from one another.

Soon, the ten geniuses had each drawn their respective combat sequences.

Five duels were officially set.

Su Xin's opponent was a female genius named Mebing.

As for Duan Yunfeng, he happened to draw Xiamang.

"Brother, my luck is truly extraordinary. Out of everyone, I just had to run into Xiamang right at the start!"

"I was hoping to at least push into the top four or five, or even fight for third place, but it looks like I'll be stuck somewhere between sixth and tenth, with only a thousand Fire Points."

Duan Yunfeng pulled a long face, grumbling.

"Even third place is only three thousand Fire Points; the gap isn't that massive," Su Xin said with a smile.

Before long, Su Xin and Mebing stepped onto the combat arena.

...