"Such a sinister Ritual Artifact! I didn't gain any advantage when caught off guard. If it was a calculated trap, it could indeed kill someone at the sixth level of Qi Refining!"
Su Shi'er sighed inwardly, staring at his opponent with a wary expression.
"Trying to ambush me? Kid, you're too young!"
"Initially, I thought a prey at the third level of Qi Refining wouldn't be much of a challenge. Unexpectedly, you're at the fifth level. Interesting!"
The hook-nosed man sneered, shaking his head as he licked his lips.
As he spoke, the sinister wind around him vanished. He suddenly turned, pulling back the longbow in his hand.
Six arrows of light shot through the air, arriving in an instant.
Su Shi'er squinted, already prepared. As the arrows descended, he activated the Ice Shield, which expanded with the wind to block in front of him.
Such an attack wasn't enough to break through the Ice Shield's defense. He planned to use this wave of attacks to counterattack.
But just as the attack was about to land, his pupils contracted slightly, feeling a bad premonition.
"Something's wrong!"
Without hesitation, he summoned a gust of wind and soared into the air.
"Boom!"
The next second, the arrows hit the ground, exploding with a loud bang, sending dirt flying and trees toppling.
A massive crater appeared at the spot.
"Hiss~ What kind of bow is this, with such power?!"
Su Shi'er gasped. If he hadn't noticed the opponent's sneer and dodged in time, he would have been severely injured if not dead.
"Having a High Grade offensive Ritual Artifact is one thing, but you also have a High Grade defensive one? Kid, you have quite a few treasures on you!"
The hook-nosed man frowned. He spoke as if Su Shi'er was merely prey, but when he made a move, it was a killer strike.
Yet, he didn't expect to be detected by the opponent.
This annoyed him, but seeing the ice-blue Ice Shield, greed flashed in his eyes.
He had quite a few treasures, but only the Sinister Wind Pearl was a High Grade Ritual Artifact. The rest were merely Low Grade.
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Moreover, defensive Ritual Artifacts are particularly precious.
Staring intently at Su Shi'er in mid-air, he decisively drew his bow again, shooting six more arrows of light.
These six arrows lacked the previous threat, but Su Shi'er didn't dare be careless. This person seemed mad but was actually very cunning.
In the air, Su Shi'er moved with agility. Constantly using Wind Summoning and pairing it with Shadowless Phantom Steps and Cloud-Stepping Boots.
For a moment, Su Shi'er moved like a phantom, sometimes appearing in front of the opponent, sometimes behind.
"Die!"
Suddenly, Su Shi'er shouted, slashing forward with his sword!
The White Mist Sword, driven by True Essence, emitted a brilliant Sword Light.
"The same trick, do you think it will work?" The hook-nosed man snorted, activating the Sinister Wind Pearl again.
This time, the sinister wind rushed straight at Su Shi'er.
But before it could reach him, the man's expression changed dramatically.
"Thud, thud, thud..."
With several sounds, seven Soul-Breaking Nails, controlled by Su Shi'er using Object Control, silently approached.
As the opponent focused on controlling the sinister wind, they suddenly struck, embedding into his back.
The Soul-Breaking Nails were High Grade Ritual Artifacts, also containing potent poison.
Even with the hook-nosed man's strength, being hit by the Soul-Breaking Nails made him instantly go limp, collapsing to the ground.
The sinister wind dissipated, and a black, eerie pearl fell to the ground.
"How... is this possible?! A High Grade Ritual Artifact of the hidden weapon type? Who... who are you?" The hook-nosed man quickly pulled out a Soul-Breaking Nail, his face changing again in shock.
The disciples participating in the trial were mostly newcomers or servant disciples.
These people weren't strong and rarely had good items.
Having a Mid Grade Ritual Artifact was impressive. Having a High Grade one made you wealthy.
Su Shi'er had both offensive and defensive High Grade Ritual Artifacts, almost making his jaw drop.
He never imagined there was also a High Grade hidden weapon Ritual Artifact.
Three High Grade Ritual Artifacts—if he had known earlier, he wouldn't have tangled with Su Shi'er and would have fled immediately!
"Who I am doesn't matter! What matters is, you're... dead!!" Su Shi'er said coldly, raising his sword.
"Wait, I..." The hook-nosed man's eyes widened, trying to say something.
But as soon as he opened his mouth, he felt a chill on his neck, and the world spun.
A bowl-sized wound appeared on his neck.
With one swift decapitation, confirming the opponent was dead, Su Shi'er stepped forward, took everything from him, and skillfully cast a fireball to destroy the evidence.
"Zhu Hanwei, how are you feeling?" Not bothering to check the opponent's belongings, Su Shi'er turned to look at the chubby Zhu Hanwei.
Zhu Hanwei was staring blankly at the remains of the hook-nosed man's corpse.
He couldn't believe that the nightmarish guy was dead, reduced to a pile of ashes.
The most crucial part was that Su Shi'er had killed him.
It should be known that Su Shi'er joined the Cloud Song Sect in the same batch as him. Moreover, Su Shi'er's aptitude wasn't necessarily much better than his.
Though he had long realized Su Shi'er was extraordinary, he hadn't expected him to be this strong!
Did this guy have some kind of fortuitous encounter? But what kind of encounter could make him so powerful?
Even the Peak Lord's favorite, Han Yu, might not be this formidable!
Zhu Hanwei marveled silently, and upon hearing the voice, he quickly replied respectfully to Su Shi'er, "Don't worry, Senior Brother Shi'er, I'm fine!"
He waved his hand, though the wound on his leg made his mouth twitch.
"Take this Healing Pill. There's less than a month left in the trial, so be careful."
Su Shi'er nodded lightly, tossing a Low Grade Healing Pill he had found from some unfortunate soul's Storage Bag.
After doing this, he turned and left.
Zhu Hanwei grabbed the pill and swallowed it without hesitation.
Watching Su Shi'er's departing figure with gratitude, his eyes darted around, and he gritted his teeth, limping after him.
"Senior Brother Shi'er, wait... wait for me!"
"Hmm? Do you have something else?" Su Shi'er stopped, looking at him expressionlessly.
"Senior Brother, you saved my life, and I'm deeply grateful. From today on, my life is yours, and I'll follow you anywhere!"
Zhu Hanwei patted his chest, speaking with emotion.
His cultivation wasn't high, and he was injured. Without protection, in the remaining days, he'd likely either be killed by someone or die at the claws of a Demonic Beast!
For him, the best solution was to find a big brother!
He couldn't cling to Han Yu or Xiao Yue, and in the sect, the only person he could think of was the one before him.
Su Shi'er had willingly saved him in a critical moment, proving his character wasn't bad.
In a brief moment, he had thought it through.
"Follow me anywhere? Not necessary!" Su Shi'er squinted, decisively shaking his head.
He wasn't foolish, knowing the other just wanted a strong backer to survive the trial.
He wasn't particularly interested in that.
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