Linfei pressed onward through the tangled Azure Forest, his senses razor-sharp after repelling contests and monsters alike. But it wasn't just the monsters he had to fear—bribed contestants, greedy for spoils, had set an ambush, encouraged and paid off by the hidden assassins lurking nearby.
As Linfei passed a narrow ravine, three contestants emerged, their faces twisted in arrogance. "Give us everything you've got, Linfei," one barked, brandishing his blade. Another jeered, "Only fools fight the strong—surrender and maybe we'll let you walk away!"
Linfei responded with cold defiance, bracing himself for a coordinated assault. Suddenly, in that heated skirmish, the true threat appeared: the remaining assassins moved out from the shadows, launching a deadly volley of poisoned darts and swift, silent attacks.
Reacting instantly, Linfei seized one of the attacking contestants, using him as a makeshift shield. Poisoned darts thudded into the man's back—his eyes wide with panic, life ebbing fast. The assassins, startled by Linfei's ruthlessness and agility, shifted their tactics, but Linfei was relentless. Blocking a blade with another contestant's body, he twisted free, catching an assassin off-guard.
The air was thick with violence; Linfei feinted left and then struck hard, his iron fist connecting with the assassin's neck—a spray of blood gushed, the foe collapsing to the ground. The chaos gripped every witness; even the overconfident contestants trembled as Linfei advanced. The final assassin, stunned by the sudden reversal, tried to retreat, but Linfei surged forward, grabbing him and with unyielding force, slit his throat, ending the ambush in an instant. Other people ran away in fear.
All throughout the battlefield, desperation and brutality reigned. Many young contestants, some witnessing this carnage, exercised one final act of courage—quitting the tournament in terror before they could meet such a fate themselves.
Wiping blood from his hands, Linfei took the monster cores and loot left by the dead, his gaze icy but determined.