Chapter 58: A Dangerous Gambit

The surrounding disciples began gasping.

"He’s in the top thousand!"

"He’s actually ranked among the top thousand!"

"He’s only at the sixth level of the True Spirit Realm!"

The atmosphere became lively once again.

Unlike Long Feng, whose ranking had shocked people because he was a fourth-level Golden Core Realm cultivator and could rival against someone three small realms above him, Ye Wuxie’s result shocked everyone for a different reason.

He had crossed the enormous gap between the True Spirit Realm and Golden Core Realm.

The top thousand rankings were dominated almost entirely by Golden Core Realm cultivators. Yet a sixth-level True Spirit Realm cultivator had forced his way into their ranks.

That was an extraordinary achievement.

"Another monster..."

"This year’s tournament is getting more interesting."

Ye Wuxie glanced toward Long Feng, but his expression soon became slightly dissatisfied. The surrounding disciples were still talking about Long Feng.

Even after his own impressive performance, the attention he received seemed somewhat inferior.

For someone as proud as Ye Wuxie, this was naturally difficult to accept.

However, he wasn’t the only person who was paying attention to him. Another person in the crowd had a far more complicated expression.

The young man stared at the ranking board with a pale expression. His gaze remained fixed on one particular name.

Ye Wuxie!

As if thinking about something terrible, his breathing became slightly heavier.

Just as he was trying to quietly retreat into the crowd, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.

"Why didn’t I realize you’re such a coward?"

The man’s entire body stiffened, he almost jumped. As he hurriedly turned around to see who is this person.

Long Feng stood behind him with a faint smile.

"You..." The young man’s facial expression were like someone who had jumped from the frying pan into the fire.

Long Feng recognized him immediately. He was none other than Han Li.

He had met Han Li before in the Crimson Sun Mountain Range. At that time, Han Li had also been involved in the conflict with Ye Wuxie.

Long Feng glanced at him from head to toe. His expressions turned slightly angry.

"I am already handsome anyway, so why is your face looking like you saw a ghost?"

"N-no, its not like that." Seeing him, Han Li swallowed hard. How could he dare to show any negligence in front of someone who really entered the top hundred.

"I was thinking about someone else, not you."

He then glanced toward Ye Wuxie. His expression became even more uneasy.

Long Feng immediately noticed his strange behavior.

"You seem more interested in him than in my ranking."

Han Li’s expression stiffened. For a moment, he didn’t answer.

"What happened?" Long Feng’s smile slowly faded.

Han Li looked around before lowering his voice,"Do you remember the people who were inside that stalactite cave?"

"Of course." Long Feng’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"Most of them were already dead, one after another. Every disciple who was involved in that incident has been killed."

He glanced toward Ye Wuxie again.

"And I thinks... its him who was behind all of this."

Long Feng’s eyes flickered, but didn’t surprised too much as he already expected this. It would have been strange if Ye Wuxie had simply forgotten such a matter.

After all, the stalactite cave involved a precious treasure and his own life.

Someone with Ye Wuxie’s personality would naturally settle the score afterward.

"So you’re afraid he’ll come after you too?"

Han Li remained silent, but that silence was enough to answer.

Long Feng looked at him for a moment, before a strange smile appeared on his face.

"Then why don’t you strike first?"

"What?" Han Li’s expression changed.

"You heard me." Long Feng leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Challenge him."

Han Li stared at him as though he had just heard something ridiculous.

"Are you crazy?" Han Li’s voice became slightly louder before he hurriedly controlled himself.

"Although his cultivation is lower than mine with one minor level, but look at his ranking! He’s in the top thousand! While I’m not even close to that!"

Long Feng wasn’t surprised.

The ranking board measured almost identical to the actual combat power, and Ye Wuxie had already proven that he could cross an enormous cultivation gap.

But he calmly took out a small jade bottle and placed it in Han Li’s hand.

"What is this?" Han Li looked at the bottle suspiciously.

"A fifth-rank Nether Poison Spider beast’s poison."

"Poison?!" Han Li’s expression instantly changed, he almost dropped the bottle.

A Fifth rank beast was equal to the human Nascent Soul Expert, two major realms higher than him. Its just one drop of poison was enough to kill three of himself. And don’t forget it was a Nether Poison Spider beast, one of most poisonous beast in existence.

How could he not feared after knowing this? His soul almost left his body for a moment!

But Long Feng calmly retrieved it before it fell.

"Don’t be so nervous. You just have to use this against Ye Wuxie and you can win easily, maybe even take his life."

Han Li stared at him in disbelief. He used to think that guy was the biggest scoundrel, but it seems that guy was just a kid compared to this man.

Did he even know he was asking to use that in an official tournament?

If any old geezer finds out about this, they will kick them out of the sect at least.

But Long Feng smiled casually, as if he did such things regularly.

"You already know he’ll come after you sooner or later. If you wait until then, do you think he’ll give you another chance?"

Han Li’s expression changed several times.

"But even with this thing, I may not win."

Seeing that he knew his place, Long Feng said nothing. Instead, he took out another small bottle and placed it in Han Li’s hand, who had made his hand as rigid as if his previous shock yet to forgotten.

"It’s a Fourth Rank Tiger Spirit Pill. This pill can temporarily increase your strength. Now don’t say that nothing can come out of this?"

Han Li’s pupils contracted as he stared at the two bottles in his both hands. His breathing became heavier.

Long Feng saw his situation and continued calmly.

"You don’t need to rely on the poison alone. First use the pill to increase your strength. If you find an opportunity, use the poison."

Han Li’s expression became complicated. He knew exactly what Long Feng was suggesting.

It was dangerous, but it was also tempting.

If he could eliminate Ye Wuxie, not only would he remove a future threat, but his own reputation would rise considerably. And if the pill truly increased his strength...

Han Li looked toward Ye Wuxie. His eyes flickered with hesitation.

Long Feng noticed this and deliberately sighed.

"Forget it."

He reached out to take the bottles back. "It seems you don’t have the courage. I was only trying to help."

"Wait." Han Li immediately stopped him. "It’s not that."

Long Feng looked at him.

"If we’re going to do this, we need a more complete plan." Han Li clenched his teeth and glanced around.

"Wait here."

He then turned and walked into the crowd. Long Feng didn’t stop him and watched him leave.

After a short while, he stopped beside another inner disciple and spoke with him. The two exchanged several words. The other disciple occasionally glanced toward Long Feng. Soon, Han Li returned with the man.

Han Li came close to him and lowered his voice before saying.

"He’s one of the people who were involved in the stalactite cave incident.

Most importantly, his cultivation was already at the Golden Core Realm and his ranking was just outside the top thousand. So it would seem natural for him to challenge Ye Wuxie to a fight."

The Golden Core Realm disciple looked somewhat nervous.

Han Li had already explained the situation to him. After hearing everything, the man’s expression changed several times, but he still agreed.

The real deal was that he himself was a bit scared of Ye Wuxie. Especially after finding out that he was actually killing all the people one by one, who had wronged him.

And now that his rank had also come higher than his own rank, how could he stay calm? That is why he agreed to this risky task as well.

Han Li quietly handed him the two bottles.

"Take them."

The disciple looked at the bottles before carefully putting them away, then he suddenly frowned.

"But what if he discovers that I’ve used the pill?"

But Long Feng just smiled. "The pill’s effect isn’t obvious. It won’t be easy to detect."

He paused before telling, "Besides, you’re a second-level Golden Core Realm cultivator challenging a sixth-level True Spirit Realm cultivator. Nobody will find it strange if you defeat him."

The man’s expression gradually relaxed after hearing this.

That was true!

There was a considerable cultivation gap between them. If he suddenly displayed greater strength, people would simply assume he had hidden some ability.

After thinking for a while, he finally nodded.

"Fine."

Just as the man was about to step onto the battle platform, Long Feng’s voice suddenly sounded behind him.

"After your fight, come find me in the back mountains. I’ll help you recover from your injuries."

That last line erased all the remaining hesitation from his mind and he went ahead.

Long Feng watched him leave. A faint smile appeared on his face.

Good! The show is about to begin.

The Golden Core Realm disciple soon arrived before the battle platform. He looked directly at Ye Wuxie.

"I challenge you!"

His voice immediately attracted the attention of the surrounding disciples.