Chapter 58 – Vicious intent

Whoosh!

Su Xin struck without hesitation.

A hazy sword light flashed.

Dreamlike and illusory.

Its speed was unbelievably fast.

The second move of the Phantom Volume, Shadow Play!

"Not good!"

The purple-haired elder overseeing the duel's expression changed instantly, wanting to intervene.

However, Su Xin's swordsmanship was too swift. Tu San was already severely injured and perhaps didn't expect his trump card to fail in killing Su Xin, leaving him momentarily stunned and unable to react in time.

Swoosh!

The cold sword light swept past, and Tu San's entire head was sent flying.

It wasn't until Tu San's head hit the ground that the purple-haired elder reached Su Xin.

Seeing Tu San's fallen body, the purple-haired elder's face darkened, "Su Xin, how dare you kill someone during the hunt!"

"Ridiculous, he was trying to kill me, and I can't kill him?" Su Xin retorted with a low shout, showing no fear.

He was filled with rage.

The purple-haired elder frowned.

Even though... before the final stage of the hunt began, he had announced the rules, prohibiting lethal attacks.

But everyone clearly saw what just happened.

It was Tu San who struck first, and with vicious intent.

Su Xin had initially held back, but Tu San seized the opportunity to launch a deadly attack.

Most importantly, the black needle was laced with a terrifying poison.

It was clear he intended for Su Xin to die immediately, leaving no chance of survival.

Such viciousness would anger anyone...

The purple-haired elder couldn't help but look towards the Heavenflame Emperor on the high platform.

In this situation, he couldn't make the decision.

The Heavenflame Emperor waved his hand and said, "Tu San struck first, intending to kill Su Xin. Su Xin's counterattack, resulting in Tu San's death, is justified and not against the rules."

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

"Yes." The purple-haired elder nodded.

Soon, someone came forward to collect Tu San's body, also dealing with the black needle and the remaining poison on the ground.

As for Su Xin, he walked off the battlefield with a grim expression.

The venue was already in an uproar.

"Such terrifying poison, truly ruthless."

"Tu San clearly intended to kill Su Xin. Did they have some irreconcilable enmity?"

"Taking advantage of Su Xin's moment of mercy to strike suddenly, fast and ruthless, with that terrifying poison on the black needle. Fortunately, Su Xin blocked it in time, or he might have died on the spot."

"Who would have thought Tu San was so malicious, not saying a word during the duel."

"A biting dog doesn't bark, that's true malice!"

...

Everyone was discussing.

No one expected such a scene to unfold during the hunt.

Su Xin had already retreated from the battlefield, and Duan Yunfeng immediately approached.

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

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

"What grudge do you have with Tu San that he would go to such lengths to kill you?" Duan Yunfeng asked, frowning.

"Grudge?" Su Xin's eyes narrowed.

What grudge could he have with Tu San?

If there was a grudge, it was with the Qi Prince's Mansion behind Tu San!

Su Xin had suspected before that the Qi Prince's Mansion was close to the Situ Family and might have been behind the Winged Dragon Guards' night raid on the Su Family, possibly ordered by the Qi Prince.

And now, after the incident with Tu San, there was no need for doubt.

Su Xin was certain the Winged Dragon Guards were sent by the Qi Prince.

Only then would Tu San be so desperate to kill him during the hunt.

"Qi Prince!"

Su Xin clenched his fists, his eyes filled with murderous intent.

On the high platform, Xia Yuanji, the heir of the Qi Prince's Mansion, sat in one of the seats.

Seeing Tu San killed by Su Xin, this heir was furious.

"Useless!"

"Situ Yu is useless, and Tu San couldn't even kill Su Xin, also useless!"

Xia Yuanji growled, not caring if anyone around heard him.

Even if they did, what of it? Who would dare trouble him knowing he sent Tu San?

Even if the Heavenflame Emperor heard, he would likely pretend not to.

As for Tu San's death, Xia Yuanji didn't care at all.

Just a servant, even with some talent, he had long lost his humanity, becoming a machine without feelings.

Even if he entered the Heavenflame Palace, with its resources, the chances of him reaching the Nirvana Realm were slim, not very useful to the Qi Prince's Mansion, so his death was inconsequential.

Xia Yuanji was just angry that Su Xin survived.

Behind Xia Yuanji stood a hunchbacked elder with a weathered face.

This hunchbacked elder was a guest official under the Qi Prince's Mansion, loyal to the Qi Prince.

A quick look at will leave you more fulfilled.

At this moment, the elder's gaze was deep as he looked towards the Heavenflame Emperor.

"Arranging for Tu San to face Su Xin early was the Heavenflame Emperor's deliberate plan. He likely anticipated that the heir would order Tu San to kill Su Xin."

"And this kill... if Su Xin were truly killed, the Su Family would go mad. Though the Su Family has declined, they managed to completely eliminate a squad of Winged Dragon Guards sent by the Prince, suggesting they have hidden cards. If they go mad, it would be a significant threat to the Prince."

"Even if Su Xin wasn't killed, just the act of attempting it would expose their enmity, and Su Xin might kill Tu San in anger, preventing him from entering the Heavenflame Palace."

The hunchbacked elder mused silently.

The Winged Dragon Guards squad was indeed sent by the Qi Prince.

But this matter remained hidden, not exposed. Even if the Su Family had suspicions, they wouldn't dare confront the Qi Prince's Mansion based on mere speculation.

But now, it was all out in the open.

"Exposing the enmity completely, setting the Su Family, including the genius Su Xin, against the Qi Prince's Mansion, is one goal!"

"Using Su Xin to kill Tu San, causing the Qi Prince's Mansion to lose a potential Nirvana Realm genius, is another!"

"Allowing Tu San to act publicly, showing everyone the Qi Prince's Mansion's malice, is a third!"

"Three birds with one stone, and he remains uninvolved. The Heavenflame Emperor is truly cunning."

The hunchbacked elder sighed.

During the initial struggle for the throne, the Heavenflame Emperor was at a disadvantage, but he managed to turn the tables, showcasing his extraordinary ability and strategy.

Though the Heavenflame Emperor showed no overt actions against the Qi Prince's Mansion, he was secretly suppressing them.

Unfortunately, even if the hunchbacked elder saw through the Heavenflame Emperor's schemes, he couldn't change Xia Yuanji's mind about killing Su Xin.

After all, Xia Yuanji's nature was like that, and the Qi Prince indulged him.

Sometimes, the Qi Prince even used Xia Yuanji's nature to eliminate dissidents.

As for the Su Family, if they were to confront them completely, so be it. An already declining family, even with some hidden cards, was of no concern to the Qi Prince's Mansion.

Only the potential threat posed by the genius Su Xin remained.

...

The second round, from eighteen to nine, all nine duels concluded.

The nine winners, including Su Xin, Xia Mang, and Duan Yunfeng, were confirmed to be admitted to the Heavenflame Palace.

As for the last spot, it would be chosen from the defeated geniuses in the nine duels.

Originally, with Tu San's strength, even if defeated by Su Xin, he could have competed for the final spot if he hadn't acted recklessly.

But unfortunately, he was killed by Su Xin, leaving the choice to the other eight defeated geniuses.

Finally, a genius named Ling Yu joined Su Xin and the others.

Thus, the ten strongest from this hunt, directly granted entry to the Heavenflame Palace for cultivation, were confirmed.

Yet, the hunt was not entirely over.

On the battlefield, the ten geniuses stood in a line. Besides Xia Mang, Su Xin, and Duan Yunfeng, who were confident in their strength, the others were somewhat excited.

Whoosh!

A figure suddenly descended onto the battlefield, the Palace Master Diyue of Heavenflame Palace, smiling at the ten geniuses.

"You ten are confirmed to be admitted to the Heavenflame Palace as disciples. In the Heavenflame Palace, the most important thing is 'Fire Points.'"

"The Heavenflame Palace will allocate different initial 'Fire Points' based on your ranking 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 first place in the hunt will receive ten thousand fire points!"

"As for how many fire points you ultimately receive, it's up to you to strive for."

With that, Palace Master Diyue returned to her seat.

"Fire points, huh?"

The ten geniuses exchanged glances, each clenching their fists.

The Heavenflame Palace had existed in the Heavenflame Dynasty for so long, admitting countless geniuses, and much information about it was well-known.

For instance, the fire points...

Many in the Heavenflame Dynasty knew that the Heavenflame Palace had special 'fire points,' and most of the cultivation resources within, including anything beneficial for cultivation, required fire points for exchange.

For these geniuses, the more fire points, the better.

Ten thousand fire points for first place, compared to just one thousand for sixth to tenth place, was a tenfold difference.

Thus, all ten geniuses were eager to compete for more fire points.

"For the next duels, draw your match order from me," the purple-haired elder overseeing the hunt said.

In the final competition, these ten geniuses were destined to enter the Heavenflame Palace, only differing in the number of fire points they received.

Therefore, there was no need for the Crimson Dragon Tower to arrange the match order to avoid top geniuses.

Soon, the ten geniuses drew their match order.

Five matches were determined.

Su Xin's opponent was a female genius named Mo Bing.

Duan Yunfeng, on the other hand, faced Xia Mang.

"Brother, my luck is terrible. Right from the start, I face Xia Mang!"

"I was hoping to at least reach fourth or fifth place, maybe even third, but now it seems I'll be between sixth and tenth, with only a thousand fire points."

Duan Yunfeng complained with a bitter face.

"Even third place only gets three thousand fire points, the difference isn't huge," Su Xin replied with a smile.

Before long, Su Xin and Mo Bing appeared on the battlefield.

...