At this moment, Qin Shu had already risen to his feet. Although he swayed unsteadily, every move sent shivers down Li Wen's spine.
Ever since he acquired the Myriad Lightning Technique, he had found virtually no equals among those at the same level. He even believed he could take on Foundation Establishment stage cultivators. However, Qin Shu had completely shattered his confidence.
"Have you exhausted all your tricks?" Qin Shu spoke slowly.
Before Li Wen could respond, Qin Shu unleashed another fist technique. In just a few breaths, he was right in Li Wen's face.
Li Wen was stunned. In his panic, he hastily raised the axe Li Wu had given him to defend himself.
With a deafening crash, Li Wen plowed through five or six towering trees, finally coming to rest against a massive boulder. By now, Li Wen's form had been imprinted on the mountainside, a testament to the sheer force of Qin Shu's blow.
"That shouldn't be possible. Given his physique, he shouldn't be able to withstand such an attack, should he?"
At this point, Zhao He wore a puzzled expression. Even at his peak, he had to exercise caution when confronting Qin Shu's fists, let alone taking them head-on.
"A Level 9 Tortoise Shell Origin Technique. It appears Li Wen's good fortune runs deep."
Xuanyuan Quanlong frowned, refraining from responding to Zhao He directly. Meanwhile, Zi Yue chimed in, expressing her curiosity about Li Wen's hidden capabilities.
"We can't underestimate him just yet."
Li Wen reached into his storage bag, realizing that he had depleted all his trump cards. He was left with no means to resist.
Upon gathering his resolve, Li Wen produced two armored soldiers from his storage bag, immediately setting them on a collision course with Qin Shu. Simultaneously, he retrieved a mysterious talisman.
"Is this your last resort?" Qin Shu was fully engaged in combat. He dodged the armored soldier on the left with a nimble maneuver and smashed it with a powerful punch. He then used his spiritual energy as a shield to fend off the other armor soldier's attack before dispatching it with ease.
After swiveling around, he found Li Wen had vanished, leaving behind only his mark on the rock face.
On Xuanyuan Quanlong's side, Shi Qianfeng stood his ground, wielding his greatsword against Zhao He and the others. Both parties were at a stalemate.
"Come at me, all of you together."
Shi Qianfeng challenged as he noticed Qin Shu approaching, though begrudgingly. However, his honor dictated that he accepted defeat. Had he faced the demon clan of the Beifeng Empire, he would already have perished.
"You can leave now?" Qin Shu looked at everyone and then turned to Shi Qianfeng.
"Why? This man is quite dangerous. Shouldn't we send him away first?"
Zhao He remained cautious. He had tangled with Shi Qianfeng several times and realized that engaging with him head-on was futile. Had it not been for Zi Yue and the others assisting him, Shi Qianfeng would have killed him. He couldn't allow Shi Qianfeng to depart safely.
"Is that so?" Shi Qianfeng disregarded Zhao He's objection and queried Qin Shu.
"Brother Qin, allowing him to leave presents a significant problem. We're just getting close to uncovering Li Wen's trump card, and our confidence in him is lacking. If we let him go now, he might ambush us in the future." As Xuanyuan Quanlong approached Qin Shu, he whispered his concerns.
"Brother Xuanyuan, I understand your point, but everyone's exhausted. Continuing to battle Shi Qianfeng would be difficult for us. Moreover, as you mentioned, we're uncertain about his trump card. We can't push him into a corner." Qin Shu pondered for a moment and then strode toward Shi Qianfeng.
Upon observing Qin Shu's approach, Shi Qianfeng remained vigilant, tightly gripping his sword. He recognized that Qin Shu had only defeated Li Wen through a surprise attack.
"I understand that Li Wen is crafty, using you as a pawn to target us. However, Li Wen has already lost. If you wish to continue our fight, we're ready to oblige. But if you've had your fill of battle and seek to depart, we won't stand in your way. After all, I believe that with your abilities, it's indeed challenging for us to restrain you."
Qin Shu extended his arms, taking a gamble, but he understood that Shi Qianfeng must be weary. Continuing the battle would benefit no one.
"Thank you. If you ever find yourselves in dire straits, I will come to your aid." Shi Qianfeng sheathed his greatsword and offered his gratitude to Qin Shu.
"We may cross paths again in the future. If you're willing, you can join us." Qin Shu also returned the gesture as he watched Shi Qianfeng walk away.
"No, I prefer to journey alone." In the distance, Shi Qianfeng extended his left arm, shaking it a few times to decline the offer.
The night gradually darkened once more, with two days remaining until the assessment's conclusion.
At this moment, everyone had gathered around a bonfire, and the surrounding trees had been cleared to fend off potential wild beast attacks and intruders.
Zhao He stood atop a massive boulder, maintaining a vigilant watch over their surroundings.
Meanwhile, Zi Yue and Qing Yuan covered a considerable area with talisman papers, meticulously inscribing the spells they intended to use later. They had lost their protective origin spells during the battle with Li Wen.
It was a potentially fatal setback for Origin Pattern Masters who relied on their Origin Pattern Art for survival. A single misstep could lead to a gruesome demise.
"Brother Qin, I never imagined that, in addition to your cultivation prowess, you're also skilled in roasting meat."
At this moment, Qin Shu and Xuanyuan Quanlong had found some branches and improvised a simple barbecue grill. The two of them were skewering a piece of thigh meat onto the branches and roasting it over the fire repeatedly.
As the tempting aroma wafted through the air, Xuanyuan Quanlong couldn't help but praise. He had attempted to barbecue meat in the past as well but had always ended up with either overcooked or undercooked results.
"Practice makes perfect, my friend. Buying meat in the market can be quite expensive, so it's more economical to hunt wild animals and roast it," Qin Shu replied, casting a glance at Xuanyuan Quanlong, who was savoring his meal with gusto. He then distributed the roasted meat to everyone.
"By the way, Brother Qin, do you have any intentions of competing for the top position once you enter the inner sect?" Xuanyuan Quanlong, holding roasted meat in one hand and tending to the fire with the other, broached the topic.
"The top position?" Qin Shu was taken aback. His prior focus had solely been on cultivation, and he had little knowledge of the inner sect's internal affairs.
"Yes, the chief disciple's position," Xuanyuan Quanlong clarified. "Every three months, inner sect disciples engage in a competition for the chief disciple's title. Participation is open to all disciples above the Level 10 Qi Refinement."
"Back when Wang Ho held the position, the Third Elder held him in high regard and smoothed his path in many ways. But securing the top spot is no easy feat; most participants have been in the inner sect for years, so newly promoted inner sect disciples generally seldom participate; it's too challenging."
Xuanyuan Quanlong sighed. Becoming an inner sect disciple indeed offered numerous advantages compared to being in the outer sect. However, the lack of guidance from senior members often resulted in slow progress for many inner sect disciples.
"Wang Ho? I wonder how he'll deal with me," Qin Shu murmured to himself, unaware that Luo Xue had already set a cunning trap for him outside, lying in wait.
Shortly thereafter, everyone settled down to sleep, except for Qin Shu. He perched on a massive rock, deep in thought about the challenges that lay ahead in the coming days.