During their duel, Su Li finally found his way following the secret signal.
He crouched at the top of a distant giant tree, concealed behind its dense branches and leaves, carefully observing.
In theory, with his cultivation at the eighth level of True Qi Realm, he should not fear even the disciples of the Dalu Sect's inspection team, let alone a mere Body Refining Realm target.
As long as he charged out and swung his blade, it would be enough to slay his target!
However, he vividly remembered the requirements set by his employer, Lei Song:
"Remember! You just happened to be cultivating in the mountains and coincidentally encountered that young man, then killed him."
"All of this must appear as mere happenstance, and you must not show any intent to target him."
"If there's any possibility of exposure or suspicion, immediately leave the trial area and abandon the mission!"
Lei Song's stern expression appeared in his mind.
Su Li curled his lips and muttered, "Troublesome."
Nonetheless, he obediently remained hidden in the tree, observing Jiang Heng and devising a more perfect action plan.
...
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
Jiang Heng and Bu Hanyi fought intensely, like phantoms.
Bu Hanyi was indeed a true genius; almost every battle brought him new insights, and the duration he could withstand under Jiang Heng's attacks kept increasing.
Gradually, it became a back-and-forth exchange with both attacking and defending.
As for Jiang Heng, he discovered after several bouts that the decrease in the potential points he had previously gained wasn't due to continuous battles but rather the lack of intensity in the fights.
In simpler terms, he hadn't truly harmed his opponent.
Even so, Jiang Heng didn't plan to use deadly force again. After all, there was no enmity between them, and Bu Hanyi could even be considered a friend, continuously providing him with potential points.
They finished their training sessions, and after training, they would fight again, eventually reaching a point where they would go hunting and have a barbecue, seemingly forgetting that they were in the midst of a trial.
The next day, which was the third day of the trial.
At noon, the scorching sun shone brightly.
After their regular duel, Jiang Heng went alone into the mountains to hunt the fierce beasts needed for their barbecue.
The forest by the riverbank was relatively less dense, and the lighting was brighter.
Jiang Heng leaped onto a tree branch and scanned the forest for his prey.
Suddenly, his gaze sharpened as it fell upon a certain direction.
There, a middle-aged man clad in a blue martial arts short robe stood beside the corpse of a Dalu Sect disciple.
All Dalu Sect disciples entering the trial area wore green sect uniforms. So, this middle-aged man in the blue short robe...
Was an outsider intruding!
Just at that moment,
The middle-aged man, who had originally had his face turned aside, suddenly turned his head, gazing in Jiang Heng's direction.
It was an extremely menacing and horrifying countenance.
There were long scars on his forehead and chin, resembling menacing centipedes, giving him a sinister and terrifying appearance.
The middle-aged man made a move, charging directly toward Jiang Heng.
His gaze was cold.
"Wants to silence me?"
Jiang Heng frowned, watching the rapidly approaching figure and muttering to himself.
Their distance wasn't too great, so Jiang Heng had no intention of evading.
If the opponent's strength was overwhelming, there would be no escaping.
If the opponent's strength was average, there was no need to hide.
"Well, I've never killed anyone before!"
"I wonder if killing and defeating yield the same potential points?"
Jiang Heng's lips curled up in a slightly cocky smile.
The figure hurtling towards him was none other than Su Li, who had observed for a day.
To make everything seem somewhat reasonable, he deliberately captured a nearby disciple, killed him, and then intentionally exposed himself to Jiang Heng.
In truth, this plan wasn't exceptionally sophisticated, but all he needed was a reasonably plausible excuse.
Without preconceived notions, no one would think too deeply about whether there was more to the situation.
Su Li watched Jiang Heng's eerie smile and couldn't help but grin.
"These sect disciples truly know nothing! So self-assured that, when faced with an attack, they actually wait in place to die!"
His figure suddenly leaped into the air.
Like a meteor streaking across the sky, carrying astonishing momentum, he descended from above with tremendous force.
True Qi circulated on his long knife.
"True Qi Realm?"
Jiang Heng's expression grew more serious.
"Indeed, if he wasn't at the True Qi Realm, he wouldn't dare to attack an outer disciple of the Dalu Sect recklessly."
"So, this is a true example of a cross-tier battle!"
With this thought, a strong sense of excitement welled up within him.
So far, all the battles he'd experienced had been one-sided victories, lacking any challenge.
After all, his martial arts and techniques were far superior to others.
Against those of the same realm, he couldn't find a worthy opponent.
Now, facing someone with obvious hostility, who was a full tier higher, it was sure to bring him an unprecedented and thrilling battle!
Jiang Heng's entire body began to boil with excitement.
"However, even if I seek excitement, I must ensure safety first."
"Add points! Upgrade the 'Golden Statue Art'!"
"Ding! Consuming 200,000 potential points, 'Golden Statue Art' upgraded to the third level!"
Throughout this entire day, Jiang Heng and Bu Hanyi engaged in dozens of duels, accumulating a total of 270,000 potential points.
Additionally, he gained another 60,000 potential points from consuming Qi and Blood Pills for cultivation in the middle.
This brought Jiang Heng's current potential points to an unprecedented 350,000!
Upgrading the "Golden Statue Art" was well within reach!
As potential points were expended, a large surge of heat flowed into Jiang Heng's body, deeply merging with every inch of his flesh and blood.
"Ha!"
Jiang Heng's body trembled.
Ignoring the still incomplete fusion of the surging heat, he directly agitated his entire blood circulation, enveloping himself in an almost blood-red aura.
With a powerful push of his foot, the tree trunk beneath him snapped and fell.
His body shot out, actively meeting the oncoming attack.
Both of them resembled falling meteors, rapidly breaking through the air!
Seemingly slow, but in reality, it was only an instant, and they collided violently.
"Boom!"
An invisible shockwave suddenly spread, causing countless branches and leaves to snap and scatter.
At the center of the shockwave,
Jiang Heng clenched his right fist, while Su Li held two knives.
The blade and the fist met head-on.
"It hurts so much!"
Although he said this, a wicked grin appeared on Jiang Heng's face.
Su Li's expression, on the other hand, changed dramatically.
"How is this possible?"
"What kind of physique is this?"
"Just a Body Refining Realm martial artist, yet I can't break through his defense?!"
His heart was filled with astonishment, and he could hardly believe everything he was facing.
This scene completely exceeded his years of understanding.