Boom!
A mixture of red and white sprayed out instantly, leaving another young man covered in filth.
"So fast!" The woman in red couldn't help but narrow her pupils.
She excelled in speed herself, so she naturally understood how troublesome an opponent with extreme speed could be. Although the opponent might not necessarily be stronger than her, the performance from just a moment ago was enough to prove that this was definitely a formidable opponent!
Jiang Heng's two senior martial brothers were shocked by Jiang Heng's sudden ruthless attack. They had never imagined that their seemingly kind junior martial brother could be so merciless and wild!
The young man, whose body was stained with blood, was even more stunned by this sudden strike. The sensation of imminent death at such close proximity made his mind blank for a moment.
When he snapped back to reality, Jiang Heng struck again without mercy!
The headless corpse fell heavily to the ground.
Jiang Heng turned to look in the direction of the woman in red and said calmly, "Your turn."
In the bushes, the woman in red laughed uncontrollably, her laughter echoing in the surroundings like silver bells.
"Kid! You're quite interesting!"
"I like handsome young men like you the most. I really want to cut off your head and keep it as a souvenir!"
Jiang Heng continued to look in her direction, indifferent. "You spoke 32 words, of which only two words I don't dislike. It's clear that you are a very annoying person."
The laughter in the bushes abruptly ceased.
The woman in red was about to speak, but Jiang Heng had run out of patience. He moved, actively shooting towards the direction of the bushes.
Seeing this, the woman in red truly smiled.
"Youth with a sense of humor!"
She proactively met his approach, once again transforming into a red shadow, flying through the air.
The speed of both was almost at its peak. Under this relative confrontation, they engaged in their first clash in an instant.
The woman in red's dagger collided with Jiang Heng's right fist.
Invisible shockwaves spread wildly!
The woman in red's expression changed slightly.
Under the terrifying force, her figure staggered back two steps.
However, her reaction was extremely fast. In the next moment, she manipulated her body technique, gliding to the side, narrowly evading Jiang Heng's follow-up attack.
"Her explosive power slightly exceeds mine!"
A hint of seriousness flashed in the woman in red's mind, but she didn't lose heart. She decided to rely on her best skill, her body technique, to slowly wear down her opponent.
She turned into a red shadow, swirling around Jiang Heng.
"Not bad body technique!"
Jiang Heng commented with a smirk. Then his figure flickered and disappeared.
When he reappeared, he was not far from the woman in red and rapidly closing in.
"What?!"
Shock flooded the woman in red's heart. She immediately changed direction, fleeing into the distance.
"My explosive power is inferior to hers, and her body technique is also slightly better than mine. Where did this youth come from? He unexpectedly possesses such terrifying strength!"
Jiang Heng moved, intending to continue pursuing. However, he suddenly remembered that he still had two senior martial brothers waiting for him. He decisively halted his pursuit.
With the woman in red being slightly slower than him in terms of body technique, catching up with her would require a considerable effort. Jiang Heng deemed it too troublesome.
"Help me gather the spoils, and once we're done, we'll continue our journey!" Jiang Heng casually said as he returned to his two senior martial brothers.
At this point, after witnessing Jiang Heng's battle, Li Chen and Lin Feibai were completely convinced, and they obeyed his words without question.
The three of them collected all the distress signals and continued their journey.
Days passed by.
The situation inside the Lotus Mountain Range became clearer. Disciples from various sects had mostly found their fellow disciples, forming teams of three to hunt down other teams or individuals. Occasionally encountering fellow sect members, they exchanged information about the enemies they had encountered.
In this situation, people had gathered quite a bit of information about the top experts who far surpassed ordinary participants.
1. Iron Fist Invincible - Jiang Heng, 16 years old, recently promoted true disciple of Dalu Sect, innate realm cultivation, former Dragon List prodigy. He crushed several teams, repelled Ghostly Red Shadow Zuo Yueru, and killed Shen Feixiang, another contender for the championship.
Note: When encountering him, promptly surrender your distress signal and use the distress call; you will be spared. Remember this!
2. Ghostly Red Shadow - Zuo Yueru, 29 years old, Spirit Sea Realm tenth stage, proficient in three heavenly-level martial arts, suspected perfection in body technique. She killed multiple teams, escaped unharmed from Jiang Heng, and fought evenly with White-Haired Killer God Murong Yuhao.
3. White-Haired Killer God - Murong Yuhao, 31 years old, Spirit Sea Realm tenth stage, proficient in three heavenly-level martial arts, possibly reaching grandmaster level in both blade technique and body technique. He killed multiple teams, fought evenly with Ghostly Red Shadow Zuo Yueru, but had slightly fewer kills.
When Jiang Heng, who was ranked first, was discussed among some people, many refused to believe such a fantastical tale.
However, as one team after another encountered Jiang Heng and their team members were ruthlessly killed, more and more people followed the note's instructions, voluntarily surrendering their distress signals and using the distress call. They were spared their lives, and Jiang Heng's reputation spread wider.
He eventually became the universally acknowledged strongest of this generation!
Countless people reached an unspoken agreement: they could compete in battles individually, but once they encountered Jiang Heng's team, they would immediately cease hostilities and flee.
One day, Jiang Heng walked leisurely in a valley with his four senior martial brothers.
"Sigh! Haven't encountered any enemies for two days," Jiang Heng sighed lightly.
His junior martial brother, Tu Hao, chuckled. "Junior Brother Jiang, now everyone knows to avoid you. When they see you approaching, they immediately run away. Plus, there are fewer and fewer people, so hunting has become more difficult."
Tu Hao was the first true disciple who had actively approached him in the sect. They had started working together only a week ago.
Initially, when he first heard Jiang Heng's name from others, Tu Hao felt it was somewhat surreal. A few months ago during their first meeting, he only considered Jiang Heng a naive junior martial brother. But in the blink of an eye, a few months had passed, and he had become someone Tu Hao looked up to.
"Junior Brother Jiang, if you want to continue hunting, should we hide ourselves a bit?" Tu Hao tentatively suggested.
Jiang Heng waved his hand and said, "No need. Since we can't find any prey, I suppose my spoils are enough by now."
He turned and asked, "In past years, what was the highest individual score in the first round?"
Another young man answered, "Generally, the highest score in the first round is around two hundred."
"This year, the number of participants is similar to previous years. Besides Junior Brother Jiang, there doesn't seem to be much difference in the level of the other top experts."
"So, the highest score this year is estimated to be around two hundred."
However, Tu Hao shook his head and said, "I think this year, with Junior Brother Jiang's presence, the other top experts will definitely feel immense pressure. They will surely hunt more aggressively. Hence, this year's scores will be higher."