"Sect Leader Red, do you have time to chat?"
Feng Zhenghao invited decisively.
Lin Jiu shook his head and declined, "Forget it. I, Red, prefer to communicate with my peers. Talking with you big shots is too stressful!"
Winning one more round would complete Main Mission 1. So far, besides Lin Jiu, three other contractors have made it to the top 18.
One was the contractor playing the divine machine, another was a tank-type melee fighter who wore down their opponent to advance to the next round, and the last was a female contractor specializing in archery.
In terms of strength, the magic-based summoner was stronger than these three, but he was unlucky to face Wang Ye. From the start, he forced Wang Ye to abandon Taichi and resort to using spells, which speaks volumes about his power.
It's clear that advancing to the third round also relies on luck. However, for someone like Lin Jiu, it doesn't matter. Fighting one-on-one, tearing through enemies—this is exactly the realm in which these hunters excel!
Though the current round isn't over yet, and it's uncertain whether any other contractees will stand out, Lin Jiu went to observe the battle between Zhuge Qing and the young Fire God.
The rankings and progression of participants have shifted quite a bit. Tie Malu, who originally wanted revenge against Wudang, didn't meet Wang Ye, and Wang Bing, who made it to the semi-finals, was crushed by him.
As for the upcoming battles, who knows? Lin Jiu might even end up facing Zhuge Qing. Whenever he gets the chance, Lin Jiu observes the battles of the remaining participants.
It's not about fearing failure, but about observing techniques to broaden his knowledge and accumulate experience. Lin Jiu's goal is to stay ahead, and the key to that is maintaining a sense of awe and continually learning.
...
"What business do the two seniors have with me?"
Zhang Chulan asked the two elderly men standing before him.
Lu Ci bluntly replied, "Hand over the Qi-State Origin-Flow Art, and you can name any conditions."
"Ah, you two elders, it's not that I won't hand it over—I genuinely don't know it. Quanxing came looking for me before, and they got nothing either!"
Zhang Chulan inwardly felt things were going wrong but outwardly scratched his head and smiled wryly.
"Zhang Chulan, a man without guilt can still be guilty if he possesses something valuable! If you hand over the Qi-State Origin-Flow Art, no one will trouble you anymore," Lu Ci said, leaning back in his chair and staring at Zhang Chulan.
"But I don't have anything to hand over!"
Zhang Chulan spread his hands in exasperation.
"We're not unreasonable. We'll naturally confirm it!"
Lu Ci raised his hand.
A figure appeared behind Zhang Chulan, following orders. His hands glowed blue as they reached toward Zhang Chulan.
Having sparred with Feng Baobao during training, Zhang Chulan easily dodged this level of sneak attack. This feeling was all too familiar to him. "Lu Liang's technique!"
"Oh, so you know Lu Liang. This is a hereditary technique unique to the Lu family—Soul Seizing."
Lu Ci explained calmly.
Knowing the effects of Lu Liang's technique on the soul, Zhang Chulan naturally wanted to avoid it, so he smiled at Lu Ci and said, "Old Master Lu, I'm good friends with Leader Red. Can we just let this go out of respect for him?"
Lu Ci: "..."
The sharp-witted Zhang Chulan noticed something was off about Lu Ci's expression as if his relationship with Lin Jiu wasn't as simple as he had heard. Even Lu Gong's face paled, and the glow of the Soul Seizing technique in his hands vanished.
Wang Ai also noticed the odd reaction Lu Ci had to that name. He remembered that Red was the contestant who had crippled his beloved grandson, but he said nothing more. Even in their circles, Lu Ci's nickname as the Mad Dog was well known. No one, not even him, wanted to provoke Lu Ci unnecessarily.
The atmosphere froze for a moment before Lu Ci spoke, "That little madman knows quite a few of the Eight Mysterious Skills inheritors! You may leave."
"Is that it?"
Wang Ai couldn't sit still after hearing this.
"I'll give you some advice: even if your grandson dies, don't provoke that guy."
After saying this, Lu Ci fell silent. He wasn't letting Zhang Chulan go because he claimed to be Lin Jiu's friend, but because he knew Lin Jiu was waiting for the Wang family to give him an excuse to visit them.
Even if Zhang Chulan was only an acquaintance of Lin Jiu, who knew if Lin Jiu might use it as an excuse to visit the Lu family too?
"..."
Wang Ai was speechless. His face gave away nothing, but his mind was in turmoil. For someone like Lu Ci, known as the Mad Dog, to call someone else a madman, Wang Ai couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of monster Lin Jiu must be.
"..."
Zhang Chulan, meanwhile, was stunned. It was over just like that. Before he could fully process it, Feng Baobao barged in, snapping him back to reality as he hurriedly pulled her out. On the way, they ran into Xu San and Xu Si, who had come to rescue him, and Zhang Chulan briefly recounted what had just happened.
"I've always known that this sect leader wasn't simple!"
Xu Si, after hearing the story, was deeply shaken. These were old veterans. Not to mention that he had only recently been promoted, even Feng Zhenghao, the president of the Ten Elders' Union, was just a kid in their eyes. Yet now, they had let someone go simply because of a name!
"If I had known that Leader Red had such influence, I would've... Is it too late to join the Reincarnation Sect now?"
Zhang Chulan was finally beginning to understand what it meant to have true clout.
...
Inside the building.
"Old Lu, aren't you going to tell me more about this Sect Leader Red?"
Wang Ai asked in dissatisfaction.
"If you're unhappy and want to make a move, my Lu family will oblige. That warning was already your compensation."
With that, Lu Ci left. He had planned to sit back and watch the tiger fight, but his unilateral decision to let Zhang Chulan go without consulting Wang Ai prompted him to give this reminder.
...
"Leader Red, you're here too!"
After being saved by Xu San and Xu Si, Zhang Chulan was dragged along to watch a fight. Upon spotting Lin Jiu in the audience, they approached him.
"Yeah, the sorcerers' battle is pretty interesting!"
Lin Jiu nodded in approval.
On the surface, the techniques unleashed through mystical arts made them look like mages. But to Su Xiao, the Shadow Law Destroyer, encountering such sorcerers was no different from facing another contractor. Their essence was entirely different from that of mages.
Lin Jiu wasn't particularly sensitive to natural elements, so he couldn't observe the flow of elements directly like Su Xiao could during meditation. However, he understood the principle. Mages absorb and imprison natural elements within their bodies to cast powerful spells, which disrupt the natural balance.
But sorcerers like Zhuge Qing, who resemble mages, use the Eight Trigrams to release their internal Qi through various techniques.
Often, sorcerers are considered a branch of magic-based professions, but that's not the case here.
"Pretty... interesting..."
Zhang Chulan muttered, his lips twitching as he watched the clash of spells and fire on the battlefield. To this sect leader, this scene was merely "interesting"? So, this is what it means to be a true big shot!
"Chulan, did you notice anything from the fight?"
Xu Si asked from the side. Xu San was already off investigating more details about Lin Jiu, especially his recent connections to the Lu family.
"Zhuge Qing's attacks haven't changed much, but he's been steadily uniquely weakening Xiao Huoshen..."
Zhang Chulan's talent wasn't just a boast. His ability to analyze was as strong as his shamelessness, and he quickly noticed the subtle shift in offensive strategies.