“……” “Tsk, thirteen maps! If I could snatch them all, that would truly be striking gold!” “Look at Nie Kong’s appearance; he looks badly injured. We should follow him closely; maybe we can pick up something.” “Nie Kong fought that brute from the Shanhun Hall—why didn't he use knockout drugs on him? Did he run out of that stuff at the city gate?” “……”

Nie Kong and Tai Hong fled, one pursued the other, having run perhaps forty or fifty meters, when seven or eight figures flashed out from the woods behind them, quietly trailing in their wake. Despite their deep apprehension of Nie Kong, the sheer magnitude of possessing all thirteen maps made it impossible for them to remain unmoved. What’s more, now that Nie Kong had been wounded by that disciple from Shanhun Hall, if they could seize those maps opportunistically, victory in this supplementary trial would almost be assured. Wouldn’t that be far superior to risking their lives, fighting tooth and nail for every single spirit-pattern map held by others?

“Nie Kong, stop running!” “Stop running? So you can snatch the maps? Do you take me for a fool?” “I only need seven of your maps! I’ll leave you six; that’s more than generous. What more do you want? If someone else had beaten you, all thirteen maps would be gone!” “Forget seven—not even one!” “……”

Nie Kong and Tai Hong shouted their exchange, creating a significant ruckus in the forest, drawing the attention of the Lingyu City disciples already engaged in snatching maps from one another. Upon hearing that Nie Kong possessed thirteen maps, the eyes of those disciples practically glowed green. They had worked themselves ragged just to secure two maps, yet this fellow hadn’t even been at it half a day and had already amassed thirteen—it was truly unfair! If not him, then who should they target? Moreover, the fellow looked like his arm had been injured by the pursuer behind him—it was the perfect time to strike!

Along the way, more and more Lingyu City disciples, unable to suppress the intense craving for maps burning in their chests, quietly joined the growing entourage tailing them. After running for nearly six or seven li, Nie Kong’s pace slowed consistently. The Lingyu City disciples following, both openly and covertly, had now reached nearly thirty!

“Ah!”

With a soft cry, Nie Kong’s right foot snagged on a jutting root protruding from the ground, causing him to pitch forward. After rolling several times, Nie Kong struggled back to his feet, only to find Tai Hong’s massive frame blocking his path. Tai Hong, too, appeared slightly winded.

Tai Hong grinned widely, “Nie Kong, not running anymore?”

“Not running!”

Nie Kong rolled his eyes. “I give up, alright? Fighting you once and being chased this long has drained almost all my spiritual power. What’s the point of running now?”

As he spoke, Nie Kong pulled out a thick stack of spirit-pattern maps from his robes. The soft, shimmering white light stimulated the faces of the trailing Lingyu City disciples, causing their cheeks to flush and their breathing to quicken noticeably. Their stealthy approach suddenly accelerated; they yearned to possess those maps immediately.

“Here’s yours!”

Nie Kong slowly counted out seven maps, a pang of regret hitting him. However, Tai Hong did not reach out to take them. Instead, he laughed heartily, “Haha, Nie Kong, I was just joking with you. Back in that illusionary space trial, one of my brothers was severely humiliated by an inner-city disciple, and you were the one who drove that fellow out later. Based on that alone, I cannot take your maps! Truthfully, I just wanted to spar with you. You cultivate right now; once your spiritual power recovers, I will leave!”

Hearing Tai Hong’s words, Nie Kong felt a degree of surprise. This fellow was rather interesting; he refused maps that were practically within his grasp and even intended to wait for Nie Kong’s power to return. Nie Kong’s eyes flashed slightly. He decided not to feign modesty and smiled, “Very well, I won’t be polite then!”

Just as Nie Kong was about to tuck the spirit-pattern maps back into his robes, a hand suddenly lunged from the side, “You’ve already brought them out, why put them away? If he doesn’t want them, they’re all mine!”

The speed of that hand was shockingly fast; the fingers had already clamped onto a corner of the spirit-pattern map almost the instant the voice sounded.

“If you want to snatch maps, you have to ask me first if I agree!”

Tai Hong roared with fury, his eyes wide open. His hand, large as a cattail fan, swung out. However, he wasn't aiming at the hand, but at the hand's owner—a short, skinny disciple from the Qingfeng Hall. This person’s method of concealment was incredibly effective; he was so close that Tai Hong hadn't detected him until that moment.

“Mind your own business!”

The Qingfeng Hall disciple pulled with force but failed to wrench the spirit-pattern maps from Nie Kong’s grip. Seeing Tai Hong’s palm already swinging toward him, he had no choice but to release the maps. He rotated his arms, and with a bizarre motion, they wrapped around Tai Hong’s arm like vines.

“Boom!”

A violent explosion of spiritual power erupted as the two clashed.

“Snatch the maps!”

Someone shouted loudly from the periphery. Figures suddenly burst from behind trees, grass, and bushes, pushing their speed to the absolute limit as they rushed toward Nie Kong. They had been wary of the fellow named Tai Hong earlier, but now that he was occupied, Nie Kong’s arm was injured, and his spiritual power was almost depleted—if they didn’t seize such a perfect opportunity, they deserved divine retribution!

“Whoosh!” “Whoosh!” “…”

Sounds of breaking air echoed from all directions. The figures of the Lingyu City disciples streaked like lightning, as if each had transformed into a lustful ghost spotting a peerless beauty—they scrambled over one another like wolves and tigers. At this moment, the fast got theirs, the slow got nothing. Who would bother with courtesy now? Thirteen maps meant thirteen points! If they could secure them all and escape safely, they could use the maps to head straight for the inner city. Even securing just a portion would be a windfall from heaven.

“Be careful!”

Tai Hong saw the scene, his eyes blazing with anger. Spiritual power surged from his palms like rolling waves, forcing the skinny Qingfeng Hall disciple back before he shot toward Nie Kong. Tai Hong was anxious, but the Qingfeng Hall disciple was even more desperate; his form was like a phantom, instantly overtaking Tai Hong to reach Nie Kong’s front.

In the blink of an eye, five hands simultaneously clawed toward the spirit-pattern maps held tightly in Nie Kong’s right palm.

“Thump!” “Thump!” “…”

Before they could even touch their target, one person had already stumbled and fallen. With the first one down, the second and third followed... In a mere few seconds, all dozen-plus Lingyu City disciples rushing toward Nie Kong lost all motion. Even Tai Hong swayed as if intoxicated, his legs wobbly.

“So sleepy!”

Tai Hong yawned, his eyes rolled back, and he finally collapsed. Glancing around, Nie Kong stood up with a faint smile. After performing for so long, and exhausting himself to the point of near death, it was finally time for the harvest. At this moment, in a strange tableau spanning several zhang around Nie Kong: The Lingyu City disciples remained frozen in the posture of reaching forward to grab, forming an irregular circle. Some were prone on the ground, some were dangling from low branches, some were kneeling, and a few unlucky fellows had mouthfuls of mud—the scene was quite comical.

Nie Kong walked over to the Qingfeng Hall disciple who had appeared first. Feeling around in his robes, Nie Kong’s heart lifted—this fellow actually had three spirit-pattern maps. Observing his exchange with Tai Hong, his cultivation likely wasn’t high, but his speed was astonishing. To acquire three maps so quickly suggested he was also skilled at sneak attacks and backstabbing. Nie Kong unceremoniously claimed the three maps as his own, then turned his attention to the other Lingyu City disciples...

...

At the edge of a clump of grass, a Lingyu City disciple lay quietly prone on the ground. Suddenly, the grass parted slightly, and a hand cautiously poked out, maneuvering beneath the disciple to secretly rummage for a moment before finally pulling a spirit-pattern map from underneath. Whoosh! The map was pulled clear of the ground, but before it could be drawn into the grass, the hand went limp. Immediately after, a body braced itself on the ground and rose from the grass—it was a Huoyun Hall disciple with gaunt cheeks. He was being lifted by the collar of his clothes on his back. The person holding him was none other than Nie Kong, who had appeared behind him at some unknown moment!

Nie Kong reached into the Huoyun Hall disciple’s robes and pulled out a spirit-pattern map. Then, he retrieved the map the disciple had been clutching. Nie Kong swept his gaze over the surroundings, chuckled, and boomed, “Trying to snatch food from this old man’s mouth? This is the consequence. Take a good look!” Tossing the unfortunate fellow aside, Nie Kong resumed his work...

...

Dozens of meters away, the Lingyu City disciples who had hesitated and not rushed forward immediately found their expressions turning grim. Their initial hesitation almost caused them debilitating regret, yet seeing all those who rushed out collapse brought immense relief. When they witnessed a fellow disciple almost successfully steal a map, their own greed flared up again, but to their horror, that disciple ultimately failed to escape justice. Not only did the map he was about to secure return to Nie Kong’s hands, but the map representing his own qualification for the supplementary trial was gone as well. How tragic! While they pitied their fallen comrade, hearing Nie Kong’s warning words left them boiling with indignation but utterly helpless. Unless they also wished to personally experience the feeling of being knocked unconscious by drugs like their comrades on the ground. This guy truly was dangerous; he pretended to be injured and intentionally made a huge fuss about possessing thirteen maps through his exchange with Tai Hong, deliberately inciting others' greed. Once enough people were lured in, he wiped them out in one sweep!

“So ruthless! Did he treat us like spirit beasts in the illusionary space?”

Understanding Nie Kong’s insidious plan, those who narrowly escaped started sweating profusely. They suddenly realized that even this distance of a few dozen meters was unsafe. They no longer dared to linger and began to retreat quietly, fearing that any sudden movement might provoke that man into chasing them.

Nie Kong had no interest in chasing a few stragglers. The haul from that single sweep was a staggering twenty maps. He found three maps on that Qingfeng Hall disciple, two maps each on two others, and the remaining thirteen disciples each held one. Adding it all up, Nie Kong now possessed thirty-three maps, translating to thirty-six points in terms of score. Tucking the thicker stack of spirit-pattern maps into his robes, Nie Kong, with a broad smile, crouched down and drove a heavy punch into Tai Hong’s shoulder...