"Ten meters... forty meters..." "Thirty meters,"

The distance was rapidly closing. Yan Donglai was just about to slip down stealthily, but when his eyes caught the large man's slightly cyan eyes, his heart gave a sudden jolt, and a name sprang to mind: Tai Hong! It was rumored that this fellow already possessed the cultivation of the Eighth Stage of Spirit Fusion, ranking among the top disciples of the Outer City. If the one pursuing Nie Kong was indeed Tai Hong, then an ambush might not only fail but could trap him instead—a far greater loss!

Yan Donglai hesitated, but the ball of white light flashing on both their chests continued to echo in his mind. Sixty or seventy maps—the bounty was simply too great, too immense to resist.

"Damn it, I'll risk it!"

Swearing under his breath, Yan Donglai reached into his robes and delicately pulled out two pills, one black and one white. These were gifts from his uncle, who had a penchant for researching poisons, specially delivered to Lingyu City after learning Yan Donglai was entering the Six Halls Grand Competition. The white one was an antidote, the black one a stupefying drug, both Grade Three substances.

He hadn't used them during the Grand Competition. Today, he intended to save them for escape in case of danger, but now it seemed they had to be deployed early. Yan Donglai hoped that after this tangle, he wouldn't run into any other masters among the Outer City disciples! Composing himself, Yan Donglai swallowed the white pill and held the black one between his fingers.

"Now is the time!"

Just as Yan Donglai was about to crush the black pill, the situation below suddenly shifted.

Nie Kong, who had been fleeing in extreme disarray, suddenly spun around and charged toward Tai Hong, roaring as he threw a punch: "Tai Hong, do you really think I'm afraid of you!"

"Hahaha."

Hearing this, Tai Hong let out a loud laugh, not hesitating to slap out his right palm. Dense yellow spiritual power burst forth from his hand like an overwhelming tide, colliding squarely with Nie Kong's fist. In the very instant their skin nearly touched, a burst of vivid emerald green light scattered from the surface of Nie Kong's fist.

"Bang!"

The void quivered slightly, the force dissipating everywhere. Nie Kong’s body was thrown upward and, in an instant, slammed heavily down beneath the very tree where Yan Donglai was concealed.

Glancing down, Yan Donglai saw Nie Kong’s face was even paler, with fine lines of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He struggled to push himself up using his arms braced on the ground, but to no avail.

Tai Hong, however, had a flushed face, and his right hand, hanging limply by his side, was trembling slightly. Clearly, that blow from Nie Kong had taken its toll on him too. After standing still blankly for a moment, the flush on Tai Hong’s face gradually subsided. He gasped heavily a few times before striding over to Nie Kong.

Meeting Nie Kong’s angry gaze, Tai Hong laughed heartily and reached out to grab Nie Kong’s chest: "Nie Kong, why put yourself through all this? If you had handed over the maps earlier, none of this would have happened. Maybe if I was in a good mood, I would have left you a couple to continue the competition. But now? I won't leave you a single one, hahaha." "Ah... my head is so dizzy, you used a stupefying drug!"

Tai Hong swayed unsteadily, as if intoxicated.

In the tree, Yan Donglai gasped in shock! He sniffed, and indeed, there was a fragrance. Had he been affected too? He checked himself and found nothing amiss. It seemed the antidote he had taken not only neutralized that particular stupefying drug but could completely counteract any other such poisons.

Yan Donglai let out a silent breath, immensely relieved.

"Idiot!"

Nie Kong chuckled slyly, opening his palm to reveal a pile of crushed powder. "If I didn't use a stupefying drug, how do you think I got these fifty-plus maps? By fighting and snatching them one by one? Alas, this was the last stupefying drug I had. I never expected to use it on you."

Tai Hong roared furiously, "You... do you not realize there are many people following behind? Even if you took me down, could you escape?"

"Before, I was wary of them, which is why I didn't dare use this last stupefying drug. But now? Since you've pinned me down and won't let go, what difference does it make if they get the maps instead of you? Hmph, if I can’t pass this competition, you won't succeed either!" Nie Kong said with a smug smile.

"You bastard!"

Tai Hong cursed loudly, his body swaying even more violently. As the last of his words faded, he could no longer stay upright and collapsed onto the ground with a heavy thud.

Seeing this, Nie Kong became even more triumphant, muttering in a low voice, "An idiot is truly an idiot. Did you forget I’m an Alchemist? Did you think I really only had one last stupefying drug left? I was saying that for them. As soon as they dare to show up, I’ll take them all down together. I used a new drug I developed myself. Tsk tsk, maybe my map count will exceed one hundred by then!"

As he spoke, Nie Kong stealthily produced a pill from an angle invisible to some and tossed it into his mouth—presumably to recover spiritual energy.

"Insidious!"

Nie Kong’s self-mutterings and actions were completely unheard and unseen by the lurking figures following them, but the Yan Donglai in the tree heard every word and saw everything clearly. He was inwardly startled. This fellow Nie Kong was truly cunning and treacherous; even in this state, he was plotting against others! But you can only plot against them, hehe. Your so-called 'new drug' will still be nullified by my uncle's antidote!

But just then, the unconscious Tai Hong suddenly sprang back up.

"Bang!"

Tai Hong slammed a lightning-fast punch into Nie Kong's chest. Nie Kong was caught completely off guard; he didn't even manage a grunt before his head lolled, and he passed out instantly.

"Heh, heh... how could I not give you one more punch," Tai Hong muttered, his eyes rolling back, before dropping to the ground with a thump, completely still.

"Hiss!"

Yan Donglai sucked in a sharp breath. The sudden turn of events left him covered in a cold sweat. He hadn't expected Tai Hong to be so formidable, delivering that punch to Nie Kong even while poisoned. Nie Kong was truly miserable, ultimately falling to Tai Hong’s hands.

This is fine, a mutual defeat is the best opportunity for me!

Yan Donglai was just about to descend at top speed to snatch the spirit-patterned maps and flee, but a glance into the distance made him instantly change his mind.

Across the clearing, eight figures were drifting and flickering in a fan formation, approaching rapidly. Though both Nie Kong and Tai Hong lay motionless, their movements remained exceedingly cautious, wary of ambushes from each other. They had been trailing Nie Kong and Tai Hong for quite some time and were already aware of each other’s presence.

In moments, their shapes became distinct. When they reached about ten meters from Nie Kong and Tai Hong, the eight figures simultaneously slowed their pace, advancing tentatively. They were keenly aware that if anyone dared to make a move first now, they would surely face an onslaught from the others.

Suddenly, one person spoke up: "Gentlemen, Nie Kong and Tai Hong likely have sixty or seventy maps combined. Instead of fighting over them, why don't we divide them equally? What do you say?"

"Excellent, I agree!"

"Me too!"

"If anyone is carrying a stupefying drug, it’s best your hands stay away from your robes right now, lest you cause a misunderstanding!"

"I carry the Clarity Spirit Pill. It can neutralize all known stupefying drugs on the Tianling Continent, unless someone is using a newly developed one, so don't waste your effort!"

"Correct, I have one too!"

The eight reached a preliminary consensus quickly, but none of them let down their guard. After all, sixty or seventy maps represented too large a prize. If a chance arose to take it all, who would willingly share? Divided eight ways, each would get less than ten maps—a vast difference compared to the combined seventy.

"None of you dare use stupefying drugs, so I’ll take advantage. And mine happens to be a new one, better than your Clarity Spirit Pill? Heh heh," Yan Donglai inwardly sneered. These eight looked quite strong; they must have seized many maps. Even if he only took down half, his own map count would easily exceed one hundred.

Mulling this over, Yan Donglai unhesitatingly crushed the black pill in his hand. A faint, almost imperceptible fragrance immediately drifted out from the tree canopy.

"Who is using a stupefying drug!"

"A drug!"

"I smell medicine! A scent of medicine!"

In moments, angry shouts erupted. Some reached toward their robes, some lunged toward Nie Kong, and yet others retreated rapidly. However, the moment they moved, sounds of heavy objects falling—thud, thud—resounded one after another. In the blink of an eye, all eight lay motionless on the ground.

Yan Donglai’s expression became dazed. Impossible, right? Did my uncle’s stupefying drug have such miraculous effects? The messenger didn't mention it either!

Once cultivation reached the Spirit Transformation stage or above, stupefying drugs generally ceased to have any effect on Spirit Masters. Consequently, very few Alchemists bothered researching them. On the Tianling Continent, only a handful of Grade Three stupefying drugs were known, and the widely circulated Clarity Spirit Pill could counteract them all.

Therefore, in competitions like this, few people would think to use such drugs, as developing a new substance that could defeat the Clarity Spirit Pill was incredibly difficult. Alchemists in Lingyu City rarely dedicated such effort, and even fewer carried the Clarity Spirit Pill with them at all times. Furthermore, supplementary rounds for the Six Halls Grand Competition were rare. If drugs were uncommon in the main event, poisons were more frequent. In a supplementary round like this, drugs were even rarer. Crucially, before confirming the nature of the supplementary challenge, it was impossible for everyone to think to carry a Clarity Spirit Pill.

This was evident from the reactions of the eight just now: three who reached for their robes must have been carrying the Clarity Spirit Pill. Only one charged toward Nie Kong, certainly having consumed the Clarity Spirit Pill before revealing himself. The remaining five who tried to flee generally carried no spiritual medicine for clearing the mind.

"This is unbelievable; it took down even those who had taken the Clarity Spirit Pill!" Yan Donglai muttered, unable to help but break into ecstatic joy. He slipped down from the tree in a flurry.

Most stupefying drugs required spiritual power to activate the scent, just as he had done—he poured a thread of spiritual energy into the pill when he crushed it. Since this method relied on spiritual channeling, Spirit Masters who possessed spiritual power would naturally have a degree of resistance, making it difficult for the drug to take immediate effect. The most common result would be dizziness and disorientation for a period before falling unconscious. This type was the most prevalent among Grade Three stupefying drugs.

There was another type: inhaling the scent would not cause immediate distress but would erupt suddenly after a period, catching the victim completely off guard. The drug Nie Kong used on Tai Hong seemed to be of this category.

Wait. If Nie Kong’s drug was of that type, why did I smell a fragrance earlier? Looking at the white light flashing on Nie Kong's chest, Yan Donglai’s excitement was suddenly replaced by a sense of foreboding.

"Yes, that's the scent."

He sniffed near Nie Kong’s chest and instantly snapped awake. He cursed: "I've fallen into a trap! This isn't a drug scent at all, it's 'Crimson Heart Fruit'!"

Before the words were fully out, Yan Donglai collapsed onto the ground.

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