Qian Jin glanced around, frowned slightly, and shook his head, muttering to himself, "Was that an illusion? Something just seemed to rush past me from a distance."

"No!" The cartilage of Qian Jin's ear twitched. His eyes instantly sharpened. Under Bi Luo's nervous gaze, he slowly clenched the Zhanmadao (Horse-Slaying Saber) in his hand: "There's a fight up ahead!"

"A fight?" Bi Luo looked timidly at the dense woods, secretly wondering. The front was completely blocked by large trees, and there was no sound of battle. Why was he so certain a fight was happening?

Qian Jin cautiously held the Zhanmadao in one hand and pulled Bi Luo along with the other, crouching low as he slowly advanced toward the distant battlefield. He secretly wondered if the battle ahead was some kind of trap. Lately, he had a persistent feeling of being maliciously watched; it wouldn't be surprising if Lucas had hired assassins to stage a show up ahead.

"No matter what, I have to sneak a look first." Qian Jin moved in his unique, light-footed shuffle, quietly creeping toward the direction of the fighting.

Number One held the spyglass, staring intently at Qian Jin's movements, frowning slightly. He asked Nasi Da, who stood beside him holding a bow, arrow nocked and ready to fire, "Look at this person. His way of walking resembles a wolf, sometimes a leopard, and also like..."

"A composite beast preparing to strike." Nasi Da’s eyes seemed glued by some powerful adhesive substance. He stared fixedly at the distant Qian Jin, questioning, "Could this kid be proficient in Beast Fighting Techniques? And proficient in more than one kind? How is that possible? How old is he? Mastering even one Beast Fighting Technique is difficult enough."

Qian Jin moved like a nimble cat, leaping through the forest trees. He soon entered the tall undergrowth and was surprised to find the battle up ahead involved acquaintances! The Flame Adventurer Team!

This was? Qian Jin couldn't help but be stunned. There were no outsiders in the fighting group; it was an internal clash among the members of the Flame Adventurer Team. Xiao Changlei Ming, clad in soft armor, held two short spears forged from the fifth-grade refined iron that Fulan Lin had used Qian Jin to forge some days ago. He suddenly flicked his wrists, weaving a dazzling spear flower. The spear tip scraped past the blade of his opponent's saber, erupting in a continuous stream of sparks. The spear point directly pierced the opponent's throat, creating a gaping, spurting hole.

The only remaining member opposing the Flame Adventurer Team members was the female swordsman Qian Jin had met at the blacksmith shop that day. Her light blue hair, usually tied neatly at the nape of her neck, was now messy. Her red leather armor, which usually outlined her curvaceous figure, was now marred with numerous scratches, several clearly stained with blood. Her eyes, which seemed capable of speech, were filled with anger and confusion as she stared at the captain, Xiao Changlei Ming.

"Why? Why are you killing?" The female swordsman gripped the four-finger-wide greatsword with both hands, her whole body radiating sixth-level Dou Jin (Battle Energy). "We’ve been partners in this group for three years!"

"Three years. Yes, three years." Xiao Changlei Ming narrowed his eyes, sharp as knife blades, a hint of coldness unconsciously curling his lips. "For three years, we’ve struggled just to survive. Now that we’ve completely located this Doushi (Battle Stone) vein, why would we share it among a group when one person taking it all is much better?"

Doushi vein? Qian Jin’s heart suddenly leaped. Countless adventurers had explored the Sunset Mountain Range, and even professional mining scholars had searched here, having long confirmed that the outer regions of this vast range definitely held no Doushi vein. He never expected a small group like the Flame Adventurer Team to discover one. Qian Jin’s Adam's apple bobbed several times. No warrior in the world would not be tempted by a Doushi vein! A resource like a Doushi vein would tempt even the Qian Family, one of the three great bloodline clans of the Zhence Dynasty.

"For a mineral vein?" The female swordsman's light blue eyes flickered with disappointment and rage. "For a vein, you kill the person who saved your life three times?"

Xiao Changlei Ming shrugged nonchalantly. The secrets and plans hidden in his heart for so long were about to come to fruition, and he still wanted to confide in someone. After today, this secret would rot in his gut forever. To carry it his whole life without anyone ever knowing might be even more unbearable.

"Yes, I killed your brother. For a mineral vein, I indeed killed the person who saved my life three times—that is, your brother." Xiao Changlei Ming slowly paced forward, a vicious aura of resentment rising on his face. "I wasn't born into a bloodline family, a bloodline warrior possessing inherent bloodline power! I am just the child of common farmers. I swore to myself! I must become someone above others! In a few more months, I will reach the legally mandated conscription age for the army and be sent to the Human-Demon Battlefield!"

The Human-Demon Battlefield! Qian Jin frowned slightly, instantly understanding Xiao Changlei Ming's motive.

The Human-Demon Battlefield was a place of dreams and glory for countless warriors! It was simultaneously the nightmare location for just as many. No one knew when the currently quiet battlefield might erupt into war again; even Demon-Subduing Warriors couldn't guarantee their survival there. It was the mass grave for countless Demon Clan Mowushi (Demon Warriors) and human fighters.

"I don't want to die! I still have so much life ahead of me, I still want to live a life with beauties embracing me on both sides!" Xiao Changlei Ming shook his head excitedly. "But on the Human-Demon Battlefield, no one can say they will surely survive, especially a warrior like me, at the seventh level of Dou Jin! I want to live! I need power! For this, I even avoided the Spirit Dou Array in the Warrior Academy! I don't want to stand on the periphery, absorbing that pathetic trickle of Dou Neng (Battle Energy). I want to establish my own Spirit Dou Array, absorb all the Dou Neng, and become a Demon-Subduing Warrior in one leap! As long as I can become a Demon-Subduing Warrior, then..."

"According to the laws of the Zhence Dynasty, Demon-Subduing Warriors have the right to defer conscription to the Human-Demon Battlefield for five years." Qian Jin clearly understood Xiao Changlei Ming's objective. To make Demon-Subduing Warriors stronger, the imperial law allowed any such warrior reaching the mandatory conscription age to postpone deployment for five years, using the time to improve themselves. For Xiao Changlei Ming, who possessed a mineral vein, these five years were invaluable.

Perhaps five years later, Xiao Changlei Ming could truly achieve significant merit on the battlefield, and by selling some Doushi, it wasn't impossible for him to become the city lord of a relatively remote city like Oakland.

"What a pity." Xiao Changlei Ming squinted his long, thin eyes, casting a greedy glance at the female swordsman's slender legs, narrow waist, and upright chest. "Shui Lianying'er, I had intended to marry you and make you mine. Now, to keep the secret of my mine safe, you have no chance to enjoy wealth with me. So, before you die, I'll let you experience what it’s like to be cherished by a man. Don't die a virgin."

The seventh-level Dou Jin channeled into Xiao Changlei Ming's legs. The soft, rotten leaves beneath his feet crunched with a gurgling sound, like a toad's croak. The pair of silver short spears danced out, weaving two masses of spear flowers that resembled two silver snakes flying through the air. Shui Lianying'er's eyes were filled with silver light; the two short spears instantly seemed to multiply into six, making it impossible to discern the true weapon for a moment. She instinctively swung her four-finger-wide greatsword wildly, ignoring the dizzying array of silver spears, and aimed directly at Xiao Changlei Ming's head.

The cold smile on Xiao Changlei Ming's lips grew even more sinister. His short spears swayed erratically, threading beneath the longsword and suddenly flicking upwards. The spear tip struck the blade with a short, sharp impact, sending the greatsword flying high. The other short spear plunged into Shui Lianying'er's shoulder socket, instantly spurting a plume of blood.

"I advise you not to resist," Xiao Changlei Ming licked the blood from his spear tip, revealing a smug expression of complete control. "I taught you your swordsmanship; I know your weaknesses too well. I really don't want to damage your body before I get to enjoy it; that would spoil my appetite."

Shui Lianying'er's hands trembled slightly. The greatest weakness of her last strike was that if the guard was broken, her wrist would suffer the backlash of the attack, rendering her hands numb and powerless for a short time.

"You..." Shui Lianying'er glared hatefully at Xiao Changlei Ming, a glint of resolute light flashing across her eyes. "I would rather die than let my body fall into your hands!"

It was when Qian Jin saw the stubbornly unyielding look in Shui Lianying'er’s eyes that his body suddenly jolted. He had constantly felt a latent danger lurking around him, and he had intended to keep his hands off the situation, not making a move even for the temptation of the Doushi mine, lest distraction in the fight put him at a disadvantage.

But in that single instant... Qian Jin looked at Shui Lianying'er’s gaze, and it overlapped with an expression he could never forget in his mind.

Forget it! For the sake of the Doushi mine... Qian Jin forcefully shook his head, suddenly clamping his left arm around Bi Luo. He channeled ninth-level Dou Jin and strength into his legs, twisting and pushing off the ground with his left ankle! The immense reactionary force propelled his body forward at high speed, the friction with the surrounding weeds creating a series of sharp snaps.

"Damn it! I really can't stand it anymore! Killing is killing, but who needs to be so long-winded about it!"

Qian Jin was less than eight meters from Xiao Changlei Ming's actual position. His left foot pushed off, his right foot landed and pushed again! He instantly appeared before Xiao Changlei Ming. He poured the full might of his Dou Jin into his Zhanmadao. The saber let out a faint weng sound as it sliced through the air, carrying a ferocious aura as it chopped down viciously toward Xiao Changlei Ming.