Wu Jian’s heart was trying to hammer its way out of his chest as the ten people approached them. Their killing intent was palpable. So intense was it that Wu Jian felt like he was being pierced by thousands of poisoned-tipped blades.

He, Wu Meiying, and Hou Jingshu were all strong, but they were only at the Body Forging Realm. That was the first realm before a person stepped into the world of cultivation and the one most people never moved past. If all the people confronting them were at the same realm as them, he would have felt confident about their chances, but the three in front were all at the Hunger Realm.

The Hunger Realm was the stage where people could actually start cultivating. Their ability to gather and store chi inside their dantian allowed them to enhance their physical abilities well past a normal human’s limit. This gave them an unprecedent advantage over people at the Body Forging Realm.

“It’s been a while. I told you that you would regret spurning me, Wu Meiying.” Ming Shen sneered.

Wu Meiying only smiled. “There are many things in life that I’ll regret, but even if I were to die here, spurning you is the one thing I’ll never regret.”

The sneer was wiped from Shing Men’s face with those few words. While he fumed, Juishi Meirin scowled at her.

“Wu Meiying, your time is up. I’m finally going to have my revenge against you for humiliating me all these years.”

“Humiliating you? I would never bother doing so banal. You’re not even worth my time,” Wu Meiying scoffed.

Juishi Meirin had always been second to Wu Meiying, both in terms of talent and beauty. While Wu Meiying never bothered with such things, there was a general consensus among the people of Zahn City, and it was that Juishi Meirin would always be second best. Many people who spoke of them in the same tone would always mention how much better Wu Meiying was than Juishi Meirin. Wu Jian had occasionally heard the people talking when they walked by. Wong Ju had also said it was a popular subject among his drinking buddies.

But while Juishi Meirin might consider this humiliating, Wu Meiying didn’t care. She didn’t even put those people in her eyes. Perhaps that was just one more reason Juishi Meirin hated her.

“I’ll hold these three off,” Wu Jian said. “You two can deal with the other eight. Try to be quick about it. I won’t last long in a fight against three cultivators.”

Wu Jian was already in way over his head. A Body Forging Realm cultivator against Three Hunger Realm cultivators was suicide. There was no way he would be able to last longer than maybe a minute.

“You mean I’ll hold these three off,” Wu Meiying corrected, stepping forward and twirling the daggers in her hands. “You two take out the other eight. Be quick about it.”

Wu Jian wanted to tell her that was not going to happen, but the girl burst forward at an incredible speed and clashed with Wu Ming, who raised his battle axe in time to intercept the attack.

Wu Meiying did not let herself get stopped. While she pressed one dagger against the axe, she swiped the other one at him, hoping to cut his wrist. Even just a knick would be enough to poison him.

Wu Ming wasn’t an idiot, however. Whether he knew about the poison or not, he didn’t intend to let himself get cut. He leapt back before the weapon could cut through his skin. At the same time, Ming Shen and Juishi Meirin attacked Wu Meiying from the left and right.

“Come on!” Hou Jinghsu shouted. “We need to take out the remaining eight quickly, so we can back up Meiying!”

“Right!”

Wu Jian tore his gaze away from the three-on-one battle and raced toward the eight remaining people who were trying to slip past them.

The first one Wu Jian attacked was the man in the lead. At about four heads taller than Wu Jian, he probably would have been imposing if he wasn’t so skinny. The man was a twig. Wu Jian didn’t underestimate this man, however, as that would have been foolish. This person was part of a sect, which meant he must have at least had the skills to back up his position.

The man wielded a simple jian, which he swung at Wu Jian’s head, but he lowered his body into a slide that took him underneath the man’s legs. He swung both daggers as he passed. The weapons tore through the man’s skin like it was made of rice paper. A scream tore from the man’s lips as he crashed into the ground.

Wu Jian was attacked before he could get back to his feet. He rolled across the floor instead, allowing the weapon to strike the ground in a shower of sparks. Scrambling to his feet, he was just in time to block a swing from another sword, being held in the grip of a man who was probably ten years his senior. Despite being older, he was clearly not stronger, and Wu Jian was able to deflect the sword with a flick of his wrist. Then he proceeded to slice into the man’s arm.

Blood spurted from the wound as the man staggered back. That was one down. This man would die from the poison soon.

He wasn’t the only one fighting. Hou Jingshu skillfully wielded her daggers as she pressed the attack against another man, this one in the prime of his life. He used a metal staff to fend off her attacks. However, it was clear from the way he stumbled back that he was not only weaker than her, but he also didn’t have as good a grasp on how to use his weapons. Hou Jingshu eventually managed to push his staff away. He leapt back but still received a cut to his torso.

Wu Jian was unable to watch out for Hou Jingshu and defend himself at the same time. Three people attacked him in a coordinated assault. He deflected a sword swing from one, a staff being wielded by another, and avoided a spear thrust from behind by twisting his body aside. He redirected the other two weapons at the same time. They clashed together and their wielders stumbled. He slashed out two times in quick succession, but only one of his enemies received a cut. The one wielding the sword was able to avoid it.

The two people he had already cut with his daggers were no longer moving. Their bodies twitched several times as urine dripped down their pants and foam frothed from their mouths. He had no idea the poison they had created was this toxic, but he guessed it made sense as the poison literally destroyed the ecosystem for an entire farm.

“You little shit! I’m gonna kill you!”

“You dare to kill our comrades! I won’t allow this to stand! Hurry up and die!”

Wu Jian was only dealing with two more men while Hou Jingshu had managed to kill one and was now fending off two more. She ducked, wove, and dodged a hail of swinging weapons. Blood ran down her cheek where she had been struck. The cut was fairly deep and he hoped it wouldn’t leave a scar, but she didn’t even seem to notice as she continued defending herself.

I need to end this now. Who knows how much longer Meiying can keep those three occupied.

The next man came in, swinging his weapon. He used a dagger similar to the one in Wu Jian’s hand, but he only had one, and his swing looked so slow. Wu Jian raised the dagger in his right hand to block, then flicked his wrist. A loud clang echoed out and sparks flew as he deflected the attack. With the man knocked off balance, Wu Jian was free to press his advantage.

Except he didn’t.

Or rather, he couldn’t.

Ducking underneath a sword that would have decapitated him, he dropped the dagger in his left hand, grabbed the offending limb, and pulled. The person squawked as they were forced forward. They stumbled right into Wu Jian’s other dagger, which plunged into their gut. He yanked it back out quickly. Stepping aside, he didn’t even watch as the person fell to the ground, spasming as the poison quickly traveled through his bloodstream.

Kneeling down, he grabbed the dagger he had dropped and flicked his wrist to toss it. The weapon flew forward. The man he had staggered previously was regaining his balance, but then the dagger pierced his throat just as he looked ready to renew his attack. He grabbed at the weapon as though to yank it out, but his hands stopped halfway, fell back to his sides, and he pitched backwards.

“Haaah… haaah… haaah…”

Wu Jian’s breathing was labored as he finished up the last of the four men he fought against. Fear and disgust welled up inside of him, but he was able to push it aside, just like he had been taught by Wu Taohua. Lurching forward, he pulled the dagger from the man’s throat. He ignored the blood gushing from the wound and cleaned the blade on the man’s clothes. Then he turned to the other two battles.

Hou Jingshu was finishing up her fight. Her opponent had become unhinged and was thrusting his spear forward with no rhyme or reason now. He screamed loudly like a battlecry, though it was shrill and full of fear, and thrust his spear forward. Hou Jingshu leaned to the side, knocked away his spear, took one step forward, and drew her dagger across his chest. It wasn’t a shallow wound, though it normally wouldn’t be fatal either. However, it wasn’t long before the poison took affect. The man attacked her several more times, his movements growing sluggish, and then he pitched forward.

He twitched before going still.

While Hou Jingshu’s fight had gone well, Wu Meiying’s fight was going anything but. Blood ran down her arms, legs, and torso. She had a split lip and a black eye. Despite that, she was still fighting with everything she had. Even as he watched her, Wu Meiying leapt backward and ducked at the same time, avoiding a swing from Wu Ming’s axe as though she had known it would be coming. She then pressed her hand flat against the ground and kicked out her left leg. Her attack had been launched at such an angle that Juishi Meirin’s incoming fist was knocked away, though it seemed to damage Wu Meiying even more than it did her opponent.

While it looked like she might get away without injury, Ming Shen launched an energy attack at her that struck Wu Meiying in the side. She screamed as she was blasted off her feet, struck the hard stone, and rolled across it.

“You’re a lot tougher than I thought you’d be,” Ming Shen said as he moved out of his stance. His attack had been a chi blast, which was chi condensed into a ball and fired from the hands. It was a basic attack, so he must not have known many of them, but that was more than enough to deal with someone not even at the Hunger Realm. “However, this is where your futile struggle ends. Wu Meiying, I will give you one last chance. Become mine.”

“Haaaah. In your dreams,” Wu Meiying said, spitting blood at his feet as she climbed onto her hands and knees.

Ming Shen’s expression hardened. “So be it. Meirin, you can do the honors.”

“With pleasure,” Juishi Meirin grinned sadistically as she walked forward.

The two didn’t seem to have realized Wu Jian and Hou Jingshu had eliminated their enemies. Nor would they give the pair a chance to realize that. This was their chance to attack before the pair noticed them.

Ming Shen and Juishi Meiren rushed forward to attack. As Juishi Meirin dashed toward Wu Meiying, Wu Jian tossed one of his daggers, striking her in the lower back. An attack like this would have never hit someone with more experience. It was clear that Juishi Meirin had never fought in real combat before. She cried out and stumbled forward. Wu Jian used that moment, rushed in, grabbed the dagger buried to the hilt in her back, and yanked it out while plunging the other dagger through her neck.

Wu Jian ripped out the weapon as the woman gurgled and fell to the ground. He didn’t look at her as she lay dying, instead looking at Wu Meiying.

“You did great, Mei. Better than I could have done. Stay there while Hou Jingshu and I deal with these two.”

“No way. You’re going to need my help.”

Wu Jian would have said something, but he noticed the look in her eyes as she rose to her feet. She had clearly seen something.

He decided not to argue as they didn’t have the time, turned to Ming Shen, and launched himself at the man as he stood there, gawking. Despite his obvious shock, Ming Shen was still able to bring up his sword in time to block Wu Jian’s daggers.

“You… how did you defeat all the fighters we brought with us?!” Ming Shen’s face was set in a snarl as he glared at Wu Jian.

“I don’t have to answer you,” Wu Jian said, sneering. “You hurt Mei. I’m going to kill you for that.”

“You can try! But you won’t succeed! You’ll be calling me your honored grandfather and begging me to kill you by the time I’m done with you!”

The two backed away from each other and glared. Wu Meiying had joined Hou Jingshu against Wu Ming. The other boy was swinging his axe around with reckless abandon. His attacks generated incredible gusts of wind, but the two girls were smart enough to maneuver themselves away from every attack with plenty of time to spare.

Ming Shen adopted a horse stance with his feet spread apart and knees bent, then fired off several chi blasts. Each one looked like an orange fireball, though Wu Jian felt no heat as one passed overhead. He wove back and forth as he raced forward, closing the distance between them. Just as Ming Shen fired another chi blast at point blank, Wu Jian leapt into the air, high over Ming Shen’s head, and threw one of his daggers. Ming Shen avoided it, but then Wu Jian came back down and swung his other dagger. It was dodged as well. However, a thin line of blood was drawn from a small cut on the man’s chest.

Ming Shen placed a hand against his chest and stared at the blood dripping down his skin. He grimaced, then glared at the one who had given him the wound.

“You really are talented. I’m at the Hunger Realm, but despite that, you’re able to fight against me. I hate that about you. I’ve always hated how Father compared me to you,” Ming Shen said with a growl.

Wu Jian shrugged. “Blame your father for that. Not me.”

“Shut up! I am going to kill you and prove to my father once and for all that I’m better than you are! I’ll prove him wrong when he called me useless!”

Wu Jian gripped his daggers tightly as he spread his feet apart. The poison would take longer to affect Ming Shen than it would the others since he was at the Hunger Realm. Wu Jian wondered if he could hold out long enough for the poison to take affect.