chapter 141 - 145

Chapter 141: Chasing Across Regions

Pan Yue furiously ran. His arrogance was gone, replaced with fear and panic.

There was a strange scent on his body, and no matter what he tried, he could not get rid of it.

Su Chen had stolen his jade tablet, so he couldn't escape from the exam grounds either. The scent coming from his body also implied that either Su Chen or Kong Zhen, whoever it was, could instantly find him. They could do whatever they wanted to him!

Those two damned bastards!

Pan Yue was about to go crazy.

He screamed wildly to himself as he continued running, but he was burdened by his injured legs, preventing him from building up any speed.

Pan Yue hobbled his way through the barren plateau. His only hope was that Su Chen and Kong Zhen would battle a while longer, giving him the opportunity to escape.

However, before long, Pan Yue felt something behind him.

A familiar silhouette appeared in the distance.

Su Chen!

Even if the opponent was wearing a mask, Pan Yue still recognized him.

He was scared witless, putting everything he had into running away.

Su Chen pursued him, traveling neither fast nor slow.

The remaining poison in his body had yet to completely dissipate, and he was temporarily unable to increase his speed. Not that it mattered much. If he continued to chase Pan Yue at this pace, he would definitely catch up to him.

The moon was bright that night, allowing him to see Pan Yue's silhouette clearly in the darkness. Su Chen could even tell the sorry state Pan Yue was in.

He chased after Pan Yue with large strides.

He could let Kong Zhen go, but he could not say the same for Pan Yue.

Pan Yue had to die!

No matter how much Pan Yue tried to increase his speed, the distance between him and Su Chen continued to decrease.

Pan Yue was in shock. Finally, he loudly yelled, "Save me! Save me! Someone's trying to kill me!"

After these words rang out, three black shadows jumped out of the forest.

Pan Yue yelled loudly, "I am a disciple of the Pan Clan of Pinewood City. The person behind me is trying to kill me! He already took my jade tablet, I have no points to give to you. Help me, if I survive today, I'll give you guys anything you want!"

The three glanced at Pan Yue. Upon confirming that no fluctuations from the jade tablet could be found on him, they leapt past him, heading straight for Su Chen.

Su Chen raised his voice. "This person has already killed ten or so exam candidates."

"No, it's him, he's the one killing people!" Pan Yue yelled maniacally.

The three people gazed at each other, momentarily indecisive, before they leapt toward Su Chen. It seemed as if they had chosen to believe Pan Yue.

Or perhaps they were only focused on taking his points.

Dammit!

Su Chen charged forwards at high speed as the three of them approached him.

"Get the hell out of my way!" A firebird shot out of Su Chen's hand, slamming into the barrier of one of the students and sending him crashing into the ground. The other two attacked him from the left and right, and Su Chen stabbed out repeatedly with his short blade. Sharp, azure blade streaks shot toward the two opponents.

The other two exam candidates were not simple either, counter attacking his every move. Su Chen did not want for this fight to last, so he tossed out two wine jugs, sending the two of them flying.

After taking away their points, he continued his chase.

Pan Yue charged into the forest as he squealed at the top of his lungs, "Someone's trying to kill me, he's trying to kill me!"

Pan Yue's loud voice attracted the attention of two more exam candidates. Both of them made a beeline for Su Chen.

Su Chen was infuriated. "Get the hell out of my way!"

He raised his hands sending two firebirds at the exam candidates blocking his path. They took the brunt force of the explosion and were knocked out instantly.

Su Chen took their points too, then continued his chase.

A person could exhibit frightening strength in the face of death; Pan Yue was no exception.

His legs were wounded, but somehow, they didn't seem to slow him down. In addition, since he had found a successful strategy, he kept running in a direction where many people were gathered. As he neared them, he would yell something along the lines of, "I have no points, the person behind me has all my points", or "There's a crazed killer behind me." In any case, he was willing to say whatever was needed for survival, including lies.

One exam candidate after another was attracted by Pan Yue, and they all tried to block Su Chen.

Su Chen lacked the energy to explain himself. He hardened his heart, then charged forwards.

He didn't waste any more words on the exam candidates. They would all be knocked out by a firebird, and he would take their points.

If he encountered any powerful individuals, he would use an Erupting Firebird and a few wine jugs. The chain of explosions was usually enough to deal with whoever tried to block him.

Su Chen was like a frenzied elephant, running over everything in his path as he pursued Pan Yue.

The frequent rate of battle greatly increased the amount of Origin Energy he consumed.

However, the high-grade Origin Stone was sufficient for Su Chen to restore his Origin Energy.

After sending two more unaware exam candidates flying, Su Chen stealthily pulled out the high-grade Origin Stone and absorbed the Origin Energy inside. The Origin Energy he had consumed was replenished in no time. He stowed the Origin Stone away, continuing to chase after Pan Yue as if he didn't know the meaning of exhaustion.

One chased, the other tried to escape; this lasted for an entire evening.

That night, Pan Yue brought Su Chen on a lengthy chase, tricking countless exam students into helping him escape calamity. One exam candidate after another fell for Pan Yue's words, and were thereafter robbed of their points by Su Chen.

Su Chen's points surged like a mighty wave.

The actions of both Su Chen and Pan Yue attracted the attention of the various bigshots sitting on top of the tall tower, rendering them speechless.

Su Chen was originally ranked fifty-sixth. After separating from Wang Doushan, his ranking had not decreased, instead it increased at a furious rate.

Not only this, he was trying to kill a member of a Bloodline Nobility Clan, sweeping through the region like a hot knife through butter. He fought any person or beast he encountered, no one capable of stopping his advance.

This was not to say that Su Chen's actual strength had reached the point where he was unparalleled in the region. He possessed the wine jugs in addition to the Erupting Firebird, greatly amplifying his strength. Another reason was that the powerful exam candidates had expended quite a bit of energy after a whole day of bitter fighting. Unless they were proficient in battling at night, they would enjoy some well-earned rest and recover their physical and Origin Energy.

However, because Su Chen had an Origin Stone, he didn't need to rest at all. He was also proficient in battling at night, so the entire way, no one could rival him. He steamrolled his way through the region.

In just a single night, he took down close to a hundred exam candidates, shocking any and all. No one knew from what hole this expert had jumped out from.

The pulses from his jade tablet, which now contained many points, were astonishingly powerful. Many exam candidates were terrified when they saw it.

The other exam candidates were no longer willing to blindly rush at Su Chen to fight him.

However, Su Chen had worked himself into a frenzy. No matter who the opponent was, he would send an Erupting Firebird their way upon seeing them.

As the chase went on, the sky began to brighten, and Su Chen's points had jumped from one hundred twelve, enough to net him the fifty-sixth ranking, all the way to three hundred forty five, which was the twelfth ranking.

The exam grounds had a rule that prevented exam candidates from knowing their ranking before the exam ended. However, based on this number of points, Su Chen knew his ranking would be near the top.

He didn't know many were observing his actions, but even if he did know, it wouldn't have made a difference.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two shadows, one in front and one behind, sprinted through wildernesses, forests, streams, and mountains, one chasing after the other, one trying to kill the other.

The sun rose, chasing away the night.

When the first streak of light shined down on the exam grounds, Su Chen discovered that a full night had already gone by.

The sky was already quite bright, yet Pan Yue still ran like a tenacious rabbit.

"Stop chasing me!" Pan Yue yelled maniacally. "Dammit, haven't you had enough yet!?"

He was about to drop down and cry.

Where did this crazy guy come from, and why was he so tenacious? So many exam candidates threw themselves at him, yet not a single one could defeat him.

Pan Yue was about to lose all hope.

He definitely needed to find an expert in order to save himself.

At that moment, two exam candidates were headed toward him.

Pan Yue howled, "Tell me, who's the most powerful person here?"

The sudden question dazed the two people, and they instinctively replied, "Frostbird Ji Hanyan is the most powerful person here. There's also Blood Demon Zhong Ding, Bewitching Butterfly Jin Ling'er – oh, and Arched Tree Zhang Sheng'an is pretty powerful too."

In the next instant, Pan Yue tilted his head and yelled, "Frostbird Ji Hanyan, Blood Demon Zhong Ding, Bewitching Butterfly Jin Ling'er, and Arched Tree Zhang Sheng'an, where are you? Someone wants to battle you!"

His voice spread loudly in all directions.

The two exam candidates originally wanted to reap the harvest, but when he yelled this, the hairs on their body stood on end. They did not dare attack him, running away as fast as they could instead.

What sick joke was this? What kind of existence was he, to dare to battle the four most powerful experts of the first region all at once? They definitely could not afford to provoke him.

At that moment, a voice leisurely floated over.

"Hey, who's arrogant enough to want to battle four people at once? Let this young woman take a look."

A fragrant wind flowed by.

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Page 2

Chapter 142: Bewitching Butterfly (1)

The person that appeared was a young woman dressed in dazzling clothing. Her face was round like a silver plate, and she wasn't very tall, but her eyes sparkled like crystal. She held a small horsewhip in her hand.

There was a person following her as well. Surprisingly, he was wearing a brilliant silver armor, and he hefted a fine steel spear in his hand. He looked just like a general on the battlefield, and surprisingly the exam officials had let him bring these items in. However, his eyes seemed numb and wooden, as if he were an idiot.

Apparently, he was walking too slowly, and the round-faced woman turned around and whipped the silver-armored youth. "Walk faster, you piece of trash, stop mucking around."

The silver-armored youth walked a bit faster, not attempting to defend himself.

When the two exam candidates saw this round-faced woman, the color drained from their faces as if they had seen a demon.

"It's Bewitching Butterfly. Quick, run!"

The two of them wanted to start running away.

Jin Ling'er, however, turned around to gaze at the two of them. "Did I let you go?"

The two of them simultaneously stopped upon hearing those words.

"Come back!" Jin Ling'er said.

The two of them actually obediently turned around, trembling as they gazed at Jin Ling'er as if they had encountered some evil fiend.

When Pan Yue saw this, he wanted to tiptoe away.

Jin Ling'er didn't even turn around. She harrumphed, and the silver-armored youth flew forwards, his spear stabbing towards Pan Yue.

Pan Yue was astonished. He hurriedly ran back to Jin Ling'er as he yelled, "I'm from the Pan Clan of Pinewood City. Pan Yue greets Bewitching Butterfly Fairy!"

"You're the person that wants to battle the first region's four strongest individuals?" Jin Ling'er gazed at Pan Yu with curiosity.

"No, it's not me, it's him!" Pan Yue pointed behind him. A shadow had already appeared behind him; it was Su Chen.

"Him?" Jin Ling'er gazed at Su Chen, her eyes glimmering. It was unclear what she was thinking about.

Su Chen also saw Jin Ling'er, and he also saw Pan Yue, crawling at Jin Ling'er's feet. Obviously, he could guess what Pan Yue was trying to say.

However, he didn't try to defend himself. He knew that there was no point. All of these people all felt that they could defeat him for sure. If he tried to defend himself, his opponent would only think that he was afraid, and they would be even more energetic.

Thus, all he did was walk over, stopping not far away from Jin Ling'er. He pointed at Pan Yue and said, "This guy is mine."

"I heard that you plan on battling Ji Hanyan, me, Zhong Ding, and Zhang Sheng'an on your own?" The young woman crossed her arms.

"To you, does it matter if it's true or not?" Su Chen asked.

This reply caused the young woman's eyebrow to jump. "I knew this guy was lying. No one is stupid enough to provoke that insane woman Ji Hanyan. But you're right, it doesn't matter. Since you dare to face me, you definitely have some confidence, so I have to test you out."

She turned around and said to those two exam candidates, "You two, why aren't you taking care of him yet!"

She spurred on others to battle for her.

Those two exam candidates actually listened to her, yelling as they charged forwards.

When they were talking, Su Chen had already made preparations for battle. He waved his hands, and two Erupting Firebirds flew out, slamming into the two of them. He was becoming more and more familiar with the Erupting Firebird. As long as he had time, he could already simultaneously shoot two of them.

Those two exam candidates were not weak either, but when the ran into the Erupting Firebird, they were still sent flying.

When Jin Ling'er saw this, her pretty face sank a bit. "Indeed a fierce character."

She actually backed up a few steps. Simultaneously, the silver-armored youth was already standing in front of her. He swung the steel spear in his hand, pointing it towards Su Chen.

Su Chen glanced at the youth, then at Jin Ling'er, "Do you only instruct others to fight your battles?"

He hadn't expected that Jin Ling'er would laugh and reply, "You're right!"

She smacked Pan Yue's forehead. Pan Yue suddenly began to tremble, and his eyes constantly blinked, as if he were being struck by lightning repeatedly.

After a moment, Jin Ling'er retrieved her hand, and Pan Yue stood up. However, his gaze had become dim, and he looked like he had become an idiot. He didn't look much different from the silver-armored youth anymore.

Jin Ling'er pointed at Su Chen. "Advance!"

Pan Yue turned around to look at Su Chen. He bared his teeth, then howled like a wild beast. Surprisingly, he ferociously charged towards Su Chen.

"Bewitching Butterfly, Jin Ling'er..." Su Chen muttered under his breath.

He finally understood the implications behind this name.

So his opponent actually possessed the ability to control other people.

Was it an illusion technique?

It was impossible to have an inaccurate nickname. There were many methods to control other people, but the method that Jin Ling'er used was an illusion technique.

However, as a member of a Bloodline Nobility Clan, her illusion techniques were much more powerful than Li's, able to directly control others to do whatever she wanted.

If Li possessed this tactic, he would've died a long time ago.

Pan Yue had already charged over, howling.

Upon seeing his crazed appearance, Su Chen sighed.

Pan Yue had attempted to flee the entire time, incessantly pulling over opponents for Su Chen, but in the end he had also brought trouble on himself. He probably never would have anticipated that he would turn around to attack Su Chen himself.

Su Chen casually struck out, and thunder rumbled. A powerful whirlpool of energy rushed towards Pan Yue.

At the same time that he struck out, the silver-armored youth also took the opportunity to strike. He thrust the spear forwards. The spear flew through the sky like a mighty dragon, and the surrounding air was sent into a turmoil by the spear, forming a whirlwind around it. Obviously, this was also an extremely powerful Origin Skill. From its power it was clear that it was most likely a Bloodline Origin Skill.

Su Chen hurriedly retreated, activating the Snaking Mist Steps. At the same time, he continued to unleash Thunder Blade strikes. Loud explosions sounded out when the blades collided with the spear. He continued to focus his efforts on retreating, but even so he was forced to retreat hundreds of feet to escape the spear strike's area of effect.

Pan Yue simultaneously charged forwards, waving his sword. He was a member of a Bloodline Nobility Clan in the first place, and he was not weak. However, earlier his courage had received a heavy blow, and he lost all of his vigor. Now that he was being controlled by Jin Ling'er, his cowardice had disappeared, and he could display his full strength. He continuously struck out with the Feathered Sparrow Edge, resulting in many explosions in midair. His agile sword technique concealed a vicious killing tactic. If Su Chen was struck, he would instantly lose a portion of his combat ability.

When these two people attacked simultaneously, Su Chen also had to get serious.

His figure moved like smoke, constantly striking out with vicious blade strikes. The air was filled with the rumbling of thunder, and the wild Qi flow in the air was turbulent.

Su Chen's Thunder Blade had finally reached the stage of small success. Every time he struck out, the rumblings of thunder would appear, as if small stores of thunder had been scattered through the air. Although they weren't very powerful, they could be used in rapid succession. In an instant, ten Thunder Blades exploded in the air. Pan Yue and the silver-armored youth charged Su Chen and were struck by countless Thunder Blades. The silver-armored youth came out alright, but Pan Yue was beaten black and blue by the explosions.

An astonished expression flickered across Jin Ling'er's eyes as she watched. "Strange, why is it that the footwork technique he uses looks like the Gu Clan's Snaking Mist Steps, but those Thunder Hands look like one of the absolute techniques of the Thunder Spirit Bai Clan? Who is this young man? And why does he control the absolute techniques of two different clans?"

This young woman had quite the breadth of experience. Surprisingly, she was even able to identify the Gu Clan's Snaking Mist Steps.

At this moment, Su Chen was battling one on two, but he was completely fearless. It seemed as if he was being pressured by the two of them, but his movements were unhurried, and as he retreated he continued to strike out with Thunder Blades. Occasionally, he would also counterattack with an Erupting Firebird. In contrast, although the silver-armored youth was quite powerful, his consciousness was being controlled by someone else, and he lacked adaptability. Pan Yue's legs were injured, and although he had regained his courage to do battle, he had lost all of his wisdom, and his combat strength was now only slightly higher than regular exam candidates.

In the end, though the two of them seemingly held the advantage on the battlefield, they were actually losing out. If the battle continued, they would be exterminated by Su Chen.

Jin Ling'er's eyes lit up. "Indeed, you have some skill. You can actually hold your own against two Bloodline Nobility Clan members simultaneously. Not only do you possess powerful Origin Skills, but you also have an outstanding battle intuition. But unfortunately..."

She began to laugh, "Unfortunately, you're not just facing two Bloodline Nobility Clan members, but three!"

As she spoke, she gazed at Su Chen, and a strange brilliance flashed across her eyes.

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Page 3

Chapter 143: Bewitching Butterfly (2)

Su Chen activated his footwork technique. He looked like he was about to collapse under the pressure, but in reality everything was under his control.

Su Chen was still busy fighting the two of them when he suddenly felt his vision darken. He felt as though he was about to pass out for no reason.

He had just blocked the silver-armored youth's steel spear and was about to dodge the Dark Extermination Sword when this bout of dizziness slowed him down. In a moment of crisis, Su Chen forcefully pushed past the dizziness and twisted his body in midair. The edge of the sword brushed past his waist, and blood gushed out.

The sword only cut open a superficial wound, which burst open and formed a vicious wound. It was just a negligible scratch at first, but now Su Chen had sustained minor injury.

Su Chen retreated. He glanced at Jin Ling'er, only to see a bright smile on her face, her eyes concealing a brilliant light. He barely met her gaze before he felt the dizziness wash over him even more powerfully.

He knew the situation was not good, so he lowered his head, avoiding her gaze. Even so, that smile haunted his thoughts, and it even seemed as if there were faint laughter echoing in his ears, affecting his state of mind and his ability to interpret his surroundings.

Illusion Techniques!

Unlike Li, Jin Ling'er's illusion techniques could even penetrate into a person's heart. They excelled at attacking a person's consciousness.

Seeing the vicious wound on Su Chen's stomach, Jin Ling'er laughed, "He recovered quite rapidly. What a pity... let's try again."

As she spoke, she turned around and floated into the air, her colorful clothing scattering the sunlight into blurred rays of colored light. At a glance, she resembled a colorful butterfly.

Jin Ling'er waved her hands. Wind formed around them, carrying a perfume-like smell, before she sent a gust to enshroud Su Chen.

Everyone who knew her would yell when they saw this. Jin Ling'er had even used her Jade Dew Fragrance!

The words "Bewitching Butterfly", just like "Poisonous Centipede", had two main implications. The word "bewitching" indicated the might of her illusion techniques and her ability to control the consciousnesses of others. The word "butterfly" referred to the Jade Dew Fragrance.

Although Jin Ling'er looked like she was being careless, in reality she had already taken out her trump cards.

The Jade Dew Fragrance floated on the breeze toward Su Chen.

Su Chen did not know what this fragrance was for, but that wasn't necessary to know it would not be easy to deal with.

His hands struck out as thunder rumbled, shaking up the fragrant wind and keeping it at bay.

However, against all of his expectations, this attack wasn't aimed at him. It had tricked him into making a move, but the silver-armored youth and Pan Yue simultaneously took in a deep breath. Immediately, their vigor returned to them.

The silver-armored youth stabbed his spear toward Su Chen. This strike was like a dragon shaking its tail, carrying with it a frightening momentum.

Su Chen swung his blade to block the spear. The violent power of the spear denied any attempt from Su Chen at blocking it, as it knocked the blade aside and stabbed Su Chen, piercing his defensive barrier. Pan Yue's Dark Extermination Sword also came flying in at this moment, its speed faster than before. Su Chen could not dodge it. He was left with only one option, which was to activate the Soul Eye which he had been preparing for a while now.

He originally planned to ambush Jin Ling'er with it. Although he looked like he was giving his full attention to this fight, he was calmly looking for an opportunity to deal with Jin Ling'er. However, he was forced by Pan Yue to use the Soul Eye prematurely.

Pan Yue's pause allowed Su Chen to speed past him, narrowly dodging their combined attack.

Su Chen was quite shocked. So that perfume isn't poisonous, it just raises one's combat abilities.

Had known this was the case, he wouldn't have tried to avoid it. Rather, he would have taken a deep breath and let his body take in as much as he could.

No, that's not right. Things definitely weren't as simple as that.

If that were the case, wouldn't the Jade Dew Fragrance only be effective against those who weren't prepared for it, and those who were prepared for it could react appropriately?

That meant...

Su Chen glanced at Pan Yue and the silver-armored youth. The two became even more filled with vigor.

Thinking it over, he began to put the pieces together.

It was highly likely that this Jade Dew Fragrance also had the ability to affect one's consciousness. If he had tried to breathe it in, assuming it was beneficial, he would have handed himself on a golden platter to his enemy.

He glanced at Jin Ling'er again, who was gently floating down from midair.

She was not disappointed by Su Chen's reaction to her Jade Dew Fragrance. She blew out a gust of air with her mouth instead.

The fragrant wind swept toward Su Chen, causing more illusory images to appear in front of his eyes. Everywhere he looked, he saw endless copies of Pan Yue and the silver armored youth charging at him. He was unable to tell which ones were real and which ones were fake.

This Jade Dew Fragrance was neither poison nor medicine. It was a Bloodline Origin Skill which could be controlled by those with the bloodline after being released. Not only could it bore into a person's consciousness and vitalize their combat ability, it could also apply illusions of varying shapes and sizes. It had an incredible variety of applications. Jin Ling'er was still young and couldn't draw out its full potential. Otherwise, the entire battlefield would be under the influence of her illusions. It would be next to impossible to distinguish between truth and illusion. The power of such a skill could be easily imagined.

Even if she couldn't draw out its full potential, Su Chen still found it hard to deal with.

He gazed at Jin Ling'er, then suddenly said, "I met Poison Centipede Kong Zhen. His poison was very powerful."

Jin Ling'er was taken aback. She had no idea why Su Chen would suddenly bring this up.

Su Chen continued. "But he was defeated. I also encountered a guy who was very proficient in battling at night, not at all hampered by the darkness, but he was also defeated. I also met an exam candidate skilled in the usage of chilling attacks. His Origin Skills could even neutralize all other Origin Skills, yet he was also defeated. They all were defeated because although their Origin Skills were indeed powerful, they were not invincible. They all had their own limitations."

Jin Ling'er's expression became slightly more serious. She watched Su Chen as he continued, "Your illusion techniques are powerful enough to let you control someone and use them as you please. According to reason, if you were able to control an expert, you would be invincible. But you didn't, did you? When you mentioned Ji Hanyan, you said no one would be stupid enough to provoke that crazy woman. That can only mean one thing: you can't control her. It doesn't stop there either – you can't even control existences like Zhang Sheng'an or Zhong Ding. Is that where the limitation of your Origin Skill lies? You cannot control those who are more powerful than you?"

A look of disdain flashed across Jin Ling'er's face. "Is this the discovery you made after battling me? So what, it's still enough to deal with you."

"No, that's not how it is!" Upon receiving Jin Ling'er's confirmation, Su Chen shook his head. "Control via illusion techniques doesn't depend on the target's strength, but on their willpower!"

Jin Ling'er revealed a shocked expression.

Su Chen laughed. "It seems like my intuition was correct."

"So what? How does knowing this help you in any way?" Jin Ling'er waved her arms, sending the fragrant wind into motion again. The illusions formed, concealing the attacks of Pan Yue and the silver-armored youth.

Su Chen went all-out to defend himself, but he continued to speak. "I'm not done talking yet. When you came, you only brought one person, but now you are controlling two people to deal with me. If your Origin Skill was that powerful, why didn't you bring more people to control? It's already been two days. If you wanted to, you could easily have controlled a few more people to do your bidding. But you didn't; instead, you only had one person with you. What does this mean? And earlier, you sent those two people to test me out before controlling Pan Yue. If you aren't stupid, why didn't you make the four of them attack me simultaneously? In addition, those two are still lying on the ground. You only have to wake them up and have them attack me simultaneously to make it a five-on-one fight. There's no way I could possibly win. So why haven't you done so?"

Jin Ling'er's expression finally changed.

Su Chen laughed. "That's because it consumes too much energy, right? You can control more targets, but every additional person you control increases the burden on you. You have only kept one person by your side, and only during battle will you temporarily add another one, maybe two. Thus, I have no need to go all-out with you. As long as I maintain my conviction, you cannot control me. And as long as I endure in battle, even if I can't defeat you, I can at least tire you out until you collapse. Tell me I'm wrong."

"Dammit!" Jin Ling'er began to panic.

Su Chen had hit the nail on the head. This was Jin Ling'er's greatest weakness. Although her control Origin Skill was very powerful and could cause others to do her bidding without question, she could not control those with a powerful will, and she could not control too many targets at once. Every second she controlled someone's consciousness, her Origin Energy was being drained, and if the target's will was attempting to resist, that consumption would greatly increase. If not for these drawbacks, she would be absolutely invincible – as long as she controlled Ji Hanyan, Zhong Ding, and Zhang Sheng'an, who could defeat her?

Su Chen had seen right through the weakness of her Origin Skill from the very beginning.

All he had to do was endure. He would let her exhaust her energy, and he would win.

There was one other thing he could do besides enduring, which was to taunt his opponent.

He said in a low voice, "Pan Yue, are you still asleep? Do you really want to be this woman's puppet for the rest of your life?"

Pan Yue's eyes became unfocused for a moment. The resistance of his will became stronger.

"Shoot." Jin Ling'er was shocked. She strengthened her control over Pan Yue, causing her energy consumption to skyrocket.

You two useless bastards, how come you still haven't taken care of him? Jin Ling'er cursed in rage.

At this moment, Su Chen focused all his attention on escaping, activating the Snaking Mist Steps to its limit. He didn't even bother counterattacking, instead choosing to delay as much as he could.

Jin Ling'er's expression turned uglier. "Bastard, do you think this tactic alone is enough to deal with me? Even without illusion techniques, the Bewitching Butterfly Jin Clan is not so easy to provoke."

A sword appeared in her hand as she shot toward Su Chen like a plume of smoke. She stabbed out, her strikes raining down like a blizzard.

The three bloodline experts attacked together. The spear wind and sword images generated a frightening turbulent flow.

When faced with the spear and sword waves, Su Chen could only retreat.

As he retreated, he pulled out all kinds of random items from his ring and slammed them toward his opponents. These included his cooking and eating utensils, such as a pot and ladle, as well as some beast hides and bones he had obtained after killing Vicious Beasts. There were even a few strange vials, beakers, and wine jugs.

Upon seeing such a scene, Jin Ling'er laughed. "You've run out of tactics, haven't you? Look at your sorry figure, you're just throwing garbage at me now!"

The three continued their onslaught amidst Jin Ling'er's maniacal laughter.

She flew into the air like a butterfly, scattering a hazy light through the air. One had to admit that even without her Bloodline illusion techniques, Jin Ling'er still possessed quite formidable combat prowess. With two people supporting her both sides, numerous Bloodline Origin Skills exploded forth. No matter what Su Chen did, he was unable to block it all.

However, at that precise moment, Jin Ling'er saw a strange smile appear on Su Chen's face.

When she saw that smile, she knew something was wrong.

An intense sensation of danger washed over her, but she couldn't tell where it was coming from. She instinctively retreated a few steps.

Su Chen retrieved his hand, then made a gesture like a lotus flower opening.

That was... an explosion?

Fear appeared in Jin Ling'er's eyes.

All she could do was add a defensive barrier to herself as fast as she could.

BOOM!

A giant explosion blossomed at her feet, like a red lotus opening, tossing Jin Ling'er into the air.

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Page 4

Chapter 144: Bewitching Butterfly (3)

A ferocious explosion ensued, laying waste to a vast area. Hundreds of feet away the shockwaves could still be felt, and the three Su Chen targeted received the brunt force of it.

Jin Ling'er was at the nucleus of the explosion, and the violent waves of energy rocked the Bewitching Butterfly into the air, breaking her magic barrier. Several aftershocks slammed into Jin Ling'er, causing her to spit out a mouthful of blood.

With sword in hand, streaks of light erupted forth in a final attempt to endure. In the next instant, she met eyes with Su Chen, jolting her mind. That guy even has consciousness-type attacks!?

It was already far too late for Jin Ling'er as an Erupting Firebird came screaming towards her.

Just when it seemed that Jin Ling'er had no way of defending herself, Pan Yue flew forwards with a yell, using his body to intercept the firebird.

Pan Yue was already in a precarious state after the injuries he received earlier on. This forceful interception blasted a giant hole in his chest, causing chunks of blood and gore to rain down.

Before she could blink her eyes, another object flew toward Jin Ling'er.

This time, it was a wine jug. Although it didn't seem large, Jin Ling'er intuitively knew its size didn't represent its power.

A cry erupted from her throat at that critical moment. A silver light shot forwards from her sword and slammed into the wine jug.

BANG! The wine jug exploded. Jin Ling'er was sent flying another tens of feet by the powerful waves of energy.

She finally understood where the previous explosion had come from. But she was a step too late yet again.

What awaited her was a vicious punch from Su Chen.

Bang!

Su Chen showed no mercy even though she was a woman. His fist slammed into her face, laying her out.

Su Chen let out a long, deep sigh. His legs swayed beneath him as he almost fell over.

Although the path to victory seemed like a walk in the park, it was narrow and fraught with peril. Su Chen kept a graceful and carefree appearance throughout the battle, but this arduous fight had nearly pushed him to his limits.

Battle mathematics were very strange. When their strengths were roughly equivalent, one plus one was greater than two. When their strengths were far apart, one plus one was less than two.

Su Chen's strength was at the same level as Pan Yue and the silver-armored youth. When the two of them teamed up, they put a significant amount of pressure on Su Chen. This was not even including Jin Ling'er, who possessed quite considerable strength herself.

Under normal circumstances, he could not possibly have won.

Even if he had the exploding wine jugs, it wouldn't have made a difference.

Su Chen was very clear that people like Jin Ling'er were very good at protecting themselves. If he were to toss out the wine jug, she would definitely avoid it even if she had never seen it before. She was rather fast and agile as well, which could be seen by the fact that she had released the Jade Dew Fragrance while in midair.

Thus, Su Chen had come to the conclusion to hold out on using this technique at the start, choosing another method instead.

He had purposefully spoken, pointing out the weakness of Jin Ling'er's Origin Skill to emphasize that as long as he continued to delay, he could defeat her. In the end, Jin Ling'er simply lacked experience, and she fell right into his trap.

In reality, Su Chen was the more likely one of the two to first collapse from exhaustion given the condition he was in. That was, if he could endure the barrage of attacks launched at him.

But once Su Chen had ensnared her with his words, Jin Ling'er lost her cool. She took the initiative to attack, playing right into Su Chen's hands.

Su Chen's wine jugs exploded as a result of the mixing of two distinct liquids; depending on the way he mixed it, he could time the moment of explosion.

Su Chen usually twisted the handle of the wine jugs to their maximum, allowing the liquids to mix as fast as possible to generate an instantaneous explosion.

This time, however, Su Chen only twisted the handle a little, causing the liquids to mix at a much slower rate. This method was extensively tested by Su Chen, and he was confident in his ability to get the timing down to the second.

After setting the time for the wine jug to explode, Su Chen had tossed out all of the random objects inside his ring just like they were rubbish.

Of course, these objects posed no threat to those three people, and they would not explode instantaneously, so Jin Ling'er had lost her wariness.

But she had not expected that Su Chen would throw something out that would explode on a delayed timer.

Su Chen was carefully keeping track of time from the very beginning. Right before the explosion was set to occur, he had drawn the three of them into the blast radius.

Everything had been meticulously planned out by him. If any segment of his plan had gone wrong, he definitely would have lost.

Even so, because he had made a small miscalculation, Su Chen was also struck by the remnants of the shockwave. Thankfully, he had applied many barriers to himself in the first place, allowing him to avoid being injured.

Su Chen was exhausted, both mentally and physically, and he was about to collapse.

After knocking Jin Ling'er out, Su Chen glanced at Pan Yue only to discover his corpse. The Erupting Firebird had already taken Pan Yue's life.

Su Chen stood in a daze, then muttered to himself, "Now that's what you call an accident."

Clang!

A noise came from behind him. Su Chen quickly turned around, and found himself looking at the silver-armored youth. Although this youth was struck with the successive wine jugs explosions, he was the first to regain consciousness.

Members of Bloodline Nobility Clans were really annoying to deal with.

Su Chen prepared to face of with this youth, but here seemed to be no need. After the youth gazed at Jin Ling'er, he seemed to remember something as he let out a cry and ran away.

He ran? Su Chen was speechless.

It seemed the intellect of this youth wasn't particularly praiseworthy. With such a cowardly attitude, it was no surprise he fell victim to Jin Ling'er's puppet technique.

"Alright, it seems it's just you and me now." Su Chen turned around to look at Jin Ling'er.

————————————————

Su Chen was unaware of the turmoil his fight with Jin Ling'er had caused in the high tower.

The exam was already in its third day, with less candidates remaining every minute. The ones still standing received more and more time on the light screen.

Su Chen was one of the few frequently shown, and the battle between him and Jin Ling'er was shown in its entirety.

Su Chen had actually defeated Jin Ling'er, the Bewitching Butterfly?

His nighttime chase was already breathtaking enough, but it was nothing compared to how they felt after watching him beat Jin Ling'er.

Although Jin Ling'er's martial strength wasn't anything special, she could control other people, so she always possessed a numbers advantage. Her combat prowess was nothing to look down on, and she could definitely be considered one of the strongest participants in the exam along with Ji Hanyan and Zhong Ding.

For her to fall victim to someone without a bloodline was beyond shocking. Everyone was stunned speechless.

Someone said, "It seems like a new Long Pojun is about to appear. After taking Jin Ling'er's points, he is destined to be part of the top ten."

"What Long Pojun? He just used a couple cheap tricks is all. His actual strength is average at best. In a fair fight, he definitely won't be a worthy opponent for anyone in the top ten. It's only because he's crafty and enjoys using sneak attacks that he can contest with the top ten."

"That's right! He used those wine jugs quite well, but that's not his own strength. If they were to have a rematch, Jin Ling'er would definitely not fall for his cheap tricks again."

"Jin Ling'er was simply too careless, giving him an opportunity to turn the tables on her."

"Still, he calculated everything while under the pressure of those three. That's not easy."

"It's not easy, but not very useful either. The path of shrewdness and scheming is narrow. When faced with a horde of beasts, no amount of tactics for disturbing the opponent's state of mind will be useful. Only true strength will reign supreme."

"You're absolutely correct. Although he can enter the top ten, he is not Long Pojun. He does not possess the same natural strength."

"I think you're wrong. Strength can be trained, intellect can't. If it were me, I would put my money on that youth."

"... Hmm, that actually makes quite a bit of sense."

"However, this kid ruined any hope for a future in this world. He actually dared to kill a member of the Pan Clan. Hehe, Pan Xiang definitely won't let him go."

The various nobles voiced their own opinions. Some were shocked, others had ill intentions, and still others were enraged.

Amongst the large group of people, a few pairs of eyes were fixated on Su Chen, as if they were trying to memorize every facet of his appearance.

A low voice sounded out. "He dared to kill my son. That kid must die!"

At the same time, Su Changche was facing a similar amount of distress.

On one hand, Su Chen had successfully entered the top ten, and many people came forth to congratulate him. But on the other hand, Su Chen had permanently offended a powerful Bloodline Nobility Clan.

What was the Su Clan to do? Su Changche was at a loss.

Su Cheng'an was much calmer. Watching his son kill Pan Yue, the turmoil in his heart found peace.

Someone just so happened to be congratulating him at the time. Su Cheng'an replied in a low voice, "There's no need to congratulate me. That unfilial boy has not been my son for a long time. Whatever successes he obtains, they have nothing to do with me. Similarly, whatever calamities he invites upon himself, they have nothing to do with me."

However harsh these words sounded, they were how he truly felt.

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Page 5

Chapter 145: A New Cooperation (1)

After opening her eyes, Jin Ling'er sat up with much difficulty. She felt a dull pain on her nose and carefully felt with her hand if everything was in place. When she looked her hand, it was dyed red with blood.

That bastard! He punched me in the nose! How dare he do something so vile to a tender, young girl like me!

Her heart was filled with rage. She scanned her surroundings for him, but when she saw Su Chen her countenance changed. He walked over to her in an imposing matter, causing her to understand the situation she was in. She hid her jade tablet behind her hands and screamed, "I can give you the points. Just don't shatter my jade tablet!"

Su Chen stopped, then aimed the long blade in his hand at Jin Ling'er. "Now you're trying to negotiate with me? What were you doing before?"

A trace of rage flashed across Jin Ling'er's eyes. "If it weren't for the fact that you used despicable, underhanded means, do you think I'd be afraid of you?"

Su Chen shook his head. "You truly are the young miss of a noble clan. You don't even know how to beg for mercy."

He slammed the blunt end of the blade into Jin Ling'er's back, sending her into the ground.

"YOU!" Jin Ling'er was infuriated. Today was the first day in her life someone dared to treat her in such a way.

Su Chen grabbed her by the throat, pointed at Pan Yue's corpse, and said, "You'd best be clear about the situation you're in. You'll realize having your jade tablet shattered is not the scariest thing that can happen to you."

Jin Ling'er's heart trembled when she saw the corpse. "Y-you killed him?"

"You and I together did," Su Chen corrected. "That Erupting Firebird was originally meant for you. But it isn't important who killed who. What is important, is that right now, I have already offended a Bloodline Nobility Clan. I don't care to offend another one. Are we clear?"

Jin Ling'er anger quickly turned into shock. Her heart trembled when she saw the cold mask and expressionless eyes. All she felt in this moment was terror.

The pain in her nose rose up again, the last straw to break the camel's back, as she burst into tears.

Watching the tears run down the young girl's cheeks, Su Chen was dazed.

He never expected for Jin Ling'er, the Bewitching Butterfly, one of the most powerful seedlings in this exam, would have such a weak side to her.

She was the very picture of a weeping beauty, softening the hearts of all who saw it. No trace of her might could be found right now.

Even Su Chen was somewhat uncomfortable. His heart, usually as hard as steel, softened.

He gently coughed and said, "Okay, don't cry, I didn't say I would kill you."

His words seemed to have no effect. The tears still rolling down Jin Ling'er's cheeks without end. Eventually she managed to ask, "Y-you won't shatter my jade tablet? I can stay here?"

"If you promise not to bother me ever again," Su Chen replied.

"How would I even bother you?" Jin Ling'er burbled. "It took me forever just to control someone from a Bloodline Nobility Clan, but he ran away because of you. That guy won't let me get close to him again. Where will I find another weak-willed individual who's that strong?"

"But you will definitely find one, right?" Su Chen laughed. "That is, if you're not too picky with your food."

Jin Ling'er rolled her eyes at him. "Alright, I swear on my Jin Clan's bloodline I won't bother you for the rest of the exam if you don't shatter my jade tablet. In fact, I won't ever bother you again, not even after the exam is over!"

"See? That wasn't too hard, was it?" Su Chen retrieved his blade, then took away the points from Jin Ling'er's jade tablet.

Jin Ling'er had a large number of points. Su Chen instantly earned a hundred sixty two points, giving him some pause as well. "That many?"

Jin Ling'er pouted. "If I had more, you would've just taken them anyways. Now it's all ruined. Losing all those points, I definitely can't enter the top 10 now."

She looked like she was about to break down in tears yet again.

Su Chen hurriedly comforted her. "Hey, hey, don't cry, okay? Isn't it just a top ten ranking? Why care so much about a stupid, empty title?"

"What do you know!" Jin Ling'er yelled. "If you can enter the top 10, you will be considered a seedling with great potential, and you will gain many additional benefits in the Hidden Dragon Institute."

"Additional benefits?" Su Chen was stunned. "Like what?"

"There's so many... access to the best cultivation grounds, the authority to borrow books from the main library, preferential treatment from the teachers who will even give you pointers, and so much more. Many of these privileges are only for the seedlings of the institute. Why else would I try so hard? If all I wanted was to enter the Hidden Dragon Institute, I could've stopped fighting a long time ago. But none of it matters anymore since I ran into you. You're clearly weaker than me, yet I lost. I lost to you and you took my future status as seedling!" Jin Ling'er said, feeling more and more wronged.

If someone stronger came along and beat her black and blue, she could accept it. But Su Chen was weaker than her, and could only achieve victory by deploying dirty tricks. It would be odd if she wasn't upset about this.

"So that's how it is." Su Chen rubbed his chin.

Su Chen didn't care all that much about where he cultivated. With his eyes, which could see Origin Energy, he did not need many cultivation resources. However, access to the institute's large library was crucial to him.

In this world, knowledge was extremely valuable. For every piece of information, a large sum would have to be paid.

Rumor had it that the Hidden Dragon Institutes' library had the largest collection of books in the entire Long Sang country. Not only did it possess all kinds of Origin Skills and absorption techniques, there was also vast amounts of precious information.

The books were hidden behind the walls of the library. If you couldn't enter, you couldn't read. So getting access was vital to Su Chen.

Su Chen didn't know which tier of access the top 10 seedlings would obtain, but if this was a shortcut to obtain at least some level of access, he definitely needed to fight for it.

At least, that was before. Now it seemed he already had enough points to make the top 10.

Su Chen already had a grand total of 587 points after defeating both Jin Ling'er and Pan Yue.

Su Chen didn't quite know what this number implied, but he figured it was at least enough to put him in the top 10.

He only needed to perform some simple math to determine this.

Around 10,000 students participated in the exam, and each candidate started with three points, meaning there were about 30,000 points. When incorporating the points for killing Vicious Beasts, the total number probably didn't exceed 50,000.

If 10 people had the number of points Su Chen did, they would make up for about a tenth of the total points in play.

Thus, Su Chen's ranking definitely was not low. If he was ranked 50th, then the top 100 would have 500 points on average. 100 people would share all the points.

This train of thought was definitely a viable possibility, but based on how many exam candidates he had met along the way, there were probably more left. He reckoned it was even possible for there to be over 1000 exam candidates still in the exam grounds.

With so many people still fighting for the spots, the exam candidates at the front of the ranking would not possess an abnormal number of points. The top 10 Jing Ling'er told him about was probably not too steep of a mountain for him to climb.

In the end, Su Chen could only make such estimations. The Hidden Dragon Institute only told candidates their number of points, not their ranking. No one knew where they stood on the leaderboards, so no one dared to slack off. This was their goal. They didn't wish for the participants to be satisfied with their rankings and grow lazy.

Originally, Su Chen had set his eyes on one of the four spots allocated to Northface City. But after hearing this new information, there was no way he would be satisfied with his original goals any longer. His eyes were set on the top 10! Luckily, he obtained many points during his chase after Pan Yue.

Su Chen finished running the calculations and said, "Do you want to be in the top ten?"

Jin Ling'er gazed at him with watery eyes. "Are you kidding me?"

"I can help you," Su Chen explained.

"Help me?" Jin Ling'er was speechless. "How would you help me?"

"We can team up," Su Chen said. "Don't you need someone to control? I'll be that person. How about it?"

"What...?" Jin Ling'er was dumbfounded.

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