Melee

Another 3rd-Rank mid-stage burly man drew a short axe from his waist and hacked at the tall, thin man to his left.

The tall, thin man didn't dodge. Instead, he raised his hand and smashed a dark red rune stone onto the ground. A translucent wall of fire rose out of thin air, forcing the burly man back half a step.

On the other side of the arena, one of the two 3rd-Rank peak combatants had already taken down his opponent.

A seemingly young woman took a blow to the back of her neck and collapsed to the ground, her fate unknown—whether she was dead or merely unconscious.

Jiang Lin moved along the edge of the arena. Every time someone drew near, he retreated or sidestepped with perfect timing, avoiding any direct contact.

His movements were subtle, making him look cautious, but each step precisely kept him out of the most intense combat zones.

The 5th-Rank man disguised as a 3rd-Rank early stage remained pressed against the wall. His gaze darted rapidly across the arena, clearly assessing everyone's true strength.

Then, he made his move.

He walked toward Jiang Lin with an unhurried pace, looking exactly like a 3rd-Rank early stage cultivator searching for the weakest-looking opponent.

Stopping about five paces in front of Jiang Lin, he sized him up and said,

“You're out of luck.”

Jiang Lin didn't reply. He merely took a half-step back, lowering his center of gravity slightly.

The 5th-Rank man said no more and lunged, clawing at him.

The strike didn't look fast, and its power was kept at the level of a 3rd-Rank early stage, but in that split second, Jiang Lin sensed a faint, almost imperceptible trace of dark magic essence swirling around the man's fingertips. It was an underhanded technique designed to take half a normal person's life in a single blow.

Jiang Lin sidestepped, letting the hand brush past his shoulder.

At the same time, he slightly raised his right knee, driving it toward the man's abdomen.

This counter seemed like a mere instinctive reaction, but the angle and timing of the knee strike were flawless.

He timed it with extreme precision, cutting in at the exact moment when the opponent's previous momentum had ended and his next had yet to begin, striking the weakest point of the man's abdominal defenses.

The 5th-Rank man grunted, taking half a step back.

A flash of surprise crossed his eyes, but his expression quickly returned to its usual indifference as he prepared to strike again.

But Jiang Lin's right hand was already pressing down on his forearm.

Then, he exerted force.

The power behind this palm strike was controlled with extreme precision, remaining strictly within the limits of a 3rd-Rank early stage while being just enough to disrupt the opponent's balance.

Seizing the split second the man faltered, Jiang Lin drove his right elbow under the man's ribs.

Immediately following up, he delivered another palm strike to the side of the man's neck.

The entire sequence looked like a series of frantic counterattacks thrown by a panicked 3rd-Rank early stage cultivator.

Yet, under this relentless barrage, the 5th-Rank man completely lost his balance.

He stumbled backward two steps.

Jiang Lin gave him no time to recover.

Stepping forward, Jiang Lin pressed his fingers together and brought the edge of his palm down toward the man's crown.

For this blow, he channeled a portion of his true 5th-Rank early stage power, but the speed and angle were fully masked to look like a 3rd-Rank early stage strike—making it seem like a lucky hit.

The 5th-Rank man's pupils dilated. Sensing that the power of this strike far exceeded the 3rd-Rank, he tried to dodge, but it was already too late.

The edge of Jiang Lin's palm struck his head with pinpoint accuracy.

There was a dull thud.

His body stiffened for a fraction of a second, then collapsed to the floor, motionless.

The entire exchange had taken less than three breaths.

The others caught in the chaotic melee around the arena didn't even notice what had happened here.

The free-for-all in the arena raged on.

The two 4th-Rank competitors were clearly more patient than the rest.

They didn't rush to fight. Instead, they each claimed a corner of the arena like two night owls lurking in the shadows, waiting for their prey. Their gazes swept over the remaining six or seven 3rd-Ranks, occasionally clashing before quickly darting away.

After dispatching the disguised 5th-Rank cultivator, Jiang Lin didn't immediately draw their attention.

Because his movements had been so swift and clean, he looked more like a lucky 3rd-Rank early stage who had accidentally struck a vital point in a panic.

Coupled with the dim lighting in the arena and everyone else being occupied with their own opponents, no one had noticed the details of the fight.

He squatted down and lingered by the motionless corpse for a moment, pretending to check the man's injuries. In reality, he was readjusting his breathing to stabilize his magic essence back to the level of a 3rd-Rank early stage.

His Space Perception remained active at its maximum range. The positions, aura fluctuations, and even the breathing frequencies of everyone in the arena were completely under his control.

The merchant-looking 4th-Rank leaned against the edge of the arena, using his poisoned dagger to deflect a sneak attack from the side before slashing his assailant's arm in a counter-stroke.

The latter groaned as his face rapidly turned a sickly pale green. Stumbling back a few steps, he crashed against the wall and slid to the floor.

The other 4th-Rank was the assassin-type cultivator whose aura fluctuations differed slightly from a normal 4th-Rank.

He hadn't fully committed to any fight, merely drifting along the edges of the crowd. He occasionally struck to disrupt those locked in combat, like a piranha testing the fringes of a school of fish.

Yet every time he made a move, someone fell—and once they went down, they never got back up.

Jiang Lin quickly assessed the situation in his mind.

There were still seven people standing in the arena.

Two 4th-Ranks and five 3rd-Ranks.

Among the five 3rd-Ranks, two were early stage, two were mid-stage, and one was peak.

They had already gone through the first round of slaughter. Everyone bore injuries of varying severity, and their auras were significantly weaker than at the start.

Meanwhile, of the two 4th-Ranks, one didn't have a single scratch, and the other had only a minor tear in his sleeve.

They were waiting for this exact moment—waiting for the 3rd-Ranks to wear each other down before stepping in to harvest the survivors.

Jiang Lin knew he couldn't wait for the two 4th-Ranks to make their move.

If he acted too passive, it would arouse suspicion instead.

A 3rd-Rank early stage who could survive this long in a melee couldn't possibly lack situational awareness.

He had to take the initiative, and his movements had to look like the desperate struggle of a 3rd-Rank early stage cornered in a life-or-death situation.

He lunged first at the merchant-looking 4th-Rank.

This target had been carefully chosen.

The man excelled in poisons and close-quarters combat, utilizing his magic essence primarily for corrosion and disruption, but his head-on combat ability was relatively weak.

Furthermore, he had already expended some energy. Although his previous strike had succeeded, his magic essence fluctuations had momentarily destabilized, leaving him at his most vulnerable.

Jiang Lin cut in from the flank, his fingers pressed together as he chopped the edge of his palm toward the man's weapon wrist.

The movement was simple and direct, devoid of any fancy flourishes, resembling the final struggle of an utterly exhausted fighter.

The merchant sidestepped to dodge, sweeping his dagger horizontally. The blade's tip traced a faint green arc as it slashed toward Jiang Lin's abdomen.

Instead of retreating, Jiang Lin pressed forward. He slipped his left hand to his waist, drawing a common dagger he had prepared beforehand. Using its flat side to parry the blade, he simultaneously slammed his right shoulder hard into the merchant's chest.

He controlled the impact perfectly, capping its force at the level of a 3rd-Rank peak—enough to carry significant weight without exposing his disguise.

Stumbling back a step, a flash of surprise crossed the merchant's face.

He clearly hadn't expected the weakest-looking combatant to possess such reaction speed.

But Jiang Lin gave him no time to adjust.

Seizing the moment while his opponent's balance was disrupted, Jiang Lin raised his right knee, driving it precisely into the inner crook of the merchant's weapon-hand elbow.

This was one of the weakest structural points of the human body. Once struck, the flexibility of the entire arm would be severely compromised.

The merchant reacted quickly. He twisted his body forcefully to pull his elbow away from the blow, while simultaneously forming a claw with his left hand, lunging for Jiang Lin's throat.

Dark magic essence swirled around his fingertips, carrying a corrosive aura that made the skin tingle.

Jiang Lin tilted his head to avoid the claw, flicking his dagger upward to slash at the inner side of the man's forearm.

This was an incredibly cheap shot, specifically targeting the most poorly protected area. It looked exactly like the dirty street-fighting style of a self-taught brawler.

Sure enough, the merchant was forced back half a step by the move.

Although his inner forearm escaped the blade, his sleeve was sliced open, making him grow far more cautious.

Jiang Lin gave him no breathing room.

He unleashed a rapid barrage of vicious, underhanded strikes—targeting the lower body, gouging at the eyes, striking joints, and kicking knees. They were all dishonorable yet highly effective tactics.

His movements were wide, his breathing heavy, and his eyes carried the desperate madness of someone pushed to the brink.

Driven back repeatedly by this onslaught, the merchant's initially calm demeanor steadily turned to irritation.

He clearly found this 3rd-Rank early stage opponent incredibly annoying. Despite the kid's lack of raw strength, he was like an unkillable cockroach that simply couldn't be shaken off.

The moment the merchant's attention was fully locked onto Jiang Lin, Jiang Lin's Space Perception caught another aura silently approaching from the flank.

It was the assassin-type 4th-Rank cultivator.

He had clearly found the opening he was waiting for, preparing to strike and harvest them while the merchant was occupied.

Jiang Lin didn't stop. He continued to harry the merchant with his crude, dirty tactics, keeping a precise mental count of the timing.

Just as the approaching aura drew within five paces, Jiang Lin suddenly stumbled as if exhausted, his body listing heavily to the side.

Excitement flared in the merchant's eyes. Thrusting his dagger forward with renewed speed, he aimed straight for Jiang Lin's chest.

At that exact instant, the assassin-type figure erupted from the shadows, driving a pitch-black dagger silently toward the back of the merchant's neck.

The merchant's pupils contracted. Sensing the murderous intent behind him, he forcibly aborted his thrust, pulling back his dagger to block.

The dagger and short blade clashed, producing a sharp, brief ring.

In a split second, the two exchanged four or five blows, their speed so blinding that the remaining 3rd-Ranks watching from the sidelines couldn't even make out what was happening.

Jiang Lin scrambled up from the ground, looking thoroughly disheveled and covered in dust. However, the moment he stood, he had already repositioned himself.

He now stood right behind the flank of the assassin-type cultivator.

Locked in a fierce struggle with the merchant, the assassin-type cultivator had his focus entirely consumed by the enemy in front of him, remaining completely oblivious to the threat behind him.

Jiang Lin gave him no time to react. Stepping forward, he pressed his fingers together and chopped the edge of his palm precisely where the back of the man's head met his spine.

For this blow, he used thirty percent of his 5th-Rank early stage strength.

To the 3rd-Rank onlookers, the true weight of the blow was completely imperceptible; they only saw a 3rd-Rank early stage lucky bastard taking advantage of two powerhouses clashing to sneak in a cheap hit from behind.

But the assassin-type cultivator's body froze instantly.

His pupils dilated as the dagger slipped from his fingers. He fell face-first like a felled log, motionless.

The merchant froze.

His gaze darted back and forth between his fallen comrade and Jiang Lin standing behind him, not yet fully processing what had just occurred.

Jiang Lin gave him no time to think.

Leveraging the momentum of his previous palm strike, he leaned slightly forward, driving his right knee into the inner elbow of the merchant's weapon arm while reaching out with his left hand to firmly lock the man's wrist.

With both forces acting on the same point simultaneously, the merchant's arm was twisted at a brutal angle. A sickening pop of grinding bones echoed as the dagger flew from his grip.

In the next second, the edge of Jiang Lin's palm slammed into his Adam's apple.

The merchant's body shuddered violently before slowly collapsing. His eyes remained wide, frozen in a look of sheer disbelief.

The arena fell dead silent for two breaths.

The remaining five 3rd-Ranks stood at the edge of the arena, staring at the two fallen 4th-Ranks and then at Jiang Lin, who was standing in the center, gasping heavily for air.

Some had weapons they forgot to lower, while others stood with their mouths slightly open, looking as if they wanted to speak but couldn't find the words.

Jiang Lin didn't give them time to think.

He appeared utterly "exhausted," his breathing heavy and his body swaying slightly as if he might collapse at any moment.

Propping himself up with his dagger against the ground, he barely kept his footing. He swept his gaze across the five 3rd-Ranks, asking in a raspy, strained voice,

“Is... is there anyone else...?”

The five 3rd-Ranks exchanged glances.

Had it been the start of the match, they absolutely would not have spared this guy who could barely stand.

But things were different now.

They had witnessed this "3rd-Rank early stage" guy take down two 4th-Ranks back-to-back.

Even if it looked like sheer luck, luck was a component of strength.

Besides, they had seen his fighting style. With those underhanded, vicious moves, who in their right mind would want to fight him?

But the rules of the assessment only allowed one survivor to walk out.

The five of them still had to fight to the death.

Someone made the first move.

A 3rd-Rank peak burly man lunged at the nearest 3rd-Rank mid-stage, swinging his iron club without mercy.

Two others clashed almost simultaneously, and the arena plunged into chaos once more.

Jiang Lin was in no hurry to join in.

He leaned against the arena wall, keeping his head low to look thoroughly exhausted. In reality, he kept his Space Perception active at its maximum range, keeping everyone's movements firmly under his control.

...