C40 Wei Tingxuan Was Killed

In the Hunting Ground, nestled within the valley, the battle was swift, lasting less than thirty seconds. The remaining twenty Magical Beasts fell to his blade in quick succession. With a flick of his blade, the residual blood beads vibrated off, splattering drop by drop onto the ground below.

Sheathing his steel blade, Wei Lulin left the valley and found a vantage point to survey the area. Once he confirmed the absence of warriors and Magical Beasts, he hastened back to the valley. He gathered the corpses of the five Middle Rank Grade Nine Magical Beasts and took out a Red Fruit, initiating the duplication process.

The Middle Rank Grade Nine Magical Beasts' bodies harbored immense energy, which facilitated the duplication of six Red Fruits in mere minutes. Five Red Fruits were sufficient to clear eight meridians, but Wei Lulin had an additional one copied with the intent to gift it to Wei Ying upon his return to the Wei family.

The Red Fruit, a High Rank Grade Ten Spirit Medicine, was effective for those at the Qi Refining Stage Level Four. Though Wei Ying had no use for it, his progeny would benefit from it. Friendship with Wei Dong proved advantageous, providing Wei Lulin with essential cultivation resources and bolstering his influence within the family.

Having replicated the Red Fruits, Wei Lulin proceeded to duplicate the Qi Increasing Pills, Vein Enhancing Pills, and Dantian Cultivating Pills. The five Middle Rank Magical Beasts and thirteen Low Rank Grade Ten Magical Beasts enabled him to produce thirty Qi Increasing Pills, twenty Vein Enhancing Pills, and six Dantian Cultivating Pills.

The bounty of duplicated items was more than enough to elevate his strength to the peak of Qi Refining Stage Level Four, prompting him to cease duplication and depart the valley forthwith.

He had to leave behind the remaining Magical Beast corpses, a necessity due to the urgency of his departure. Wei Lulin sensed the presence of Magical Beasts converging on the valley, drawn by the scent of blood from the recent slaughter. Without a doubt, these creatures would be lured by the opportunity to strengthen themselves, even in the absence of Celestial Materials And Earthly Treasures.

After leaving the valley, Wei Lulin followed the route map provided by Wei Ying to a very secluded spot. He intended to use this place to enhance his cultivation, aiming to break through to Qi Refining Stage Level Four as quickly as possible.

The hidden location Wei Ying had pointed out was a tree with a three-meter-thick trunk, surprisingly hollow in the center.

Wei Lulin examined the hollow trunk and suspected that a martial artist had previously used it for cultivation. It was likely Wei Ying himself; otherwise, the route map wouldn't have been marked so clearly.

After camouflaging the area around the tree hollow, Wei Lulin stepped inside.

He reflected on the recent days, consolidating the lessons learned from battling magical beasts and the three competitors from the Tian family. With his mindset adjusted, he began to replenish the Spiritual Force he had expended.

Assisted by the Qi Increasing Pill and a Spirit Stone, his Spiritual Force was fully restored within an hour, leaving no room for even a sliver more.

At that moment, Wei Lulin popped a Red Fruit into his mouth and gripped a Grade Nine Low Rank Spirit Stone. He commenced the Grand Profound Heart Technique, channeling all his energy to break through to Qi Refining Stage Level Four.

While Wei Lulin focused intently on advancing his cultivation, the competition within the Hunting Ground escalated. Typically, the real struggle for victory would occur in the last five days of the contest. However, the extraordinary rewards on offer had prompted many to start vying for the lead earlier than usual. Moreover, factions bearing deep-seated grudges against one another had also begun their confrontations ahead of time.

In the valley where Wei Lulin had found the Red Fruit, two groups now stood. Their numbers were starkly mismatched; one group had only five members, while the other boasted over thirty.

The larger group encircled the smaller one right in the heart of the valley.

"Wei Tingxuan, you're the second most formidable young warrior of the Wei family, second only to Wei Luchong. Yet, today, you might just find yourself cornered in this valley. Such a shame!" taunted an expert from the group of thirty, who had attained Qi Refining Stage Level Six, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Wei Tingxuan, the second most formidable expert among the Wei family's younger generation, possessed a Low Rank Grade Eight Cultivation Talent and was second only to Wei Luchong in both status and identity.

Upon arriving at the outskirts of the Hunting Ground, he took four of his closest elite subordinates to operate independently, aiming to demonstrate his capabilities.

He had devoted twice the time to cultivation as Wei Luchong, tripled his efforts, and his perseverance outstripped Wei Luchong's by more than tenfold. Despite these disparities, the Wei family's attention and treatment of the two men were markedly different.

Wei Tingxuan was never satisfied, even though Wei Luchong's realm was higher. He believed Wei Luchong's earlier breakthroughs were due to innate talent and superior Cultivation Resources.

He was convinced that if their circumstances were reversed, he would be the one to have advanced to the Qi Refining Stage Level Seven.

Driven by this profound sense of imbalance, Wei Tingxuan harbored deep-seated disdain for Wei Luchong. This fueled his decision to lead his trusted subordinates into the Hunting Competition alone, eager to prove his worth.

Initially, Wei Tingxuan had a stroke of good fortune, slaying several Middle Rank Grade Ten Magical Beasts in succession and even discovering a spirit medicine that could enhance one's cultivation. With this spirit medicine's aid, he had reached the pinnacle of Qi Refining Stage Level Six, teetering on the brink of a breakthrough.

An hour earlier, he had come across a Middle Rank Grade Ten Magical Beast known for its speed but otherwise unremarkable strength.

The Gale Fox, a white Magical Beast, was highly sought after for its precious inner core and its fur, which was worth a fortune.

Wei Tingxuan, who was admired by a certain individual, intended to win her affection by presenting her with a coat crafted from the Gale Fox's fur. This desire spurred him and his subordinates to relentlessly pursue the creature.

Lured by the pungent smell of blood in the valley, the Gale Fox cleverly led Wei Tingxuan and his party into the area. As they contemplated the multitude of Magical Beast carcasses strewn about the valley, Jiaang Que from the Jiaang family suddenly emerged before them.

As Wei Tingxuan caught sight of Jiaang Que's sudden appearance, a sense of despair washed over him.

It was one thing to face Jiaang Que, a master at the Qi Refining Stage Level Seven Perfection, but even dealing with the four experts from the Jiaang family at Level Six was no easy task. Left with no other option, they were forced to fall back to the center of the valley.

"Jiaang Que, as a formidable expert at the Qi Refining Stage Level Seven Perfection, you should be challenging Wei Luchong, who is your equal, not me—a mere nobody," Wei Tingxuan asserted. Jiaang Que was the only one among the thirty-plus experts of the Jiaang family he stood no chance against.

While he couldn't handle the other experts either, he was confident in his ability to escape. His four subordinates were there to fend off any additional adversaries.

Had Wei Tingxuan encountered someone from the Xie family, his tactic of goading might have worked, given Xie Jutong's arrogance and disdain for attacking those weaker than himself.

But Jiaang Que was a different breed—a cold-hearted and unscrupulous scoundrel.

In the midst of Wei Tingxuan's attempt to provoke Jiaang Que into holding back, Jiaang Que let out a chilling laugh and leaped forward to strike first.

Outnumbered and outmatched by Jiaang Que, it took only a matter of seconds before Wei Tingxuan and his companions were mercilessly slain by Jiaang Que and his cohort.