Chapter 192 - 146: Trapped Beast
Qi Sensing?
Qi Sensing!!!
At that moment, every Martial Scholar watching the scene—no matter from where—knew that the bandit who had sent Wang Mangzi flying had to be a Martial Artist at the Qi Sensing realm.
Otherwise, it would have been impossible to send Wang Mangzi flying with a single blow.
After all, Wang Mangzi’s raw physical strength ranked near the top among all the Martial Scholars—in the top ten, at the very least.
He had scored an A+ in the strength test; only his poor performance in Military Strategy had held him back. Otherwise, he would have passed the Prefecture Examination years ago.
And now, he’d been sent flying in a single blow. Instead of getting up to retaliate, he had immediately turned and fled.
The scene said it all: the attacker’s power far surpassed his own.
Wang Mangzi might have been reckless, but he wasn’t a fool. It was only natural for him to flee when faced with an opponent he couldn’t possibly defeat.
However, just because Wang Mangzi was fast on his feet didn’t mean the other Martial Scholars were.
Among the dozen or so Martial Scholars who had followed Wang Mangzi, a few who were a step too slow to react were struck down and killed on the spot by the bandit leader.
Blood splattered everywhere!
Every Martial Scholar who had made it this far had blood on their hands, but they had likely never imagined that participating in the Prefecture Examination would be this deadly.
The examination had barely begun, and already, several Martial Scholars were dead.
Instantly, it served as a stark warning to all the Martial Scholars present.
This Prefecture Examination was no mock-test, no child’s play.
A single misstep could prove fatal.
But as Wang Mangzi and the other Martial Scholars fled, the bandits unexpectedly followed their leader and charged out of the mountain stronghold.
They marched in columns of two, wielding blades and swords, clad in mismatched leather armor. Some, who looked like bandit leaders, even wore pieces of Iron Armor.
Hundreds, perhaps even a thousand of them, charged out in neat formations, presenting a surprisingly imposing sight.
’So they aren’t ordinary bandits.’ Fang Yue’s mind raced as he recalled the attacker’s appearance, cross-referencing it with intelligence from the Government Office and information he’d gathered back in Sanshui County Town.
’His features match the description of one person... it must be the Fifth Master, one of over a dozen leaders in Tenglong Stronghold. If the Fifth Master is already a Qi Sensing Martial Artist, then it proves the four leaders ranked above him must be as well. That means Tenglong Stronghold has at least five Qi Sensing Martial Masters.’
’This is going to be troublesome.’
A chill went down Fang Yue’s spine.
’But then again, the exam doesn’t require us to destroy the stronghold. All we need to do is take the head of one of its masters, and we’ll pass the Prefecture Examination.’
’Thinking about it that way, there’s still a good chance.’
’At the very least, the Fifth Master has led his men out of the stronghold to charge at us. This might be our opportunity.’
’Among the Martial Scholars in this Prefecture Examination, the top-ranked few definitely have the power to face an ordinary Qi Sensing Martial Master head-on. If we’re careful, surrounding and killing a lone Martial Master should be well within our capabilities.’
And sure enough, as Fang Yue watched, several groups of Martial Scholars began to make their move.
~~~~~~~
「Meanwhile.」
「Boundary Mountain, within Tenglong Stronghold.」
In Juyi Hall, at the very heart of the stronghold, more than a dozen bandit leaders were gathered.
Aside from the First Master of Tenglong Stronghold, five of those present were Martial Artists of the Qi Sensing realm. Another eleven were Martial Artists who had achieved Great Success in Marrow Transformation.
In addition, there were dozens of burly men standing guard within Juyi Hall.
Each man was clad in a full suit of heavy armor, and their weapons were of elite quality.
Each weapon was nearly ten feet long.
The sharpness of their blades surpassed that of any common sword.
These men were the single most powerful force in all of Tenglong Stronghold.
"First Brother, are you saying the Mansion Master of Shanyang Prefecture is finally making a move against us?" a hulking man asked, his voice booming.
The man had a swarthy complexion and thick brows. His body was a mass of corded muscle, giving him the appearance of a wild beast.
He was Zhang San, the Fourth Master of the stronghold and one of its fiercest warriors.
The moment he finished speaking, the expressions of the dozen other masters in the room shifted in unison.
If the Mansion Master of Shanyang Prefecture was truly making a move against them, it wouldn’t matter how many powerful Martial Artists they had. They could crush a County Government Guard Army, yes, but Shanyang Prefecture’s elite Guard Army—to say nothing of the Mansion Master himself—could annihilate them with ease.
"Hmph. That old fool Zhu fails to see which way the wind is blowing. He dares to oppose the Prince? One day, I’ll see to it that he dies without a place for burial."
Feng Lie, the First Master of Tenglong Stronghold, spoke with a chilling coldness.
He knew that even with the support of the Blood Dragon Platform, he couldn’t truly stand against the master of an entire prefecture.
However, the Mansion Master was still wary of the Blood Dragon Platform. Otherwise, the ones sent here today wouldn’t have been a group of mere Martial Scholars, but the Prefecture City’s elite Guard Army.
Therefore, since the enemy had brought the fight to their doorstep, they could not afford to show mercy.
As it happened, this latest batch of "goods" was still missing a few key "materials."
And now, they had delivered themselves right to his doorstep.
"Seal off Boundary Mountain. Capture all the rats that have snuck in," Feng Lie ordered, a cold glint in his eyes.
"Yes!"
At once, all the bandit leaders in Juyi Hall acknowledged the order in unison and departed.
Immediately, the thunder of drums echoed.
From the four corners of the stronghold—east, west, south, and north—horns began to sound.
As the sound carried, troop after troop of bandits swarmed out into the open.