In the dense forest, the bck, ht man and the young eagle-nosed man, both poised and ready for a, were stunned upon witnessing Zhao Heng's battle power.

  Sihe beginning of the servant assessment, they had never cshed with Zhao Heng.

  The only information they had gathered about him was from Elder Liu, who had told them that Zhao Heng had reached the sixth level of Body Tempering a month ago.

  Although Zhao Heng had previously dispyed his skills, killing five people, the two had attributed it to the effects of quicklime and Softening Powder, dismissing his strength entirely.

  However, the moment they engaged in bat, Zhao Heng’s power far exceeded their expectations.

  The sheer strength and speed he demonstrated could only be achieved by a martial artist at the ninth level of Body Tempering.

  But how could he possibly have reached the ninth level from the sixth level in just one month?

  What they didn’t know was that Zhao Heng’s true cultivation was actually at the eighth level of Body Tempering, and he had just broken through st night.

  However, due to the perfected version of the Qing Song Teique, his vitality was far greater than that of others at the same level, allowing him to dispy strength equivalent to a ninth-level Body Tempering martial artist.

  Sihe battle had begun, Zhao Heng wasn’t going to offer any expnations.

  He pushed his inner vitality to the extreme, the perfect cycle of the Qing Song Teique accelerating rapidly. His attacks grew fiercer, and the bck, ht man found himself uo keep up.

  "Spirit Wind Palm!"

  The man shouted, transf his fist into a palm. His palms alternated in rapid succession, creating a gust of wind that was as fast as lightning.

  At this critical moment, the bck, ht man disregarded the strain on his vitality and unleashed a set of inferirade martial skills.

  Though he was only a beginner, among martial artists of the same level who hadn't trained in martial teiques, he still held an advantage.

  Unfortunately for him, Zhao Heng showed no mercy.

  "Crackstone Fist!"

  Zhao Heng ched his fists tightly, his feet firmly pnted as though rooted to the ground. He struck with fists that felt as powerful as a colpsing mountain!

  "Boom…!"

  The fists and palms collided head-on with a deafening sound, but Zhao Heng stood firm, unyielding.

  The bck, ht man’s palms felt as if they had been shocked by electricity. His body staggered backward, his face flushed as he felt his vitality almost overturned by a tremendous force.

  Taking advantage of this, Zhao Heng followed up with a heavy sed punch aimed directly at the man’s throat.

  The bck, ht man’s pupils tracted, fear fshing in his eyes.

  Just then, a figure darted forward.

  "Crushi Cw!"

  It was the eagle-nosed young man who made his move.

  His cw struck out with a sharpness akin to a knife, more powerful than the bck, ht man's Spirit Wind Palm.

  "Bang!"

  The fist and cw cshed, causing Zhao Heng to stagger slightly. Five blood marks appeared on his fist, causing a dull pain.

  Yet the eagle-nosed young man was forced to retreat several steps, his fiwitg as his entire arm began to feel numb.

  The impact from that strike had felt like he was g at solid stone, his fingers nearly breaking.

  "How this be? This guy is also using the Crackstone Fist, which is only an inferirade teique. How does it have such power? Could it be that he has already cultivated it to the Lesser Mastery stage?"

  The eagle-nosed young man couldn’t fathom this, but Zhao Heng had indeed improved the Crackstone Fist to an intermediate level of the inferirade. Its power and level were leagues ahead of its inal form.

  "Let's attack together! We must kill him!"

  At this point, the eagle-nosed young man was no longer merely following Elder Liu’s orders.

  If Zhao Heng wasn’t killed today, even if he wasn’t killed by Zhao Heng himself, having such a sinister and ruthless enemy would turn every night into a nightmare.

  In the moment, the bck, ht man and the eagle-nosed young man unched a joint assault.

  Oacked with palms like a raging storm, while the other swung cws like a razor. They came at Zhao Heng from both sides.

  Faced with their encirclement, Zhao Heng's eyes gleamed with sharpness. He didn’t retreat but advanced, meeting their attack with his Crackstone Fist, r forward like the wind.

  Although Zhao Heng could be anxious and worried, often fearing that someone might try to harm him, it didn’t mean he was timid.

  On the trary, in order to elimihese aies, he would go to ahs, even at the cost of his enemies’ lives, to deal with those who posed a threat to him.

  In an instant, the three of them were locked in bat.

  Fag the dual assault of two martial artists at the ninth level of Body Tempering, Zhao Heng’s vitality circuted at full speed. He swung his fists, attag with one on each side, pushing the Crackstone Fist to its maximum power. He used the raw force of his strikes to ter their numerous and tricky attacks.

  For a moment, the three of them fought fiercely, with Zhao Heng using one against two, barely holding his ground.

  At this point, the modified Qing Song Teique and the Crackstone Fist’s power were fully unleashed.

  The perfected version of the Qing Song Teique was not only strohan the inal, but the circution path of his vitality was also shortened by several times.

  This meant that Zhao Heng’s internal circution was much faster than others, making his vitality far thicker and more enduring.

  In trast, the bck, ht man and the eagle-nosed young man were forced tute their breathing during the intetle, giving Zhao Heng the opportunity to keep up with both of their assaults at the same time.

  As for the Crackstone Fist, its power was self-evident, and Zhao Heng had noticed that the modification of the Crackstone Fist seemed to have been tailored specifically to his dition by the Dao Seed Dice.

  inally a martial art based on the earth’s strength, the teique, when Zhao Heng used it at full force, had developed an almost endless flow, an unbroken rhythm.

  This perfectly plemehe Qing Song Teique within him, further boosting its power.

  The bined efforts of the two still couldn’t defeat Zhao Heng.

  What was even worse was that the two noticed that the Softening Powder’s poison, which they had been suppressing with their vitality, was starting tainst them. Their bodies began to feel weak and soft.

  With the ongoing loss of their strength, their situation was being increasingly perilous.

  At that moment, Zhao Heng suddenly reached into his clothes and pulled out two bags of powder. g his fists, he struck.

  The powder in his left hand was gringly bright, a bag of quicklime, while the powder in his right hand was colorless and odorless but taihe highly toxic Softening Powder.

  Taking advantage of the goggles a cloths he had prepared, Zhao Heng recklessly released the poison.

  The bck, ht man and the eagle-nosed young man were left helpless. They couldn’t dodge, nor could they take the hit. Frustration nearly made them want to vomit blood.

  Feeling their bodies growing increasingly soft and weak, with the poison no longer manageable, they were filled with fear and began to pte escape.

  But it was already too te. Their legs cked strength, and they couldn’t run fast enough.

  In that moment, Zhao Heng acted like a hunter closing in on his prey, striking out with deadly force.

  No longer b to use the Crackstone Fist, he drew his bck gold-leopard-head knife from his waist and charged forward, swiftly sshing their throats, one by one.

  Looking at the two who had now pletely died, Zhao Heng wiped the sweat from his forehead a out a long breath.

  "Ha... finally took care of you two."

  In order to deal with the dangers in today’s assessment, Zhao Heng had pushed himself to reach the eighth level of Body Tempering ht, leaving many precautions in pce.

  This included spending a siderable amount of Xuan Crystal at the Merit Hall to purchase materials such as Blood Spirit Wood a Repellent Liquid.

  Though it had been costly, it was worth it as he had successfully elimihose who wished to harm him. Now, he could finally feel some peace.

  "Wait... Liu Hong, I must make him disappear food before I truly rex."

  Zhao Heng muttered to himself. He didn’t dare to stay on the spot for too long. Quickly, he used corpse powder to hahe bodies of the seven me.

  He then swiftly collected their belongings, packages, and that rge bag full of "beast ears," taking it all with him.

  Zhao Heng couldn’t help but feel uneasy as he moved, sensing that something was watg him. It felt as though a pair of eyes were secretly him from the shadows, making him unfortable.

  However, Zhao Heng didn’t make any overt reas to the sensation.

  After gathering the spoils of war and clearing the se, he quickly moved on, heading deeper into the forest.

  He walked for several miles, yet the feeling of being watched persisted.

  Zhao Heng furrowed his brow, making his way toward a rge tree. He drew his bck-gold leopard-head knife and started digging a small hole in the ground, before stuffing a bag into the hole.

  While w, he muttered to himself.

  "I’ve taken care of all these people. If I take their belongings out now and someone finds out, it’ll be a hassle. I’ll bury everything here for now and e back for it after the assessment is over."

  Zhao Heng carefully buried the package, then used a round stone sb to cover the hole, marking it as a reminder.

  Ohe task was done, Zhao He a sense of aplishment and finally let out a breath of relief.

  But just as he rexed his body, a sudden, sharp sound cut through the air.

  "Swish, swish, swish...!"

  From the dense forest behind him, three cold rays shot out simultaneously, aiming straight for the back of Zhao Heng’s head, his neck, and his tailbone.

  These three rays were unbelievably fast, striking at awkward angles. Within moments, they were only a few feet away from Zhao Heng, almost impossible to dodge!

  Zhao Heng’s senses were sharply attuo the danger, and in an instant, his body reacted.

  His hands moved in a blur, grabbing the bck-gold leopard-head k his waist. With a swift, almost imperceptible movement, he turo face the ining cold rays.

  The three projectiles were a blur of light, but Zhao Heng’s speed was far beyond what his oppos had expected. As the rays closed in, his body seemed to move with a fluid grace, evading the direct path of the strikes.

  He could feel the danger of the three attacks, each targeting a vital point with deadly precision. There was no room for error.

  Zhao Heng’s heart raced as his instincts kicked in. He shifted his weight a his knees slightly, preparing to use the full power of his physical strength and his martial arts skills to deal with the threat.

  With one motion, he sidestepped the first ray aimed at his head and swung the bck-gold leopard-head knife in a wide arc, blog the sed attack that was headed for his neck.

  The knife’s bde cshed against the cold ray with a sharp sound, creating sparks in the air. He twisted his wrist, redireg the attack to the side.

  But just as he thought he had deflected the first two, the third ray was already bearing down on him from behind. Zhao Heng’s eyes widened in surprise. He had misjudged the speed, and the third strike was ing far too fast.

  In a desperate move, Zhao Heng rolled forward, dodging at the st sed, but the ray grazed his shoulder, leaving a thin, deep cut that stung like fire. His muscles burned with pain as the poison from the Softening Pan to affect his body, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it.

  The assaint who had uhe attack was already stepping forward, their figure emerging from the shadows. It was a man with a menag grin, his eyes filled with malicious i.

  "You’re quite fast," the man said with a ugh, his voice cold and mog. "But you're still too slow."

  Zhao Heng narrowed his eyes. This man was no ordinary oppo. His aura was terrifying, and he could tell that the man was a martial artist at the ninth level of Body Tempering, much like the bck, ht man and the eagle-nosed youth. However, his skill was on a different level—much more refined and deadly.

  "Who are you?" Zhao Heng asked, his voice low, his eyes sing for an opening.

  The man simply smiled and raised his hand, showing a pair of gleaming daggers, their edges refleg the light in the forest.

  "I'm your worst nightmare," the man replied, his grin widening as he prepared for atack.

  The man with the gleaming daggers stepped forward, closing the distaween them in a heartbeat. Zhao Heng’s heart raced as he assessed the situation. The man’s movements were smooth and calcuted, showing no signs of hesitation or doubt. Zhao Heng could tell this was someoh real skill.

  Without wasting any more time, the man luoward Zhao Heng with a burst of speed, his daggers sshing toward Zhao Heng’s chest.

  Zhao Heng’s muscles tensed, ready to react. He couldn’t afford to be distracted by his wound. His body moved with precision, narrowly dodging the man’s first strike, then tering with a punch from his left hand, aiming for the man’s exposed side.

  But the man was too quick. He twisted his body, dodging the punch with ease, and sshed with his daggers in a swift, deadly arc. The sound of the bdes cutting through the air was like a death knell.

  Zhao Heng’s instincts screamed at him to move, and he spun, narrowly avoiding the attack that would have split his ribs. As the man followed through with another deadly swipe, Zhao Heng’s hand shot out, grabbing the dagger’s hilt with lightning speed. The force of the strike caused his muscles to scream in protest, but Zhao Heng held on, refusing to let go.

  The twled in the middle of the forest, their every move a dance of life ah. Zhao Heng’s body ushed to its limits as he parried, blocked, and tered with the bck-gold leopard-head knife.

  He could feel the pain from the earlier strike, the poison from the Softening Powder slowly w its way through his system, but he refused to let it slow him down. He was determio win this battle.

  With a surge of energy, Zhao Heng pushed the man back, breaking free from their deadly stalemate. He stepped back, eyeing the man warily.

  "You’re a skilled fighter," Zhao Heng said through gritted teeth. "But it won’t be enough to take me down."

  The man smiled, a cold, twisted grin. "We’ll see about that."

  With a roar, the man lunged again, his daggers fshing through the air with deadly precision. Zhao Heng’s eyes narrowed, his body coiling with anticipation. He was ready.

  The man surged forward with terrifying speed, his daggers slig through the air in a deadly arc aimed directly at Zhao Heng's chest and throat. The fshing bdes came at him with uing force, as if they were trying to tear through the very fabric of his being.

  Zhao Heng’s heart pounded, and his mind raced, calg his move. He could feel the poison from the Softening Powder spreading, his body growing heavier, but it only served to fuel his determination. He had no iion of losing here, not when he was so close to his goal.

  With a swift pivot, Zhao Heng twisted his body, narrowly dodging the first dagger that came for his chest. The sed dagger aimed for his throat, but Zhao Heng used his bck-gold leopard-head ko intercept the strike. Sparks flew as the daggers cshed against the knife’s bde.

  The impact sent a shockwave through Zhao Heng’s arm, but he gritted his teeth and pushed forward, his own on striking with deadly force. He swung the leopard-head knife in a wide arc, aiming for the man’s exposed side.

  But the man was fast. He sidestepped, his eyes gleaming with malice. The battle was far from over.

  Zhao Heng didn’t hesitate. He khis would be a fight to the death. He pressed forward with renewed ferocity, his body moving like a blur as he unleashed a series of rapid strikes with the bck-gold leopard-head knife. Each blorecise, calcuted, desigo find an opening.

  The man was quick to respond, his daggers fshing like lightning as he parried and tered with terrifying skill. The forest seemed to hold its breath as the two batants cshed, each strike eg through the trees.

  Zhao Heng could feel the strain on his body as the poison from the Softening Pan to take its toll. His movements were slower, less fluid, but he refused to give up. His instincts were sharpened, his mind clear, and his resolve strohan ever.

  As they fought, Zhao Heng’s thoughts fshed back to the tless hours of training, the trials he had overe, the battles he had won. All of it had led to this moment. This was his test, his time to prove himself.

  With a sudden surge of strength, Zhao Heng pushed the man back, creating a brief opening. The man faltered for just a split sed, but it was enough.

  Zhao Heng didn’t hesitate. He lunged forward with all his remaining strength, his leopard-head knife sshing in a deadly arc toward the man’s throat.

  The man’s eyes widened in shock, realizing too te that he had been outmaneuvered. The leopard-head k through the air with deadly precision, and in an instant, the bde was at the man’s throat.

  [--------------------------------------------]

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