Shi Nian stared at Lin Yang in front of him. Blood still lingered at the corner of his mouth, and the shock on his face had yet to fade.
"Lin… Lin Yang, what are you doing here?"
"Stop talking nonsense," Lin Yang tightened his grip even more. "I'm asking you — why didn't you come to kill me?"
Shi Nian was momentarily stunned.
He had spent most of his life killing geniuses. Some had knelt and begged for mercy, while others had resisted until death.
This was the first time he had encountered someone like Lin Yang who didn't follow the rules.
What was this?
Was this someone who wanted to die still chasing after answers?
Shui Bing'er, who had just woken up from the illusion, was momentarily dazed when she saw Lin Yang. She quickly understood what had happened.
A trace of gratitude flickered in her eyes.
"I…"
Shi Nian's lips twitched. He coughed up bloody foam and said in a low voice,
"I've heard of you."
"And then?"
"You're… stronger than I imagined. I have no confidence in suppressing you at all."
Shi Nian's voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of resentment.
The Residual Dream martial soul had many advantages.
Especially this illusion — it was powerful and realistic, could be used silently, and allowed one to kill without leaving any trace.
However, illusions were not a panacea.
The most obvious flaw was insufficient lethality.
As long as the opponent possessed strong mental power and a firm will, Shi Nian's Residual Dream martial soul would basically be destroyed.
In other words, it was only suitable for dealing with beginners.
If he encountered a soul master of equal strength or level, his illusions could only restrain the opponent for a short time.
In a head-on clash, his win rate would probably be 10/90.
Within a minute, Shi Nian would likely be cut into nine pieces.
For example, right now — before Lin Yang had even used much strength, Shi Nian was already lying on the ground.
"So you chose the easiest target?"
Lin Yang glanced at Shui Bing'er, who was still staring blankly around her, and revealed a mischievous smile.
Shi Nian remained silent. It was clear he had tacitly agreed.
Shui Bing'er glared at Shi Nian and cursed inwardly.
A coward who bullied the weak and feared the strong!
What's wrong with being weak? Did I eat your rice?
In the end, they were just trash who deserved to be expelled.
To be targeted by a pervert like you before even leaving home — you really had terrible luck.
Seeing Shui Bing'er's unpredictable expression, Lin Yang could guess just how many dirty words she was cursing in her heart right now.
Lin Yang chuckled. He raised his hand and placed it on Shi Nian's head, speaking calmly.
"In that case, it's about time for you to depart."
Shi Nian was initially surprised.
Wait a minute — he was a Soul Saint. Shouldn't he at least think about subduing him first?
However, when he saw the genuine killing intent in Lin Yang's eyes, he immediately showed signs of panic.
"Lin Yang, wait… wait a moment!"
Ignoring the intense pain in his chest, Shi Nian hurriedly begged for his life.
"Please spare me… please spare me! I'm willing to become your servant. I… I swear on my martial soul. From now on, I'll listen to whatever you say."
"Oh?"
Lin Yang raised an eyebrow, looking intrigued.
Seeing this, Shi Nian desperately tried to prove his value as if grasping at straws.
"Please believe me. I'll be very useful to you. I can even help you kill people…"
Seeing Lin Yang's indifferent attitude, Shi Nian grew anxious and desperately wanted to prove his worth.
But what could he do?
At that moment, Shi Nian caught a glimpse of Shui Bing'er out of the corner of his eye.
A sudden flash of inspiration struck him. He seemed to understand why Lin Yang was here.
A beautiful and elegant woman was the object of a gentleman's affection!
"I can help you win her over."
Shi Nian pointed at Shui Bing'er and spoke loudly with a slightly proud expression.
"I know you came here for Shui Bing'er. I can help you."
"My martial soul can hypnotize her and turn her into your female slave. That way, you can do whatever you want with her, and she won't remember anything afterward."
As he spoke, he subtly concentrated his spiritual power. His voice carried an alluring charm.
"Lin Yang, think about it carefully. She's the number one beauty of Sky Water Academy. How many men want to get close to her?"
When Shui Bing'er saw Shi Nian shamelessly and despicably trying to use her to save his own life, her eyes filled with rage. She wanted to tear him into eight pieces right then and there.
"If you help me, we can cooperate. You'll be able to get even more…"
Bang!
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Yang expressionlessly struck his forehead.
Shi Nian's eyes suddenly widened, filled with disbelief.
"Why…?"
"No reason. I just think you deserve to die."
With a "thud," Shi Nian collapsed powerlessly to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. A confused expression still lingered on his face.
He died without ever understanding why Lin Yang had wanted to kill him.
Why?
Lin Yang took out a handkerchief, carefully wiped his hands, then threw it onto Shi Nian's face.
And at this moment—
Shui Bing'er's face turned pale. She couldn't help but turn her head away and retch twice.
Lin Yang was momentarily stunned, then looked at Shui Bing'er.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Shui Bing'er waved her hand and tried her best not to look at Shi Nian's corpse.
She had only wanted to tear Shi Nian into eight pieces.
Seeing someone die right in front of her was a real event, but the physical disgust was still overwhelming.
Lin Yang watched Shui Bing'er's reaction with interest and said,
"You've never tried it before?"
Shui Bing'er naturally understood what Lin Yang meant and forced a smile.
"No. This is the first time I've seen something like a murder."
Moreover, she had never expected a Soul Saint to die so easily — let alone that it would be Lin Yang's doing.
She didn't think Lin Yang had done anything wrong.
On the contrary, she felt that the difference between her and Lin Yang wasn't just in cultivation level, but also in knowledge and experience.
She had been cultivating in the academy since she was young, protected by her aunt who served as the dean. She had never lacked resources for cultivation and had never needed to compete with others for anything.
She only needed to focus on cultivating without any interference.
However, today's events had made her realize that the world of soul masters wasn't as wonderful as she had imagined.
A relieved expression appeared on Shui Bing'er's face — the relief of having survived a disaster.
"I really have to thank you this time, Lin Yang. You saved my life."
If Lin Yang hadn't appeared, she wouldn't have known what kind of suffering she would have had to endure.
Thinking of this, Shui Bing'er felt a chill run down her spine, and her hatred toward Shi Nian grew even stronger.
The human heart was unpredictable!
Sometimes, humans could become filthier and more terrifying than soul beasts.
"What do you mean by 'fate'?" Lin Yang waved his hand.
"It was just a coincidence."
A coincidence?
A blush appeared on Shui Bing'er's pale face.
She had clearly heard Shi Nian's words.
Lin Yang had come here for her.
Had he been watching her this whole time?
Did he like her?
For a moment, Shui Bing'er was completely confused.
The gaze with which she looked at Lin Yang held complicated emotions that were difficult to put into words.
That bastard already had Dugu Yan and the others. Why did he still need to provoke her?
She wanted to refuse, but the words wouldn't come out.
Lin Yang had just saved her life. To reject him now… wasn't that a bit too cold?
Just as Shui Bing'er was still trying to process the situation, Lin Yang's voice rang out.
"Haha, found it!"
Shui Bing'er looked toward the sound and saw Lin Yang holding a seven-colored glowing orb in his hand.
This was… a spirit bone?
Shui Bing'er couldn't help but cover her mouth.
Could it be…?
The hostility in her gaze toward Lin Yang gradually grew stronger.
She wasn't stupid. Considering Lin Yang's series of actions, it was easy to imagine that his original goal had been this spirit bone.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
She had just happened to be that unfortunate cicada.
...