34: Big Fish

The reason for such suspicion was mainly that newly ranked geniuses were highly likely to be targeted by Bounty Hunters.

For instance, Chu Daoxi, who ranked first on the bounty list, had a generous bounty, but the difficulty of killing him was also extremely high.

Most Bounty Hunters who went after him would simply be delivering themselves to death.

Therefore, very few Bounty Hunters would target Chu Daoxi.

In comparison, newly ranked geniuses were undoubtedly much easier to kill.

Although their bounties were not as high as those top-ranked geniuses, they were still substantial.

Most importantly, killing them was relatively easy and not difficult.

Thus, many Bounty Hunters' primary targets would be these newly ranked geniuses.

Now, no one could guarantee whether Cen Qingci had already been targeted by Bounty Hunters.

After all, with the powerful disguise abilities of Bounty Hunters, it was difficult to see through their disguises before they made their move.

Perhaps there were already Bounty Hunters hidden among the crowds, watching their prey.

Xiao Shi's gaze swept across the crowd.

"Perhaps… I can try!"

With a raised hand, he took out a talisman from his storage bag.

It was the Enemy Detection Talisman!

The purpose of this talisman was to detect hostility!

As long as this Enemy Detection Talisman was affixed to one's body, it could detect all hostility within three hundred meters around them.

This hostility did not necessarily have to be directed at Xiao Shi to be detected.

As long as hostility existed, no matter who it was directed at, it would be detected once it was within the three-hundred-meter range.

Of course, this was only effective for those in and below the Entering Martial Realm.

It was ineffective for those above the Entering Martial Realm.

Xiao Shi then discreetly affixed this Enemy Detection Talisman to his right leg.

A glint flashed in his eyes.

His gaze immediately swept towards the crowd.

He immediately spotted a middle-aged man in the crowd, dressed plainly, with a dull expression, and unlikely to attract attention. Above his head, a huge red light sphere was forming.

Whenever such a red light sphere appeared above someone's head, it indicated the presence of hostility.

The larger the light sphere, the stronger the hostility.

Judging by the enormous size of the light sphere above this man's head, his hostility was extremely strong, and his gaze was entirely fixed on Cen Qingci, clearly indicating that his hostility was directed at Cen Qingci.

Although Xiao Shi could not directly confirm that the person was a Bounty Hunter based on this alone, he realized that this person was very suspicious.

Xiao Shi walked through the crowd with a normal expression, and as he passed the dull middle-aged man, he discreetly left a mark on him.

"Whether he is a Bounty Hunter or not, we'll know by watching."

In the time that followed, Xiao Shi focused on observing the man's every move.

As long as the man was within three li of him, Xiao Shi could sense him through the mark, and even if he was out of sight, he could always keep track of all his movements.

After observing, Xiao Shi became increasingly certain that the man had a problem.

He found that this dull middle-aged man basically appeared wherever Cen Qingci would appear.

Just as Xiao Shi was observing his every move, he was also observing Cen Qingci's every move.

Previously, Xiao Shi had only been suspicious.

Now… he felt that this man was most likely a Bounty Hunter!

"No wonder there were instances where Bounty Hunters successfully assassinated targets in Jin Yun City and escaped unscathed in the past; such a disguise… is indeed astonishing!"

Xiao Shi was deeply moved by this.

If it weren't for the Enemy Detection Talisman, even if he suspected Cen Qingci had been targeted by a Bounty Hunter, he wouldn't have been able to find this dull middle-aged man in the crowd.

The opponent's disguise not only completely made him appear as an ordinary, unremarkable person, but most terrifyingly, his entire cultivation was concealed within the disguise.

If it weren't for the mark Xiao Shi had placed on him, which allowed him to sense the fluctuations of qi and blood within the opponent's body, he wouldn't have been able to tell… this was a Bounty Hunter with an Entering Martial Realm Eighth Level cultivation!

"An Entering Martial Realm Eighth Level coming to kill an Entering Martial Realm Seventh Level inherently has a cultivation advantage. If it's a sneak attack… the chances of success would be even higher!"

Xiao Shi analyzed in his mind.

The Bounty Hunters of the Senluo Organization have always been known for assassination.

They don't care about martial ethics.

In their eyes, there is only slaughter.

Killing targets by any means necessary!

They stop at nothing.

At the same time, they are incredibly cautious.

Even if they have an absolute lead in cultivation, they will conduct various observations before making a move, looking for the most suitable moment to strike.

If they don't strike, so be it, but once they do, it will be a sure kill!

Xiao Shi kept track of the opponent's every move through the mark.

He also analyzed whether he could kill this Bounty Hunter.

In Xiao Shi's eyes, this person was undoubtedly a big fish!

Especially for Xiao Shi, who currently had no suitable target to kill, this big fish was quite plump.

After all, if he wanted to obtain dropped items by killing, he could only kill those who caused trouble in the city.

But such people were inherently rare, and it was difficult to encounter even one. Even if he did, they might be Martial Warriors with relatively low cultivation.

Just like the Entering Martial Realm Fourth Level Martial Warrior he killed before, after killing him, only a bottle of not-very-useful healing fluid dropped.

What Xiao Shi lacked now were heavenly treasures!

What he lacked were pills that could enhance his aptitude and comprehension, thereby accelerating his cultivation speed.

What he lacked were killing weapons that could allow him to unleash stronger power in battle!

These things… were more likely to drop when killing powerful Martial Warriors of the Entrance to Martial Realm.

Now, this Bounty Hunter was undoubtedly a suitable target to kill!

With his Entering Martial Realm Eighth Level cultivation, as long as he was killed… the chances of high-quality items dropping were very high.

Perhaps he could even drop the things he needed.

This made Xiao Shi somewhat eager to act.

However, his personality was cautious.

If he wasn't sufficiently confident, he would never act rashly.

"Entering Martial Realm Eighth Level… I haven't fought one yet. As a Bounty Hunter, this person's combat power must be stronger than that of an average Entering Martial Realm Eighth Level."

"And my advantage lies in being able to strike secretly…"

"If I can launch a full-power attack while he is unprepared, perhaps there's a chance to kill him directly."

Xiao Shi repeatedly pondered in his mind, weighing the pros and cons.

At the same time, he also considered many possible situations that could arise.

And based on these possible situations, he thought about the best countermeasures.

After a long period of deliberation, Xiao Shi concluded in his mind that he had about an eighty percent chance of killing him!

"I can try!"

A murderous glint flickered in his eyes.

Although he had a cautious personality, he also knew that not everything could have a hundred percent certainty.

Having an eighty percent certainty was already worth trying.

After making a decision, Xiao Shi began to make detailed plans.

Since he decided to kill, he had to ensure success. There was no reason not to eat a fish that came to his mouth.