138: Chapter 138 We've Been Set Up

After asking other contestants he had eliminated and learning they hadn't encountered such a situation either, he began to feel a bit suspicious.

He must have been set up by someone.

"Whatever."

"Since it has been delivered to my doorstep, there is no reason not to eat it. It is just..."

He looked toward the deeper parts of the forest, where white mist swirled.

According to the rules, there should be a final trial area or gathering point in the center of the Spirit Realm.

Only by arriving there could one truly pass the preliminary screening and be qualified to face a Heroic Spirit to make a contract selection.

"My points should be enough; it is time to move toward the central region."

Su Chen assessed his condition.

"Those in the top tier of the leaderboard should have already set off."

Having said that, he shook the jade talisman in his hand.

The jade talisman emitted a soft white light. The light projected a translucent screen in front of him, which clearly displayed a simple leaderboard.

【 Current Spirit Realm Point Real-time Ranking (Top 100) 】

Xiao Yan - Points: 12875

Jiang Fengyu - Points: 1421

Jiang Luoli - Points: 1388

Zhang Jiayu - Points: 1355

He Xi - Points: 1310

...

Su Chen's name hung high at the top of the list, with points nearly ten times that of the second place, making it exceptionally eye-catching.

"Forget it. With these points, they won't be able to catch up even if they ride the fastest horses. It is better to go to the central area early; who knows, I might even snatch some good opportunities."

He then noticed that the name "Jiang Luoli" was ranked third on the list.

It seemed she was doing well and hadn't encountered any accidents.

This made him feel slightly more at ease.

...

Eastern Spirit Realm.

A young man wearing silver combat gear with an arrogant expression was currently severing the head of a fire lizard.

The jade talisman on his wrist flashed, and his points increased by 120.

He casually glanced at the leaderboard, his gaze habitually sweeping over the top few names.

When he saw "Xiao Yan," who was at the top of the list with an absurdly high number of points, his pupils constricted sharply.

"Xiao Yan?"

"Who is this?"

The young man was none other than Jiang Fengyu, who was second on the leaderboard.

He came from the Jiang Family of Jianghai City.

He had thought that apart from his rebellious "younger sister," he had no opponents in this Heroic Spirit Contract Ceremony.

The appearance of this "Xiao Yan" truly surprised him.

His points were almost ten times his own?

How could this be possible?

Not to mention the consumption during battles, even if one chased and killed monsters without a moment's rest, it would be absolutely impossible to reach this number.

Even if those veteran Rank 8 martial artists came in, it would be impossible to farm such high points in such a short time, unless...

"Unless he found a bug to farm points, or had some unknown special means."

Jiang Fengyu quickly defined the nature of this incident.

He absolutely did not believe that an unknown "Xiao Yan" could surpass him with real strength.

Just then, three young martial artists with equally strong auras landed near him.

It seemed they belonged to the same temporary squad as Jiang Fengyu.

They had also seen the leaderboard, and their faces were filled with shock and confusion.

"Young Master Jiang, look at this leaderboard..."

The leading youth leaned in and said in a low voice.

"This Xiao Yan is too bizarre."

"I've asked around, and no one has ever heard of this person; it's as if he appeared out of thin air."

"No one even knows which faction he comes from."

Another person immediately chimed in.

"Could he have used some illicit means, such as using family secret techniques to hide his strength, or bringing in an over-spec magical artifact?"

"Or... perhaps a Heroic Spirit is helping him in secret?"

Speaking of this, the youth who had spoken felt his own idea was too bold.

How noble were the Heroic Spirits? How could they possibly condescend to help an ordinary young martial artist with no background?

Jiang Fengyu snorted coldly.

"What kind of status do the Heroic Spirits have? How could they break the rules for him? If there really was help involved, I would do a handstand and eat three jin of dirt."

"However..."

A cold glint flashed in his eyes.

"No matter what means he uses, that first-place position is not so easy to sit in."

"In the Spirit Realm trial, what ultimately matters is strength and luck."

He deliberately emphasized the word "luck," implying something.

The scarred man and the others exchanged glances, all understanding Jiang Fengyu's meaning.

In the Spirit Realm, within the scope of the rules, snatching others' points is tacitly permitted.

If they could find this "Xiao Yan," defeat him, and take his jade talisman...

Even if they weren't Xiao Yan's match in a one-on-one fight, they had the numbers.

When that time came, Jiang Fengyu would eat the meat, and they would be able to drink some soup, right?

The huge benefits made people's hearts race.

Just as the group was each harboring their own thoughts, calculating how to find and "meet" this mysterious top-ranked person.

From the shadows of the jagged, strange rocks all around, several pitch-black figures erupted without any warning.

Their entire bodies were shrouded in wide black robes, and they wore ferocious ghost masks on their faces.

The aura on these people was cold and obscure, completely out of place with the vibrant environment of the Spirit Realm.

"Who are you?!"

Jiang Fengyu reacted the fastest.

As a member of the Jiang Family, Jiang Fengyu naturally used a blade as well.

His silver long blade unsheathed instantly, slashing toward those who were attempting to approach him.

However, the black figure did not dodge or avoid it.

It simply extended a claw covered in black scales and grabbed fiercely.

"Crack!"

Jiang Fengyu's blade light, which was powerful enough to split stones, was actually crushed by that black claw.

Even his fine blade, bestowed upon him by his elders in the Jiang Family, was snapped in half.

Almost simultaneously, the other two follower martial artists didn't even have time to react before they were approached by two other black figures.

A fist covered in black bone spurs pierced through one person's chest, while the other was grabbed from behind by a black figure and had his neck twisted off.

Blood sprayed, and their lives were instantly extinguished.

Even the jade talismans on their wrists dimmed at the exact moment they were killed.

The two of them didn't even have the chance to trigger their life-saving teleportation; they just died here for real.

"No... impossible!"

The third youth was scared out of his wits and turned to run.

But a black figure appeared in front of him like a ghost, and a withered palm pressed onto his forehead.

"Soul Search."

The third youth's body trembled violently, his eyes rolling back.

Strange wheezing sounds came from his mouth, and a moment later, he collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

The black figure seemed to have obtained some information and nodded.

In the blink of an eye, three Rank 6 experts were killed instantly.

Even the life-saving jade talismans had failed.

Although Jiang Fengyu was still standing there unharmed, he was terrified at this moment.

Who were these people?

Not only was their strength far beyond Rank 7, but they were definitely older than twenty-five.

How did these people evade official supervision and enter the mirror?

Moreover, these people were ruthless and bizarre, able to shield or destroy the life-saving rules of the Spirit Realm.

Once they truly fell into their hands, let alone being eliminated, they probably wouldn't even be able to keep their lives.

"Who... who are you? What do you want?"