Chapter 124: Heartbeat

A flash of blade light.

The head of the fleeing Shi family member parted from his neck, soaring high into the air. When it hit the ground with a dull thud, it rolled twice. His face, frozen in shock and resentment, had eyes wide open.

"Next."

Su Jingxing picked up the card and turned to look at the entrance on the right side of the arena. Outside, a group of Shi family members stood waiting. Their faces were etched with horror, and their gazes toward Su Jingxing were filled with fear and malice.

The members of the "Anti-Shi Alliance," though all madmen who strapped bombs to their bodies, at least stood a chance of survival against anyone other than Su Jingxing. If they kept their distance and avoided the blast radius, they might only end up injured. But Su Jingxing was different. To face him was certain death. There were no exceptions.

It was a death-match, and no one wanted to step up. Yet, the martial tournament had reached its final phase, and the outcome was sealed. The Shi family had lost. To cut his losses, Shi Jinnian had deliberately sent these last ten Shi family members onto the arena to be slaughtered by Su Jingxing. Unsurprisingly, all ten were from collateral branches, and the least favored ones at that. The final five were not even ninth-grade martial artists; they were entirely ordinary people. As soon as they stepped onto the stage, they wept and begged for mercy, but Su Jingxing struck them down from a distance, sending them to meet their ancestors.

With that, the martial tournament ended with a fizzle. When Li Linzhou announced the conclusion of the matches, the audience of over a hundred thousand was still struggling to process what had happened.

"W-what’s going on? Why did it just end?"

"Yeah, the earlier fights were so heated—just 'Next' or 'Boom, boom, boom'—why is there no sound at the end?"

"Well, it’s not that there’s no sound; it’s just that the Lin family’s guest expert is too formidable. If he regained his strength and continued, the Shi family wouldn't have a single person capable of standing against him unless they sent out a fourth-grade master."

"The point is, even if they sent a fourth-grade master, they might not necessarily defeat the Lin family's guest!"

"Exactly. The guest is too strong. Although he is fourth-grade, he possesses innate divine strength. No one knows his true background; to attack rashly would only mean throwing one's life away."

"The result was already decided anyway—it was clearly a loss. Since that’s the case, why bother sending a fourth-grade expert? Better to lose ten low-level Shi family members than to have a clan fourth-grade master die or be severely wounded!"

"Tsk, tsk. You have to admit, Shi Jinnian is ruthless."

"Nonsense, that’s acting for the big picture, preserving the Shi family's core strength!"

...

Across the stands, the crowd buzzed with discussion. Anyone with a keen eye could see Shi Jinnian’s intention behind the calm, almost dull nature of the final ten matches: stop the losses! While most of the Shi family's mid-to-high-level martial power had been wiped out by Su Jingxing, their top-tier strength remained unscathed. Ji Min and Helian Xuezhen, those two fourth-grade experts, were merely retainers. The Shi family’s own fourth-grade masters had never once appeared. As long as they remained, the Shi family would not fall. The Li, Qi, Zhou, and Wang families dared not act rashly. If you kill a fourth-grade master on the spot, fine. But if one escapes, they become a ticking time bomb, and you never know when they might strike back. No one knew how many fourth-grade masters the Shi family truly possessed. Under these circumstances, who would dare move against them?

...

The remaining members of the "Anti-Shi Alliance" felt the frustration, but had no choice but to accept it.

"Overall, this plan was a success. Don't be discouraged," Shen Qian said in a closed office, clapping her hands to draw everyone's attention. "The Shi family hasn't fallen yet, and our battle isn't over. I hope everyone continues to work hard, accumulate strength, and strive to completely eliminate the Shi family next time!"

No one responded. All eyes were fixed on Su Jingxing. Everyone present knew clearly that if the Shi family was to be destroyed, it would ultimately depend on him. Relying on themselves, they wouldn't have a chance even in fifty more years. Shen Qian understood this well, and as she spoke, she looked at Su Jingxing as well.

"..."

Su Jingxing had intended to end the partnership right there, as the tournament was over. But after a moment's thought, he spoke up: "As you have all seen, Shi Jinnian is not the type to be impulsive or hot-headed. If he were, he couldn't have been the family head. As long as he is around, completely destroying the Shi family is impossible unless we have help from upper-third-grade masters, and more than one."

"Do we have upper-third-grade masters?"

"No!"

"Therefore, destroying the Shi family must be a long-term plan. Everyone, continue doing what you were doing." Su Jingxing paused, then added, "If there are any unexpected developments, you can contact me."

"Understood, we know what to do," Shen Qian said, delighted. "Don't worry, Senior. As soon as we find anything, we will notify you immediately!"

"..."

Fine. The "Anti-Shi Alliance" still had its uses, and staying in touch did more good than harm for Su Jingxing. Of course, if they ever thought of using him, they would only be courting their own deaths. Su Jingxing wouldn't mind collecting a few more cards.

...

Returning to the small courtyard at the foot of the mountain, Su Jingxing tallied his gains from the tournament. He had killed 79 people, and thus collected 79 functional cards. Since most were Shi family members, bloodline cards were the most numerous—49 of them, each containing "Three-Yin Candle Blood." He set those aside for now to check the others.

The remaining 30 cards came from the Shi family's guests and retainers. There were only two retainers, Ji Min and Helian Xuezhen, and both had dropped skill cards. Ji Min’s card contained a secret technique called "Sky-Piercing Cannon." This technique required the body to be used as a vessel and demanded immense physical constitution; when driven by true energy, it locked onto a target with the destructive power of a cannonball. When they fought, Ji Min had been glowing, relentlessly chasing Su Jingxing with this very technique.

As for Helian Xuezhen, the card contained a martial art: "Divine Firmament Spirit Control Art." Upon closer inspection, Su Jingxing discovered it was a top-tier control-type martial art. Spirit Control—it was for commanding spirit weapons! Even a first-grade master would covet such a technique. He didn't know where Helian Xuezhen had managed to collect it.

Yes, collect it—not master it. The "Divine Firmament Spirit Control Art" he picked up from Helian Xuezhen's corpse was not only incomplete, but it was also a mere fragment! If Su Jingxing wanted to master it, he had no idea how many years of deduction cards it would cost. So, despite his interest, he had to hold off on it for now.

Of the remaining 28 cards, 22 were true energy cards, ranging from 5 to 20 years of cultivation. The 6 skill cards were all martial arts. Five were decent but inferior to the "Hundred-Step King Fist," so he stored them away in his palm space. Only one martial art caught his eye and felt truly excellent:

"Void-Splitting Palm!"