Chapter 12: The Death Canyon

Taking advantage of the night, the two of them briefly explored the area where they had landed.

When dawn arrived, they walked toward the nearest building.

To avoid exposing their identities as trainees, the two deliberately disguised themselves before setting out and changed into ragged clothes.

Upon reaching the building, seeing their shabby attire, they were immediately stopped by a man at the entrance.

"New here? What crime did you commit?"

Qiangu Changkong feigned humility and said, "It's not that we committed a crime; our family members committed a grave offense, and we were implicated, which is why we were exiled here."

"Big Brother, what place is this? Can we go in and beg for a drink of water?"

The burly man scrutinized the two.

He could sense that Wu Qi possessed an air of "nobility," clearly the child of a wealthy family. As for Qiangu Changkong, he looked like a lackey.

Since they were aristocratic children, there must be some profit to be squeezed out of them.

The burly man crossed his arms over his chest and said indifferently, "If you want to survive here, the Badge is currency."

This was not strange; criminals who already possessed a Badge could only leave this place after obtaining a Golden Badge.

Those without a Badge, upon obtaining a Golden Badge, would then need to kill other criminals to obtain a Badge of the corresponding color.

To the Spirit Hall, making them kill each other internally was the only way to prevent these people from gathering and rioting.

After all, everyone who could enter this place was a heinous criminal!

Qiangu Changkong quickly said, "That's not right, everyone only has one Badge, what do we use after the transaction is finished?"

The burly man sneered, "Use it now, and later just kill someone else to snatch another one. The money exchanged for one Badge is enough for you to live here for over half a year."

Qiangu Changkong wanted to negotiate further, but saw Wu Qi step forward.

This place was like a castrated version of Slaughter City, where the law of the jungle was played out to the fullest.

If they showed weakness now, endless trouble would await them.

"Judging by your aura, you should be a Great Spirit Master?"

Wu Qi's gaze was cold, which made the burly man very dissatisfied, "What? Want to snatch a Badge from me?"

As he spoke, he rubbed his fists.

Wu Qi and Qiangu Changkong's ages meant they were at most low-level Great Spirit Masters; in front of him, a peak Great Spirit Master, they were not worth looking at.

Seeing that the two brats were dissatisfied with his proposal, he couldn't be bothered to waste words.

Getting his hands on two Tokens in one go meant he could live in luxury for a long time to come, and maybe even play with women.

Wu Qi nodded slightly, his gaze sharpening, and he said expressionlessly, "Be a good person in your next life, and don't commit crimes again."

As he spoke, his fingers transformed into sharp blades.

His eyes fixed slightly, and the flow of the surrounding air was clearly visible to him. Finding the gap in the air current, his fingers swept across the burly man's throat with extreme speed and zero resistance.

After finishing all this, he took a handkerchief from his pocket and gently wiped the bloodstains from his fingertips.

Transforming hands into blades was an innate ability of his martial soul; the burly man was not strong and collapsed on the spot.

The burly man covered his throat with both hands, blood gushing out continuously; he wanted to speak, but could not make a sound.

Seeing this scene, Qiangu Changkong felt his scalp tingle and turned his head to ask, "You killed him just like that, don't you feel creeped out?"

At this moment, he could not help but re-evaluate Wu Qi.

When the other party was at the academy, he appeared amiable, but he never expected that in private, he was a guy who killed without blinking.

Wu Qi shook his head slightly, "Your grandfather still dotes on you too much; you'll get used to it after experiencing it a few more times."

During his three hunts for a Soul Ring, Qingluan Douluo made him see blood every time; as time passed, he got used to it and became indifferent to it.

Kicking Qiangu Changkong, Wu Qi urged, "Take his Badge."

The commotion from that scene just now wasn't large, but quite a few people had gathered in front of the building; having casually killed a Great Spirit Master, the looks these people gave Wu Qi were filled with fear and vigilance!

After fishing a White Badge from the burly man, the two walked into the building.

This seemed to be a tavern, with several men sitting inside drinking. Hearing the commotion outside the door, they couldn't help but look at the newcomers with higher regard.

"You violated the rules!" the tavern waiter walked up and said coldly.

Wu Qi countered, "What rules?"

The tavern waiter said, "This is the territory of the Third Master; fighting is forbidden, and killing is forbidden!"

Qiangu Changkong's eyes rolled, and he countered, "Did we kill anyone inside the tavern? No, we clearly only killed an eyesore outside the door; may I ask, where did we violate the rules?"

The tavern waiter's expression froze.

Strictly speaking, the other party had indeed not violated the rules.

But as a subordinate of the Third Master, being retorted to the point of being unable to step down, did he not have his pride?

Clap, clap~

A round of applause came from behind, "The two young brothers are right; since you didn't make a move inside the tavern, how can there be any talk of violating rules?"

Turning around to look, a young man in white robes had arrived at the tavern entrance.

In such a place filled with slaughter, his white robes were not stained with any dust, which spoke for itself.

The tavern waiter seemed very afraid of the young man before him and immediately bowed and retreated.

"How should I address the two friends?"

The white-robed young man walked up with a smile, followed by several men who scanned every corner of the tavern with their eyes.

Wu Qi cupped his hands, "Tian Rangju."

Qiangu Changkong quickly said, "Qin Zhangkong."

They could not rule out that their names had already appeared in this canyon. To be safe, it was better to use aliases.

The young man bowed, "I am Han Ming. I wonder if the two young brothers would be willing to sell that Badge to me?"

As he spoke, he held up three fingers, "I am willing to offer three hundred Transaction Coins."

Wherever there are people, there is the pugilistic world.

After years of development, a unique social system has long since evolved within Death Canyon.

Transaction Coins are the currency here; the value of three hundred Transaction Coins is equivalent to thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins.

Hearing of such a massive transaction, the guests in the tavern could not help but gasp.

"These two kids must have hit the jackpot, getting so much money right after arriving."

"Young Master Han is truly generous; three hundred Transaction Coins are enough to hire a killer to take out any Soul Elder powerhouse!"

Qiangu Changkong was deeply tempted by this.

A single white Badge is a drop in the bucket compared to the mission requirements.

Moreover, since Wu Qi had set his targets on Soul Elders and Soul Ancestors, there was indeed no need to keep the white Badge.

On the contrary, Wu Qi seemed to oppose this transaction.

Having never met before, to offer them such a huge favor right off the bat—Han Ming must have ulterior motives for the future.

This was just for training, not for putting down roots and living here; there was no need to interact with too many people, especially a powerhouse of unknown strength like this.

Perhaps guessing his concerns, Han Ming laughed it off, "There is no rush for the transaction; would you two young brothers be willing to have a chat with me?"

Qiangu Changkong's gaze shifted to Wu Qi, waiting for him to make the call.

In her letter, Hu Liena's introduction to this place was very vague. Furthermore, the mission they accepted was not the same as the one Hu Liena and the others had. Some detailed issues could only be explored by themselves.

"Fine!"

Wu Qi agreed.

(End of this chapter)