Chapter 84

Zhou Hao’s sneer froze instantly, replaced by a chilling dread that rose from his very soul.

From that gray-white flame, he felt a destructive power capable of threatening his life!

This kid actually possesses such a brutal secret technique—one that sacrifices lifespan!

“This is madness!”

Just as Wang Teng’s secret technique was about to fully ignite, Lei Zhan stepped between them.

He clenched his hand, and a massive aura of the Venerable Realm crashed down upon Wang Teng.

The gray-white flame that had just surged upward was instantly smothered; the incantations swirling around Wang Teng dimmed at once.

“Puh—”

The secret technique was forcibly interrupted; Wang Teng suffered backlash, spitting out a mouthful of blood, his aura instantly withering, staggering as if he could barely stand—but the lifespan he had burned was finally preserved.

Lei Zhan’s stern gaze swept over Wang Teng: “This was merely a sparring match—how could Itachi use a secret technique that damages your foundation and burns your lifespan? Foolish!”

He then turned to Zhou Hao, whose face had gone pale, and declared: “Wang Teng illegally used a forbidden technique—the sparring match is over! Winner: Zhou Hao!”

Hearing this, Zhou Hao exhaled in relief, his back soaked in cold sweat.

He cast a complex glance at Wang Teng, who was being supported by Jiang Xia and Ye Lingxi; his earlier contempt vanished, replaced by a flicker of dread.

Had Lei Zhan not intervened, that blow—even if he could have blocked it—would have cost him dearly.

Though Wang Teng lost the match due to rule-breaking, no one dared underestimate this low-ranked fat boy anymore.

Forcing Zhou Hao into such a desperate state, even compelling a coach to intervene, proved the terrifying potential he possessed.

At the sidelines, Jiang Xia watched Wang Teng’s condition with both worry and anger: “Are Itachi insane? It was just a sparring match—Itachi nearly destroyed yourself!”

Wang Teng now wore an expression of dread himself: “This was my first time using this technique—I didn’t know the side effects were this severe. In an instant, I felt my life force drained completely!”

Jiang Xia’s tone grew grave: “Don’t use this technique again for now. After training camp ends, we’ll go to the Celestial Mechanism Pavilion and ask.”

He wiped his face and nodded heavily: “I understand. This technique’s too dangerous—I won’t dare use it again.”

Lei Zhan’s gaze swept across the entire field, his voice still stern: “The purpose of sparring is to gain experience—not to fight to the death!”

“Wang Teng, Itachi’ll run thirty more laps around the training ground as punishment—reflect deeply! Everyone else, resume training!”

Wang Teng didn’t dare delay; he immediately forced himself to turn and sprint toward the training ground.

Jiang Xia watched his back, silently sighing—the fat boy might be impulsive, but this unyielding spirit was rare indeed.

Lei Zhan turned to all of Class A and said: “Basic training and free sparring are temporarily concluded. Starting tomorrow, specialized instructors will train Itachi.”

“Training camp resources aren’t given for free—if Itachi want more credits and cultivation resources, Itachi must earn them yourselves.”

In the following days, Class A’s training entered a harsher, more diverse phase.

Besides Lei Zhan overseeing everything, other Venerable Realm instructors from different passes handled specialized training.

One instructor, a Celestial-class assassin from the Underworld, taught stealth, assassination, and anti-assassination techniques—requiring trainees to identify traps, conceal their aura, and deliver one-strike kills in complex environments.

Jiang Xia’s Sharingan held a decisive advantage in perception, while Wang Teng’s incantations excelled at creating chaos and obscuring detection.

A Sword Venerable from the Sword Tomb trained everyone in weapon usage and close-quarters combat.

Even non-sword cultivators gained profound insights into weapon handling and application.

The theoretical information classes were led by an Information Provider from the Celestial Mechanism Pavilion, who thoroughly analyzed the weaknesses, habits, and social patterns of various demonic beasts.

And the successes and failures of major battles throughout Shanhai Pass’s history, along with array formations and their counters.

Intense training, resource allocation, and the cultivators’ own efforts propelled everyone’s strength forward at breakneck speed.

Under this intense training, competition within Class A grew fiercer.

The weekly class ranking matches became the most critical event—every rise or fall in rank directly affected everyone’s interests.

The rule that resources favored the top forced every prodigy to remain utterly vigilant.

After his battle with Akatsuki Jin, Jiang Xia firmly established himself as the top cultivator in Class A—and indeed the entire training camp.

No one dared underestimate him because he came from within or had low cultivation.

He devoted most of his energy to cultivation, making the Spirit Liquid Pool and top-tier cultivation chambers his most frequent destinations.

The mysterious jade seal he obtained from the black market, after fusing with the jade pendant, had not shown direct offensive power—but it now resembled an invisible spiritual energy vortex, constantly nourishing his body.

Accelerating his absorption and transformation of external spiritual energy, his cultivation speed far surpassed ordinary cultivators.

Wang Teng also settled down, continuously cultivating to fully merge the Soul-Eating Scythe with his innate ability.

Half a month later, the training camp released its next team mission; Jiang Xia, Wang Teng, and others formed a squad and accepted a clearance mission.

【Clearance Mission: Outside Disha Pass, Black Wind Gorge. Recently, a large number of low-tier demonic beasts (mostly Rank 4 and 5) have gathered abnormally, suspected to be driven by a King-tier demonic beast. Objective: Eliminate the demonic beasts, determine the cause of the gathering, and if a King-tier beast is found, kill or mark it as circumstances permit.】

【Requirement: Execute in squads of 5–7 members. Class A trainees must serve as squad leaders.】

【Reward: Large amounts of credits awarded based on mission completion, number of demonic beasts slain, and their ranks.】

The morning after the Black Wind Gorge mission was announced, the assembly point east of Tianmen Pass was already bustling with noise.

Various squads converged one after another; the air buzzed with pre-battle tension and excitement.

【Ding~ System detects host approaching Black Wind Gorge】

【Mission released: Assist squad in completing training camp mission】

【Reward: Unknown】

Jiang Xia stood at the front of the squad, wearing a black combat uniform over which was draped a cloak embroidered with the Night Watcher emblem; his left Sharingan spun rapidly as he scanned other squads at the assembly point.

Of his six-member squad, five were Class A students from the Literary Academy.

“One more member missing,” Jiang Xia glanced at his wristwatch—only ten minutes remained until departure.

At that moment, a sharp sword qi sliced through the air; a young man in a white T-shirt walked forward calmly.

He had sharp eyebrows and star-like eyes; the longsword on his back radiated a chilling, razor-sharp aura—it was Du Gu Yun, second-ranked prodigy and the youngest Sword Venerable heir of the Sword Tomb.

“Apologies for being late,” Du Gu Yun nodded, his tone calm yet tinged with pride. “Chief Instructor assigned me to your squad—I’ll handle the main assault.”

Wang Teng raised an eyebrow, about to speak, but Jiang Xia silenced him with a glance.

“Welcome.”

Jiang Xia extended his hand. “I and Du Gu Yun will handle main assault; Ye Lingxi will control the battlefield and provide support; Ling Zhantian will lead frontal assault; Wang Shichen will manage spatial support and tactical analysis; Wang Teng will use incantations to disrupt and harvest kills. Any objections?”

Everyone nodded; Du Gu Yun added: “If we encounter a strong enemy, sword cultivators have greater burst power—the main assault should be mine.”

“Though Itachi held your own against Akatsuki Jin, sword cultivators still trust their own blades.”

His gaze locked onto Jiang Xia—not with disdain, but with unshakable confidence in himself.

Jiang Xia said nothing, merely raised his hand to check his wristwatch: “Depart.”