Chapter 16: Su Xing

The flame ignited in an instant.

Arrogance brooks not the slightest insult.

“Arrogant fool, you must apologize for defaming my brother and disgracing my family’s honor!!”

The six-armed paladin was instantly enraged, his crystal-like compound eyes fixed rigidly on the opponent, his pale face turning purple with rage.

“Apologize now, immediately, or I will wash the shame inflicted upon us with your blood.”

The accusation that his own younger brother was a murderer was utterly unacceptable to him.

“Ha, who’s the arrogant one? Everyone in the docks knows this—doesn’t the noble young master even bother to find out?”

The seemingly crude gangster pig-man’s provocative words carried a careful, probing edge.

“Lies!! How could that be possible!”

Everyone knew—and I didn’t?! In an instant, the paladin’s face flushed red—this was an absurd, outrageous lie.

“You filthy dockside gang boss, how dare you set foot in this sacred hall? Now you dare slander my kin with lies—if this were reality, I would have already issued a holy duel, and you, this desecrator, would bleed out right here!”

He even drew his sword outright.

“If you’re not a coward, leave your name!!”

He’s panicked—truly panicked. He’s resorted to obscure terms and is already planning a real-life showdown.

Morning light bathed his youthful face as he deliberately dispelled his mist, revealing an unnaturally handsome visage.

Arcane radiance glowed upon his lightened mithral armor; the six-armed knight looked mighty and formidable, and each of the single-handed swords at his waist bore a different colored enchantment.

Whether he was strong or not was unknown, but he was certainly rich.

“No, this isn’t a lie—the docks all know that Labol is a criminal.”

The one who responded was a third party: Talia S Daer , arranged by Li En.

At that moment, Talia and the pig-man reached an unspoken accord.

From their standpoint, they had to test whether the arachnid paladin was aware. They couldn’t possibly let a member of the enemy side slip in—especially not one tied to the werewolf’s QQ cheating group.

Even amid the quarrel, the candidates were still watching the attitude of the spirit above.

In the center of the theater stage, the spirit—a killing machine—yawned, watching the bickering below with keen interest.

“Good probe. Give them extra points.” As the judge, Li En had no intention of intervening; instead, he took out a small notebook and began scoring with interest.

He seemed to have no intention of interfering at all.

Li En didn’t act because Su Xing himself was this sadistic—he didn’t ring bells or stir the pot; Li En was the one holding back restraint!

“No, this can’t be true,” Paladine Lari’s face was filled with shock and disbelief—it wasn’t a fake performance; his personality truly seemed “paladin-like.”

Then again, if his family weren’t fools, they wouldn’t have told him.

Otherwise, as a paladin, he’d have been forced to choose between corruption or executing his own kin.

Now, having learned of this, he must make a choice.

“Diego Labol was publicly beheaded on Rainstone Street in the docks by a paladin; from his carriage, they recovered a sack of cursed tails sacrificed to a Xieshen . I was at the scene—the knight’s judgment was flawless.” Talia delivered the final blow calmly.

The arachnid knight’s face was filled with disbelief, then shame, then anger, and finally, he sighed.

Was he truly unaware? Unlikely—he probably knew at least something of his brother’s misdeeds.

On the night of the incident, the victim’s family met the perpetrator’s family—fate’s cruelty was too extreme.

“Ha, looks like our noble paladin lord knows exactly what kind of scum his brother is,” the pig-man struck again.

Lari’s face turned ashen; he could no longer speak, and lowered his sword.

Seeing his opponent’s hesitation, the seemingly simple-minded Suigou let out a silent laugh, finding it pointless now.

He first yawned, then scratched inside his ear.

“It’s common knowledge if you ask anyone in the docks—you nobles must’ve heard it too. Only you seem unaware.”

As an opponent who could shove a radiant knight into such a corner, the pig-man gangster (a commoner orphan with no surname) calling himself Suigou seemed far too ordinary.

Perhaps due to the depth of his daily work memories, he still dressed as a chef upon entering the Spirit Hall.

A bloodstained white shirt and pants; the only weapons he carried were two cleavers, equally stained with blood.

His build was sturdy yet slightly chubby, his jowls and wide eyes radiating menace, his hands covered in random tattoos.

Even as he joked, his lowered eyes never left Labol.

Unlike the “honest chef” Li En had seen at the funeral, this man looked every bit a “meat butcher”—not at all like a good person.

“This guy is actually sharp,” Li En, watching from above, had already seen through him.

His crude provocation had always been a probe—to test whether the paladin knew.

Once he confirmed the man’s innocence and simple nature, he immediately softened his tone, avoiding unnecessary enemies or driving others into opposition.

His actions were bold and decisive, yet his mind was meticulous, calm, and restrained—Li En gave him a high evaluation score.

Below, the arachnid paladin still looked like he’d lost his mind, the pig-man kept probing, the female officer stoked the fire, and the dragonkin girl happily watched the show—she even pulled out some snacks.

“That’s enough.”

Though watching the spectacle was enjoyable and he was gradually learning the candidates’ personalities,

to let the initiative slip away and become nothing more than a quest-giving NPC would be laughable.

“The story’s interesting, but tell it to me another time.”

At some point, a towering figure stood among them.

He carried a door-sized greatsword on his shoulder, and beneath his mask, his chin curled in a pleased smile.

“The night is late. Time for serious business. Now, begin my love’s teaching.”

Love’s teaching? What the hell?

But the next moment, they understood.

His sword arm vanished before their eyes; before they realized it was due to speed, a flash of silver light had already cut through the hall.

Silent, invisible—the world was split apart.

The world in their eyes tilted.

“Crack!”

When the door-sized greatsword sheathed again, the four were either stunned or furious, utterly unable to comprehend what had happened—yet on their bodies appeared a clean, dividing crimson slash.

Death arrived as scheduled.

“I’m bad with words, so I can only teach this simple way.”

The dying man’s gaze couldn’t kill, but the old man yawned and grinned cheerfully.

At the moment the candidates were about to die inexplicably, the bronze gears roared again.

“Crack.”

The next instant, the time gear reset—the Spirit Hall’s time rewound, and the four reappeared in their original positions, as if nothing had happened.

Only their faces—filled with terror, fury, or confusion—proved it had all occurred.

“Die ten times each.” In the utterly bewildered stares of his “disciples,” the spirit knight spoke words unfit for a human.

This was the inheritance. This was Su Xing’s teaching method.

Since death isn’t real, why bother with subtlety, adaptation, or restraint? Just beat it into them with your body.

Yes, this was all Su Xing’s habit—absolutely not Li En’s own enjoyment, and his desire to make others try it too.

So Li En was thrilled.

The candidates truly died.

Silvermoon, Half-Arc, Cleaver—massive greatswords wielded faster and more precisely than rapiers, quicker than spears, heavier than warhammers.

Split open, smashed to death, pierced through the heart—each death was different.

The pig-man resisted furiously; every death came face-first. The weakest, he died fastest—but screamed loudest, died most horribly.

The arachnid paladin tried to resist, his six arms weaving a sword dance—but still, he was pierced again and again.

The dragonkin girl kept running, trying to use her comrades as shields, throwing random objects in resistance—magic glows lit up the hall, yet it was all meaningless.

Talia also fought gritting her teeth, but she’d died so many times she was numb.

“The pig-man has decent talent, the little spider’s passable, the girl’s useless—this cop’s just filler.”

Will and character revealed themselves before death.

The pig-man grew angrier with each death; the arachnid paladin still resisted, never yielding; the little leopard was clearly just filler—she’d stopped resisting entirely.

“Crack.”

Finally, the blades returned to their sheaths.

“Ten times? Was that only ten?!” Suigou’s willpower surprised Li En—he could still roar at him now.

“Uh, I lost count… roughly?” The spirit knight rubbed his chin, unaccustomed to the scratchy feel of his beard—too bad this form couldn’t be shaved.

“Sixty-seven times! I counted!” Now, even the other transcendentals who’d looked down on the ordinary man had to take notice.

This guy had probably died more than all the others combined!

Li En nodded in satisfaction and asked:

“Want to learn my sword?”

At this, the pig-man’s gaze changed.

“Yes.” The voice, forced through clenched teeth from his towering frame, made Li En smile happily.

He now understood Su Xing’s joy when facing him.

“Not yet.”

All four pairs of eyes glared fiercely at him.

“Your stamina and spiritual energy are nearly spent—you’re about ready to wake up. By the way, introduce yourselves. From now on, use your nicknames when entering. Even if you’ve already spilled your secrets, it’s still the rule. Don’t randomly reveal your identities—something bad happened before.”

The pig-man was still holding on, but in reality, he had died the most. “I’m Shattered Bone, Dimon.”

His low voice brimmed with resentment; he knew anonymity no longer mattered.

【No.1 Shattered Bone, Biological Rank: Raw Stone, Status: Strength 6, Physique 6, Agility 4, Compatibility 19%, Satisfaction 18%】

This guy had died over sixty times, yet still gritted his teeth and slashed at opponents he could never defeat—dying fast, reviving fast, and dying the most—but the Heroic Soul’s satisfaction rose the fastest.

And he, clearly, was the weakest among them.

“I’m Shadow Cai .” Talia paused, then revealed her old title.

【No.2 Shadow Cai , Biological Rank: Silver, Status: Strength 11, Physique 11, Agility 14, Compatibility 10%, Satisfaction 10%】

Though she entered through a backdoor, in every aspect she was average.

“Holy Grand Knight, or perhaps, Holy Weaver of Fate.” Those who serve as Holy Knights often have a touch of melodrama, but this one didn’t seem to be acting.

“Do you even qualify? Keep it simple—I have a bad memory. Two words.”

“Moth.” Though strange—a spider calling herself Moth—Li En had no objections.

In truth, her friendliness wasn’t low at all.

【No.3 Moth, Biological Rank: Silver, Status: Strength 7, Physique 8, Agility 14, Compatibility: 31%, Satisfaction: 25%】

Highest compatibility. Highest satisfaction. Though there’s a hint of class bias, Holy Knights naturally suit the Holy Knight legacy—this was never a fair game requiring balance from the start.

Naturally skilled with swords, plus the advantages of multiple arms and a natural carapace, she could indeed become an excellent Holy Knight. Though spiders generally have weak strength and physique, and their bodies are fragile and prone to fractures, Holy Knights have a wealth of divine arts to compensate—and this girl likely already mastered Holy Power Arts.

Correct, she’s a little girl, not a little boy.

Though she was utterly plain and strikingly beautiful, under the full power of “Soul of Su,” Li En’s Dragon Eyes easily pierced through her disguise—and the bindings on her chest.

Li En turned his gaze to the last one, then immediately looked away, sighing.

“Wait, what does that mean?! You look down on me?! I’m the strongest!”

The little girl’s words drew everyone’s attention, but Li En knew it was true—the gap was still enormous.

【No.4 Dragon Hunter, Biological Rank: Gold, Status: Strength 16, Physique 18, Agility 12, Compatibility: 7%, Satisfaction: -9%】

This stat sheet was terrifyingly overwhelming—a brute capable of crushing all others outright.

But because she avoided combat entirely and lacked fighting spirit, her satisfaction kept dropping. Without surprise, the strongest among them was destined to trail behind the whole time.

Li En glanced at the four “kids” gradually turning transparent, yawned, and decided this long night had finally come to rest.

Their first meeting was filled with mutual suspicion; little could be negotiated.

These kids needed time after returning to confirm certain things. Mind Mages could deceive others into dreams and steal secrets, and nightmares were troublesome enough.

Next time they come, they might bring their own psychic defense relics.

But in their search for information, they would also bring Li En the intelligence he needed.

“If all goes as expected, we’ll meet again tomorrow night.”

This level of guidance was enough. Li En wasn’t in a hurry—haste would expose him.

He pondered how to let his true self also take part.

At least, help clean up his own problematic identity.

Carefully woven lies might become his way of guiding the world.

“Well, I’m bored—let’s chat. Oh, remember, next time you come, tell me the story of your tail-cutting case. Sounds interesting.”

Uh, please keep requesting Monthly Tickets and Recommendations—new books have no exposure.

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(End of Chapter)