Su Jie looked at the person who had suddenly appeared and asked, “Were you waiting here for me?”
“That’s right…I’ve come for your life.”
The figure in black spoke in a low, muffled voice but made no move to attack; Su Jie could sense that the man was focusing entirely on him, waiting for the precise moment to deliver a lethal blow.
The aura emanating from the figure before him was formidable…clearly, this was another top-tier martial artist.
Su Jie, however, seemed to know exactly who he was. Striving to regain his physical strength, he spoke up: “Feng Hengyi, I know it’s you…but why the change of mask? Your mask in the underworld is supposed to be the *Taotie*. If I’m not mistaken, the one you’re wearing now is Wen Ting’s signature mask; you’re trying to frame him.”
“You’re becoming increasingly formidable,” Feng Hengyi said, removing the mask. “To think you could see through the mask to my true face…and even deduce the truth. It’s a real shame; if I let you keep growing, I fear I truly wouldn’t be a match for you anymore.”
“You’re incredibly bold to make a move here…this is Q University, after all,” Su Jie said. “You should know the consequences.”
“I’ve used a few little tricks to disable the surveillance cameras here; there won’t be a single clue leading back to me,” Feng Hengyi replied. “Su Jie, I hadn’t intended to kill you this soon, but you made a fatal mistake: you poached Kang Gu. Kang Gu was my most important pawn. Having him snatched away like that meant all the painstaking effort I’d poured into grooming him ended up benefiting someone else. And Wen Ting’s hesitation to act has been a huge disappointment.”
“You’re that confident?” Su Jie asked. “Aren’t you afraid of getting yourself killed in the process? We’ve clashed several times before, and you’ve never managed to take me down.”
“Can your body even hold up in its current state?” Feng Hengyi seemed to see right through Su Jie’s physical condition. “I’ve finally seized this opportunity…this is the perfect moment to kill you. I don’t know what you did to exhaust yourself like this, but in your current state of depletion, you’d need at least three to five hours of sleep to return to your peak.”
“You’ve been monitoring me?” Su Jie asked.
“If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself for chatting with that Tang girl, the Student Union President, for hours on end…it turned into news. Someone even posted about it on your school’s forum,” Feng Hengyi said. “As it happens, I have eyes inside the school monitoring your every move, so I found out quickly. Seeing your condition, I knew this was the perfect moment to kill you. Wen Ting wanted to wait until Su Shilin clashed with Zhang Hongqing before joining me to take you out, but I couldn’t wait that long.”
Su Jie didn’t reply; instead, he silently focused on recovering his strength.
“It’s useless. In your current state, there’s no way you can bring your physical and mental energy back to their peak…I could even let you rest for ten minutes. I understand the human body’s condition better than you do,” Feng Hengyi said, showing no fear of Su Jie recovering. “I told you before: if you need three to five hours of sleep, then you absolutely need three to five hours. What else do you have to say for yourself now?”
Su Jie still remained silent.
Feng Hengyi seemed compelled to voice his inner thoughts: “People often say that villains die because they talk too much, but I actually want to have a chat with you. If I’m not mistaken, the reason you’ve burned through so much physical energy and exhausted your mental reserves is that you’ve gained some kind of profound insight. It’s a real shame…if you could have kept exploring that insight, you would surely have become a second Odell. But I’m not going to give you that chance. To be honest, I hate the idea of killing you, you know? I lack an opponent like you; having you there to push me helps unlock my potential and lets me go further. Just as sardines become more energetic when a catfish is introduced to the tank, human potential is often forced out under pressure. It really is a pity…”
Feng Hengyi’s words were sincere; he genuinely regretted the situation, rather than just putting on an act.
A worthy opponent is a rare find.
At Feng Hengyi’s level of mastery, finding a true rival is indeed no easy task. Although Wen Ting’s strength surpassed that of Feng Hengyi, Feng Hengyi had never regarded him as a true rival…simply because Wen Ting was more than a decade his senior.
There was only one person whose age and strength were comparable to his own: Su Jie.
Feng Hengyi was reluctant to kill Su Jie, yet he knew he had no choice but to do so now.
Even as he spoke, Feng Hengyi made his move.
He hesitated no longer.
*Swish!*
Two military daggers appeared in his hands.
They were his signature weapons: triangular-bladed military daggers.
These daggers were unassuming and lacked any metallic sheen, making them ideal for assassination.
As he lunged forward, there was not a whisper of wind; he didn’t even kick up a speck of dust. He moved like a shadow…a phantom, a demon, a fiend.
He was still employing Odell’s “Magic Step,” yet Feng Hengyi had infused it with entirely new elements…insights of his own…rendering the already magical footwork even more uncanny and deceptive.
Su Jie seemed to detect traces of Japanese *ninjutsu* within the movement.
Japanese *ninjutsu* is essentially a combination of sleight-of-hand illusions and lethal techniques designed for assassination and espionage; it catches opponents off guard, relying above all on psychological manipulation.
Su Jie was indeed running low on stamina. Had he been at his peak, he would have had numerous ways to counter this move, but now, he found himself struggling to respond effectively.
He felt the shadow of death looming over him. Yet, he showed not a trace of panic; he remained utterly calm, maintaining a composed, unhurried state of mind…a mindset born of the profound insights he had recently gained.
With a subtle shift of his feet…taking the smallest possible step and expending the least amount of energy…he dodged the thrust of Feng Hengyi’s military dagger.
*Thwack!*
Feng Hengyi’s dagger actually pierced a small tree beside Su Jie, burying itself deep within the wood.
Had they been in an open field or a fighting ring, Su Jie would certainly have been struck; however, amidst the trees, his footwork was masterful. He had utilized the surrounding trees as a shield to block the attack.
Trees are stationary objects, yet Su Jie exploited the environment to the fullest. As he darted about, the trees seemed to come alive, shifting to shield him from every angle and rendering Feng Hengyi’s efforts futile.
“Huh?”
Feng Hengyi felt something strange. The moment he moved to strike, the trees in the forest seemed to possess a spirit of their own…repelling him and actively working against him. Whenever he launched an attack, the trees would intervene, shielding Su Jie from the blow.
He had never experienced such a sensation in any previous fight.
“What kind of state is this?” Feng Hengyi wondered, sensing that Su Jie had reached a level of mastery far beyond his own.
It seemed Su Jie had surpassed him in terms of spiritual or martial attainment.
That single, small step had evidently drained a great deal of Su Jie’s energy and stamina; after the dodge, his heart rate spiked noticeably, and he seemed to be struggling for breath, unable to keep pace with his own movements.
Such a thing would never have happened to him in the past.
Feng Hengyi felt victory was within his grasp. With a flick of his arm, he instantly withdrew the triangular military bayonet from the tree trunk; with a swift, fluid motion, he closed the distance to Su Jie and thrust again.
His attacks were always straight thrusts.
Yet, this particular thrust was far more terrifying…like the spear of a god of the underworld, silently reaping a life.
*Feng Hengyi has become much more formidable since our last fight.* Seeing him strike, Su Jie realized just how much Feng Hengyi had improved. Moreover, his movements faintly incorporated techniques of Su Jie’s own…such as applications of the “Hoe Strike” move, which were clearly visible in Feng Hengyi’s offensive.
In other words, the pressure Su Jie exerted had driven Feng Hengyi’s rapid progress.
Both were eighteen, both possessed exceptional martial prowess, and both were peerless geniuses; indeed, the pressure from Feng Hengyi had played a role in Su Jie’s own rapid advancement.
*It is a pity, though, that one of us must die today.* Feng Hengyi had gauged that Su Jie’s stamina was failing; he knew victory was within his grasp…there was no longer any doubt, and killing his opponent was imminent.
Deep down, he felt no joy…only a sense of regret…yet this sentiment did not hinder his actions in the slightest.
In a flash, his bayonet was already closing in on Su Jie’s heart.
He had calculated that Su Jie’s retreat would be too slow to outpace his strike.
*Thump!*
Just as he was about to deliver the killing blow, Su Jie…seemingly unsteady while retreating…suddenly stumbled over a stone beneath his feet.
Yet, that very stumble allowed him to narrowly dodge Feng Hengyi’s lethal thrust.
Feng Hengyi had not expected Su Jie to trip; even with his stamina waning, Su Jie shouldn’t have lost his balance. In any terrain…no matter how complex…men like them stood with roots seemingly driven deep into the earth, rock-solid and unshakable; a simple fall was out of the question.
He had miscalculated!
Yet, miscalculation or not, his movements remained fluid and seamless. As his wrist dropped, the triangular military bayonet plunged downward…aimed straight at Su Jie’s heart for a lethal strike.
“Now.”
Su Jie’s earlier stumble had been deliberate…he had let a stone trip him to trick Feng Hengyi into a miscalculation.
The moment that miscalculation occurred, Su Jie’s opportunity arrived.
Sure enough, in that split second, Feng Hengyi experienced a momentary lapse in judgment. To an outsider, his movements appeared flawless, but to a master like Su Jie, a tiny opening was visible: a subtle lack of coordination between his intent and his physical execution during the transition of his move.
*Snap!*
The sound of fingers snapping echoed through the woods.
Su Jie lay on the ground, his face turned toward the descending Feng Hengyi, while Feng Hengyi’s face was turned toward Su Jie…the opening had appeared.
With the snap, a flying needle shot out.
No one could escape that snap.
Not even Feng Hengyi.
*Agh!*
Feng Hengyi felt a sharp, stinging pain in his eyes, followed instantly by total darkness; it was as if a sharp object had pierced both his eyeballs before he could even sense it coming. Fresh blood streamed from his eyes.
He was blind!
He had become just like Uncle Mang.
Su Jie seized the moment; in that critical instant between life and death, he unleashed a lethal strike…a needle launched with a snap of his fingers that blinded his opponent.
Moreover, the angle was perfect for launching the hidden needle projectile.
Su Jie’s fall had been a carefully calculated move; he had anticipated that Feng Hengyi would lunge down, exposing his face and creating the opening he needed.
There was no trace of panic, for he had long since been prepared…