The First Summoner - Chapter 32

Roughly thirty minutes later, Elder Yu raised a hand.

The soldiers of the nine kingdoms withdrew to either side, opening a path into the forest.

Elder Yu amplified his voice with spiritual power.

“Contestants, three days from now, at this same hour, I hope to see you walk out of Lingyan Forest carrying flags that symbolize honor and fame.”

He smiled.

“Now—I declare the competition officially begun!”

Elder Yu stepped aside.

“Charge!”

The young contestants’ eyes lit up. Excitement and nerves drove them forward as they rushed into Lingyan Forest at full speed.

Shen Yan’s gaze sharpened.

She ran with them.

Many spectators were stunned to see that she was no slower than the other contestants.

Did she not lack all spiritual power?

How could she outrun half the field?

The Shen family head narrowed his eyes at Shen Yan’s receding figure, uncertainty stirring in his heart.

The Grand Elder merely sneered.

“What does it matter if she starts quickly? With that frail body and limited stamina, I wager she cannot last long.”

The Shen family head’s brows eased.

The Grand Elder smiled with complete confidence.

“Family Head, Xue’er will certainly achieve an excellent result. Besides, she still has her hidden trump card.”

The comment drew immediate curiosity.

The emperor of Nanxiao Kingdom turned toward him.

“Oh? What trump card does Xue’er possess?”

The Shen family head answered with a laugh.

“Your Majesty, Xue’er will reveal it during the competition. I am certain everyone will be astonished. For now, allow me to preserve the suspense.”

The emperor sighed.

“Family Head Shen, such secrecy makes us sound like strangers. My Jin’er and Xue’er are already so close that a marriage cannot be far away, yet you still hide this from me?”

Nangong Tingchen and Family Head Lu both changed expression.

A joyous union?

Hardly.

Nangong Tingchen had complete confidence in his son. Yu’er had told him that he and Shen Xue loved each other, while her ties with Nangong Jin and Lu Shaohuai were merely friendship.

Family Head Lu held almost the same belief.

He was even convinced his son and Shen Xue were already together.

Neither man dared contradict the emperor.

The Shen family head smiled.

“Your Majesty, Xue’er asked me not to reveal it.”

In his heart, if Shen Xue joined the Qiutian Sect, neither a crown prince, a noble heir, nor a young master would remain worthy of mention.

Of course, he would not distance the Shen family from them yet.

They still offered benefits.

The emperor laughed.

“If Xue’er wishes to keep it secret, I will not ask. Three days is not so long to wait.”

Once every contestant had entered Lingyan Forest, representatives of the nine kingdoms rose, expecting Elder Yu to take his seat.

To their surprise, he did not.

“For the next three days, this old man will patrol Lingyan Forest and observe the contestants.”

He ordered three disciples to remain outside.

The others followed him into the forest.

The crowd paused.

“A great sect truly is different. Even an elder personally supervises the competition!”

“The Qiutian Sect displays the bearing of a great sect!”

Flattery poured from every direction.

The three disciples who remained behind showed no pleasure. Their expressions said such treatment was only natural.

No one grew suspicious.

They assumed Elder Yu was simply conscientious.

Inside Lingyan Forest, Shen Yan immediately headed deep into the forest to her front right.

Feng Xingyao had just told her that the Blood-Devouring Pearl lay in that direction.

After traveling for a while, she sensed several people following her.

No matter which way she moved, they stayed behind.

Shen Yan glanced back.

They were Nangong Yu’s lackeys.

Nangong Yu himself was absent. He was likely staying with Shen Xue.

Coldness entered Shen Yan’s eyes.

Did he truly believe a handful of small fry could kill her?

What a fantasy.

Without deviating from her route, Shen Yan steered toward an area with fewer people.

When she accelerated, the men were startled and hurried to keep up.

None had expected her to move so quickly.

They soon reached a dim, deserted stretch of forest.

The men exchanged glances.

Now was the time.

“Die, Shen Yan!”

One summoned a sword and drove it viciously toward her back.

At the final instant, Shen Yan dropped into a crouch.

The blade passed over her.

She drew the Crimson Flame Dagger from the sheath strapped to her lower leg. A sinister crimson gleam flashed as steel left leather.

Clang!

The dagger knocked the sword aside.

In the next breath, Shen Yan drove its blade through the attacker’s throat.

She ripped it free.

Blood sprayed.

The others’ expressions changed.

Shen Yan raised her eyes and locked onto them.

She darted toward them.

They recovered and launched waves of spiritual power at her.

With strange, agile footwork, Shen Yan slipped past attack after attack.

The men were only at the third and fourth levels of the Yellow-rank realm.

Their strength was roughly equal to the zombies she had fought during the apocalypse.

Surrounded from several directions, Shen Yan used her superior movement to break their formation.

Her wrist turned.

The Crimson Flame Dagger buried itself in another man’s skull.

Then she tore it free.

“Aaaaaah!”

His scream pierced the forest.

In moments, two men were dead.

The remaining pair stared as though they had seen a monster. They stumbled backward in terror.

“Y-you… Who are you?”

This could not be that useless Shen Yan.

“Shen Yan.”

Her gaze was ruthless, her voice cool.

Before either man could react, she hurled the Crimson Flame Dagger.

Whoosh!

It punched through one man’s throat.

“Aaaaaah!”

The last man screamed and fled.

Shen Yan’s eyes darkened.

She rushed forward, ripped the dagger from the third man’s neck, and threw it again.

She preferred to kill every enemy.

Never leave trouble alive.

The bloodstained dagger struck the fleeing man in the head.

He cried out, staggered several steps, and collapsed.

Shen Yan approached without expression to retrieve her weapon.

The fallen man suddenly rolled over. Power gathered in his palm as he launched a desperate surprise attack.

Boom!

Shen Yan twisted aside and retreated several steps, narrowly evading the strike.

She looked coldly at the struggling man.

“You don’t like that way of dying?”