Lin Ye left the casino, pondered for a moment, and then headed towards the black market.
As he passed by a narrow alley, he stopped. The night was as dark as ink, and he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. It was a perfect place to make a move.
"Come out! No need to skulk around."
Lu Feng, who had been following behind, ready to strike, felt a jolt in his heart. However, the next moment, two middle-aged men emerged. They had a roguish air and sinister expressions.
"Kid, you're pretty alert! And carrying three hundred thousand on you, along with three treasures, you think you can just walk away from the casino unscathed? You're too naive about this world!"
Lin Ye glanced at them. Despite their fierce appearances, their cultivation wasn't high.
"Two useless guys stuck at the peak of 1st-Rank Martial Artist for life, trying to pull a double-cross? Or do you think I'm an easy target because I'm just a newly minted 1st-Rank Martial Artist? Picking the soft target, huh?"
Lin Ye's mockery was full-on, and the word "useless" instantly set them off.
"We were going to spare your life if you knew your place, but it seems you don't... Die!"
With that, they clenched their fists, which crackled loudly, and charged at Lin Ye. Lin Ye reacted swiftly, but instead of fleeing, he sprinted forward, tightly gripping the Fire Scorpion Dagger he had just won.
However, Lin Ye's actions didn't concern the two men. After all, they were both at the peak of 1st-Rank, and it was two against one. They didn't take Lin Ye, a mere initial-stage 1st-Rank novice, seriously at all.
Finally, as they were about to punch Lin Ye in the abdomen and pin him against the wall, they smiled, "A little 1st-Rank novice, watch me... Ahhhh!!"
One of their necks was instantly slashed open, leaving no time to think. Before the scream could escape, Lin Ye had already stabbed the other man's head with a reverse grip. The weapon was sharp enough to easily pierce the flesh defenses of two peak 1st-Rank Martial Artists.
Lin Ye slid down the wall, brushed the dust off his stomach, his actions clean and efficient, showing no trace of the panic a novice might feel after killing. After finishing off the two men, Lin Ye squatted down to search them, finally letting out a snort.
"Turns out they're just two paupers! Only a few hundred bucks."
Lu Feng watched Lin Ye from the shadows, his heart suddenly gripped with shock.
So efficient. If he were a peak 1st-Rank Martial Artist, could he really take down this kid? Not a single wasted movement, and even after killing, he remains unfazed while looting the bodies.
This mindset, if nurtured within a major power, would definitely make him a genius among geniuses, capable of reaching at least the level of a 5th-Rank Martial Artist.
But he's not from a big family. Lu Feng himself is just a small-time martial artist scraping by under a family. He can't let this kid take everything he's got.
Double-crossing is the fastest way to make money!
Then, he moved, but the moment he did, Lin Ye sensed it and quickly retreated. When he saw Lu Feng, he wasn't surprised.
"That look on your face, as if you knew I was coming?"
"After all, you're a pauper too. All the stuff you've accumulated over time, won by a newly minted 1st-Rank novice, even I would think of leaving the casino to make a move."
Lu Feng laughed, "Interesting, really interesting! You guessed I would make a move on you, yet you came to this place, dark and deserted. Even if you died here, it wouldn't be discovered until at least tomorrow. Did you dig your own grave?"
"Why isn't this your grave?"
Hearing this, Lu Feng burst into laughter, "Haha, don't make me laugh. Although you quickly killed two peak 1st-Rank Martial Artists just now, it was because you caught them off guard, ambushing them with a dagger. If they were 2nd-Rank Martial Artists, your dagger would barely scratch them."
Lu Feng walked up to Lin Ye, speaking with some arrogance, "Though I'm a lackey of a family scion, at least I'm raised on premium feed, worlds apart from you stray dogs who feast and famine! Besides, taking down two unawakened bumpkins gave you the confidence to think you can take me down?"
A tremendous pressure suddenly bore down on Lin Ye. Looking at Lu Feng in front of him, Lin Ye didn't hesitate and turned to flee deeper into the alley.
Lu Feng was calm. Since the little mouse had found its grave, he could enjoy this cat-and-mouse game.
After all, this little mouse was quite plump, worth three hundred thousand, at least two and a half years of his salary.
"Run! I'm a mid-stage 3rd-Rank Martial Artist. Even if a hundred of you came at me, you couldn't break my defense. Run! Flee like a dog!"
Lu Feng was arrogant. Though he was walking, his pace was no slower than Lin Ye's running. Finally, they reached a dead-end alley, surrounded by mostly abandoned buildings, and Lin Ye stopped.
"Hahaha, kid, run! Why aren't you running? I haven't had enough fun yet! Did you really think my treasures were so easy to deceive? Forget it, you're worthless now, die!"
Lin Ye immediately turned and stabbed at him, seeing Lin Ye still daring to point a knife at him, Lu Feng laughed even more wildly.
"Hahaha, I really don't know if you're a fearless calf or just ignorant of what a 3rd-Rank Martial Artist is. Never mind, remember this in your next life!"
Lu Feng advanced quickly, landing a punch on Lin Ye's chest. Lin Ye spat out a mouthful of blood, his bones and organs shattered by the force. He swung the knife with all his might, aiming to stab Lu Feng, but found the knife couldn't break through.
"Heh, if you could break my defense, my talent would be for nothing. Kid, die!"
Watching Lin Ye fall to the ground, Lu Feng prepared to loot the body, but the next moment, a pain as if his organs were being crushed spread throughout his body.
"Ahhhh!!!!"
This kind of pain he had never experienced before, it hurt so much he rolled on the ground, unable to stand.
"How, how is this possible! How could I be injured?"
He endured the intense pain and tore open his clothes, finding no wounds on his body. No external injuries, where was the pain coming from?
"Kekeke!! Did you really think I was playing cat and mouse with you? That place had people living nearby, your screams could be noticed. Here, it's an abandoned building, no one will come!"
Lin Ye slowly stood up, still wearing his trademark sunny smile, but holding the dagger, he looked so sinister.
"How, how can you still be alive!"
Lu Feng's face was pale with pain, while Lin Ye smiled, "Can't handle a little pain? I've got something even stronger, this dagger in your body, feels like it's burning, doesn't it!"
Then, without another word, Lin Ye plunged the dagger into his own chest, blood dripping, a maniacal, eerie smile, in the pitch-black night, and... a body burning like fire.
"Ahhhh!!!! You, you've awakened a talent... Ahhhh!! It hurts, it hurts so much!!! Ahhhh!!!"
"I can't hurt you, but I can make you hurt to death!"
Then, Lin Ye took off his shoes, pulled out a needle, placed the tip against his big toe, and then kicked hard against the wall...