Chapter Forty-Six: Take Off His Arms and Legs

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With the release of the first battle rankings, it was as though a fire had been lit among the majority of the new students. Some who thought they had performed quite well discovered, to their dismay, that they were ranked only in the thousands and became anxious at once. Others, considered the school’s star competitors and aiming for top results, found that reality differed from their expectations and began preparing for a fierce struggle.

Even those whose ranks were relatively high began to feel the pressure.

The very purpose of announcing the rankings daily via communicator was precisely this, though it had little to do with Lin Qingyun. During the day, he continued his methodical exploration, delving ever deeper into the city.

He even began to avoid certain troublesome areas where beast hordes congregated. Such places were a nuisance, and even he could not simply charge in and slaughter them all. Typically, a group would surround the area, gradually engaging and hunting the beasts in a specific region, wearing them down over time before contending for the chance to slay the beast king.

There were, of course, a few fierce competitors—like Nangong Lingyue, Chi Ziyang, and Zhen Qiang, all ranked near the top—who sought opportunities to force their way in, killing numerous beasts and the beast kings on the periphery to secure their high positions.

Naturally, beast kings varied in strength, but killing one was always an arduous task. The reason they were called kings was not merely individual might, but the power to command a tribe—a leader rather than a lone powerhouse.

In the command room, a new day began.

Shortly after Lin Qingyun set out, several school officials who had come to observe the new students’ practical trials began to pay closer attention to him.

“Eighty-six now—he’s still going. Instead of aiming for beast kings, he’s treating this like a sightseeing tour…”

“It’s only a minority, but we must be vigilant after this. The online agitation is getting out of hand; some new students, just upon seeing Lin Qingyun, attack him without a second thought…”

“That kid absolutely has the ability to break into the top ten, maybe even the top five. It seems only Nangong Lingyue and a select few can suppress him. He’s really something…”

“Isn’t that a good thing? Otherwise, Haicheng University would have yet another spot in the top ranks. If several of the leading places go to Haicheng, maybe this year they can challenge Capital University…”

…

Though Nan Yutong had always been formidable, and so had Haicheng University, the school’s results still made it the target of many. So, there was no shortage of commentary at this moment—whether to provoke Nan Yutong or simply to make snide remarks, everyone had something to say.

Nan Yutong ignored them, but her mood was exceedingly complicated.

Having another student almost guaranteed a spot in the top ten would greatly impact the school’s overall performance, perhaps even tipping the scales against Capital University. But what could she do?

The primary candidates had long been identified and kept in contact, but Lin Qingyun was an exception. If not for the incident at registration, Vice Chancellor Nan Yutong would not even have known he had enrolled at Haicheng University.

Given the vast number of new students each year, it was natural that the vice chancellor would not personally keep track of every ordinary student.

“I only hope your own star competitors aren’t foolish enough to go looking for trouble with Lin Qingyun. After all, very few can take a beating and grow stronger from it, as Song Yichen did.” Nan Yutong was not one to let others provoke her endlessly; after ignoring several taunts, she finally spoke up when the jibes continued.

At her words, many faces turned sour.

So far, of those new students who had confronted Lin Qingyun, only Song Yichen had continued to persevere, refusing to withdraw. In fact, after suffering defeat, he had erupted with newfound vigor, breaking through after killing a beast king amid a horde.

It was precisely because of this that Song Yichen had managed to break into the top ten.

The leading contenders, it seemed, were unlikely to cross paths with Lin Qingyun, but most of the schools’ star students were ranked between twentieth and one hundredth. These were the new students on whom ordinary universities depended for results.

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“I hope none of Haicheng University’s top students go looking for a fight…”

“Exactly. If you look at the numbers, Haicheng actually has more students withdrawing. Who knows how many of those could have achieved good results…”

“Don’t forget, they still haven’t encountered that one yet…”

…

Though Nan Yutong’s words made everyone uneasy and genuinely worried about such incidents, the others were not without retort.

After all, Haicheng University was suffering the most this time, and who could predict what would happen next?

At that moment, someone cautiously mentioned “that one.” He was already being careful, but just as he spoke, a voice sounded from behind.

“Who do you mean?”

A chill swept the room as everyone turned to see when the Desert Wind King, Nangong Aoshi, clad in armor and cloak, had entered the command room.

“Ahem… I meant Ningchuan University’s Song Yichen. He may have been beaten by Lin Qingyun once, but after his setback, he broke through and made it into the top ten. If he meets Lin Qingyun again, he’ll stop at nothing to take him down.” The man responded quickly, not wanting to end up like those who had spoken out of turn the day before.

Even so, after speaking, he cast an uneasy glance at Nangong Aoshi, silently cursing himself for opening his mouth after yesterday’s events.

“Oh? To grow stronger after defeat is admirable, but he’s still lacking. I thought you meant my daughter—she’s the only one truly qualified.” The Desert Wind King spoke calmly, yet the force in his tone was undeniable.

Fortunately, he did not pursue the matter further, allowing the man to breathe a sigh of relief—indeed, everyone did.

In the command room, another day quickly passed. The rankings shifted constantly, though the top ten remained largely unchanged, while the lower ranks fluctuated endlessly.

In the past, everyone focused on the number of students from each school in the top one hundred or even the top thousand, paying particular attention to the top hundred.

But this time, everyone was fixated on another statistic.

One hundred and seventeen withdrawals. One hundred and nineteen dealt with by Lin Qingyun. Today, another was added to the list—someone who had been beaten by Lin Qingyun but did not withdraw. This time, it was a girl. Lin Qingyun did not burn her clothes, merely gave her a thorough thrashing and took her belongings, yet she chose to remain in the competition.

At this point, Lin Qingyun’s ranking rose to 865.

It was not that Lin Qingyun was deliberately hunting beasts. As he advanced deeper, the beasts grew stronger and more numerous. Knowing he was under scrutiny, he could not entirely avoid them.

Though he had made it clear his purpose in joining the trial was to teach a lesson to those who provoked him, he could not simply ignore the beasts entirely.

Atop a signal tower, a mutated vulture suddenly swooped down from the sky. At that moment, a person was standing on the tower, a tempting morsel the vulture would not ignore.

The massive talons descended, but faster still was the man’s saber. With a flash of cold steel, the vulture was split in two, its body tumbling before the man’s impassive, chilling gaze.

“Lin Qingyun… I cannot kill you. But an arm or a leg in exchange for my sister’s life…”

Some of the vulture’s blood splattered onto the man, but he paid it no mind. In fact, his clothing was already soaked with blood, giving him the appearance of a wild savage.

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Suddenly, following the directions given to him, he spotted a figure in the distance, just after it had slain a beast.

Though far away, the silhouette and features were unmistakable.

It was Lin Qingyun.

Gripping a high-grade saber, the man leaped from the signal tower and raced straight toward Lin Qingyun.

On the rooftop of what was once a shopping plaza, Lin Qingyun glanced at the darkening sky—another day was nearly over. He could not reach his goal too quickly.

If he was constantly under surveillance and stayed too long in any one place, especially the designated spot, it would not do if trouble arose and drew attention.

He needed to be nearby just as events unfolded, so he would be swept into them naturally.

With the Desert Wind King, Nangong Aoshi, present, the risk was not great, but it was best not to draw unwanted notice or suspicion…

“Hm…” Just as Lin Qingyun was considering where to spend the night and preparing to time his next move precisely, he suddenly sensed something amiss.

It was not his spiritual awareness—its range was limited—but a pure instinct, a battle-honed intuition.

If the assailant were vastly superior, or particularly skilled in assassination, perhaps the ambush would have succeeded. But in this moment, Lin Qingyun sensed that he was being targeted.

Just as this realization dawned, a figure burst into his perception, moving with astonishing speed—covering dozens of meters in a heartbeat, their movements bizarre and unpredictable.

The attacker hugged the ground, bringing their blade sweeping toward Lin Qingyun’s legs.

The opponent was fast, but Lin Qingyun was faster still. With a shift of his footwork, he was already a hundred meters away in the blink of an eye.

The man with the saber was taken aback by Lin Qingyun’s speed—surpassing even the peak of his own explosive advance. Having missed his strike, he pursued relentlessly, shadowing Lin Qingyun’s every move.

Saber light flickered—his technique was exquisite, elusive as a hanging antelope’s horn, as he sought to sever Lin Qingyun’s left arm.

A high-grade weapon—clearly not like those wielded by others. This must be the man hired by Zhang Baole, intent on taking his arm or leg.

In an instant, Lin Qingyun guessed the opponent’s intentions.

Though regrowing limbs was not impossible, it was extremely difficult, not to mention costly. Unless one reached the Huiyang Realm, relying on medicine to regenerate a limb would cost billions and require retraining the body, affecting future cultivation.

Most could not bear such a price, and ordinary people would use mechanical replacements instead.

If his arm or leg were to be severed now, it could be traded for elixirs and would serve as a lesson to him. After all, in his current state, reattaching a limb would not impact him at all—so long as the severed limb was not destroyed, there would be no lasting effect upon restoration.

“You want to kill me? Die!”

Lin Qingyun deliberately let out a furious shout. Though his dagger was much shorter than the saber, he managed, with hair’s breadth precision, to block dozens of lightning-quick attacks in an instant.