Chapter 627: Old Master Liu

Li Qinghe's reaction didn't draw much attention.

Compared to the sudden rise of a figure like Luo Sheng, the fury of a mere pill slave was truly insignificant.

"Everything is about to change."

Someone sighed, "Even more drastically than we imagined."

The crowd had originally thought it was absurd enough when the various First Level Domains revealed their hidden trump cards.

Who could have expected that one obscure figure after another would step forward and crush those supposedly invincible trump cards with such overwhelming force.

This turn of events left the crowd utterly dumbfounded.

"Who's next?"

Were there any First Level Domain trump cards left? Would they become just another stepping stone for some nameless powerhouse, or would they achieve instant fame?

These questions had become the hottest topic, sparking immense interest among the onlookers.

Everyone waited with bated breath, eager to see who would emerge next.

"Immortal Anomaly, Chaos, Heavenly Kingdom—"

"Only Eerie Capital and the Train are left."

"I heard the youngest Vice Train Conductor in history is incredibly formidable. He crushed everyone else the moment he appeared. He'll probably be next."

"But that youngest son from Old Sin City doesn't seem weak either. According to our intelligence, he managed to retreat completely unscathed from the Fear Intent clan. He's definitely no ordinary figure."

"He can't compare to that Vice Train Conductor."

"Don't you know how he came to power? The moment he and the other Vice Train Conductor appeared, they utterly crushed the two former Vice Train Conductors. They didn't leave a single survivor, stepping over bloody corpses to reach the summit."

"Those two former Vice Train Conductors were no ordinary figures. In the outside world, either one would be a terrifying Tenth Tier entity. Space and Time—how many people desperately seek to enter those two pathways but find no door?"

"Yet they still lost in the end. The two new Train Conductors are clearly more outstanding; they hold the upper hand in every aspect."

"That youngest son from Old Sin City wandered the outside world for far too long. I seriously doubt he has even fully grasped the true essence of Fear."

"Agreed. The final winner will definitely be the Vice Train Conductor. There's no suspense at all."

"Agreed."

"Indeed."

"A lack of experience is also a major problem—"

Hardly anyone favored the youngest son of the Fear Intent family. This was entirely normal; compared to the already renowned Train Conductor, this youngest son still seemed far too green.

However, what the crowd didn't know was that at this very moment, within Old Sin City, the two individuals at the center of their discussion had already met.

"Welcome to Old Sin City, everyone."

Yan Jing offered a faint smile, using his "camera" head to survey the group of Players gathered before him.

There were five of them in total.

From left to right: a figure wearing a tiger headpiece, an entity entirely constructed of machinery, an Old Man in coarse cloth garments, a man in a uniform, and finally, a somewhat delicate-looking young woman.

"I am the examiner for this test."

Yan Jing introduced himself, but few among the group even spared him a glance. Clearly, the vast majority thought nothing of this "dealer."

Yan Jing wasn't annoyed. He simply maintained his smile and continued his introduction. "My name is Yi Ji. I am the youngest son of the Fear Intent family's newest generation."

"I am also the head examiner of this game."

Hearing this, their expressions varied.

The first figure with the tiger headpiece and the third figure, the Old Man in cloth garments, showed little reaction. But the remaining few exhibited a clear shift in demeanor upon hearing that Yan Jing was the youngest son of the Fear Intent family.

"You claim to be the youngest son of the Fear Intent family who went missing for years."

The fifth person, the delicate-looking woman, frowned at Yan Jing. "How can you prove it?"

"Is proof necessary?" Yan Jing looked back at her.

Her frown deepened. "That determines the actions I will take against you next."

"If you truly are a child of that family, I might show some restraint."

"If not, then my apologies."

The woman lowered her voice. "I think you'll come to regret serving as the referee for this game."

"This game,"

Yan Jing began, acting as though he hadn't heard a word she said, "is called the Moment of Fate."

"The rules are very simple."

"I will hold up a number behind my back. It will be 1, 2, or 3. Everyone can choose whether the number is greater than 2, equal to 2, or less than 2."

"If you guess correctly, you advance to the next round. If you guess wrong, all losing players will enter the elimination phase."

"A free-for-all brawl. The first person to lose will be eliminated."

"These rules shouldn't be hard to understand, right?"

The crowd fell silent.

The rules were indeed simple. The issue was that Yan Jing had completely ignored the delicate woman.

It was total disregard.

Had it been anyone with a slightly worse temper, they would have attacked by now.

The others didn't move, waiting to see how things would unfold.

Whether the two fought or not, these minor interactions revealed their underlying temperaments, which would be advantageous for the upcoming game.

"You still haven't answered me."

The woman extended a hand. A weapon unfurled from her palm, fracturing into metal shards that seemed both detached and interconnected, forming a massive blade that hovered right at Yan Jing's throat.

"I don't believe I'm obligated to answer you."

Yan Jing chuckled softly and pushed away the gleaming metal by his neck. With just a flick of his finger, the giant blade forged of countless fine shards was forcibly shoved into midair.

The woman's expression shifted. Veins bulged on both her hands, yet she couldn't drive the blade forward by even a single millimeter.

Finally, her gaze sharpened, and she retracted all thousands of shards back into her palm.

"Are we done making a scene?"

Yan Jing looked at the surrounding players. "Anyone else?"

The delicate woman bit her lower lip, ultimately saying nothing.

Yan Jing nodded. "Excellent. Now then, let the game begin."

He placed his hand behind his back and held up a number.

The group remained silent.

For a moment, no one declared their choice.

Guessing a number—

This wasn't supposed to be a difficult task.

Following standard procedure, they simply needed to probe him with Weird Energy.

But—

Weird Energy surged in everyone's palms, yet they couldn't even get close to Yan Jing's vicinity.

Whether they shaped their Weird Energy into sharp thorns, flowing water, swords, or spears, it was all repelled by an absolutely terrifying force.

The delicate woman frowned. Weird Energy erupted around her, pushing her into her peak state.

Her frantic Weird Energy howled like a hurricane, blasting through the air and whipping up massive shockwaves. But in the end, it was like a clay whale plunging into the sea—it vanished without a trace the moment it neared Yan Jing.

"Heh..."

The corners of Yan Jing's mouth curled up in a faint smile.

"Do you have any other tricks up your sleeves?"

He looked at the group.

No one spoke.

"Excellent." Yan Jing nodded. "Then let's begin the guessing."

"We'll start with you."

Yan Jing looked at Tiger.

"This is my answer."

Tiger handed Yan Jing a slip of paper.

Yan Jing nodded, then turned to the next figure, the one entirely constructed of machinery.

"And you?"

"—Greater than 2."

This entity didn't pass a slip of paper like Tiger, choosing instead to answer aloud.

"Very well, you're next."

Yan Jing looked at Old Master Liu, who was dressed in coarse cloth.

"Greater than 2."

The Old Man answered without any hesitation.

Yan Jing nodded and turned to the Train's Vice Train Conductor.

Just like Tiger, the Vice Train Conductor handed over a slip of paper. "This is my answer."

Yan Jing took the slip, glanced at it, and finally cast his gaze toward the delicate woman.

"And you?"

"—Greater than 2."

After several seconds of silence, she gave her answer.

Yan Jing nodded.

He checked the paper Tiger had given him and said softly, "I will now announce the winners."

"This gentleman and this gentleman have won."

He raised a hand, gesturing to Tiger and the Vice Train Conductor.

"As for the three of you."

Yan Jing swept his gaze over the remaining players and smiled. "According to the rules, a new round of competition must be held to determine who is eliminated."

The man forged entirely of metal, the Old Man, and the delicate woman all stood up simultaneously.

All three wore calm expressions.

To them, there was never truly a gamble involved.

It was just that after the metal man casually guessed an answer, Old Master Liu and the delicate woman had both simply chosen to copy him.

The point wasn't whether the answer was right or wrong.

The point was that as long as someone picked the same answer, all they had to do was kill that person.

This was their shared understanding of the game.

Simple and brutal.

Unless only one person guessed incorrectly, this game wasn't a contest of choices at all.

The three looked at each other and silently readied their stances.

"I suggest you leave now," the metal entity said with a soft chuckle. "It'll save everyone some energy."

The delicate woman offered a mocking smile. "Don't think so highly of yourself."

The Old Man didn't say a word, merely adopting a martial arts stance.

Seeing his posture, the other two entirely dismissed the Old Man.

After all, the Old Man was merely at the Ninth Tier.

A Ninth Tier and a Divine Envoy—the gap between the two was barely any different from the gulf between a Summit expert (Eighth Tier) and a Transcendent Tier (Third Tier).

Aside from those unbelievably gifted monsters, who could securely defeat a Divine Envoy with only a Ninth Tier rank?

The possibility was nearly zero.

Therefore, both focused their gazes on each other, believing the other to be their primary opponent.

Whoosh—

With a sound like crashing waves, both of them moved.

The invisible air seemed to transform into water, and the immense power unleashed by the two churned that air into rolling surges.

The next instant, they collided.

Cold cannon barrels materialized around the man, their concentrated energy radiating heat like freshly fallen meteors that hadn't yet cooled. On the other side, countless metallic shards formed a raging tornado, slicing the wind into fine threads as it clashed against the incoming onslaught.

Neither bothered with the Old Man standing off to the side, unwilling to waste a single ounce of energy on this decrepit old fellow who looked nearly seventy.

The Old Man watched the two who had ignored him, his expression completely unchanged.

He remained just as solemn; his boxing stance hadn't warped in the slightest, nor had the force he gathered weakened one bit.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

His fists swung out, each strike packing more power than the last.

The hem of his clothes whipped sharply, each snap carrying a more distinct rhythm.

Wind, air, Weird Energy, physical strength—with every swing, Old Master Liu seemed to gather all these elements right into his palms.

He threw punches, yet it didn't look like he was merely boxing.

His movements flowed with a flawless, natural grace; there was no one standing across from him, yet it was as if he faced countless enemies.

Flashes of golden light slotted into place as his strikes landed, then scattered as he shifted, ultimately dissolving into countless motes of light that faded into the surroundings.

There was no grandiose display of momentum, no breathtaking supernatural phenomena. In the end, even the slightest ripple of Weird Energy had dissipated.

It was as if an ordinary Old Man was practicing his forms in solitude.

But the wind picked up.

A real gale began to blow.

It was a massive storm—not raging in the sky, nor whipping outside their bodies, but howling deep within everyone's hearts.

By the time the delicate woman and the metal-forged entity realized what was happening, it was already too late.

They turned their heads to look at Old Master Liu, but they couldn't see anything clearly. All they could make out was a silhouette woven from golden curves, surrounded by apocalyptic hurricane winds.

The two exchanged a glance and, without a second's hesitation, charged at Old Master Liu simultaneously.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The Old Man continued executing his forms, move by move, acting as though he hadn't even noticed the metallic storm and the torrent of energy closing in on him.

He didn't speak, nor did he look up.

Everything he wanted to say, everything he meant to express, was contained entirely within his fists.

Boom—

One punch landed, and the storm of metal shards was knocked off course.

Another punch landed, and the interwoven torrent of energy was utterly obliterated.

Finally, one last punch came crashing down.

The delicate woman and the metal man were both sent flying backward.

Snap! Crackle!

Loud cracking noises erupted from both of their bodies.

Thud!

The woman crashed onto the invisible barrier lining the ground.

Her eyes turned bloodshot. She tried to push herself up, only to discover in sheer terror that she couldn't move an inch.

Those popping sounds had come from every single tendon in her body. Right now, all of them were severed.

Not a single one remained intact.

Let alone moving, she was incredibly lucky just to be alive.

On the other side, the metal man watched her state and was just about to rejoice that he had no tendons to injure—when he shockingly realized that he couldn't move either.

Every crucial component connecting his joints had suddenly vanished. Not a single part was left intact; even the elements bridging his neural network had completely disappeared.

The destructive power behind that seemingly "soft" punch had far exceeded anything the two of them could have ever imagined.

Not far away, a strange glint flashed through the Vice Train Conductor's eyes.

A mere Ninth Tier.

Capable of reaching such an extreme level.

He could undoubtedly be called a peerless monster.

Huu...

The Old Man let out a long breath, and his flushed complexion gradually returned to a calm state.

He looked at the two lying on the ground, his face placid. "Which of you wishes to live?"

Both gritted their teeth, refusing to speak.

Being questioned like this by a Ninth Tier.

It was an absolute humiliation.

Seeing their refusal to answer, the Old Man reached out and delivered an elbow strike to each of their necks.

"Ugh!"

The delicate woman instantly burst into tears from the agony.

It seemed the Old Man had struck acupoints linked to her pain receptors. Just a single elbow blow inflicted enough torment to make her wish for death.

The metal man on the other side reacted even more dramatically.

Whatever the Old Man had hit, the metal man began violently convulsing as if suffering an epileptic seizure.