Seeing the fleeing sea creature, Lin Qian sneered, "You think you can run after trying to kill me?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Qian's figure blurred and vanished from his original position.
Shen Bin was desperately fleeing, never expecting to encounter such a terrifying opponent. Earlier, he had successfully passed the Path of Battle, but had lost in the fifth battle, leading him to this small world.
As he wandered around, he stumbled upon a young human in the Sky-Rank, a rarity at such an event. Shen Bin didn't need to think twice to realize that this person must have some powerful backing to secure a spot in the South Conference despite his lower rank.
Someone like that would surely carry valuable items. Seeing such easy prey, Shen Bin's greed took over, and he swung his weapon at Lin Qian's head.
To avoid alerting Lin Qian, he didn't even use his soul power, relying solely on his physical strength and the sharpness of his soul weapon. After all, Shen Bin was a Life and Death Realm expert, and his physical body had been greatly enhanced. Normally, a Sky-Rank warrior would stand no chance.
Unfortunately for him, he had picked the wrong target—Lin Qian.
"You tried to kill me the moment you saw me, and now you want me to spare you?" Lin Qian laughed as he watched Shen Bin grovel before him. "Greed, huh? No wonder you attacked me for no reason. You assumed that because I'm a Sky-Rank participant in the South Conference, I must have a lot of valuables."
Shen Bin continued to bow his head repeatedly, begging for mercy. "It was a moment of madness, sir. Please, I beg for your forgiveness."
But before he could finish his plea, a sword made of crimson-gold lightning formed and shot towards his chest and dantian, piercing through them both.
Shen Bin didn't even have time to react as the sword shattered his soul power and drove through his heart and dantian, draining him of his life force.
"Spare someone who tried to kill me? Do you take me for a fool?" Lin Qian coldly muttered as he watched Shen Bin's life slowly fade away. Without a second glance, he turned and left.
After what seemed like the time it takes to brew a pot of tea, the supposedly dead Shen Bin suddenly sprang back to life. The wounds in his heart and dantian mysteriously healed without a trace.
"Luckily, my race's heart and dantian are located differently from humans. That guy didn't know, so I survived," Shen Bin muttered, grateful for his luck.
He then smirked sinisterly, "That human brat probably had no idea that our hearts are located in the center of our chests, combined with our dantians. Since I'm still alive, I won't let him off easily. I'll spread the word that he's carrying valuable treasures. Let's see how long he lasts when others come after him!"
Just as Shen Bin was plotting his revenge, a lightning-formed sword suddenly pierced through his back, exiting through his chest in a burst of blood.
Shen Bin could feel his life force rapidly fading away. He turned to see Lin Qian calmly walking past him.
"How...?" Shen Bin stammered as the lightning sword dissipated, leaving a gaping wound. He clutched at the bleeding hole in disbelief.
He couldn't understand how Lin Qian had returned. If Lin Qian knew about his race's special physiology, why hadn't he attacked his heart earlier?
Seeing Shen Bin's confused expression, Lin Qian decided to let him die with some understanding. "I did leave, but I realized I was heading the wrong way. When I came back, I overheard you plotting your revenge against me."
Heading the wrong way and accidentally overhearing his plans? Shen Bin's eyes were filled with regret as he collapsed into the pool of his own blood, dead and unfulfilled.
At that moment, five dark beams of light rose from Shen Bin's hand and shot towards Lin Qian. When Lin Qian raised his hand, he saw that the patterns on the back of it had increased to fifteen, indicating that he had gained more performance points.
"So, killing others allows you to steal their performance points?" Lin Qian stared at the markings on his hand, his expression darkening.
Originally, Lin Qian had thought that failing on the Path of Battle would simply result in being expelled from the trial, leading him to believe this small world wasn't as dangerous as it seemed.
But this new discovery made him realize the trial was far bloodier than he had imagined.
As he gazed towards the distant sunset, a chill ran down Lin Qian's spine. The trial within this small world was going to be brutal. Once others learned about this rule, the bloodshed would truly begin.
"I need to find Xin'er first," Lin Qian muttered, his eyes narrowing. Bathed in soul power, he transformed into a streak of crimson-gold lightning and shot forward.
Indeed, Lin Qian hadn't been lying to Shen Bin. He had initially gone in the wrong direction. After entering the small world, he realized he had missed the location of his comrades on the tactical map and had to double back.
Thanks to the medallions Lin Qian had given everyone, he could clearly see everyone's position on the tactical map, including who was close to whom.
Fortunately, Lin Qian and Ye Xin weren't far from each other. However, he had initially gone in the wrong direction.
As Lin Qian sped towards Ye Xin's location, he pulled out one of the medallions and began pouring his intent into it.
Meanwhile, everyone else received Lin Qian's transmitted message, including their current positions and the positions of others.
According to Lin Qian's suggestion, Zhang Qi and Zhang Wenxuan, who were close to each other, should meet up, while Li Yunfeng and Zhang Zide should continue solo until they reached the designated meeting point.
As for Ye Xin, she was instructed to head south, while Lin Qian would head north to meet her halfway.
Everyone received Lin Qian's message, except for Ye Xin. She was too preoccupied to respond.
Her Starlight Soul Weapon sword was fully activated, forming a constellation-like shield of sword energy around her.
Four enemies surrounded her, and a haughty-looking woman watched with amusement from a distance, as if enjoying the show.