Chapter 40: A Surge of Experience Approaches

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh...

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

At the very instant Wu Tian hurled Niu Wuji aside, more than a dozen arrows flew at him. Fortunately, Wu Tian dodged swiftly, and the arrows thudded into the ground where he had just been standing.

“What’s going on?” Niu Wuji finally snapped out of his daze.

“Assassins!” Wu Tian, frowning, swept his gaze over the surrounding woods.

Suddenly—another arrow whistled toward Wu Tian.

With a metallic clang, Wu Tian deflected the arrow with his Black Dragon Blade.

“Damn it, skulking cowards! Watch me cut every last one of you down!” Wu Tian gripped his blade and charged in the direction from which the arrow had come.

With a single slash, Wu Tian cleaved a large tree apart. Several shadowy figures darted out from behind it.

“Holy hell! There really are assassins—and more than one!” Niu Wuji exclaimed in shock at the sight.

Four masked figures emerged and immediately surrounded Wu Tian. He regarded them coolly, his expression icy. “Who are you people?”

“We’re here to kill you,” the leader replied coldly.

Wu Tian’s eyes sharpened. “Who sent you?”

“You’ll find out soon enough—in the underworld,” the assassin’s gaze was frosty, and with a slight gesture to his companions, he gave the order: “Kill!”

“Haha! You want to kill me? Let’s see if you have what it takes!” Wu Tian laughed wildly, without a trace of fear.

“A mere cripple from the Qitian Sect dares to laugh before us? Today, you’ll learn what it is to fear death! Attack!” The leader’s eyes flashed with disdain as he charged at Wu Tian.

“You want me to taste the fear of death? You’re mistaken. It’s you who will know what true terror is. No matter who you are, anyone who tries to kill me must die!” Wu Tian’s eyes blazed with dominance.

With a ringing clash, one masked assassin reached Wu Tian first, his sword meeting the Black Dragon Blade. Surprise flickered in the man’s eyes—he had thought Wu Tian would be easy prey, yet his attack was blocked.

“You actually—”

Before he could finish, Wu Tian’s blade pierced straight through his body.

A clear chime sounded in Wu Tian’s ear:

“Congratulations, player Wu Tian, for killing a level-five Martial Master assassin. Gained 3,000 experience and 1,000 silver.”

As Wu Tian’s blade ended the first assassin, shock overtook the remaining three. According to their information, Wu Tian was a cripple with shattered veins and a ruined core—yet he had just dispatched their companion in a single stroke, completely at odds with their reports.

“Standing around in a daze during an assassination? Courting death!” In a flash, Wu Tian appeared behind another stunned assassin.

With a swift motion, the man’s head separated from his body, granting Wu Tian another 3,000 experience.

Before the head even hit the ground, Wu Tian confronted a third assassin. This one, realizing the threat, tried to dodge, but Wu Tian’s blade offered no chance. A savage arc of blade energy swept through him, and he dropped lifeless to the earth.

Only one remained—a minor boss, a level-seven Martial Master.

“So that’s it. You’re from the Asura Sect! No wonder cutting you down feels as easy as slicing watermelons,” Wu Tian said with a broad grin, staring at the last assassin leader.

The assassin’s face soured. What did he mean, cutting down the Asura Sect was like chopping watermelons? Was the Asura Sect really so pathetic?

Not far off, Niu Wuji felt the same way. Wu Tian’s words were so arrogant, leaving no dignity for their foes.

What they didn’t know was that Wu Tian recently acquired the title “Nemesis of Asura”—granting him a fifty percent boost to all attributes when facing anyone from the Asura Sect. That was why these killers seemed so easy to deal with.

The assassin leader stared at Wu Tian, shocked. Even his rigorous training couldn’t prepare him for this outcome. “Who are you, really? Why is your cultivation so high? This is nothing like the data reported! And how do you know our identity?”

“I just know. Why bother asking if you won’t answer? And as for you, you’re just a minor boss. Hurry up and come over here so I can finish you off!” Wu Tian pointed his blade at the assassin, who, to Wu Tian, was nothing more than a small boss with glaring red letters hanging above his head.

“Hmph! You’re far too arrogant. Even knowing we’re from the Asura Sect, you overestimate yourself! Fine! In that case, I will use my full strength to kill you!” Furious, the assassin produced a black pill from his robe and chewed it violently.

Immediately, a surge of power erupted from him, and the system showed his level climbing.

“Level eight Martial Master, level nine Martial Master… damn, he’s still going! He just jumped to Martial Spirit—this is cheating! Swallowing a pill and leveling up three times, that’s just unfair!” Wu Tian couldn’t help but complain as his foe’s power skyrocketed.

“Hahaha! Now I’m a level-one Martial Spirit! No matter how strong you are, you’ll die here today, Wu Tian—prepare to meet your end!” The assassin’s eyes blazed red, his newfound power making him contemptuous of Wu Tian.

Behind them, Niu Wuji watched anxiously. He wanted to help, but knew his own strength wouldn’t just be useless—it would only get in the way. All he could do was cheer Wu Tian on from the sidelines.

“Boss, you can’t lose! You have to take this guy down!” Niu Wuji shouted, fists clenched, though he couldn’t help but smile wryly. This assassin had reached Martial Spirit—he wasn’t sure if his boss could survive this trial.

“Haha! So what if you’re a Martial Spirit? Even better—more experience for me! Just what I wanted!” Wu Tian was actually excited. Killing weaker enemies gave him too little experience, but now that his enemy’s level surpassed his own, the reward would be huge.

“Die, Wu Tian!” The assassin leader leapt forward, instantly appearing before Wu Tian, his sword at Wu Tian’s throat.

“A Martial Spirit’s speed is impressive, but…” A flicker of surprise crossed Wu Tian’s eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it came. “But for me, it’s all the same. Experience, come to me—instant kill!”

The Black Dragon Blade thrust toward the assassin’s heart, triggering the instant kill skill.

A flash of violet blade energy swept through the man’s chest, his body freezing in midair as the blade pierced him through.

A clear chime rang out:

“Congratulations, player Wu Tian, for killing a level-one Martial Spirit assassin boss. Gained 30,000 experience, 5,000 silver, +1 instant kill value, a pair of top-grade Earth-rank Swiftwind Boots, and one mid-grade Earth-rank Lightcloak…”