Chapter 3712 — Striking in the Dark

Yet he had barely gotten the curse out before Meng Tong's flicker of dissatisfaction was promptly cowed back by Xu Lingchong's stern glare. He had not known of Xu Lingchong's arrangements beforehand, but if he still failed to grasp the situation after living through it himself, then he would truly be a fool beyond saving.

Only when he saw that Meng Tong had finally recognized the crux of the matter did Xu Lingchong breathe a sigh of relief. Tasking the Law Enforcement Hall's experts with targeting Wei Zhao in secret was something that absolutely could not see the light of day; if Meng Tong spilled that bit of trickery in front of everyone, the trouble would be enormous.

Fortunately, though the man was foolish, he was not so foolish as to blurt out everything. At most, his outburst of cursing had left the others baffled; no one would guess at the truth of what was happening on the platform.

But Poor Senior Brother, Xiao Ran, Qiao Hongcai and the others had caught the undertone. There was definitely something loaded in what Meng Tong had just said.

Though they had no idea what had actually happened to Meng Tong up there, when they looked back at the platform, their eyes could not help filling with worry.

After all, these Law Enforcement Hall elders were all acquaintances of Xu Lingchong. Even if they were deliberately targeting someone, their chief mark would inevitably be Wei Zhao, not Meng Tong. Meng Tong had likely just been caught in the crossfire and gotten hurt and driven off the stage.

And now that Meng Tong, an expert at the early Foundation Establishment stage, had been squeezed out, Wei Zhao—whom they believed to be of the same early Foundation Establishment strength—would surely be under even greater pressure, his situation even more dire.

True, at every stage one had to fight for every point one could, but by comparison, one's personal safety mattered far more.

One must never risk life and limb clinging on up there for the sake of a few points—it simply was not worth it.

But the several of them, as Wei Zhao's associates, could do nothing to help even now that they had guessed at his plight—they could not even call out a warning, for that would distract him and could easily lead to real disaster.

All they could do was pray silently down below that nothing happened to Wei Zhao; otherwise, they might well have to prepare to collect his corpse.

At that moment, while Poor Senior Brother and the others fretted over Wei Zhao, the Law Enforcement Hall experts on the platform were exchanging awkward glances. Damn it—they had not hurt Wei Zhao at all, and had instead made Meng Tong the scapegoat. This business had turned out rather embarrassing.

Fortunately, by the time the fourth incense stick was lit, only Wei Zhao, Kang Zhaoming and Zhong Yongliang remained on the field—and happily, those two were positioned far from Wei Zhao, so they would not repeat Meng Tong's fate.

Four times the oppressive force!

The pressure on Wei Zhao instantly deepened another layer. His mind grew all the more weary, and the circulation of true qi within his body turned sluggish and obstructed, so that he could no longer fully block the powerful pressure of the outside true qi upon his flesh as he had before. Thus the burden on his spirit grew heavier still, and the vicious cycle so common in others finally made its appearance in him.

At this point, even with the jade pendant's space to swiftly replenish his true qi, Wei Zhao clearly began to feel the strain.

This brat is finally about to give out! The Law Enforcement Hall elders fixed their eyes on Wei Zhao's performance and only then breathed easy—and even so, the showing of this newcomer from the secular world had already impressed them deeply enough.

In all the Tri-Layer Pavilion, those who could withstand four times the oppressive force at the early Foundation Establishment stage could be counted on one hand, let alone one who had already held out on the field for a full three incense sticks' time as Wei Zhao had.

After gritting it out for a while longer, seeing that the fourth incense stick was nearly burnt through, Wei Zhao knew his condition was no longer suited to forcing himself on. He therefore planned to collect the points for the four-incense-stick limit and then withdraw from the field.

So long as he chose to withdraw in time, even these Law Enforcement Hall experts could do nothing to him. The points for the four-incense-stick limit plus the points for first place in the Azure Cloud Pavilion made an already considerable total; there was no need to gamble on demanding more.

Yet at the very last moment, just as the fourth incense stick was about to burn out—at the instant when he believed his goal achieved and was most prone to slackening—the jade pendant's warning suddenly sounded in his mind!

The oppressive force bearing down on Wei Zhao abruptly surged by a great margin, leaping from four times to six times in an instant, and still climbing!

Such a sudden and drastic change caught Wei Zhao off guard even with the jade pendant's advance warning. A sweetness rose in his throat and he nearly spat blood, though in the end he barely held it back. A chill welled up in his heart: these people were plainly not merely targeting him—they meant to use this chance to kill him outright!

Watching Wei Zhao's evident slide toward the brink of collapse, the Law Enforcement Hall experts all smiled coldly. Young Master Xu had specifically instructed them to give this Wei Zhao a proper reception; even if they did not kill him outright, they had at least to leave him gravely wounded—how could they possibly let him walk off unscathed!

To think of retreating now—too late!

Looks like this time I really will have to pay the price of some injury! Wei Zhao thought to himself. Even with them working him over like this, he was still confident enough of lasting until he could leave the field; he would merely suffer some wounds, and for one who could heal himself with ease, that was no bitter price at all.

And just as Wei Zhao forced himself to rise, a voice suddenly sounded in his mind: "Brat, need this old man's help?"

Wei Zhao was taken aback. After hearing the ghost thing out, the corner of his mouth curled slightly, and then he sat back down as calmly as before.

What the hell is that thing playing at?

The crowd below broke into an uproar. Anyone with eyes could see that Wei Zhao was finished; it was impressive enough that he could still force himself to withdraw next—and now he actually dared to sit back down. Could it be that for the sake of such laughable points, he truly did not want his life?

"This Wei Zhao does have some ability, but it's a pity he has no brains. He can't even tell which matters more, his life or his points. It seems that even if he walks off alive, he'll have no future. The other newcomers would do well to learn from his example." Pavilion Master Hu Yunfeng made this faint appraisal at the sight.

"The Pavilion Master speaks truly. This Wei Zhao has always been full of himself. He only managed to succeed in Foundation Establishment a couple of days ago by sheer luck with a Foundation Establishment Pill, and already he looks down on everyone, fancying himself the finest of the newcomers! Him forcing himself to stay up there now is probably just reluctance to lose to Junior Brother Kang and Junior Brother Zhong, who are also early Foundation Establishment experts—and never mind what foundation he himself has. That our Azure Cloud Pavilion should nurture such a newcomer who overestimates his own strength is truly our sorrow, and a fine Foundation Establishment Pill wasted for nothing." Meng Jueming chimed in with feigned regret. RS

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