Chapter 135: Battle to the Death

　　Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

　　Someone was getting in his way.

　　Shi Feng knew that he was probably going to die. His imminent opponent was not a pushover, especially in a fight to the death.

　　Fang Ping had wanted to order a retreat, but he knew it was too late the moment he saw Zhao Qing and the others hurtle toward him and that Shi Feng had stopped in his tracks.

　　He would probably be unscathed if they retreated, but Zhao Qing and the others would not be that lucky.

　　Would Zhou Shiping intervene?

　　Fang Ping did not know.

　　Some of the instructors were really cold-blooded!

　　They had witnessed far too many deaths. They might still care about their lives, but not others’.

　　They probably thought any severe injuries or deaths of people like Zhao Qing would be an acceptable investment if it meant that Fang Ping and the others would be motivated to further pursue power and strength.

　　“He isn’t necessarily unbeatable!”

　　When things had already reached this stage, the desire to demand answers could only be put on hold for later.

　　They could not afford to panic. If they did, they would be in serious trouble and end up getting picked apart one by one.

　　Fang Ping bellowed, “Everyone else, retreat! Tang, Zhao, surround him with me!”

　　At that, Shi Feng moved, barreling toward Zhao Xuemei!

　　Her staff seemed less lethal than Tang Songting’s saber. Fang Ping was obviously the leader, which meant that he would be harder to kill than this woman!

　　Zhao Xuemei knew that the other was a Rank-2 martial artist. She steeled herself, a flicker of determination in her eyes. Her staff rammed toward Shi Feng’s chest.

　　Tang Songting’s changdao (TN:changdao is a type of long saber, the author interchangably uses the word for saber and changdao in this chapter, but a changdao is a type of saber so interchanging is valid, the translation has been translated as is to reflect this.) hacked at him from behind as Fang Ping pointed his toes and kicked Shi Feng in the knee.

　　Shi Feng did not change his strategy, reaching for the staff again. Zhao Xuemei did not retreat, and neither did Shi Feng. As he grabbed the staff, a metallic clang rang loudly.

　　Disregarding the numbness in his hand, Shi Feng focused all his Vitality into yanking the staff toward him viciously.

　　Zhao Xuemei stumbled–her Vitality was at a disadvantage compared to her adversary’s, and she had not honed her upper limbs. Seeing his intention, she shook the staff violently.

　　It was not as effective this time.

　　Zhao Xuemei could not measure up to a resolute Shi Feng.

　　“Come!”

　　Shi Feng growled as he leaped, dodging Fang Ping’s Puncture Kick.

　　Zhao Xuemei was still pushing against Shi Feng when he abruptly stopped, and as a result, he was pulled forward toward her.

　　Zhao Xuemei’s expression changed into one of alarm as she retreated hurriedly.

　　Shi Feng was determined to take her down, however. Paying Fang Ping and Tang Songting no attention, he straightened his spine and whipped his right leg at Zhao Xuemei’s waist. Zhao Xuemei had no choice but to abandon her staff if she wanted to avoid his attacks.

　　She did not hesitate, releasing her hold on the staff immediately as she took another step back.

　　The staff was in Shi Feng’s hands.

　　Clasping his hands around the staff tightly, he swung it aggressively toward Tang Songting.

　　Tang Songting sliced the air with his saber at the same time.

　　Clang…

　　A metallic clang rang out. Tang Songting’s hand twitched at the force of the collision. He was at a disadvantage in terms of brute strength. His grip on the saber faltered at Shi Feng’s strike.

　　“F*ck!”

　　Fang Ping cursed, either at Zhao Xuemei or someone else entirely.

　　The weapons of Rank-1 or 2 martial artists like themselves augmented their strength considerably. Now Zhao Xuemei had abandoned her staff. Although Shi Feng was not a master in staff-fighting combat techniques, the tool could channel his brute force and could easily cause serious injuries.

　　Clearing the distracting thoughts from his mind, he bellowed to Zhao Xuemei, “You take the upper body, and I’ll handle the rest! Tang, keep him busy for a while!”

　　Tang Songting could only groan inwardly as he gripped his saber tight and parried the other with all his might.

　　He had begun honing the bones in his upper limbs, so he was not entirely powerless against Shi Feng in terms of upper limb strength.

　　The sound of metal colliding rang incessantly as Shi Feng lashed at him.

　　Zhao Xuemei, on her part, was attacking Shi Feng from behind, lips pursed as the other dodged her advances.

　　Despite having proclaimed to be in charge of Shi Feng’s lower body, Fang Ping jabbed his pointed leg toward Shi Feng’s right arm.

　　Hearing the slicing of the wind, Shi Feng glanced toward its direction. Eyes widening in surprise, his right leg shot out and collided with Fang Ping’s.

　　Squelch!

　　Fang Ping’s kick packed more punch than Shi Feng had expected–the tip of his foot had punctured through his skin into his flesh.

　　“Damn it!”

　　Eyes reddening in pain, Shi Feng quit hounding Tang Songting in favor of bashing Fang Ping’s skull in.

　　Tang Songting, with his hands already bleeding, slackened instinctively, feeling relieved.

　　Fang Ping assumed that Shi Feng had shifted his attention to him after being riled up. He quickly prepared to evade.

　　However, it was only a feint. Shi Feng’s staff abruptly changed direction and whipped toward Tang Songting.

　　Bang!

　　Crack!

　　There was a crunch of snapping bones. Tang Songting paled instantly, his left arm hanging downward uselessly.

　　He retreated without thinking of retaliating.

　　As Shi Feng successfully struck Tong Songting, Fang Ping was evading while Zhao Xuemei managed to land a kick square in the small of his back.

　　Stumbling slightly, Shi Feng continued his pursuit of Tang Songting with a sneer, disregarding the injuries on his back and legs.

　　With his left arm reduced to a useless lump of meat, Tong Songting’s strength had plummeted. If he bore the brunt of another assault, he would be killed.

　　Fang Ping had no time to regret the repercussions of his decision. He rose to attack.

　　However, as Shi Feng came at him with the staff in his hands, Fang Ping faltered and stepped back.

　　“Give me the saber and run!”

　　Fang Ping yelled out. Tang Songting hesitated from a distance but quickly made a decision. He tossed his changdao to Fang Ping and retreated, gritting his teeth.

　　“Zhao Qing, you guys cover him for a while!”

　　Fang Ping bellowed once again. Zhao Qing and the others did not hesitate to obey. If Shi Feng had caught up to a weaponless Tang Songting, there was a high possibility that he would be killed.

　　If Tang Songting had died, disorder would spread among them, and that spelled doom.

　　Shi Feng did not bother with their flimsy defense, swinging the staff in an attempt to knock away the flying changdao, but Zhao Xuemei, right on time, aimed a kick at his elbow.

　　Fang Ping caught the saber as Shi Feng sidestepped to dodge the kick.

　　With the saber in his grasp, Fang Ping felt more courageous than ever. He quickly cleaved the air.

　　Clang!

　　Saber and staff collided once again. Fang Ping felt his arm going numb, while Shi Feng was taken aback as well–the other’s Vitality was not weaker than his!

　　Clang…

　　Their weapons clashed time and time again. Shi Feng was not used to wielding a staff, and felt that the weapon limited himself.

　　Gritting his teeth, he dodged the changdao and swung his staff in the direction of the assisting Zhao Xuemei.

　　Fang Ping’s changdao sliced the air and changed direction abruptly, grazing Shi Feng’s waist.

　　Shi Feng’s clothes were torn by the slice. Blood trickled from the wound on his body.

　　He did not pay it any mind, though, and his staff struck Zhao Xuemei’s right leg that was whipping toward him.

　　Bang!

　　“Ah!”

　　Zhao Xuemei yelped in pain. She took a few steps back in lightning speed, sweat dripping in rivulets from her face.

　　“Bastard!”

　　Fang Ping panicked. Zhao Xuemei and Tang Songting were both injured! Shi Feng had suffered some injuries as well, but his were not serious, while Fang Ping’s party had lost two of their main fighters.

　　“It can’t go on like this!”

　　Fang Ping had been reluctant to go all out during the fight, opting to retreat when something did not seem right to him.

　　This weakened his offensive output.

　　Having no time to berate himself for his cowardice, Fang Ping finally set his heart to it. He was skeptical that Zhou Shiping would just watch as their offense collapsed.

　　Suffering a couple of injuries would not be that big of a deal.

　　Fang Ping hesitated no more as he rapidly thrusted his changdao at Shi Feng.

　　Shi Feng had seemingly discovered Fang Ping’s weakness. He chose not to parry but to strike at Fang Ping’s right leg instead.

　　Fang Ping did not take a step back immediately as he did before, and he slashed his changdao downward without any hesitation.

　　Slash!

　　Bang!

　　The changdao caught Shi Feng’s left arm, but Fang Ping came out of the skirmish deathly pale, his right leg hurting so bad it felt dislocated from his body.

　　Before he could scream in pain, Shi Feng howled.

　　Plop!

　　His left arm fell off from his body!

　　Having just entered Rank-2, he had not gotten to honing his shoulder bones even though he had taken care of his arm bones. The unbelievably sharp alloy saber dismembered his left arm cleanly.

　　Fang Ping forgot his pain. He bellowed, “Attack! Kill him!”

　　Zhao Qing and the others surrounded him immediately after hearing his words.

　　Tang Songting and Zhao Xuemei could only keep their pain at bay as Fang Ping yelled again, “You guys take care of his staff while I slash him to death!”

　　The only thing holding Fang Ping back was the long alloy staff. Even he would die if he was hit on the head by that.

　　If its movements were restrained, the one-armed Shi Feng might not be able to hold up to Fang Ping for long.

　　As Fang Ping barked his orders, Shi Feng tossed the staff aside.

　　He had finished honing his lower limbs prior to this. With only one arm, the staff was more of a liability than an asset.

　　Wielding it had its advantages, but it hindered his performance too.

　　After he tossed the staff away, Shi Feng dashed toward Zhao Qing and the others. They were not particularly skilled, but they posed a threat to him too.

　　Zhao Qing paled but stood firm. Behind him, Fang Ping did not hesitate despite the intense pain in his leg and slashed at his opponent.

　　Seeing his advance, Zhao Xuemei and the others attacked from all directions.

　　A hint of viciousness flickered in Shi Feng’s eyes. His fist flew toward Zhao Qing without hesitation.

　　Zhao Qing retaliated with a punch of his own, both fists colliding instantly.

　　Zhao Qing then retreated, face flushed with exertion.

　　Having put his opponent out of action with a punch, Shi Feng then lowered his body and, in a move that made his body seem boneless, aimed a kick toward Fang Ping behind him.

　　Fang Ping’s right leg was slightly indisposed, but he managed to stand firmly on the injured limb. His other leg, pointed straight, stabbed toward Shi Feng.

　　He kept his hands busy as well. He chopped his saber downward at Shi Feng’s head so fast that explosions of air rang in his ears.

　　“Die!”

　　Shi Feng did not shy from the attack, as he knew that his death was already looming–he only had one arm, he was being mobbed, and a powerhouse was out there, waiting for the right moment to strike.

　　Before the changdao descended upon him, their legs collided.

　　Bang!

　　At the collision of flesh and bone, Fang Ping’s face whitened again. The pain in his toes made him feel like they were going to fall off.

　　At the next second, he landed a hit on Shi Feng.

　　He did not get his head, though–the saber struck his collarbones.

　　Shi Feng sneered, his eyes bloodshot. His right hand held the changdao in place so that Fang Ping could not withdraw it as he kicked Fang Ping again.

　　Fang Ping cursed inwardly at the sight. He did not loosen his grip on the saber, though, adding force to it instead as his left leg swung to meet the other’s.

　　The tip of his foot sank into the flesh of his opponent’s shank with a squelch.

　　Shi Feng blanched instantly. He glared venomously at Fang Ping, and then at the other students launching attacks at him nonstop.

　　The power difference between Rank-2 and Rank-1 martial artists was not that devastating. Case in point: he was seriously injured, his collarbones were shattered by Fang Ping’s hit, his leg was injured, and he could not use the hand currently pressing on the saber on his shoulder. He could only stand there and take every hit.

　　“I didn’t expect to be killed by you rascals!”

　　Shi Feng gritted his teeth so hard that tendrils of blood trickled out of his mouth. Suddenly, he released the changdao and made a move to grab Tang Songting.

　　Tang Songting had injured his left arm prior. He was currently brandishing his right fist, preparing to launch an assault on Shi Feng’s head.

　　Shi Feng had suddenly given up on holding down the saber. His hand caught Tang Songting’s fist and yanked it forcefully, succeeding in getting Tang Songting into the position he wanted. Eyes flashing crimson, he attempted to brutally smash his head on Tang Songting’s.

　　If he had to die, he would die satisfied. Someone else was going down with him!

　　“Save me!”

　　Tang Songting was frightened. He could not use his left arm, and his right arm was held down. He was this close to getting crushed by the other’s head.

　　Fang Ping had no time to withdraw the saber lodged in the Shi Feng’s collarbone. He gave up on it and clasped both hands together into a fist that rocketed toward Shi Feng’s head.

　　Bang!

　　Fang Ping did not halt in his tracks. He continued bashing the other’s head in.

　　The sounds continued to ring in everyone’s ears. Due to his momentum, Shi Feng still collided with Tang Songting, whose hand was still in his grasp.

　　“Ah!”

　　Tang Songting yelped, but then he discovered that his head had not split in half as he had feared; it was not as painful as he had thought it would be.

　　He cracked an eye open, and he shrieked louder than before.

　　“Quick, get him away!”

　　The color drained out of Tang Songting completely. In his field of vision, some unknown liquid was flowing from the top of Shi Feng’s brain, the result of Fang Ping’s bashing fest.

　　Shi Feng still held onto Tang Songting like his life depended on it. Their heads were close to each other, the distance between them so scant that droplets of the substance dripped onto Tang Songting’s face.

　　No one heeded his cry. Fang Ping went on.

　　Zhao Xuemei and the others attacked with gusto as well. They persisted until Shi Feng stopped moving, panting breathlessly all the while.

　　“Check if he still has life in him.”

　　Fang Ping slumped on the ground, huffing and panting. Despite his command, he knew in his heart that Shi Feng was dead.

　　If he was still alive after all this, he must be immortal.

　　Some uninjured members went forward cautiously. Someone kicked Shi Feng viciously before he touched his neck. After a while, he proclaimed with relief, “He’s dead.”

　　“Good.”

　　Fang Ping did not wait for the others’ response before he rolled up his pants to see an expanse of purplish, bruised skin on his right leg.

　　He tried to channel the Vitality in his body. He cursed lowly at the sensations he felt.

　　His bones were not broken, but the injury was still severe. He would need to recuperate for a while before he could recover fully.

　　Only after that did Fang Ping look at the others. “How are you guys faring?”

　　Tang Songting’s face was still pale. He averted his eyes from Shi Feng, currently sprawled lifeless on the floor, and said seriously, “My left arm is broken. I need a few days’ rest and a Rank-1 Bone-honing Pill at least.”

　　One pill was worth 15 credits. The full amount of the reward was only barely enough to compensate for his loss.

　　Zhao Xuemei also said, “Tibia’s fractured. I’ll need to recuperate.”

　　“I broke a bone in my hand.”

　　Zhao Qing pressed on his hand, looking unwell. A Rank-1 Bone-honing Pill was necessary to heal broken bones.

　　Sometimes, even that was insufficient. The wounded needed other healing medicinal pills as well.

　　The others were unharmed, relatively. Although they suffered wounds during the battle, their injuries were not as severe.

　　Fang Ping did not try to console them. He said expressionlessly, “This—is what a Rank-2 martial artist is capable of. There are ten of us against one of him. Although we won in the end, we suffered many losses as well.

　　“Our opponent isn’t particularly strong in the ranks of Rank-2 martial artists. That’s what I deduced from going against him, at least. He had only just started honing his upper limbs.

　　“Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to amputate his left arm with just a strike.

　　“If he wasn’t crippled, our lives might be on the line.”

　　Zhao Xuemei said guiltily, “I’m sorry. It’s my fault.”

　　She had abandoned the alloy long staff that later made it into Shi Feng’s hands, which made everyone hesitant of closing in on him.

　　Of course, even if they had, they might not necessarily end up in a better state than they were in now.

　　Tang Songting did not comment. Fang Ping exhaled and said, “Everyone has made mistakes. Just be thankful all of us are safe and sound.

　　“I don’t want to berate anyone. I’ve made some mistakes too.

　　“Luckily, no one panicked and ran for it. That was better than what I had expected.”

　　Zhao Qing and the others did not run away during the battle. If any of them had, they would have failed to block Shi Feng’s path, and he would have succeeded in killing Tang Songting.

　　If Tang Songting had ended up dead, Shi Feng would have one less thing to worry about. Someone else might also be killed then.

　　Fang Ping did not continue bringing up this topic, stepping forward to touch Shi Feng’s corpse, ignoring the expressions on his classmates’ faces.

　　Huang Bin had tons of treasures on him when he escaped. Shi Feng would definitely have lots of stuff with him too.

　　“Wu Kepeng, Zhou Yuehong, go look in the house. Bring the saber by the door over, and search for other valuables.”

　　“On it!”

　　The two of them walked toward the rented house not far away. Fang Ping said again, “Zhang Hao, Liu Dasheng, you guys go guard the periphery. Don’t let anyone near us.”

　　As Fang Ping delegated the team, he felt something on the corpse.

　　He took the object out from Shi Feng’s shirt pocket. He scrutinized it for a while before exclaiming with glee, “These are Rank-1 Bone-honing Pills!”

　　“How many?”

　　Tang Songting followed up with a question immediately.

　　“Three.”

　　“Whew…” Tang Songting breathed a sigh of relief. Three was already a decent number.

　　After a short while, Wu Kepeng and his colleague walked out. Zhou Yuehong reported immediately, “An alloy duandao, 0.2 million in cash, and 5 normal Vitality Pills.”

　　The pills could sell for 2 million in the market. The duandao probably costs around half a million. Adding on the cash, and their spoils of war would amount to 2.7 million.

　　That was also why the mission reward was so spare.

　　All martial artists had valuables with them, albeit of varying amounts.

　　“Pack the things up. We’ll distribute them later. Let’s go find our dear Instructor Zhou for a chat.”

　　Fang Ping gritted his teeth. Although no one died, a few of them were injured. Only those who whined got the compensation they deserved. He must have a nice, long chat with the instructor no matter what.

　　Why was the promised Peak Rank-1 martial artist suddenly upgraded to a Rank-2?