Chapter 10: Four Against One
1311 Words
The night wind swept through the ruined pavilion, scattering sparks from the campfire.
Four swords pointed toward Lin Chen.
The scar-faced leader stood at the front while the other three slowly closed the circle, leaving no obvious escape route.
The youngest among them smirked.
"You should have accepted Senior Brother Zhao's kindness."
Lin Chen rested his iron sword against his shoulder.
"So, Zhao Feng sent you."
The scar-faced man said nothing.
His silence was answer enough.
Lin Chen sighed softly.
"I offered you a chance to leave."
"You chose the harder path."
The youngest disciple laughed.
"Enough pretending."
"You're only at the Second Layer of Body Tempering."
"We have four people."
"You can't win."
Lin Chen looked at him calmly.
"In battle..."
"The first person to underestimate his opponent is usually the first to die."
The words had barely left his mouth when the youngest disciple attacked.
His sword sliced through the air with surprising speed.
Instead of retreating, Lin Chen stepped forward.
Clang!
The two swords collided.
Before the disciple could react, Lin Chen twisted his wrist.
The iron sword slid along his opponent's blade and struck the guard.
The impact numbed the disciple's hand.
His sword slipped free and landed several meters away.
"What?"
The disciple stumbled backward in disbelief.
One exchange.
His weapon was already gone.
The other three immediately realized something was wrong.
"Together!"
the scar-faced leader shouted.
They rushed forward from three directions.
One aimed for Lin Chen's legs.
Another attacked from the left.
The leader himself thrust directly toward Lin Chen's chest.
Lin Chen's eyes remained calm.
He had fought battles involving thousands of cultivators.
Compared to that...
This was nothing.
He shifted one step to the right.
The first blade missed.
He raised his sword just enough to redirect the leader's thrust.
The two attackers nearly collided with each other.
Before either regained balance, Lin Chen kicked a loose stone from the ground.
It struck one disciple squarely on the knee.
"Argh!"
The man dropped to one knee.
Without hesitation, Lin Chen struck the back of his neck with the flat of his blade.
The disciple collapsed unconscious.
Now only three remained.
Fear began creeping into their hearts.
The scar-faced leader gritted his teeth.
"Don't panic!"
"He's using technique, not strength."
"If we wear him down, he'll lose."
Lin Chen nodded slightly.
"Correct."
"But only if you survive long enough."
He suddenly vanished.
No...
He moved so quickly that their eyes failed to follow.
The youngest disciple felt a sharp pain in his wrist.
His remaining dagger fell to the ground.
A heartbeat later, Lin Chen appeared behind him.
The flat of the iron sword tapped the back of his shoulder.
"You lose."
The disciple froze.
Cold sweat covered his forehead.
If that strike had used the edge instead...
He would already be dead.
The scar-faced leader's breathing became heavy.
This wasn't swordsmanship an outer disciple should possess.
It was terrifyingly precise.
Every movement conserved strength.
Every strike targeted a weakness.
He had never seen anything like it.
Lin Chen slowly turned toward the remaining two.
"I'll ask once more."
"Will you leave..."
"...or continue?"
The two hesitated.
Before either could answer—
A piercing howl echoed across the forest.
A powerful pressure swept through the trees.
The ground trembled.
The scar-faced leader's expression changed.
"No..."
"It actually came."
Lin Chen frowned.
"Came?"
Another roar shook the forest.
This one was much closer.
Branches snapped in the darkness.
Something enormous was charging toward the pavilion.
The assassin's face turned pale.
"It wasn't supposed to arrive this quickly..."
The roar shook the forest a second time.
Leaves rained from the trees as something massive crashed through the undergrowth.
The scar-faced leader's face turned ashen.
"It's a Crimson Earth Bear!"
The words had barely left his mouth when a towering beast burst into the clearing.
It stood over three meters tall, its dark crimson fur glinting beneath the moonlight. Thick claws gouged deep furrows into the earth with every step. Its bloodshot eyes swept across everyone present before settling on the campfire.
The bear let out another furious roar.
The four assassins instinctively retreated.
"This wasn't part of the plan!" one shouted.
Lin Chen remained calm.
His gaze swept over the beast before stopping at its left shoulder.
A deep wound crossed the thick hide.
Fresh blood still flowed.
"It was driven here," he muttered.
The Crimson Earth Bear wasn't hunting.
It was enraged.
Someone had injured it earlier, and the smell of humans had drawn it toward the pavilion.
The bear charged.
Its enormous paw smashed into a broken stone pillar, reducing it to rubble.
The youngest assassin barely rolled aside in time.
His sword flew from his hand.
"Save me!" he screamed.
The scar-faced leader hesitated.
Saving his companion meant exposing himself.
Running meant abandoning him.
That single moment of hesitation decided everything.
The bear swung again.
A deafening cry echoed through the clearing before suddenly stopping.
Silence followed.
The remaining three men stared in horror.
Their companion lay motionless beneath the shattered stones.
The bear slowly turned toward them.
"P-Run!"
The three assassins fled in different directions.
The beast chased the nearest one without hesitation.
Branches snapped as both disappeared into the darkness.
The forest fell eerily quiet.
Lin Chen did not move.
He simply watched.
A frightened enemy made reckless decisions.
Several breaths later, another scream echoed through the mountains.
Then...
Nothing.
The scar-faced leader stumbled back into the clearing alone.
His robes were torn, and blood ran down his arm.
When he saw Lin Chen still standing calmly beside the dying fire, disbelief filled his eyes.
"You..."
"You never intended to fight us."
Lin Chen shook his head.
"I intended to."
"But the forest chose first."
The leader's face twisted with anger.
"If you had warned us—"
"You came to kill me," Lin Chen interrupted. "Why would I warn you?"
The man fell silent.
He knew Lin Chen was right.
Drawing a shaky breath, he raised his sword one final time.
"If I return without completing my mission..."
"Zhao Feng will kill me anyway."
Lin Chen sighed.
"So you've chosen."
The assassin rushed forward with a desperate roar.
His sword carried no technique.
Only fear.
Lin Chen sidestepped the attack.
His iron sword struck the man's wrist.
The weapon spun away.
Before the assassin could react, Lin Chen placed the tip of his blade against his throat.
The battle ended in a single exchange.
"Who gave the order?" Lin Chen asked.
The man laughed bitterly.
"You already know."
"Zhao Feng."
"He promised our families cultivation resources."
"He said no one would ever discover what happened inside the forest."
Lin Chen remained silent.
"So..."
"It really was him."
The assassin slowly closed his eyes.
"I've told you everything."
"Do what you will."
Lin Chen lowered his sword.
"Go."
The man looked up in disbelief.
"You're... sparing me?"
"I have no interest in killing someone who has already lost."
The assassin stood frozen.
Finally, he bowed deeply.
"I owe you my life."
Without another word, he disappeared into the forest.
The clearing became quiet once more.
Lin Chen extinguished the campfire and looked toward the dark mountains.
This attack confirmed two things.
First...
Zhao Feng would not stop until one of them was dead.
Second...
His current strength was still insufficient.
Tonight's victory had depended as much on circumstance as skill.
If Zhao Feng sent stronger cultivators next time, the outcome could be very different.
Lin Chen tightened his grip on his sword.
"Strength..."
"I need more of it."
Just then, a faint golden glow flickered deep within the forest.
It lasted only a heartbeat before disappearing.
Lin Chen's eyes narrowed.
"That aura..."
"It isn't natural."
Without hesitation, he turned toward the source of the mysterious light.
He had a feeling that the greatest opportunity of this trial...
Had just appeared.
- Writer
