Chapter 18

Qin Fengming decisively exterminated the other party, but in his young heart, he had undergone intense struggle. (www..com)

He was originally a kind village child, but he thought that if it weren't for his astonishing skills and the concealed weapon given by his senior brother, he would have been killed by the person in front of him long ago.

Although he was a child under twenty years old, his experiences far surpassed those of ordinary children. At the age of ten, he had once single-handedly exterminated a python several feet long. If other children had seen such a python, they might not have been able to move their feet.

At this moment, Qin Fengming, in his young heart, had already recognized the dangers of the world, and he knew that to deal with evil people, one had to be even more evil.

After killing Yuan Kejian, Qin Fengming moved and quickly circled back to where the three people originally were, stabbing each of them once more to ensure they were thoroughly dead.

After doing everything, Qin Fengming collapsed on the stone ground.

At this moment, he was just a child. The intense momentum of killing four people had left him, but the immense fear of his first killing still made him extremely afraid.

He stayed there for two hours before he gradually returned to normal. He moved the four bodies to a secluded place and covered them with broken stones.

The item that killed the first person was the small jade sword given by his second senior brother, Lu Xuan. Seeing this, Qin Fengming was very grateful to his two senior brothers. If it weren't for the concealed weapon given by his senior brother, he would have definitely fallen here today.

When he saw the bamboo tube on Yuan Kejian's waist, a sense of fear appeared in his heart.

Recalling Yuan Kejian's expression and actions at the time, Qin Fengming suddenly realized that Yuan Kejian must have been using a trick to beg for mercy, then waiting for an opportunity to use the concealed weapon to kill him.

Thinking of this, Qin Fengming deeply reflected in his young heart...

It wasn't until noon that Qin Fengming returned to his residence. After a brief wash, he went to the dining area to eat some food. He wasn't particularly worried about killing Yuan Kejian and the others, as it was common for fellow disciples to go missing without reason.

The Loxia Valley was surrounded by high mountains and deep valleys, and it was very common for people to fall off cliffs. No one would carefully search for them. This matter would certainly end without resolution.

While Qin Fengming was eating a steamed bun, he suddenly heard the conversation of two Loxia Valley disciples behind him:

"I heard that Senior Brother Lin has been very diligent lately. His Tiger Subduing Staff Technique has already reached the fifth level. There will be no doubt that he will smoothly enter the Elite Hall in next year's competition."

"That's not necessarily true. The other few strong individuals are not weak either. Although they lost in the competition two years ago, after three years of cultivation, their strength must have greatly increased. It's also possible that other disciples will suddenly emerge. Winning the competition is not an easy task."

Competition? Elite Hall?

These two words immediately startled Qin Fengming. He had heard of the Elite Hall, but he still didn't understand the specifics.

Turning around, he saw that the two people behind him were about fifteen or sixteen years old, likely from previous selection rounds. He bowed and respectfully said, "Two senior brothers, please excuse me, I have a question to ask. Could you please tell me a little about it?"

The two people looked up at Qin Fengming, seeing that he was only twelve or thirteen years old, and knew he was a new disciple. Their faces showed a hint of displeasure, and they said indifferently,

"I don't know what you want to ask. If it's not too much trouble, we can explain a bit to you."

Seeing their expressions, Qin Fengming was not bothered and bowed again, "It's not much trouble. Junior brother just wants to ask the two senior brothers what the competition you mentioned just now is about."

"Ah, it's about that. It's understandable that you don't know. When the competition is held next year, the instructors will explain it in detail to you. Since you asked, we can tell you a bit in advance."

Hearing Qin Fengming's question, the two people's originally displeased expressions immediately changed, and one of them even said with a hint of excitement,

"Speaking of the competition, it's a big event for all the disciples training in the Hundred Forge Hall. The competition is held every three years, and the top twenty disciples can enter the Elite Hall to continue their cultivation. I'm sure you know about the Elite Hall; it's the essence of our sect."

"During the competition, if you perform well and catch the eye of a hall master or elder, being directly accepted as their disciple is a step to the sky. However, this competition does not require new disciples to participate. You can only participate in the next competition three years from now."

The two people complemented each other and explained the competition in great detail. Although it was a short conversation, Qin Fengming understood everything.

"Thank you, two senior brothers, for your guidance. I wish you success in the competition and a smooth entry into the Elite Hall."

Hearing Qin Fengming's flattering words, the two people showed a hopeful look and waved their hands and left.

Back at his residence, Qin Fengming's heart was no longer calm. After the battle with Yuan Kejian and the others, he had a better understanding of his own strength. As long as he trained hard for another year, his strength would definitely improve greatly.

At that time, even if he couldn't compare with disciples who had been in the sect for eight years, defeating those who had been in the sect for five or six years should not be a problem.

Thinking of this, Qin Fengming couldn't help but feel excited.

The next morning, before dawn, Qin Fengming rushed to the Hundred-Zhang Cliff. He had made up his mind to ask his master to let him participate in the competition next year.

However, for several days, he did not see his master at the Hundred-Zhang Cliff. Even his master's wife and senior sister, Zhang Ruotong, were nowhere to be found, which greatly puzzled Qin Fengming.

With no choice, Qin Fengming had to put the competition aside and fully devote himself to training. For more than ten days, although four new disciples were missing, no one in the same residence felt anything strange.

In fact, the children were secretly hoping that someone would go missing, as it would reduce the competition.

One day, Duan Meng suddenly came to Qin Fengming's room, his face full of joy, and handed him a letter.

Seeing it, Qin Fengming immediately rejoiced. There was no doubt that it was a letter from his elder brother. Since no one else in his family could read, he eagerly opened the letter and read it carefully.

After a long time, Qin Fengming carefully put the letter away, his face showing a happy expression.

In the letter, his elder brother told him that the thirty taels of silver he had sent home had been received, and that his parents and grandparents were all well. He was told to take care of himself, focus on his training, and not worry about home.

Sitting on the bed, Qin Fengming's thoughts drifted back to the small village where he had lived for ten years, seeing his grandparents, father, and mother...

A month later, Qin Fengming finally saw his long-absent master. After kneeling down and greeting him, Qin Fengming hurriedly told his master about his plan to participate in the competition next year.

After listening to Qin Fengming, Hall Master Zhang looked at him for a long time, pondered for a moment, and then said,

"Fengming, at your age, participating in next year's competition is not impossible, but your foundation is still shallow. Compared to the other participants, your strength is somewhat lacking. If you insist on participating, your ranking will likely not be high."

Although Zhang Li was very fond of Qin Fengming, his youngest disciple had only been training for two or three years, which was a significant gap compared to those who had been training for five or six years.

"Please don't worry, Master. I don't intend to enter the top twenty. I just want to gain more combat experience. I hope you will agree to let me participate."