I become stronger by sacrificing my lifespan, becoming invincible in the world.

"The game should end!"

Xie Qi let out a shrill cry, and his gaunt figure increased its speed once more! His entire body seemed to transform into a cloud of gray poisonous mist, instantly enveloping Lin Chen!

Dark blue claw shadows spread across the sky!

They've completely blocked all escape routes!

The poison had reached his shoulder blade, and his left arm had completely lost sensation, hanging limply at his side. Holding the knife with his right hand had also become extremely difficult.

All that remained in sight was the vast blue sky and Xie Qi's grinning old face.

Am I... going to die?

Do not!

Lin Chen's eyes suddenly became bloodshot!

The suppressed ferocity within him was completely ignited by the desperate situation!

He let out a beastly growl, and instead of retreating, he advanced, charging headlong into the densest array of claw shadows!

He gripped the knife in his other hand.

The tip of the knife points backward, and the handle points forward.

It's not a chop.

Instead... a thrust!

He poured all his remaining strength, all his resentment, and all his hatred into this straight thrust without any fancy moves!

the goal--

Xie Qi's open, sinister grin!

A poisonous claw was upon him! The eerie blue blade had already touched the fur on Lin Chen's chest! The chilling aura of death swept over him!

In that instant, Lin Chen's backhand stab, imbued with all his strength and will, was already close to Xie Qi's face!

Xie Qi's sinister smile froze, a hint of astonishment flashing across his eyes—he hadn't expected his opponent to use such a suicidal tactic!

In a split second, he had to choose: continue to crush Lin Chen's heart, or turn around and parry the knife that was piercing his mouth.

In the blink of an eye!

Xie Qi's sinister smile suddenly froze.

For the first time, a hint of surprise, even... panic, flashed in those narrow, venomous eyes.

He had anticipated that Lin Chen's poison would take effect and that he would be slow to move, and he had calculated that this final claw would surely rip out his heart.

But no one expected that this young man would be so ruthless!

They neither parry nor dodge, and even abandoned all defense.

I'll use this dying body as a shield, and this backhand slash as a spear, to trade my life with him!

madman!

A complete madman!

If you shatter the other person's heart, you'll also have your head pierced by a knife!

Is it worth it?!

The thought only flashed through Xie Qi's mind for a moment.

The instinct to survive overwhelmed everything.

He let out a sharp screech, forcefully withdrawing the poisonous claw that was grabbing at Lin Chen's heart. He crossed his arms, his dark blue nails gleaming with an eerie light, and suddenly parried the knife that was aimed straight at his face!

With his skill, he was more than capable of deflecting this last, desperate attack.

however--

Just as he parried, his chest was wide open!

Suddenly, a terrifying glint flashed in Lin Chen's eyes, which were slightly unfocused due to poisoning!

That's not the look of a dying person at all!

Inside, there is a frozen pool, a suppressed volcano, a ruthless calculation, and a desperate madness!

This is the moment he's been waiting for!

"Now!"

A roar erupted from the depths of his heart!

A certain power that had been brewing within the body for some time but had been hampered by toxins broke free of its shackles at this moment!

It's not internal energy.

It's lifespan!

A portion of the 230-year lifespan reserve stored in the divine jade was frantically extracted and ignited by Lin Chen like a burst dam!

[Lifespan consumed: 50 years!]

The divine jade trembled violently!

A scorching and violent force, far exceeding the limits of his current physical body, instantly poured into his limbs and bones!

The numbness in my left arm was forcibly broken!

The trembling in his right hand stopped abruptly!

The movement technique, which had been slowed down by the poison, suddenly accelerated to its maximum speed!

"Wolf's Gaze Step" - not dodging, but charging forward!

The frozen ground beneath his feet cracked, and his body seemed to transform into a blood-red afterimage that darted across the ground. In the blink of an eye, he slipped under Xie Qi's outstretched arms!

The two figures intersected!

Xie Qi's attack came to naught; his old strength was exhausted, and no new strength had been generated.

His pupils constricted sharply, and he tried to twist his body in terror.

But it was too late.

Lin Chen had already appeared beside him, almost touching his back.

The long sword, which was originally held in a reverse grip and aimed at the face, had somehow been switched to a normal grip.

There was no glow from internal energy infused into the blade.

Yet a thick, dark, and unsettling layer spread out...

color!

It wasn't light and shadow, but more like a tangible blood mist, swirling around the blade!

Blood Prison Slash: Severing the Flow!

Evolved from the desperate fighting spirit of a demon wolf, and derived from the essence of the "Three Forms of Blood Battle," this is a killing move ignited with lifespan as fuel!

"die!"

Lin Chen squeezed out a single word, hoarse and rough like sand rubbing against a stone.

A blood-red glint appeared in the air!

There was no earth-shattering momentum, only a thin, blood-red line, condensed to the extreme and faster than the eye could see, rising diagonally from bottom to top!

It slashed from Xie Qi's ribs toward his throat!

Pfft—!

The dull thud of a sharp blade slicing through flesh and breaking bones was so clear it made your teeth ache.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Xie Qi remained frozen in place, his body twisted in a half-turn position. He looked down at his chest in disbelief.

A slanted line of blood spread from the left rib to the right shoulder.

The linen robe tore silently.

The skin and flesh were rolled up, and the bones were broken and white.

Immediately afterwards, blood erupted like a fountain that had been suppressed for a long time!

"Heh...heh..."

Xie Qi wanted to say something, but only large gushes of blood and foam rose from his throat. He staggered back, pointing at Lin Chen, his withered fingers trembling, his dark blue nails quickly turning dull.

Lin Chen unleashed a powerful slash, seemingly exhausting all his strength. He collapsed to one knee, using the blade as a crutch, gasping for breath. Each breath tore at his poison-ravaged organs, and his vision blurred.

But he forced himself to stay upright, raised his left hand, and just as Xie Qi staggered backward and was about to fall, he suddenly reached out and grabbed the other's bloodied wrist!

Devour!

The suction force of the divine jade, through the cold blood, was activated with a roar!

[Absorbing 30 years of human lifespan!]

Current lifespan reserve: 180 years (230 - 50 + 30)

Xie Qi trembled violently!

He could clearly feel that the abundant life force within him was like a flood that had been released, rushing wildly to the point where his wrist touched, and into the young man's body!

The skin loses its luster at a visible rate, wrinkles deepen, and hair changes from gray to completely dry and white!

"Demon... magic..."

With his last breath, he uttered two words, his eyes filled with extreme terror and confusion, before falling backward.

puff.

The body crashed onto the frozen ground, splattering a little blood and mud.

It was emaciated and withered, like an old corpse that had been dried up for years.

Inside and outside the training ground, there was deathly silence.

Only the mournful sound of the north wind whistling past the flagpole could be heard.

Everyone stared wide-eyed, mouths agape, at this reversal that was too sudden and too bizarre.

Xie Qi, nicknamed "Poisonous Scorpion," who had been in a dominant position and putting Lin Chen in grave danger just moments before, was now a dried-up corpse.

The young corporal, who should have been deeply poisoned and struggling to his death, was kneeling on the ground, bleeding from his mouth and nose, his face black, yet... he was still alive.

He even held Xie Qi's wrist for several breaths before slowly letting go.

Then, he looked up.

His face, stained with blood and cold sweat, swept his eyes over the stunned crowd, and finally, after walking hundreds of steps, looked at the wooden platform.

I looked up and saw the figure in white.

His gaze was calm.

But it was like a knife dipped in poison.