During Ian Song and Tyson Xiong's contest, Fiona Li and Marcus Meng trailed closely behind, watching every move. Ian never teleported more than ten kilometers at a time; whenever Tyson Xiong closed in, Ian would instantly jump another ten kilometers away. Rather than being hunted, it was more like Ian was toying with Tyson.
After hearing what Fiona and Marcus said, Jason Song, Shawn Tu, and Hannah Han all seemed a bit distracted.
None of them wanted to be caged birds. They’d been stuck on the Blood River Battlefield for decades, always searching for a way out but never finding it.
Fiona and Marcus’s words gave them a glimmer of hope.
But whether it was true or not was still up for debate.
The three exchanged glances and deliberately fell behind.
Fiona and Marcus didn’t mind at all; in fact, they made a point of widening the distance.
"Shawn, Hannah, what do you think? Can we trust those two?" Jason Song asked them directly.
Shawn Tu thought for a moment and said, "I think it’s pretty believable. Fiona and Marcus are both deputy commanders, each commanding a hundred thousand troops. Their status is way higher than ours, so why would they join the Assassin Camp?"
Before the other two could reply, he continued, "Like they say, people don’t get up early unless there’s something in it for them. If there was no benefit, why would Fiona and Marcus join the Assassin Camp? They must believe the commander can help them rack up achievements, that’s why they joined—and why they’re so protective of him!"
Hearing Shawn Tu’s analysis, Jason Song nodded in agreement. "So, from now on, we’re sticking with this kid?"
"Doesn’t matter if you guys follow him or not, I definitely will. After all, he’s the one who healed my eye and ear!" Shawn Tu said seriously.
Jason Song laughed, "Ha! The kid even promised to rent out an entire brothel for me for three months. Clearly, he’s not some uptight fool—and following him means we can earn merit. So yeah, I’m in!"
With that, Jason Song and Shawn Tu looked over at Hannah Han.
"I need to think it over," Hannah said, hesitating.
Jason Song spoke earnestly, "Hannah, don’t blame me for not warning you—when it comes to picking sides, the sooner the better. The quicker you join, the more benefits you get. If you drag your feet and wait until he’s already made a name for himself, it won’t be the same!"
Hannah paused for a moment, then nodded. "Alright, I’ll do the same as you guys."
"Now that’s more like it!" Shawn Tu nodded in satisfaction, but then his face darkened and he said coldly, "Tyson Xiong might look honest on the surface, but deep down he’s sly and cunning. If he ever dares to go against the commander, we’ll have to teach him a lesson."
"Exactly. We’ll see how he acts—otherwise, I won’t let him off either!" Jason Song said with a sinister tone.
Tyson Xiong was nearly driven mad chasing Ian Song. He’d already pushed his speed to the limit, but just couldn’t catch up.
A mid-stage Martial Saint couldn’t catch up to an early-stage Grandmaster.
Pretty embarrassing, honestly.
Thinking about this, a flash of poison crossed his eyes.
He started to slow down, acting like he’d given up.
"What’s wrong? Giving up already? It’s only been fifteen minutes!" Ian Song teased Tyson Xiong as he teleported away.
"Hmph!"
Tyson Xiong snorted inwardly. 'Just enjoy yourself while you can, kid. Once I catch you, you’ll see how I deal with you!'
Time ticked by slowly.
Tyson Xiong’s speed kept dropping, as if he’d totally given up.
Seeing this, Ian Song’s lips curled into a disdainful sneer.
Finally, there was less than a quarter-hour left until half an hour had passed.
The two, one chasing and one fleeing, had reached the edge of the Blood River.
"Perfect timing!"
Tyson Xiong let out a low shout, and his blood and energy suddenly surged. His aura skyrocketed—he’d activated a secret technique.
Boom!
His body whistled through the air, and in a flash, he was right in front of Ian Song.
"Kid, let’s see where you run now!"
With a swing of his arm, Tyson Xiong’s palm was already just a meter from Ian Song.
But Ian Song didn’t look the least bit flustered. Instead, a strange smile appeared on his face. Tyson Xiong had tried to lull him by slowing down, but Ian Song had been calculating all along.
Spatial Freeze!
Buzz!
A frozen pocket world formed in an instant, and Tyson Xiong’s lunging figure was locked in place—the ferocity on his face frozen in perfect detail.
With a flicker, Ian Song appeared behind him, gripping the Violet Lightning Sword, and in just two seconds, unleashed nearly a hundred slashes!
Three seconds passed.
Tyson Xiong regained his freedom, only to realize Ian Song had vanished. He couldn’t help but feel disappointed—he hadn’t expected the kid to escape again. Just then, the force from Ian Song’s hundred sword strikes exploded within him.
Boom! Boom!
Nearly a hundred savage bursts of energy crashed into his body and exploded. Though Tyson Xiong tried his best to suppress them, they’d come out of nowhere, and he only managed to contain most of the force—the rest left him badly hurt.
He staggered forward several steps, his chest heaving. His face paled as he forced himself not to spit out blood.
Several kilometers away, Ian Song looked a little disappointed. Even with the surprise attack, he’d only managed to lightly injure Tyson Xiong.
"Haha, if Little Xiong wants to cough up blood, just let it out—why force yourself?"
Several figures flashed by—it was Jason Song’s group of five arriving.
Hearing this, Tyson Xiong’s face turned even paler.
Shawn Tu followed up with another jab: "Tyson Xiong, now you’ve seen our commander’s skills. Not only couldn’t you catch him, you got hurt by him. If you were at the same level, killing you would be child’s play. So, are you convinced yet?"
Tyson Xiong’s chest surged with anger at Shawn Tu’s words, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
He wiped away the blood and gave a self-deprecating laugh. "I may have been a bandit, but I keep my word. Commander, from now on, I’ll follow you to the end!"
"No need to be so formal, Elder Xiong. Here’s a bottle of holy healing medicine—take it."
Ian Song flashed over and tossed Tyson Xiong a jade bottle.
"Thank you, Commander!"
Tyson Xiong accepted the jade bottle and bowed to Ian Song, though a flash of malice still lingered in his eyes.
Unlike Jason Song and the others, Tyson Xiong hadn’t come to the battlefield as a criminal—he’d volunteered. So what he was after was completely different from them.
Evening.
Commander’s Residence.
Fiona Li was reporting to Commander Lei Jiuming about how Ian Song had won over the four troublemakers today.
After hearing the report, Lei Jiuming’s eyes flashed with regret. He hadn’t expected the kid to win over those four so quickly—truly a talent. It seemed impossible to keep him here on the Blood River battlefield.
He’d sent Jason Song and the others over on purpose, hoping Ian Song wouldn’t complete his assigned task. But in just half a day, Ian had won them over. Although he felt regret, he couldn’t help but admire and respect him.