Chapter 44: The Interlocking Stratagems

Near noon, Cui Dongxing's score had already reached 4 points, while everyone else remained at just 1 point.

The moment the scores were revealed...

Outside the periphery of the valley, quite a few soldiers realized the gap between Cui Dongxing and the others. Those who supported him all wore triumphant and excited smiles.

Before the third round began, someone had privately opened a betting pool among the twenty contestants, wagering on who would claim first place in the camp-wide grand competition. Seeing Cui Dongxing leading the pack now, those who had placed bets were naturally delighted.

However, they did not know that there was a hidden story behind Cui Dongxing's rapid accumulation of points.

Aside from the martial artist he had targeted after failing to catch Qin Jue initially, the subsequent two martial artists had delivered themselves right to his doorstep.

Long before the third round started, Cui Dongxing, as the military advisor's nephew, had already learned the rules of the competition. Determined to secure first place in this grand competition, he had bribed two individuals beforehand, instructing them to pretend to cross paths with him by chance, allow themselves to be caught, and then feign defeat to forfeit their points.

In this manner, he had effortlessly acquired 2 points.

Meanwhile, Qin Jue was still searching for enemies, but he had found no trace of any opponents.

Until...

He suddenly heard faint sounds of combat coming from ahead.

Qin Jue's vigilance spiked, and he quietly approached.

Through the bushes, two martial artists were locked in fierce combat, and judging by their strength, they were at the peak of the Fourth Gate level.

At a time like this, it was quite rare for anyone to fight so blatantly.

Qin Jue watched with guarded caution, choosing not to get too close.

Unusual events often harbored hidden risks behind them; he had to be sufficiently prudent.

Soon, the battle between the two martial artists in the clearing grew increasingly intense.

One of them was smashed flying by a punch from his opponent, crashing heavily into a large tree.

Then, launching a sudden counterattack, he swept his leg horizontally and drove the other man back.

The two exchanged blows back and forth in a fierce skirmish.

Eventually, one of them was kicked squarely in the chest, suffering severe injuries. Clutching his chest and retreating repeatedly, he turned to run.

Qin Jue watched silently, still choosing not to make a move.

"Whoosh—"

Right at that moment, someone descended from the top of a nearby tree, launching a sudden sneak attack.

This newcomer was also a martial artist at the peak of the Fourth Gate. The moment he struck, his vital blood surged with swift and decisive momentum.

Faced with the ambush, the injured man did not panic at all. Instead, he sneered, the feeble aura he previously projected instantly transforming. With formidable strength, he thrust out a palm and blocked the attacker's assault.

The attacker revealed a look of astonishment and quickly retreated.

At that instant, the other martial artist rushed over, cutting off the attacker's escape route.

Those two were indeed putting on an act!

Only then did Qin Jue slowly close in on the three of them. These were a full three points; naturally, he could not let them slip away.

Now that he knew the two were faking it, he could freely make his move.

To be safe, he specifically surveyed the surroundings to confirm that no one else was present before approaching with peace of mind.

Deep within the dense forest, the one who intended to play the mantis stalking the cicada had ended up becoming the cicada himself.

However...

The attacker possessed considerable strength. Even after falling into a trap, his expression remained unchanged as he calmly dealt with the pincer attack from the two.

Fighting while retreating, he continuously widened the distance between them.

The other two pursued relentlessly, their strikes growing increasingly sharp.

The three of them traded blows, flashing and shifting across the terrain. Although their physical power was immense, they remained quite restrained, unwilling to draw the attention of others.

Qin Jue followed the trio in secret from beginning to end, waiting for an opportunity.

As the three fought for a full quarter of an hour, they finally exhausted their stamina, leaning against the tree panting heavily, appearing to have no strength left to continue the fight.

Seeing this, Qin Jue deemed the time ripe and decisively made his move.

He struck first against the man who had launched the ambush earlier...

Since that man was on his own, he could quickly eliminate him before dealing with the other two.

Whoosh—

The wind whistled as Qin Jue moved with extreme velocity, appearing behind the man in the blink of an eye. He unleashed a punch carrying immense weight and momentum; once it landed, it would surely inflict heavy damage on his target.

Yet...

The man seemed to have anticipated his sneak attack all along. The sluggish state he had feigned vanished instantly as he whipped around and threw a punch of his own.

Simultaneously, the other two opponents sprang into action, rushing forward at high speed...

Qin Jue's eyes darkened, and he instantly realized that the three had not exhausted their stamina at all; rather, it was a premeditated scheme deliberately set up to lure him into the trap.

"Bang!"

The two fists collided. The man retreated a few steps, while Qin Jue found himself trapped inside the clearing, his escape route cut off by the other two.

"I thought it was a big fish, but it turned out to be you, Qin Jue." A man with deep, hawk-like eyes curved the corner of his mouth into a smile.

His gaze remained locked onto Qin Jue to prevent him from escaping.

This man was named Zhu Xiaohu, and alongside the other two by his side, he belonged to the Vanguard Camp's reconnaissance squad, holding a fairly high status within it.

Because he had mastered a martial technique that could detect vital blood, he was able to perceive fluctuations in vital blood within a certain radius.

Thus, the moment Qin Jue appeared nearby, Zhu Xiaohu had keenly sensed his presence.

However, that technique could only reveal that someone was approaching, not pinpoint their exact location or gauge their specific strength.

Therefore, at the suggestion of He Tie—the man who had feigned injury—they had orchestrated this chain of traps.

They simply had not expected the target who took the bait to be Qin Jue!

Although Qin Jue had performed brilliantly in the first two rounds, he was, after all, only at the Fourth Gate Major Accomplishment stage.

Deploying three peak Fourth Gate martial artists to encircle and attack him was truly using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Qin Jue swept his gaze across the three men, knowing he had fallen for their trap. Yet he showed no panic, maintaining his usual composure.

At that moment, He Tie couldn't resist a taunt: "You've already become a military commander, how can you not study military tactics or understand strategy?"

He had a deep interest in military strategy and had cooperated for years with Zhu Xiaohu and another man named Yu Sanmeng. Bound by a close-knit bond, they were the renowned "Iron Triangle" of the reconnaissance squad.

On the battlefield, martial artists targeted by them rarely managed to escape.

Listening to the taunts, Qin Jue remained indifferent.

He knew very well that the trio was spouting nonsense purely to stall for time and recover their stamina.

After all, putting on an act required physical energy as well.

Without hesitation, he directly launched an offensive, stepping forward to charge straight at one of them.

Yu Sanmeng, who had been targeted, curled the corner of his lips upward. Instead of retreating, he lunged forward fiercely, his right fist enveloped in a whistling wind as it drove straight toward Qin Jue's face.

He possessed the highest combat prowess among the trio; for his opponent to single him out was sheer suicide.

Qin Jue's gaze narrowed. Tipping off his toes, his figure flickered like a ghost, dodging the blow nimbly while throwing a punch from his flank.

His massive fist slammed into Yu Sanmeng's arm, the tremendous impact causing Yu Sanmeng's body to stagger and his face to twist in pain.

"Such immense strength!"

Yu Sanmeng was alarmed.

Was this person really just at the Fourth Gate Major Accomplishment stage?

At that moment, Zhu Xiaohu and He Tie also flanked him from the sides.

Channeling their vital blood, faint red glows flickered around their fists and feet. Their attacks were fierce, and every move was meant to be fatal.

The peak of the Fourth Gate, where the furnace fire was newly kindled, already granted the ability to channel a faint furnace fire to reinforce oneself.

Qin Jue did not evade at all; instead, he relentlessly continued his assault on Yu Sanmeng right in front of him.

With three people besieging him, if he didn't take one down first, he would inevitably be worn down and killed.

Remaining resolute, Qin Jue neutralized Yu Sanmeng's offense with a single punch, then followed up with several more heavy blows, carrying an unstoppable momentum.

Yu Sanmeng crossed his arms in defense and backed away repeatedly.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

After several punches, Yu Sanmeng's face turned pale, his arms ached intensely, and he lost his previous composed demeanor.

Seizing the opportunity, Qin Jue lashed out with all his might, kicking straight toward his opponent's abdomen.

"Ah!"

Accompanied by a cry of agony, Yu Sanmeng absorbed a devastating blow, clutching his stomach and collapsing onto the ground in a fetal position.

[Congratulations to the host for successfully defeating an opponent, gaining 3 victory points!]

Right then, Zhu Xiaohu and He Tie charged in.

Simultaneously striking, they launched a punch and a palm attack against Qin Jue's back.

A massive surge of force erupted. Qin Jue let out a muffled grunt as his body pitched forward. Staggering a few steps, he dropped to one knee, bracing his hand against the ground to steady himself.

Before he even had time to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, the two opponents attacked again.

Hastily standing up and spinning around, Qin Jue saw a fist and a palm already closing in on his face and immediately raised his arms to block.

"Bang! Bang!"

Another collision sent him stumbling back several steps, bruises instantly blooming across his arms.

Lifting his gaze to look at the aggressively approaching pair, Qin Jue met them head-on once again.

Fortunately, he had endured severe injuries to eliminate one of them; otherwise, the situation would have been even more precarious.

The three of them resumed a fierce battle amidst the mountain forest...

"Is this guy really someone who just broke through?"

Amidst the pincer attack, Zhu Xiaohu watched Qin Jue, who was fighting a war of attrition at the cost of his own injuries, feeling increasingly shocked with every exchange.

For a split second, they even felt as though their opponent was already a Second Realm martial artist.

"Bang!"

Qin Jue once again forcefully withstood He Tie's attack while returning a punch of his own.

The physical enhancement he had previously gained provided him with a significant boost, enabling him not to fall behind even when facing two peak Fourth Gate martial artists.

Most importantly, among the three, Yu Sanmeng—who possessed the highest combat power—had been eliminated by Qin Jue first. The remaining two, although also at the peak of the Fourth Gate, had only broken through recently, and their actual strength was not overwhelmingly high.

Taking Qin Jue's punch, He Tie staggered backward, enduring intense pain.

Seizing the moment, the muscles in Qin Jue's legs tightened, bulging veins standing out as he leaped into the air. Utilizing the momentum of his waist and abdomen, his body spun rapidly, and his right leg swept toward his opponent like a heavy hammer.

Although Zhu Xiaohu had hurried over from behind and even smashed a fist into Qin Jue's shoulder, it was already too late to stop him.

"Bang!"

Caught off guard, He Tie was caught by Qin Jue's horizontal sweep, his body flying backward like a cannonball.

[Congratulations to the host for successfully defeating an opponent, gaining 3 victory points!]

Qin Jue spat out another mouthful of blood.

Landing on the ground, he whipped around sharply, his gaze blazing as he locked eyes with the last remaining man.

Panic flashed across Zhu Xiaohu's face, thinking to himself: *What a monster.*

He turned to run, intending to regroup and plan another day.

However, Qin Jue gave him no chance. Urging his vital blood and surging forward at explosive speed, he caught up instantly and unleashed a flurry of punches.

[Congratulations to the host for successfully defeating an opponent, gaining 3 victory points!]

Leaning against a tree after collecting the points badges, Qin Jue looked at the three wailing men on the ground. He panted heavily, his legs turning to jelly as he collapsed into a sitting position.

His body was covered in abrasions and bruises, looking thoroughly battered.

At that exact moment, the bushes ahead rustled. Attracted by the commotion, another martial artist appeared on the scene...