Chapter 41: Reduce the damage of the revenge mirror
Fang Che left the Blue Sky Group and returned to his inn, directly pulling out the item targeting the Nailhead Seven Arrows Book from his embrace and tossing it into his storage ring.
This item might be useful to others, but for Fang Che, who had refined the Nailhead Seven Arrows Book and possessed the [Origin Protection] skill, it was completely useless and unnecessary to keep on him.
Afterward, Fang Che took out a medicinal pill and began to cultivate.
In the time that followed, Fang Che, aside from cultivating, searched for suitable missions to assassinate targets from hostile groups.
However, these assassination targets always stayed near their groups, so Fang Che had no opportunity to scavenge resources after killing them.
Fang Che could only wait for the assassination rewards; he gained nothing else.
Time flew by, and twenty-one days passed in the blink of an eye.
The communication token on Fang Che's person also began to emit heat on this day.
Injecting curse energy into the communication token, Ling Jie's slightly excited voice came from within:
"The Nailhead Seven Arrows Book ignored defenses and successfully completed the assassination; all four people who remained in the city are dead.
The other six left the city a few days ago after accepting missions. You can go find them. They are..."
Fang Che received the message, took out the portraits of the ten assassination targets, selected six of them, and individually attached them to the Corpse Seeking Compass, which displayed spots representing the corpses.
However, some of the Witchcraft spots were constantly moving, indicating that the corpses of five of them had been taken away by people nearby.
Only one target's corpse remained motionless and undiscovered.
Upon seeing this, Fang Che transmitted the information about these corpses to Ling Jie, then donned his cloak and mask, and headed to the Curse Master Mission Hall.
Fang Che looked around and spotted several Blue Sky Group surveillance members.
He would stay here, monitoring the Blue Sky Group members' assassination missions and acting as a 'bait' to leave marks on others.
As for the surveillance personnel from the other groups, they had all been killed a few days prior, so no one was keeping watch here now.
Of course, even if they were being watched, it didn't matter; Fang Che was willing to spend money to enter a cultivation room, making it impossible to be found.
Fang Che carefully observed the missions, accepted an assassination mission that rewarded Second-Order medicinal pills, then rented a cultivation room and left through its exit.
Afterward, Fang Che went out to search for traces of the corpse.
Half a day later, Fang Che arrived outside a dense forest and put away his Corpse Seeking Compass.
According to the Corpse Seeking Compass, the target's corpse was inside this forest.
Fang Che walked into the dense forest and quickly discovered the incomplete corpse, gnawed on by poisonous insects.
Fang Che was not surprised; according to the intelligence, this deceased Professional was an insect master Professional, skilled in controlling poisonous insects for combat.
After the insect master died, the poisonous insects he controlled would gnaw on the body and eliminate nearby enemies.
Fang Che took out an insect-repelling jade bead, obtained from a previous mission, from his storage ring and slowly walked towards the corpse.
The poisonous insects feeding on the corpse instantly became agitated, and a portion of them swarmed towards Fang Che.
However, these poisonous insects stopped short of Fang Che, not daring to advance, and continuously retreated as Fang Che advanced.
Fang Che slowly walked forward, afraid that if he moved too quickly, the poisonous insects wouldn't have time to retreat.
Fang Che certainly didn't want to touch these disgusting things.
A moment later, Fang Che arrived beside the corpse, while the poisonous insects moved away from the corpse and gathered nearby.
Fang Che fumbled the incomplete body and quickly found a storage ring, as well as an item that had lost its protective function after its energy supply was cut off.
Fang Che collected these valuable items, slowly retreated, and the poisonous insects gradually approached, reoccupying the corpse and no longer paying attention to Fang Che.
Fang Che hid in the distance, quietly observing the poisonous insects feeding.
After the corpse was completely cleaned by the poisonous insects, the insects quickly left the area.
Once Fang Che confirmed that he had left no traces, he also turned and departed the area.
Fang Che found a quiet, uninhabited place, threw the corpse's storage ring onto the ground, and stepped back a few paces.
Then, Fang Che gripped the insect-repelling jade bead, condensed a ball of curse energy to open the storage ring, and threw it towards the storage ring from a distance.
The next second, the storage ring opened, and a pile of poisonous insects crawled out, heading towards Fang Che.
However, after getting within a certain distance of Fang Che, the poisonous insects stopped, not daring to advance.
Fang Che relaxed slightly, took two steps forward, dispersed the poisonous insects, and examined the items inside the storage ring.
There weren't many items in the storage ring; most were for cultivating poisonous insects. However, Fang Che still found a few things that could improve the Revenge Evil Mirror.
Fang Che took out the Revenge Evil Mirror, placed several items on it, and activated the Flash of Inspiration skill.
The next second, the items turned into liquid and were absorbed by the Revenge Evil Mirror, and the Revenge Evil Mirror's ability changed:
[After being hit by a mysterious attack, it can increase damage by nine times, extend the damage duration by eight times, and display the enemy's appearance and any other information on the mirror surface.]
Fang Che smiled with satisfaction, then took out the assassination mission he had previously accepted and began hunting.
...
At Slaughter Saber Academy, members from various groups gathered again in Lü Jing's office.
After everyone waited quietly for a while, the last group leader walked in with a gloomy face, looking distressed:
"Just now, my Vice Leader was killed by the Poison Doctor. My group now only has me as a Second-Order member!"
Everyone was somewhat alarmed upon hearing this.
After a long silence in the room, a Second-Order Professional spoke with a bitter and hoarse voice:
"I knew it. The Poison Doctor who eliminated the Fierce Tiger Group members was a member of the Blue Sky Group. Now it's over; the Fierce Tiger Group ran, and we're unlucky. I should have known not to form any group."
Someone next to him echoed, "I regret it too. I think we should quickly show weakness to the Blue Sky Group and surrender!"
The others around nodded in agreement.
Lü Jing, seeing their demeanor, angrily reprimanded them:
"How can you retreat? I don't think the Blue Sky Group could have hired the Poison Doctor. You must persevere; only by persevering can you achieve victory!"
The group leader who had just arrived shook his head and said, "I don't think there's any need to persevere. Although we launched assassinations against Blue Sky Group members, we only killed First-Order Professionals. Killing more First-Order Professionals is useless. Let's surrender."
The others beside him nodded, "It's time to surrender."
"I agree to surrender!"
Lü Jing looked at their expressions, feeling very angry and anxious.
If these people surrendered, they would definitely reveal her information, and then the Blue Sky Group's hatred for her would become even stronger.
But simply asking them to persevere without offering anything was impossible.
Lü Jing rubbed her temples, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Many people in the Blue Sky Group, after submitting their reproductive genes, did not abandon their contract to serve the academy but exchanged it for other resources. I can find a way through the contract."
Upon hearing this, everyone exchanged quiet glances, their eyes sparkling with excitement.
People had been dying continuously these past few days, and everyone was scared witless, so they had conspired to trick Lü Jing. Now, it seemed, it was working well.
However, they still needed to push harder.
Therefore, everyone advised her with distressed expressions:
"Forget it, Instructor. Not everyone can utilize this contract. You probably can't."
"Exactly. I think we should just surrender."
"Actually, joining the Blue Sky Group isn't so bad..."
+++
Chapter 42 Assassination at the Gate of the Blue Sky Group
Lü Jing heard everyone's words and felt annoyed, but she didn't show it on her face. She just calmly said, "The Academy is very interested in the Tiger-man Plane discovered by the Blue Sky Group. That Tiger-man Plane has only developed the most basic Martial Artist profession, and many resources cannot be fully utilized.
If the Academy can obtain resources that the Tiger-man Plane cannot utilize, it can increase resource investment when training students, improving their aptitude.
After hundreds of years of effort, perhaps powerful Professionals can be cultivated, regaining the attention of the Plane Will and restoring the past glory!"
Everyone instantly understood that Lü Jing wanted to send the Blue Sky Group to the Tiger-man Plane to carry out a mission.
Although the Tiger-man Plane only had the most basic Martial Artist profession, there were many Third-Order Tiger-men on the Tiger-man Plane that the Blue Sky Group could not deal with.
As long as the Blue Sky Group delved deep into the Tiger-man Plane to plunder resources, it was almost impossible for them to come out alive.
However, the Blue Sky Group was too weak, and according to the contract, it was impossible to directly send them to their deaths.
At most, tasks would be arranged within the Blue Sky Group's capabilities. To eliminate the Blue Sky Group, everyone present would have to contribute.
At this moment, the last arriving group leader frowned and reminded, "Arranging this mission, anyone with eyes can see that it's sending the Blue Sky Group to their deaths.
If those who signed contracts with the Academy before truly learned of this, they would probably try every means to end their contracts.
At that time, Slaughter Saber Academy would have no one to use, and its reputation would even be ruined. The Academy would find it very difficult to agree."
The other people around looked at each other when they heard these words, and then spoke up, "Yes, it's impossible to succeed. Let's surrender."
"The Blue Sky Group's strength is not weak. Joining them can improve our strength faster..."
Everyone didn't care about Slaughter Saber Academy's reputation; they just wanted to provoke Lü Jing and make her handle this mission.
If this mission was handled, the Blue Sky Group would be doomed, and everyone could develop peacefully for a period of time.
As for the Fierce Tiger Group, they could negotiate.
After all, the Fierce Tiger Group was strong enough to accommodate everyone, and with Lü Jing mediating, everyone could survive.
Lü Jing listened to everyone's words, feeling even more disgusted with these people.
Lü Jing was well aware of their thoughts, but she couldn't use her old methods to deal with them.
The Blue Sky Group was too ruthless; they had already eliminated several Second-Order Professionals in recent days. If Lü Jing didn't act soon, these people would surely disband.
Now, she could only endure and let the Fierce Tiger Group deal with them after the Blue Sky Group was resolved.
Lü Jing controlled her emotions and calmly said, "The Academy has received funding from the Fierce Tiger Group, and my ability to deceive students into signing contracts is also inseparable from the Academy's inaction.
The Blue Sky Group will certainly harbor resentment towards Slaughter Saber Academy. In short, there's a high probability that Slaughter Saber Academy will issue the mission, so rest assured."
Upon hearing this, everyone immediately stopped discussing surrender.
The group leader who arrived last said, "When the Academy agrees to deal with the Blue Sky Group, please notify us, Mentor. We need to run away in advance to avoid the Blue Sky Group's frantic assassinations before they carry out the mission.
Only by surviving can we better deal with the Blue Sky Group in the future!"
The others nodded in agreement, no longer speaking of surrender.
Lü Jing waved her hand and said, "I understand. You may leave."
After everyone left, Lü Jing took out a warm communication token, infused it with energy, and a woman's voice came from within: "Mentor, I have prepared all the luck you requested."
Lü Jing heard this voice, a gentle smile appeared on her face, and she replied, "That's great! Send it over to me! Take your time on the way and be careful."
...
After Fang Che eliminated the enemy, he used the Corpse Seeking Compass to check the enemy's location, only to find that the enemy had died within Slaughter Saber Academy's jurisdiction.
Fang Che shook his head in disappointment and walked towards the Blue Sky Group's direction.
Half a day later, Fang Che returned to the Blue Sky Group's base.
As soon as he arrived at the entrance, a bolt of lightning struck Fang Che's head from the sky.
"Crack, crack~"
Two Curse Tools for defense instantly shattered. Immediately after, Fang Che felt a huge force on his back.
"Crack, crack, crack, crack~"
Another four Curse Tools for defense shattered. At the same time, Fang Che's body was also sent flying by the immense force, soaring towards the Blue Sky Group's base.
Fang Che understood that he had been assassinated again.
Although Fang Che was well-disguised, the Blue Sky Group only had one Second-Order Curse Master, Fang Che, which was too conspicuous.
This was something Fang Che couldn't hide.
Before Fang Che landed, he was caught by Ling Jie. At the same time, two Smashers from the group rushed out directly, chasing in the direction of the assassin.
Ling Jie put Fang Che down and gently waved her hand. A white light enveloped Fang Che, and Fang Che instantly felt a sense of ease in both body and mind.
This was a healing skill of a Fleshly Body Bodhisattva. Even without injury, it would make the healed person feel comfortable and relaxed.
Fang Che thanked her, "Thank you, I'm fine."
Seeing that Fang Che was fine, Ling Jie relaxed slightly, waved her hand, and the white light disappeared.
Immediately after, Ling Jie spoke with a serious expression, "I've never seen an assassin kill someone right at the entrance of another group's base. It seems they're desperate. Why don't you just stay here and not go out?"
Fang Che shook his head and said, "I'll try to come here less often in the future. If there's anything, contact me through the communication token."
If he always hid in the base and didn't go out, it would indeed be very safe.
However, Fang Che needed to assassinate others to earn money and frequently had to go to the Curse Master Mission Hall.
If he stayed at the base, he would encounter assassinations every time he went out or came back. It would be safer to just stay outside.
Ling Jie tried to persuade him, "There are many Second-Order general-purpose elixirs in the group now. I can provide them for you to use. Let's just tough it out for a while."
Fang Che still shook his head, but didn't say much. Instead, he took out his storage ring and handed it to Ling Jie.
Fang Che said, "These are what the killed person left behind. Keep them safe. I'm going to the Curse Master Mission Hall."
Seeing that Fang Che wouldn't listen to persuasion, Ling Jie sighed, took the storage ring, and said, "I'll see you off."
Fang Che smiled slightly and nodded, "Okay, then I'll trouble you."
With Ling Jie by his side, even if Fang Che was injured, he could be quickly healed.
Moreover, Fleshly Body Bodhisattvas were notoriously difficult to kill. With Ling Jie by his side, others might not even launch an assassination attempt.
Afterward, Fang Che followed Ling Jie, heading together to the Curse Master Mission Hall.
When they arrived at an empty street, Fang Che whispered, "Give me the list of the next ten people. In the future, when I collect items, I can trade them outside, and I won't go to the Blue Sky Group anymore."
Ling Jie thought for a moment, took out a notebook, and handed it to Fang Che, saying, "These are all targets. I'll notify you if there's any news. Be careful as usual."
Fang Che took the notebook and smiled, "Understood."
Fang Che was a Curse Master and had no close combat ability whatsoever. When encountering enemies, he didn't even have the ability to die together.
Therefore, Fang Che highly valued his own safety.
As for the work of searching for corpses, Fang Che was also unwilling to give it up, mainly because he didn't want to miss out on materials for strengthening Curse Tools.
Anyway, as long as he didn't go to the Blue Sky Group, Fang Che believed others wouldn't find him, and he wouldn't be assassinated.
A moment later, the two arrived at the Curse Master Mission Hall. After saying goodbye to each other, Fang Che entered the Curse Master Mission Hall.
+++
Chapter 43 Three Items Strengthened Simultaneously
Upon entering the Curse Master Mission Hall, Fang Che did not immediately submit his mission; instead, he exited through the training room's exit.
Many people had just seen Fang Che and Ling Jie arrive together, and submitting the mission then would have exposed Fang Che's identity.
Fang Che needed to be careful.
Outside, Fang Che changed his cloak and mask, found another inn to stay in, and took out the Revenge Evil Mirror from his Niwan Palace.
The Revenge Evil Mirror displayed an unfamiliar woman's face and name; Fang Che had never seen her, and Slaughter Saber Academy had not produced any Second-Tier female Curse Masters in the past few decades.
Presumably, she was a Curse Master from another area passing through, who casually accepted an assassination mission.
However, this was good; outsiders would not stay in the Slaughter Saber Academy's jurisdiction for long and would surely go elsewhere.
At that time, Fang Che could eliminate her and seize her resources.
Just then, the communication token emitted heat; Fang Che injected Curse energy, and Ling Jie's slightly apologetic voice came from within: "The person who tried to assassinate you escaped; I couldn't catch him."
Fang Che was not too concerned about this matter.
Assassins, as Professionals, are most skilled at disguise and escape; it was normal not to catch them.
When weak and facing these assassins, the only way was to prepare defenses and then leave it to fate.
Fang Che put away the communication token, changed his cloak and mask again, and headed to the Curse Master Mission Hall.
After submitting the mission, Fang Che went to the wall and reached out to accept a mission to assassinate Ye Ling!
These days, Fang Che had been killing members of other groups, making it easy for others to link the assassin to the Blue Sky Group.
Fang Che needed to create confusion.
Of course, the person could not be killed; he needed to stall until the mission deadline expired, letting the mission automatically become void.
Just then, a member of the Blue Sky Group walked up to Fang Che, subtly rubbing his fingers together inside his sleeve.
The person continued walking, did not interact much with Fang Che, and quickly left, as if merely passing by.
Fang Che expressionlessly went to the administrator to receive the mission, rented another token, and entered the training room.
As soon as Fang Che entered the training room, white smoke rose from his body and was absorbed by the wall.
Fang Che understood that this was a method left by the Blue Sky Group member.
If not for Fang Che's caution, he might have encountered an assassination attempt by the Blue Sky Group.
Of course, Fang Che did not blame the person who left the mark; it was proper for them to leave a mark while serving the Blue Sky Group.
After absorbing all the Curse energy in the training room, Fang Che put on a cloak before leaving the training room.
Subsequently, Fang Che went straight home to cultivate.
After cultivating for two or three consecutive days, Fang Che took out the Nailhead Seven Arrows Book at night.
Fang Che felt that enough time had passed, and the female Curse Master who attacked him should have left.
Fang Che wrote the name on a piece of white paper, bowed once, and then tore up the slip of paper with the target's name.
Immediately after, Fang Che affixed the portrait onto the Corpse Seeking Compass.
The compass showed the body's location; judging by the distance, the person must have died outside.
Fang Che relaxed slightly and went out directly to find the target.
A few hours later, in a cave, Fang Che discovered the body of a Second-Tier female Curse Master, leaning against a rock with a serene expression.
Looking at her peaceful face, Fang Che guessed that she must have been killed by Fang Che silently in her sleep.
Fang Che reached out and fumbled for a moment, quickly finding various defensive tools and a storage ring.
"May the heavens bless me with some good things," Fang Che clasped his hands and bowed to the sky before opening the storage ring to inspect its contents.
The next second, Fang Che's expression was ecstatic, and he trembled with excitement.
The contents of this storage ring were abundant; in terms of quantity, they were dozens of times more than the resources obtained from eliminating Zhou Duan previously!
If compared in terms of quality, the difference was thousands of times.
Because all the items in the Second-Tier Curse Master's possession were Second-Tier resources!
After a brief moment of excitement, Fang Che quickly calmed down.
Curse Masters are generally not strong; how could she have so many resources from other Professions?
Did she have the ability to kill so many people?
Fang Che placed his hand on the Curse Master's forehead, carefully sensing for a moment, but found no trace of the Nailhead Seven Arrows Book.
Fang Che couldn't figure it out immediately, so he stopped thinking about it, directly put away the body on the ground, cleaned up the traces he left, and quickly left the place.
Returning to the inn, Fang Che took out three Curse Tools, then took out the items left by the Second-Tier female Curse Master, and used the Spiritual Flash skill to enhance the three Curse Tools.
Not long after, the three tools were enhanced, gaining significant amplification.
First, the Nailhead Seven Arrows Book:
[Write the enemy's first name, last name, or a recognized alias on any item, and that item can replace the target's body;
Then, using Curse power, condense the characters from the bamboo slip tool into seven long nails and pierce them into the replacement item;
Bow once to the Nailhead Seven Arrows Book and the replacement item, recall the target's appearance, then destroy the replacement item; the enemy will die instantly, without any external injury marks;
After successfully eliminating an enemy, a portion of the enemy's energy will be stolen and stored; the next time the Nailhead Seven Arrows Book is used, the stored energy can be consumed to create Professional damage of the same type as the stored energy]
Previously, when Fang Che used the Nailhead Seven Arrows Book for assassination, it left no traces, and enemies all believed it was the Poison Doctor committing the crime.
However, the Poison Doctor's prolonged absence made Ling Jie suspicious, leading her to discover the Nailhead Seven Arrows Book and even refine a tool to counteract it.
Even a Second-Tier Ling Jie could discover these issues; facing more powerful individuals in the future, it would be even easier for problems to be discovered.
Now that the Nailhead Seven Arrows Book can create exclusive Professional damage, it can effectively divert the enemy's attention and protect Fang Che's safety.
This enhancement was of extraordinary significance to Fang Che.
Next, Fang Che's attention focused on the Voodoo Doll; after the Voodoo Doll was enhanced, its information also changed:
[Bury the Voodoo Doll in a group's living area; the highest-ranking person in that group will go insane and slaughter other members within the group; the group's size must be controlled within one thousand people, otherwise, it is ineffective; the Voodoo Doll can tunnel underground and disguise its aura as soil and rock]
The increase in the number of group members the Voodoo Doll can eliminate is good news.
However, the most important thing is the Voodoo Doll's newly acquired disguise ability.
The Emperor Plane is very powerful, possessing many Professions skilled in Observe; the Voodoo Doll would easily be exposed when facing them.
Because of this, Fang Che had not used the Voodoo Doll against other groups.
Now with the disguise ability, the Voodoo Doll can play a greater role and can be used to eliminate other groups!
Subsequently, Fang Che looked at the Revenge Evil Mirror's information:
[After being subjected to a mysterious attack, it can increase damage sixfold, extend damage duration fivefold, and display the enemy's appearance, location, and any other information on the mirror surface]
+++
Chapter 44 The Identity of a Female Curse Master
The enhancement effect of the Revenge Evil Mirror wasn't too significant; it didn't enhance the ability to find an enemy's name.
However, being able to locate enemies was still good. As long as one could confirm an enemy's presence in a sparsely populated area and then investigate their name, they could directly kill the person and then search for the corpse outside.
Fang Che happily stored the three Curse Tools into his Niwan Palace, then took out all the pills from the Second-Order Curse Master's storage ring, as well as a bottle of poison-testing spray.
Fang Che sprayed the solution onto the pills and observed carefully, finding no signs of poisoning.
All the pills were safe to consume!
Fang Che relaxed slightly, then consumed the Curse Master's pills and began cultivating.
A few days later, the mission Fang Che had accepted expired, and the mission token on the table quietly shattered, then atomized and dispersed.
Feeling the change in the mission token, Fang Che immediately put on his cloak and mask and headed to the Curse Master Mission Hall.
On the wall of the Mission Hall, the mission Fang Che hadn't completed reappeared as a mission token, hanging on the wall.
Afterward, Fang Che reached out and accepted an assassination mission for a Second-Order Professional from another group, registered, and then left through the cultivation room.
After finding a new inn, Fang Che threw the new mission token onto the table, not intending to carry it out.
Now with piles of pills, Fang Che wasn't going to carry out assassination missions.
Fang Che intended to use countless failed assassinations to shift everyone's attention away from the Curse Master Mission Hall.
He wanted everyone to believe that Curse Masters accepting assassination missions had nothing to do with Fang Che and nothing to do with the Blue Sky Group.
This way, other groups could also breathe a sigh of relief, not break the pot and target the Blue Sky Group, nor target Fang Che.
Of course, once suspicion arose, any disguise would be useless. Fang Che doing this might very well be a futile effort.
However, Fang Che was idle anyway, so he might as well stir up some trouble. If it worked, great; if not, it didn't matter.
In the following time, besides cultivating, Fang Che simply accepted missions and let them expire.
Twenty-one days passed in a flash, and Ling Jie sent another message:
"The first ten pages of the notebook I gave you earlier are the assassination targets for this time. Among them, the targets on pages three to seven died outside."
After hearing the information, Fang Che took out the Corpse Seeking Compass and the notebook Ling Jie had given him, tore off the first few pages, and verified the information.
Fang Che quickly discovered that these corpses were all moving, clearly indicating the presence of people nearby, making a search unnecessary.
Fang Che picked up his communication token and said, "The targets are all moving; resources cannot be collected."
After relaying the information, Fang Che continued his cultivation.
At this moment, in Lü Jing's room, Second-Order Professionals from various groups were chatting somewhat relaxed.
A moment later, Lü Jing walked into the room, frowning.
Seeing Lü Jing's expression, everyone instantly stopped talking, exchanged glances, and saw the solemn emotion in each other's eyes.
At this point, a Second-Order Professional near Lü Jing asked, "Mentor, what do you need us for?"
Lü Jing frowned and replied, "Decades ago, I met a student I really liked. To cultivate her back then, I sent her away from Slaughter Saber Academy to study at other powerful academies…"
Everyone looked at each other, not expecting that Lü Jing, who was always swindling, would actually help a student.
Lü Jing ignored their changing emotions and continued, "A little over a month ago, I contacted her via communication token and told her about the Blue Sky Group;
Not long after, she came here, saying she wanted to hire someone to help me deal with the Blue Sky Group. In my excitement, I gave her Second-Order resources for many professions;
Later, when I heard that Fang Che was struck by lightning at the entrance of the Blue Sky Group's base, I knew she did it;
I thought she would continue to act, but then she disappeared without a trace and hasn't been in contact since, and no one from the Blue Sky Group has been assassinated."
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other, a schadenfreude smile appearing on their faces.
A Second-Order Professional nearby laughed, "Mentor, she tricked you."
"Impossible!" Lü Jing loudly denied this possibility, her expression somewhat pained as she said,
"I treated her like a daughter, gave her the best resources; she couldn't possibly betray me. She must have been harmed!"
Everyone looked at Lü Jing's appearance, pursed their lips, and didn't continue to strike her down.
But everyone was still happy in their hearts.
Before, Lü Jing had asked everyone to deal with the Blue Sky Group, but Lü Jing hadn't shown any appreciation.
Now, she was directly tricked; she deserved it!
Lü Jing took a deep breath, took out a portrait of a woman, and a bottle of pills, and said,
"I don't have a way to find people in the academy. You all help me find out where she is."
Someone nearby immediately took out a mirror and said, "Mentor, leave it to me. I'll help you check on her situation."
Lü Jing glanced at the mirror, handed over the pills and the portrait, and asked, "What kind of mirror is this?"
"Something that tells if a person is alive or dead." The Second-Order Professional took the pills and the portrait, then directly pressed the portrait onto the mirror.
The portrait slowly merged into the mirror, and Lü Jing looked on with some anticipation.
A moment later, the portrait fully merged into the mirror, and a 'Death' character condensed inside the mirror!
Everyone exclaimed, "She's dead!"
"She didn't lie to me." Lü Jing was first joyful, then two lines of tears flowed down her face.
Everyone looked at Lü Jing's appearance, exchanged glances, and said no more.
A moment later, Lü Jing wiped away her tears, her expression somewhat ferocious as she asked, "Can you help me find out who did it?"
Everyone looked troubled, shaking their heads.
The Second-Order Professional nearby put away the mirror in his hand, and after a brief thought, said excitedly,
"Without a corpse, it's impossible to find the killer. However, I believe we should fulfill her last wish and eliminate the Blue Sky Group!"
The others exchanged glances and excitedly shouted, "That's right, we must eliminate the Blue Sky Group and fulfill her last wish."
"Mentor, please support us with some Second-Order materials; we will definitely give our all!"
"Mentor…"
Lü Jing heard these words and somewhat regretted involving her most beloved student in this matter.
If she hadn't looked for her, she wouldn't have come back, and wouldn't have died inexplicably.
It's all the Blue Sky Group's fault!
I only tricked you out of some money, why do you have to be my enemy?
I imparted knowledge to you, you should be grateful, why are you ganging up against me?
And these surrounding groups, if you had obediently helped me deal with the Blue Sky Group, it wouldn't have developed into this!
Lü Jing's eyes turned red, and she spoke in a cold, knife-like voice:
"Through my efforts, the academy is currently evaluating the Tiger-man Plane's impact on the academy, but many people feel it's not necessary to take the risk;
I now need you to use your connections to contact other academies and snatch away Slaughter Saber Academy's enrollment quotas! Force Slaughter Saber Academy, under immense pressure, to risk exploring the Tiger-man Plane!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions changed slightly. If Slaughter Saber Academy found out about this, everyone would be in trouble.
Seeing that no one was speaking, Lü Jing's face darkened, and she threatened, "It's being rumored outside that the Poison Doctor who killed the Fierce Tiger Group members was just passing by;
Now that your people haven't died, the Poison Doctor should have left. If I contact the Fierce Tiger Group and they get the news, they will definitely come back. What do you think the Fierce Tiger Group will do to you?!"
+++
Chapter 45: Blue Sky Team Learns Information
Everyone remained calm and unconcerned by Lü Jing's threats.
A Second-Order Professional calmly explained, "Mentor, the Poison Doctor doesn't kill people, which doesn't mean he has left this place. The Fierce Tiger Group won't risk coming back.
Besides, the Fierce Tiger Group's main concern is the Blue Sky Group, they won't pay attention to small fries like us. You don't need to scare us with the Fierce Tiger Group."
Lü Jing looked at everyone's expressions, her anger intensifying, and her face grew uglier.
Then, Lü Jing took out a recording jade slip and snapped, "Stop pretending! Competition between academies is fierce, and to recruit students, all sorts of underhanded tactics emerge endlessly.
The reason I asked you to contact other academies is because I knew you had betrayed Slaughter Saber Academy's interests. This jade slip records the information about your betrayal of Slaughter Saber Academy."
Everyone looked at the recording jade slip, slightly tense, but quickly regained their composure, saying one after another:
"Mentor, we were all trained by Slaughter Saber Academy, we wouldn't betray the academy's interests."
"Mentor, why are you slandering us?"
"We're not afraid of being slandered…"
"Shut up!" Lü Jing roared, and no one spoke further.
Lü Jing, her eyes full of fury, smashed the jade slip onto the ground and spoke somewhat frantically:
"The most common thing you do is interfere with spatial teleportation, diverting the infants being transported to the Life Witch to other academies.
My poor deceased student was in charge of watching over these things. A few days ago, she came here precisely to deliver this to me! Take a look!"
Someone immediately picked up the recording jade slip, injected energy, and images of contracts signed by everyone with other academies were instantly exposed.
"Crack~" The Second-Order Professional squeezed his hand, instantly crushing the jade slip, and the contract images vanished.
The others lost their previous composure, all becoming tense, their faces extremely grim.
None of the people present had undertaken overly dangerous missions or obtained many resources. Their ability to break through to the Second-Order within a few decades was solely due to betraying the interests of Slaughter Saber Academy.
They had thought they were well-hidden, but unexpectedly, they were exposed.
Seeing everyone's reaction, Lü Jing took a deep breath, calmed her emotions, and sneered:
"I threatened you with the Fierce Tiger Group because I wanted to give you some face, but unfortunately, you didn't appreciate it. So, let's just tear off the pretense and expose your 醜事.
Anyway, my student is dead, so other academies can't hold her accountable for leaking the contracts. Today, besides helping me, you have no other choice!"
Everyone's faces were grim, and they remained silent. After a moment, a Second-Order Professional asked with a grim expression:
"Mentor, your favorite student must have come to deliver the contract specifically to threaten us, right?
As for giving her resources to deal with the Blue Sky Group, that was all made up by you, right?"
A flicker of pain crossed Lü Jing's face, and she shook her head, "No, I only concealed the matter of the contract from you. Everything else is true! If others could truly assassinate Blue Sky Group members, I wouldn't threaten you like this."
Seeing this, everyone sneered inwardly.
Good riddance to the bastard, but it's a pity he didn't die before delivering the contract.
Everyone glanced at the somewhat frantic Lü Jing again, and without further provoking her, they all said, "I'm willing to help."
"I am too."
"Me too…"
Lü Jing regained her composure, took out a pile of storage rings, and said, "Here are some First-Order resources, all given to me as tribute. Now they are yours, cultivate more Second-Order Professionals."
After saying this, Lü Jing left the room dejectedly.
As soon as Lü Jing left, everyone immediately took out the items from their storage rings and laid them on the ground.
Looking at the piles of First-Order resources, everyone was slightly lost in thought.
Up until now, they had never seen so many resources at once.
At this moment, a Second-Order Professional casually remarked, "I wonder how many Second-Order resources the mentor gave that woman. Was it this much?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the joy in everyone's eyes when looking at the First-Order materials lessened, replaced by a hint of annoyance.
…
Fang Che, wearing a cloak and mask, arrived at the Curse Master Mission Hall and saw Ling Jie waiting at the entrance.
Fang Che asked Ling Jie, "Is the Group Leader looking for me to accept a mission?"
Fang Che had been cultivating at home just now when he suddenly received a message from Ling Jie, saying to gather at the Curse Master Mission Hall, so Fang Che had rushed here.
Ling Jie glanced at the heavily cloaked Fang Che, and only when Fang Che drew closer did she detect a faint, subtle threat.
Feeling this familiar threat, Ling Jie then spoke, "There's no mission; there's an important matter to discuss within the group.
I was worried you would be assassinated again on your way back, so I came here to meet you and take you back together."
Fang Che nodded, "Thank you for your trouble, Group Leader."
Fang Che did not ask what the group was going to discuss; anyway, everything would become clear once they reached the Blue Sky Group's stronghold.
Subsequently, the two returned to the Blue Sky Group's stronghold side by side, safe and sound all the way, without encountering any assassinations.
Upon entering the stronghold, Fang Che followed Ling Jie to the room where he had previously met with the ten Curse Masters.
However, the room was not filled with Curse Masters at this time, but rather with all of the Blue Sky Group's Second-Order Professionals.
Ling Jie closed the door and waved her hand, "Please, everyone, have a seat."
After everyone sat down, Ling Jie spoke with a serious expression:
"I previously bribed several mentors from Slaughter Saber Academy. The students these mentors trained will awaken their professions next year.
Originally, I wanted to use these mentors to invite the awakened Professionals to the Blue Sky Group, but I unexpectedly learned something very unfavorable to the Blue Sky Group."
Upon hearing this, everyone's expressions became serious.
Fang Che looked around, not knowing what others were thinking, but on the surface, Fang Che was serious, while inwardly he considered directly leaving the Blue Sky Group if trouble arose.
Of course, before leaving, Fang Che would provide some resources to support the Blue Sky Group, as thanks for their past help to Fang Che.
At this moment, Ye Ling asked curiously, "Group Leader, what happened?"
Ling Jie sighed, "Our mentor, Lü Jing, whom everyone knows, is not a good person.
Lü Jing discovered that most of the members recruited by the Blue Sky Group were those Lü Jing had deceived, and she believes we intend to oppose her.
So Lü Jing contacted the academy, wanting the academy to use contracts to dispatch us into the Tiger-man Plane to collect resources!"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's expressions grew even uglier. Yun Tian even slammed the table in anger and cursed:
"Damn Lü Jing! She's the one who offended most of the students. Even if we wanted to recruit those who weren't offended by Lü Jing, we couldn't even find them!
Originally, out of respect for Lü Jing having taught me knowledge, I didn't want to bother with her, but I didn't expect her to come looking for trouble with us instead!
Damn it, once I break through to the Third-Order, I absolutely won't let that bastard Lü Jing off the hook!"