Wan Chengming didn't linger in the sky for long. After dealing with the giant, fleshy-winged snake that had appeared out of nowhere, he quickly flew off on the back of his Black-Winged Qiongqi.
From the river, Li Ban watched the dark silhouette fade into the distance before hurriedly scrambling ashore.
Once on the bank, he glanced back. Seeing that the small boats on the river had all steered clear of the area, he finally relaxed and ran toward where he had hidden his clothes.
His clothes lost their Invisibility the moment he took them off, only to turn transparent again once he put them back on.
Li Ban sensed that this Invisibility ability acted like a light-refracting film, enveloping both him and whatever he carried.
However, the size of this film had its limits.
When he had hugged the corpse earlier, the Invisibility had not extended to make the body transparent too.
After dressing, he sensed the Invisibility was about to run out and immediately broke into a wild sprint.
Enhanced by a massive amount of spiritual breath, his leg muscles were stronger and his movements far more agile. At a full sprint, his speed could outpace a cheetah.
Taking a detour to bypass Uncle Qin, he arrived in front of his makeshift wooden shed just as the Invisibility wore off.
Uncle Qin approached and looked up, only to see Li Ban panting heavily, drenched in sweat, and steaming all over.
Startled, the old man advised, "Brat Li, don't push yourself too hard with your cultivation! You need to pace yourself so you don't ruin your body."
After half a month of secluded cultivation on the mountain, the Assassin Hall had prepared the selection trial for promotion to iron-badge assassin. Through the pawnshop owner, they relayed the location and the contact's secret signal to Li Ban.
The iron-badge selection would be centralized in one location, supervised on-site by a silver-badge assassin to prevent the incompetent from slipping through the cracks.
Therefore, neither Du An nor Zhai Liu could easily send someone to help him in secret; they could only do their best to assist him with items.
Wearing the human skin mask prepared by Huo Jiang, Li Ban followed the mission's instructions and arrived at a small teahouse outside the city.
In the freezing cold of the twelfth lunar month, there were only two or three other people in the teahouse—ordinary commoners traveling in and out of the city, stopping for a brief rest. They ordered only bowls of hot tea to warm up and quench their thirst, not even daring to ask for a side dish. Once they warmed their bodies, they would resume their journey.
Only Li Ban, despite wearing coarse cotton winter clothes like the rest, ordered a plate of salted peanuts and a pot of white tea.
He had just sat down and taken a couple of bites when someone approached and sat on his right. The man kept his head down and muttered, "I've got some mountain goods. Want to take a look, little brother?"
"What kind of goods?" Li Ban didn't even lift his head, continuing to pick up peanuts with his wooden chopsticks.
He ate them one by one, not letting the food delay his speech.
"Pheasants, wild hares, and long worms."
"Long worms" meant snakes.
Snakes hibernated in the winter, making them hard to catch.
But since this was just a secret signal, the man could spout whatever nonsense he wanted.
"How many long worms?"
"Nineteen!"
Li Ban immediately stood up, dumped the remaining peanuts into his mouth, and drank the rest of the white tea straight from the spout.
Wiping his mouth, he said, "Let's go!"
The contact stared blankly, his mouth twitching. He hadn't expected Li Ban to refuse to waste even a few coppers' worth of peanuts and tea.
However, he quickly turned and led the way. After all, the selection was what mattered. What kind of personality the candidate had was none of his business.
The two of them headed into the mountains.
Yu Province had both mountains and rivers.
Except the river was the River of Forgetfulness, and the mountains were barren.
The deep mountain regions that actually contained rare furs and medicinal herbs were also home to terrifying elemental beasts.
As a result, it was difficult for the locals to live off the land and water. Most could only survive through farming and manual labor, with no extra sources of income. The region as a whole was poor and backward, and even the number of Spirit Practitioners was low.
Anyone capable of entering the deep mountains to hunt was either a seasoned veteran or a low-Tier Spirit Practitioner.
Li Ban and the guide walked a long way after entering the mountains, venturing almost right up to the majestic peaks of the deep mountain region.
When the winding mountain path took a turn, the view suddenly opened up, and a dilapidated small village appeared before Li Ban.
He didn't know what kind of people would dare to live so close to the deep mountains.
Perhaps it was because a tyrannical government was fiercer than a tiger, but then again, a tiger wouldn't give anyone a way out either.
Looking from afar, he could see that there weren't many houses in the village, and the vast majority of them were collapsed or leaning.
Dust had gathered, frost had spread, and everything was dead silent.
It had obviously been abandoned for a long time.
Right now, three people were standing outside the village.
Despite the dead of winter, the three only wore ordinary cotton clothing.
The two on the left and right were dressed in black and had their faces covered. Both stood with their arms crossed, looking tall and imposing.
Copper Badges hung at their waists—the very rank that was Li Ban's ultimate goal for joining the Assassin Hall.
The leader stood front and center, just ahead of the two Copper Badge assassins.
He didn't wear a badge at his waist, nor did he cover his face. He stood in a relaxed posture, his eyes wandering carelessly.
Yet, his aura was clearly a cut above the rest.
Li Ban immediately suspected that the man was a silver-badge assassin.
The same level as Lu Qinghe before she faked her death and retired.
He wouldn't be easy to deal with.
Seeing the guide and Li Ban approach, the silver-badge assassin asked casually, "Which one is this?"
"Number Ninety-Seven," the guide replied.
The silver-badge assassin's attention was piqued. Tilting his head, he looked Li Ban up and down.
"The one who ratted out the Butcher?"
The guide didn't know what to say.
He was just a guide; the highest-ranking person here was the silver-badge in front of him.
Li Ban took a step forward and cupped his hands in greeting. "I was the one who reported him. Is there a problem, milord?"
'Could this guy know the Butcher?'
'I didn't expect the one running the trial to be connected to him.'
But Li Ban couldn't back down. If he retreated now, who knew how long it would be before he got a second chance at the trial.
He decided to just bring it out into the open. If the man targeted him because of it... well, Li Ban had his own connections in the Assassin Hall.
The silver-badge assassin chuckled, his briefly focused gaze growing unfocused again, as if he had just been making a joke.
"What problem could I have? Take him inside. Send him to—Location Four."
The guide nodded and led Li Ban into the abandoned little village.
"How will this trial be conducted?" Li Ban didn't immediately follow, instead asking the silver-badge assassin at the village entrance.
"The rules will be announced when everyone is here." The silver-badge assassin raised his right hand, spinning a silver-gray iron brush between his fingers. "For now, do as you're told. Or, you can quit the trial."
Li Ban's gaze swept over the weapon in the man's hand. Saying no more, he followed the guide into the village.
Location Four was situated near the center of the village.
It was inside a thatched cottage that had half-collapsed under the weight of the snow.
The house contained an earthen bed, a bug-eaten main beam, a potholed floor, and a stove completely empty of pots and bowls.
Li Ban was left alone here and told that he could not leave the premises before the trial began; otherwise, it would be considered a forfeiture.
The guide then left, seemingly to fetch the others.
'Looks like it'll take some time for everyone to arrive,' Li Ban thought, adjusting the fingerless gloves he had deliberately worn.
The gloves concealed the Plain Ring tattoo on his finger.
Though these Plain Rings were rare, he needed to avoid anyone recognizing it and taking precautions against him.
'When I was coming in just now, I felt someone watching from inside the houses a few times. Other people must have arrived in the village before me.'
'Will the rules for this trial be a battle royale where only one survives? Or a scramble to snatch an item and claim first place? But... would people really risk their lives just for the status of an iron-badge assassin?'
Li Ban stood before the window hole—which was missing its frame—and looked outside.
'This abandoned village isn't very large, and it's surrounded by mountain forests. If someone wanted to flee midway, they could run at any time. Or will the silver-badge assassin hunt down anyone who tries to escape?'
Li Ban automatically substituted the silver-badge assassin with Prison Officer Du An, recalling that sky full of silver light.
'If all 4th Tier Spirit Practitioners have Du An's level of strength, they could probably do it.'
Li Ban spent a few moments observing the nearby terrain and houses before retreating back inside.
There was no cover in the room, no partition walls, and he hadn't found any hollow tunnels beneath the floor.
His inspection finished, he returned to the edge of the earthen bed and sat down, conserving his energy as he waited for the trial to begin.
He waited until dusk.
One side of the sky was dark blue, while the other was a vibrant orange-red.
The cold wind howled, whipping up the snow from the branches and draping another thin veil over the ruined mountain village.
In just one ke, the sky would turn completely dark.
During this time, other assassins were successively led into the village.
Finally, Li Ban heard the silver-badge assassin's voice.
"The ten wooden-badge assassins have all arrived. I will now explain the rules."
The silver-badge's voice boomed, seemingly amplified by some item, echoing throughout the entire abandoned village.
"This mission is very simple."
"The scenario is this: As the County Magistrate's beloved daughter was riding a carriage through the bustling market, she accidentally dropped her favorite gold bead bracelet. The wretched commoners rushed forward, scrambled for it, and divided the gold beads amongst themselves. The Magistrate was furious. He ordered ten runners to lock down the market, find the ten scattered gold beads, and kill the foolish peasants who stole them. In the end, whichever of the ten runners brings back the most gold beads will be promoted to Head Constable!"
The explanation of the rules was over.
Li Ban frowned as he listened.
Why did this silver-badge assassin bother dressing up the trial with a backstory?
This wasn't some sort of rule-based game.
Furthermore, Li Ban hadn't seen a single gold bead since he arrived.
What exactly did the "gold beads" the silver-badge mentioned refer to?
Just as he was pondering this, he suddenly heard the bustling sound of human voices.
His eyes snapped wide open, and he returned to the frame-less window.
The sky wasn't entirely dark yet. Even with just his left eye, Li Ban could see a group of men, women, and children in ragged clothes stumbling blankly into the abandoned village.
Some carried carrying-poles, some held sickles, and some wore bamboo baskets on their backs... Their faces were etched with lingering terror.
Among the crowd, Li Ban even spotted an old woman leading a small child by the hand.
None of them wore much clothing. Huddled tightly together, their faces and limbs were blue and purple from the freezing cold.
Li Ban opened his mouth, then closed it.
The silver-badge assassin's voice rang out once more.
"There are thirty-seven people here. The gold beads are on ten of them."
"Now, runners, you may execute the County Magistrate's orders!"
"Remember, only the one who collects the most gold beads can become the Head Constable."
"Heh—" A puff of white breath escaped his lips.
When someone was pushed to the absolute limits of speechlessness, they really would laugh.
Li Ban thought he was already capable of killing without batting an eye in this Wizard World.
But looking at those bewildered commoners who still didn't know what was happening; looking at the lone child curiously examining the thatched cottages; looking at the terror on the adults' faces slowly morphing into a desperate yearning for shelter from the freezing wind...
If Li Ban had to slaughter those people outside just to be promoted to an iron-badge assassin... Li Ban stood inside the ruined house, tilting his head back to gaze at the night sky visible through the gaps in the wood and thatch.
The sky had grown pitch dark.
The light was exceptionally dim.
Just like Li Ban's current mood.
'The virtual world is all just data, it doesn't matter anyway, you've killed plenty of people before—'
He had to become an iron-badge assassin.
Otherwise, neither Zhai Liu nor Du An would let him off the hook.
It was either butcher even more people to earn another chance at promotion, or... they'd just swap him out for a different mole.
Did Li Ban dare to die right now?
After dying, with his consciousness trapped within his own corpse, could he hold off the madness until the Laboratory forcefully woke him up?
There were no machines recording the experiment in the Laboratory, and every time he woke up, the only people he saw were the Director and Chen Dong.
A Director who always appeared the moment the door opened, and a Chen Dong who was always waiting inside the Laboratory.
Even now, he knew absolutely nothing about the world outside that Laboratory.
He hadn't caught even a single glimpse of the world beyond the iron door.
The Director, who only cared about the mission, had never even considered helping him recover his memories.
Although Li Ban knew he wouldn't recover his memories, the Director and the others didn't know that.
Across two logouts, not a single person had considered the issue, let alone offered a solution.
Now, Li Ban had to complete the mission simply because he had no choice.
Not because he wanted to.
Once the silver-badge assassin's voice faded, the thirty-odd commoners standing in the middle of the abandoned village looked somewhat panicked.
They still didn't seem to realize the fate that awaited them.
The other wooden-badge assassins appeared to be waiting and watching as well; no one made the first move.
After all, they were assassins, not warriors; they had to bide their time and wait for an opening.
But soon, a figure stepped out of one of the dilapidated houses.
His hiding spot was near the center of the abandoned village, so when he emerged, he was also the closest to the peasants.
This person was none other than Li Ban.
His face completely expressionless, grasping his blade in one hand and its sheath in the other, he slowly approached the thirty-seven people huddled together in fear and unease.
Just when everyone else thought Li Ban was going to strike first, he stopped five chi away from the nearest person.
"Do you know why you were brought here today?" Li Ban suddenly asked the crowd.
Staring at the pale-faced Li Ban and the chilling longblade in his hand, no one dared to answer.
"Ten of you are hiding gold beads on your bodies."
Li Ban flat-out told them the truth.
"And our mission is to kill everyone hiding a gold bead."
The crowd instantly erupted in an uproar.
Only the toddlers, too young to understand what was happening, simply sucked on their chapped fingers.
Someone immediately turned to flee.
Li Ban raised his hand and fired an iron dart.
The projectile flew past, grazing the fleeing man's nose.
The man stopped dead in his tracks, cold sweat rolling down his cheeks.
"Whoever runs—will be the first I kill." Li Ban's voice was as chilling as the murder weapon in his hand.
The group was completely cowed by his aura; not a single one dared to run amok anymore.
But Li Ban knew they were only temporarily suppressed. A single spark, a single strange noise, and they would scatter like birds and beasts.
"You, you, you—"
Using the tip of his blade like a finger, Li Ban pointed out ten people.
These were all people whose faces had drastically changed in sheer terror when they heard him mention killing.
The others, meanwhile, had mostly relaxed.
Who held the gold beads was self-evident.
"Except for the ten I just pointed to, everyone else, get lost!"
Those who hadn't been singled out took a tentative step outward. Seeing that Li Ban really didn't attack, they hurriedly scrambled to the side.
But they didn't manage to run away.
Because at that moment, the other assassins emerged from the dilapidated houses.
At first, they had just wanted to see what Li Ban, the bird sticking its neck out, was planning to do.
After all, as long as they got the gold beads in the end, it didn't matter who did the killing.
But seeing that Li Ban really seemed to have gathered all the bead carriers in one place, the other wooden-badge assassins couldn't sit still any longer and hurried out.
"Brother, don't tell me you plan on hogging all the gold beads for yourself?"
Li Ban swept his gaze around; there was still one assassin who hadn't shown themselves.
Quite the patient one.
He let out a peaceful smile. "I just think—this game is no fun at all."
The silver-badge assassin, who had been admiring their movements from the rooftop, narrowed his eyes.
Number Ninety-Seven rounding up all the gold bead carriers right off the bat hadn't surprised him.
But for him to suddenly spout something like this to all the wooden-badges participating in the trial... the silver-badge assassin felt more than a little annoyed!
However, as the proctor of the trial, he didn't intervene, choosing instead to continue watching the show from above.
A slender wooden-badge assassin with a somewhat effeminate demeanor asked with a laugh, "Do you think we're playing around here?"
"No," Li Ban replied instantly, his gaze sweeping over each of the encroaching assassins. "We're the ones being played."
The effeminate wooden-badge assassin's smile vanished.
The others also temporarily halted their advance.
"What do you mean?" another short-statured assassin demanded.
His voice was sharp and shrill, as if artificially altered.
"I mean that the rules of this game dictate that whoever gets the most gold beads is promoted. But I imagine no one here is going to quit before they get their hands on one, right?"
"So, since this will inevitably devolve into us fighting each other anyway, we might as well pile the gold beads together and duke it out directly. Winner takes all!"
"I have no interest in acting like a dog tearing into rats for its master's amusement. What about you?"
The tallest assassin grunted, "If we start fighting and these people run away, what then? I say we still—"
Li Ban suddenly raised his hand. A white spider web shot out with a sharp thwip, instantly expanding into a massive net six chi in diameter that completely blanketed the eleven people he had singled out.
The group was instantly glued to the ground, unable to move a muscle.
The reason there were eleven people was because it included the old woman holding the child.
A few of them had still been planning to take advantage of the chaos to flee, but now they were thoroughly trapped—unable to struggle, unable to escape.
Instantly, wails and howls erupted from the center of the abandoned village, a sound tragic and terrifying to hear.
"Now, we don't have to worry about them running off." Li Ban slowly retracted his hand.
That display of the 'Spider Web' Plain Ring shocked the other assassins as well.
Even the three on the roof.
The effeminate assassin's eyes widened. "What kind of elemental ability is that?"
Clearly, the other assassins hadn't seen this kind of ability either.
Only the silver-badge assassin on the roof saw through it. "Number Ninety-Seven actually has a Plain Ring on him? Not bad."
A flash of greed crossed his eyes, and he bared his teeth. "To think he'd waste such a good item on a bunch of refugees. If he was afraid they'd run, he should have just killed them all."
Li Ban didn't know about the silver-badge assassin's heartache, and even if he did, he wouldn't care.
It was something he'd gotten for free anyway. What was the big deal?
He slowly rotated his wrist, the edge of his blade reflecting the faint starlight. "Now, we can have a proper contest, instead of playing at being runners and putting on a show for someone else."