Chapter 124: The Kentucky Clan

“Exactly. Who else could it be here?” Si said with growing impatience, a cold sneer on his face.

“Hehe… sorry, I thought I had misheard for a moment,” the young man said with a smile still on his face. However, even from dozens of meters away, Zhang Wen could feel bone-chilling coldness radiating from the young man’s smile.

“You didn’t mishear. It was me calling you. Our Sage has something to say to you!” Si, completely oblivious to the young man’s emotional shift, impatiently replied. Then, he stepped aside, revealing Elniel, who had been hidden behind him and Kai.

“Oh? Are you the rumored Kentari clan, on the brink of extinction?” The young man said with interest, looking at Elniel.

But with such a simple gaze, Elniel felt like a little rabbit being stared at by a venomous snake, instinctively taking several steps back.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Si couldn’t help but erupt with anger at both the young man’s words and Elniel’s frightened appearance. His skin instantly turned a deep blue like the sea, and white vapor blew from his nostrils.

“No… I haven’t done anything at all,” the young man said, unfazed by Si’s anger, instead smiling more broadly as he spread his hands. Then, with a meaningful expression, he turned to face Elniel again.

“Haha… Hahahaha! I’ve heard long ago that the Kentari clan has some extraordinary abilities. Seeing it today, I finally understand that the rumors were not exaggerated at all. No wonder the Kentari clan has become the target of everyone’s hatred. However, you, the Sage of the Kentari clan, you’re not a pure-blooded Kentari, are you? That’s why you can sense things that they cannot.”

“Sense what?” Si asked in confusion.

“Of course… the aura of death.” The young man smiled calmly, not moving an inch. Yet Elniel’s face suddenly turned as pale as if she had seen a ghost, and her body trembled involuntarily.

“What the hell are you trying to do to the Sage?” Elniel’s fear enraged Si. He couldn’t help but explode, roaring furiously as he grabbed the long sword on his back.

This time, Kai, the calm Kentari martial artist, also showed no intention of stopping Si. Instead, he instinctively reached for the short sword hidden at his waist.

“Don’t come any closer!” Elniel shouted with all her strength.

“Hey! What a coincidence! We meet again.” However, at this critical moment, a sudden voice from behind startled the two tense Kentari warriors.

Immediately afterward, both felt a heavy pat on their shoulders.

“Who is it?” Si and Kai jumped like they had been electrocuted, turning around sharply to glare at the person who had sneaked up behind them.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Haven’t we just met?” Zhang Wen smiled, feigning helplessness as he sighed. But his gaze inadvertently shifted to the young man behind the two Kentari warriors.

Although Zhang Wen’s helpless sigh seemed to be directed at the two Kentari warriors, in reality, he was sighing about his current predicament.

The closer he got to that peculiar young man, the more terrified Zhang Wen felt.

When he first entered the twenty-meter radius around the strange young man, Zhang Wen felt as if he had been suddenly thrown into the center of a completely unfamiliar jungle for some unknown reason from his past life! Although there was no visible danger at the moment, both his body and mind instinctively sensed danger, desperately wanting to turn and flee.

As Zhang Wen continued to approach the young man, when the distance between them narrowed to about ten meters, it was as if a pair of eyes watching him from the shadows had appeared in that jungle of fear!

You couldn’t tell where that gaze came from, but the feeling of being watched was so clear that you could immediately realize the hunter was nearby, and you were his prey!

At this distance, every step Zhang Wen took forward made that dangerous gaze feel twice as clear! In fact, Zhang Wen could almost “see” the mocking smile in that gaze, the excitement of playing with its prey.

Unknown danger, an inescapable fear… if it weren’t for Zhang Wen’s strict training in the past and countless similar situations, he probably would have lost all courage and fled in panic.

However, these were not yet the full extent of the peculiar young man’s power. When Zhang Wen approached within ten steps of the young man, which was the optimal attack distance in all martial arts of the Empire, he finally faced the last test the strange young man imposed on those who approached.

It was… an endless pressure! Not the intangible kind of mental pressure, but real pressure exerted on the body!

As he entered this final testing distance, Zhang Wen suddenly felt as if a massive stone weighing hundreds of pounds had been placed on his body! Moreover, the battle energy he had cultivated through martial arts in the Empire seemed to freeze instantly! No matter how hard Zhang Wen tried, the battle energy that had always flowed through his body had solidified, refusing to budge.

The physical pressure combined with the sudden freezing of battle energy. Ordinary martial artists would probably collapse to the ground the moment they stepped into the ten-step range! And while being crushed, they would also face endless psychological terror.

Even a Saint-level martial artist would probably collapse instantly when suddenly faced with such an attack! This level of power was even a step above Iron Mask! Perhaps among all the people he had met, the only one who could possibly match this guy was the “King” he had seen in the Sandra Forest!

Hey! What kind of joke is this? The “King” is the acknowledged strongest in this world! Why would a monster capable of rivaling the King appear in a mere selection contest for a wealthy organization? Come to think of it, why did I go out to confront such a monster? Meddling in other people’s affairs, I must have nine lives and still wouldn’t survive!

Zhang Wen bitterly laughed inwardly, but his steps remained steady, moving one by one closer to the strange young man. He had already entered the other’s “domain,” and approached within ten steps of such danger! If he couldn’t intimidate the other here, Zhang Wen didn’t believe the super-tier expert on the other side would suddenly have a change of heart and spare him, an obvious threat!

But… intimidating a monster capable of rivaling the King? Was that even a task for a human to accomplish?

As Zhang Wen was thinking, his hands separated the two large Kentari men, and at a distance of less than three steps from the strange young man, he locked eyes with him.

At this moment, the strange young man also looked at Zhang Wen. His gaze was filled with unmistakable excitement and curiosity.

As the young man’s interest shifted to Zhang Wen, Elniel suddenly felt the thousand-pound burden on her shoulders lift. She took a deep breath, as if she had just finished a long run that had exhausted all her strength, her body swaying a few times before collapsing weakly.

Zhang Wen instinctively reached out and supported the slender waist of the elven beauty.

“Elniel!”

“Sage!” Kai and Si shouted as they rushed forward.

“Hehe…” The strange young man suddenly lifted his head, smiling mockingly at the two impulsive Kentari warriors.

Boom!

A sudden storm erupted around the young man’s body!

The hurricane instantly spread out, sweeping everything in its path. Dust, rocks, and car wreckage were all lifted into the air, like a black dragon rising straight to the heavens. The dragon roared into the sky, piercing through the clouds before disappearing.

“Whoa!” The martial artists who had remained at the starting point and hadn’t had time to enter the depths of the jungle were also affected, being blown about haphazardly.

Of course, the four people closest to the storm’s center bore the strongest impact. The two strongest warriors of the Kentari clan were also quite agile. The moment the hurricane struck, the two men summoned all their battle energy, desperately holding onto nearby trees, barely managing to avoid being swept away by that terrifying whirlwind.

However, the strange young man paid no attention to the two struggling Kentari warriors. His gaze remained fixed on Zhang Wen, who was holding Elniel and standing five steps away from him.

“Hehe… I’m really curious. How did you manage to get in?” The strange young man suddenly smiled curiously at Zhang Wen.

“Everyone has secrets,” Zhang Wen replied with the same calm smile.

“Secrets, huh… you’re right. However, no matter how many secrets you have, recklessly barging in will bring you trouble.” The young man’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“You’re indeed very strong. But even so, killing me won’t be that easy. Since you’ve come this far, you wouldn’t want to lose your composure over something small, right?”

“Hehe! You sure know a lot. Let’s end this little game here.” The young man gave Zhang Wen a deep look, suddenly stood up, and walked toward the few martial artists remaining at the starting point.

“Huh?!” As the young man passed by, the two Kentari warriors, who had finally realized the terror of this person, instinctively tightened their grip on their weapons. But the young man didn’t even glance at them, walking away indifferently.

“Phew!” After the young man walked away, Zhang Wen exhaled heavily, just like Elniel had done moments ago, his body swayed a couple of times before he plopped down on the ground.

As for Elniel, who had been held by Zhang Wen all along, she naturally thudded onto the grass beside him.

“Ah! Sage!” The two battered Kentari warriors hurriedly rushed forward in alarm.

“Relax, she was just knocked out by the wind pressure. She’ll be fine,” Zhang Wen gasped for breath, glancing at the two shouting Kentari warriors.

“Is that so? Thank goodness!” Si knelt on one knee beside Elniel, his face filled with emotion, drawing the Kentari clan’s unique prayer symbol in front of him, thanking the gods for their protection.

“Um… thank you for your help! We Kentari will never forget your great kindness!” Kai, at least a bit more mature than Si, remembered to thank Zhang Wen for helping while his companion was busy praying.

“Forget it. I can’t handle your gratitude! Don’t let this kind of thing happen again,” Zhang Wen replied with a sarcastic tone.

“Sorry…” Zhang Wen’s words left Kai embarrassed.

“If you don’t even want the gratitude of us Kentari, then why did you help us?” Elniel, who had regained consciousness, suddenly asked.

“Oh, you’re quite smart! No wonder you’re the Sage,” Zhang Wen smiled, glancing at the elven beauty beside him, then stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes. “There are two reasons I helped you. One, naturally, is because of Xiu Luo. I couldn’t just stand by and watch his friends be in danger. The second… is that, to me, you still have some value to be used.”

“U… used?” The two Kentari warriors, who had just been immensely grateful to Zhang Wen, were stunned.

“What? You don’t really think I would risk my life just because you’re connected to Xiu Luo, do you? Besides, I don’t even know if you’re his friend or enemy,” Zhang Wen emphasized the words “risk my life.”

“This…”

“There’s no this or that. You’re looking for teammates, right? Coincidentally, I also need three. So, let’s cooperate. You and me.”

“Huh?” Elniel raised her eyebrows in surprise.

The Kentari trio’s desire for teammates was no less than Zhang Wen’s. To find teammates, they had even gone so far as to approach the strange young man! If Zhang Wen’s only purpose was to cooperate with them, then they would be more than willing! There was absolutely no need for Zhang Wen to use the word “use.”

“Of course, my cooperation with you is not unconditional,” Zhang Wen said, seeing Elniel’s expression, a smile forming on his face.

“What conditions?”

“Very simple. Before we can leave this island, the three of you must obey my orders. Absolutely no independent actions or unilateral decisions are allowed.”

“Huh?” The two Kentari martial artists were once again shocked.

But to Zhang Wen’s “insulting” request, Elniel surprisingly remained calm.

“Are you a friend of Inax?” The elven Elniel asked Zhang Wen.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Well then. We accept your conditions,” Elniel said seriously, her beautiful eyes locked onto Zhang Wen.

“Huh?” Zhang Wen hadn’t expected the elven beauty to agree so readily.

“What?” Elniel’s response surprised not just Zhang Wen. Kentari warrior Si shouted in disbelief and rushed over in an instant.

“Elniel, did you make a mistake? Why should we let him join? And we have to take his orders?” Si waved his left arm and pointed at Zhang Wen with his right, shouting at Elniel in the Kentari dialect which Zhang Wen couldn’t understand at all, “This guy is a complete stranger!”

“Si, stop!” Kai, the other Kentari, glared at his companion but then quietly advised, “Sage, although this Mr. Zhang claims to be a friend of Inax, he doesn’t seem to be even a tenth-tier martial artist. We don’t know anything about him. Perhaps he was just in cahoots with that guy earlier to put on a show for us. Sage, wouldn’t you want to think this over?”

“No, I’ve made my decision. How can the Kentari people not repay a favor?” The seemingly delicate Elniel, once she had made up her mind, showed no less determination than the two tall Kentari warriors.

Although Si and Kai still felt不甘 in their hearts, faced with the Kentari clan’s noble righteousness, the two could only exchange glances and obediently stand behind Elniel.

Seeing this, Zhang Wen couldn’t help but laugh silently. It wasn’t that he was laughing at Si and Kai, the two Kentari men over two meters tall, being subdued by Elniel, the delicate beauty. It was because he suddenly understood why the Kentari tribe’s three-man team had not found a single partner until now.

The three from the Kentari tribe even used their own dialect to argue, making it completely incomprehensible to others. In other words, if they wanted to secretly discuss something, the martial artist who joined them would probably not even realize he had been sold out. Such a team, how could cautious professional explorers dare to join?

However, at this moment, Zhang Wen didn’t care about this point. It wasn’t that Zhang Wen was not cautious enough, but rather that different perspectives led to different conclusions! From the Kentari tribe’s three-man team, professional explorers saw only their incomprehensible language and the possibility of betrayal, while Zhang Wen saw recklessness!

Regardless of how strong the Kentari tribe’s three-man team was, Si and Kai gave Zhang Wen the impression of two temperamental teenagers in their rebellious phase!

Right in front of Zhang Wen, arguing in a language he couldn’t understand… If they were really scheming types who would plot to betray their companions behind their backs, how could they let others witness such a ridiculous scene?

Given the personalities of the three Kentari members, they were not the type to betray others, but rather the type who would probably be sold out and still help count the money if they met a slightly cunning fraud!

Thinking of this, Zhang Wen naturally felt reassured. The three from the Kentari tribe were exactly the kind of teammates he was looking for.

“Sorry, Mr. Zhang. I still want to ask you a question, may I?” After glaring at the two men for their behavior, Elniel turned to Zhang Wen and asked again.

“You can ask,” Zhang Wen shrugged indifferently.

“I want to ask, what exactly happened just now? Why did that person attack us?” Elniel stared intently at Zhang Wen.

“Ah? You still don’t understand?” Zhang Wen raised his eyebrows in surprise, then sighed, “It’s not that he attacked you, but rather you went to him and ended up with a bloody nose! You should know, right? Before martial artists reach the ultra-tier, a large portion of their battle energy is beyond their control. So, when a tenth-tier warrior and a Saint-tier expert are fighting, there will always be something called ‘battle aura’ around them. However, once a martial artist advances to the ultra-tier, generally speaking, most ultra-tier martial artists can control most of their battle energy, thus making the battle aura disappear during fights.”

“We know that, of course.”

“Hehe! This is the most basic knowledge of martial arts, so of course you should know. But do you know this? The battle aura of ultra-tier experts doesn’t completely disappear. Think about it, when a martial artist advances to the ultra-tier, his battle energy clearly increases several times, even tenfold. But when he had less battle energy, he couldn’t control it, and now with so much more, he can control it instead. Don’t you think that’s quite illogical?”

“Hmm… that does seem a bit unreasonable. I never thought about this before,” the straightforward Si scratched his head in confusion.

“Perhaps it’s because ultra-tier experts have a fundamentally different understanding of battle energy compared to Saint-tier,” Kai reluctantly offered his explanation.

“Hehe! Different understanding of battle energy? Maybe you can say that. But essentially, the real difference between ultra-tier experts and other martial artists is that they can utilize their battle aura.”

“Utilize battle aura?”

“Exactly. Before reaching the ultra-tier, the battle aura emitted by martial artists during fights is uncontrollable, so naturally, it has no real power. However, ultra-tier experts can control their battle aura to attack, scout, or restrict their opponents. The specific effect should vary according to each ultra-tier expert’s battle energy nature. In other words, for any ultra-tier expert, as long as it’s within the range of their battle aura, it is always under their control. This range, I personally call… the ultra-tier domain.”

“So you mean we accidentally entered that person’s ‘ultra-tier domain,’ which caused his hostility?”

“Exactly. Our Kentari bloodline has a natural affinity for battle energy. Therefore, we had no reaction to his domain and just walked up to him,” Kai clenched his fist tightly.

“Aha! No wonder I was wondering earlier why there was no one around that guy! It was because of this!” Si immediately exclaimed loudly.

“However, since that person is an ultimate expert with an ‘ultra-tier domain,’ then being able to escape unscathed from his hands and rescuing our Sage. What do you mean by that…?” Kai said thoughtfully, glancing at Zhang Wen.

“No! You got it wrong! I don’t have the ability to deal with him,” Zhang Wen quickly waved his hands with a smile. “It’s just that he couldn’t figure out my background and was worried that fighting me would cause his shape-shifting technique to fail.”

“It seems to be the case,” Kai looked at Zhang Wen again and nodded lightly to Elniel.

“Alright. Mr. Zhang, thank you for taking so much time. As previously stated, we agree to your conditions. Before finding the airship, we will follow your instructions.” From Elniel’s expression, it was clear that the Kentari clan’s acting Sage was not happy about accepting Zhang Wen’s command.

However, this elven beauty, who served as the Sage, indeed possessed great wisdom and was not the type to be all looks and no brains. She had realized that with just their Kentari trio, the chances of winning this competition were probably extremely slim. Since Zhang Wen dared to say they should follow his orders, he must have some strategy.

“Hehe, that’s great,” Zhang Wen laughed heartily, reaching out his hand to Elniel. “Miss Elniel, I accept your invitation. I hope we can cooperate well with the three of you.”

“Cooperate well,” Elniel shook hands with Zhang Wen briskly, her expression still serious. “But I must clarify something in advance. We will only follow your orders within reasonable limits. If your orders are unreasonable, I will refuse.”

“…Reasonable limits?” Zhang Wen softly repeated the five words from Elniel’s statement. In an instant, the temperature in the air seemed to drop a few degrees!

“Exactly. We will follow your reasonable orders. Whether your orders are reasonable or not will be judged by me.” Elniel pointed firmly at herself.

“If that’s the case, then maybe we shouldn’t cooperate after all,” Zhang Wen suddenly withdrew his right hand that was shaking Elniel’s.

“You…” Elniel looked at Zhang Wen in surprise.

“Your condition only means you don’t trust me. In this competition, if we don’t even have this level of trust between us, the so-called cooperation is just asking for trouble,” Zhang Wen shrugged his shoulders.

“So you’re saying, to cooperate with you, even if you order us to go to our deaths, we should just go?” Elniel’s face flushed with anger.

“That’s exactly what I mean! If you think I will send you to your deaths during the competition,” Zhang Wen turned and started to walk away.

The two Kentari warriors behind Elniel both showed expressions of disbelief, and Si even seemed secretly pleased.

“Wait… wait a minute,” but just as Zhang Wen was about to walk away, Elniel suddenly called out to him. “Why? Why do you insist on having us follow your orders? Even ordinary cooperation wouldn’t be beneficial to both sides?” The beautiful elven beauty bit her lip hard, the redness on her face showing how intense her inner struggle was.

“Benefit?” Zhang Wen stopped walking and gave a cynical smile. “Are you kidding? Haven’t you realized it yet after seeing that guy just now? Even someone like him, an ultra-tier expert, has shown up. The significance behind this competition extends far beyond our imagination! The current situation we face is that out of a hundred participants, only up to twenty-four can advance—a淘汰 rate exceeding three-quarters. Do you still think this competition will be as lenient as before?”

As Zhang Wen spoke, his gaze swept over the three Kentari team members one by one.

“In the upcoming competition, it’s certain to be ruthless, and it wouldn’t be surprising if some people start killing each other! To win in this competition, you need the same determination. If you still hold onto the idea of ‘just making a little extra money,’ I suggest you quit. Also, I might as well tell you. Your old Sage, Xiu Luo is already trying to rescue people. You don’t have to feel any psychological burden about quitting the competition here,” Zhang Wen finished speaking, his face dark as he walked toward the remaining three people at the starting line.

Zhang Wen had already decided to show his full strength and force those three to cooperate with him. Although such cooperation would bring many hidden dangers, Zhang Wen had no intention of worrying about that anymore. No matter what, he had to return to the Star Moon No.!

However, just as Zhang Wen was mentally steeling himself, he suddenly heard Elniel’s voice from behind him: “I agree to your terms!”

“Huh?” Zhang Wen turned around in surprise.

“I agree to your conditions,” Elniel calmly repeated.

“Sage!” Both Si and Kai shouted. They couldn’t believe their ears.

Si had never wanted to cooperate with Zhang Wen from the beginning, and although Kai didn’t oppose it, in his eyes, the conditions Zhang Wen proposed were undoubtedly ridiculous. With just the power of him and Si, they still had a chance to pass the competition without Zhang Wen.

But why did Elniel want the Kentari clan to follow the orders of a mere outsider? Kai couldn’t understand it no matter how hard he thought.

“Don’t say anything. This is my decision, and I will take full responsibility,” Elniel once again asserted her authority as the Kentari clan’s acting Sage.

“I admit, I’m impressed by you,” Zhang Wen, surprised once again, extended his hand toward Elniel.

“I hope you can live up to your words,” Elniel’s hand clasped Zhang Wen’s.

“Don’t worry. I won’t send your two subordinates to their deaths or make you use your beauty on other men,” seeing Elniel’s overly serious expression, Zhang Wen couldn’t help but tease her.

“You…” Elniel’s face flushed red, and she quickly pulled her hand back as if she had been electrocuted.

The two Kentari warriors who had witnessed this scene were so angry their faces turned almost black!

“There’s no time to waste. We should set off as soon as possible,” Zhang Wen, completely indifferent to the mood of the two Kentari warriors, waved at the three of them and stepped over the clear boundary line.