The members of the Demon Emperor Temple who were present could not help but sit down and rest, watching Shi Feng's group of five from afar as the two assassins made their move.
"Their luck really is terrible. They barely managed to defeat the gatekeeper boss earlier, and now they have to face Feng Lu and Bai Hong."
"If you ask me, we should just rush in and take them out."
"Feng Lu and Bai Hong only recently advanced to Tier 3, and with their special bloodlines successfully unsealed, their current stats are incomparable to what they had at Tier 2. The Guild Leader probably wants them to acclimate to their new bodies — after all, combat between Tier 3 players is nothing like Tier 2."
The Tier 3 experts present could not help but watch the two Tier 3 assassins sneaking forward with a trace of envy.
After advancing to Tier 3, their strength had skyrocketed, but mastering that power was far from easy. A Tier 3 body was fundamentally different from a Tier 2 body. Though they had sparred with each other quite a bit, it was never true life-or-death combat.
Now they had the chance for real combat — and against other Tier 3 players at that. It was a rare opportunity.
That said, everyone present could tell that Guild Leader Lin Xie intended to cultivate Feng Lu and Bai Hong. Both were remarkably young, only twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and their potential was outstanding. Feng Lu had recently become a peak expert, and Bai Hong was only half a step away from reaching the Void Realm — a true peak expert.
Having both advanced to Tier 3 so early, their future potential was virtually limitless.
The truth was that advancing to Tier 3 now versus waiting another ten-plus days yielded entirely different opportunities.
It was precisely because of this that Guild Leader Lin Xie wanted to invest in Feng Lu and Bai Hong's development. Who knew — perhaps one day they could master Domain and become true pillars of the guild.
Feng Lu and Bai Hong executed their movement techniques, gliding forward like ghosts without a sound until they were less than thirty yards from Ke Le and the others.
"Bai Hong, you go take out that Tier 2 female knight first. I'll keep the two MTs occupied on the side. Once you've one-shot the female knight, we'll play with the remaining four at our leisure. But don't accidentally take out the Tier 3 Berserker standing next to her," Feng Lu whispered to Bai Hong via private message, glancing at Fan Muran, who was resting nearby.
He had no interest whatsoever in a Tier 2 player like Fan Muran, but to ensure they got proper practice, it was necessary to clear out the cannon fodder first.
"Relax. How could I waste such a good training opportunity? I just hope they aren't too weak — I'd like to play for a while," Bai Hong said, licking his lips, unable to suppress the excitement in his eyes.
Opportunities for real combat against Tier 3 players were exceedingly rare. Sure, they could fight in the Arena, but that was never truly life or death — there was no penalty for losing, and deep down, you could never push yourself to the absolute limit.
Moreover, every player had their own combat style. Fighting different experts was incredibly beneficial for honing their skills.
"Then let's move!"
Feng Lu nodded and slipped silently toward the two Tier 3 MTs who were resting, lying in wait. Bai Hong shifted his footwork and glided like a gentle breeze toward Fan Muran, who was resting among the group, blending seamlessly with his surroundings. Even a Tier 3 player with exceptional perception would not detect him, let alone a Tier 2 player.
Twenty-five yards…
Twenty yards…
Fifteen yards…
As Bai Hong drew closer, his movements grew ever more fluid, his aura harmonizing with the ambient wind.
With only ten yards remaining, Bai Hong had already drawn his dagger and was about to launch an ambush when Sword Shadow — who had been sitting cross-legged with his eyes shut — suddenly opened his eyes. The great sword in his hand swept upward and shot straight toward Fan Muran, startling the exhausted woman.
Sword Shadow's razor-sharp sword light cleaved through the air itself, his attack executed with blinding speed. Fan Muran could not react in time. Just as she thought she was dead, a violent collision erupted from behind her.
Bang!
A figure had appeared behind her out of nowhere. Fan Muran broke into a cold sweat.
She had not sensed anyone getting this close to her at all.
But Fan Muran was ultimately a peak expert with sharp reflexes. She immediately rolled away, putting distance between herself and the figure without attempting any attack or defense. She knew that any assassin capable of getting this close without being detected — and who was a Tier 3 player to boot — was far beyond what she could handle.
"You spotted me? Impressive," Bai Hong said, completely unconcerned that Fan Muran had escaped. He had no intention of pursuing her, his gaze now locked onto Sword Shadow, a gleam of wild delight on his face. "Looks like I'll have to get serious."
His movement technique was not as refined as Feng Lu's, but ordinary Tier 3 players would struggle to detect him within seven or eight yards. Yet Sword Shadow had spotted him from over ten yards away — a testament to his exceptional level, at least in terms of perception, far beyond what an ordinary Tier 3 player could achieve.
Not far away, Feng Lu was growing excited too.
"That's a lucky break for Bai Hong. I should have been the one to make the move," he muttered to himself, watching Sword Shadow with a tinge of regret.
But even as the thought crossed his mind, a blade light suddenly shot toward him from the side, forcing him to dodge reflexively and reveal his position for all to see.
After evading, Feng Lu stared in surprise toward the source of the blade light.
It had come from the Tier 3 Guardian Knight ten yards away — and from the look of it, the Guardian Knight had detected him a long time ago. Otherwise, that slash would not have been so precise.
And it was not just the Guardian Knight. The female Shield Warrior beside her had clearly detected him as well…