Chapter 24: A Man’s Intuition

Whee~ whew~

Whistling for her remorseless killing, I walked towards her. "You really didn't pull any punches, guess they must have really pissed you off."

"...weren't you around? You should know." She stated, giving me a vexed glance.

"Uh? Haha... that? I... yeah! I was just awaiting for damsel in distress situation and win your heart in one whole swoop." Without a hint of shame, I blurted out whatever came to my membrane.

She didn't bother with the topic, knowing better than to quarrel with a shameless man. "You have gotten pretty strong." Her indifferent eyes flashed with an unusual gleam.

"Things happened." I shrugged my shoulders casually. "Wanna go around together?"

After a brief pause, she nodded lightly, and questioned, "are you also going towards Electric Ray Mountain?"

"Electric Ray Mountain?"

Noticing my perplexed eyes, she stated, "it's a point of interest. I heard that an Electric Ray beast at 9th Level of Qi Assimilation realm resides inside the pool present at mountain's summit."

I quickly added two with two and asked, "so it means, there is a treasure?"

"Yeah, at the depths of pool, there is a pearl which has gathered the essence of mountain ranges for years. It can help a Body Refinement Realm cultivator to smoothly enter Qi Assimilation realm and if consumed by Qi Assimilation realm cultivators, gaining a level or two isn't hard."

"Well then, let's go."

"Hmm."

...

Within five hours, we were able to ascend to the peak of Electric Ray Mountain.

"Looks like the news is old already." I looked at the thirty-some people standing hundred meter away from the extensive pool of green water.

"Are you guys here for the treasure too?" Shouted a fairly handsome guy with long brown hair who was standing in the middle of the group. He exuded the aura of someone at 6th Level of Qi Assimilation Realm. I recognised who he was, Bao Ao, another person who was at 10th Level of Body Refinement Realm during entrance test.

He was dress in heavily embroidered luxurious clothes in golden, his voice contained an inborn regal yet kind tone. From the looks of it, all thirty people were following his lead.

"Yeah." I affirmed.

"Is that so? Hmm... but we were here first so either you can let us try to get it first or join us and fight the Electric Ray together. Everyone will get a share of pearl equally." He smiled kindly and spread his hands, looking quite welcoming and easygoing despite his strength.

"Sure. Is that fine, Qinlian?"

"I have no problems." Qinlian, as usual garnered men's attraction and women's envy with just a line of sentence.

"Then it's settled." Bao Ao stealthily peeked at Qinlian for a second and nodded at me.

...

"Be ready, its here." The person who was sitting at the peak of a nearby tree to notify us if he sees the shadows of Electric Ray, yelled loudly.

Swoosh!

Abruptly, geyser of water erected and splashed out of the pool when a towering monster in the shape of fish jumped out of water. It's speed was nothing to scoff at, taking ahold of two nearby men in its mouth agilely, it dunked back. It happened so fast that even I had trouble reacting.

[Rampage 1st Stage]

I immediately activated Rampage and raised my vigilance to highest level.

"Don't fear! It's just a giant beast, spread out a bit and attack it together when it emerges again." Bao Ao seeing everyone's ashen faces exclaimed loudly.

Everyone quickly spread out while I scrutinised Bao Ao. I think at that moment his facade slipped, and I saw glee surface on his visage for an instant. By the looks of it, Qinlian also noticed it. I smirked subtly.

A piece of special food was used to bait Electric Ray, and every time it appeared, someone died. But we attacking it regularly and wounds were apparent on its skin. After an hour, when our numbers thinnied out to less than eight, Bao Ao used a powerful sword technique to slay it.

"Finally!"

"Huff-huff!"

There were only six people alive by the time we killed the it: Me, Qinlian, Bao Ao, the bait guy and two young girls.

At the particular moment, Bao Ao made his move. With a stab in the back, he directly killed the bait guy.

"What are you doing?!" One of the girls exclaimed, running to check on his dead lover.

Me and Qinlian watched from the side as he killed all remaining people one after another, yet expectedly, he had no intension of fighting us.

"Brother Bai and Sister Qinlian, it seems like we are the only one remaining. Since I am not confident winning against you, how about we race to the bottom of the pool? The one who gets the pearl first, gets to keep it." As if he didn't have his sword plunged in one of the girl's heart, he proposed with a smile.

"Brother Ao, you have backstabbed so many people, who knows we may be next if we decided to play your game?" I decided to humour him, stopping Qinlian from speaking.

"Haha... backstab is not a crime if rules doesn't describe it as one. And although I said, I am not confident in winning against you." His eyes narrows slightly. "I can still injure you gravely. Fighting would be troublesome for all of us, don't you think?"

I nodded my head repeatedly as if understanding his point. "Brother Ao words does make sense, and since in reality you helped kill the beast, I will let you get a head start. Only after fifteen seconds will I enter the pool."

His eyebrows raised in suspicions, after all, this was too generous of an offer. I assume he was thinking that I would kill him after he had gotten the pearl, but if he obtained it and somehow ran away and absorbed it, he would have the strength to kill me afterwards. Right now, he can either leave the pearl to us or follow my generous conditions.

"Sure. Since brother Kai insists." After some moments of pondering, he nodded his head. Giving me a last look, he jumped inside the pool.

"What are you thinking?" Qinlian finally asked what she wanted, her eyes looking at me with curiosity.

"Haha... just sit and enjoy."

"Aaah!"

As I finished saying that, we heard the Bao Ao's muffled scream from inside the pool.

Qinlian didn't took more than a second to understand what's happening. "There's were two Electric Rays!"

"Correct."

"How did you know?"

"Help me!" I watched with a mocking smile as Bao Ao emerged out of water with a missing hand. Picking the bait, I threw it in his direction. The colour drained ever so fast from his face, he was again dragged in the water by the violent breast.

Glancing at Qinlian, I chuckled and said something that made her blink her eyes repeatedly with a deadpan look.

"Call it a man's intuition."