Shang Yanting proceeded with extreme caution on this trip.

Food was tested for poison, and the location of rest areas was first surveyed by others. He was always under the protection of trainees and guards, as if he knew someone wanted to harm him.

Maybe... he really does know.

"Yan Ting".

A lean, middle-aged man dressed in a college teacher's uniform walked in, a kind smile on his face. "How have you been coping with the wind and rain these past few days?"

This person was Cheng He, one of the teachers who was escorting them.

As a disciple who was about to become the abbot's personal disciple, Cheng He took good care of Shang Yanting throughout the journey, and only left with a few words of concern for him before taking his people away.

Unfortunately, Jia Xitong couldn't recall such a teacher in the original work, even after thinking for a long time, so it seems that he didn't have much interaction with the male protagonist later on.

——

Night

Tents dotted the flat grass, where students were already resting, but a few teachers remained awake, and guards patrolled the area.

Snap—

A guard passing by the fire quickly tossed something into it. The firewood crackled and popped in the flames, but no one noticed the small action.

Before long, a colorless and odorless gas drifted to every corner of the camp. It made those who were sleeping soundly sleep even more soundly, and those who were on night watch collectively fell into a coma.

The camp fell into a deathly silence until two sharp whistles pierced the air.

Suddenly, the grass not far away was turned over, and a group of assassins who had been lying in ambush rushed into the camp.

Target – Shang Yanting.

They charged straight at the tent, stabbing wildly at the raised blankets. Cotton and pieces of cloth flew everywhere, and the candlelight reflected the orange glow of their blades.

"He's not here?"

The assassins were stunned for a moment, and then the tent collapsed with a loud crash.

A sword pierced through the tent from outside, slitting the throats of both assassins.

There was no one in the tent; Shang Yanting was outside.

He has been acting cautiously these past few days; he is not so easily fooled.

Unaware of what was happening, Jia Xitong could only say in her mind's eye—"Host is awesome."

Seeing their plan fail, the remaining assassins swiftly slashed open the tent, and the two sides clashed in close combat. The assassins were all at the late-stage Martial Realm, making it quite difficult for Shang Yanting to deal with them.

Just then, footsteps sounded, indicating that there were others besides Shang Yanting who had not been drugged.

Cheng He, who rushed over, brandished his weapon. "Young Master Shang Mou, don't be afraid, I'm here to help you!"

Jia Xitong noticed something amiss in the forced concern on his thin face. Shang Yanting avoided the drug because he was careful and prepared every day; how did her teacher manage to evade it?

Shang Yanting reacted even faster.

Seeing the weapon flying towards him, he whirled around to dodge. The sharp blade grazed his head, severing a lock of hair from the top of his head.

The mastermind behind this actually bribed the academy's teachers!

Seeing that his scheme had been exposed, Cheng He had no more reason to pretend.

He was already at the mid-stage of Martial Spirit, a whole realm higher than Shang Yanting, killing him would be a piece of cake.

Cheng He immediately pulled out a pair of iron claw chains and threw them at Shang Yanting, aiming straight for his vital points.

Shang Yanting beckoned and summoned a long, silver-white sword, which wrapped around the iron claw chain. Upon seeing this, Cheng He narrowed his eyes slightly.

Golden ritual implements.

As the young master, he certainly has some life-saving treasures.

Unfortunately, his protective weapon, the Twenty-Five Jade, was also a Radiant Gold Magic Artifact. Shang Yanting did not have a more powerful magic weapon to make up for his lack of cultivation. There was a natural gap between the Martial Spirit Realm and the Martial Master Realm.

He curled his lips in disdain, flicked his wrist to detach the iron claws from the chains, and reached for Shang Yanting's chest.

A loud bang exploded at his feet.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Shang Yanting threw out two explosive talismans to create distance. He then formed a hand seal, condensing all his true energy into the blade of his sword, transforming it into sword energy that slashed towards Cheng He.

Cheng He hurriedly channeled his inner energy to block, but was still pushed back half a meter by Shang Yanting's sword energy. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and a metallic taste rising in his throat.

Shang Yanting not only cultivates at an astonishing speed, but he can also injure people beyond his level. It's hard to imagine how high his achievements will be if he is allowed to continue to grow.

But the opportunity is gone.

A fierce glint appeared in Cheng He's eyes. Now that he had become enemies with him, he was determined to eliminate this scourge as soon as possible!

He unleashed his natal magic weapon, showing no mercy and threatening at every turn. Even with his superb swordsmanship and the enhancement of talismans, Shang Yanting couldn't withstand it more than a few times.

Within Shang Yanting's sea of ​​consciousness, Jia Xitong stared intently at the two outside, her conviction growing stronger—this was the place!

The turning point in the male protagonist's life when he was crippled!

"Dear host, lead him to a less crowded place."

Jia Xitong shouted in his mind's eye, then looked at Cheng He who was attacking wildly. She seized the opportunity, grabbed the explosive talismans she had just drawn beside her, and threw them all out.

As the saying goes, when in dire straits, one employs tactical infiltration; when in a position of strength, one uses firepower to cover the enemy.

Nearly a hundred explosive talismans were used simultaneously, creating a deafening roar that nearly overturned half the camp.

Faced with overwhelming firepower, even a late-stage Martial Spirit would have to crawl down.

As the epicenter of the explosion, Cheng He was long gone after the smoke cleared. His limbs were scattered on the ground, and the chains and claws of his signature weapon had been severed from their ends.

Shang Yanting, who was closest to the explosion, also had his ears ringing from the shock, and his clothes hung on his body like rags.

Although he had seen many grand occasions, he was stunned for a moment before taking out spare clothes from the talisman.

After changing, they left overnight.

##

The firepower coverage was good, but the consequence was that Jia Xitong's secret of pretending to be poor was exposed.

The male protagonist is in a hurry to get on his way and doesn't have time to interrogate, but the fluctuating trust level is enough to prove how rich his mental world is at this moment.

The key point is that he neither asks nor says anything.

"Ahem, that host..."

Jia Xitong prepared her words to break the ice: "Why don't you stay at the camp and wait for the other teachers and students to wake up?"

It would be safer for more people than for him to be alone.

"Those people definitely have a backup plan; it will only be more dangerous there."

Shang Yanting took out a pre-marked map and quickly traversed the desolate forest.

His calm and unhurried demeanor made Jia Xitong feel as if he had been prepared for a long time.

“Host, dear…”

"I have more important things to do now. We can talk about it when I get back."

Shang Yanting had always known that someone would try to assassinate him while he was on his way to study.

The eight great families united to secure their positions, but their relationship was far from peaceful. Intertwined interests and power struggles abounded; everyone vie for supremacy and aspires to be the head of the eight great families.

Shang Yanting's existence has already made other aristocratic families feel threatened. Their goal is to prevent Shang Yanting from becoming the dean's disciple, and killing him would be the only solution.

But while other powerful families schemed against him, he also schemed against them.

He wasn't the only one in the academy's ranks; all the most elite scions from other aristocratic families were also among them.

He risked his life to attract everyone's attention, and then, in this opportune moment, send assassins to leave behind those surrounding the Shang family and kill those who opposed him.

If this plan succeeds, the Shangmou family will firmly hold the top position among the eight great families.

The powerful families want Shang Yanting dead, while Shang Yanting wants to destroy the very foundation of the powerful families!