Chapter 137: Perpetrator

As they followed the traces of battle, it didn’t take long before they stumbled across another corpse.

The two corpses showed a lot of similarities; both received multiple sword wounds, their throats had exploded, their jade tablets were cut off, and their deaths were tragic.

“They don’t look like revenge killings,” Su Chen muttered to himself.

“Perhaps there’s two people he had a grudge against,” Wang Doushan said as he gulped.

“He is quite lucky, to have encountered them so close to each other.” Su Chen continued to follow the traces.

Very quickly, they encountered another corpse who was killed in similar fashion.

The victim had been wounded in all the same spots.

Wang Doushan could no longer resist. “Motherfucker, is this guy crazy? He just kills people on sight!”

Su Chen’s expression was also ugly. “Does the Hidden Dragon Institute not regulate these kinds of occurrences?”

“Hm, that’s hard to say. You also know that accidents will always occur when people fight......”

“But this isn’t an accident!”

“The question is, who is making the interpretation? There are some people who simply cannot control their Origin Skills, and every time they are unleashed someone must die.” Wang Doushan replied, giggling.

Upon seeing the fatty’s smile, Su Chen’s heart jolted. “You don’t seem all that surprised.”

Wang Doushan laughed darkly. “I’ve just seen it too often.”

“Seen it too often?” Su Chen’s pupils shrank.

“Oh, the old saying is the best. One may carry sharp weapons, but killing intent comes from the heart. If someone has the power over another person’s life, there will always be those who want to display and use that ability. There are also some people who simply enjoy killing, who enjoy the sensation of having someone’s life in their hands.”

“I understand that. What I’m saying is, why doesn’t the Hidden Dragon Institute control these things?”

“Because it’s hard for them to control it!” Wang Doushan replied. “You also saw what caused the internal explosion.”

“Bloodline Origin Skill.”

Wang Doushan nodded his head. “It’s not just any Origin Skill either. Those with mixed bloodlines couldn’t easily achieve this degree of power, implying that this bastard is definitely part of a Bloodline Nobility Clan.”

“So they can just call these deaths an ‘accident’, and there won’t be any major repercussions?” Su Chen asked angrily.

“Of course they won’t go completely unpunished. They will be disciplined. However, they definitely will not die.”

“Just a little bit of discipline?” Su Chen was in utter disbelief.

Wang Doushan laughed loudly. “Why else would they be called Nobility Clans? Is the only thing that differs them from the masses their name?”

Su Chen paused.

Yes, why else would they be called a Nobility Clan?

Society had different levels of social status; on top were Nobility Clans, then came Household Clans, and finally there were the commoners.

Back when Lan Zhi committed a sin, Su Chen ordered Iron Cliff to beat her to death. Did her death come about merely because she had committed a sin?

No, not at all!

It was because Su Chen was at a status where he possessed authority. He could punish her with death without receiving much backlash.

It didn’t matter as much who was in the right, and who was in the wrong. It was nothing but a convenient excuse, a motivation even, something that couldn’t be relied on. There were only two things you could rely on: social status and ranking!

Of course, Su Chen could believe that every person he killed was because the other party had some aspect deserving of death. Or perhaps, he was just acting in self-defense.

But not every single person was constrained by ethics.

There were always those who could put down all burdens in their hearts, as well as any ethical limitations, and act as they pleased.

Without a doubt, the scene in front of their eyes stemmed from this. Someone was using the exam as a pretext to kill people! According to Wang Doushan, it wasn’t even all that strange for this to happen.

No wonder Zhao Yu had said that the contestants would be faced with dangers during the exam. Perhaps they had anticipated this from the very beginning.

“So essentially, as long as the person they kill isn’t a member of a Bloodline Nobility Clan, he won’t be prosecuted?” Su Chen asked.

“That’s right,” Wang Doushan replied. “Just stick next to me. I promise you he won’t make a move against you.”

“If I’m with you, he won’t try and kill me?” Su Chen muttered. “If that’s the case, isn’t it better for us to split up?”

“Hm?” Wang Doushan was dazed.

He gazed at Su Chen and asked, “You want to kill him?”

Su Chen countered, “If that person wants to kill me, and I kill him, there shouldn’t be any problems, right?”

Wang Doushan thought for a moment, then replied, “According to reason, there’s nothing wrong with that. Although the Hidden Dragon Institute can’t really do anything to him even if he is going on a killing spree in the Hidden Dragon Battle, they definitely won’t like it. If you kill him and stop his actions, the Hidden Dragon Institute wouldn’t punish you. Rather, they would most likely reward you. This is one of the tactics the Hidden Dragon Institute employs to deal with troublemakers. However, if you kill someone from a Bloodline Nobility Clan...... you will need to be careful in case they take revenge on you. Su Chen, are you sure you want to do this?”

Su Chen face was expressionless as he said, “I’m not planning on doing anything. I just want to...... take a walk on my own for a bit.”

When Wang Doushan saw his firm and unwavering expression, he finally understood.

If it were anyone else, perhaps they would’ve bitterly pleaded with Su Chen. After all, an excellent team was difficult to come by, and it would be a pity to end it here and now. However, Wang Doushan nodded his head, unaffected, as he said, “Okay, since you’ve made up your mind, we’ll say our goodbyes for now. Hey, kiddo, don’t die.”

Su Chen nodded his head gravely.

At that moment, the two of them smiled at each other. Although they did not say anything, it was as if a thousand words were spoken.

After saying their goodbyes, Su Chen advanced in a separate direction.

He walked along a small path up the mountain. He did not seem like an exam candidate competing with other people. He looked more like a lonely traveler who had accidentally taken a wrong turn, arriving in a battleground he did not belong in.

On his path, he would occasionally find the corpses of exam candidates.

Su Chen felt the urge to bury them, but kept himself from doing so. It was likely these bodies would need to be retrieved at a later time by the mourning families.

Su Chen kept finding corpses, and based on their times of death, he was quickly closing in on the killer.

As the darkness of night drew near, Su Chen arrived at a pile of rubble.

He used the rubble to set up a stove. Then, he took out a large pot from his Origin Ring, filled it with water, and put it atop the fire

The firelight was extremely brilliant in the darkness of night, and the smoke from the fire curled upwards into the sky in large plumes.

Su Chen cut apart a Vicious Beast he had just killed and tossed it into the water. A fragrant aroma began to fill the air only moments later.

In such a chaotic environment, most people only ate the dried rations they brought along. Even relatively well-off exam candidates rarely had stoves to cook food with. After all, it simply attracted too much attention.

Two exam candidates followed the traces of cooked meat to where he was.

Their intentions were clear; they were here to defeat Su Chen, steal his points, and enjoy a delicious dinner.

Unfortunately, they were sent flying by two Erupting Firebirds from Su Chen, who also conveniently took their points away.

After shattering their jade tablets and sending the two people away, the food was ready for consumption. Su Chen brought the meat to his mouth and sunk his teeth in.

As he was enjoying his meal, a low cry came from not too far away. “Help me...”

He turned around and gazed in the direction of the voice.

He saw an exam candidate charge out from the small forest, his body drenched in blood. He seemed to be gravely injured, a sword hole evident on his thigh.

He sprinted toward Su Chen, yelling, “Save me, someone wants to kill me!”

Su Chen stood up. “Who wants to kill you? Where is he?”

“He’s right behind me, in the small forest,” the exam candidate screamed as he frantically pointed at the forest behind him. “He wants to kill me! He wants to kill me!”

His voice was filled with fear and unsettlement.

Slightly off balance after pointing behind him, he stumbled and fell to the ground.

Su Chen rushed over and helped the exam candidate to his feet. “Don’t worry, you’ll be fine now.”

The exam candidate lifted his head, a savage smile on his face. “Of course I’ll be fine. You won’t be though!”

Sword light shined brightly, stabbing towards Su Chen.