Chapter 39: Setting Traps and Playing the Game – Liu Qinghe’s Schemes
Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW
You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/
Approaching the fallen female cultivator, Yu Xian raised his hand and retrieved her storage pouch.
Her strength wasn’t bad—in fact, not inferior to that sword cultivator he fought earlier.
But she was too consumed by fear.
Fear made her run.
She only fought when she had no other choice—casting spells in a panic.
And that’s what got her killed: one sword through the chest, one through the throat.
Unjust?
Maybe.
But not entirely.
Yu Xian shook his head and turned to the cauldron that had been flung away during the battle.
He picked it up and left quickly.
This was a tier-three alchemy cauldron—even in White Cloud Sect, these were rare.
Clearly, this girl had been favored within Medicine King Valley. Her alchemy skills must’ve been exceptional to be gifted such a high-quality furnace.
But now, it belonged to him.
His current cauldron was already reaching its limit—no longer able to support the demands of the pills he needed to make.
True, a master alchemist could refine pills even with a tier-one furnace.
But a good cauldron dramatically improved success rates and pill quality—
Especially for high-grade pills, where heat, timing, and flame control were critical.
A low-quality cauldron might crack or explode under pressure.
Still… this was an island soaked in blood and betrayal.
Everyone was a potential enemy—including Yu Xian himself.
So this furnace, this treasure—wasn’t truly his.
He could die at any moment, and then everything he had, including this storage pouch, would become someone else’s spoils.
Above his head, the Ascension Token blazed even brighter.
The deep blood-red glow was visible for tens of thousands of meters.
Yu Xian frowned.
He continued flying through the sky, silently calculating.
“My token glows too brightly… anyone wanting to flee will spot me from far away.
It’ll be hard for me to find anyone now.”
Not a good situation.
But then, his eyes lit up.
“Even if I can’t find them…
…that shrinking barrier will eventually drive everyone to the island’s center.
So why not go there first—and set a trap?”
Sooner or later, everyone would be forced toward the center.
Killing and hunting… are the same thing.
With that thought clear in his mind, Yu Xian changed direction.
He no longer wandered aimlessly.
Instead, he flew straight toward the center of the island.
As expected, he didn’t encounter a single red light on his way.
No doubt the others had seen his two-kill token from afar and scattered immediately.
Anyone who could kill two people in one night was not someone to provoke lightly.
Yu Xian wasn’t concerned.
Everything was within expectations.
He flew for a full day.
Finally, as the eastern sky began to lighten, Yu Xian reached the island’s heart.
At the center stood several towering mountains—the island’s highest peaks.
Half an hour later, Yu Xian stood atop one of them, gazing out in all directions.
In the distance, he saw over a dozen red lights.
They were scattered, far away…
And among them, one was brighter than all the rest.
It burned like a comet, moving rapidly in the southern skies, clearly searching for others.
“Three…”
The Ascension Token on this person’s head clearly displayed the word: Three.
He had killed three people overnight.
His token’s red glow stretched over fifty thousand meters, broadcasting to all nearby that he was a dangerous predator.
Yu Xian watched him.
And—
The other man saw him as well.
Yu Xian stood tall atop the mountain, his token impossible to miss.
The other figure, sensing his presence, suddenly stopped mid-flight.
After a pause, he changed direction—and began flying straight toward Yu Xian.
Yu Xian squinted, then turned and descended the mountain.
“From afar the mountain looks near, but it’s still a long run.”
The distance between them was at least 300–400 kilometers.
Even flying at full speed, the other man would take about an hour and a half to arrive.
Yu Xian didn’t move.
He simply waited.
That other cultivator knew exactly what that meant.
A man who had killed two…
A man who had killed three…
Both were confident, determined, and dangerous.
Neither feared the other.
Yu Xian had the high ground and the advantage of waiting in ambush—
The other man knew it, so as he arrived near the mountain, he slowed down immediately.
From the woods emerged a man in his twenties.
He stopped a distance away and looked up toward Yu Xian, who sat calmly on a boulder, meditating.
The man’s killing intent faded, replaced with a smile.
As if greeting an old friend, he called out:
“Ah, so it’s you, Junior Brother Yu Xian. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Yu Xian returned a faint smile.
“I was wondering who was so terrifying, flying in like a storm.
So it’s you… Senior Brother Liu.”
This man was none other than Liu Qinghe.
Normally soft-spoken, refined, and gentle, Liu Qinghe was now revealed as someone who had killed three people overnight!
The killing intent around him was staggering.
“Hahaha, don’t call me Senior Brother. I’m no longer an Inner Sect steward.”
Liu Qinghe stood far away, making no move to come closer.
He smiled and said:
“I always knew Junior Brother Yu wasn’t ordinary.
I could see it back when everyone doubted you.
And now look at you—two kills overnight, and a token that lights up the sky.
Impressive.”
Yu Xian chuckled:
“And Senior Brother Liu is even more remarkable.
Entered the Inner Sect and soared like a dragon returning to the sea—
Three kills in one night, red light across five leagues… terrifying.”
“Hahaha! You flatter me, Junior Brother!”
Liu Qinghe waved it off, but then his expression turned serious.
“You must understand the current situation:
This island is soaked in danger.
The rules of ascension leave no mercy—it’s kill or be killed.
Only ten people can survive.
Since we’ve met, why not team up?
We’re from the same sect, after all—why fight?”
Team up?
Yu Xian remained calm, but his thoughts turned quickly.
Indeed, if they joined forces, it would give them a massive edge in both offense and defense.
Only ten would survive.
Banding together improved those odds.
However…
Trust was impossible here.
Everyone who had killed someone knew the truth—
The Ascension Token wasn’t just a symbol.
It fed you power.
Temporary realm boosts, body transformations, and spiritual strengthening—
The more you killed, the stronger your enhancements became.
Even if two people teamed up…
Who got the next kill?
What if one got injured?
Would the other stab them in the back?
Even Yu Xian had to admit—
If Liu Qinghe got injured, and he saw an opportunity…
He’d strike.
On this island, with the Ascension Convention rules—morality and trust were meaningless.
So in truth, no alliance could last.
One would inevitably betray the other.
Especially when the man in front of him—Liu Qinghe—was not only powerful…
But clearly calculating and ruthless.
Yu Xian had no interest in playing mental chess with someone like that.
So, he answered lightly:
“Senior Brother is powerful. You don’t need allies.
I’d prefer to stay here quietly. As long as no one bothers me, I won’t bother them.”
“Heh…”
Liu Qinghe laughed coldly, a trace of mockery in his voice.
He stared at Yu Xian, eyes gleaming.
Then finally—he suppressed the killing intent in his eyes and smiled.
“Since that’s how you feel, I won’t insist.
With your strength, you can take care of yourself just fine.
As for me—
The faster we get down to ten people, the sooner we’ll be safe.”
With that, he turned and left without waiting for a reply.
To kill Yu Xian now… would be too costly.
Liu Qinghe could sense it clearly—
The area around Yu Xian was filled with traps, danger lurking everywhere.
If he rushed in recklessly, he could easily be counter-killed.
This boy wasn’t chasing people—he was building a killing ground, laying traps and ambushes, and waiting for others to walk in.
A valid strategy.
But… no one can hide forever.
This was like raising poison insects in a jar—each devouring the others.
Those who survived would only grow stronger.
And by the end…
What good were traps, if your strength was still just Qi Condensation?
Liu Qinghe could feel it:
Just one more kill—and his Ascension Token would push him into Foundation Establishment!
He wanted it.
He craved it.
Foundation Establishment was a world apart from Qi Condensation.
A realm where:
Lifespans exceeded a century
You could live on spirit energy alone
Never age
And wield tremendous power with every gesture
If he killed just one more—
He would ascend.
Then he could come back—
And crush Yu Xian effortlessly.
Seizing that two-kill token for himself.
