For ten years I practiced Gu poison in Southeast Asia; all living beings revered me as a deity.

In the dead of night, a figure rushed into the ancient, deserted temple.

The figure was Luo Feng. His gaze swept quickly across the deserted temple, and he found that it was a dilapidated old courtyard, which seemed to be an open space on the west side of the temple.

The edge of the open space was an ancient, dilapidated stone wall. Nearby were several stilted monks' quarters made of bamboo, surrounded by bushes and evergreen trees, and in one corner was a broken water vat.

The half-broken water tank was surrounded by weeds, and everywhere you looked there were fallen leaves, grass, spider webs in the corners, cracked bricks, and dry, cracked wood.

"What a quiet place."

Luo Feng murmured to himself as he searched for the location of the first ancient bell.

Whoops!

A biting wind blew by, bringing a chilling and eerie atmosphere.

Even though the sun was scorching hot during the day, the ancient temple was filled with a chilling atmosphere that resembled the cold of night.

The ancient courtyard of the deserted temple was softly illuminated by the clear light.

The sky seemed to be filled with a bright moon. The scene itself, though tranquil, was beyond reproach.

However, at a time when insects should be chirping and humming among the plants, the abandoned monastery was eerily quiet.

"..."

Luo Feng remained silent, standing in the center of the courtyard, looking left and right.

"Found it."

He discovered an ancient bell located in a secluded place.

The ancient bell was hidden behind a dense forest, concealed by low bushes and ankle-high weeds. If it weren't for the dull color of the bronze bell being more conspicuous in the moonlight, he might have overlooked the large mountain olive growing beside it.

Luo Feng quickly walked up, bypassed the mountain olives blocking his way, took out a wooden stick for self-defense, and struck the bronze bell forcefully.

clang!

The bell rang melodiously, and he knew he had completed the first step. Just as he was about to withdraw, he seemed to bump into something on the back of his head.

"Um?"

He turned his head and saw that it was a long hemp rope with a sail knot tied to it, forming a rope loop.

Upon seeing the noose, fine beads of sweat appeared on Luo Feng's forehead. His intuition told him that this noose was definitely not a good thing, not to mention that there were bright red bloodstains on the loops of the hemp rope.

"Could this be something someone used to hang themselves in the past?"

After entering the woods, everything around seemed to fall silent, and the moonlight from the sky shone into this small woodland.

Under the pale moonlight, all the branches and leaves of the vegetation exuded a somber blackness.

The air was tense, and everyone's nerves were on edge. At that moment, the eerie noose reminded Luo Feng of the banyan tree belonging to the strangling clan. He slowly circled the noose, not daring to touch it, and quickly walked out.

rustling.

Luo Feng moved swiftly and disappeared into the darkness. Not long after he left, a bald monk with empty eyes, no eyeballs, and blackish-red blood flowing from the corners of his eyes, emerged slowly from the grove of salamander trees, his head bowed and hands clasped together.

There was a deep mark on the monk's neck. He snapped his neck and twisted it. The darkness in his lifeless eye sockets stared directly at Luo Feng's departing figure.

……

……

clang!

Not long after Luo Feng struck the bronze bell, another bell rang out.

It seems that the other young man competing with him also found the bell on the east side of the temple and rang it a beat later than him.

"Their speed isn't slow either."

Luo Feng was certain that the other party's speed was no less than his own, and since the other party was a local, it was very likely that he also knew something about this abandoned temple.

call…

Halfway there, another gust of cold wind blew in.

As the wind blew in his face, Luo Feng felt a chill.

He was heading toward the second location, the bronze bell, which was situated on the north side of the Prajnaparamita Temple, at the very back of the temple.

The night was dark, and he could only rely on the moonlight to find his way. As he ran, he used his keen senses to perceive his surroundings.

Where is the second bronze bell?

His eyes scanned the surroundings, and he felt the chill of the night and the dark atmosphere emanating from inside and outside the temple.

"...No wonder they say this place is haunted."

Well, with this environment, you don't even need a set to film a horror movie; the atmosphere alone is scary enough.

He then arrived at the back of the temple and finally saw the location of the bronze bell. It was located in front of the courtyard wall, under a wild olive tree in front of the charred ruins, where an old Buddhist bell stood.

The wild olive tree was large, with lush branches and leaves that lowered its canopy. Luo Feng rushed over, ready to ring the bell, when a figure fell from the tree.

His talent for "crisis insight" came into play in that instant. Alarms blared in his head, and he slammed on the brakes, rolling to the ground to avoid the short stick that was about to smash into his head.

With a whoosh, the short stick clearly missed its target.

Luo Feng did a somersault, rolled over once, and then turned his head back to look behind him.

"Pah, what a lucky break."

The attacker was a young man, probably seventeen or eighteen years old, much older than Ati. He had dark skin and did not look like a typical northern Thai.

People in northern Thailand tend to have fair skin, and some are even similar to the Dai people of Xishuangbanna, with delicate features and slender figures. This young man, however, looks more like someone from central or southern Thailand in terms of both facial features and physique.

"You actually attacked me."

Luo Feng narrowed his eyes.

The opponent was physically robust, with no prominent muscles, but anyone could sense that this young man was like a fully grown leopard, with astonishing explosive power.

"He rang the bell a beat later than me, but he got here faster, and he even had time to find a chance to hide in a tree..."

Several thoughts flashed through Luo Feng's mind.

That means it's best not to fight this young man.

Although the other party did not appear to be physically strong, he was definitely a trained martial artist who had received specialized martial arts training.

Neither Ati nor Luofeng had learned any fighting techniques. Ati's village was too barren, and there were no temples nearby that taught such skills.

As for Luo Feng, a modern person living in a civilized society, unless he is interested in this area, there is no need for him to learn these things.

The only item he carried for self-defense was a short stick. Everyone participating in the trial carried such a stick with them.

"Hehe! The rules don't say you can't attack people."

The young man stared at him with a sinister look in his eyes. He held a wooden stick in his right hand and leaned his body slightly forward, a posture that suggested he was ready to attack.

"This is supposed to be a competitive trial. As long as no one dies, interfering with your opponent isn't something you can't do..."

He sneered, "Didn't Acharya tell you? Or are you so stupid that you can't even see through the rules of this trial?"

Luo Feng frowned.

Indeed, Acharya had not told him this.

This is somewhat unreasonable, because if there really were such a rule, there would be no reason for the other party not to explain it at all.

Suddenly, he realized something, and a cold smile appeared on his lips: "So that's how it is, I understand now."

"What did you understand?"

A hint of surprise flashed in the young man's eyes.

"You're lying."

Luo Feng said calmly, "You actually planned to jump down from the tree and knock me unconscious with one blow... and then claim that I was frightened by a ghost or something. It's a pity. I guess although there is no hard rule like 'not allowed to directly injure the opponent' in the rules, there is a soft rule. You will probably be disqualified."

"You're quite clever."

The young man laughed: "Indeed, if someone were to actually hurt or die, it would definitely not be allowed... But since you're not injured, no one will believe you just by talking, so—"

With a whoosh, the stick in his hand flew out and came crashing down.

Goodbye!

With a clang, the short stick struck the bronze bell behind them, producing a clear and melodious chime.

The moment he struck the bronze bell, the young man turned around and shot away like lightning.