"Don't worry. Before the Void Cup begins, I'll make sure to find both of you an appropriate superior-grade soulshard." Zhang Lie patted both Yang Ze and Zhou Ying on the back.

After dividing up the soulshards, the hunters of Team Zenith hurriedly left the Desert of Silence. As for Young Master Long and the others, they sensed three skulking lifeforms approaching their bodies with despair before ultimately perishing.

In the afternoon, in one of the Long clan's inns in the Godspath settlement, a red-haired youth with thick brows and large eyes frowned as he drummed his knuckles against a table.

"What's going on? Long Fei's been out for almost the entire day. Why haven't we heard back from him yet?" His face was cold.

"Young Master, your brother's rather experienced with hunting down these stray hunters by now, so I'm sure he's fine. If he hasn't returned or sent any news, I'm sure he must have his hands full enjoying the spoils from his hunt," his thin, slender companion replied casually.

"Is that so? But they've gone to the Desert of Silence this time, and no one would want to stay there overnight if they can help it. The closest settlement to it is Godspath, so they should have returned. No, I have to take a look personally!"

After a moment's thought, he summoned his team and made a beeline toward the Desert of Silence. The sun had yet to set, so if Long Fei had encountered some danger in the Desert of Silence, he would be able to save him.

"Where's Long Sheng going with his team?"

"Probably to the Desert of Silence. Long Fei left bright and early in the morning, and he still hasn't returned. Could he have encountered some trouble?"

"What? You think others could trouble him? More likely than not he's the one causing trouble for them! If he still hasn't returned, he must be robbing even more hunters of their spoils."

The hunters of the Godspath settlement began to gossip with each other. Long Fei was notorious in the settlement. Most of the ordinary hunters there hated him for what he did, but were powerless to stop him.

As Long Sheng and his team entered the Desert of Silence, they followed his trail and finally found a trace of his body right before sunset. Sand had caked into mud, then cracked apart under the sun. Remnants of genetic energy hung thickly in the air. Massive footprints could be seen in the mud, a sign that a few of the superior-grade lifeforms for which the desert was known had been present.

Blood and entrails littered the sand, the corpse stench soiling the air. Long Sheng glanced around and saw, to his surprise, a familiar body. He strode forward with a grave premonition.

"Long Fei!" When he approached the body more closely, his face turned grim. Although it was little more than a hand and a torso, the ring on the hand made the body's identity clear. This was his brother's corpse—no, a piece of his corpse.

"Who did this?!" His eyes red, Long Sheng howled as he surveyed his surroundings. 

The members of this team immediately fanned out and began searching for any hints as to what might have killed Long Fei.

"Young Master, I believe this was caused by a superior-grade lifeform," the team's deputy suggested, having walked over to Long Sheng's side and hesitated for a long moment before he spoke.

"Chewed to death by a superior-grade lifeform?!"

Long Sheng's eyes flared with killing intent, causing even his teammates to shudder. The genetic energy in the area began to fluctuate wildly, and his teammates couldn't help but think that Long Sheng was going to take out his anger on them.

"Inform the clan immediately. Furthermore, dispatch a few hunters to search this and the neighboring area. No grain of sand must be left unturned!"

Long Sheng calmed down; no amount of rage would help his brother now. From the scene, it looked as though Long Fei had indeed been bitten to death by a superior-grade lifeform, but Long Sheng was certain that, with Long Fei's skill, he wouldn't have perished to a superior-grade lifeform unless he ventured deep into the desert. Furthermore, the air was filled with remnants of sword energy, and neither Long Fei nor the team he had been with had any sword users.

As such, Long Sheng surmised that someone, perhaps a swordmaster, had crippled Long Fei and left him to die to the superior-grade lifeforms roaming the desert.

Long Sheng's conjecture was surprisingly close to what had happened, but the Godspath settlement was so large that there were quite a few swordmasters in the area. Trying to identify the culprit based on this conjecture alone would be near-impossible.

In the real world, the Long clan, situated in Lingnan, also quickly received the news. The Long clan head, Long Xiaotian, was furious, the wrinkles on his face trembling as he exuded genetic energy from his body. The other members of the clan that were present lowered their heads, unwilling to meet his eyes.

What father could bear to lose his son?

"No, that can't be. Long Fei isn't a weak hunter, so how could he have perished like that in the first realm?!" Long Xiaotian howled. He could barely believe the news of his son's death.

"I mourn for your loss, Head," the first elder of the Long clan commiserated.

Long Xiaotian sucked in a deep breath and forced himself to remain calm as he glanced at the first elder of the clan. "Investigate his death. Send more men to the Desert of Silence. Don't ignore even the smallest clue of what could have happened. I want to know just who from the Godspath settlement has entered the Desert of Silence within the last two days— no, not just the Godspath settlement, but all settlements within three thousand kilometers of the Desert of Silence.

"Spare no expense. If nothing else, my son's death can't remain a mystery!" Long Xiaotian declared.

"Just what happened in the Godspath settlement? Why are they sending hunters over here?"

"Don't you know? Apparently, the Long clan's second young master was found dead in the Desert of Silence, consumed by superior-grade lifeforms!"

"The Long clan's second young master? Someone dared to attack him? They really don't fear death, do they!"

"There've been countless hunters entering the Desert of Silence on the eve of the Void Cup. How will they be able to identify the culprit? And you know what? Good riddance to him! You all know what he's done!"

"Shh, be quiet! Don't let anyone suspect that you're responsible. You know what the Long clan's like!"

"According to a rumor I heard, the fellow who killed the Long clan's second young master was a swordmaster!"

The Long clan had made such a fuss that there was more gossip about the sudden death than even the Void Cup itself. Chu Feng and Yun Bing naturally overheard the news.

"What should we do now?" Chu Feng sighed. He had followed Zhang Lie into the Desert of Silence, but Zhang Lie had been so fast that the two of them had been unable to pursue him. Subsequently, news of Young Master Long's death began to spread.

Just who was responsible? Chu Feng and Yun Bing were certain of the culprit

"The Desert of Silence is a large place indeed, and Long Fei was devoured by a few superior-grade lifeforms. There's no evidence to hold the culprit accountable, and it shouldn't be possible for them to lay the blame on Zhang Lie," Yun Bing analyzed.

However, she had neglected the Long clan's temper. Their exhaustive search, fueled by almost half the clan's manpower, had actually narrowed down the potential suspects. Furthermore, some testimony from teams of hunters that had been nearby meant that the Long clan was drawing ever closer to the truth.

The instigator behind this whole affair was currently sitting cross-legged in his room in the Blacksteel Inn, contemplating the mysteries of [Eclipse], while the hunters of Team Zenith were training avidly to get used to their new soulshards.

They had yet to discover the commotion that was disrupting the entirety of the Blacksteel settlement, and Zhang Lie had warned them not to use their newly acquired soulshards in public unless they had no other choice.

Deep in the night, Zhang Lie opened his eyes, his gaze seeming even more piercing than before. He released a breath. It had been a day since he returned from the Desert of Silence, and he had focused almost completely on Eclipse during that time. He was growing more and more familiar with the technique, but it was still temporarily impossible for him to combine it with [Ninecarp Transformation] completely.

He stood up and stretched, then headed to Team Zenith's communal training room to check on them. "Well? Are you used to these soulshards yet?"

After they returned from the Desert of Silence, the hunters had only taken a short break before starting their training in earnest once more.

"Yes, Captain, we are! I'm sure we'll be able to put on a good performance during the Void Cup at this rate," Sun Xiaowu exclaimed happily.

"Yes, Captain!" the other hunters also chorused, though Yang Ze and Zhou Ying's voices sounded a little strained.

Everyone else noticed.

"Captain, while there's still some time left, why don't we hurry up and acquire soulshards for Yang Ze and Zhou Ying?" Sun Mengmeng suggested.

Zhang Lie smiled. "We will, but not today. The dimensional world's too dangerous at night. Tomorrow, we'll hunt them both soulshards."

"Great!" Sun Mengmeng exclaimed. Yang Ze and Zhou Ying both smiled and bowed their heads, grateful for the thoughtful gesture.

Zhang Lie had them sleep early to prepare for the grueling hunt tomorrow as he took over the training room. After meditating on [Eclipse] for so long, it was past time to give his body a workout. With a shout, dark genetic energy began spilling from him. Zhang Lie punched forward with [Fists of the Silent Sea], sending ripples into the air.

Engrossed in his training, he didn't know that the Long clan was heading his way.

Within an inn in the Godspath settlement, Long Sheng glanced at the woman in front of him with a malevolent expression on his face. "You're sure he attacked this so-called Team Zenith?"

His question was more like an assertion, one bundled with a thick layer of killing intent.

"Y-Yes!  I was nearby at the time, and I saw Young Master Long's team heading toward Team Zenith. I saw no trace of him afterwards!"

The killing intent emanating from Long Sheng caused this hunter from the Blacksteel settlement to quiver, but she quickly controlled her body and explained what she had seen.

"Team Zenith? Whose clan does that team belong to, and what's its background in the Blacksteel settlement?" Long Sheng continued questioning her.

"Young Master Long, Team Zenith is associated with the Zenith Dojo in Ning—"

Long Sheng's eyes narrowed. "You mean, the Dragonwolf Zhang Lie?!"