The weather on the island changed at a moment’s notice. One moment, the sky was clear and boundless, and in the blink of an eye, it was dark and windy.
The sea breeze carried a salty, fishy scent. Su Mo couldn’t quite tell if it was that or the smell of blood in his nostrils.
He moved like an agile hare, darting through the forest. The thick scent of blood on him attracted many wild beasts.
But every time they were about to launch an attack, they would always be scared off by the intense killing intent radiating from Su Mo.
Da Sha was hiding among these beasts. He wasn’t there to hunt (or deliver himself to death). He was just watching from the shadows, seeing if any unlucky fools would go and get themselves killed.
The wind grew fiercer, and Su Mo’s pace quickened.
Finally, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. The image of a figure fleeing in panic was reflected in his pupils, as if already trapped.
The two drew closer and closer, until Su Mo raised his blade to strike at the other’s head. The fleeing figure suddenly turned, eyes red with fury, and shouted, “I already said I wouldn’t cause you trouble anymore! Why can’t you just let me go?!”
Su Mo sneered, somewhat impressed by the other’s logic. “No matter the reason, from the moment you decided to help Shen Nanshu kill me, your death was only a matter of time.”
The B-class expert broke down, screaming, “Ahhhhh! You lunatic!”
Su Mo suddenly stopped. “Go on. I won’t kill you.”
The B-class expert was stunned for a moment, then fled madly. His body still bore the wounds from Su Mo’s earlier strikes, now further corroded by the yin fire…
Awesome! (A meme expression of satisfaction.)
Watching the other’s panicked, fleeing figure, Su Mo suddenly laughed. “Without the courage to face death, you dare to go out and kill? What a waste of that cultivation.”
He raised his blade and continued the chase.
Whenever the other tried to fight back, Su Mo would let him go.
After several attempts, the dignified B-level expert was suddenly broken down by Su, standing there in a state of collapse, roaring and screaming like a rabid dog.
Su Mo couldn’t help but laugh. “Use your own strengths to attack the opponent’s weaknesses. What I have the most of is the courage to march towards death.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, his blade, carrying the threat of tetanus, drew a spray of fresh blood.
But a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. Even with a shattered spirit, his opponent’s strength was not to be underestimated. It took every ounce of Su Mo’s effort to finally subdue him completely.
After this battle, Su Mo gained some insight.
They say the foolish fear the ruthless, and the ruthless fear those who don’t fear death. Su Mo belonged to the third category.
Fight monsters, loot the bodies. Standard procedure.
Su Mo gathered the spoils he had seized from Shen Nanshu and the B-class expert. His face, smeared with bloodstains, broke into a wide grin. “So rich…”
In the darkness behind him, Da Sha’s legs trembled uncontrollably, his upper and lower beak clattering together,发出”邦邦邦”的声音.
“…Ribbit. (…Too brutal.)”
…
Dawn approached, the distant sea surface beginning to pale.
Huo Jingshu wiped the sweat from her forehead and collapsed to the ground, sitting.
Around her lay hundreds, even thousands, of triangular-headed venomous snakes, all dead. They were generally over two meters long, some of the larger ones even exceeding four meters, thicker than a bowl’s mouth.
“Hiss—” Gritting her teeth, she rolled up her left sleeve. Her arm, already marked with old scars, bore two clear puncture wounds. The area around them had begun to swell and turn black.
She gasped heavily, the numb sensation growing clearer.
Hesitating only slightly, she suddenly raised the bone knife in her right hand and cut into the wounded flesh.
The sun was shining brightly, and the sounds of flesh rubbing against bone, trembling breaths, and sweat dripping onto the grass were all crystal clear.
Yang Jie stood not far behind her, his face showing reluctance.
Actually, Yang Jie had already appeared when Huo Jingshu was surrounded by the swarm of snakes. But when he saw the utterly resolute look in her eyes, he ultimately didn’t move.
She didn’t want him to intervene.
Because if he did, she would have to withdraw from the assessment. Perhaps her name wouldn’t appear on the list of eliminated personnel, but she would be left far behind by the others in her team.
“What a familiar scene,” a sigh suddenly sounded from behind him.
Yang Jie turned his head. Long Tianyu had arrived at his side unnoticed. “Seeing your younger self?” he asked.
“I wouldn’t have dared to cut my own flesh when I was young,” Long Tianyu replied.
Yang Jie gave him a sideways glance and said nothing more.
Long Tianyu suddenly asked, “How’s your junior sister doing?”
“Haven’t gone to check on her yet.”
“That confident?” Long Tianyu’s expression turned strange. “What kind of senior brother are you?”
“I believe in her,” Yang Jie stated impassively.
Long Tianyu was momentarily speechless. He turned and started to leave.
Suddenly, he stopped, turning to look at Huo Jingshu not far away. “This kid is good. After the assessment, tell her to come find me.”
Yang Jie looked surprised. “Didn’t expect that from you.”
…
Xia Qingqing crouched on a tree branch like a little hen, peering left and right, her eyes gleaming with shrewd light.
“Qingyi, Jingshu, where are you? I’m so bored all by myself.”
Her face was smudged with dirt, a dried speck of mud still on the tip of her nose.
Suddenly, sounds of a struggle came from beneath the tree. Looking down, she saw a portly youth entangled with a crocodile.
The young man was exhausted, on the verge of collapse.
Seeing this, Xia Qingqing’s eyes sharpened. “Hey! You little fish, don’t know Mount Tai when you see it? Daring to bully someone under your Sister Qingqing’s protection?”
While delivering her tough talk, she leapt down from the tree, landing squarely on the crocodile’s back. Her粉拳 left an irreversible deep dent in the crocodile’s skull.
The crocodile, in pain, tried to flip over. But it never expected the little girl on its back to be astonishingly strong. With just that one punch, it was subdued.
A tingling, numb sensation seeped from the point of impact, turning into a sharp pain after a few seconds. A faint cyan flame actually began burning inside its body.
Of course, this wasn’t visible from the outside.
Zhuge Zhi’s mouth hung open. “Qingqing, you… no, no, Sister Qingqing, you’re amazing. Truly a role model for our generation.”
Xia Qingqing quite enjoyed this kind of flattery. Immediately, she lifted her chin, a proud look on her face. “With your sister protecting you, no one can bully you.”
Seeing this, Zhuge Zhi walked over and kicked the crocodile’s head. “Hear that? I’m under Sister Qingqing’s protection. Serves you right for bullying me.”
Actually, his skills were quite decent. But because of his build, he was at a disadvantage in these woods, constantly being ambushed.
After all, this wasn’t a martial arts arena. No one was going to duel him one-on-one.
“Little Zhi, your sister can’t protect you forever, you know,” Xia Qingqing said with an air of grave importance. “So you still have to learn to grow up. Don’t always expect your sister to protect you, understand?”
Having just been rescued, Zhuge Zhi naturally cooperated tactfully: “Sister Qingqing is right, I definitely will.”
Then, Xia Qingqing raised one hand. Zhuge Zhi熟练地 ran over, lifted his arm, let her rest her hand on it, and helped her jump down from the crocodile’s back.
So ladylike.
From behind a distant thicket, Wu Heng raised his camera, a slight smirk on his lips. “Now you see why I brought a camera.”