Su Mo and Huo Jingshu were considered injured, but their combat strength was still nothing to scoff at. Ye Qingyi assigned them as substitutes, positioned at the team’s center for any unforeseen circumstances.
Huo Jingshu had originally wanted to take the vanguard position, but Ye Qingyi’s attitude was exceptionally firm, so she had no choice but to relent.
“It’s been over a week, and we still don’t know the specifics of our assessment. Who knows when this will end,” Zhuge Zhi couldn’t help but complain.
As luck would have it, Yang Jie appeared right at that moment. His face expressionless, he looked at Zhuge Zhi and adjusted his glasses. “Little fatty, you seem to have quite a problem with me.”
Zhuge Zhi gave an awkward laugh. “Not at all. What I meant was that your assessment method is unique. It tests not only our strength but also our intelligence. It shows how responsible you are towards us.”
The corner of Yang Jie’s mouth twitched. Zhuge Zhi’s barrage of flattery made him rather uncomfortable, though he did feel a bit pleased deep down.
Even if the situation wasn’t exactly as described.
“Now that all six of you are here, it’s time I told you the assessment content.” Yang Jie’s gaze swept over the six faces, all of which earned his approval. “This island is called Insect Island. As the name suggests, there will be a great many insects. Your task is to find at least one insect nest and obtain an Insect Source.”
“Insect Source? What’s that?” Ye Qingyi asked, puzzled.
“Since the spiritual energy resurgence, the insects here have undergone a collective mutation. What caused their mutation is precisely the Insect Source. It’s an existence similar to spirit stones, but it’s a living entity.”
This was the first time any of them had heard of such a wondrous thing, and one by one, they rubbed their hands together eagerly, brimming with confidence.
“Obtaining one Insect Source is six points—a passing grade. Each additional one found adds one point, with a perfect score of ten.” After this reminder, Yang Jie vanished once more.
Watching his departing figure, Su Mo pondered one thing: Did Yang Jie know about the time he accidentally entered the Hundred Immortals Sect’s base and killed Shen Nanshu?
In the blink of an eye, another three days passed.
The six of them trekked through the forest, having found no clues whatsoever regarding an insect nest.
Su Mo’s recovery ability was extremely strong. By now, his injuries were mostly healed, about seventy to eighty percent. Apart from the still-frightening scar on the back of his neck, he was basically fine.
As for Huo Jingshu, her wound had begun to fester. Without treatment, her left arm might be ruined.
Su Mo had taken out medicinal salve multiple times, claiming he had it hidden on his person, so it wouldn’t count as breaking the rules. But Huo Jingshu simply refused to use it, stubbornly insisting on enduring the agony rather than violating the regulations.
Su Mo was at a loss with her, so he signaled Ye Qingyi with his eyes.
Unexpectedly, she was sharp-eyed and immediately took a step back. “Don’t even think about knocking me out. This is something I must uphold; I have to rely on my own strength… hiss!”
Huo Jingshu was sweating profusely from the pain, yet she gritted her teeth, her gaze stubborn.
Xia Qingqing was heartbroken. Knowing persuasion was useless, she could only walk over and hug Huo Jingshu’s arm, sighing helplessly. “Alright, have it your way. Just don’t get agitated; it’ll only hurt more.”
Huo Jingshu forced a faint smile. “If I weren’t so weak, I wouldn’t have been reduced to this state.”
At that moment, Su Mo suddenly spoke. “Actually, the cultivation technique I practice has a healing effect. But all of you will need to step aside.”
A flicker passed through Huo Jingshu’s eyes, but she said nothing.
Zhuge Zhi looked suspicious. “What’s there to… Oh, oh, oh, I get it.”
He signaled Wu Heng and Ye Qingyi with his eyes. “Us three guys shouldn’t stick around here. Let’s go, quick.”
Ye Qingyi blinked, lost in thought about something.
They walked quite a distance before stopping.
“I’ll stand guard to prevent them from peeking,” Xia Qingqing said, her ears and eyes alert to all directions. While she appeared to be supervising them, she was actually monitoring the surroundings.
Now only Huo Jingshu and Su Mo remained. She stared into Su Mo’s eyes, her face suddenly flushing pink. “…Do I need to take everything off?”
Su Mo’s eyes widened. “Take off what? Just stick your arm out.”
“Oh.” Realizing she had misunderstood, Huo Jingshu’s face turned even redder.
Then she saw a dark cyan flame ignite at the tip of Lin Qianye’s (Su Mo’s) finger, and without a word, he pointed it towards her wound.
Although she had guessed beforehand, seeing it confirmed with her own eyes was another matter entirely.
She waited quietly for Su Mo to treat her injury, not worried that the Yin Flame would harm her.
As crackling sounds arose, the necrotic flesh was being devoured inch by inch by the Yin Flame. Though the pain was excruciating, Huo Jingshu didn’t utter a single cry of pain from start to finish.
Once the necrotic tissue was cleared, Su Mo took out a wooden box. Just as Huo Jingshu was about to say something, Su Mo preempted her. “I obtained this after arriving here, so it definitely doesn’t count as breaking the rules, right? If you make a fuss again, I’ll have Qingqing give you a beating, okay?”
As he spoke, he opened the box. Inside was a mass of gray-white substance. “It might hurt quite a bit. Bear with it.”
Su Mo carefully applied the Whale Marrow to her injured area. By the time it was evenly spread, half of it was used up.
This Whale Marrow was not only beneficial for cultivation but also had the effect of regenerating flesh. First cleaning with the Yin Flame, then applying this—it would be hard not to recover fully.
“Thank you.” Huo Jingshu felt genuine gratitude. She knew her relationship with “Ye Qingyi” (Su Mo) was good, but it wasn’t at the level of Xia Qingqing’s closeness—at best, they were relatively good friends.
This gray-white substance was clearly a priceless treasure, yet he was willing to use it on her…
From this moment on, Su Mo’s position in her heart rose another level.
Previously, she saw him as a goal to strive for. Now, there was a touch of admiration and reverence mixed in.
“Alright, now we just wait to see how many days it takes to heal completely.” After checking and confirming everything was fine, Su Mo said, “Don’t be constantly tense about cultivation. Relaxing occasionally might have surprising effects for breakthroughs.”
“Mhm.”
Su Mo, like a big sister, was giving advice to her own younger sister…
By the time Ye Qingyi and the others returned, Huo Jingshu’s arm was already hidden inside her sleeve.
It would be a lie to say they weren’t curious. But considering the matter might be somewhat private, Zhuge Zhi forcefully suppressed the urge to ask.
After all, they had been asked to leave. Asking now would surely be very awkward, right?
Thinking this, Zhuge Zhi suddenly felt he was a genius.
Seeing Huo Jingshu’s face no longer showed such pain, Ye Qingyi was also very curious about what method Su Mo had used. But now was definitely not the time to ask.
At that moment, a rustling, skittering sound suddenly grew closer, and the earth began to tremble.
Listening carefully, it sounded like a flood, or perhaps a stampede of some fierce beasts.
Wu Heng’s expression suddenly changed. “Not good, it’s army ants!”
Hearing the words “army ants,” Su Mo’s breath hitched. Frowning in thought, he said, “If it’s army ants, then we’re truly in trouble.”
“Everyone, up into the trees first!” Wu Heng shouted. “Army ants fear fire. We just need to use fire to keep them isolated at the base of the tree.”
As he spoke, he pulled out a homemade fire starter and smeared a clump of animal fat onto the tree trunk.
Zhuge Zhi watched from the side and suddenly said, “What if we end up burning ourselves to death?”
Wu Heng shot him a glance and rapped his knuckles on Zhuge Zhi’s head. “If what’s inside here weren’t empty, you wouldn’t be asking such a thing. Just wait and enjoy the show.”