Poisonous Scorpion Ridge.
Two hours had passed since the start of the month-end exam
There was a secluded swamp in the dangerous jungle. A layer of gray miasma hung over the swamp while thick fog filled the air. Anyone who entered would have their vision greatly restricted, making it more difficult to detect danger.
Swoosh!
A wild-cat-like figure suddenly leaped over from the distance and landed noiselessly in one crisp movement like a specter.
It was a young man with a long and narrow face who gave off a brave and determined aura. As he tightly gripped a spear, he cautiously advanced with his body slightly bent over. Each step he took was silent and his eyes were filled with vigilance.
The young man was called Fang Song and was one of the 39th Campground’s elite students.
Despite ascertaining that there was no danger around him, Fang Song did not relax in the slightest. He carefully arrived in front of the swamp as his gaze flickered in thought.
The environment here is perfect. If I hide in the swamp, I’ll be able to catch any passerby off guard.
Fang Song considered his options as he tightly gripped his spear and walked into the swamp.His expression grew increasingly alert as he circulated his power. This was to ensure that he could dish out a deadly counter-attack the moment any danger appeared.
Fang Song’s legs were soon submerged in the swamp, making the foul-smelling swamp seem akin to a vortex that was slowly dragging him in.
After advancing seven steps without anything happening, Fang Song inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. He crouched down and prepared to hide in the swamp, seeking to borrow the natural fog to hide his presence and create a situation where he could launch a sneak attack on any passerby.
Just as he began to bend down, the swamp beside him suddenly exploded as a sword thrust toward his back.
An ambush!
However, Fang Song seemed to have already anticipated this as a sinister smile rose from the corners of his mouth. His spear seemed to grow a pair of eyes as it ruthlessly executed a backswing.
Thud!
The spear suffused with black light knocked aside the sword. Without any drop in momentum, the spear viciously thrust into the swamp, eliciting a cry as a figure stumbled out.
It was a girl covered in black swamp water, which made it impossible to see her face. She was holding onto a gray short-sword and there was a bloody wound on her right leg.
She immediately twisted her waist and fled without any hesitation the moment she was revealed.
“Trying to leave? Leave your token behind first!” Fang Song charged forward and thrust his spear at the girls’ back as he shouted sternly.
The attack was quick, precise, ruthless, and terrifying to the extreme and displayed an amazing battle sense.
If the girl continued to flee, she would sustain a serious injury. If she turned around to defend, she would be trading her chances for escape and would be stuck in battle with Fang Song.,
To Fang Song’s surprise, the girl suddenly turned her head and revealed a strange smile, making her pearly white teeth look exceptionally eye-catching on her muddy face.
Eh?
Alarm blared in Fang Song’s heart as he immediately pulled back his spear and jerked himself to the side.
However, he was slow by half-a-beat. While he was trying to dodge, the silhouette of a spear noiselessly flew out from the swamp beside him and stabbed into his abdomen at an inconceivable speed.
Urgh!
Intense pain tore through his body as blood spurted into the air. Fang Song stifled a groan and gritted his teeth in preparation for a counter-attack.
However, the girl, who had clearly been fleeing earlier, had already turned around behind him and used this opening to slash at his back. She left a wound so deep that bone was visible and nearly sliced open his internal organs.
Fang Song immediately understood that it had all been a trap from the start. He did not dare to delay and quickly shouted, “I admit defeat!”
He let go of his spear and tossed out his token before panting heavily, his face twisted due to the intense pain.
Plop!
The spear was pulled out from Fang Song’s abdomen, leaving a string of blood in the air and causing him to stifle another groan. His entire body trembled as he staggered, nearly falling to the ground.
A tall young man stood up from the swamp, holding his spear as he indifferently gazed at Fang Song.
“Friend, sorry about this.” The girl softly chuckled as she bent down to pick up the token that had fallen into the swamp.
Fang Song ground his teeth and loudly shouted, “Humph, two people setting up an ambush. How shameful!”
He suddenly charged forward as he shouted and swiftly approached the girl. He hooked his arm around her neck in an instant and a blade fragment appeared in his fingers. The sharp fragment was placed on her neck.
The sudden turn of events was extremely abrupt. No one had expected the seriously injured Fang Song to take such a risky gamble and even succeed!
The spear-wielding boy’s eyes turned increasingly frosty but he did not dare to move carelessly.
The girl’s face had turned extremely ugly and her body had become rigid, not daring to make any movements as well. Despite this, she said in a mocking voice, “Are all the 39th Campground students as despicable as you?”
“Less talk and hand over your token. Otherwise, I will slit your throat. Don’t worry, I’m sure you won’t die because you will have enough time to call your Instructor to save you.”
Fang Song laughed sinisterly. Although his face was deathly pale and the wound in his abdomen hurt a lot, he was feeling pretty pleased with himself.
The young man’s expression changed drastically. He seemed to struggle internally as he raised a token and said, “I admit defeat!”
“Smart!” Fang Song grabbed the token with a hideously twisted expression.
Swoosh!
However, the spear-wielding boy suddenly took action at this moment, sending a spear thrusting toward Fang Song like a shooting star.
The spear pulsed with terrifying aeth power as it tore through the air; he was clearly not the least bit concerned about the girl’s safety!
Shk!
Fang Song responded with extreme ruthlessness. The blade fragment sliced open the girl’s throat as she was pushed forward.
At the same time, he turned around and ran, heading deeper into the swamp where the fog and miasma were thicker.
“Hold on, Instructor will definitely get here in time.” The spear-wielding boy instructed before immediately giving chase.
Fang Song’s abdomen had been pierced and he had sustained a deep wound on his back, making it impossible for him to escape. The spear-wielding boy was confident in finishing this cunning 39th Campground opponent.
“How hateful!”
The girl lay in the swamp with her neck nearly cut in half. Blood rapidly flowed out, creating an exceptionally horrifying sight. She quickly tore off a piece of her clothes and wrapped it around her wound.
She knew that she would not survive if no one came to save her within fifteen minutes. The only thing she could do now was wait.
It was an outcome she found very difficult to accept.
Splash!
All of a sudden, another figure emerged from the swamp. The slim figure walked over, holding a dull black blade in his hand.
The girl was shocked. There’s someone else hiding here?!
Before she could cry for help, a quick chop knocked her unconscious. The figure quickly searched her body and retrieved a token.
“Not bad, a freebie.”
The thin figure chuckled as a smile was revealed on his muddy face. He kept the token and turned around. He was also going in the direction that Fang Song and the spear-wielding boy had headed in.
The figure was naturally Lin Xun.
He had been dropped off near the swamp at the start of the exam and immediately chose to hide here.
The spear-wielding boy and girl had arrived later on. They also chose the swamp as their ambush spot but had failed to discover Lin Xun.
Lin Xun had patiently waited because the other side had two people. Even if he managed to take them by surprise and seriously injure one of them, he would end up stuck in battle with the other which would be very unfavorable for him.
As a result, he had silently waited for an hour before Fang Song finally arrived and changed the situation. After a strange and vicious struggle, Lin Xun ended up getting a freebie.
As the saying went: the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
Not long after Lin Xun departed, a ship descended from the sky. Two attendants walked out and swiftly evacuated the unconscious girl.
……
The miasma was thick and filled with untold dangers.
However, Lin Xun moved through at high speed. His spirit sense was exceptionally sharp, allowing him to sense everything within a three-hundred-foot radius.
This level of spirit-sensing ability was usually only found in Spirit Dipper stage experts. From what Lin Xun knew, even a peak True Martial stage expert like Ning Meng could only achieve a radius of two hundred feet.
Hence, Lin Xun was confident that his senses were sharper than almost all the other students in the month-end exam.
Naturally, this became Lin Xun’s unique advantage, especially in the dangerous and complex terrain of Poisonous Scorpion Ridge. His strong senses allowed him to steer clear of numerous dangers.
It was not long before Lin Xun picked up the sounds of battle. He continued forward and soon saw the spear-wielding boy fighting Fang Song.
Fang Song was clearly at his limit. The injuries he sustained earlier were too heavy and he was now in a precarious situation.
Thud!
The spear-wielding boy knocked Fang Song back with a ferocious strike and pushed forward to suppress him. However, the spear wielder’s pupils suddenly shrank as he sent a sweeping blow behind him.
Swoosh!
Before he could find the enemy, blade light chopped towards his head. Although the attack seemed fierce, its aura abruptly changed upon contact with the spear. Instead of clashing directly, the blade slipped along the spear and violently knocked it to the side.
With a loud thud, the spear attack was scattered, causing its wielder to stagger. Before he could stabilize himself, a blade was placed against his neck.
The spear-wielding boy’s body turned rigid as his pupils shrank. Only then did he discover that his opponent was a blade-wielding youth. The youth’s entire body was covered in mud, leaving only his pitch-black abyss-like eyes visible.
It was naturally Lin Xun. After subduing the other party with a single strike, a follow-up chop sent the spear-wielding boy into dreamland.
Another token entered Lin Xun’s hand as he sighed. Taking advantage of others feels really good.
“It’s you! Lin Xun!”
In the distance, Fang Song panted heavily as he rose to his feet. His body was covered in a layer of mud and blood, and the wound on his abdomen was still bleeding.
Although Lin Xun had saved Fang Song, he did not feel the least bit happy. Instead, he looked at Lin Xun in anger.
Fang Song hissed through his teeth, “Why did you wait till now to appear? Could it be that you already planned to wait till I collapse to take advantage?”
How could Lin Xun possibly admit to this? He decisively shook his head and said, “Fellow campmate Fang Xuan, you’re overthinking this! You should be grateful to me instead. If I didn’t rush here in time, you would have lost, right?”
Lin Xun sneered inwardly as he spoke. Fang Song was from the same circle as Qi Can, Xin Wenbin, Wen Mingxiu, and the others. It was already very nice of Lin Xun to have not chosen to watch like a bystander.