Chapter 42: Now That You’re So Strong, I Certainly Can’t Fall Behind

The secret realm at night was never a place of safety, and for many students, this night was destined to be a difficult one. Yet none of this had anything to do with Lin Xiao and Zhou Zhi. Their position was toward the rear, the spirit beasts in their area had already been cleared out, and with the protection of earthen walls, it was another peaceful night for them.

Others were not so fortunate. After Lin Xiao’s departure, the teams dispersed. Furthermore, in the area where they now found themselves, the number of spirit beasts was considerably higher, and the pressure on them increased significantly. As a result, apart from a handful of stronger teams, many more were eliminated.

By this point, fewer than a hundred of the several hundred students who had entered the assessment remained. Among those eliminated, not all fell to spirit beasts. At last, some began to turn on the other participants, and this time, it was not just the weaker ones who were eliminated, but also some who thought themselves strong enough to act alone. All participants were level-one ability users; for all their strength, facing a team of five left them no choice but to accept defeat.

Of the fifty or so survivors, nearly all had accumulated at least ten points—except for Lin Xiao and Zhou Zhi. Lin Xiao had only three points thus far; Zhou Zhi, none at all. Even the support members in other teams had been given a few points by their teammates, but Zhou Zhi had not taken a single one. He was unbothered; he had never expected to place well in this competition—he was content simply to enjoy the experience.

It was now the final day of the assessment, and the contest had reached its fever pitch. Lin Xiao knew he could no longer hide in the shadows. His goal was clear: to take first place, for the prize was too generous to ignore.

“Old Zhou, once we’ve eaten and rested, it’s time to get to work. We can’t keep this up,” Lin Xiao said.

Zhou Zhi had no objections. He had no particular ambitions, but if he accidentally wound up with a good ranking, he wouldn’t mind.

“I’ll do whatever you say, Brother Xiao! Just tell me what to do,” he replied.

Lin Xiao nodded in satisfaction. He already had a plan in mind, but now was not the time to act. For now, they needed to hurry; they had fallen far behind the others, and catching up would take several hours.

Two hours later, Lin Xiao finally encountered the first team—a duo, both sporting minor injuries. Sensing someone approaching, they seemed startled, but when they saw it was Lin Xiao and Zhou Zhi, they breathed a sigh of relief.

This reaction greatly displeased Lin Xiao and Zhou Zhi. What did that mean? Did they look down on them?

Before Lin Xiao could react, one of the pair spoke. “Didn’t expect to run into you two. Have you come to deliver yourselves to us?”

These two had been part of a six-person team, but after a clash with another group, only the two of them escaped by luck; the rest were eliminated. Their nerves were on edge, so when they sensed someone approaching, they thought it was their pursuers and braced themselves for defeat. To find it was only Lin Xiao and Zhou Zhi was a relief.

Lin Xiao was well-known among the competitors; these two had even bought food from him before. But that didn’t mean they respected the strength of Lin Xiao and Zhou Zhi. In their eyes, the only reason the two hadn’t been eliminated was because they were too cautious to even fight spirit beasts.

Lin Xiao was speechless. He had come to reap his rewards, yet was seen as easy prey.

This time, before Lin Xiao could speak, Zhou Zhi lost his patience.

“Brother Xiao, my hands are itching. Let me take care of these two,” he said.

Lin Xiao glanced at Zhou Zhi in surprise—he hadn’t expected such initiative. Earth-based abilities weren’t useless in combat, but unless one’s level was high, their offensive use was limited. Zhou Zhi’s only ability was the earthen wall; Lin Xiao was curious how he intended to fight.

He didn’t object, though. Zhou Zhi was interested, so why not let him try?

“All right, you go first. If you can’t handle them, I’ll step in.”

The playful grin vanished from Zhou Zhi’s face. The previous battles had left him feeling useless—beside Lin Xiao, he seemed like a burden, only able to help with the construction of earthen shelters, and otherwise helpless. Though clinging to Lin Xiao’s strength was not a bad thing, he still wanted to prove himself.

The two opponents overheard their conversation and couldn’t help but snicker.

“Even injured, we’re not people you two can handle. I know both of you—an A-rank earth user, tricky but useless without offensive skills; and the other, according to Ji Boxiao, is an F-rank, who knows how you even qualified for the assessment. But it doesn’t matter. You’ll be eliminated soon. Frankly, I don’t even want your points—they must be pitifully few. Still, I’ll eliminate you, especially that kid. You overcharged me for a few scraps of food—I’ve been wanting to teach you a lesson.”

“So much nonsense!” Zhou Zhi snorted, activating his power. An earthen wall sprang up at their feet.

The two quickly dodged; a hit from that wall would be no small matter. It wasn’t hard to avoid, and as they evaded, they launched their own attacks. One transformed, taking on the attributes of a leopard—he was a beast-type ability user.

The other wielded wind; both were B-rank awakeners, high in agility. That was likely why they had survived the previous encounter.

Seeing their abilities, Zhou Zhi frowned.

Lin Xiao was a bit concerned. “Old Zhou, you all right? Need help?”

“A man never admits defeat! Don’t worry, if I can’t manage, I’ll call for you.”

The wind user sent blades of air toward Zhou Zhi, while the beast user charged at him. Zhou Zhi remained calm; an earthen wall rose before him, blocking the wind blades and intercepting the beast user’s path. He wasn’t just defending—he manipulated the walls to attack as well.

Their opponents found this almost comical. Did he really think they’d fall for such a trick? But as time passed, the number of earthen walls increased, encircling them.

Just as they were about to mock Zhou Zhi for his futile efforts, yet another wall appeared beneath their feet. They tried to dodge, only to discover that every route was blocked by walls Zhou Zhi had previously constructed.

Caught off guard, they were launched into the air by the rising wall.

The earthen wall was a defensive technique, capable of withstanding most attacks of the same level—testament to its toughness. The force of the impact was enormous.

At that moment, a man appeared and caught them as they fell.

He looked at them coolly. “You two are eliminated.”

They protested, “We were only knocked into the air! How does that count as eliminated? We can still fight!”

The man sneered. “Stop struggling. The moment you were sent flying, you’d already lost. Your landing spot was fixed, and your opponent’s skill was waiting for you.”

They froze, realizing that where they were about to land, there was a surge of power in the earth. In that instant, they understood—the man was right. They had lost, and lost completely. Who would have thought a defensive skill could be used this way? They had no complaints.

Lin Xiao looked at Zhou Zhi in surprise. “Not bad, Old Zhou. Didn’t know you had it in you.”

Zhou Zhi grinned sheepishly. “You’re so strong, Brother Xiao—I can’t let myself fall behind.”