Chapter 45: It’s Not the Mastermind You Fear, but When the Master Is the Mastermind

Zhou Zhi was momentarily stunned when he saw Shen Yao. From the very first glance, he was deeply captivated by her. At first, Zhou Zhi thought Shen Yao had come to fight against them, and he even considered, if he couldn’t avoid her, whether he should simply let her defeat him. Ultimately, though, he gave up on the idea—after all, Lin Xiao was still present. He was not someone who would forget his principles for a pretty face. Or at least, he hoped not?

Now, learning that Shen Yao had come to cooperate with them, a smile finally appeared on his face. When Lin Xiao and Shen Yao shook hands, he paid no mind, but as he watched their hands remain clasped for so long, he felt a surge of jealousy. If only he knew about their silent contest of strength, he wouldn’t have thought that way.

As their hands separated, Zhou Zhi couldn’t wait any longer and strode over. “Miss Shen, let’s work well together!” he said, extending his hand toward her.

Lin Xiao watched Zhou Zhi’s actions with some surprise. He knew his brother well, and ever since Zhou Zhi had laid eyes on Shen Yao, he’d been acting a bit awkward. Could it be he was interested in her? The thought made Lin Xiao’s lips curve into a smile. If Zhou Zhi wanted to invite trouble, he couldn’t blame anyone else.

Shen Yao was also momentarily taken aback, but quickly recovered and smiled. Confident in her own strength—and still slightly dissatisfied after failing to best Lin Xiao—she had no intention of letting this opportunity slip by. Without hesitation, she gripped Zhou Zhi’s hand.

A faint blush appeared on Zhou Zhi’s face. He barely had time to savor the moment before he felt an immense force emanating from her hand. His mouth twitched; he wanted to pull his hand back, but feared Shen Yao would look down on him, so he forced himself to endure. He wasn’t foolish—instantly channeling his spiritual power to protect his hands. As an earth-element awakener, he could manipulate basic earth elements even without using special skills. With their support, the pressure eased a little.

Still, her hand felt like an iron clamp.

A hint of surprise flashed in Shen Yao’s eyes, but she smiled and released him. Zhou Zhi quickly let go, then shook his hand vigorously behind his back.

Lin Xiao, amused by Zhou Zhi’s flustered state, came over and laughed, “Old Zhou, why aren’t you smiling now? Is it because you forgot how?”

At that moment, Zhou Zhi finally understood why Shen Yao and Lin Xiao’s handshake had lasted so long—they had already sparred. He shouldn’t have tried to join in.

“Brother Xiao, stop teasing me. Why didn’t you warn me?” Zhou Zhi grumbled.

“Why should I warn you? You offered yourself up. What, are you interested in her?” Lin Xiao lowered his voice deliberately.

Zhou Zhi, a bit embarrassed to have his feelings called out, nevertheless nodded. “Yes, a little.”

“Go for it. I’m rooting for you.”

Zhou Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. Lin Xiao’s words meant he had no designs on Shen Yao, so Zhou Zhi could pursue her without worry.

Shen Yao glanced at their whispered exchange but paid it no mind. “Enough. Let’s talk about how we’ll cooperate.”

Lin Xiao cast a glance at Zhou Zhi, who immediately understood—he was being given a chance. Zhou Zhi hurried over and explained their battle strategy to Shen Yao.

Shen Yao had no objections to their “bait and ambush” tactic and quickly agreed. As before, Zhou Zhi would act as bait, while Shen Yao and Lin Xiao would handle the attack.

Shen Yao wasn’t fully convinced by the strategy; after all, those who had survived this far weren’t fools and wouldn’t be easily deceived. But when the first five-person squad fell for it, she realized why it worked so well.

The key was Lin Xiao—he always spotted the opponents first. By the time their preparations were complete, the enemy only just noticed Zhou Zhi. In that last window, Zhou Zhi was a walking bundle of points, and the five opponents couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Facing one against five, they let their guard down.

After several battles, Zhou Zhi grew more adept, pretending to notice the enemy only at the last moment and immediately fleeing. The pursuers focused solely on him. By the time they realized Lin Xiao and Shen Yao were attacking from behind, it was already too late.

Lin Xiao and Shen Yao each took out two enemies, subdued the last one, and let Zhou Zhi finish the job. The five-person squad was dispatched with ease.

All three were quite satisfied with the result. Shen Yao felt that earning points this way was much faster than hunting spirit beasts, which was perfect for her final push. With such a powerful teammate, Lin Xiao also felt much more relaxed. If he had faced a squad like this before, he could have won, but it would have taken considerable effort—not nearly as effortless as now.

Clearly, this was a win-win situation.

The eliminated squad watched the trio in silence, frustration written all over their faces. To be knocked out like this was infuriating!

But what could they do? They had already been declared out. They knew Shen Yao’s strength; if it came to a fight, they’d likely lose anyway. But there was at least a chance for victory. To be ambushed and defeated without inflicting any loss on their opponents was hard to bear.

Alas! The only thing worse than a cunning strategist is a cunning strategist who’s also a master!

The battle started quickly and ended even faster. Shen Yao was still a bit excited, but also curious. “Lin Xiao, how do you spot the enemy ahead of time?”

“I have good eyesight! My ability is F-level vision enhancement. Is there an issue?”

Shen Yao was surprised—she’d assumed Lin Xiao was a strength-type, or at least a close-combat type, but his ability was just F-level vision enhancement. That explained it. And how had he trained to have such strength? His power was nearly on par with hers.

No wonder her grandfather, who hadn’t contacted her in ages, wanted her to test this guy—there was something more here.

“No problem. I think I understand now why you use this ambush tactic. Shall we continue?”

“Of course!”

The assessment continued. For some time, Lin Xiao’s group encountered only a two-person squad. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to find others—they simply didn’t meet any. There were fewer competitors left, and they were now deep in the core of the secret realm, where spirit beasts were plentiful.

Inevitably, they encountered spirit beasts.

Lin Xiao finally witnessed Shen Yao’s terrifying strength. She had two spirit skills, both amplifying her power. With her abilities activated, her strength was astonishing.

Spirit beasts outclassed humans in raw power, but before strength-type Shen Yao, they were nothing. When she hurled a first-level berserk wild boar weighing several hundred pounds dozens of meters away, Lin Xiao and Zhou Zhi were left with only one thought:

This woman is truly fierce!

Lin Xiao winked at Zhou Zhi, curious whether he still liked Shen Yao. To his surprise, Zhou Zhi didn’t react but gazed at Shen Yao with even more fervor.

He thought: My goodness! Girlfriend power off the charts—how could I not love her even more?