Chapter 49: An Eerie Stillness

Shen Yao was somewhat puzzled. Lin Xiao was clearly exhausted—how could he possibly compete with her? Was he relying on sheer willpower? And after Lin Xiao took off his shirt, he actually hoisted Zhou Zhi onto his shoulder as if it took no effort at all. Had Lin Xiao been hiding his true strength all along? But the way he’d looked earlier, completely worn out, hardly seemed like an act.

“Fine, I’ll see what trick you’re playing at.”

Now freed from the restraints on his body, Lin Xiao felt an overwhelming surge of energy. Ignoring Zhou Zhi’s struggles atop his shoulder, he broke into a run! His speed immediately leapt to a new level—this lightness was something he had never experienced before. Back at the nursing home, the only time he could remove his weights was during a bath; otherwise, he wore them even in his sleep. Those brief moments in the shower were far too short for him to really sense any changes in his body.

But now, completely freed from his burdens, every step felt astonishingly easy. Zhou Zhi, who weighed more than a hundred pounds, felt as light as a feather.

Seeing Lin Xiao move with such effortless grace, Shen Yao was utterly bewildered. What was going on? How did this guy suddenly recover his strength? Carrying Zhou Zhi so easily—was that even possible? Was she the one with the strength ability, or was it this guy after all? Unable to puzzle it out, Shen Yao decided not to dwell on it and immediately gave chase. She was suddenly eager to test herself properly against Lin Xiao. Among all the candidates in this assessment, Lin Xiao was the only one she couldn’t see through.

Noticing that Shen Yao was following closely, Lin Xiao grinned. He took out some of the roasted beast meat he’d prepared earlier and ate a little. Though the meat from a level-one spirit beast didn’t offer much energy, it was enough to restore some of his strength. He began to accelerate, much faster than before, and Zhou Zhi, slung over his shoulder, felt the wind whipping past his ears.

“Whoa! Brother Xiao, slow down! You’re shaking me so much I’m about to throw up!”

Lin Xiao shot him a glare. “Hold it in! If you dare to puke, I’ll toss you down and let you feed the spirit beasts.”

Zhou Zhi immediately clamped his hand over his mouth to be safe.

Shen Yao kept right behind Lin Xiao, trying to overtake him, but no matter how much she increased her speed, she simply couldn’t get ahead. So, he really had been hiding his strength.

Those who had previously overtaken Lin Xiao now found themselves passed by him instead. They glanced at him in surprise but said nothing—they scarcely had the energy to question how he had managed such a miraculous recovery.

As Lin Xiao overtook more and more people, he finally caught up with the lead group. Ji Boxiao and Liu Ruoyan were among them. Ji Boxiao was using his wind ability, dragging Liu Ruoyan along as they ran at the front.

As Lin Xiao passed by, he naturally wouldn’t miss the chance to mock them. Hadn’t they been so arrogant before? Effortlessly carrying Zhou Zhi, he caught up to Ji Boxiao.

“Well, if it isn’t Young Master Ji! Why are you so slow? Waiting for me?”

Ji Boxiao and Liu Ruoyan only realized Lin Xiao had caught up when they heard his voice. Both were incredulous—how could this be? Wasn’t he just completely spent moments ago? How had he caught up so quickly?

Lin Xiao, bare-chested, revealed his perfectly toned body to Liu Ruoyan for the first time. She was momentarily transfixed—after knowing Lin Xiao for so long, she had never seen him shirtless. He actually had an eight-pack!

Ji Boxiao was already struggling to bring Liu Ruoyan along, and Lin Xiao’s taunt nearly made him lose control of his power.

“How is this possible? You were at your limit just now—how could you catch up?”

“Want to know? Too bad, I’m not telling. Catch me if you can!”

Lin Xiao gave Ji Boxiao no chance to retort, shooting past with Zhou Zhi like a gust of wind. Shen Yao also swept past Ji Boxiao at lightning speed. Ji Boxiao was so infuriated he nearly spat blood. He tried to catch up, but no matter how hard he pushed, the distance between him and Lin Xiao only grew.

Watching Ji Boxiao’s futile struggle, Liu Ruoyan suddenly felt a twinge of regret. At this moment, she wondered if perhaps she would have been better off staying by Lin Xiao’s side all along.

The great escape continued, with more people being eliminated. Without exception, those who fell behind had completely run out of strength. After all, in their eyes, if the spirit beasts caught up, death was inevitable. None of those caught earlier had been rescued.

Damn it, they’d all signed life-and-death waivers, but in previous years, very few actually died. Why was the trial so extreme this time?

Those who remained were all elites; losing so many at once, especially during a live broadcast, didn’t the organizers fear the backlash?

As the spirit beasts drew nearer, many couldn’t help cursing the organizers and the security staff to the eighteenth generation. But when death didn’t arrive as expected, they slowly opened their eyes, only to find the staff responsible for their safety waiting before them. Not far away were those whom they’d thought had already died.

Realizing they had just cursed these people’s families, the candidates cringed in embarrassment. Damn, could someone please explain what was going on? This was nothing like what they’d imagined! How had these people escaped danger?

The staff had intended to offer psychological counseling to the students, but after hearing their heartfelt “greetings” to their ancestors, it was clear these students didn’t need counseling at all—in fact, maybe they needed a little discipline. So, cries of misery soon echoed from the eliminated camp.

After running a good distance with Zhou Zhi, Lin Xiao finally stopped. Judging by the noise behind them, the spirit beasts had fallen far behind. Seeing Lin Xiao stop, Shen Yao halted as well, panting heavily and staring at him in disbelief. Was he some kind of monster? She was a strength-ability user and regularly competed in marathons, yet she couldn’t keep up with Lin Xiao—even when he was carrying the burden of Zhou Zhi.

Zhou Zhi, finally set down, immediately found a crooked tree and vomited violently. He’d never been airsick or carsick in his life, but being carried by someone had finally done him in—utterly humiliating.

Lin Xiao noticed that the spirit beast herd in the distance wasn’t pursuing them anymore. Instead, they were skirting around this area, fleeing elsewhere. Seeing this, Lin Xiao frowned.

Shen Yao noticed too and let out a long sigh of relief. “Finally lost those guys—I thought I was going to die.”

But Lin Xiao wasn’t as optimistic. He glanced around, a faint unease rising in his heart.

“Something’s wrong. The spirit beasts are deliberately avoiding this area. And haven’t you noticed? It’s far too quiet here.”