"Whoosh~"
The sudden rustling of vegetation behind them gave He Yu and the others a fright.
"It's you!"
A familiar voice rang out. At the front stood a blue-haired young man, handsome and refined, with a touch of pride.
The newcomer was none other than Mu Bai, with the other students from Group One behind him.
"The cave is over there!" Zhao Kun San said excitedly, lifting his foot to head inside.
"Wait." Mu Bai raised a hand to stop him. "The bounty mission won't be that simple. Don't you see Qin Yuan and his group haven't gone in yet?"
In some ways, Mu Bai had a better head on his shoulders than Mo Fan. He was more levelheaded, and having been born into a prominent family, he had seen and learned much more.
"Then... should we wait until more people arrive before going in?" Zhao Kun San suggested.
"Let's go."
Qin Yuan had no such intention. After discussing it with Mo Fan for a few words, he led Group Three into the cave.
Seeing this, Mu Bai refused to be outdone. He swept his hand grandly and said, "We're going in too."
Group One and Group Three entered the cave.
From afar, Zhan Kong and the others saw the entire scene clearly.
"Bai Yang, have your Ghost Wolf Beast go easy on them. Try not to let anyone suffer serious injuries," Zhan Kong reminded him.
"...Yes, Boss."
Bai Yang answered absentmindedly.
Inside the cave.
There were quite a few Light Element students—five in total. They now acted as "light bulbs," illuminating the way for everyone.
However, even with the support of Light Radiance, vast stretches of the cave remained shrouded in darkness, making their hearts tighten with unease.
The Light Element students illuminated the group, the Wind Element students scouted ahead, the Earth Element students guarded the flanks, while the Ice Element and Water Element students controlled the field from the middle. Everyone had their role.
"Hoo hoo hoo~!"
Suddenly, an incomparably foul Demonic Wind blew from the darkness ahead, sweeping directly toward the forty students.
"Ice Vine—Freeze."
As if he had anticipated it, Qin Yuan raised two small ice walls ahead of them, forming an inverted V shape.
The Demonic Wind blew past, sparing everyone from being nauseated by the stench.
Qin Yuan's move immediately shocked everyone.
"Holy shit, that was amazing!"
"Damn, Qin Yuan reacted so fast!"
"He's mastered his magic so well! I barely even noticed!"
A wave of astonished voices rose from the group.
Mu Bai, meanwhile, stared at Qin Yuan with a solemn expression.
Judging by that move alone, he was far inferior to Qin Yuan—not only in anticipation, but also in the speed at which he cast Ice Vine.
Everyone continued forward.
"Awoo~!"
Before they had taken more than a few steps, a roar resembling that of a One-eyed Demonic Wolf suddenly echoed through the cave, drawing closer from afar.
Before anyone could react, a black shadow stepped out of the darkness. Under the illumination of Light Radiance, its appearance gradually came into view.
It had a ferocious, horrifying head, rows of saw-like fangs, and two upper incisors that hung down to its lower jaw. Green saliva dripped slowly from its mouth, making it look utterly terrifying.
Its paws were covered in green fur, and its blade-sharp claws were embedded in the ground...
Its appearance alone was enough to inspire fear.
The thirty-odd students froze in place when they saw the Ghost Wolf Beast, terror written all over their faces.
A demon creature!
There really was a demon creature!
They had heard about demon creatures again and again, been curious about them, and even imagined fighting them for three hundred rounds.
But after seeing one with their own eyes, they finally understood that these things were more than ten times more terrifying than they had imagined.
"Run... Run!"
Zhao Kun San turned and bolted in terror.
His panic snapped some of the more timid students out of their shock, and they hurriedly followed him toward the cave entrance.
In an instant, the group fell into chaos.
Qin Yuan: "..."
The Ghost Wolf Beast did look more frightening than expected, but weren't they falling apart a little too quickly?
A perfectly good formation vanished in three seconds.
The students responsible for lighting had run away, and the cave instantly fell dark.
Helpless, Qin Yuan could only follow them out.
Though he was unafraid of the Ghost Wolf Beast with his Great General Grade physical body, he still needed to keep a low profile when necessary.
At the very least, before gaining absolute strength, he could not reveal the secret of his physical body. Otherwise, he would definitely become one of the "Calamity Survivors" in the Holy City's eyes.
Driven by the Ghost Wolf Beast's terrifying presence, the group fled out of the cave.
From afar, Zhan Kong and the others all wore amused smiles.
"A rookie's usual mentality—panic when trouble comes, run when they see demons." Zhan Kong shook his head.
The instructors and teachers nodded in agreement as well, but none of them looked down on the students, because everyone had a first time.
Hadn't they been the same back then?
Tang Yue kept her eyes on Qin Yuan's figure and thought, Little Yuan, let older sister see how long it takes you to take down the Ghost Wolf Beast.
She believed that Qin Yuan would definitely defeat the Ghost Wolf Beast.
No one noticed that Instructor Bai Yang's expression darkened slightly. The corner of his mouth moved faintly, as though he were issuing some sort of command.
Hundred Herbs Valley.
"Awoo!"
In just a moment, the Ghost Wolf Beast chased out of the cave. It was less than ten meters from the group, and the distance was still shrinking.
It had already gone easy on them. Otherwise, there would have been casualties inside the cave just now.
"Fire... Fire... Fire Seed..."
Zhou Min connected her Star Seeds, trying to cast magic.
However, the Ghost Wolf Beast's simple roar made her mind tremble. When she connected the fifth Star Seed, the Star Track broke.
She was not the only one. Mo Fan, Mu Bai, Zhang Xiaohou, and the others were all in the same state.
After seeing a demon creature with their own eyes, even if they forcibly suppressed their panic, instinctive fear still remained.
"Fuck, where's the rope?!" Zhao Kun San cried out, drawing the attention of some students who had no idea what was happening and were still running.
Then—
"Fuck me!!!"
"What the hell? The rope's gone???"
"Damn it, where did the rope we used to get here go?!"
Several students were so terrified that their souls nearly left their bodies. Some even collapsed limply to the ground.
"Awoo!"
At that moment, the Ghost Wolf Beast had arrived.
Whether intentionally or not, its first target was Zhao Kun San and the others, who had been scared out of their wits.
The Ghost Wolf Beast was incredibly fast. In just a few seconds, it reached Zhao Kun San and the others.
"Mom, I want to go home!" Zhao Kun San screamed miserably, saliva and snot streaming down his face.
"Ice... Ice Vine... Damn it!"
Seeing his "loyal little follower" about to "die," Mu Bai immediately began connecting his Star Seeds, but the trembling in his heart caused his Star Track to break directly.
"Roar!"
The Ghost Wolf Beast opened its bloody maw.
The scene terrified everyone. Zhao Kun San fainted on the spot.
Just as Zhao Kun San was about to be devoured—
"Extreme Cold—Ice Vine—Congeal!"
A familiar voice rang out. A biting ice blue chill shot toward the Ghost Wolf Beast, accurately enveloping its thick limbs.
"Crack crack~"
In an instant, the Ghost Wolf Beast's limbs were frozen solid.
"Awoo awoo awoo~"
The Ghost Wolf Beast struggled violently.
But how could a second-level Ice Vine strengthened by a Spirit Seed be so easily broken free from?
For the moment, the Ghost Wolf Beast could not move.
"What are you all waiting for? Such a perfect live target—shouldn't you make use of it?" Qin Yuan walked over with one hand in his pocket, a smile at the corner of his mouth.
That little display was cool enough.
"Holy shit, Old Qin, you've got nerves of steel!" Mo Fan said in shock.
Every one of them had been so frightened that they could not connect their Star Tracks, yet Qin Yuan had actually completed a Star Track Connection so quickly.
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