"Chu Han, join our team."
At that moment, a clear voice rang out.
Chu Han turned and saw that the speaker was none other than the class monitor, Jiang Yan.
She had awakened the B-rank support talent "Plant Affinity," which allowed her to control plants in battle. She had a gentle personality and was well-liked. There were three other students in her team.
"Jiang Yan, why are you bringing him along? He'll drag our team down." Another girl in the team, Zhang Lin, complained from the side.
Jiang Yan said, "We're all classmates. Helping one another is only right. Besides, Chu Han isn't a burden. Everyone saw him defeat Sun Liqiang."
She turned and gave Chu Han a gentle smile. "Come with us. Be careful, stay close, and don't rush ahead recklessly."
Looking at the kind girl, Chu Han nodded. "Thanks."
Joining a team was indeed much more convenient.
Once they entered the wilderness, he could leave the team and act alone.
Although the others were somewhat reluctant, none of them took the initiative to reject Chu Han.
The team set out, passed through the base's massive gates, and stepped into the true wilderness.
A primitive, desolate, dangerous aura rushed toward them.
Towering ancient trees blotted out the sky, shrubs grew everywhere, and the air was tinged with the smell of decaying leaves and a faint trace of blood.
The students grew tense and tightened their grips on their weapons.
Chu Han's team advanced cautiously and encountered several of the weakest mutated beasts—the Sharp-toothed Rabbits.
There was no need for him to act. Two students from the team nervously killed them and dug out the rabbits' distinctive teeth as spoils of war.
Jiang Yan and the others focused on watching their surroundings and guarding against other mutated beasts.
Chu Han remained silent, merely observing the environment around him.
They had only just left the city and had not truly entered the outskirts of Black Stone Mountain, so there was little danger.
Everyone was practicing and quickly becoming familiar with actual combat.
Chu Han also cleanly killed several Sharp-toothed Rabbits, revealing a little of his strength.
Before long, the team entered the outskirts of Black Stone Mountain.
Black stones could be seen everywhere on the ground here, hence the name.
Chu Han could feel everyone in the team becoming twice as vigilant and tense, almost seeing enemies in every bush.
The calm was soon broken.
The forest ahead shook, and everyone prepared for battle.
Chu Han slightly furrowed his brows because he heard the footsteps of several humans.
Soon, another team emerged from the woods. Leading them was none other than Sun Liqiang.
When he saw Chu Han, venomous excitement immediately flashed through his eyes.
"Well, well, isn't this our 'genius' Chu Han? You actually dared to come to the wilderness."
Sun Liqiang led his people over and mocked him without the slightest restraint. "Jiang Yan, I advise you not to protect this good-for-nothing. Otherwise, when mutated beasts surround you, he won't save you. He'll be the first one to run!"
Jiang Yan's expression darkened. "Sun Liqiang, we're in the wilderness now. This isn't the time for infighting!"
"Infighting? Heh heh, I just want to tear off the masks of certain people who pretend to be something they're not!"
Sun Liqiang glared fixedly at Chu Han. "Three days ago, I was careless. I wasn't familiar with my talent, so you got lucky and won with one move! Do you really think a good-for-nothing like you can beat me? Today, I'll expose you for what you really are!"
"Sun Liqiang, you deliberately followed us just for this?" Jiang Yan demanded angrily.
"Class Monitor Jiang, don't misunderstand. I just want to fight him. It won't affect your team's results." Sun Liqiang smiled.
Aside from Jiang Yan, everyone watched the scene without saying a word to stop it.
They all wanted to see whether Chu Han truly still possessed strength, including the people from Jiang Ping's team.
"You..."
Jiang Yan was about to say something more, but Chu Han lightly patted her shoulder and calmly looked at Sun Liqiang. "You want to fight? Then fight. Why are you spouting so much nonsense?"
"Courting death!" Sun Liqiang roared and activated his talent without hesitation!
Beast Transformation!
His body swelled and warped again, transforming into a hideous monster with a leopard's head and a human body. His aura was even more ferocious than it had been three days ago. Clearly, he had not been idle these past few days and had gained a deeper grasp of his talent!
"Roar! Try my newly learned martial skill—Brutal Claw Strike!"
He roared as a faint bloody glow spread over his claws. With a shriek that tore through the air, he lunged straight at Chu Han, moving so fast that only afterimages remained!
His beast-transformed body was even better suited to claw techniques, saving him the trouble of using a weapon.
The might of this strike was terrifying. Sun Liqiang had clearly gone all out!
Everyone held their breath. Jiang Yan even cried out in alarm, unable to bear watching any longer.
However, facing this violent attack, Chu Han chose to meet it head-on this time.
He clenched his right fist, and the muscles in his arm tensed at a terrifying speed.
At the same time, he activated Stone Skin Talent, and his entire fist was covered by a layer of gray.
Then he punched.
There was nothing flashy about this punch, only the purest strength!
With fivefold force amplification and the boost from Stone Skin Talent, the power of this punch had already exceeded twenty thousand jin—ten tons!
Fist and claws collided!
Crack!
A bone-breaking sound that made one's teeth ache rang out clearly!
"Awwooo!"
Immediately afterward, Sun Liqiang let out a miserable howl that no human could make.
Under everyone's horrified gazes, Sun Liqiang's beastly claw and the entire arm twisted out of shape in an instant.
His whole body flew backward even faster, rolling several times across the ground before finally coming to a stop. He passed out on the spot.
Instant kill!
It was still an instant kill!
It was even cleaner and more brutal than at the gymnasium—more violent and direct!
This time, Chu Han had not relied on some peerless movement technique to dodge. He had completely crushed Sun Liqiang head-on!
The surroundings instantly fell as silent as death.
All the doubtful, disdainful, and gloating gazes froze, transforming in an instant into boundless shock!
Could it be that Chu Han really wasn't a good-for-nothing?
No, that wasn't right. He had always carried himself like a super genius. They were the ones who had misjudged him!
Chu Han slowly withdrew his fist and pointed at Sun Liqiang, who lay on the ground like a dead dog. "Here's some advice: this good-for-nothing has already lost his ability to fight. Hurry and send him back to the base so he doesn't hold you back."
"Ah, yes, yes..."
Sun Liqiang's teammates replied woodenly before carrying him back to the base.
Chu Han ignored them and looked at Jiang Yan. "Class Monitor, thanks for taking me in this time. But I still prefer acting alone, so I'll be leaving first."
With that, he disappeared into Black Stone Mountain without looking back.
Jiang Yan did not even get the chance to say anything to keep him there. The other teammates, however, felt deeply regretful.
The strength Chu Han had displayed just now was comparable to that of an A-rank talent holder. If he could team up with them, their results would definitely improve by leaps and bounds, and they would be much safer too.
But now, Chu Han simply did not want to team up with them.
If only we had been more enthusiastic toward Chu Han before...
Chu Han left the team and headed straight toward the depths of Black Stone Mountain.
The ordinary mutated beasts on the outskirts held no value for him to kill. He had to go deeper and try his luck.
After advancing more than ten li, the loose stones beneath his feet suddenly trembled faintly.
"Hm?"
Chu Han's gaze sharpened as he realized that the tremors underground were becoming more frequent.
"They're here!"
He abruptly stepped backward.
The ground let out a muffled boom. One black stone after another was suddenly pushed upward, and three pitch-black scorpions drilled out of the earth!
"Black Stone Scorpions!"
Before you continue