Who Was Right, Who Was Wrong

The young man behind Ruan Chong was dressed in sky blue, handsome, and had a smile on his face, but the fluctuations of his Psychic Field were stronger than anyone else present!

Bai Xiaowen had also seen the young man's video and knew his identity.

The team captain from Jiangnan University.

Hero Class: War Mage.

The Master Tier of the Jianghai Division.

"Qi Ruifeng ..." Geng Chen slowly uttered the name.

Wang Jin and Geng Chen ignored the talkative Ruan Chong. In their eyes, there was only Qi Ruifeng.

Qi Ruifeng nodded slightly. "Long time no see. I can see you've made great progress. Good luck with the qualifying rounds in two months."

Unlike Wang Jin or Ruan Chong, Qi Ruifeng did not issue any declarations of certain victory. He was more accustomed to sitting on his throne, looking down at the various powerful figures below, and accepting challenges from all sides. Having already achieved brilliant victories, he no longer needed to prove his strength and status through declarations.

Passing Wang Jin and Geng Chen, Qi Ruifeng's gaze fell on Bai Xiaowen.

"I heard you're also Hero Class," Qi Ruifeng said.

Bai Xiaowen nodded. "That's right."

"Becoming Hero Class is indeed not easy. However, as Hero Class, one should have the demeanor of Hero Class. It's not right to rely on one's strength to drive away teammates who fight alongside you and monopolize the boss's treasure chest," Qi Ruifeng said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Wang Jin and Geng Chen were both stunned, as were the other awakened college students below Dripping Rain Rock, all looking at Bai Xiaowen with astonishment.

Bai Xiaowen narrowed her eyes.

Li Shuyi paused, then raised her voice. "What do you mean?"

Qi Ruifeng ignored Li Shuyi and stared at Bai Xiaowen, saying, "The loss of a mere Level 5 Boss Tier is nothing to me. However, Li Sheng and the others are my juniors after all, and I can't just stand by and watch them be bullied."

Bai Xiaowen waved her hand, stopping the somewhat agitated Li Shuyi, and said calmly:

"I don't know if you're deliberately distorting the truth or if you've been misled by Ruan Chong's one-sided account, but I want to correct two points... First, the fight against the Blood-Pattern Earthwalker Dragon BOSS was completed by my three team members and your four-person team. I wasn't present; I only arrived later. Second, your people wanted to take the treasure chest for themselves first. If I had arrived a step later, at least two of my team members would have been forced to leave the Great Rift."

Qi Ruifeng raised an eyebrow. "Ruan Chong."

Ruan Chong's eyes flickered slightly as he stepped forward and said, "Boss Qi, it was that woman who attacked first. We were just retaliating passively. We have the information from the Spirit Realm confirming our right to self-defense. As for Li Sheng, who was attacked, he has already been driven out of the Great Rift by Bai Xiaowen."

Qi Ruifeng looked at Bai Xiaowen: "Now what do you have to say?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Xiaowen became somewhat curious and looked at Li Shuyi with an inquiring gaze.

Li Shuyi suddenly remembered and said through gritted teeth:

"That guy Li Sheng... just when I was attacking the Blood-Pattern Earthwalker Dragon, he deliberately made a positioning mistake, blocking my attack path and taking a hit from my sword. I barely managed to retract my sword at the time, but I still grazed him. At first, I didn't think much of it, maybe it was just because we weren't familiar with each other, but now that I think about it, he must have done it on purpose."

After Li Shuyi finished speaking, the others below Dripping Rain Rock were still skeptical.

Judging from Ruan Chong's words, the battle information indicated by the Spirit Realm Rules clearly suggests that Jiangnan University was attacked first, which constitutes legitimate self-defense.

However, the possibility mentioned by Li Shuyi cannot be ruled out. Especially for Li Sheng, Ruan Chong, and others who have spent several years in university, this kind of "extortion" followed by a counterattack is not new.

Qi Ruifeng frowned.

Ruan Chong's face darkened with anger as he said to Li Shuyi, "You... talking nonsense!"

Bai Xiaowen's mind raced, and she suddenly burst into laughter.

This tactic of bursting into laughter has existed since ancient times. It attracts attention from all sides, allowing one to present their argument and gain the upper hand from the First Strike. If someone then chimes in with, "Why are you laughing, sir?", it's even more perfect.

Unfortunately, Han Xu was a blockhead, and Li Shuyi was also filled with anger, so no one cooperated.

After Bai Xiaowen finished laughing, all eyes were on him. Although he didn't cooperate, he had still achieved his goal.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Bai Xiaowen said to Ruan Chong, "I have a few questions for you. Do you dare to answer them?"

Ruan Chong was actually quite guilty, but in front of Qi Ruifeng, he could only force himself to stay calm and said, "It depends on what you're asking. If it involves privacy, I can't guarantee I'll answer."

"Don't worry, I'm not interested in your privacy," Bai Xiaowen smiled confidently. "The first question: did you personally witness Li Shuyi from our side stabbing Li Sheng from your side?"

"That's right." Ruan Chong made up his mind.

"Second question, did the BOSS fall at that time?"

Ruan Chong said, "He's already at zero health, but he's not down yet."

"The third question: After Li Shuyi struck Li Sheng with that sword, did she continue to attack Li Sheng?"

"... No."

"One last question: Did the internal conflict between your two sides occur before or after the treasure chest was opened?"

Ruan Chong seemed to realize something; his lips trembled, but he didn't speak.

"Actually, these issues can be clearly seen in the battle logs under the Spirit Realm Rules of both sides," Bai Xiaowen said, gesturing for Li Shuyi to share the battle logs before and after that section. "Look at this entry: Li Shuyi received 1532 Psionic Points. Two minutes later, she was suddenly attacked by Li Sheng and suffered 32 points of physical damage."

"Then, let me recreate the scene..."

Bai Xiaowen spoke clearly and deliberately, "During the fight against the BOSS, Li Shuyi accidentally stabbed Li Sheng with her sword. However, she did not continue attacking Li Sheng; instead, they fought side by side and killed the BOSS. In other words, both sides considered this accidental injury. Otherwise, internal strife between them should have erupted immediately."

"Afterwards, both sides opened a treasure chest together, splitting the 5000 Psionic Points from the BOSS treasure chest, and then drew Loot Card, which took two minutes."

Bai Xiaowen's lips curled into a sarcastic smile. "After the spoils appeared, the rules stipulated that a bidding process should have begun. However, Jiangnan University was unwilling to give up and launched Ambush on both Li Shuyi and Ding Cheng from our side..."

"In conclusion, I can conclude that Li Sheng deliberately feigned a positioning error during the BOSS fight, taking a sword strike from our Li Shuyi, in order to exploit the Spirit Realm Rules to obtain a 30-minute self-defense warning, facilitating his subsequent actions. In other words, Li Sheng was already planning a sneak attack and stabbing us in the back while fighting the BOSS... What do you think, Qi Ruifeng!"

Bai Xiaowen's account was very clear.

In fact, if we grasp one point—why did Li Sheng wait several minutes after being attacked, opening the treasure chest and drawing all the loot before launching a "counterattack," instead of retaliating on the spot—it's easy to figure out who stabbed him in the back.

Now, the awakened individuals from other universities were looking at Qi Ruifeng and Ruan Chong with a different kind of gaze.

No matter where you are, stabbing your allies in the back is a despicable act.

Laws and the Awakened Convention cannot bind the Spirit Realm, nor can they bind this special Treasure Ground Space, but this does not mean that betrayal is without consequences. These consequences come from moral pressure and the destruction of one's reputation.

"Jiangnan University is indeed a veteran powerhouse; their tactics were executed flawlessly."

"Why bother, bullying a freshman girl?"

"Did you guys notice? The level 5 Boss Tier gives 5000 Psionic Points. Seven people are fighting it, and that junior girl alone got over 1500, which is more than 30% of the Kill Contribution! Li Sheng and the other three are probably getting desperate."

"Hey, if those four really gave it their all, would their contribution be less than that of a freshman? Li Sheng is a member of Jiangnan University's University Team! Do you think Li Sheng and his friends are holding back their ultimate moves, not putting in any effort when fighting the boss, but saving their strength to sabotage their allies?"

"Boss Qi, I..."

Ruan Chong was dumbfounded. He opened his mouth, wanting to salvage the situation, but didn't know what to say.

Qi Ruifeng shook his head. "Still making a fool of yourself here? Get out of here."

Under Qi Ruifeng's piercing gaze, Ruan Chong could only lower his head and slink away from Dripping Rain Rock.

"This was my oversight," Qi Ruifeng said slowly. "When I get back, I will definitely punish Li Sheng, Ruan Chong, and the other three."

Bai Xiaowen narrowed his eyes. Qi Ruifeng's decisive severing of ties with Ruan Chong was somewhat unexpected, but this was precisely Qi Ruifeng's strength—a rationality bordering on coldness.

"Whether you punish him or not is up to you. I hope Senior Qi Ruifeng will be more careful next time and not jump to conclusions so easily," Bai Xiaowen said, clearly displeased with Qi Ruifeng's initial attitude.

Qi Ruifeng snorted lightly; Bai Xiaowen's words, though seemingly gentle, were barbed and unpleasant to him.

Wang Jin said, "Li Sheng and his men did act dishonestly, but Qi Ruifeng was probably just deceived by his subordinates; he didn't do it on purpose."

"Yes, this place is close to the territory of the Golden-Crowned White Eagle King. We should try to avoid any disputes to avoid attracting the Eagle King's attention," Geng Chen advised.

The topic that had caused the conflict was diverted, and the conversation returned to the Golden-Crowned White Eagle King and the Dragonblood Tea Tree.

"By the way, when will that eagle king leave its nest?" Bai Xiaowen asked.

Wang Jin said, "Based on past experience, the eagle king's foraging cycle is three to five days. We've just arrived and don't know when it last went out to forage, so we can only wait patiently."

It all depends on luck. If they're lucky, they can leave the nest in the next day or two and try to pick the Treasure Leaf of the Dragonblood Tea Tree. But if the Eagle King has just finished eating, then they'll have to wait three to five days.

Geng Chen said, "It's a waste of time for so many people to wait here. In the past, we would leave one or two people to keep watch while the others went to explore and train in other areas. Let's do the same this time. We'll each contribute some Psionic Points to those who stay behind to keep watch."

This suggestion was unanimously supported by the other university students.

After discussion, three Awakened Ones of Level 3 Standard Class were left to keep watch, and when the Eagle King left the nest, they lit a signal fire.

As compensation, the three awakened individuals each received 1,500 Psionic Points. They were relatively weak, and even if they went to explore other areas, they wouldn't gain many Psionic Points. Staying here, however, guaranteed them a steady income.

Over the next two days, Bai Xiaowen, Han Xu, and Li Shuyi ventured back into the Dragonbone Wasteland to hunt pseudo-dragons and sub-dragons in the border region.

Although they didn't encounter another Leader Tier monster like the "Blood-Pattern Earthwalker Dragon," the three of them did encounter quite a few Elite Tier monsters, and the Psionic Points, combat experience, and proficiency they gained were still quite substantial.

Bai Xiaowen's Black Soul Stone is also constantly growing.

Two days later, in the afternoon, Bai Xiaowen and his two companions had just killed a two-headed pseudo-dragon and were resting when they saw a thick plume of smoke rising into the sky from the direction of Dripping Rain Rock.

"The king eagle may have left its nest; let's go."

The three of them weren't far from Dripping Rain Rock to begin with, and by traveling at full speed, they arrived in just about an hour.

The three Level 3 Standard Class Awakened professionals keeping watch were diligently adding wolf dung to the fire to maintain the smoke column.

Above the distant Dragonbreak Cliff, the cries of eagles echoed through the clear sky. A huge white raptor, with a wingspan of seven or eight meters, circled the reddish-brown rock face of the Dragonbreak Cliff. This was the Eagle King surveying its territory before leaving its nest, warning outsiders not to invade.

Even from a great distance, Bai Xiaowen could still feel the powerful pressure emanating from the Eagle King. Compared to the Mammoth Elephant Lord, this Golden-Crowned White Eagle Lord was far more aggressive.

Whoosh!

Finally, after circling a few times, the Eagle King flew into the distance. It was incredibly fast, and soon it turned into a tiny black dot and disappeared.

"Let's go!"

Not only Bai Xiaowen and his two companions, but also the other awakened individuals from various universities who arrived one after another were all like they had been injected with chicken blood, heading towards the Dragonbreak Cliff!

The front of Dragonbreak Cliff is a reddish-brown rock face that is almost vertical to the ground, making it difficult to climb. However, by meandering to the side, there are three steep slopes. Although steep, the jagged rocks are enough for awakened individuals to climb.

To avoid unnecessary disputes, the awakened individuals from various universities and teams chose different routes when climbing the steep slope.

At the foot of the mountain, Bai Xiaowen encountered Qi Ruifeng again.

Neither of them were fools; they merely exchanged a brief glance before passing each other. Fighting at this moment would only benefit others.

Although the king eagle had left its nest, the others' ascent up the steep slope was still discovered by the Golden-Crowned White Eagle. In an instant, their cries reached their ears.

The few adult White Eagle that remained in the nest were mostly females, and were also the mates of the king eagle.

The eagle king's mates were tasked with guarding the nest and did not venture out easily. Instead, it was the Juvenile Eagle that actively attacked the awakened ones.

Bai Xiaowen cast an Insight skill on a Juvenile Eagle that pounced on him and discovered that these immature creatures actually had the strength of Elite Level 3. As flying beasts, they were more difficult to deal with than ordinary level 3 Elite Tier monsters. The only way to deal with them was to use control skills to restrain them after they flew into range and then focus fire to kill them.