"Damn it!"
With a bang, Wang Haixuan slammed his fist into the tree trunk beside him, smashing a huge hole in it and sending wood chips flying.
Ten people stood beside him. They had clearly already joined up with Song Yalan and the others.
Wang Haixuan's face twisted, his eyes filled with coldness.
This time, he had suffered a crushing defeat at Mu Qing's hands. The herbs he had worked so hard to obtain had all been taken from him. They were the very ingredients he'd prepared to break through to Blood Qi Seventh Rank!
Wang Haixuan was covered in injuries, but fortunately, they were all minor and wouldn't affect him too much.
He had reacted quickly and fled at once. Otherwise, if he'd hesitated any longer, he might have been eliminated.
"Haixuan, are you all right?" Song Yalan wore a white dress. Her face was full of concern as she released her Blood Spirit.
The shimmering phantom of a turquoise-blue tree appeared. Strands of blue light flowed from her slender palm and entered Wang Haixuan's body.
In an instant, the wounds on Wang Haixuan's body began healing at a visible speed!
Wang Haixuan let out a long breath and said viciously, "I can't kill him during this mock exam, but once it's over, I'll make sure he can't take the College Entrance Exam!"
A layer of Killing Intent swirled in his eyes. Clearly, he had truly decided to kill Mu Qing.
Song Yalan was startled too. Disbelief showed in her eyes. She couldn't imagine how Mu Qing, who was only at Blood Qi Fifth Rank, had managed to defeat Wang Haixuan.
"But Mu Qing still can't compare to Wang Haixuan. Wang Haixuan has the Wang Family behind him. No matter how strong Mu Qing is, he can't be stronger than the Wang Family. Once the mock exam is over, Mu Qing might even die!" Song Yalan told herself this, reassuring herself that choosing Wang Haixuan had been the right decision.
"Young Master Wang, it seems you've run into a bit of trouble."
Just then, a figure walked up to Wang Haixuan. He wore clean, tidy white clothes, and a faint smile rested on his handsome face.
"Liu Tianyu!"
Wang Haixuan's expression darkened as he immediately recognized the newcomer.
This man was none other than the strongest person on Lake Heart Island at present, Liu Tianyu!
Liu Tianyu glanced in surprise at the wounds on Wang Haixuan's body, which were healing rapidly, then shifted his gaze to Song Yalan.
"I didn't expect your girlfriend's Blood Spirit to have such an unusual ability. It's truly rare," Liu Tianyu said with a smile.
Wang Haixuan's expression turned ugly. "Did you come here just to laugh at me?"
"I know you were defeated by Mu Qing and the others. According to what I've heard, that bunch of his also wiped out several of my North Campus teams, getting them eliminated."
The smile vanished from Liu Tianyu's face, replaced by a chilling expression.
"Those teams were important cannon fodder to me. Mu Qing and his lot are unforgivable! And I want Ji Jia and Yang Shanshan too."
At the same time, a possessive desire appeared in his eyes, burning hot.
"So, I need your help!" Liu Tianyu stated his purpose. "I can help you break through to Blood Qi Seventh Rank. I have only one condition: when we attack the Ape Nest, if Mu Qing and the others show up to cause trouble, you'll deal with them!"
After learning that Mu Qing's group was lurking nearby, Liu Tianyu had begun making plans. There was an herb deep within the Ape Nest that could help him break through to Blood Qi Eighth Stage, and he was determined to get it.
To deal with Mu Qing and the others and prevent anything from going wrong, he'd sought out Wang Haixuan, intending to give him the resources he needed to reach Seventh Rank.
He'd led the North Campus in hunting several small packs of beasts and had obtained plenty of herbs—more than enough for Wang Haixuan to break through.
"How about it? Just nod and agree to deal with Mu Qing and the others, and I'll give you precious herbs to help you break through!" Liu Tianyu said with a smile.
Wang Haixuan thought it over briefly, then nodded hard, a vicious glint flashing in his eyes. "I agree!"
"Hahaha! Good! I'll have someone deliver the herbs later. We're attacking the Ape Nest at noon today. Don't forget."
Liu Tianyu burst out laughing. He also cast a heated glance at Song Yalan's curvaceous figure, feasting his eyes before finally leaving.
Wang Haixuan paid him no mind. At that moment, his heart held nothing but murderous intent toward Mu Qing!
In one part of Lake Heart Island, Mu Qing and the others sat beneath a gigantic tree, meditating to recover their Origin Force.
Just then, Mu Qing took out five herbs. Their leaves were crystal-clear and completely transparent, while light shimmered along their stems. They looked remarkably unusual.
Mu Qing looked at the herbs in his hand and felt the abundant power they contained. A hint of delight appeared on his face.
Five herbs should be enough for him to break through to Blood Qi Sixth Rank.
Without delay, Mu Qing swallowed one of the herbs. It dissolved as soon as it entered his mouth, shimmering with light before turning into an immense surge of medicinal energy that spread through every limb and bone.
Mu Qing hurriedly began circulating the Blood Refining Technique and entered the Heaven and Earth Fusion State.
In this state, the Blood Refining Technique would circulate frantically, allowing him to quickly refine the energy within the herb.
Moreover, the energy of heaven and earth would be absorbed by his body of its own accord, steadily raising his cultivation.
Mu Qing sat cross-legged on the ground and closed his eyes. Behind him, wisps of purple haze curled and swirled. Within it was a section of bamboo, swaying amid flashes of lightning and peals of thunder.
Powerful auras surged from his body. The Purple Lightning Bamboo released dazzling arcs of electricity as he refined the herb with its transparent leaves.
Not far away, Yang Shanshan suddenly turned to look at Mu Qing. Curiosity surfaced in her gem-like eyes, and a puzzled expression appeared on her delicate face.
"Why is that guy's Blood Spirit this? Shouldn't it be the Mad Shark Blood Spirit?" she muttered under her breath, knitting her brows in confusion.
Mu Qing didn't hear what Yang Shanshan said. Otherwise, he would certainly have been shocked.
The Mad Shark Blood Spirit was the one his dad had mentioned. His dad had said that the Blood Spirit Mu Qing had awakened was originally the Mad Shark, but for some unknown reason it couldn't be awakened. That was why he'd taken the Blood Spirit Potion and awakened the Purple Lightning Bamboo instead.
Yang Shanshan naturally didn't know anything about the Blood Spirit Potion, and the confusion on her face only deepened.
"Could I have mistaken him for someone else? No, that can't be right. Isn't this guy from that Lineage?" Yang Shanshan murmured to herself.
"Shanshan, what's wrong?" Ji Jia glanced over. Seeing Yang Shanshan staring at Mu Qing, lost in thought, she couldn't help asking.
"Nothing..."
Wave after wave of rich energy surged through Mu Qing's body. In the Heaven and Earth Fusion State, he refined it extremely quickly. After just over ten minutes, he had completely refined the first herb, increasing his cultivation.
Mu Qing kept his eyes closed. He took out a second herb and swallowed it.
Another surge of immense energy erupted inside him. Mu Qing stayed calm and frantically refined it.
The third herb!
A little over ten minutes later, Mu Qing took out a third herb and swallowed it in one bite. Its surging energy filled his body like a storm.
Everyone watched Mu Qing, their faces showing faint surprise.
They had all refined two herbs already, but for those at Blood Qi Sixth Rank, their cultivation hadn't risen much. They would need even more energy to reach Seventh Rank.
However, the power contained in these herbs was enough for someone at Blood Qi Fifth Rank to break through with just two.
Seeing Mu Qing swallow a third herb without pause, everyone looked surprised. They realized that the energy Mu Qing needed to break through seemed to exceed their expectations.
"Could it be because Mu Qing only broke through to Blood Qi Fifth Rank recently, so he needs much more energy?" Ling Fei said uncertainly. He wasn't sure himself.
"He only broke through to Blood Qi Fifth Rank recently? Did Mu Qing really break through in the last few days?" Yang Shanshan asked in surprise.
Because the way Mu Qing had used the Thunderstorm Fist several times before hadn't looked at all like the work of someone who had broken through just a few days ago.
"Although it's hard to believe, I can guarantee that Mu Qing really did break through to Blood Qi Fifth Rank just a few days ago," Ling Fei said with a nod.
Everyone was stunned.
If he had only reached Blood Qi Fifth Rank a few days ago, didn't that mean Mu Qing had trained his Thunderstorm Fist to the fourth level in just a few days?
"Good heavens! What terrifying comprehension!" Ji Jia's pretty face was filled with shock, her rosy lips slightly parted.
Yang Shanshan tilted her head and muttered again, "Does this lecher really have any connection to the Lineage?"
Her voice was so low that only she could hear it.
Jiang Yuanjie chimed in, agreeing with Ling Fei.
As the head of the News Department, he was well-informed. He knew Mu Qing really had only broken through to Blood Qi Fifth Rank a few days ago.
"He's swallowing a fourth herb!" Yang Shanshan suddenly cried out.
Everyone's bodies jolted. They looked over and saw that Mu Qing had indeed taken out a fourth herb and swallowed it.
The immense energy contained within his body was something even Ji Jia and the others nearby could feel.
They even noticed that Mu Qing's body had swollen slightly, as if it were struggling to contain so much energy.
Everyone worried that Mu Qing might be squeezed apart by the surging energy.
In fact, at that moment, it wasn't only Ji Jia and the others. Even the schoolteachers stationed at the edge of Lake Heart Island had turned their attention to Mu Qing.
This mock exam was a good opportunity to observe the students' abilities. They would select some of the outstanding performers and give them special training.
"Mu Qing only broke through to Blood Qi Fifth Rank a few days ago, and now he wants to use herbs to reach Sixth Rank. He's being a bit too ambitious," Lei Kai said as he watched the images on a screen displayed by a nearby instrument.
The screen clearly showed Mu Qing and the others.
Small satellites hovered high above Lake Heart Island. They had been monitoring everything happening on the island during this time.
"Those Touyuan Grass Wang Haixuan found are very precious herbs. By rights, Mu Qing should be able to break through after taking two," Mu Qing's teacher said. He, too, was watching the images, frowning in confusion.
"Perhaps Mu Qing is a little unusual. He broke through to Fifth Rank not long ago, yet he's already trained the Thunderstorm Fist to the fourth level. Clearly, he has secrets of his own," Vice Principal Lin said.
"Put Mu Qing on the priority watch list," Lei Kai said suddenly, rubbing his chin.
Vice Principal Lin nodded as well. "Mu Qing's combat strength really is impressive. At Blood Qi Fifth Rank, he can already contend with someone at Sixth Rank, and the others with him are all very strong."
"Ji Xiangfeng, your daughter seems to be on Mu Qing's team too. It looks like they're going after Liu Tianyu. Aren't you worried?" Lei Kai suddenly said to a middle-aged man.
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