The Path to Survival

Li Yuan knew well that when people judged whether someone was young, they often factored in events and achievements.

If someone passed away in their early forties, everyone would say they were young—what a pity.

But if someone reached the First Grade of martial arts at forty, others would say they were already too old, long past the optimal age for martial cultivation.

Li Yuan had indeed missed that optimal window.

Before, stuck at the Fourth Grade at thirty, everyone from the school administration to the other teachers believed Li Yuan had no talent for martial arts.

"Fame comes early"—the ancients truly weren't wrong.

Looking at Xia Zhao before him, Li Yuan didn't have much doubt about what she'd said.

He'd seen her fight a Mutant Beast with his own eyes.

Weakened as she was, she could still withstand the beast's tearing attacks.

And he knew that this kind of Mutant Beast had once claimed the life of a Ninth Grade martial artist.

Having tried a sneak attack himself, he understood the creature's capabilities even better.

Eighth Grade martial arts—she likely truly possessed that level of skill.

At thirty years old, with such strength, her identity was probably far from ordinary.

Li Yuan didn't press further. Though they were trapped together by accident, the two of them likely wouldn't cross paths much in the future.

Once he'd sorted everything out in his mind, Li Yuan took three bottles of nutrient fluid from his backpack.

These were the last three bottles of B-grade Nutrient Fluid.

If not for participating in this Youth Martial Tournament, the meager money he scraped together each month wouldn't even buy three bottles.

To Li Yuan, three bottles of B-grade Nutrient Fluid were precious.

As he handed them over, he couldn't help but feel a pang of reluctance.

He could only try his best to act generous.

Li Yuan even mocked himself inwardly—a poor man putting on airs, making himself uncomfortable in the process.

Xia Zhao didn't hesitate. She took the three bottles of nutrient fluid.

At her current stage, she genuinely had a significant need for nutrient fluid.

B-grade Nutrient Fluid was the most ordinary thing to her normally.

But right now, it was a lifesaver.

After accepting them, there was another long stretch of silence.

The mud they'd caked themselves in earlier had now dried and flaked off.

It was only at this moment that Li Yuan could clearly see her appearance.

In this day and age, it was hard to tell someone's age from their looks alone.

Temperament, on the other hand, made it much easier to gauge.

Though she was still a bit dirty, he could already tell she was very beautiful.

Her figure and bearing also carried an air of nobility.

If she were a teacher at Lingshan No.1 High School, the school's promotional videos and brochures would put her on the cover.

Li Yuan quickly looked away. Staring at someone wasn't appropriate.

Xia Zhao was also observing Li Yuan, taking a proper look at his features.

When it came to appearance, Li Yuan was actually decent.

But as a middle school teacher, Li Yuan deliberately dressed and styled his hair to look older.

He tried as much as possible to make his appearance unappealing to students.

Anyone who'd been a teacher should understand this unspoken rule.

"Can I ask why you came to Qijia Town?"

"Training, cultivation, improving my practical combat ability." Li Yuan answered bluntly.

This was the truth, nothing to hide.

But hearing this, Xia Zhao grew even more skeptical.

"Your mastery of martial techniques is so refined, and your Cloud Treading Step is honed to perfection.

With skills like that, you still need to come to Qijia Town to improve your combat ability?"

In Xia Zhao's eyes, someone with this level of strength coming to Qijia Town was a waste of time.

Especially when facing the Mutant Hound, Li Yuan had stayed calm enough to launch a sneak attack and rescue her.

With strength like that, wasn't coming to Qijia Town just wasting time?

"Do I really have that much skill..."

Hearing such praise from an expert, Li Yuan was quite pleased.

Beside him, Xia Zhao felt like she had run into an idiot.

In the time that followed, Xia Zhao devoted herself fully to cultivation and recovery.

An Eighth-Rank Martial Artist's physique already possessed decent resistance to toxins.

Most poisons could not harm their physical foundation.

But recovery still required time.

She focused on cultivating to recover, while Li Yuan observed the external environment from the observation post.

Spotting some oddities along the way, Li Yuan even left the Observation Station to conduct thorough checks.

The experiential knowledge he had learned from books was truly being put into full practice here.

Being trapped in this Observation Station did not mean true safety.

This location was considered fairly deep within the dense forest.

Aside from Mutant Beasts, these wild environments naturally had ordinary beasts roaming about.

The danger of the wild forest was a state of the unknown.

Who knew what level of beast they might encounter next?

Moreover, the crisis they faced this time was not limited to beasts alone.

Behind this Mutant Beast, one could fully sense human machinations.

Thinking of this, Li Yuan had already hidden his phone somewhere.

Could this signal-less phone become something that would pinpoint his location?

Li Yuan did not know much about this kind of technology.

But at the moment, it only served as a flashlight; he didn't even need it to tell time.

Placing it in a suitable spot to use as bait was its best purpose.

On the first day inside the Observation Station, the two had a clear division of labor.

Li Yuan was responsible for perimeter vigilance, while Xia Zhao focused on recovery.

He gave her priority access to the supplies brought in the backpack.

He kept only the most basic necessities for himself.

Both were martial artists; Li Yuan understood well the material demands of a recovery period.

Li Yuan was not adhering to any "ladies first" rule—in the wild, there was no such custom.

Xia Zhao's recovery was the key to both of them surviving; that was the core reason.

On the first day, they still carried a sense of unfamiliarity.

When they saw each other, they would nod in greeting.

As night approached, Xia Zhao told Li Yuan to go to sleep and rest, the two of them trying to establish a suitable cycle.

The first day passed peacefully.

After one night, Li Yuan ate half a Compressed Biscuit.

That was his ration for the day; he had to be a bit frugal.

At daybreak, Li Yuan went to check on Xia Zhao's condition.

After resting for a day, she had not recovered as expected.

Instead, she seemed even more weakened.

"This poison... is troublesome..." Xia Zhao's tone was full of guilt.

Li Yuan had already created these conditions for her, yet she performed like this.

Seeing her state, Li Yuan searched his mind for knowledge gained from books.

"I have a clean set of clothes in my backpack.

Maybe you could change into them. If you feel more comfortable physically, it might help with recovery."

As he spoke, Li Yuan took the clothes out of his backpack.

He placed the clothes in front of Xia Zhao but made no move to look away.

Xia Zhao hesitated for a moment, then began to undress.

She knew Li Yuan wanted to see the injuries on her body.

At a time like this, with life hanging by a thread, and food scarce every day, even someone with a taste for that sort of thing would have no interest.

Xia Zhao thought she knew her own condition well.

If she had any serious injuries, she would have felt them long ago.

After removing her outer coat and pants, Xia Zhao saw that Li Yuan still had no intention of turning his back or leaving.

She was still too embarrassed to take off her undergarments.

And Li Yuan, behind her, seemed to be looking more and more intently.

Gritting her teeth, she simply changed into the clean clothes right in front of Li Yuan...