The Fourth Talent

Xia Zhao's strength had mostly recovered, and she was confident she could handle a Mutant Beast now.

Even if they ran into serious trouble, she could still keep Li Yuan alive.

More importantly, staying out in the wild was also extremely dangerous.

Without an Observation Station to hide in, there was no telling what kind of beasts they might encounter out here.

It was better to head toward Qijia Town.

The closer they got to Qijia Town, the safer it would be.

Li Yuan nodded, and they set off together, heading northwest.

Their pace wasn't fast, because every step required caution and vigilance against their surroundings.

Another night fell, and they found a concealed spot, huddling together to rest.

At the first light of dawn, they continued on toward Qijia Town.

They hadn't gone far when Xia Zhao sensed something was wrong.

Without lingering to scan the area, she grabbed Li Yuan's hand and fully unleashed her Movement Technique.

At that moment, Li Yuan truly felt the power of a top-tier Movement Art.

Paired with her Eighth-Rank Martial Dao strength.

Li Yuan was like a kite, pulled along by Xia Zhao as she shot forward.

At the same time, a Mutant Hound burst out and gave chase.

Once bitten, twice shy.

Xia Zhao had suffered badly at the claws of a Mutant Hound before, and she wouldn't make the same mistake again.

As long as her body wasn't bitten and poisoned, she was fully confident she could handle this Mutant Beast.

This time, Xia Zhao's strategy was to hold it off.

While circling and stalling, she looked for an opening to strike.

If no good opportunity came, she would flee—no way was she going to fight that beast head-on.

With all the commotion along the way, Xia Zhao had figured it out.

Someone was behind the Mutant Beast incidents.

As the martial artist who had discovered the situation, that person naturally wanted to leave her out in the wild, buried there forever.

Right now, surviving and getting out was the biggest blow she could deal to them.

Stalling and circling, by the time dusk was near, Li Yuan spotted the Abandoned School.

That meant they were back in the New City District of Qijia Town.

Nearby, border-guard martial artists had begun patrolling.

The tension in their hearts could finally ease a little.

Switching to a brisk walk, the two moved forward.

Heading toward the New City District, they began to see many martial artists who had come here for training.

With more people around, the safety factor went up even more.

The streetlights were on, and the area was brightly lit at night.

As they walked, they noticed many people staring at them.

Suddenly realizing they were still holding hands, they awkwardly let go.

Leaving the wild and returning to human society.

It was safe, sure, but here, status and identity mattered.

Back in the New City District, Xia Zhao took Li Yuan to the best hotel in Qijia Town.

She booked two of the finest rooms.

And had the hotel send up two sets of casual clothes for them to change into.

After this escape journey, both of them were dirty and definitely needed a wash.

Half an hour later, cleaned up, they ate together in the hotel restaurant.

During this time, they had both eaten poorly.

Especially Li Yuan, who had only managed a few bites here and there, just enough to keep the hunger from being unbearable.

Now that they were back, they could eat their fill.

They sat down in a corner of the hotel restaurant, both seeming a bit restrained.

Completely unlike their earlier ease and freedom.

Xia Zhao, in her change of clothes, looked even more beautiful.

At thirty years old, her appearance wasn't much different from someone in their twenties.

The greater change was in her aura.

Entering thirty, a person matures.

From makeup and attire to posture and expression, everything shifts.

These are the things that let others gauge one's age.

At this moment, Xia Zhao was like a fine, aged wine—at the most worthy age for savoring.

Only, his own status and position didn't quite match the privilege of tasting that wine.

Sitting across from him, Xia Zhao also cast several more glances at Li Yuan.

With his dirty clothes changed, Li Yuan appeared even more handsome.

At least in terms of first impressions, both were satisfied.

Unfortunately, that kind of surface appeal often didn't decide things.

"I didn't expect the hotel dinner to taste this good.

Better than what some executive chefs make."

Li Yuan commented on the evening meal, breaking the silence between them.

"It's probably because we've been eating too poorly before. Even plain steamed buns would taste amazing."

Xia Zhao replied with a smile.

In truth, these dishes were made by an executive chef.

Li Yuan, an ordinary person, didn't have the money to indulge in such things.

He only knew the term "executive chef" without any real sense of the quality they produced.

Xia Zhao liked her own answer, especially the word "we"—it felt comfortable to say.

"About that Mutant Beast incident, the force behind it probably has some real methods.

When you talk about it outside..."

Hesitating, Li Yuan brought up the Mutant Beast.

Hearing this, Xia Zhao nodded with a hint of confidence.

"It's fine. Once I'm back, no matter who they are, there's no need to fear them.

Instead, you should avoid mentioning this to others, so no one targets you."

After a few exchanges, they fell silent again.

They weren't as close as they'd been out in the wild.

Back then, hungry and weary, they'd had plenty to say.

Now, with full stomachs, their words grew scarce.

In truth, both had things they wanted to say, but those words climbed to their lips and were swallowed back down.

After dinner, it was past ten o'clock.

They each returned to their rooms to rest. Tomorrow, they'd likely leave Qijia Town.

Both lay in their beds—the hotel mattress soft and comfortable.

They'd only just escaped danger during the day and were quite tired.

Yet it seemed they were both suffering from insomnia, unable to fall asleep.

Once a person passes the reckless days of youth, they tend to weigh pros and cons in everything.

Every matter gets calculated, measured for suitability.

Personal feelings are considered as a factor, but not a high priority.

Unable to sleep, Li Yuan simply closed his eyes and looked at the light screen in his sea of consciousness.

At the very bottom of the screen, the experience bar was already full!

[Experience: 404/400]

During those days in the wild, he and Xia Zhao had talked a lot about martial arts cultivation.

From that, quite a few light orbs had dropped for him.

Xia Zhao's talent was excellent too, and their conversations frequently yielded falling light orbs.

Since acquiring the ability to pick up experience points, Li Yuan had never found them so easy to obtain.

Just by discussing things with Xia Zhao, she would gain insights and drop orbs for him to collect.

When teaching students, he'd meticulously prepared his lectures and explained everything in great detail.

Yet even so, some students wouldn't drop a single orb in an entire class.

Pushing aside his restless thoughts, Li Yuan began condensing his fourth Talent Point.

His gaze turned once more to the Talent Tree.

Now came the moment of choice again: "Enlightenment" or "Combat"...

He currently possessed three talents, each of which had brought him tremendous help.

No matter which talent he allocated the point to, the gains would be considerable.

What he needed to consider was which one would provide the most direct assistance.

What lay ahead was the long-prepared Youth Martial Tournament.

This Talent Point would best serve him if it helped with the tournament.

With that thought, Li Yuan didn't hesitate.

He directly added the Talent Point to the second slot in the "Combat" tree.

The slot lit up: [Flaw Insight].