Blood-Red Eyes

"Are you an idiot! Did you run over here just to die?" Lin Chuan's roar, filled with both urgency and rage, shattered the silence of the forest. His fists were clenched tight, trembling slightly.

He never expected Qin Lang to throw his body in the way to block an attack under such circumstances. This feeling of being cared for was so foreign that it made his heart tremble uncontrollably.

Lin Chuan lowered his head, his Byakugan flickering slightly. At this moment, he dared not look into Qin Lang's eyes. Even though he had been an orphan in his past life who craved affection, and remained an orphan after transmigrating, he had grown accustomed to this loneliness. He felt he was no longer a child and did not need anyone to do anything for him.

Yet, when Qin Lang had rushed out just now, Lin Chuan was still shocked. He did not know why Qin Lang would make such a decision; he was a child who was, by any measure, much younger than him. Lin Chuan's mind went blank for a split second, and he even felt a sense of inexplicable fear.

"Hey, I just saw you standing there like a fool! If you die, I'm the next one to go! Of course I had to save you! Only if you're alive do we have any hope!" Qin Lang wiped the blood and bits of viscera clinging to him with a look of utter disgust. It was revolting.

"Don't be so stupid and rush out next time. If I can face things calmly, it's because I have a backup plan!" Lin Chuan said, tucking his thoughts away.

"Got it! If I knew rushing over would result in something this disgusting, you couldn't pay me to do it! Ugh~ what is this gross thing... looks like something vomited from a stomach... damn it... so disgusting..." Qin Lang shrieked while shaking the mess off his body.

Lin Chuan gave a bitter smile and turned to look at Yan Kang on the ground. The guy wasn't dead yet, but he no longer had the strength to get up and kill anyone.

"You... what exactly are you... you are clearly only at the first stage of the Qi Refining Stage... why... why..." Yan Kang lay on the ground, unable to believe even now that he had been defeated, and so thoroughly at that!

Blood gushed from his throat with every breath, sliding down his cheeks and spreading into a pool of crimson on the ground.

"Someone like you will never understand the importance of a companion!" Lin Chuan, not wanting to waste any more breath on Yan Kang, slammed a palm onto his chest, completely shattering his heart.

Immediately, Lin Chuan looked toward a direction in the forest. Three people were approaching rapidly; they were already thirty meters away, but they had not revealed themselves, seemingly intending to hide in the shadows and wait for an opportunity.

Lin Chuan finally recognized these three. They were the same three who had discovered him with the corpses shortly after entering the examination grounds: a nine-year-old boy at the fourth stage of the Qi Refining Stage, and two slightly younger ones at the third stage. They were a fairly strong team, likely ranking in the top twenty of those who had entered the Hunting Grounds.

"Their fight seems to be over. There's someone lying on the ground, likely killed, and the other two are heavily injured. Should we go over? Even if that group won, they must be exhausted. If we strike now, the chances of taking them down are high!" one of the third-stage boys said.

"It's an opportunity, but it's better to wait a little longer. I have a bad feeling about this," the fourth-stage boy said.

Lin Chuan glanced at his side. The two boys who had followed Yan Kang had already been defeated by Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi. What surprised the two was that although the alien girl only had the cultivation of the first stage of the Qi Refining Stage, she relied on her physical strength to hold out against Qin Lang for a long time, and even though she was wounded by him, she had not been completely defeated.

Bu Lianshi had it much easier; her first-stage opponent had long been dealt with, and she was currently helping Qin Lang clean off the disgusting mess on his body.

Although neither of them had expended much, they had been fighting non-stop—from the initial battle against the fourth-stage Spirit Beast to facing a team of three alone and defeating them—without any real rest. They were currently in a state of extreme exhaustion.

The spiritual energy in the Qi Refining Stage was limited to begin with, and after so many battles, both Qin Lang and Bu Lianshi were reaching their limits.

As for Lin Chuan, the dual depletion of chakra and physical stamina made it difficult for his already frail body to face another high-intensity battle, especially in the current situation where danger lurked everywhere. He could not afford to let his spiritual energy and chakra run dry.

Another reason Lin Chuan did not intend to kill them was that he did not sense any killing intent from these three.

After a moment of silence, Lin Chuan turned to look at the trio's hiding spot and said calmly, "Come out! I've already found you!"

Lin Chuan's voice made the nerves of the others tighten again, especially Bu Lianshi and Qin Lang. They knew the capabilities of the Byakugan, and hearing Lin Chuan's words, they immediately realized someone must have arrived, causing them to look around with tense expressions.

"Have we been exposed? Or is he bluffing?" one asked curiously.

"Wait and see!" the fourth-stage boy said in a low voice.

"One at the fourth stage, two at the third stage, behind the fifth large tree to the left of the north direction. How much longer do you intend to hide?" The next moment, Lin Chuan stated their cultivation levels and hiding spot directly.

"How... how did he find us..." The three were shocked beyond measure. No one had ever been able to pinpoint their cultivation and location so precisely. Even when they had been discovered before, those people only realized someone was nearby, unable to identify their exact position.

The nine-year-old boy knew that hiding was useless now, so he walked out with the other two. He was curious about how Lin Chuan had discovered them, and at the same time, he became vigilant. At the very least, this group was not as simple as they appeared.

When they were about ten meters away, the three stopped and looked at the group from afar, especially at the white-haired Lin Chuan and the dead Yan Kang lying on the ground.

"I feel like I've seen that dead guy somewhere, but I can't recall who he is right now!" one of them frowned.

He wasn't the only one; the other two also felt a sense of familiarity, but they didn't have much time to study a corpse.

The nine-year-old boy pondered for a moment and said, "This Humble One is Han Qing. We are all here to pass the examination; there is no need to kill each other. I know your group is not weak, but having just finished a battle, your chances of winning against us are slim. Give me half of your Spirit Core, and we will leave immediately! How about it?"

"Half of the Spirit Core? You have quite the nerve!" Lin Chuan said softly. His eyes, which had closed at some point, suddenly snapped open. Within his blood-red irises, a black tomoe spun rapidly, locking directly onto Han Qing's gaze.