Natural Selection, Survival of the Fittest

Er Ming did not follow Ye Xuan's instructions after hearing them; instead, he looked at Ye Xuan with a hint of suspicion.

Ye Xuan continued his bluff, "If you aren't willing, your big sister will be far away soon, and I'm afraid she won't be able to hear your voice anymore. If you want to charge over, you'll need to consider whether you can get past me first."

Er Ming clearly understood, and after a moment of hesitation, he finally complied.

He tilted his head toward the sky and let out a pained roar, followed by a few miserable cries before lying down on the ground to play dead.

At that very moment, Xiao Wu was leaving with Zhao Wuji and the others, her heart filled with deep anxiety.

She only knew that Ye Xuan was strong, but she wasn't entirely sure just how strong.

She didn't know who would come out on top between him and Er Ming.

Just as she was lost in worry, she suddenly heard the pained cry of the Titan Giant Ape.

Zhao Wuji laughed heartily at this, saying, "Listen to that sound. It looks like Young Master Ye has won; that big guy must have been taken down by him."

Zhao Wuji's words only deepened the worry in Xiao Wu's heart.

She calculated quickly in her mind before finally stopping in her tracks. "Teacher Zhao, you all go ahead. I need to relieve myself."

Her face flushed red at this clumsy excuse.

But to Zhao Wuji and the others, it simply seemed like she was embarrassed about needing to use the restroom.

"This... we'll wait for you a little further ahead. Hurry and catch up," Zhao Wuji said.

"Mm!" Xiao Wu nodded repeatedly.

"Xiao Wu, be careful," Tang San reminded her before he walked away.

"Don't worry, Brother San, I will," Xiao Wu replied.

I'm sorry, Brother San, she thought to herself, but I have to go and confirm if Er Ming is alright.

Having made her decision, Xiao Wu waited for them to leave before running back in the opposite direction.

A long while later, Xiao Wu ran back to the place where Er Ming and Ye Xuan had fought.

At this moment, Ye Xuan stood tall in the air, sword qi floating behind him.

Below, Er Ming lay on the ground, completely motionless.

Seeing this, Xiao Wu couldn't care about anything else. She rushed forward and asked, "Ye Xuan, what did you do to him?"

Hearing her angry tone, Ye Xuan knew she was truly furious.

Ye Xuan was in no rush; he drifted down from the sky and said playfully, "Xiao Wu, what do you mean by that? I don't quite understand."

"You..." Xiao Wu was momentarily speechless. Looking at the prone Er Ming, she felt a wave of sorrow in her heart.

She felt incredibly self-reproachful.

"I'm sorry, it's all because of me. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have..."

Before Xiao Wu could finish, she saw Er Ming, who had been lying there, suddenly sit up.

This sight left Xiao Wu stunned.

The tears that were about to fall were instantly held back.

"Er Ming, what is going on?" she asked hurriedly.

Er Ming didn't speak, only looking toward Ye Xuan.

Xiao Wu immediately understood what he meant. She looked at Ye Xuan and asked, "Brother Ye, what is the meaning of this?"

Now that she saw Er Ming was fine, her address had changed.

"He came out to see you, wouldn't it be inappropriate if you didn't see him back?" Ye Xuan teased.

"How much do you know?" Xiao Wu looked at Ye Xuan with a sense of wariness.

She finally understood what Tang San had meant back then.

This person was dangerous.

Ye Xuan seemed to know her secret, which was more than just a little dangerous to her.

"I know you are a little rabbit, and I know he came looking for you—that is all. Rest assured, I won't tell anyone about your affairs, nor do I care to," Ye Xuan said.

"Thank you. Now, can you let me speak with Er Ming for a moment?" Xiao Wu asked.

She actually wanted to know how Ye Xuan had discovered these secrets.

However, she didn't dare to ask.

"Go ahead and talk. You can also take the opportunity to break through," Ye Xuan said.

"Mm." Xiao Wu thought about it and realized he was right; she could use this time apart to condense her third soul ring.

Afterward, Ye Xuan moved to the side.

Xiao Wu asked Er Ming about Da Ming, and after confirming that everyone was safe, she sat down to calmly condense her third soul ring.

At the same time.

The location where Zhao Wuji and the others were stationed had descended into complete chaos.

They had waited for a long time, but Xiao Wu had not returned.

Tang San was the first to lose his composure. He said to Zhao Wuji, "Teacher Zhao, I need to go look for Xiao Wu."

"Do not be impulsive. We still don't know how the battle between Young Master Ye and the Titan Giant Ape is going, so where would you even look? What if you run into danger yourself? Let's wait a little longer for Young Master Ye to return. He possesses vast supernatural powers and can help us search. Besides, perhaps Xiao Wu just got held up by something and will be here shortly," Zhao Wuji urged him.

He was anxious about Xiao Wu's disappearance as well.

After all, if he brought students out and returned with one missing, he would be unworthy of being a teacher.

However, if he let Tang San go look and he ended up lost too, wouldn't that be the greatest possible loss?

Furthermore, what he said was not merely to comfort Tang San.

He was well aware of how strong Ye Xuan was; when it came to searching in these conditions, the stronger one was, the better.

"But if something has happened to her, Teacher Zhao, are you asking me, her brother, to just stand by and do nothing?" Tang San said, unwilling to give up.

"If you go searching and encounter danger yourself, what if Xiao Wu returns in the meantime? Would we then have to send Xiao Wu to go look for you? Wait a while longer. When Young Master Ye returns, we will all go with you to search," Zhao Wuji said.

At this moment, Dai Mubai and the others also chimed in, "San, listen to Teacher Zhao!"

"I... fine, then we shall wait a little longer."

Tang San finally gritted his teeth and agreed.

At the location where Er Ming was, a long time had passed.

Xiao Wu had finally successfully condensed her third soul ring.

She stood up and said to Er Ming, "Er Ming, you should go back! I need to return as well."

Er Ming could only leave with great reluctance.

Watching Er Ming depart, Xiao Wu asked, "Big Brother Ye, thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"Er Ming just told me that it was you who told him to pretend and lure me over."

"I just thought that since it had already come out to see you, you might as well have a moment alone with it."

"Mm! Let's head back now! Brother San and the others are likely very worried."

Ye Xuan nodded, and the two began walking toward the location of Tang San and the others.

After walking for a while, Xiao Wu suddenly asked, "Big Brother Ye, now that you know my identity, what is your take on soul beasts and the fact that humans hunt them?"

"There is nothing much to say. Natural selection, survival of the fittest. When you were still a rabbit, didn't you eat grass? That grass had life and its own consciousness, too. Even setting that aside, among animal soul beasts themselves, doesn't the strong eat the weak, and the weak eat the even weaker? Humans are merely one link in that chain. Powerful humans hunt soul beasts to seize their soul rings, but every year, many soul masters also die in the jaws of soul beasts," Ye Xuan said.

"Natural selection, survival of the fittest, is it?" Xiao Wu murmured these words and said no more.