Half a minute later, Su Wuwei reluctantly opened his terminal and typed a line into the public chat.
Su Wuwei: Found something southeast of the forest. Need people. Come quick.
"Ding..."
Ye Buyu raised her wrist, glanced at the message in the public chat, and asked tactfully, "We're allowed to openly recruit people during the assessment?"
"Of course." Su Wuwei replied to the messages in the public chat. "Sharing information is another way to increase exploration progress. For the Awakened, no matter where we are, there's only one goal: uncover the truth behind the apocalypse and save this world teetering on the brink."
He chuckled as he spoke. "Hoarding information and fighting among ourselves nonstop would be downright idiotic."
"How many people replied?" Ye Buyu asked.
"Lots." Leaning against a tree trunk, Su Wuwei smiled and waved his wrist. "There are close to a thousand people around this forest."
"That many?"
"This is Great Xia's Gaokao. Without that many people, how could it live up to the saying about thousands of troops fighting to cross a single narrow bridge? Not many will come to us, though."
His amber eyes turned toward the depths of the forest. "Everyone wants to come out on top, after all. You could count the people planning to team up with us on one hand."
"Oh. You wait here, then. I'm leaving." Ye Buyu got up and ran.
There was no way she was teaming up with that scheming jerk.
I'm out of here.
Su Wuwei shook his head and sighed. "No point forcing it. Forget it."
The two headed in opposite directions, one walking toward the heart of the forest, the other sprinting toward its edge.
The forest was no longer quiet. Startled birds took flight everywhere, as though invading troops had swept into a village.
On her way out, Ye Buyu saw several groups of examinees skillfully dealing with calamities. They had the air of supermarket fishmongers who had butchered so many fish that every step was second nature. They went straight for the kill.
Naturally, some people also noticed Ye Buyu heading out alone.
"Hey, didn't you get the message? There's a high-scoring exploration find in here."
Ye Buyu laughed. "I'm weak, so I'll sit this one out."
"Oh, okay. Stay safe out there."
Examinees swept through the dark forest one after another, their nimble figures brushing past branches and leaves. Dense rustling filled her ears, stirring up gusts that blew against her face.
Ye Buyu stopped and watched the examinees race across the treetops, their faces brimming with irrepressible spirit.
They were like currents of fresh air parting the dark mist among the trees and blowing deeper into the forest.
Ye Buyu took a deep breath, suppressed the stirring in her heart, and continued outward, muttering as she walked, "People need to know their limits. A tier one shouldn't join the excitement. Staying alive comes first..."
As she walked, she pivoted smoothly on her heel. "Then again, I'm already here. It should be fine if I just watch from the sidelines. People ought to be a little braver."
And so, the only person in the forest heading against the flow chose to join that wind stirring up waves.
With her vigilance cranked all the way up, Ye Buyu held the Flower Edict in her hand, pushed aside a dense web of dead branches, and headed deeper in over dry leaves that crackled underfoot.
After walking for an unknown length of time, Ye Buyu began to feel uneasy. Where had all the examinees ahead of her gone?
"Did I go the wrong way? That shouldn't be possible. My sense of direction is pretty good. There's light up ahead. I'll take a look."
Ye Buyu brushed the dead branches off her head, shook away the fallen leaves clinging to her clothes, and pushed aside the last obstruction in front of her. The view suddenly opened up, revealing a purple lake.
Little Whale sipped milk tea in the consciousness space. If Ye Buyu knew what those dead branches and fallen leaves looked like to other people, she probably wouldn't be so calm.
And this lake...
"Ye Buyu, a word of advice: don't go any farther. That thing is no joke."
Ye Buyu, who had been about to approach for a closer look, stopped. She quietly crouched in the bushes, leaving only her red eyes exposed as she watched the open lake.
A closer look revealed flashes of lightning across its surface, electricity leaping amid the shimmering light. It was steeped in accumulated danger. This was no dreamy lake, but a Thunder Pool.
"Little Whale, is this Thunder Pool really dangerous?"
"Not really. One bottle would be enough to blow half of you to bits."
Ye Buyu: "..."
Did I wander into a nuclear reactor? One bottle could blow half of me to bits?
Little Whale took a slurp of milk tea and said, "That's not the only dangerous thing here. Look up."
"Up?"
Ye Buyu tilted her head. Through the sparse branches, she saw a roiling mass, constantly flowing and compressing against itself, with a faint blue-green glow shining through.
"Is that... compressed wind?"
Little Whale clicked their tongue in admiration. "A Wind Core and a Thunder Pool. You really found yourself a prime spot. You keep charging straight into piles of calamities. You've got some guts."
A strangled sound escaped Ye Buyu's throat. "Heh. Is there still hope for me?"
"Hmm... yes. You still have time to sneak away," Little Whale said.
"Got it. Running now."
Once the conversation in her mind faded, her surroundings became utterly silent-so silent that someone could die beside her without her noticing.
Just as Ye Buyu prepared to retreat, tangled Thunder Monsters and Wind Scythes kept approaching from seven or eight meters away. She turned in another direction, but after only a few steps, she abruptly darted sideways behind a tree.
Her hands clutched the bark, her pupils trembling as she held her breath. I'm done for, I'm done for. Why are there so many calamities?
Ye Buyu peeked out, and her face went green.
Thunder Monsters and Wind Scythes approached from every direction, each fighting to seize the others' power. They ignored the terrain, destroying everything around them as they headed straight toward the center of the lake.
As they drew closer, ripples spread through the Thunder Pool. Tentacles of lightning formed on the calm surface and suddenly lashed out, wrapping around the Thunder Monsters and feasting on them, devouring the calamities gathering there.
Just then, a figure in a tattered black robe silently appeared beside the Thunder Pool and looked up at the Wind Core in the air.
Then, under Ye Buyu's stunned gaze, he spread his arms and burst into wild laughter, looking very much as though he was about to mutate on the spot.
Ye Buyu: That's not an examinee, is it?
Little Whale: Obviously not. Be careful.
"Heh, heh..."
"Heh, heh, hahahahaha..."
Ye Buyu: Has he mutated?
Little Whale: Why are you asking me about human affairs?
"I've finally entered this region. Great [Tempest Fiend], you were so mercilessly betrayed back then, your body scattered into the abyss. What utter foolishness!"
The black-robed man gazed at the lightning-filled marsh before him and reached toward the enormous eyeball in the air.
"Let me unleash your power, let you descend upon this place once more, and let the storm destroy those seeds that stand in the way of our grand cause!"
Ye Buyu frowned. What's he trying to do?
Little Whale: He's obviously trying to activate [Tempest Fiend]'s power. How about running? Though it looks like you can't escape either. No hope left. Just wait to die.
Before you continue