Chapter 34

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Chapter 34: The Avenger

Faced with two opponents who had unlocked their elemental powers, the Shadow Archer knew she stood no chance of winning. With a sigh of despair, she lowered her head, her long black hair falling to cover her eyes.

Xiaofeng Mu slowly approached the Shadow Archer and said, “Give up. You can’t turn the tide anymore. There’s no need for unnecessary fighting. A girl shouldn’t have to deal with scars.” He smiled gently and extended his hand to her.

The Shadow Archer looked up at Xiaofeng and then walked slowly toward the fallen Ritual Master, who had previously saved the Earth Element Scholar. She crouched down and prepared to remove his card. Seeing this, Xiaofeng’s brow furrowed, and he thought to himself, “This person is so cunning. We all thought the Ritual Master who saved the Earth Element Scholar must be a ‘Soldier,’ but it turns out he wasn’t. This person has the ‘King’ card. It’s a bold and brilliant strategy.”

Suddenly, Xiaofeng saw a green figure flash by. A man wielding two throwing knives appeared in front of the Shadow Archer. Xiaofeng knew who he was—it was Juexin, who had appeared earlier.

Last time, Juexin had shown up at the end of the battle, and now he was here again, clearly about to make his move. Xiaofeng knew Juexin was ruthless, and the girl was in a dangerous position. He dropped his heavy sword and rushed over to block Juexin, but Juexin’s knife struck Xiaofeng in the chest. Xiaofeng punched Juexin, forcing him back, then clutched his chest wound and knelt down. At this moment, Zhang Wenyu also appeared beside Xiaofeng, staring intently at Juexin.

The Shadow Archer was shocked by what she saw. She looked back at Xiaofeng, who was bleeding, and clenched her fist tightly, only to relax it moments later. She knew she could easily take advantage of Xiaofeng’s injury to defeat him, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Juexin, noticing that Zhang Wenyu had come to Xiaofeng’s aid, hesitated momentarily, then sneered and advanced toward Zhang Wenyu. Zhang Wenyu, having already expended much of his energy, wasn’t confident he could win in a fight against Juexin in his current state.

Zhang Wenyu raised a hand and shouted, “Wait a minute! I have a question for you.”

Juexin stopped and looked at Zhang Wenyu with contempt. “What is it? Are you scared and want to beg for mercy?”

Juexin flashed an evil smile, confident in his victory. He knew Zhang Wenyu was exhausted, while he himself was still full of energy.

Zhang Wenyu didn’t respond with hostility. Instead, he calmly said, “In my current state, I’m not confident I could beat you, but if I’m in danger, my friends won’t just stand by. If we gang up on you, it wouldn’t be honorable even if we won. How about we wait until your teammates arrive, and then we fight?”

Zhang Wenyu’s words were meant to buy time for his allies to recover, but his reasoning was sound. After all, it was five against one, and Juexin might consider his suggestion.

Juexin’s expression grew serious as he considered Zhang Wenyu’s proposal. His eyes burned with anger as he replied, “Sorry, I don’t have any teammates. I fight alone.” With that, Juexin drew his katana and charged at Zhang Wenyu.

Zhang Wenyu hadn’t expected that Juexin was the last remaining member of his team. This meant Juexin must be the ‘King.’ The thought of defeating Juexin excited Zhang Wenyu.

He raised his short dagger and charged at Juexin. The black and green figures clashed repeatedly, each time separating again. Zhang Wenyu aimed every strike at Juexin’s vital points, forcing Juexin onto the defensive. However, Zhang Wenyu’s energy was running low, and as Juexin evaded his attacks, Zhang Wenyu’s movements grew slower.

Xiaofeng noticed this and realized Juexin was wearing Zhang Wenyu down. Once Zhang Wenyu was out of energy, Juexin would be unstoppable.

Xiaofeng shouted, “Zhang Wenyu, stop trying to attack him! We don’t know if what he said is true. If you keep fighting like this, you’ll be defeated!”

Xiaofeng’s words snapped Zhang Wenyu back to his senses. He had been blinded by his desire to win. If Juexin was lying, not only would Zhang Wenyu be in danger, but so would everyone else.

Zhang Wenyu stopped and assumed a defensive stance, no longer intent on attacking Juexin. Juexin, however, was enraged by Xiaofeng’s words. He shouted at Xiaofeng, “Those weaklings would only hold me back. I’m not lying to you. I’m alone, but none of you can catch me. Even if I can’t win, I can still escape unscathed.”

Juexin’s words hinted at a conflict with his former teammates, but Xiaofeng knew better than to take unnecessary risks.

Meanwhile, Qiaozi and Qin Baoyi watched from a distance. Qiaozi called Xi Mo over and asked him to take them to Xiaofeng. She wanted to tend to Xiaofeng’s wounds, which had never fully healed and had worsened.

Xi Mo thought it over and decided it was necessary to go, not just for Xiaofeng’s wounds. Xi Mo nodded in agreement and escorted Qiaozi and Qin Baoyi to Xiaofeng’s side.

As soon as they arrived, Qiaozi anxiously pulled Xiaofeng close and carefully applied herbs to his wounds. Xi Mo watched all this with a twinge of jealousy. Though he was injured too, in Qiaozi’s heart, Xiaofeng always came first.

Now that all five of Xiaofeng’s group were together, Juexin realized his chances of winning were even slimmer. Alone, he could retreat whenever he wanted, but it was a lonely freedom.

Juexin sheathed his katana and ran over to the two unconscious sword and shield warriors on the other side. He removed the ‘Soldier’ cards from their bodies, stowed them away, then turned to Xiaofeng and shouted, “I’ll remember you. We will meet again, and when I pass the next exam with two ‘King’ cards and three ‘Soldier’ cards, I’ll make sure to personally finish you off.”

With that, Juexin vanished into the forest. Xiaofeng and his team breathed a sigh of relief—they were exhausted, but there was still some time before nightfall. And with only a day left, who could guarantee that nightfall would bring safety?

With Juexin gone, the Shadow Archer gave up any thought of continuing the fight. She handed the ‘King’ card to Xiaofeng.

Xiaofeng smiled and took the card. “Thank you for not attacking me when I was injured. It was a perfect opportunity, and I was right in front of you.”

The Shadow Archer turned her head slightly, a bit embarrassed. Though she hadn’t taken the chance, she had considered it. In a low voice, she replied, “You saved me, and I’m not the kind of person who forgets favors.”

She turned back to Xiaofeng and extended her hand. “You’re really impressive. My name is Linlin Zhou.”

Linlin Zhou was her name. Xiaofeng was a bit taken aback by the sudden introduction. Besides, Zhou was a royal surname in the Jun Kingdom.

Xiaofeng shook her hand and replied, “I’m Xiaofeng Mu. You’re the impressive one. Your strategy was truly admirable.” Xiaofeng’s praise was sincere. The way she had hidden the seventh person and arranged the ‘King’ card was beyond anything Xiaofeng had expected.

Linlin Zhou was equally surprised when she learned that only Xiaofeng knew who held the ‘King’ card. She had never been able to tell which one of Xiaofeng’s group was carrying the ‘King’ card, as each of them had fought with equal determination.

Still curious, Linlin Zhou asked Xiaofeng who had the ‘King’ card. Xiaofeng smiled, leaned in close to her ear, and whispered a long explanation. He didn’t want Zhang Wenyu and the others to overhear. When Linlin Zhou finished listening, she covered her mouth and laughed, then gave Xiaofeng a thumbs-up, clearly approving of his plan.

With this, Xiaofeng’s group had gained two ‘King’ cards and made the acquaintance of the brilliant Linlin Zhou. Despite the hardships, things had gone well.

The group sat down to rest and chat for a while, getting to know each other better, even though Linlin Zhou’s team had been eliminated by Xiaofeng.

Before long, Xiaofeng’s group had to say goodbye to Linlin Zhou. They needed to continue on their journey, hoping to reach the central treasury before nightfall. Linlin Zhou and her companions stayed behind to wait for the teachers to take the injured away from the Weapon Forest. Their farewells were temporary; they were bound to meet again.

The Weapon Forest was under constant surveillance. After all, this was an exam, and this place held special significance. From the outside, the high walls, iron gates, and guards at every turn made its importance clear.

Of course, Xiaofeng and his group didn’t fully understand the significance of this place. They were here for the exam, unaware that their path to the treasury was fraught with unknown dangers

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