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ED Note: Uh oh… they've done it. It's only a matter of time before they get swarmed by insects… How do you think they will handle it? If you've enjoyed this novel so far, don't forget to rate it on NU. At 20 votes, we will release a bonus chapter!
Link: Novelupdates
As she entered the secret place, Beiming Yan cursed Beiming Feng eight hundred times in her heart.
"Qingxue, can you believe a brother like this? I suspect he wants the Insect King to kill me so he can inherit my Alipay account!"
Ling Qingxue smiled. "Your brother loves you, be nice to him."
"Nice my foot! If anyone gave me a hundred yuan, I'd sell him right now, and even give them a 50% discount!"
After complaining a few times, she began to survey her surroundings.
A vast expanse of dense forest stretched out before them, with trees so thick that seven or eight people could barely encircle them.
This time, the university hadn't separated them, knowing that separation meant certain death.
A hundred or so people huddled together, their faces filled with worry.
"Any ideas? How do we break this deadlock? My survival skills are completely useless this time. I'm so frustrated!"
"What else can we do? Just play it safe. At least we have Boss Ling with us, so we don't need to worry about Fifth Rank beasts."
"Why don't we let Boss Ling be our captain? We'll listen to her!"
At this moment, two people stepped forward.
These two were Xu Yunqing, who ranked sixth in this year's martial arts exam, and Su Yan, who ranked ninth. Both were at the Third Rank mid-stage, and their strength was considerable.
Xu Yunqing looked up at everyone and coughed lightly.
"You all probably recognize me. I'm Xu Yunqing, who ranked sixth in the martial arts exam. Su Yan, who ranked ninth, and I formed a team beforehand. If you want to join us, I can do my best to help you get through this military training!"
Several people looked at him with puzzled expressions.
"Xu Yunqing, what do you mean by this? We'd be much stronger together! Are you trying to exclude some people by forming a separate team?!"
"Yeah, you're just dividing us!"
Xu Yunqing smiled faintly. "I acknowledge the importance of teamwork, but my magical beast has the ability to cloak an entire group. I believe I'm more capable of leading everyone through two months of military training!"
If the captain were chosen based on strength, Ling Qingxue would undoubtedly be the one.
In that case, all the resources would go to her, and the rest of them would become dispensable supporting characters.
Ling Qingxue had already earned enough resources with her first-place in the martial arts exam; if they didn't compete, they would only receive fewer resources.
Su Yan also stepped forward.
"By working together, Xu Yunqing and I can rival a Fourth Rank peak magical beast. We are indeed inferior to the Taotie, but with the group concealment of Xu Yunqing's magical beast, we can avoid most dangers. Currently, the maximum number that can be concealed is limited to a maximum of eighty people. You can choose for yourselves: come with us, or choose to trust… the others."
Many people were caught in a dilemma.
They wanted to choose Ling Qingxue's strength, but they were more tempted by Xu Yunqing's concealment ability.
In the end, they were more willing to trust the safety brought by the concealment.
Only by hiding could they survive longer. If she couldn't defeat a Seventh Rank Insect King, Ling Qingxue's strength was useless.
"Brother Qing, I'm joining! I've long felt you're no ordinary person. You must be my kind of people!"
"Me too…"
Of the initial hundred people, only about twenty remained silent.
Xu Yunqing smiled with satisfaction, his gaze falling on Ling Qingxue.
"I apologize, Miss Ling, but my concealment ability is limited, so I can't take everyone. The rest of you can come with me if you'd like."
Beiming Yan's face darkened. "You're all despicable! Get lost! We can still sweep through the entire secret place without you!"
"Then, good luck to everyone."
Xu Yunqing and Su Yan led their group away, leaving behind less than a third of the original group.
Even though these people chose to follow Ling Qingxue, they were still uncertain.
Beiming Yan's face was filled with anger. "Qingxue, you guessed right! Someone's already trying to steal the team leader role as soon as we entered the secret place!"
"That's the rule. If it weren't Xu Yunqing, it would have been someone else," Ling Qingxue said calmly.
When Beiming Feng said those words, it was already a foregone conclusion: the better the performance, the more resources they would receive.
Xu Yunqing wanted to prevent Ling Qingxue from surpassing him, so he had to weaken her side.
"How could his concealment ability only cover eighty people? He did it on purpose," Zhou Weiwei muttered.
The others looked at Ling Qingxue.
"Boss Ling, do you have any way to protect yourself from the insects? We're all here because we trust you."
"Yes, our strength is average, but we're willing to give our all. Just say the word, and we'll go!"
"Xu Yunqing is only sixth in the martial arts exam, Boss Ling, you're first! You must have a way, right?"
Ling Qingxue lowered her gaze to look at the crowd.
"I can't guarantee anything. Everyone wants to pass the military training, but only by showing your strongest abilities can you have a chance!"
Zhou Weiwei weakly raised her hand. "Qingxue, I want to know what we should do now. Should we find a place to hide, or should we scout the surroundings first?"
"We must find a suitable place to stay for a long time and reduce our activity range to avoid being discovered by the insect beasts."
Ling Qingxue looked at Beiming Yan.
"Your Kunpeng is quite fast. Yan, find a riverbank with a water source nearby, preferably an island in a lake."
"Why look for water? We all brought plenty of water, right?" Beiming Yan asked, puzzled.
Qin Hongyan's eyes lit up. "I understand! Insect beasts are relatively small, and they generally fear water. If we're near water, we can create a secure perimeter with the river and block them!"
With this explanation, everyone understood.
Even if they encountered danger, they could simply jump into the river. Insect beasts generally wouldn't go into the water to kill them, providing a safety net in case they couldn't win.
Beiming Yan immediately released the Northern Sea Kunpeng from her beast pouch and rode it into the sky.
The others stood there, looking somewhat lost.
"Captain, should we just wait here?"
Ling Qingxue nodded slightly. "Yes, we don't know much about the secret place yet, so we need to limit our movements. Once Beiming Yan finds a good spot and we're settled, we can use the Kunpeng's speed advantage to observe our surroundings."
When unfamiliar with the environment, staying in one place ensured at least basic safety; running around would only lead to a quicker death.
Some insect magical beasts could indeed fly, but they were definitely not as fast as the Kunpeng.
"Damn it, who the hell pulled my pants?! Pervert! I'm a man, and I'm straight!"
"You idiot, you have a bug on your leg!!"
A huge, fleshy worm was crawling up his thigh, its long, thick mouthparts gleaming coldly.
The man quickly swatted the worm down and then stomped it to death.
"Wait..."
Before anyone else could stop it, the large, fleshy worm burst into juice.
The man slowly raised his head with an embarrassed look.
"I was worried this bug would attract other insects. Is it okay that I squashed it?"
Zhou Weiwei rubbed her forehead. "This is called a Flesh-Eating Pincer Bug. It feeds on flesh and blood, and its body fluids emit a special odor that attracts other insects. You should have grabbed it and thrown it away, instead of stepping on it."
"I didn't mean to..."
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