CHAPTER 109: CHAPTER 109: THE YOUNG MAN AND SOFT RICE_1

It was rare to encounter an upper-class Soldier-level beast, and Wang Zhan simply couldn’t hold back.

Crimson blood dripped from the top of the upper-class Soldier-level beast’s skull.

A single strike, a fatal blow!

But all the effort was worth it, especially considering his stats panel:

Host: Wang Zhan

Strength: 1,900

Agility: 1,900

Physique: 1,900

Charm: 30

Wisdom: 25

Mental Power: 300

Apart from his three basic attributes—Strength, Agility, and Physique—each breaking the 1,900 mark, Wang Zhan’s dedicated cultivation of the Five Thunder Deity Refinement Method had also finally paid off. His Mental Power had directly doubled, equivalent to a two-fold amplification.

Now, he was an authentic Rank Two Warrior. Plus, with the additional 50% from his limit-breaking stats, he was now at least equivalent to two of his former selves combined.

However, it was only when he was completely exhausted, collapsed on the ground and lacking even the strength to stand, that he finally noticed Yao Yao’s somewhat dazed expression.

An awkward look immediately appeared on his face. Damn it, I ended up kill-stealing from my own wife! What have I done?!

"Uh, well, I... I’m used to it. I couldn’t control myself for a moment!"

Yao Yao was even more astonished, her mouth slightly agape. Used... used to it? Can someone really get used to something like this? Should I tease him, or tease him, or...

In any case, after a whirlwind of thoughts, Yao Yao finally snapped back to her senses, looking reproachfully at Wang Zhan.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was? One wrong move, and it could have dragged you down with it!"

Here we go again! Here we go again!

Wang Zhan met Yao Yao’s gaze and couldn’t help but feel a little sheepish. Ah, this familiar vibe, this familiar feeling.

Fortunately, Yao Yao didn’t press the issue. She merely squatted slowly in front of Wang Zhan and asked softly, "Are you okay?"

Wang Zhan explained, "Well, um, this technique of mine is fast, yes, but it’s easy to get exhausted from it... and it doesn’t last very long..."

"PFFT!"

Yao Yao couldn’t hold it in any longer. Though her face was a little flushed, she burst out laughing, for the first time making the usually brazen and thick-skinned Wang Zhan feel a sense of shyness.

That day, the two of them managed, with some difficulty, to spend the night in the cave, experiencing cohabitation for the first time.

「The next morning」

Wang Zhan was once again full of energy, his stamina completely restored.

Only then did he notice that Yao Yao had woken up at some unknown point and was standing on the cliff edge, gazing at the distant Death Forest.

Wang Zhan approached and gently embraced her from behind, resting his head on her shoulder. Her body trembled slightly before he asked softly, "Why are you up so early? Are you hungry? Wait for me here, I’ll go get some breakfast."

Being so close to Wang Zhan again made Yao Yao blush slightly, and she could only manage a soft "Mm."

But after Wang Zhan left, she turned her gaze back towards the distant Death Forest.

She sensed the aura of the Original Organization. Though faint and intermittent, it was unnervingly familiar. It’s probably an old acquaintance, she thought, her heart sinking slightly.

The Original Organization had run rampant, committing atrocities in the human world for so many years. When had they ever suffered such a silent loss? Clearly, they were coming to seek revenge.

Wang Zhan returned with an average-sized intermediate Soldier-level beast. After a hearty meal with Yao Yao, he had initially thought of sparring with her to max out his basic attribute points.

But unexpectedly, after Yao Yao finished the breakfast Wang Zhan had lovingly prepared for the first time, she slowly raised her head and said softly, "The Original Organization is here again. We need to leave now, or there might be too many complications."

Wang Zhan fell silent. Meeting Yao Yao’s bright, beautiful eyes, he once again felt the nauseating malice emanating from the Original Organization, and his hatred for them deepened.

But he didn’t show it, merely offering a slight smile.

"Alright, then let’s set off. We can consider this period a gift from the heavens for us to roam the mortal world."

"Mm-hmm."

Yao Yao’s eyes curved into smiling crescents.

「」

At the ’Wasteland’ entrance of Death Forest, a man in black slowly approached.

Subsequently, several more men in black, seemingly shunning the light and hiding in the shadows, appeared at the entrance and respectfully addressed Yuan Shisan, "Greetings, my lord!"

Yuan Shisan looked up at the morning sun, blazing like fire in the sky, his expression dark and sinister. He nodded slightly.

"Mm, have you found Yuan Shijiu and that kid? Where are they now?"

As Yao Yao’s former mentor, Yuan Shisan naturally knew her weakness. To deal with her, they only needed to get their hands on that kid Wang Zhan; it could be easily done and was foolproof. That’s the true nature of that foolish woman!

"We found them. They are currently over a thousand kilometers from the Eastern Battlefield. According to information from the beasts, we’ve found the temporary shelter these two used last night."

"Very good!"

Yuan Shisan grinned, then with a decisive wave of his hand, he strode directly into Death Forest. In a mere instant, he blended into this brutal, blood-soaked battlefield.

「Two days later.」

Ocean Continent, Wilderness Area, northeastern entrance of Death Forest.

"It’s gone up again! It’s gone up again! It’s at 8,800 points now!"

Early in the morning, a team was just shaking off the fatigue from the previous day.

Suddenly, they were startled by the point rankings on their personal terminals, looking as if they had seen a ghost.

If one didn’t know better, they might even suspect it was the stock market, one of those old relics from before the Great Annihilation.

"How is this possible?"

Yuan Mengru, who had been drowsy, felt a jolt in her mind at this moment and became completely awake.

This battlefield should have belonged solely to her, but then Wang Zhan from Chu State Military Martial Arts Academy had appeared out of nowhere.

And with successive victories, his fame spread far and wide, directly making her so-called bullshit title of "the pinnacle among young martial artists of her time" worth less than a piece of toilet paper.

Her originally calm and complacent mood vanished completely, replaced by the resentment of a cloistered maiden, making her grit her teeth in frustration.

Is Wang Zhan made of iron or something? How can he be so persistent? No matter how fiercely she fought in Death Forest these past two days, she could only watch as Chu State Military Martial Arts Academy’s score steadily increased, leaving her so far behind she couldn’t even see their dust.

"Leader, what do we do now? Our points are only at 4,700, just tying with Chu State Military Martial Arts Academy..."

As they spoke, the expressions of all the team members turned ugly. It felt as if a legitimately wedded wife had been shamelessly snatched away by mountain bandits.

The worst part was, even if you watched your wife being taken, you were powerless to do anything but watch.

Yuan Mengru slowly rose, frowning slightly as she looked towards Death Forest.

Finally, she made a painful decision.

"Isn’t it just a fight? When has our Yanjing Martial Arts Academy ever been afraid! Everyone, get on your feet and pull yourselves together! From now on, we advance directly into Death Forest!"

She spoke with chilling resolve, displaying the true demeanor of a talented student from one of the four major academies.

However, upon hearing Yuan Mengru’s words, one team member’s brow furrowed even more deeply than hers.

"Leader, isn’t this too dangerous? You know, Death Forest..."

Yuan Mengru cut him off, her usual gentleness replaced by a fierce storm.

"Shut up! Are you afraid of a mere Wang Zhan? Don’t forget why we came here. Real combat! Real combat! And more real combat! On the battlefield, there’s no time to contemplate life and death. The more you fear death, the more likely you are to die!"

"Besides, we’ve benefited from so many of the Human Race’s resources. To shrink back now just because it’s difficult—never mind others laughing at us—could your own Families tolerate a coward!"

At this, everyone fell completely silent.

Yes, if we return defeated like this, never mind what the Martial Arts Academy thinks, our own Families wouldn’t be able to stand it.

Either live or die! The Human Race will never be slaves!

「Ao City.」

Edward, Dean of the Royal Martial Arts Academy, and Yun Tianyi, Dean of Yanjing Martial Arts Academy, were closely monitoring every event unfolding in Oceania.

As for the original three referees—King of Thunder, King Xing, and Xiong Wan—they had become complete bystanders, only able to pull up a few small stools and sit behind the two powerhouses.

So, whatever the two Martial Emperors saw, they too could naturally see.

For instance, Wang Zhan on the cliff, embracing Yao Yao from behind as they gazed into the distance, a classic Titanic-esque pose.

For instance, some disciples from the Martial Arts Academies, shortly after stepping into Death Forest, were ravaged by one or several beasts and reduced to a pile of bloody pulp.

And for instance, what was happening right at this moment.

Yuan Mengru, the team captain of Yanjing Martial Arts Academy, made a painful decision because the score gap had widened significantly, to the point where they could barely see their opponents’ dust.

The Human Race will never be slaves.

A smile touched Yun Tianyi’s lips, and he nodded repeatedly.

"Not bad, not bad. I initially thought this girl would have to suffer a few more setbacks before she came around. I didn’t expect that being provoked by Wang Zhan would make her understand so much."

He was pleased, but Edward, naturally, was not. However, he offered no sarcastic remarks, merely nodding slightly.

"Indeed, not bad. The academy students you’ve sent into battle this term are certainly much more outstanding than those useless ones under my command."

Yun Tianyi chuckled.

"Since you think they’re so incompetent, why bother secretly sending people to cause trouble for Wang Zhan?"

Edward played dumb directly.

"One can eat whatever they like, but one cannot speak carelessly. When have you ever seen me send people to cause trouble for Wang Zhan?"

Yun Tianyi remained noncommittal.

When it came to shameless bickering, these individuals were practically Wang Zhan’s ancestors in the art; his own petty tricks were far too amateurish in comparison.

After all, they had all struggled and crawled their way out of the great quagmire of the human world over many years to achieve their success; the insidious methods employed within their factions were far more vicious than this.

But King Xing and King of Thunder, who were on good terms with Wang Zhan, found something strange.

Over the past two days, Wang Zhan’s movements had been clearly erratic, and his combat stance was even stranger.

"Why has Wang Zhan been behaving so recklessly these past two days? Could it be that the killing intent has affected his mind?"

"Heh, I’m afraid there’s another reason."

The two exchanged a look, quickly understanding each other’s thoughts.

The saying goes, ’a hero’s aspirations may be cut short by deep affections.’ Even if Wang Zhan is young and ambitious, it’s always hard to overcome the ’trial of beauty’! We’re just afraid he’s fallen into it and won’t be able to get out.