CHAPTER 94: CHAPTER 94: FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH THE ROYAL MARTIAL ARTS ACADEMY_1

Night had already fallen.

Looking at the flare in the distant sky, brighter than the moon, the seven-member team from Chu State Military Martial Arts Academy had different thoughts.

"We only started a few hours ago, and already some Academies have given up." Zhou Weiya thought of the afternoon’s situation, still feeling a lingering apprehension.

If it weren’t for Wang Zhan’s intervention, their team might have ended up the same way.

The intensity of this Federal Martial Arts Tournament was indeed much greater than previous ones. It tasked a group of Martial Artists, who weren’t even Warriors, to confront soldier-level beasts, and in a ghastly place like Oceania, no less.

The difficulty was too high.

"I wonder which Martial Arts Academy it is. I estimate that after they return, their dean will be infuriated to death," Huang Pufeng said, taking some pleasure in their misfortune.

Wang Zhan glanced at him but said nothing.

"Let’s go back; there’s nothing to watch." Wang Zhan shook his head slightly. But he’d already started to ponder what to do next.

This team competition didn’t have a clear mission. It was evident that each Academy’s participating team had to continuously fight soldier-level beasts to accumulate points.

Simple and crude. But also the most troublesome.

After returning to the Melted Cave, Wang Zhan asked, "What are your thoughts regarding this team competition?"

The team members all remained silent, clearly understanding the difficulty ahead.

"Regardless, we should do as I said before: ensure our logistical needs first, then discuss other matters," Song Dongming said. "No matter how good the plan is, if we can’t even secure food, we won’t be able to accomplish anything."

Wang Zhan nodded and then looked at the others.

The brothers Zhou Weiya and Zhou Weiqing looked down, feigning deep thought, a clear sign they had no bright ideas to offer, so Wang Zhan skipped over them.

Huang Pufeng... forget him.

Wang Zhan then looked at Sun Kelan and Chen Mengshu.

"What do you two think?"

"I... I only know how to fight," Chen Mengshu said timidly.

"You’re the team leader; you make the decision." Chen Mengshu frankly admitted she planned to just skate by.

Wang Zhan shook his head helplessly. "Alright then, let’s do what Dongming said. After dawn tomorrow, using this Melted Cave as our center, everyone will operate within a ten-kilometer radius. Look for reliable food sources while ensuring your safety."

"Additionally, Ke Lan, you’re strong in mental energy detection. You don’t need to look for food tomorrow. It would be best if you can map out the distribution of beasts in the vicinity. Soldier-level beasts each have their own territories; we’d better get a clear understanding of them in advance," Wang Zhan continued.

"Alright, leave it to me," Sun Kelan responded.

She wasn’t good at fighting, but she was definitely an expert at scouting the battlefield and gathering intelligence.

"Alright, these arrangements will do for now. Everyone, rest." Wang Zhan waved his hand, and everyone found a corner to rest in.

The night passed in silence.

「...」

Early the next morning, the seven-member team from Chu State Military Martial Arts Academy departed one after another as arranged the night before.

Since they had previously agreed to avoid combat and focus on finding reliable food sources, the seven of them, excluding Sun Kelan, were divided into pairs. They also agreed to return by dusk.

Naturally, the brothers Zhou Weiya and Zhou Weiqing paired up. Huang Pufeng and Song Dongming also formed a team, while Wang Zhan and Chen Mengshu formed a temporary one.

The three groups set off from the Melted Cave in three different directions, while Sun Kelan had already left ahead of everyone else.

Her task was to survey the distribution of beasts in the area. Although she didn’t have a specific target, the difficulty of her task surpassed that of the other three groups, so she dared not delay.

By noon, Wang Zhan and Chen Mengshu had reached a location almost twenty kilometers from the Melted Cave, far beyond their previously agreed-upon range.

"Wang... Wang Zhan, haven’t we strayed a bit too far?" Chen Mengshu, following closely behind Wang Zhan, said softly. "Didn’t we agree to operate only within a ten-kilometer radius?"

"That limit was for them, not for us," Wang Zhan turned back to explain.

Seeing that Chen Mengshu still seemed to want to say something, Wang Zhan cut in, "I’m the team leader. What I say goes."

"Alright then." Chen Mengshu pouted but said nothing more.

After spending the morning together, Wang Zhan discovered that the girl following him was frighteningly naive.

She would do whatever she was asked.

Curious, Wang Zhan had asked her why she was so obedient. Her response was delivered as if it were completely natural.

"You’re the team leader, so I have to listen to you."

Her matter-of-fact tone left Wang Zhan speechless for a long time. It had been so long since he’d met such a naive girl.

Then Wang Zhan suddenly remembered: Chen Mengshu was actually his senior, a year older than him.

In any case, they were now more than twenty kilometers from the Melted Cave and had found nothing—not even a hint of a reliable food source, let alone an unreliable one.

After walking for a while longer, Wang Zhan realized it was already afternoon. He could only say helplessly, "Let’s head back and see if we overlooked anything on our way here."

Chen Mengshu had no objections. She nodded obediently and followed Wang Zhan.

However, Wang Zhan was still somewhat worried. Each of them had little food, enough for perhaps two or three days at most.

After two or three days, their food would be exhausted. Then, they would have to navigate Oceania, this dangerous place, on empty stomachs.

Hopefully, the other two groups had some luck, Wang Zhan thought.

「...」

While the three groups were putting all their efforts into finding food, Sun Kelan, much like Wang Zhan’s group, had also arrived at a location about twenty kilometers from the Melted Cave, though in the exact opposite direction.

Within a twenty-kilometer radius of the Melted Cave, I’ve identified eighteen soldier-level beasts. Three of them might be mid-rank or higher, but I can’t confirm yet, Sun Kelan thought, moving cautiously while recording the information on her personal terminal.

Suddenly, she detected the sounds of a battle nearby, mingled with the shouts of Human Martial Artists.

Huh? Someone’s fighting? Driven by curiosity, Sun Kelan moved nimbly and stealthily to the edge of the battle site, concealing herself in a thicket of bushes.

On the open ground before her, seven Martial Artists were besieging a lower soldier-level beast!

Upon seeing the appearance of these Martial Artists, Sun Kelan was visibly surprised.

Westerners?

However, her surprise quickly turned to shock.

She saw with her own eyes that the lower soldier-level beast was utterly powerless against this squad.

Almost every one of them dared to confront the soldier-level beast head-on, showing no apparent weaknesses! Under their combined assault, the soldier-level beast could only utter agonizing howls, completely powerless to change its predicament.

Just a few minutes later, Sun Kelan witnessed the death of a soldier-level beast.

This soldier-level beast... it seems a bit stronger than the Single-horn King Fairy we defeated yesterday... Sun Kelan found it hard to believe. It was difficult for her to imagine that such a formidable team existed among the opponents of Chu State Military Martial Arts Academy.

They must be from one of the four major Martial Arts Academies. I didn’t expect us to be in the same area, she murmured to herself.

Just then, the only female Martial Artist in the seven-person squad, who were clearing the battlefield, suddenly looked towards the bushes where Sun Kelan was hiding.

"Who’s there!?"

As she shouted, the female Martial Artist raised her hand, and a blast of internal energy shot out, flying towards the bushes.

The sudden attack caught Sun Kelan unprepared. She no longer had time to conceal herself and hastily tried to block it.

However, the internal energy was extremely fast. Even with her strength as a level 8 Martial Artist, she failed to block it. The energy struck her in the abdomen.

Sun Kelan cried out in pain, feeling as if she’d been heavily punched in the stomach.

Simultaneously, the seven members of the other squad had already surrounded Sun Kelan.

Sun Kelan could only retreat helplessly. Raising her hands, she frowned at the seven people before her and said, "I mean no harm. I just noticed the fight and came to take a look."

"An Oriental?" The female who had attacked earlier chuckled. Seeing the fresh blood at the corner of Sun Kelan’s mouth, she showed no sign of apology. "My name is Ally, from the Royal Martial Arts Academy."

So it really is one of the four major Martial Arts Academies... Sun Kelan sighed helplessly.

"It looks like your intestines might have ruptured, and other internal organs seem damaged too. But for spying on our Royal Martial Arts Academy’s battle, this is the price you should pay," Ally said with an indifferent smile.

Meanwhile, a tall Caucasian man beside Ally said coldly, "You can get lost. You should be grateful you’re so weak we didn’t even bother to make a move. Don’t show your face before our Royal Martial Arts Academy again!"

Compared to Ally, this tall Caucasian man was far more aggressive.

Hearing this, Sun Kelan retorted, "What? Are you planning to silence me by killing me, just for a competition?"

Although the rules didn’t explicitly forbid attacks between Academies, this was just a competition, after all. Nobody wanted to see these promising young Human Martial Artists engaging in infighting.

Therefore, although not explicitly stated, there was still some semblance of a bottom line between the Academies.

But after Sun Kelan’s retort, the seven from the Royal Martial Arts Academy all laughed.

"We heard similar foolish words yesterday. But unlike you, those idiots from Seth Martial Arts Academy actually tried to resist, so we just helped them withdraw from the game," William said disdainfully.

Sun Kelan immediately recalled the flares from last night.

"Last night’s flares... that was you? How dare you be so reckless?" Sun Kelan could hardly believe it.

William scoffed, "Reckless? No, no, no. We were just following the rules. We only accidentally broke the legs of those fools from Seth Martial Arts Academy and then accidentally helped them launch their flares."

As he finished speaking, William took two steps closer, looking down at Sun Kelan.

"I imagine you wouldn’t want your Academy to withdraw from the game in such a manner, would you?"