Either way, everyone agreed that they should find a safer place to rest up.

Song Xia had suffered a severe injury. Xiao Feng had fully recovered from his previous injury, so he could walk normally. However, it was difficult to tell how much time Song Xia needed to recover.

That being said, it was a huge relief that she was still alive.

"Luckily Mu Ningxue managed to freeze the wound in time to stop her from losing blood. Otherwise..." Bai Tingting said.

Song Xia, who had just regained consciousness, cast a thankful glance at Mu Ningxue, who responded with a nod.

"What should we do now?" Zheng Bingxiao asked.

Someone had already been severely injured,and several among the group had argued to retreat. The team no longer shared the same vision, so they were hesitant to proceed with the mission.

"No matter what, I won't leave now." Mu Ningxue said.

Mu Ningxue did not want to force the others to follow her decision. Even though they had come from different schools, they had come here to train themselves. It served as a test to their capabilities, thus they had no excuse to bail out now.

Mu Nujiao shared the same thought as Mu Ningxue. She came from a renowned family. She clearly knew that if a magician survived such an ordeal with their life at stake, it would have a great impact on the future growth of their cultivation.

Improving their strength was not something that could be done efficiently if they were only staying in the safe zones and meditating every day. The experience they acquired from battles was in fact the most important factor. She believed that if she were to leave now, it would be much more difficult for her to gather her courage to overcome the difficulties she would face in the future.

"Since Mu Ningxue has decided to stay, there's no way I'm leaving either," Liao Mingxuan said.

Mu Ningxue and Mu Nujiao were both women. If they were so determined to stay and complete the quest, the men would feel ashamed if they decided to bail out now.

However, Liao Mingxuan, Shen Mingxiao and Ming Cong continued to remain hostile toward Mo Fan. They were still accusing him of placing them in danger.

"Mo Fan, you better shut your mouth up from now on. I don't understand why the directors of the Pearl Institute let such a coward represent their school as an exchange student." Liao Mingxuan spoke roughly.

Ming Cong nodded in agreement, "If it weren't for my Deathstrike Magic Equipment, it would have been impossible for us to leave in one piece."

Mo Fan went up to them and stated grimly, "If you're looking for a fight, bring it on. I'll take both of you at the same time. I'll make sure to turn you both into cripples, so you can use it as an excuse to bail out."

In Mo Fan's eyes, it was not worth wasting his time on these two idiots.

Don't you chicken out if you're trying to pick a fight!

"Alright, that's enough! We shouldn't waste any further time. Let's head to the next location." Mu Nujiao rose from the ground and glared at Shen Mingxiao and Luo Song, who were about to cause a stir.

"I prefer not to hang around with some dogs who only know how to bark. You guys continue on to the next location. I'll investigate another spot myself. What the eye doesn't see, the heart doesn't grieve over. It will save us some time too." Mo Fan suggested leaving the team and investigating on his own.

Mu Nujiao immediately advised against it, "Mo Fan, it's too risky."

"That's right, it's safer for us to stay together. It will be hard for us to provide any support if you somehow found yourself in danger." Zheng Bingxiao said.

"Let him be. Humph, I would like to see if he's able to make it back alive," Liao Mingxuan spat.

"See, he said it himself," Luo Song said.

Mo Fan wasted no time and insisted on leaving the group.

Bai Tingting wanted to leave with Mo Fan, since she trusted him the most in the whole group. However, she needed to look after Song Xia. There was no way she would put Song Xia's life at stake just so she could leave with Mo Fan.

Zhao Manting was planning to go with Mo Fan too, but the latter rejected the offer and asked him to stay with the team.

"Since you've decided, do keep in contact with us. You will return to the team at once after you finish investigating the location..." Mu Nujiao knew Mo Fan had already run out of patience with the other guys. There was no better option.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon. I'm not too keen to leave you with a bunch of ungrateful scum either," Mo Fan said.

It was reasonable for Shen Mingxiao and Luo Song to be hostile toward him. However, that Liao Mingxuan was only picking on him because he was jealous of his relationship with the girls.

He still has the mood for that even at a place where they could possibly lose their life in an instant! You can find scum anywhere in this world!

"Anyway, just be careful on your own." Mu Nujiao looked at Mo Fan. She understood that he had been crowded out by people of the group just because he had been standing out too much. She hesitated for a moment, before taking out a crystal orb from her bag and handed it to Mo Fan. "Take this."

"What is it?" Mo Fan asked with a confused look.

"A Crystal Guardian Orb. You can insert your energy into it once you're in danger, then break it into pieces. A defensive barrier similar to the Water Barrier will circulate around you. It should be able to protect you for quite a while," Mu Nujiao said.

"This thing… I suppose it isn't cheap, right?" Mo Fan felt a surge of warmth as he saw the sincerely concerned look on Mu Nujiao's face.

"You better bring it back to me in one piece," Mu Nujiao said sternly.

Mu Nujiao knew Mo Fan was a smart ass when it came to playing with words, and always had an indifferent attitude toward everything. However, after their life and death experience just a few moments ago, she knew that any mistake here could possibly lead to their deaths.

Mu Nujiao did not want anything to happen to Mo Fan. The Crystal Guardian Orb was a lucky charm that she wore all the time.

"Thank you, Jiaojiao. If I didn't make it back… you don't need to wait for me. Find yourself a good man," Mo Fan teased.

Mu Nujiao walked away before Mo Fan finished the sentence.

She suddenly lost interest in speaking to him any further. What does he mean by finding himself another good man? Does he think she is a rolling stone?

Wait a second, who would want to wait for him?!

----

Mo Fan left in satisfaction after teasing Mu Nujiao.

He suddenly realized that he was quite well-received by the women around him.

After splitting up with the team, Mo Fan returned to the collapsed Administration Building.

"I wonder if a rather unique beast like the Pseudomorphing Demon Beast would leave any Soul Essence after it died?" Mo Fan murmured.

Using the broken walls, Mo Fan nimbly climbed to the place where its brain was bitten off. He let out a sigh after searching through the debris.

It was either the Soul Essence had disappeared due to taking too long, or the Pseudomorphing Demon Beast actually did not drop any Soul Essence when it died. Mo Fan ended up empty-handed.

"Alright, Little Loach, stop shaking. Didn't I come back now? If I were to dig up the loot, wouldn't I have to share with the others? I don't mind sharing with Mu Nujiao, Zhao Manting, Bai Tingting, and Mu Ningxue, but those disgusting guys, do you really want to share with them? Well, it's all ours now!" Mo Fan exclaimed to the Little Loach Pendant on his chest.