Chapter 123: Zhou Xiaoxi’s Decision

Ai Hui was shaken by the sight in front of him . His mouth dropped open, and he stood dumbstruck . Not only him, the entire troop was shocked by Duanmu Huanghun’s [Viridescent Flower] .

Duanmu Huanghun’s abrupt emergence was not limited by his young age . Everyone’s sole impression of him was that he was a talented genius . They had little understanding toward him or his legacy skills . When Dai Gang took him as his last disciple, it was further ingrained in everyone’s mind that Huanghun was a talented genius .

The impact and shock that was brought about by the [Viridescent Flower], which was as pretty as a painting, led to a momentarily lapse within the troops .

It was only at this point that everyone remembered that Duanmu Huanghun was ranked Number 17th in the Induction Ground in terms of fighting strength .

Not only did he possess shocking innate skills, he had valiant capabilities as well .

Fatty’s gaze was blank while he mumbled, “I am done for, I am done for . The money is a lost cause . Why did Ah Hui [1] give a loan to such a capable chap… This is ruined . What a huge amount of ruins…”

Duanmu Huanghun’s eyes were flickering with a serene splendor . He strolled idly, yet with lively steps . As green rain droplets splattered, his elongated body was graceful and picturesque . His flawless face radiated confidence, and all his movements were calm and unhurried .

In a flash, the gazes from the young girls became smitten .

Ai Hui was shocked momentarily, but he quickly regained his composure . With a low voice, he shouted, “Let’s walk this way!”

Duanmu Huanghun’s explosive display greatly improved everyone’s morale and pulled everyone away from a state of panic . The students who realized the capability of the group also gradually calmed down . The emphasis on actual combat was a tradition of the Avalon of Five Elements . The students from the Old Territory were slightly lacking, but the students from the Avalon of Five Elements had been trained and educated since young . They had also accepted the notion of actual combat .

When they settled down, their capability would also progressively emerge .

Many female students started to take the initiative to participate . Gradually, the situation stabilized .

The pressure on Duanmu Huanghun was quickly reduced by half . He shot Ai Hui a glance and was secretly surprised . From the beginning , Ai Hui did not display any signs of hesitation along the way . It was a jungle of weeds, and there were no landmarks . How did he do it?

Duanmu Huanghun even had the notion that Ai Hui had been to this plot of forest many times .

Soon, however, Duanmu Huanghun did not have the leisure to pay attention to Ai Hui . He was starting to feel pressured . They had run for at least one hundred miles, but the wild beasts that attacked them along the way did not reduce in number . Instead, they exhibited an increasing trend .

The size of the wild beasts were not large . Their bodies appeared to be a strange dull red, and they were extremely irritable, without any care for their lives or deaths . All these symptoms suggested that they had blood poisoning .

Even the elite Zhou Xiaoxi felt chills at this point in time . Not only would the wild beasts attack them, they were also extremely bloodthirsty . They would even crazily gobble up the blood and flesh from the corpses of their own kind .

The shredded pieces and body parts of the wild beasts had yet to fall on the ground when numerous wild beasts pounced and fought over them .

Those torn body parts and the fresh blood that dripped on the floor would be snatched up by numerous insects that rushed up through the ground and from the bushes, as if they were snatching up delicacies . Zhou Xiaoxi was proud of the fact that he had been through countless of tough situations . No matter how cruel the situation, he was able to face it .

However, what he experienced today made him fearful .

He attempted to use the distress leaf three times during the journey, but to no avail .

Zhou Xiaoxi had an acute sense of distance . They had walked approximately one hundred fifty miles, yet they had not left the infected area .

How extensively had the strange blood poisoning spread? Could it be that the entire Garden of Life had already…

He trembled and did not dare to dwell further .

But, if the entire Garden of Life was infected with the unknown blood poison, he had to make a decision . His gaze swept across the students . After more than an hour of battle, their faces started to show traces of fatigue . Morale was also falling .

If that was the case, they would definitely be unable to leave this place!

He suddenly shouted, “Ai Hui, find a place that is easy to defend, but hard to attack!”

He knew that Ai Hui would understand what he meant .

Ai Hui gave him a glance . Without another word, Ai Hui took the lead and ran .

He understood Zhou Xiaoxi’s intention and had to admit that it was the best available option . At their current speed, it would be impossible to escape from the Garden of Life . Instructor Zhou had azure wings, so he could fly back to get support . Even with the added time that the support team needed to fly back to the students, it was much less than the time required for the students to travel out of the Garden of Life .

As long as they were able to find a suitable spot that would be advantageous for their defense, the pressure would be lessened . Furthermore, they would be able to prolong their survival time .

Ai Hui remembered that there were a few exposed boulders not far away . If they could make use of these rocks, it would be a good defensive position . Duanmu Huanghun was astonished . He did not understand why Instructor Zhou trusted Ai Hui when Ai Hui’s capability was so low .

He suddenly thought of the first day when they had entered the Garden of Life . Instructor Zhou had asked Ai Hui to stand guard .

Suddenly, Duanmu Huanghun realized that his understanding toward his nemesis was pathetic .

No, in fact, he knew nothing at all .

He observed Ai Hui surreptitiously and immediately discovered many unusual traits . For example, Ai Hui rarely walked in a straight line . Ai Hui’s figure was like that of a cheetah when he ran . Also, his grass sword was inverted and placed at the side of his body, making tiny swinging arcs like a pendulum .

Duanmu Huanghun was extremely intelligent . While he did not notice it before, he understood the benefits immediately when he noticed it .

The grass sword could be unleashed immediately when faced with danger .

This chap… was not simple!

In his heart, Duanmu Huanghun was alarmed . He was displeased with himself because he only just realized these unusual traits .

When Zhou Xiaoxi saw the rubble from afar, he was elated . He looked at Ai Hui, thinking that it was a pity that Ai Hui did not possess the water attribute . Otherwise, he would recruit Ai Hui into the North Sea Division . While Ai Hui’s absolute base level was not high, much to Zhou Xiaoxi’s astonishment, Ai Hui had performed exceptionally ever since they stepped foot into the Garden of Life .

Ai Hui was the first to detect the abnormalities, surpassing even the instructor . Zhou Xiaoxi was an elite from the North Sea, yet he was not as perceptive as a student . He was slightly ashamed .

This was also a form of innate skill .

While natural endowments were innate skills, knowing how to battle and react to complicated situations required talent as well .

A pile of rubble comprised of a heap of black rocks that were about six or seven meters tall was the best defensive position they could find .

The students, who were at the brink of exhaustion, practically crawled and rolled into the rubble .

Zhou Xiaoxi, together with Teacher Xu and Cui Xianzi, coordinated and stood at the various high ground spots among the rubble . The towering boulders blocked the wild beasts that were like a rushing tide .

The students finally had a chance to catch their breath and they lay around haphazardly .

“I am going to get support! The two of you will stay guard here!” Zhou Xiaoxi shouted to Teacher Xu and Cui Xianzi .

“All right!” Teacher Xu nodded his head without hesitation .

Cui Xianzi shouted concernedly, “Be careful!”

“You must hang in there!” While Zhou Xiaoxi was saying that, he threw all the rations and medications that he had to Cui Xianzi .

Zhou Xiaoxi gazed deeply at Cui Xianzi for two seconds, as if he wanted to safeguard this memory . He did not know why he was doing this . Was it because of the insecurity in his heart?

How he wished that his world was still the same as yesterday…

When he turned around, his gaze was resolute .

He soared into the air and disappeared into horizon .