Chapter 214: Can’t Hold Him Back Anymore
SQUELCH...
Another 2-star Demon Beast was slain.
Lin Yi glanced back at Shen Mengyi.
"Is the mission complete?"
"Mhm, the mission’s done. Thank you, Senior Brother Lin!"
Shen Mengyi looked at her wristband, a smile spreading across her face.
"Two more demon beasts to go. We’ll finish the mission before dawn.
Good thing this place is divided into zones. Wei Shang said before that the demon beasts in Zones 1-3 are all 3-star or lower. This setup is actually pretty beneficial for new students like us!"
The corners of Lin Yi’s mouth turned up.
A strange glint flashed in his eyes.
Zhou Qi and Sun Tao didn’t notice anything unusual.
But Wei Nan, being his childhood friend, sensed something was up.
He leaned in close to Lin Yi and whispered, "What’s up? Getting addicted to the killing?"
Lin Yi glanced at him and nodded with a smile.
"Something like that. Maybe it’s because I haven’t gone Demon Hunting in a while!"
"Ha! Alright, then. After we help them finish their missions, we can tell them to head back first. How about I stay and go Demon Hunting with you? Don’t worry, I won’t slow you down!"
Wei Nan said with a light chuckle.
Hearing this, Lin Yi didn’t refuse.
They’d been friends for so many years; how could he not understand Wei Nan’s hidden thoughts?
In truth, since entering Jail City tonight, Wei Nan’s mood had grown increasingly heavy.
And Lin Yi could pretty much guess what was on his mind.
Right now, whether in terms of realm or real combat experience, Lin Yi was leagues ahead of Wei Nan.
Although Wei Nan usually acted carefree and joked about clinging to Lin Yi’s coattails,
his inner pride wouldn’t allow him to actually do it.
Even if he were to ride someone’s coattails, the gap between them couldn’t be this huge.
Tonight in Jail City, it had been Lin Yi doing all the Demon Hunting.
Every one of them could only hide in the back, unable to help in the slightest.
Even though Zhou Qi and Sun Tao wanted to step forward,
they stood no chance against those 2-star and 3-star Demon Beasts.
Moreover, although Lin Yi hadn’t said anything, Wei Nan had already noticed.
The demon beasts in Jail City were more than just a little stronger than the ones in the Old District.
Even demon beasts of the same realm had intelligence and combat power that couldn’t be compared to those from the Old District.
It was like the difference between domesticated animals and wild ones.
The demon beasts in the Old District mainly entered the urban areas to hunt humans.
They preyed on humans for sport and for food.
Even when they encountered Martial Artists, they could often escape with ease.
They might even turn the tables, killing and devouring low-level Martial Artists.
But the demon beasts in Jail City were completely different.
They were born into this harsh, exiled land.
And their enemies weren’t just the students from various universities.
They also had to face their own kind, other beasts, and vicious criminals.
Here, they were surrounded by danger at every moment.
To survive, they could only continuously improve and strengthen themselves.
Over time, the combat strength of the demon beasts and other creatures here grew immense.
The weaker ones had long since been killed off.
Those that survived were naturally the cream of the crop.
Therefore, for the students who came here for missions...
It was either hunt the demon beasts, or be hunted by them...
As for people like Zhou Qi, Sun Tao, and Shen Mengyi,
they had talent in Martial Arts, and given time, they could catch up in their realms.
But when it came to real combat experience, they were like blank slates.
They had no Demon Hunting experience from their time in the Old District, having focused solely on cultivation.
They had dedicated all their energy to raising their realms in preparation for the martial arts exam.
Now that they had come to this perilous, exiled land,
with practically no combat experience, every step they took was a struggle.
It was precisely because Wei Nan realized this that he saw through Lin Yi’s intentions.
And he took the initiative to stay behind to gain more real combat experience.
"Lin Yi, if we run into a demon beast under 2-star next, can you leave it to me?"
Just then, Zhou Qi hurried over.
Lin Yi glanced at him. "Alright, you can kill the next demon beast!"
"No, that’s not what I mean... I mean, let me be the one to handle the next demon beast!"
"Hmm? You want to fight a demon beast one-on-one?"
Zhou Qi nodded with a grave expression. "Yes. This whole time, you’ve been the one helping us complete our missions!"
"And while your help saves a lot of time and trouble,"
"I can’t shake the feeling that these are our own missions. We’ve just enrolled, and we’re already relying on you for everything. What are we going to do about future missions? We can’t have you helping us forever, can we?"
"Sun Tao and I have been thinking a lot on the way here. It’s time we grew up!"
"Now that we’re in the New District and have chosen Xingwu University, we have to overcome future difficulties on our own.
Of course, if we run into a demon beast that’s 3-star or higher, we’ll still need you to deal with it!"
Zhou Qi added with a smile.
Sun Tao nodded beside him. "We really do need to grow. Otherwise, if we can’t even handle missions on our own, what’s the point of going to university? We might as well go back to the Old District and start over!"
Their gazes were each more determined than the last.
Lin Yi was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Fine. From now on, you handle the missions yourselves. I’ll step in when you can’t hold on any longer?"
"Deal!"
Sun Tao and Zhou Qi both nodded.
Like Wei Nan, they were all proud people.
They had been protected by Lin Yi the entire way. Even for their missions, Lin Yi would beat the demon beasts half to death.
Then he’d let them go in and deliver the final blow to complete the task.
It made them feel like useless trash.
Without them, Lin Yi would have probably finished his own mission long ago and gone back to sleep.
But instead, he had to help them complete their missions one by one.
This feeling was eating away at Zhou Qi and Sun Tao.
Lin Yi respected their choice.
The group walked a little further.
Suddenly, a divine sense from Xiaoqi drifted into Lin Yi’s mind.
[’There’s... demon beast, demon beast... East, demon beast...’]
Lin Yi’s brow twitched. He smiled and glanced to the east.
Then he turned back and whispered, "There’s a demon beast up ahead. Let’s go check it out!"
"Alright!"
The others nodded. Zhou Qi grasped a long spear, and Sun Tao held a short blade.
They followed behind Lin Yi, one after the other, and headed in that direction.
After they had walked less than a hundred meters,
just as expected, they spotted something at the base of a tree not far away.
A pitch-black lump was sitting there, gnawing on something.
It was too dark, and the light in the forest wasn’t enough for them to see clearly.
From a distance, they could only make out a dark mass.
Lin Yi glanced at the demon beast’s talent entry.
He looked back at Sun Tao and the others. "It’s a 2-star Demon Beast. Who wants to give it a try?"
"I’ll go!"
Zhou Qi quickly held back an eager Sun Tao.
He stepped forward, spear in hand.
At the New Star Martial Arts Hall, aside from Lin Yi,
Zhou Qi was the disciple with the most abundant realm and combat experience.
And before Lin Yi joined the Martial Arts Hall, he had always been the one Yang Yong valued most.
But now, he had been reduced to relying on others to complete his missions.
His own small bit of self-respect felt as if it had been thrown on the ground and trampled repeatedly.
Although he admitted that in terms of both talent and combat experience,
Lin Yi had already reached a height he could scarcely hope to catch up to.
But he couldn’t accept having to truly rely on Lin Yi just to complete his missions.
Sun Tao didn’t speak. Lin Yi stared at the dark mass in the distance.
Zhou Qi, however, executed a Body Technique, moving like a Spiritual Snake as he rapidly approached the mass.
When he was less than ten meters away from the dark mass,
a sharp glint flashed in Zhou Qi’s eyes. ’This is my chance!’ he thought.
He quickly executed his spear technique. The long spear moved like a silver serpent in the dark of night.
It stabbed toward the mass in a strange arc.
CLANG—
But when the spear tip struck the object,
it sent a shower of sparks flying. Zhou Qi was forced back by a powerful resistance.
His arm slightly numb, he stared intently at the mass.
The next moment, the dark mass slowly turned its head.
A single glance made Zhou Qi’s heart sink. It was a Wild Boar Demon?
Its pair of long, narrow tusks were still stained with blood.
And in its hand, it held a half-eaten leg...
Ghastly white bone was visible through the mangled flesh and blood of the leg.
When the Wild Boar Demon turned and saw Zhou Qi, a look of contempt flashed in its eyes.
It let out a series of oink-snorts.
It tossed aside the half-eaten leg in its hand.
Then it rose from the ground.
It was a Wild Boar Demon that stood over two meters tall.
"Holy crap! What is that thing? A savage? It’s huge!"
Wei Nan, hiding not far away, couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.
Shen Mengyi and Sun Tao were also terrified by the Wild Boar Demon, which looked like a small mountain.
"A Wild Boar Demon!"
Lin Yi stated quietly.
Wei Nan and Sun Tao’s expressions darkened.
Wild boars, even before becoming demons, have astonishingly high defense.
Especially the big ones weighing over five hundred pounds—they often rub their bodies against trees to coat themselves in resin.
The resin slowly builds up on their bodies, strengthening their defense.
A wild boar over five hundred pounds is difficult to kill even with a hunting rifle.
They can even hold their own against a pack of wolves.
And this Wild Boar Demon before them... who knew how many years it had been cultivating.
Reaching the 2-star realm meant its defense was already shockingly powerful.
"A Wild Boar Demon? Lin Yi, if we used its hide to make some defensive armor, you think that would work?" Wei Nan asked with a light chuckle.
Lin Yi glanced back at him. "That’s actually an interesting idea. A 2-star wild boar hide would probably fetch a good price if we sold it, right?"
"Heh heh, and just like that, we’ve found a way to make some money, haven’t we?"
Wei Nan rubbed his hands together, his eyes practically glowing.
Just then, the Wild Boar Demon launched its attack on Zhou Qi.
At over two meters tall, its weight had to be over a thousand pounds.
Like a giant tank, when it charged at Zhou Qi,
Lin Yi and the others could feel the ground shake.
Let alone Zhou Qi, who was facing it head-on.
Fortunately, the Wild Boar Demon’s movements weren’t very agile.
Zhou Qi used his Body Technique to skirmish with the Wild Boar Demon.
However, whenever his long spear clashed with the Wild Boar Demon,
it would erupt in a shower of sparks.
He couldn’t break through its defense at all.
On the other hand, every time the Wild Boar Demon swiped with its paw, Lin Yi and the others watched with their hearts in their throats.
If Zhou Qi failed to dodge and took a direct hit,
he’d be half-dead if not killed outright. The gap between them was just too wide.
Zhou Qi was barely managing to cope now. Once his stamina ran out, killing the Wild Boar Demon would be even harder.
"Should we go help?"
After ten-odd minutes, Wei Nan couldn’t watch anymore.
He asked, his brow deeply furrowed.
Sun Tao and Shen Mengyi also grew tense.
They all clenched their fists, breaking out in a cold sweat for Zhou Qi.
Suddenly, Lin Yi glanced back toward the distance.
"More demon beasts are coming. You guys go take care of them. I’ll go help Zhou Qi slay the demon!"
"Huh? Where?"
Wei Nan quickly glanced around.
The next moment, in the pitch-black night,
several pairs of crimson eyes became strikingly visible.
Seeing this, the corners of Wei Nan’s mouth curved up, and he nodded with a smile. "Leave them to us. You do your thing!"
With that, he, Sun Tao, and Shen Mengyi headed toward the other demon beasts.
After Wei Nan’s group left, Lin Yi looked back at Zhou Qi and the Wild Boar Demon.
As Zhou Qi’s stamina was rapidly draining, his movements were also becoming sluggish.
Lin Yi didn’t wait any longer and headed straight for Zhou Qi.
"Let me borrow your spear!"
"Okay..."