After spending three hundred skill points, only fifty remained. He allocated all fifty skill points into his Phoenix Form, which was Wang Lan's trump card. Even though fifty skill points were only good for five seconds, those five seconds in the Galaxy Stage could save his life at a critical moment.
In the cave, a fire burned, with five people sitting around it, warming themselves. Jiang Xinyu sat by the fire, counting the Soul Beads in her backpack.
"How many?" Xu Xiangwen asked with concern after Jiang Xinyu finished counting.
Jiang Xinyu frowned slightly. "Four hundred! I need at least a thousand Soul Beads to break through to the Star Cloud Stage. At a rate of four hundred Soul Beads every three days, it would take until the eighth or ninth day to accumulate a thousand."
The atmosphere suddenly grew quieter. This number was a hundred more than the last time they entered the trial field, but the other four were well aware that the number of Exotic Beasts killed this time was double that of the last. Even accounting for Star Power replenishment, they should have saved five hundred beads.
If that were the case, Jiang Xinyu would only need six or, at most, seven days to reach her goal, and the Soul Beads from the remaining three or four days could be evenly split among the team. The shortfall compared to expectations was due to Wang Lan's inclusion.
Although Wang Lan was part of the team, he killed a significant number of Snow Spiders. He didn't participate in the distribution. To put it bluntly, if Jiang Xinyu also received Wang Lan's three hundred Soul Beads, she would have enough in just two days.
Yet, the other three tacitly remained silent. However, there was someone in the team who did not want Wang Lan to get away with such a comfortable deal.
"Jiang Xinyu, I think this distribution is unreasonable..." Wang Youle hesitated for a long time before he finally spoke.
"Wang Lan's haul of Soul Beads amounts to a third of ours. Yet, he hardly uses Star Martial Skills and doesn't need Soul Beads to replenish his Star Power. You haven't even had your breakthrough, while he has already advanced from the early to the late Starlight Stage.
Since we are working as a team, there shouldn't be two different methods of distribution."
"Wang Youle, what do you mean by that?" Gong Feiyu asked with a sneer. "Jiang Xinyu had already explained everything before we entered the trial field. Why didn't you object then? Are you trying to stir up conflict now?"
Wang Youle quickly gestured with his hands. "No... no... That's not what I meant. It's just that Student Wang Lan is too strong, isn't he? We originally thought we were just bringing him for experience. Who knew he'd be so capable, easily handling his own prey and even helping us..."
Wang Lan raised his head, deep in thought.
He had initially joined to be carried by the experts. But because of his own strength and efficiency, he ended up taking many of the kills. And since the Soul Beads he collected were his own, Jiang Xinyu ended up with fewer beads, despite his efficient monster-killing. Wang Lan hadn't considered this before; he had been focused on amassing his own wealth and enjoying himself. Since he enjoyed the team's convenience, he shouldn't monopolize the spoils during distribution.
"Since we had an agreement beforehand, let's not quibble over such trivial matters," said Xu Xiangwen mildly, who was quite close to Wang Youle.
His good relationship with Wang Youle was one thing, but Wang Lan was his best friend. If a conflict arose between Wang Lan and Wang Youle, Xu Xiangwen would undoubtedly side with Wang Lan, even helping him deliver a kick. Furthermore, Xu Xiangwen had witnessed Wang Lan's strength; Wang Lan's efficiency in killing Exotic Beasts surpassed his own.
Unsurprisingly, Wang Lan would likely replace Wang Youle next time. And with Wang Lan's growth rate, he was undoubtedly a terrifying prodigy—a true Demon. Soon, he would become the team's absolute core, and even Jiang Xinyu might have to defer to him.
In the past three days, everyone had witnessed Wang Lan's rapid progress. His talent was so monstrous it far outstripped Jiang Xinyu's; he was a true Demon. Whether for the sake of years of friendship or future plans, Xu Xiangwen would drop Wang Youle without a second thought.
Before Jiang Xinyu even spoke, two teammates had already clearly sided with Wang Lan. Previously, Wang Youle had only sensed a looming crisis. Now, he was almost certain. Wang Lan's arrival meant he would be ejected from the team he had schemed so hard to enter.
At this thought, Wang Youle lowered his head, killing intent gradually rose in his eyes.
Wang Lan snapped back to reality. "Hmm, I think Wang Youle raises a valid point. I've gained a lot these past three days. Besides, the purpose of this trial is to gather enough Soul Beads for Xinyu's breakthrough. I agree with Wang Youle's suggestion. From now on, I will partake in the team's distribution."
"Wang Lan, it's okay. Even if I divide the Soul Beads now, it's no big deal. A thousand Soul Beads are only worth eighty million. That's not much to you or me."
Her casual words were like a knife twisting in Wang Youle's heart.
He had always understood why he didn't fit in with the team. It wasn't his lack of talent or insufficient strength, but his poverty.
The disparity in wealth had created a divide in their values. Although there was no contempt, such a casual phrase could inflict soul-piercing pain on Wang Youle.
Eighty million was an unimaginable sum for Wang Youle, yet Jiang Xinyu mentioned it so casually. It was an astronomical sum for ordinary people, but for the Jiang Group, it was merely a quarter's profit.
Using a quarter's profit to help Jiang Xinyu advance to the Star Cloud Stage was a profitable deal from any angle. Jiang Xinyu's parents had long intended to do so.
Xu Xiangwen's family owned Xu Tech, and Gong Feiyu's family had the Gong Financial Group. Although Wang Lan wasn't known to be a rich heir, how could someone who befriended these wealthy scions be poor?
"This isn't about money; it's about principle. The prerequisite is not affecting the main objective. It's just my fault for being too outstanding; I can't even carry the four of you properly. Forget it, I won't make things difficult. I'll carry you all instead."
"Damn it!" Xu Xiangwen shot up. "Feiyu, are you going to tolerate this?"
"Can't tolerate it! Let's get him!"
Their cheerful laughter echoed through the cave. Jiang Xinyu's icy expression suddenly thawed, revealing a reminiscent smile. The laughter of youths chasing each other under the setting sun—though youth had not yet passed, it had already become a cherished memory. Such a scene deserved to be recorded.
Meanwhile, Wang Youle sat in the shadows beyond the firelight, looking utterly out of place.
With Wang Lan joining the distribution, the speed of collecting Soul Beads indeed increased significantly. Wang Lan also stopped constantly spending skill points on upgrades, and his killing speed increased another notch.
Especially after Wang Lan joined the distribution, he officially began coordinating with the other four. With Jiang Xinyu and the others creating favorable conditions, Wang Lan achieved a near one-hit kill with almost every attack. His kill rate was frighteningly high; after an hour, he had independently harvested forty Soul Beads, averaging one every two minutes.
If they maintained this pace for the entire day, the team's haul for today alone could reach five hundred Soul Beads, more than the previous three days combined. At this rate, they would have enough by tomorrow.
Just as Wang Lan and the others were delighting in their slaughter, the Snow Spiders suddenly became agitated.
Xu Xiangwen quickly activated his Heavenly Eye to observe, but oddly, the Snow Spiders were retreating towards the great snowy mountain, their lair.
"What's going on? Why are all the Snow Spiders returning to their nest?"
"There's only one explanation for this behavior; the Spider Queen is in danger," Jiang Xinyu stated calmly. "Shall we follow and see?"
"Are you serious? The Snow Spiders are the largest tribe in the primary trial area. If we get surrounded, we'll all perish here," Gong Feiyu asked nervously.
"What's there to fear? Don't you have me?" Xu Xiangwen patted his chest. "But Xinyu, you'll need to give me a few Soul Beads. Activating the Heavenly Eye consumes a lot of power."
"Alright! Stay on guard at all times, and retreat immediately if there's any danger."
The team advanced three kilometers, following the Snow Spiders' retreat, when Xu Xiangwen suddenly stopped.
"Whoa, this is a huge scene..."
"What happened?"
"The Flaming Leopards and Gale Wolves are attacking the Snow Spiders from both front and rear. At the front, the Leopard King and Spider King have already clashed. The situation at the rear is hard to tell. Gale Wolves are very cunning; I don't know if their Wolf King has made a move. If the Wolf King attacks, the Snow Spiders will be in trouble. So many Snow Spiders are returning, likely to fend off the Gale Wolves."
"Why would the Flaming Leopards and Gale Wolves attack the Snow Spiders at this time?" Gong Feiyu asked in confusion. "The Snow Spiders live near the great snowy mountain and have no territorial conflict with the Flaming Leopards. The Gale Wolves also reside in the Wind Valley... Although it's nearby, they've always minded their own business."
Jiang Xinyu suddenly raised her wristwatch, clicked a few times, and a virtual screen appeared in front of her.
"Spider Queen Sherry. She became queen in year 4978 of the Celestial Calendar. This year, she should be... forty years old."
"The lifespan of a Snow Spider is three years, that of a Spider King is ten, and a Spider Queen's is between thirty to forty years. That means... the Spider Queen's lifespan is nearing its end?"
"That should be it. However, a Snow Queen typically gives birth to a successor before her own life ends, so there shouldn't be any risk. Besides, the first act of a new Spider Queen is to devour the old one, ensuring a seamless transition of power."
"Perhaps something unexpected has happened this time. Should we get closer? What if we can pick up some scraps?"
They were all daredevils, audacious enough to approach a large-scale battle, practically dancing in a hail of gunfire. If they were surrounded by Exotic Beasts, they'd be devoured before they could even send a distress signal.
The five of them slowly advanced under the cover of the snow until they reached a vantage point overlooking the battle.
At this moment, the battle between the Leopard King and the Spider King had reached a white-hot intensity. Both combatants were injured.
The Spider King was more than ten times the size of an ordinary Snow Spider. Its white carapace was as thick as tank armor. Yet, despite its apparent bulk, the Spider King was surprisingly swift.
Frigid vapor billowed from its body like smoke from an engine, and the Ice Needle Rain Dew it unleashed was like a hail of bullets. Moreover, these ice needles were incredibly fast; any Flaming Leopard struck by one was instantly killed.
The Snow Spiders were fast, but the Leopard King was faster still. It moved like a meteor, its speed accentuated by the blazing flames engulfing its body, making it shimmer like a shooting star.
With one breath of fire, the Leopard King could engulf an area with a twenty-meter diameter in a sea of flames.
The Leopard King and Spider King were evenly matched in strength. However, faced with the Snow Spiders' swarming tactics, the Flaming Leopards were outmatched and steadily pushed back.
One-on-one, a Flaming Leopard could easily kill a Snow Spider. Against two, it became difficult. If ganged up on by three or four, a Flaming Leopard was doomed.
It was an epic battle scene, but also a blood-soaked slaughterhouse.
Wang Lan had never imagined Snow Spiders could eat so quickly, devouring an entire Flaming Leopard in just a few bites. And they didn't even spare their own kind! Whenever a corpse appeared, countless Snow Spiders would swarm to feast on it. Even those severely injured but still alive were quickly consumed by their companions.
"This is too brutal..." Xu Xiangwen said, his face pale and his voice trembling slightly.
"That's why I hate spiders. At least the Flaming Leopards don't eat their own kind."
AWOOOO—
Suddenly, a wolf howl echoed.
Xu Xiangwen quickly activated his Heavenly Eye. "The Gale Wolves are retreating! It seems the Wolf King didn't come."
"How do you know?" Wang Youle asked, puzzled.