The strength of a Tier Four displayed, Wang Xu's ancient martial arts progressed by leaps and bounds, even breaking through to the Fourth Layer of "Basic Flesh Body."
Logically, even if Wang Xu broke through to Tier Four, it should not have been such a big leap, but Wang Xu realized that this remarkable advancement was likely due to that mysterious flame!
The mysterious flame could transform the energy of insect beast corpses into his own energy, which was already incredible, so it was not surprising that it could also advance Wang Xu's strength significantly.
"Phew~" Walking out of the cave, Wang Xu absorbed the fresh air from the outside, feeling the warmth of the rising sun.
Without lingering, Wang Xu took a stride, moving toward Xu Yuan and the others at a speed of tens of meters per step.
Now that Wang Xu had ascended to Tier Four, he feared Xu Yuan and his group no longer. Once the trial was completed, Wang Xu could directly assess for the elite title and relocate his parents to the Protected Area. No matter how significant Xu Yuan's influence was, could he really extend his reach into the Protected Area?
"Huh? Where are they?" It took Wang Xu only a moment to reach the camp, but he found the energy barrier had been retracted, and the well-organized living quarters had been entirely dismantled.
The radiation level here was up to standard, a top-notch temporary Safe Zone; why would Xu Yuan and his group give up this place?
Wang Xu couldn't figure it out, nor did he need to. With Zhang Xinglin there, Tang Yan, Song Zhen, and others being Tier Three Genetic Warriors, it wouldn't be easy for Xu Yuan to make a move.
Putting aside his thoughts, Wang Xu stepped out, continuing on the path of the trial.
The trial lasted an entire day and night, and his points were now 202. To compete for a spot on the points leaderboard, he needed at least three hundred. Wang Xu slightly curled his lips; three hundred Points was no challenge for him now. As a Tier Four Genetic Warrior here, unless surrounded by Tier Four elite insect beasts, death was improbable, and he could sweep through the entire C-level region.
"Splat! Splat! Splat!" With a single slash, three Tier Two insect beasts that had just tried to pounce were cut in half, their blood and flesh splattering everywhere.
Gathering the corpses of the three insect beasts, Wang Xu gently inspected them, revealing a smile.
Having hunted all morning, Wang Xu had already killed over a hundred Tier Two insect beasts, making breaching four hundred points no issue. During this period, he was lucky enough to encounter three Tier Three insect beasts, all of which were slashed down by him, then devoured by the flame, converting into his own energy.
"It's getting close to noon, I need to head to the 'Central Point'."
After the trial ended, the Genetics Academy would retrieve the students back to the academy, but the teleport point was at a fixed coordinate, and students must arrive before the designated time, or they'd be deemed dead, left behind in the Insect Beast Region.
...
Elsewhere, in a desolate radiation zone, a group of students had already started waiting for the spatial teleportation.
Every student showed some signs of fatigue on their faces, their battle armor stained with blood, some even wounded, their injuries still seeping fine threads of fresh blood.
"Monkey…" A female student collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, tears streaming down her face.
Students who saw this scene sighed. Monkey was a male student's nickname. He and the girl were a couple, both with Tier Three strength, but who would have thought they'd encounter a powerful Tier Three insect beast this time? To protect the girl, Monkey single-handedly led the beast away… with predictable results.
Such incidents happened in several groups, but while their eyes were red with emotion, they withheld tears.
At this moment, a few people approached from afar, with Xu Yuan, smiling, leading the way.
Xu Yuan was in a great mood. He had effortlessly rid himself of the thorn-in-the-side, Wang Xu, and won over the fierce Zhang Xinglin, not to mention Tang Yan staying by his side. This feeling of support made Xu Yuan feel good from head to toe.
Only Song Zhen was not tactful, always giving Xu Yuan a hard look, so Xu Yuan had someone break his leg. Now Song Zhen limped, unable to walk properly, let alone fight alone.
"Zhou Ge, you traitor, Brother Wang trusted you so much, yet you…" Song Zhen said through gritted teeth, glaring at Zhou Ge.
Zhou Ge's body shook, his eyes filled with guilt as he lowered his head, saying, "Song Zhen… I'm sorry, I never thought Xu Yuan would do this, I'm sorry…"
Zhou Ge was the weakest in Wang Xu's trio, always hunting the fewest insect beasts, hence getting the least resources, which slowed his progress.
Xu Yuan offered him a hundred thousand Earth Coins to disclose their location during the trial and secretly sprinkle "Green Flavor Liquid" on the insect beast corpses. This liquid would attract Tier Three insect beasts; under the siege of dozens of Tier Three insects, Wang Xu would definitely suffer some damage, thereby letting Wang Xu have a taste of hardship.
Zhou Ge saw this as no challenge and was tempted by a hundred thousand Earth Coins, agreeing immediately.
However, Zhou Ge didn't realize that what Xu Yuan had given him wasn't Green Flavor Liquid but "Purple Scale Liquid," which attracted Tier Four elite insect beasts!
Purple Scale Liquid was immensely appealing to Tier Four elite insect beasts. With one arriving, Wang Xu and his team could only choose to flee, at which point Xu Yuan would erect an energy barrier in the radiation zone… the plan was perfectly executed.
The group arrived at the central point, Zhang Xinglin sat down cross-legged, silent, while Tang Yan quietly rested beside him.
"Song Zhen, to save your other leg, obediently hand over the insect beast corpses in your space ring," Xu Yuan stood in front of Song Zhen with a hint of malice.
"You…" Song Zhen was furious, "You're dreaming!"
"Hmph! I'm merely informing you, not negotiating, and as for you, Zhou Ge, hand over your insect beast corpses too," Xu Yuan said, glancing at Zhou Ge, whose face turned pale.
Zhou Ge looked distressful, not expecting Xu Yuan to turn on him after helping him but shivered at Xu Yuan's ruthless tactics and transferred all the insect beast corpses to Xu Yuan's space ring.
"Your turn now," Xu Yuan said coldly to Song Zhen.
Cross-legged Zhang Xinglin opened his eyes, glanced at Song Zhen, hesitated for a moment, and then closed them again.
Xu Yuan naturally noticed Zhang Xinglin's movements and felt relieved. If Zhang Xinglin spoke up, he'd have to oblige, but Zhang Xinglin's reluctance to meddle made things perfect.
Tang Yan wanted to speak but remembered that whomever she spoke for would get targeted by Xu Yuan, and she fell silent.
"Want insect beast corpses? I have plenty. Try taking them if you have the strength," a cold voice suddenly sounded, and a dark-faced Wang Xu slowly walked over from the distance.