Another week had passed.
Early in the morning, Wang Zhan woke up but showed no intention of heading to the Valley Plain.
Last night, on his way back, he had vaguely sensed the big guy starting to awaken. It was now in a state between dream and wakefulness, like someone still groggy after just waking up.
But who knew when it would fully awaken; at least Wang Zhan didn't want to risk his life again.
I've been out for eleven days, it's time to head back. Wang Zhan packed his bags, preparing to return to Base City.
In the past week, he had increased all three of his main attributes to over 390 points. Although he hadn't yet reached the 400-point maximum for a level 2 Martial Artist, Wang Zhan was already very satisfied with this progress.
Including the ten-plus days in the wilderness, he had been enrolled in the Academy for less than two months. To have reached his current level in such a short time was astonishingly fast.
With my current physical strength, once I return and begin cultivating the Essence Concentrating Skill, my speed of absorbing and refining Essence Energy should reach the upper limit for a level 2 Martial Artist. I'll also max out my three main attributes, and then break through to become a level 3 Martial Artist.
After being exposed to systematic Martial Artist cultivation and the Academy's resources, Wang Zhan had gradually formed a clear plan for his future path.
His backpack was quickly packed. He was traveling light, and the cave itself was simple; apart from all the Grade-2 beast cores and some level 1 beast cores, there wasn't much else worth taking.
This cave is very secluded. I need to conceal it well so I can use it again in the future, Wang Zhan thought.
Just as Wang Zhan was preparing to leave the cave, a few figures suddenly appeared in the distance.
It's Song Le and the others. Recognizing them, Wang Zhan decided to stay put and wait.
However, when Song Le and his two companions drew near, Wang Zhan's expression changed slightly upon seeing their blood-soaked appearance.
He was no longer in a hurry to leave. He quickly pulled aside the bushes concealing the cave entrance to let them in.
Once inside the cave, Wang Zhan, his face grave, looked at Song Le, whom Tian Shishi was gently lowering from her back.
Song Le was on the verge of death. Apart from the slight rise and fall of his chest, he was almost indistinguishable from a corpse.
There was a massive gash on his waist. The wound looked clean and even, likely inflicted by a sharp weapon. Noticing the slightly reddened skin around it, Wang Zhan knew it was beginning to get infected.
A fatal wound in the wilderness, and now infection...
In his heart, Wang Zhan had already deemed Song Le as good as dead.
"What happened?" Wang Zhan asked in a deep voice.
Tian Shishi's eyes were red-rimmed, her gaze fixed on Song Le. She remained silent, clearly overwhelmed by grief.
Lv Qing said hoarsely, "We were set up."
"Set up?" Wang Zhan was somewhat surprised.
Lv Qing nodded. "After we completed our mission, we were planning to take the valley pass through the Valley Plain since it was on our way..."
"You encountered the Four-arm Giant Ape?" Wang Zhan exclaimed. "I noticed yesterday that the Four-arm Giant Ape seemed to be waking up, so I was planning to head back today. I didn't expect you to be so unlucky."
"We were set up!" Tian Shishi suddenly cried out, her voice laced with hatred.
"Yesterday, as we were passing through the valley, we happened to encounter the Four-arm Giant Ape just as it was waking up. The three of us immediately decided to turn back. Even if it meant a detour several times longer, we weren't going to confront the Four-arm Giant Ape."
At this point, Tian Shishi was gritting her teeth.
"But someone alerted the Four-arm Giant Ape! That person had been following us the whole time, but his strength far surpassed ours, so we never even noticed him!"
"It was him! When we were about to leave, he not only blocked our escape route but also provoked the Four-arm Giant Ape!"
Hearing this, Wang Zhan found it incredible.
"A human?"
Lv Qing sighed deeply. "Yes, a human. But his actions made it clear he wanted to use the three of us as bait to lure the Four-arm Giant Ape! Although we don't know what his purpose was, that guy is definitely not a good person."
"If I ever see him again, I'll tear him limb from limb," Tian Shishi declared.
It was hard to imagine that the cheerful and lively Tian Shishi of just ten days ago could now utter such vicious words.
From the two women's descriptions, Wang Zhan now had a general understanding of the situation.
However, there was nothing Wang Zhan could do about it. He was just a level 2 Martial Artist, practically insignificant in the wilderness.
"You're both in terrible shape. Rest for a while, then come back to Base City with me. We'll report this incident to the Academy and let them handle it."
Lv Qing nodded slightly, having no objections.
Tian Shishi, however, frowned. Her eyes reddened further, especially when she looked at Song Le's wretched state.
"Is Song Le just going to die in vain like this? And at the hands of a human, no less?"
Wang Zhan shook his head but said nothing.
Lv Qing said bitterly, "Shishi, there's nothing we can do."
Tian Shishi lowered her head.
But just then, Wang Zhan's ears twitched. Without a moment's hesitation, he drew the dagger strapped to his leg and hurled it fiercely towards the cave entrance!
WHOOSH! The sound of something slicing through the air suddenly arose, then abruptly ceased.
The sparse vegetation at the entrance had somehow stopped the dagger thrown with Wang Zhan's full strength.
More precisely, a hand had reached through the vegetation obscuring the line of sight and caught the dagger by its hilt!
"Who is it?!" Wang Zhan snapped coldly, simultaneously pulling Tian Shishi and Lv Qing behind him.
"I knew you must have backup. It seems my efforts in following you for so long weren't in vain after all."
A somewhat shrill voice spoke. Then, the vegetation at the cave entrance was roughly pushed aside, and a man in black appeared before Wang Zhan. With a flick of his wrist, the man in black tossed the dagger back to him.
Wang Zhan caught the dagger, but his heart sank.
This gesture clearly showed the man's immense confidence, stemming from the belief that they posed no threat whatsoever.
When Lv Qing and Tian Shishi also saw the man in black, their faces instantly flushed with anger.
"It's you!" Lv Qing cried furiously. "You're a Human Martial Artist too! Why would you harm us?"
The man in black chuckled, finding the question too naive and ridiculous to warrant an answer.
Wang Zhan's expression was grim. Based on the strength the man in black had just displayed, he deduced that the man was at least a level 5 Martial Artist, possibly higher.
No wonder he dared to provoke the Four-arm Giant Ape. Even if not in a direct confrontation, while the gap between a level 5 Martial Artist and a level 7 beast is large, it's not so great that the Martial Artist would be utterly powerless.
The man in black's voice sounded again.
"I want to take down the Four-arm Giant Ape, and you conveniently showed up as bait. Is that reason enough for you?"
After a pause, an eerie smile crept onto the man in black's face.
Wang Zhan said coldly, "In the wilderness, this lousy place, the so-called law of the jungle is truly on full display, isn't it?"
At this moment, facing the malevolent man in black, Wang Zhan, for the first time, truly witnessed the brutality of the wilderness.
Certainly, most Human Martial Artists work together to resist the beasts. But people's hearts have always been selfish, so it's natural that there would be no shortage of Human Martial Artists who prey on their own kind. As the ancient saying goes, 'the strong use their martial prowess to break prohibitions.' In the wilderness, might makes right.
So, it was obvious that the one holding the power—the right to speak—was now the man in black.
Having figured this out, Wang Zhan quelled his anger, his expression becoming impassive again.
The man in black continued, "I'll give you two choices: either I kill you now, or you obediently help me. Afterwards, as long as you're not dead, I won't touch you again."
"Do you even believe that yourself? We're all students from the Military Martial Arts Academy. Would you leave survivors? Would you dare to leave survivors?!" Wang Zhan sneered.
Hearing this, the man in black looked at Wang Zhan with sudden admiration.
"Such a sharp brain, what a pity. If you weren't from the Military Martial Arts Academy, I might have let you join us," the man in black said, a hint of regret in his tone.
Wang Zhan, however, keenly caught the implication in the man's words.
"'Us'?!" Wang Zhan pressed. "You have an organization?"
The man in black ignored Wang Zhan's inquiry, retorting, "Enough nonsense. Are you prepared to die by my hand, or by the claws of the Four-arm Giant Ape?"
"What about a third option?" Wang Zhan suddenly asked.
"What third opt— You're courting death!" The man in black was halfway through his sentence when his face instantly darkened.
He saw Wang Zhan actually charging at him. He's going to make a desperate last stand!
"You reckless fool!"
In that instant, Wang Zhan appeared before the man in black.
"The third option is to kill you. A happy outcome for everyone!" Wang Zhan sneered.
CLANG!
With a crisp ring, the man in black, his expression cold, parried Wang Zhan's dagger with a longsword.
"Martial Artists from the Ivory Tower are truly laughable," the man in black stated disdainfully. "Since you're so eager to die, I'll oblige you. Then I'll feed your corpses to that giant ape in the valley."
The words had barely left his lips when the man in black felt an immense force from Wang Zhan! Despite his strength as a level 5 Martial Artist, he was actually forced back two steps by Wang Zhan.
Such immense strength! The man in black looked at Wang Zhan in some surprise, seeing the intense fighting intent blazing in Wang Zhan's eyes.
This kid isn't just making a desperate last stand like a cornered beast; he actually thinks he can defeat me? The man in black found it incredible.
A mere level 2 Martial Artist, even if his physique was somewhat formidable, could he really cross three entire realms to defeat him, a level 5 Martial Artist?
One should know that every breakthrough in the Martial Artist Stage involved shattering one's own Limit. The Essence Energy within a level 5 Martial Artist was at least double that of a level 2 Martial Artist!
"Should I praise your courage, or call you utterly foolish?" The man in black's killing intent surged.
Wang Zhan, however, now felt a surge of confidence.
I gained a slight upper hand in that brief exchange. Though it was partly due to him underestimating me, it's clear this man in black is not unbeatable!
Wang Zhan exerted more force through his dagger, using the rebound to propel himself backward. He landed steadily three or four meters away. He met the man in black's gaze, not a trace of fear in his eyes.
"You think you've got us cornered?"