"Waste!"
In the Elite Team's camp, Lu Kai spat on the ground in front of the Old Bird, his face full of disdain and contempt.
The Old Bird's face turned a liver red, his lips moved, but he couldn't utter a single word.
The eyes of the other members of the Elite Team were filled with the same disdain, as if looking at a clown.
Since rejoining the Elite Team, Old Bird had been living on cloud nine, with Ji Nanhong and the others of the team taking turns leveling him up, quickly bringing him to Level 10.
Originally, he thought he would soar sky-high from then on, but who would have known that when they went to kill the Great Black Celestial Demon Statue, Old Bird's arrows weren't as accurate as during practice, missing the open third eye of the Great Black Celestial Demon Statue, missing the chance to kill it, forcing Ji Nanhong to abandon the action and withdraw the team.
Old Bird painfully begged Ji Nanhong and the other team members to give him another chance, assuring them he wouldn't make another mistake.
Ji Nanhong gave him another chance, preparing supplies once more to encircle the Great Black Celestial Demon Statue, but Old Bird still couldn't seize the opportunity, this time missing even more outrageously.
"How could this happen?" Old Bird couldn't understand why this was happening. He was clearly very accurate, clearly an archery genius; why couldn't he shoot accurately now?
The Old Bird felt like everyone in the Elite Team was looking at him as if he were an idiot.
He, of course, knew what Lu Kai and the others were thinking. Everyone now believed he was a weakling, seeming impressive usually, but failing at crucial times, being the mud that can't stick to the wall, essentially a weakling who can't be helped.
"Old Bird, we've paid quite a price in these two encirclements of the Great Black Celestial Demon Statue, and you know the cause of failure well. You can't stay here any longer, or I won't be able to answer to the other team members," Ji Nanhong said, looking at Old Bird.
Old Bird's lips moved, wanting to ask Ji Nanhong for another chance, but suddenly realized he had lost even his own confidence.
Even if Ji Nanhong really gave him another chance, he wasn't confident in hitting the target, and he even feared facing it again.
"I understand." Old Bird handed back the equipment prepared for him by the Elite Team and left with his head down.
For those two assaults, the Elite Team consumed many resources, and the losses were significant — Ji Nanhong only expelling him from the Elite Team was already quite merciful.
"What a piece of trash; garbage will always be garbage. Giving him a chance is useless too." Lu Kai's voice unreservedly reached Old Bird's ears.
Old Bird paused but didn't look back, gritted his teeth, and left the Elite Team's base.
After leaving the Elite Team, Old Bird vented his frustration on trees in the forest, his heart weighed down with despair.
"Why... why is it like this... I was clearly shooting accurately... why can't I hit the target now..." Old Bird, after venting, knelt on the ground, clutching his head, his face seemingly wearing a mask of agony.
He knew he was done for, that he had screwed things up, and there was no longer a chance to move forward.
"I really can't do it... Once it comes to crucial moments, I can't..." Old Bird was in deep distress, turning from a genius to a despised waste in just a few days, completely shattering his confidence.
"No... I can't fall... I can't let them look down on me... But my archery... my archery..." Old Bird had lost confidence in himself, and the image of Rouged Rabbit filled his mind.
"If that pet were mine, even if my archery was lacking, I could still secure a place in the Elite Team, and no one could look down on me again." Old Bird's eyes filled with blood, his gaze gradually becoming fierce and determined.
Getting up from the ground, Old Bird clenched his bow in hand and headed decisively toward the Corpse Rot Forest where he last parted ways with Chen Guan.
He intended to find Chen Guan, to force Chen Guan to hand over his pet, Rouged Rabbit, even if he had to use cruel methods to do so.
Previously, Old Bird hadn't taken the Rouged Rabbit by force, partly because they were old neighbors, sparing a bit of face, and partly because the combat prowess shown by the Rouged Rabbit deterred him from rash actions.
Moreover, the rule set by Ji Nanhong forbade infighting among human cultivators on the island, and they were prohibited from taking others' belongings. Naturally, Old Bird couldn't snatch Chen Guan's pet before them.
At the time, he hadn't mentioned Chen Guan's powerful unique pet to Ji Nanhong, already harboring some sinister thoughts.
Otherwise, if Ji Nanhong knew of the Rouged Rabbit's existence, he would likely have recruited Chen Guan into the Elite Team.
At this moment, Old Bird had no sentiment or scruples left, only the desire to find Chen Guan immediately, use every means necessary to make the Rouged Rabbit his own.
Old Bird didn't think Chen Guan had the power to resist him, considering he was now a Level 10 Cultivator, whereas Chen Guan was a newcomer, fresh to the island and without guidance. Even with a unique pet, he couldn't advance his level and battle power much.
Old Bird was obsessed with capturing the Rouged Rabbit, then leveling it up and returning to the Elite Team with it, to prove to Lu Kai and the others that he, Old Bird, was no waste.
Old Bird frantically searched near the Corpse Rot Forest but couldn't find any trace of Chen Guan.
"That kid didn't encounter a powerful Secret Spirit and get killed, right?" Old Bird was frightened, fearful that Chen Guan was already dead because, in that case, he couldn't obtain the Rouged Rabbit and would be forever a waste with no chance of redemption.
If the master perishes, the Secret Spirit, reliant on his life force, also vanishes, which is the last thing Old Bird wanted to see.
Unwilling to give up, Old Bird expanded his search range, grasping at straws; no matter what, he had to find Chen Guan, while praying in his heart, begging the heavens that Chen Guan wasn't dead.
Perhaps Old Bird's sincerity moved the heavens. While searching a gorge, he spotted several human figures, one of whom was the long-sought-after Chen Guan.
Old Bird didn't rush up but observed carefully, noticing that the people with Chen Guan were all unfamiliar faces, clearly new arrivals on the island, and was immediately reassured.
Looking again, he saw their clothes were extremely tattered, without even a pet, and some were clearly wounded, their condition visibly poor, reassuring him even more.
Chen Guan and Qin Ziyu's group also noticed Old Bird. Chen Guan couldn't help but frown slightly.
"Chen Guan, come over, I have something to tell you." Riding his Ghost-headed Horse, Old Bird approached Chen Guan, looking down from above and speaking.
"Just say it here." Chen Guan had already guessed Old Bird's intentions.
Those easily inspired by the Spirit of the Cheerleaders, whether people or Secret Spirits, likely had relatively poor potential based on Chen Guan's observations.
Old Bird was easily inspired, indicating his potential was only average, with the inspired potential not sustaining for long.
It was obvious, even without thinking, that Old Bird wouldn't last long in the Elite Team and would soon be exposed.
Now, Old Bird's appearance said it all. He wasn't here to level up Chen Guan; his intentions were clear.