Chapter 122: New Test!

“Attention, ahead lies the Infinite Arena territory. Danger…”

Several psychokinetic vehicles carrying martial artists came to a halt before a barrier made of barbed wire. A few martial artists gathered in front of a sign painted with a large death symbol and quietly read its inscription.

“Hmph! What a joke! What is this?” One martial artist angrily kicked the barbed wire barrier.

Surprisingly, the barrier flew away from that single kick. All the martial artists, who had expected hidden traps inside the barrier, dropped their glasses in shock. Even the martial artist who had kicked the barrier stood there, stunned for a moment.

“Tch… Dammit! It’s all show and no substance! What are you all waiting for? Let’s keep moving!” As soon as the martial artist regained his senses, he laughed loudly and restarted his psychokinetic vehicle.

The other martial artists exchanged glances and quickly climbed onto their vehicles as well.

However, the first psychokinetic vehicle had not even traveled ten meters forward when a deafening explosion shook the hearts of every martial artist present. Amid a towering flame of psychic energy, the leading vehicle was flipped high into the air like a toy, soaring dozens of meters upward before crashing down violently, shattering into pieces!

Although such an explosion would not seriously harm the tenth-tier experts riding in the first vehicle, it still left every martial artist inside covered in dust and soot from the sudden blast.

“Dammit! Those bastards actually planted psychic bombs here!” The experts who climbed out of the wreckage angrily cursed.

“This is a trigger-based psychic bomb. It only detonates when it senses psychic machinery,” Ba Tengping calmly stated after inspecting the deep crater left by the explosion.

“What?” A murmur immediately rippled through the crowd.

“It seems if we want to continue forward, we’ll have to abandon our psychokinetic vehicles here,” Ba Tengping shrugged and continued, “Inside the forest ahead, who knows how many of these sensor bombs are buried. We’re already far from the harbor. If our vehicles are damaged any further, there’s no way we can return to the Star Moon within the next two hours.”

“Mm… That makes sense.” Soon, many martial artists nodded in agreement with Ba Tengping’s suggestion.

“What should we do then? We can’t just go back!” Others shouted in protest.

“And what else can we do if we don’t go back? Are we supposed to leave the vehicles here and walk forward? If some monstrous beasts rush out from around here, the vehicles will be destroyed anyway.”

“How about this? We draw lots and leave a few people to watch the vehicles. The rest of us can keep moving forward. Since we’ve come this far, we can’t just go back empty-handed without seeing anything!”

“Yeah! Let’s draw lots!”

After some debate, the martial artists finally reached a consensus. However, just at that moment, a sudden scream erupted from the back of the crowd.

“Ah! Look! Our psychokinetic vehicles!”

Everyone instinctively turned their heads and saw one martial artist pointing forward in panic. At the spot he indicated, a stream of brown liquid was rapidly leaking from the side joints of the vehicle and dripping onto the ground.

It wasn’t only the vehicle that the martial artist pointed at. All three psychokinetic vehicles that the martial artists had driven from the harbor were showing the exact same problem! Even those martial artists who knew nothing about psychic machinery could tell something was seriously wrong!

“What… what is this?”

“Damn it! That’s psychic conductor fluid! Quick! Scatter!” Several martial artists who understood psychic machinery recognized the situation immediately and shouted in panic, louder than anyone else.

Boom!

Before their voices even faded, blinding psychic light suddenly erupted from the undercarriages of the three remaining psychokinetic vehicles. Then, amidst a thunderous explosion, all three vehicles detonated simultaneously.

The psychic energy stored in the three heavy psychokinetic vehicles exploded with a force nearly equal to a Saint-tier psychic master’s full-powered attack. Metal fragments rained down like a storm, covering an area hundreds of meters wide. Martial artists within the range of the debris could do nothing but frantically cover their heads and flee.

Zhang Wen, Ba Tengping, and their two companions stood farther away from the vehicles, so they weren’t as disheveled as the others. At the moment of the explosion, the three merely leapt backward a few steps and steadied themselves. Occasionally, when a few metal fragments flew toward them, any one of them could easily knock them away with a casual flick of the wrist.

Thus, amidst the chaos, Zhang Wen even had the leisure to glance at the martial artist on the last vehicle who had always worn a friendly smile.

Compared to Zhang Wen’s group, this martial artist, whom Ba Tengping himself admitted he “dared not provoke,” seemed even more relaxed. He stood slightly closer to the three exploded vehicles than Zhang Wen’s group. However, none of the flying metal fragments could reach him. Any fragment that approached within ten meters of him seemed to hit an invisible slippery wall, either sliding off to the side or being reflected back.

“A Transcendent-tier expert,” Xie Luo, who had also witnessed the scene, muttered grimly.

“Mm,” Zhang Wen nodded slightly.

“Psychokinetic vehicles! How could all of them explode at once?” Zhang Wen and Xie Luo’s conversation was soon interrupted by the furious shouts of others.

“What the hell is going on?”

“Idiot! We’ve been set up!”

Three psychokinetic vehicles simultaneously developing the same issue and exploding together—anyone with half a brain could tell it was no coincidence.

“But who would do this? Is it Hassan? What would he gain from leaving us all stranded here? What’s the point of holding this selection if he does this?”

“Quiet down everyone…” As the martial artists descended into chaos, Roufulei’s voice suddenly rose above the noise.

“Who? Who’s talking?” The martial artists turned their heads toward the source of the voice, only to find the ground littered with metal fragments and no one else there!

“Don’t bother looking. This is just a recording,” Roufulei’s sultry voice continued to emerge from the scattered metal debris, “I am your examiner for today’s test. By now, I’m sure all four of your psychokinetic vehicles have been blown sky-high. Hehe! No need to doubt it—it was me who sabotaged those four vehicles…”

“Bastard! That damn woman!” Several hot-headed martial artists jumped up in rage at Roufulei’s mocking tone.

“…I know you’re angry. But instead of wasting time being angry, you’d better think about other things. The Star Moon will leave Pico Island in three hours. Without your psychokinetic vehicles, there’s no way you can return to the Star Moon within the time limit…”

“Damn woman… damn woman!” Low growls rumbled in the throats of the enraged martial artists.

Although everyone knew that Roufulei’s test certainly didn’t aim to strand them all on Pico Island, the feeling of being toyed with by a woman was enough to make every martial artist present furious.

“…Hehe! However, I can also give you some good news. After leaving Pico Island, the Star Moon will make a full-day stop at another island nearby. In the Infinite Arena ahead, we’ve already prepared six hovercrafts for you. Of course, not the large ones you usually ride, but small hovercrafts that can carry only four people each. We’ve also left maps of the nearby sea area inside the hovercrafts. So… good luck to you all. I’ll be waiting aboard the Star Moon for the final winner to return. Hehehehe…”

As Roufulei’s laughter faded, the martial artists fell into silence. Even those who had been furiously shouting moments ago now frowned deeply, instinctively distancing themselves from those around them.

“Bastard! This is a conspiracy! They’re trying to force us to fight among ourselves!” After a while, a martial artist with short hair angrily broke the silence.

“Isn’t mutual slaughter the whole point of this competition? Hassan only wants the four strongest among us,” another martial artist coldly retorted.

“Hehe! It’s true Hassan only wants the strongest four. But not everyone here is aiming to be one of those final four winners. As for me, I just want to survive a few more days in the competition and earn a bit of pocket money. The Star Moon’s ten-day journey has only completed a fifth of its course. Why should we fight each other to the death so early?”

Lao Shanyang suddenly stepped forward, speaking calmly.

“What other choice do we have if we don’t want to fight each other to the death?” The martial artist who had spoken earlier immediately countered.

“Hehe! How could there not be other options?” Lao Shanyang smiled confidently, “Don’t forget, Hassan is holding this selection to choose four strong individuals to participate in another competition. That means, as long as we all stay here and nobody goes looking for the hovercrafts, I doubt Hassan would dare to abandon all of us and leave the Star Moon empty-handed.”

“Oh! Right! Hassan can’t possibly eliminate all of us, right? Otherwise, wouldn’t all his previous competitions have been for nothing?” Before Lao Shanyang even finished speaking, many martial artists were already shouting in joy.

Just as Lao Shanyang had said, none of the martial artists present wanted to fight each other to the death so early.

Lao Shanyang, full of self-satisfaction, nodded repeatedly to those around him, specially casting a proud glance toward Zhang Wen.

Zhang Wen also noticed Lao Shanyang’s smug expression. However, instead of anger, that annoying, self-congratulatory smile only caused a slight upward curve at the corner of Zhang Wen’s lips.

“Wait! The guy who discovered the problem with the psychokinetic vehicle earlier is gone!”

Something interesting happened soon. Lao Shanyang’s pride hadn’t lasted more than a few seconds before a scream from the crowd froze his smile.

“What? How could he disappear? Where did he go?” Several martial artists who had just agreed with Lao Shanyang pushed through the crowd, rushing desperately to the martial artist who had screamed.

One particularly muscular martial artist, with two tusks protruding from his mouth like a wild boar, furiously grabbed the martial artist who had screamed.

“I don’t know! He was right here just now, but after the female examiner’s voice stopped, I noticed he was gone!” The martial artist who had screamed waved his arms frantically.

“Bastard!” The tusked martial artist angrily threw the poor guy like a sandbag, then smashed his fist into a tree as thick as a man, splitting it cleanly in two, before panting heavily.

Besides this tusked martial artist, everyone else’s expressions were grim as well.

Everyone clearly understood that Lao Shanyang’s idea was indeed good. However, for his plan to succeed, there was one prerequisite: not a single martial artist participating in Hassan’s selection could return to the Star Moon!

As long as even one martial artist returned to the Star Moon, Hassan, even just to preserve his reputation as the richest man in the Southern Region, would never dare to take back his words in front of that martial artist!

“Now that someone has already set off, we have nothing more to say. Let’s each rely on our own luck.” Soon after, four martial artists among the remaining group exchanged glances, then left the crowd and walked down the road into the jungle-covered depths of the island.

Buzz!

A cacophony of loud discussions once again erupted among the remaining martial artists.

Five martial artists had left the main group and entered the forest. Even those who had clung to a faint hope could no longer afford to wait.

Lao Shanyang, who had previously been the center of attention, was no longer noticed by anyone. The martial artist with the peculiar beard turned pale and flushed repeatedly for a moment before suddenly gritting his teeth and walking back into the crowd.

Anyone with even a shred of intelligence could understand that in this sudden test, the key to ultimate victory was “teammates.”

Certainly, in this free “test,” no one would force anyone to team up with others. If someone preferred, choosing to go solo as a lone wolf would never be interfered with.

However, each hovercraft could transport four martial artists to the location of the Star Moon. In other words, in this test, martial artists forming groups of four would be the most stable and strongest competitors. Fewer members meant a disadvantage in strength, while more members would lead to instability within the group, easily causing it to fall apart.

Everyone could see this, so they sprang into action without hesitation. Since the group size of four physical artists was fixed, naturally, the stronger the teammates, the higher the chance of obtaining an airship.

While having capable teammates was certainly important, time was also a critical factor. Those who set off earlier would gain a significant advantage. Everyone present understood the “first come, first served” principle all too well.

Soon, another group of four physical artists left the crowd together. Their departure acted like a catalyst dropped into a chemical reaction, instantly igniting the crowd into a frenzy! Everyone realized they couldn’t afford to delay any further.

People strive for pride, just as a Buddha appreciates incense. Since Lofley had forced these powerful individuals into a showdown, none of them were willing to become the loser.

“Hurry up! There’s already a trio here, and only one spot remains! Anyone interested?”

“I’m Vincent Starlano from the planet Wicker! Has nobody heard of me?”

In an instant, the physical artists transformed the ground beneath them into a bustling marketplace, with shouts rising from every direction.

Amidst the chaos, three physical artists suddenly approached Zhang Wen’s group, who were standing beneath the shade of some trees at the edge of the crowd.

The trio consisted of two men and one woman. The two male physical artists had rather unusual appearances. Their skin had a bluish tint, their ears were long and sharply pointed like elves from Earth’s fantasy tales, and their noses were so small they were almost unnoticeable. They were significantly taller than average humans, undoubtedly exceeding two meters. Yet, despite their towering height, Zhang Wen noticed exceptional agility in their movements, and their muscular builds clearly demonstrated their formidable strength.

In imperial martial arts, combat energy formed the foundation of everything. Back at the Almeythas Academy, Zhang Wen had learned that most imperial physical artists improved their combat energy by repeatedly practicing martial techniques, allowing their energy to naturally increase through practice. Therefore, besides observing an opponent’s aura during combat, physical strength also served as a very useful indicator for judging a physical artist’s strength.

The female physical artist accompanying the two men also had the same pointed ears as the males. However, aside from those ears, she showed no other signs of non-human traits. In fact, she resembled the elves described in Earth’s fantasy tales—pure and beautiful!

Beyond her striking features, this beauty’s figure was equally elfin—graceful and sensual. Her height wasn’t as exaggerated as her male companions’, but her one hundred and eighty centimeters was just the right height that most men found most appealing—not too tall, yet still impressive. Additionally, perhaps due to her genetics, she possessed legs of incredible length and perfect proportions—truly breathtaking.

Honestly speaking, since arriving in the Musso Empire, many of the women close to Zhang Wen had beautiful legs—Linoah, Amelice, Countess Melissa, and Deputy Lelia, all of them possessed legs that made Zhang Wen’s heart race.

Still, Zhang Wen had to admit that, purely judging by their legs, none of the women he had ever seen before could match this elven beauty before him. Her legs were not only long but also perfectly slender and elegantly shaped, like exquisitely crafted works of art.

Unlike most physical artists present, this elven beauty wasn’t wearing a full-body combat suit. Her upper body was clad in a cropped top that ended just below her chest, exposing her entire waist, while her lower body wore a short leather skirt that fully revealed her gorgeous legs.

However, judging from the way she walked, her revealing outfit was clearly not meant for showing off her figure. She was a physical artist who specialized in agility. A full-body combat suit would significantly hinder her mobility, thus becoming a liability in battle.

Although this elven beauty, like most female martial artists who had trained their physical arts to an advanced level, no longer had the delicate skin of noble ladies who avoided physical exertion, and her hands bore slight roughness from years of wielding weapons, these minor imperfections were completely overshadowed by her many other virtues.

Everyone could see this point, so they immediately sprang into action. The number of four martial artists per group was unchangeable, and naturally, the stronger the teammates, the greater the chance of obtaining the airship. However, while good teammates were important, time waited for no one. The martial artists who set out first would undoubtedly have a significant advantage. The principle of “first come, first served” was something that none of the martial artists present would fail to understand.

Soon, another four martial artists left the crowd together. The departure of these four was like adding a catalyst to a chemical reaction, causing the crowd to boil over instantly! Everyone realized that they could no longer afford to dawdle.

“People strive for a breath of air, and Buddha receives a stick of incense.” Since Luo Fulei had pushed these strong individuals to the point where they had to determine the winner, none of them were willing to be the loser!

“Hurry up, there’s already a group of three here, only one spot left! Anyone interested?”

“I am Wike Xinglang Naruo! Does anyone know my name?”

In an instant, the martial artists turned the avenue they stood on into a bustling marketplace, with shouts rising and falling.

Amid the noise, three martial artists suddenly walked towards Zhang Wen and his group, who were standing under the shade of a tree at the edge of the crowd.

The three martial artists were a combination of two men and one woman. The two male martial artists had somewhat peculiar appearances. Their skin had a bluish tint, and their ears were pointed and long, resembling those of elves from Earth’s fantasy stories, while their noses were so small they were almost negligible. They were noticeably taller than the average person, undoubtedly over two meters. Despite their astonishing height, Zhang Wen could also see from their movements that they possessed agility far beyond that of ordinary people! Their bulging muscles were more than enough to prove their formidable strength.

In the empire’s martial arts, combat energy was the foundation of everything. During his time at the Almisus Academy, Zhang Wen had already learned that most imperial martial artists trained their combat energy by repeatedly practicing martial techniques, allowing their combat energy to naturally increase through the practice of these techniques. Therefore, besides observing the opponent’s aura during a fight, the physical strength of a martial artist could also serve as a very useful reference.

The female martial artist accompanying the two males also had elf-like ears. However, apart from those ears, there was nothing else inhuman about her. In fact, one could say that this female martial artist truly resembled the elves described in Earth’s fantasy stories—pure and beautiful!

In addition to her outstanding features, this beauty’s figure was also as elegant and sexy as an elf’s. Her height was not as exaggerated as her two male companions, but at just over 180 centimeters, it was a height that most men could appreciate without finding it too extreme. Moreover, perhaps due to genetics, the elf beauty also possessed a pair of legs that were unbelievably long!

Honestly, since arriving in the Moso Empire, Zhang Wen had encountered many women with whom he had close relationships, and quite a few of them had beautiful legs. From Linoya to Amelith, from Countess Melissa to Deputy Lailiya, these women all had long, attractive legs that made Zhang Wen’s heart race.

However, Zhang Wen had to admit that if it were just about the legs, none of the women he had seen before could compare to this elf beauty in front of him! Her legs were not only long but also had a symmetrical and slender line, like a piece of exquisite art.

Unlike most martial artists present, this elf-like beauty was not wearing a full-body combat suit. Her upper body was clad in a crop top that ended just below her chest, revealing her entire waist, while her lower body was adorned with a pair of leather shorts that fully exposed her beautiful legs.

However, from the way this elf beauty walked, it was clear that her attire was not meant to flaunt her enviable figure. This elf beauty was a martial artist who excelled in agility. Wearing a full-body combat suit would greatly hinder her agility, which would be a burden in battle.

Although this elf-like beauty, like most women who could cultivate martial arts to a strong level, no longer had skin as delicate as those noble ladies who avoided physical exercise, and her hands were slightly rough from years of holding weapons, it had to be admitted that all these flaws were completely overshadowed by the advantages she possessed.

What made this elf even more appealing to men was probably her spirited demeanor and the confidence and wildness that belonged only to the strong! Any man who saw such a woman could clearly feel that she was almost impossible to conquer, but once conquered, the sense of achievement and pleasure would be incomparable to conquering any other woman!

“They should be natives of the Kentucky planet. But not pure-blooded natives.” The well-informed Batenping immediately recognized the origins of these martial artists.

Zhang Wen didn’t recognize any of these three martial artists. From Batenping’s expression, although he could judge their origins, he didn’t know them personally. However, when Zhang Wen shifted his gaze to Xiuluo, he was surprised to find that Xiuluo’s face showed a rare hint of embarrassment.

What surprised Zhang Wen even more was that when the three martial artists approached, the name that came out of the elf beauty’s mouth was actually Xiuluo’s real name.

“Inax.”

“Iniel.” Xiuluo also called out the woman’s name.

“Old flame?” Zhang Wen stole a glance at Xiuluo’s face, secretly laughing.

“No… not what you’re thinking.” Xiuluo shook his head, but his expression became even more awkward.

“Xiuluo, we still need one more companion. Join us.” The two male martial artists from the Kentucky tribe also stepped forward. From their tone, it was clear that they were also familiar with Xiuluo.

Xiuluo twitched his lips but said nothing.

“Xiuluo, let’s not talk about the past. But now we need your help! Damn the Nims, they colluded with the empire’s officials to forcibly occupy the tribe’s sacred land! We refused, so they just made up a charge and arrested the chief! They even demanded a huge ransom! Even if we pooled all the tribe’s savings, it wouldn’t be enough! Otherwise, you know we wouldn’t have come to Casares!” Seeing Xiuluo still hesitating, the other male martial artist angrily pulled him aside, looked him straight in the eyes, and whispered furiously.

“I… I know.” Xiuluo nodded vigorously.

“Then what are you hesitating for?”

“That’s not what I mean.”

“Then what do you mean? Inax, no matter what mistakes the chief made in the past, he treated you like his own son. Are you just going to stand by and watch the chief be framed by those damn Nims?”

“I haven’t thought that way.” The Kentucky man’s aggressive attitude made Xiuluo frown involuntarily.

“Forget it, Si! Since Inax doesn’t want to, we don’t need to force him.” The elf beauty named Iniel, seeing the expressions of her companion and Xiuluo, understood the outcome of their negotiation. She waved to her companion, her voice carrying a hint of authority.

“But Inie, in this situation, where are we supposed to find another person to cooperate with?” Si glared at Xiuluo angrily, then waved his arms anxiously at the elf beauty.

“Inie…” Xiuluo also glanced at the elf beauty but hesitated to speak.

Having known Xiuluo for almost a year, this was the first time Zhang Wen had seen such a conflicted expression on Xiuluo’s face.

On the other side, Iniel had already made up her mind. She didn’t even glance at Xiuluo before saying to the Kentucky martial artist named Si, “Anyone will do. Even if it’s just the three of us, can’t we get through this? Or do you not trust my ability?”

“That’s not it, Inie! You know I couldn’t possibly…” Si’s face immediately turned red.

“Alright, then there’s no need to say more.” Iniel smiled slightly and walked away without looking back.

“Hey! Wait for me!” Si quickly shouted and chased after her.

“They should be natives of the planet Kentucky. However, they aren’t pure-blooded natives,” remarked Bateng, whose extensive experience allowed him to instantly identify the origins of these physical artists.

Zhang Wen didn’t recognize any of these three physical artists. From Bateng’s expression, although he could determine their background, he didn’t personally know them. However, when Zhang Wen shifted his gaze to Shura, he was surprised to find an unusual hint of embarrassment on Shura’s face.

Even more surprising was that, as the three physical artists approached, it was the elven beauty who first called out Shura’s real name.

“Inax.”

“Eynelle,” Shura also responded with the woman’s name.

“Old flame?” Zhang Wen stole a glance at Shura’s expression and secretly chuckled.

“No… It’s not what you’re thinking,” Shura shook his head, though his expression grew even more awkward.

“Shura, we’re still short one companion. Join us,” the two male Kentucky physical artists then stepped forward. From their tone, it was clear they were also familiar with Shura.

Shura twitched the corner of his mouth but said nothing.

“Shura, let’s not dwell on the past. But now, we need your help! Damned Nimians colluded with imperial officials, trying to seize our tribe’s sacred land! We refused, so they framed our chief with false charges and arrested him! They even demanded an enormous ransom! We don’t have nearly enough money—we’ve already gathered all the tribe’s savings! Otherwise, you know we’d never have come to Casares!” Seeing Shura hesitate, another male physical artist angrily pulled him aside, locking eyes with him as he whispered fiercely.

“I… I know,” Shura nodded firmly.

“Then why are you hesitating?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Then what do you mean? Inax, no matter what mistakes the chief made back then, he treated you like his own son. Are you really going to let the damned Nimians frame him?”

“I didn’t say I would.” The Kentucky man’s fiery temper caused Shura to frown involuntarily.

“Fine, Si,” the elven beauty named Eynelle interjected, seeing the expressions on both men. She gestured to her companion, her voice carrying a hint of authority.

“But Eyni, in our current situation, where are we supposed to find another person to partner with?” Si glared angrily at Shura before urgently gesturing to the elven beauty.

“Eyni…” Shura looked at the elven beauty too, but hesitated without speaking.

Having known Shura for nearly a year, this was the first time Zhang Wen had seen such a conflicted expression on his face.

Eynelle, however, had already made her decision. Without even glancing at Shura, she turned to Si and said, “We can find anyone. Even if it’s just the three of us, can’t we still pass this challenge? Or do you doubt my abilities?”

“No, Eyni! You know I would never…” Si’s face flushed red.

“Then there’s no need to say more,” Eynelle smiled slightly and walked away without looking back.

“Hey! Wait for me!” Si hurriedly shouted and rushed after her.