“Xiluo, aren’t you going to help them?” Zhang Wen approached Xiluo, glancing at him with interest. Having previously witnessed Xiluo’s internal struggle, Zhang Wen had assumed he would definitely assist them. Unexpectedly, Xiluo’s final decision turned out to be completely contrary to Zhang Wen’s expectations. However, this situation quickly made Zhang Wen realize that Xiluo’s entanglements with the Kentucky clan were likely far more complex than he had imagined.
“No…” Xiluo looked toward the direction Iniel and her group had left, sighing once more as if wanting to say more but holding back.
Nonetheless, for Zhang Wen’s group, the departure of the Kentucky clan did not mean they could now relax.
Given Xiluo’s reputation on the planet Kasares, nearly half of the “professional explorers” present had some sort of acquaintance with him, much like that old goat.
After Grod thoroughly defeated the three Saint-ranked martial artists and proposed the game, Xiluo had become one of the few Saint-ranked competitors remaining! Furthermore, among many professional explorers, Xiluo’s character was also widely respected.
Therefore, after the Kentucky clan, numerous martial artists came one after another, attempting to persuade Xiluo to join their teams. However, neither Batonping nor Zhang Wen received any invitations.
Batonping also considered actively inviting other martial artists to join their trio. Unfortunately, no matter how hard Batonping tried to extend invitations, no martial artist was willing to accept.
“I truly don’t understand why those people, who clearly haven’t found suitable teammates and whom I can see also wish to set out as soon as possible, refuse to accept my invitation,” Batonping finally sighed after his fifth failed attempt.
“It’s perfectly normal,” Zhang Wen helplessly waved his right hand at Batonping. “Put yourself in their position, and you wouldn’t accept your invitation either.”
“Why?” Batonping looked at Zhang Wen in confusion.
“If it were you, would you be willing to team up with three super-tier fighters you know absolutely nothing about in a competition that could cost your life? Moreover, among those three super-tier fighters, at least one appears like a dangerous element.”
“You’re right… I wouldn’t join either,” Batonping thought for a moment, then shook his head毫不犹豫地左右晃动脑袋,”A team with three powerful individuals is certainly strong, but entrusting my life to three strangers? I don’t have that kind of courage.”
“The Kentucky trio probably encountered the same problem, which is why they came looking for Xiluo. Those two Kentucky warriors are quite strong. Although they still can’t compare to the Saint-tier experts, among the tenth-tier fighters, they must be among the very best,” Zhang Wen smiled, then thoughtfully looked into the crowd.
Just then, another trio of martial artists happened to leave the crowd gathered by the roadside and walked toward Zhang Wen’s group. Leading the three was actually a familiar face—the old goat who had approached Zhang Wen that day and formed an alliance.
“Hehe! Teacher Zhang, we meet again,” the old goat raised his bloodshot eyes, which looked like they hadn’t slept for days, and grinned at Zhang Wen. However, he didn’t linger beside Zhang Wen for long before quickly turning his head toward Xiluo.
“However, this time there’s no need for Teacher Zhang to bother. I’m here for Master Xiluo.”
“Hmph!” Hearing the old goat’s voice, Xiluo snorted coldly.
“Master Xiluo,” the old goat paid no heed to Xiluo’s indifference, instead chuckling, “Still angry about last time? Last time I had no choice. I was merely fulfilling a commission. No one could have expected that delicate-looking girl to make us deliver that item. I swear on the True God, I really didn’t know what was in that bundle.”
“The True God?” Xiluo sneered, “Didn’t you worship the One God Light Religion the last time we met?”
“Hehe, the Light Religion? That was a long time ago. Now I’m a follower of the Eastern Religion,” the old goat smiled unconcernedly. “Master Xiluo, whether you believe me or not, can’t we just let bygones be bygones? Besides, for that last ‘delivery job,’ I made sure your share of the payment was delivered to your home untouched. This time, I’m here with genuine诚意 to cooperate with you. Master Xiluo, there’s no need to keep me at arm’s length, is there?”
(Note: “genuine诚意” appears to contain a mix of English and Chinese; if the intended word is “sincerity,” the sentence should read: “This time, I’m here with genuine sincerity to cooperate with you.”)
“Hmph!”
“Hehe… Master Xiluo, in fact, I’ve heard a bit about your dealings with the Kentucky clan. Just now, the Kentucky princess and the two temple warriors came to ask for your help, right? Why didn’t you join their group, Master Xiluo?”
“That’s none of your business,” Xiluo frowned.
“No, no, Master Xiluo, you misunderstood. I’m not trying to pry into the details. It’s just that I happen to have some information related to the Kentucky clan, and after thinking about it, I felt it better to inform you beforehand…” The old goat smiled like a small merchant, suddenly shielding his voice with telepathy.
Zhang Wen could only see the old goat’s lips moving continuously while Xiluo’s face gradually showed shock.
Zhang Wen furrowed his brow. It was evident that Xiluo had been swayed by the old goat.
“…Hehe, my power is low, cooperating with those two is just for some benefits, but for Master Xiluo, it’s different,” moments later, the old goat removed the telepathic shield, smiling as he pointed to the two people behind him. “This competition hosted by Boss Hassan, Master Xiluo must know its purpose well. The Kentucky clan is certainly important, but compared to the goal of this competition, it becomes insignificant. If Master Xiluo is willing to help, those two gentlemen can guarantee that they will never bother the Kentucky clan again.”
“How do you know I would help the Kentucky clan?” Xiluo slowly frowned.
“Hehe! Master Xiluo, you can just regard this as my prudence,” the old goat shrugged, smiling with double meanings.
“Prudence…” Xiluo glanced at the old goat, his eyes still showing some hesitation.
“Master Xiluo, I’ve always valued prudence, but this time, you really don’t need to hesitate,” the old goat continued earnestly. “You, Zhang Wen, and Mr. Batonping, as long as the three of you are still together, no one else will be willing to join. Of course, I don’t deny that even if only the three of you form a team, you still have a great chance of winning this competition. However, Master Xiluo, have you considered what winning here would mean to you?”
“Hmm?” The old goat’s words made Xiluo’s eyes change again.
“Master Xiluo, you and I both know clearly that even if we make it to the end of this selection and become the ultimate winners, in the upcoming major battles, we would at most be just supporting characters. For us, the only significance of this competition is the reward offered by Boss Hassan. To us professional explorers, such a large sum of money is certainly worth risking our lives for. We believe in ‘money makes the ghost move.’ But this money isn’t that important to you or even Teacher Zhang, right? Even if you feel it’s not quite right to abandon your companions halfway, we can compensate afterward.”
Xiluo frowned tightly but showed no intention of refuting.
“Hehe! Let me say this finally. If Master Xiluo really has an irresistible reason to win this competition, I certainly won’t force you. But if your goal in participating in this competition is just the reward… In this aspect, I can guarantee that those two gentlemen won’t be stingy. What Hassan can offer, they can offer too, and even more!”
The old goat smiled as he looked at Xiluo. Before coming to persuade Xiluo, the old goat had thoroughly considered everything. He knew that his words would definitely sway Xiluo.
Unlike those brutes who only know how to solve problems with fists, Xiluo had always been a reasonable person. The old goat placed both the moral obligation of helping the Kentucky clan and a large sum of money before Xiluo. Whether from a moral or interest-based perspective, Xiluo had no reason to refuse the old goat’s invitation.
“Alright…” After a moment of silence, Xiluo slowly nodded.
A few minutes later, Xiluo followed the old goat’s group and left. When he left, Xiluo didn’t say another word to anyone.
Xiluo had always been a decisive expert. Before making a judgment, Xiluo would always consider the most comprehensive aspects. He understood how to determine what the best decision was. Once a decision was made, Xiluo would not waste words. His philosophy had always been that once it was determined to be the best choice for everyone, just go ahead and do it!
Zhang Wen calmly watched Xiluo’s group leave, not asking a single question either. However, Batonping walked up, looking at Zhang Wen with some curiosity.
“Teacher Zhang, is it okay to just let Master Xiluo go with them? Actually, my intention to find a fourth companion was just for safety. Even if it’s just the three of us, I’m quite confident we can pass this test. But if Master Xiluo leaves, it will probably be no easy task for just the two of us. And now…” As he spoke, Batonping pointed to a distant spot.
The recently exploded psychokinetic vehicle rolled for a long distance, plowing a very long trench in the ground. That trench was just like a dividing line. On the left side of the dividing line stood martial artists who had not yet set out, while on the right side of the dividing line was the dense jungle in the center of the island.
However, at this moment, there were very few martial artists left near this dividing line. Moreover, even those remaining were almost all three-member teams. The original lone wolves had either already joined other teams or had simply set out alone.
Time passed minute by minute, and the remaining martial artists became increasingly anxious. In fact, many three-member teams that had already formed gave up the idea of continuing to search for collaborators and simply set out as a trio.
Seeing the number of people left on the left side of the dividing line dwindling, Batonping also quickly became impatient.
“Alright, Teacher Zhang, since that’s the case, let’s split up and act separately,” Batonping came to Zhang Wen again, sighing. “If we keep waiting, our chances of passing this test will only become more slim. You should know best that I have reasons I absolutely cannot stop here. Teacher Zhang, aren’t you also in a hurry to return to that ship?”
“Of course,” Zhang Wen nodded affirmatively.
“Then, it’s settled,” a smile returned to Batonping’s baby face. “I believe this small difficulty won’t stop us. I’ll be waiting for you aboard the Star and Moon.”
As he spoke, Batonping lightly bowed to Zhang Wen, then quickly walked toward a small team he had already had his eye on.
Batonping’s strength had already been witnessed during the aborted test hosted by Grod previously. Therefore, his negotiations with that small team didn’t take too much time. The three-member team was practically overjoyed at Batonping’s joining. Soon, the three martial artists had agreed on the terms and happily set off along the road with Batonping.
“Sigh!” Watching Batonping leave with his own eyes, Zhang Wen finally couldn’t help but deeply sigh.
To be honest, Zhang Wen had never been someone who liked to go with the flow. The profession he had pursued on Earth made him prefer to control the situation in any endeavor, keeping everything under his control.
Whether it was the test in the Sandra Forest or the battle with the Themis Academy, Zhang Wen had controlled the course of events from the beginning, making everything develop according to his prior plans. Even when a major unexpected event like the Black Viscount occurred, Zhang Wen could quickly react and achieve the results he wanted.
However, this time, Zhang Wen had to admit that the current situation was beyond his expectations.
As Batonping had said, the trio of Zhang Wen, Batonping, and Xiluo, even if they formed a team alone, would certainly be among the top in terms of strength among all the teams. In fact, except for a few other powerful Saint-tier experts, the strength of all martial artists in other teams combined probably wouldn’t match the strength of their trio! If it were just an ordinary competition, there would be no reason for their trio to lose to anyone! But all of this was just theoretical analysis.
For some reason, after hearing Rofelle’s words, Zhang Wen had an extremely strong feeling! Whenever he thought about setting out with Xiluo and Batonping as a trio, Zhang Wen immediately felt something was off!
Zhang Wen had encountered similar feelings countless times back on Earth. He knew this was an intuition! Subconsciously, he had already sensed the trap left by Rofelle. However, this consciousness was still very vague, so Zhang Wen could only feel something was wrong but couldn’t pinpoint where the problem lay!
However, precisely because of this strong intuition, Zhang Wen had never stopped Batonping’s efforts to find a fourth teammate, nor had he stopped Xiluo from leaving with the old goat’s group.
Yet, even after Batonping left, Zhang Wen still couldn’t figure out exactly what was hidden in Rofelle’s words.
After Batonping’s trio set off, the few remaining three-member teams by the roadside also became restless. They abandoned their efforts to find a fourth teammate and simply followed the previous groups as three-member teams. By this time, although Zhang Wen was now alone, those impatient martial artists were too lazy to ask Zhang Wen if he wanted to join.
After all, the martial artists who remained this long without joining other teams were either stubborn or too weak to be of any use, right? Why waste time on them?
“Damn it!” Zhang Wen exhaled, squeezing out two words from the depths of his throat.
Zhang Wen knew that if he now actively applied to join any three-member team, the other party would most likely not refuse. However, he finally somewhat understood the feeling of those martial artists who had previously refused Batonping’s recruitment.
It would be better to travel alone than to form a team with three martial artists who completely lacked mutual trust!
“Really damn it!” Zhang Wen cursed again in his heart, forcibly suppressing his anxious feelings.
Soon, Zhang Wen discovered that he wasn’t the only one who was still leisurely. On the other side of the road, the young man who had made Batonping say the words “can’t afford to provoke” was still sitting far from the crowd with a friendly smile, seemingly unfazed. When Zhang Wen’s gaze fell on the strange youth, the youth seemed to sense it and also looked at Zhang Wen for a moment.
However, after a brief moment of eye contact, he lowered his head again, as if immersed in it, focusing all his attention on an ant he held in his palm!
That guy over there was no simple character.
As early as a day ago, when Zhang Wen first saw the strange youth, he had clearly realized this. This young man had some strange techniques that allowed him to keep everyone within twenty meters away from him. And most importantly, he could do this without anyone else noticing.
This was definitely a capability that only super-tier experts could possibly possess!
In this world, the term “super-tier expert” not only represented their strength far surpassing their peers but also actually had another meaning. That is—transcending all rules.
Absolute power gave super-tier experts absolute authority. And the result of absolute authority was that in this world, the super-tier experts Zhang Wen had seen all had a bit of “looking at ordinary people like ants” arrogance. Even Iron Mask, who had few desires, or Agate, the weakest super-tier in history, couldn’t avoid this mentality either.
Therefore, that twenty-meter range of no one approaching in front of this strange youth was definitely not some kind of self-protection measure! As a super-tier expert, he absolutely didn’t need self-protection!
That was a warning. Or it could be said that it was simply a restriction the strange youth imposed on himself. Keeping everyone at a distance of twenty meters from himself meant he wouldn’t be interested in stepping on ants that were too far away!
Because he was afraid he might accidentally kill you, he kept you at a distance of twenty meters… What arrogance! Zhang Wen had no doubt that the person would tear into pieces anyone who dared to show the slightest disrespect toward him!
For such a dangerous person, Zhang Wen’s consistent strategy had always been to stay as far away as possible.
Even the idiotic male protagonist in a热血 comic wouldn’t provoke a monster-level strong person for no reason, right?
Not long after Zhang Wen finished this inner complaint, someone who went to provoke this super-tier expert beyond an idiot really appeared! The trio from the Kentucky clan suddenly appeared in Zhang Wen’s field of vision and walked toward that strange youth!
Among the remaining dozen or so martial artists, Zhang Wen was surprised to spot the Kentucky trio again.
Previously, quite a few teams had already set out in search of the floating boat after forming three-member teams. Zhang Wen had always assumed the Kentucky trio had already left, but he didn’t expect them to be so patient, still searching for a fourth teammate at this point.
“Yinel, what are we wandering around here for? These bastards look down on us Kentuckians! Since none of them are willing to join, we’ll just do it ourselves! I don’t believe with the strength of our Kentucky clan, we can’t get through such a small challenge!”
“No! Yinel, no matter who it is, we’d better find another companion. If we’re only three, aside from the problem of combat strength, I always feel there will be other issues in this test. That woman called Rofelle specifically pointed out that each floating boat’s passengers are four people, there must be other implications.”
“Nonsense! Nonsense! Kai, stop spouting nonsense! Even if there are other implications, what can we do? What others need four people to do, our Kentucky warriors can do with just three! And we’ll definitely do it better than others with four people!”
“He! Si, you’re an idiot yourself, don’t assume everyone else is an idiot too!”
When Zhang Wen saw the Kentucky trio, the two male Kentucky martial artists were loudly arguing in a language completely incomprehensible to Zhang Wen in front of Yinel. Their originally light blue skin had now turned a deep blue like seawater—this was the Kentucky people’s sign of extreme emotional excitement.
“Enough, both of you shut up!” Yinel’s voice rang out, and the two furious Kentucky martial artists immediately obediently stopped arguing like little chicks.
“Damn it! Yinel, don’t listen to Kai. So many people have already left. If we keep waiting, we might not even touch the airship,” Si, the Kentucky martial artist, lowered his head and continued to grumble softly with a resentful expression.
However, Si soon discovered that neither of his two companions, Yinel and Kai, were paying any attention to his complaints. Their gazes were already directed elsewhere.
Then, the trio from the Kentucky clan walked toward the youth under the tree.
Those three fools! Zhang Wen stared in disbelief as the three walked all the way to the side of that strange youth. The shadows of the two tall Kentucky warriors covered the strange youth.
“Hmm?” Feeling the change in light, the strange youth raised his head in surprise. What met his eyes was a rough, dark blue face.
As the strongest warrior of the Kentucky clan, Si never looked down on these “weak” ordinary humans. Si also admitted that when it came to scheming, ten Sis combined couldn’t match these cunning humans.
But when it came to real strength… Si proudly flexed his muscular arm. Even among these so-called strong humans, ten of them combined wouldn’t be a match for the first warrior of the Kentucky clan!
However, what frustrated Si the most was that for some unknown reason, Kai insisted on finding a weak human to ally with instead of going alone like the three Kentuckians! And after the old chief was captured, Yinel, who had become the acting wise one,竟然 also ignored Kai’s unreasonable behavior!
Si was puzzled, what was so good about those humans?
Kai insisted on treating them like treasures, as if without the help of those humans, the warriors of the Kentucky clan couldn’t rescue the old chief! Not only did it make him make a fool of himself in front of Inax, but it also made those ordinary humans strut around in front of them, making the warriors of the Kentucky clan lose face!
Since he dared not speak ill of Yinel, the acting wise one of the tribe, Si vented his anger on his companion Kai in his heart. Then, with a helpless sigh, Si impatiently asked the strange youth in front of him, “Hey, what’s your name?”
“You, are you asking me?” the youth, with a strange smile, also looked at the three Kentuckians who had suddenly appeared in front of him.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage