The three exchanged glances. Finally, the boy in gray gave a respectful cupped-fist salute to Evan Chu and Rhea Yang, smiling as he said:
"You two are ordinary-class students as well, right? You look unfamiliar—did you just enter Sea Dragon Academy? But with just the two of you, your strength is a bit lacking. If you run into real experts, you won't be able to handle it. Would you be interested in joining us?
We can temporarily team up. If we encounter Heavenly Dragon Academy disciples, we can join forces to take them down. That way, our chances of surviving here go up a lot, and we can also collect more Magic Crystals. As for dividing the spoils, we'll split the Magic Crystals according to each person's strength. What do you think? Interested?"
After speaking, he deliberately watched Evan Chu and Rhea Yang's expressions change, showing just how scheming he was. He even secretly winked at his companions.
"Not interested!" Evan Chu refused without hesitation, then walked straight past the three of them.
At that moment, the three suddenly attacked, drawing their weapons and slashing at Evan Chu and Rhea Yang without mercy—their moves were ruthless and lightning-fast.
Evan Chu snorted coldly. The Azure Gale Sword appeared in his hand, and he swiftly struck—a single slash landed before the three had even finished raising their weapons, sending a head flying high. Evan's sword speed was so fast, the attackers didn't even have time to react.
A column of blood shot into the sky, spraying crimson everywhere. The headless corpse stood stiff for a moment, then collapsed to the ground, eyes wide open in death, still filled with terror that hadn't faded.
Rhea Yang wasn't idle either. Seeing Evan Chu attack, she suddenly scattered a cloud of white powder—maybe she moved too quickly, because Evan and the other two were all caught in it. Instantly, it was like they'd been electrocuted; all three collapsed limply to the ground.
"Hehe! How do you like my Fragrant Tendon-Softening Powder? Are you feeling weak all over, like countless ants are crawling inside you? Sorry, Evan Chu, I accidentally got you too."
"You—you did that on purpose, just to get back at me for earlier! I know you still haven't forgiven me!" Evan Chu gritted his teeth through the discomfort, feeling awe for Rhea Yang's poison. Damn, what kind of poison is this? Even I got paralyzed!
"That's right, I always get my revenge—even against my best friends. Want the antidote? Beg me for it!" Rhea Yang was in great spirits now; her earlier annoyance had vanished.
"I really misjudged you. I didn't think you could be this petty. And to think I agreed to your condition."
"Haven't you heard? Women and petty men are the hardest to deal with! This time, I'll forgive you—just so you understand how powerful my poison is." Rhea Yang walked over, took a red pill from her storage belt, and put it in Evan Chu's mouth.
A few breaths later, Evan Chu stood up, his face full of shock. "I can't believe your poison is this strong. Are you invincible or something?"
"If only I were invincible! This powder was a gift from Lily Tang. She has even more poisons—want to try hers instead?"
Only now did Evan Chu remember that Lily Tang, the 'mother tyrannosaurus,' was from the Tang Sect. If what Rhea Yang said was true, then if Lily ever used her poisons for real, calling her a tyrannosaurus wouldn't be enough—she'd need a scarier name. But try as he might, Evan couldn't think of anything fitting.
"Forget it, I'll pass. I don't have the guts to try, and I still want to live a few more years!" Evan Chu shuddered at the thought—trying those poisons? You'd have to be crazy.
"Actually, this poison only works on people below fifth-layer Earth Martial, and it only lasts about ten minutes. Plus, I don't have much left—you think it's some cheap stall-goods you can buy by the handful?" Rhea Yang shot Evan Chu a glare. This guy really didn't know when he was lucky.
"Oh, well, thanks for wasting an antidote on me!" Evan Chu said, then casually slashed out a wave of sword qi with the Azure Gale Sword—sending the two paralyzed Sea Dragon Academy disciples to join their dead companion.
"Why did you kill them? Even people who can't put up a fight—you still went that far?" Rhea Yang couldn't understand why Evan Chu was so ruthless, especially since one of them was a woman. Even if she wasn't pretty, shouldn't he have shown a little mercy?
"Weren't you the one who said you wanted to kill them? I helped you out, and now I'm wrong? They're Sea Dragon Academy disciples—even if they're not elite-class, they still have to die!"
After speaking, Evan Chu began cleaning up the battlefield. The haul wasn't bad: ten Magic Crystals and five Starstones, one of them mid-grade. The woman, though, had nothing—not even a storage belt. Probably all her stuff was with the other two.
Once he finished, Evan Chu grinned, "What, you want to wait for your poison to wear off so they can come kill us? That's way too convenient. It's not like you haven't killed people before, so what's there to be scared of? Sea Dragon Academy disciples are here to be killed."
Rhea Yang rolled her eyes at Evan Chu. "Fine, you win. I can't argue with you. Let's go!"
The two walked for half a day without running into a single monster—or even another person. Up ahead was another stretch of forest. "Evan Chu, I can't walk anymore. Let's camp here tonight, okay?" Rhea Yang said.
Evan Chu checked the sky—there was still a bit more than an hour until dark. "Alright, let's find a hidden spot. I'll go hunt some wild game so you can try my cooking."
These past few days, they'd been surviving on wild fruit in the forest. Evan Chu couldn't bear to use the hunger-relief pills in his storage ring. Now, he really couldn't take it anymore—if he didn't eat some meat soon, he might not even have the strength to keep walking.
"I'm fine with whatever you say. I'll gather firewood, you hunt for game—teamwork!" Rhea Yang said, clearly excited.
Soon, they reached the foot of a mountain and picked a leeward boulder as their campsite. Evan Chu went off to hunt; Rhea Yang collected dry branches.
Rhea Yang's job of gathering firewood was easy—she quickly piled up a huge stack. Evan Chu didn't get back for half an hour, but his haul was solid: a wild pheasant and several rabbits.
"Evan Chu, the rest is up to you—show me your skills! I'll be your assistant." Rhea Yang laughed happily; she'd never tried wild barbecue before and was in a great mood.
Evan Chu expertly skinned the rabbits, took out seasonings he'd looted from Sea Dragon Academy students, and started roasting the meat over the fire. Soon, the mouth-watering aroma of barbecue filled the air, making it impossible not to salivate.
When the meat was ready, Evan Chu said, "Rhea Yang, try some! Barbecue is best eaten hot." He handed her a rabbit leg and took one for himself.
Rhea Yang took the barbecue, the delicious smell making her take a quick bite—"Pfft!" She spat out the rabbit meat. "It's scalding! Damn you, Evan Chu! Why didn't you warn me it was so hot?"
"Hahaha! Haven't had meat in days, so you're that hungry? Freshly roasted meat is obviously hot—you could've waited for it to cool!" Evan Chu burst out laughing at Rhea Yang's misfortune.
"Didn't you say it's best eaten hot? So you did it on purpose, didn't you?" Rhea Yang was sure Evan Chu was getting back at her for poisoning him earlier—a little payback.
"Am I that kind of person? Come on, eat up—it's not hot now!" Evan Chu bit into a piece of rabbit and asked, "Want some wine? I've got a bottle!"
"No way. If I get drunk, I might get taken advantage of!" Rhea Yang snapped. This guy was always in danger, so she had to be careful. Even though he'd promised to come to Yang Gate for a martial contest in three years, who knew if something would change? What if he ended up dying in this forest?
"Ptooey, ptooey!" Why am I thinking about things I shouldn't? What's gotten into me?
"Did you get sand in your food? I thought I cleaned everything pretty well. Why are you still spitting?" Evan Chu asked, watching Rhea Yang spit repeatedly.
"None of your business! Just eat your food and drink your wine!"
After eating and drinking their fill, the two chatted about everyday things. Rhea Yang must've been truly exhausted—she drifted off to sleep without even realizing it.
Evan Chu, meanwhile, was lost in thought. There was so much he needed to do: the Sacred Jade Snow Lotus and Heavenly Martial Divine Water could wait, and searching for the Spirit Pearl and Iceflame Crystal could be postponed too. Right now, the most important thing was to quickly find the elite Sea Dragon Academy disciples in this ordinary realm—otherwise, Lin Ruoxi and Lily Tang could be in danger.
Thinking about all this made him anxious. Now, with Rhea Yang added to the mix, he'd also somehow agreed to go to Yang Gate for the martial contest in three years.
It took him a long time to calm down. Just as he was about to absorb some starlight, the voice of the sword spirit, Yue'er, sounded in his mind: "Lin Feng, danger is coming. This one's a real powerhouse—be careful!"
At the sword spirit's words, Evan Chu immediately stood up. By the firelight, he saw a giant snake—thick as a barrel—rapidly approaching them...