BZZZZZ!

A sky-filling swarm of insects danced about, tracing black paths through the air and scattering specks of fire.

Looking down from high above, Gong Xinghe seemed to be enveloped by a black sea of fire.

After trying to use Magic against the swarm and finding it ineffective, Gong Xinghe decisively gave up on casting and instead summoned the Blood-colored Vines lying dormant underground.

With him at the center, dozens of Blood-colored Vines formed a defensive circle, frantically slaughtering the approaching Gloomfire Flies.

Piercing whooshes echoed one after another.

Every lash of the Blood-colored Vines claimed the lives of ten to twenty Gloomfire Flies.

But at the same time, the gloomfire from the flies left behind burn marks on the Blood-colored Vines.

The flies were constantly dying, but the wounds on the Blood-colored Vines were gradually increasing.

The battle quickly devolved into a war of attrition.

Whoever couldn’t hold on first would be defeated, or even killed.

On the giant eagle’s back, Xu Ke, who was standing at the very rear, watched the scene with a wry smile.

"This opponent is finally worth watching, not a good-for-nothing like the last one."

Yang Xu chuckled lightly. "Indeed. This girl’s abilities and her wizard weapon are a good match. Looks like Star River is in for a tough fight."

Hearing this, Xu Ke scoffed and said, "Don’t be ridiculous. This woman is strong, but she’s not good enough to give Star River a headache. As long as he goes all out, victory is no problem at all."

Yang Xu gave Xu Ke a surprised look, wondering where his confidence in Gong Xinghe came from.

Although they had passed the selection trials together, Yang Xu had never actually fought Gong Xinghe. He only knew that Xu Ke had once been defeated by Gong Xinghe, which was why Xu Ke was so thoroughly convinced of his strength.

Noticing Yang Xu’s questioning gaze, Xu Ke pursed his lips and didn’t bother explaining, simply saying, "You’ll see if you keep watching."

Yang Xu was a little annoyed by Xu Ke’s deliberate vagueness, but there was nothing he could do about it, so he just refocused his full attention on the battle.

And not long after he turned his gaze back, the situation suddenly changed.

After repelling the attacking swarm once more, a cold smile suddenly appeared on Gong Xinghe’s face.

"I’ve absorbed enough life energy. It’s time to end this fight."

As he spoke, large bulges suddenly swelled up on the surrounding Blood-colored Vines. They expanded rapidly as if being inflated, then their skins burst open, revealing blood-red fruits.

This sudden development immediately captured everyone’s attention.

Pei Ze’s gaze was fixed on the dozens of fruits, his brow slightly furrowed.

He could feel the pulse of life stirring within those fruits.

Sure enough, the next moment, all the fruits split open in unison.

With a series of wet thuds, creatures covered in slime fell to the ground one by one.

These creatures were humanoid, with greenish-blue skin, beast-like claws for limbs, and ugly, ferocious faces.

Upon contact with the air, the slime on the humanoids’ bodies evaporated instantly. Their skin tightened, resembling the bark of a vine, making them look like vine-people.

After scrambling to their feet, the vine-people charged at the surrounding swarm.

"What are those?" Yang Xu asked Xu Ke, his expression one of astonishment.

Xu Ke smiled. "Flesh Puppets. They’re puppets Star River created by combining his wizard weapon with his own flesh and blood. Conveniently, they don’t fall into the category of external puppets forbidden by the competition." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Yang Xu nodded in understanding, but then a new doubt arose.

These vine-people looked fierce, but they didn’t seem to pose much of a threat to the scattered swarm. So why did Xu Ke still look so confident?

However, Yang Xu didn’t have to wonder for long.

The few vine-people at the very front suddenly exploded the instant they made contact with the swarm. A thick, bloody mist scattered in all directions, making a horrifying SIZZLE in the air.

The parts of the swarm enveloped by the bloody mist instantly fell, smoking, as if they had been dropped into strong acid. Before they even hit the ground, they were corroded away, flesh and bone.

The sudden turn of events threw the swarm into a panic, and it scrambled to pull back.

But it was too late.

One after another, the vine-people exploded, and a massive amount of bloody mist billowed out to engulf the area.

In just a few seconds, an area two to three hundred meters across was submerged in the thick, bloody mist.

BZZZZZ!

Countless flies perished one after another. Only a small portion managed to escape the bloody mist, reconverging over five hundred meters away to form the figure of Xiao Xi.

The young woman’s face was deathly pale and her expression haggard. She was clearly heavily injured.

SWISH!

A sound of something tearing through the air suddenly rang out.

Countless vines burst from the bloody mist in pursuit, rapidly wrapping around Xiao Xi and binding her tight. Then they contracted violently, looking as if they would strangle her to death.

At that critical moment, the ring on the young woman’s right index finger suddenly lit up. Her entire body instantly blurred and she transformed into a translucent Spirit Body, passing through the vines and flying back to the white mist.

The Blood-colored Vines, unwilling to give up, tried to pursue her, but they reached their limit after stretching for about a hundred meters and could only retract slowly.

Back on the white mist, Xiao Xi returned to her physical form. She staggered upon landing and nearly fell, but Pei Ze was quick enough to catch and steady her.

"Careful."

"I’m alright."

Xiao Xi gave him a grateful look, calmed her ragged breathing, and walked over to Yuan Meng, saying dejectedly:

"Teacher, I’ve failed to live up to your expectations."

"Silly girl, as long as you’re alright, that’s all that matters," Yuan Meng said, shaking her head.

Despite her words, her expression was rather grim.

Although Ai Yuan and the masked Wizard remained expressionless, the tightness at the corners of their eyes betrayed their dissatisfaction.

Up to this point in the competition, Chenxi City had already suffered one death and one injury, with two members eliminated in a row.