Lu Qi's face drained of all color.

His usually arrogant and overbearing face was now stiff, like plaster.

A scorching wave of heat washed over him, carrying the smell of burnt wood and earth, making him cough.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed with difficulty.

The scene before him completely overturned his understanding.

One strike, just one strike.

The dense jungle in the distance had been transformed into a burning inferno.

This man, no, this monster, what was his background?

What grade of profession was he?

S-grade?

No, even an S-grade couldn't be this terrifying!

He felt his legs turn to jelly, his knees buckled, and he almost fell to his knees.

The soaring arrogance he had moments ago was shattered by the five meteorites that had fallen from the sky.

He forced a smile, uglier than a cry, and waved his hands repeatedly at Gandalf.

"Misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!"

His voice trembled, tinged with flattery.

"Gandalf... Brother! With such powerful strength, you are truly worthy of being our team's captain!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Captain it is!"

"Just now, I was ignorant and spoke without thinking!"

"Please don't take it to heart!"

Zhou Huai looked at his hypocritical face and found it amusing.

He usually lorded over the Zhou Family, but he turned out to be a spineless coward deep down.

A little scare, and he became this fawning, tail-wagging mess.

Zhou Huai, controlling Gandalf, showed no ripple of emotion in his eyes.

"Since everyone listens to me."

His voice was flat.

"Then you will leave this team."

Lu Qi's smile froze instantly.

He pointed at his own nose, thinking he had misheard.

"You... what did you say?"

"You want me to leave the team?"

Zhou Huai nodded.

He had originally intended to directly eliminate Lu Qi.

Since the rules didn't allow attacking teammates, he would just make him leave on his own.

Lu Qi's face turned from white to red, then from red to green.

"Why?!"

He shrieked.

"Why should I leave the team?! I worked so hard to get into the National Examination!"

"Aren't we teammates? Is this how you treat your teammates?"

Zhou Huai couldn't be bothered to waste words with him.

"Who's your teammate?"

"Ask them, does anyone want to be your teammate?"

He looked at Ye Xi for help.

Ye Xi, however, acted as if she hadn't seen him, turning her head to look at the distant sea and playfully whistling.

He then looked at Shen Fuhai and Yuan Kai.

Both of them also remained silent.

They had never had a good impression of Lu Qi, and now they certainly didn't want to incur Gandalf's displeasure.

Zhou Huai, controlling Gandalf, continued:

"If you don't want to leave the team, that's fine, but from now on, you'll act alone."

Lu Qi gritted his back teeth.

Act alone?

Triple Island was full of dangers, and they could encounter teams from other provinces at any time.

Alone, wouldn't he just be a moving score?

Looking at the indifferent expressions of the others, Lu Qi's last shred of hope was extinguished.

Despair and anger intertwined, and he instead bared his teeth and laughed.

The laughter was somewhat maniacal.

"You tell me to leave the team, and I'll leave?

"I won't!"

He puffed out his chest, adopting the stance of a dead pig unafraid of boiling water.

"I'm going to follow you all today! What can you do to me?"

"If you have the guts, just eliminate me directly!"

"Otherwise, wherever you go, I'll follow!"

He wasn't a fool.

This Gandalf, with unfathomable strength, must be Dongning Province's hidden weapon.

As long as he shamelessly stuck with him, even if he did nothing, he could still get a share of the credit in the end.

Anyway, the rules didn't allow harming teammates.

He bet that Gandalf couldn't do anything to him.

Zhou Huai sneered.

"Do you really think I wouldn't dare to act?"

Lu Qi stuck out his neck.

"I'm betting you won't dare today!"

The next second, the smile on his face froze.

He saw Gandalf raise his staff again.

The red crystal at the top of the staff lit up once more, emitting a dangerous glow.

A chill shot from Lu Qi's soles straight to the top of his head.

This guy...

He wouldn't really dare to attack him, would he?

Did he want to take him down with him?!

"Don't... don't be impulsive!"

"Student Gandalf, let's talk this over!"

Shen Fuhai and Yuan Kai, seeing this, were also startled ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) and quickly stepped forward to dissuade him.

Ye Xi also grew anxious.

"Gandalf! Don't break the rules!"

However, it was too late.

Gandalf uttered a few low syllables.

Lu Qi felt an irresistible, terrifying pressure descend from the sky!

It felt as if an invisible mountain had crashed down on him!

"Thud!"

His legs gave out, and he fell heavily to his knees on the beach.

This wasn't over yet.

The pressure grew stronger and stronger.

His knees, his calves, began to slowly sink into the soft sand beneath his feet.

Then came his waist, his chest, his neck...

"Ugh... ugh..."

He tried to struggle, to shout, but found he didn't even have the strength to move a single finger.

He was completely immobilized, as if he had been filled with cement.

Sand poured into his mouth and nose, making it impossible to breathe.

Finally, only half of his head remained exposed.

Forbidden Spell: Gravitational Field.

This was purely a control skill, causing no damage.

Naturally, it didn't violate the National Examination rules.

But for Lu Qi, this was even more agonizing than being directly killed.

Ye Xi and the other two gasped in unison, looking at the bizarre scene before them.

Their gazes towards Gandalf were filled with awe and apprehension.

This man was not only terrifyingly strong, but his methods were also endless.

Fortunately, he only targeted Lu Qi.

Zhou Huai withdrew his staff, not even glancing at Lu Qi struggling in the sand.

"Let's go."

He uttered two faint words and turned to walk deeper into the jungle.

Ye Xi and the other two dared not complain and immediately followed obediently.

Soon, the four figures disappeared into the edge of the jungle.

Only Lu Qi, with half his head exposed, remained, twisting futilely.

Humiliation!

Unprecedented humiliation!

He, Lu Qi, had never suffered such shame since childhood!

First, that damned Yasuo!

Now, this Gandalf, who appeared out of nowhere!

Why!

Why did people always oppose him!

Why!

A venomous hatred surged wildly in his chest, like a prairie fire.

As this emotion expanded infinitely, the imperceptible black threads deep within his body began to spread wildly.

They were like greedy vines, entanglement around his bones, invading his flesh, and devouring his sanity.

A moment later.

The half of Lu Qi's face exposed above the ground suddenly twisted into a ferocious and eerie smile.

Immediately after, a strange, cackling laugh, "Jie jie jie," emanated from his throat, which was clogged with sand.

"Boom!"

A majestic burst of black Qi erupted from his body!

The Geocentric Gravity Field, strong enough to crush a small mountain, was forcefully torn open by this black Qi!

His body shot up from the sand!

He stood there, his entire body enveloped in black Qi, and two ominous crimson flames burned in his eyes.

Sinister, terrifying.

He cackled, taking out the grotesque ghost face mask from his spatial ring again.

Slowly, he put it on his face.

"Click."

The mask perfectly fit his face.

He stiffly twisted his neck, his bones making crisp "crack" sounds.

After a long while.

A hoarse, deep, and completely unfamiliar voice slowly emerged from beneath the mask.

"Finally..."

"Connection successful..."

"Hehehe... even smoother than expected..."