Where does that wicked woman get her conscience?

Night falls.

Fireflies danced and crickets chirped in the open forest meadow, and occasionally, as they were close to the inner perimeter, the roars of monsters could be heard.

Ling Moyan sat on a small rock, while Qiu Chuan sat cross-legged. The prickly grass tips seemed to have no effect on him. A pile of crystal cores was placed in front of the two of them.

The moonlight shone on its crystal-clear surface, making it very beautiful. If it weren't worthless, it would surely be very popular with the young ladies of the family.

As they divided the spoils, their hearts pounded.

The competition will end tomorrow. It has been an unprecedented competition experience, both novel and exciting.

Guan Xun leaned against the tree trunk, glanced to the right at the dark and terrifying forest, and quickly looked away.

There's a smell of blood over there...

"Junior Sister Guan Xun, how do you think we should allocate these?" Ling Moyan casually fiddled with the crystal core.

With nearly 370 crystal cores, if the three of them split the remaining amount, they would only have around 120, which would be more than enough to win first place in the competition.

"Do as you please," Guan Xun said indifferently. She had no intention of going back after leaving the academy, otherwise she wouldn't have gone to deliver things to Dong Yang, so she had no use for the crystal core.

"Well."

After dividing the spoils, Qiu Chuan carefully put away the crystal cores and lay down on the grass, finally relaxing his tense nerves.

Ling Moyan picked up the crystal core and walked towards Guan Xun. The forest was already slightly cool at night, and with the gentle breeze and the cold moonlight, it was inevitably a bit chilly.

Strands of hair at his temples were blown across his cheeks by the wind. Guan Xun raised his hand and brushed them aside, tucking them behind his ear.

It was just a simple and common action, but it made Ling Moyan pause for a moment. His gaze swept over the other person's curled eyelashes and landed on the inconspicuous mole under his eye.

Then, her lips curved slightly, and her eyes were full of laughter.

"Master, that brat is staring at you." Chi Rong's voice was somewhat cold, a prelude to the order to follow.

"I know." Guan Xun raised his eyes and reached out to take the crystal core before the other party could hand it over.

This wasn't the first time the other person had stared at her blankly; she could tell what he was thinking. Although it was still in its nascent stage, wasn't this what people commonly called infatuation?

She doesn't care what others think, but such thoughts will never arise in her.

Ling Moyan coughed lightly, about to say something, when suddenly his expression froze, his brows furrowed, and he sniffed with his high nose: "It smells like blood."

Qiu Chuan jumped up: "The smell of blood? Where is the smell of blood coming from? I can't smell anything."

"It is indeed the smell of blood, but very faint." Guan Xun nodded, then added, "Someone must have been injured."

"Let's go take a look," Ling Moyan asked for their opinions.

Guan Xun didn't care, but Qiu Chuan was a little scared. Walking around in this dangerous place late at night was a bit frightening.

However, he also understood these two people; once they made a decision, it was hard to change it. If they left, leaving him alone here would be even more unsafe. Having a companion on the road would provide help if he encountered monsters.

Having thought this through, he quickly stepped forward: "Then let's go."

In fact, Qiu Chuan was completely overthinking it.

As long as Chi Rong releases his aura, ordinary demonic beasts dare not approach him and stay obediently by Guan Xun's side. Even at night when demonic beasts are active, they cannot be attacked.

Before long, the group had passed through a dense forest and were greeted by a rocky, muddy ground with sparse trees and short grass, as if people often trod on this place.

The frequent trampling marks indicate that there is a water source nearby.

Water can nurture all things, and all things cannot live without it, including monsters, no matter how ferocious they are.

Strangely, Guan Xun, who was extremely familiar with the area within a hundred miles of the stream, was somewhat unfamiliar with this place.

“There really is someone.” Ling Moyan paused slightly, pointed to the firelight ahead, and then sped up.

Five figures were seen surrounding a campfire, the flickering flames illuminating the surroundings. One of them, a pale yellow figure, stood out starkly against the other colors.

It is Ye Qingchi.

The group had clearly noticed them as well. Lu Shenqu put his arm around Zeng Qianxue and greeted her, his face showing surprise, but his brows were also furrowed with worry and concern.

Guan Xun nodded in response, his gaze passing over him and landing on Zeng Qianxue.

Zeng Qianxue's face was normal, but her lips were a little pale, and the smell of blood was coming from her.

"I didn't expect to run into you here." Ling Moyan sat down on the withered tree trunk and glanced around. "Is anyone injured?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Shenqu's face showed even more worry. He nodded and turned to look at the person in his arms: "We just encountered a monster, and Qianxue was accidentally scratched."

"Fortunately, it was a small monster and not very high-level, so the injury wasn't too serious. Although I managed to stop the bleeding in time, I couldn't treat the wound, so I'll have to wait until I get back to the hospital to make a decision."

As he spoke, he rolled up Zeng Qianxue's sleeve, pulling it against her wound, causing her to gasp in pain.

On that slender arm, there were two obvious wounds left by sharp claws, with blood congealed around them, making them look like two ferocious little centipedes.

If she were in danger, she could crush the jade slip to save her life, but the price would be losing her qualification for the competition. The competition would end tomorrow, so Zeng Qianxue would not give up so easily. Now that she was injured and in great pain, she could only try her best to endure it.

"Huh? Doesn't Guan Xun have some potions?" Qiu Chuan suddenly turned to look at her. He had seen her take out a whole bunch of potions earlier.

Guan Xun stroked the storage ring, took out a bottle of healing potion, and tossed it to Lu Shenqu.

"This should be useful."

Since someone has asked, there's no need to hide it. Her wood attribute specializes in healing all things, so she doesn't need any medicine. If Dongyang hadn't insisted on giving it to her, she wouldn't have accepted it.

"The medicine was obtained from the hospital, so let her take it quickly." Guan Xun said, no longer looking at them, and followed the footprints on the ground.

"Junior Sister Guan Xun, where are you going? I'll go with you." Ling Moyan made a move to get up and follow, but was held down by a spiritual force.

"Just taking a stroll." Guan Xun waved his hand, his figure completely disappearing into the darkness.

The further you walk, the clearer the sound of the flowing stream becomes.

Guan Xun slightly opened his palm, and a cluster of flames appeared in it, illuminating the dark surroundings like a blazing sun.

The stream is small and flows gently.

Her gaze slowly swept across the area, carefully observing everything around her. Long-forgotten memories gradually became clearer. The vegetation around here used to be much more lush than it is now, easily covering the height of an adult man. Now it's all bare, no wonder she feels unfamiliar with it.

If I remember correctly, a little further along the stream, there is a swamp where the monsters that inhabit it prefer darkness to light and are only active within a hundred miles of the stream.

After a moment's thought, she made a decision: "Chi Rong, conceal your presence."

Chi Rong didn't ask any more questions and obediently did as he was told.

Once the intense pressure subsides, those menacing monsters will no longer have any scruples.

Sure enough, as soon as the aura dissipated, the commotion of the surrounding demonic beasts instantly intensified, with one roar and howl after another emanating from the inner perimeter.

The entire forest resembled a terrifying labyrinth, as if monsters lurked in places beyond the reach of the firelight, watching their target intently and ready to attack at any moment.

Guan Xun lowered her eyes slightly and smiled. Yes, this was the feeling she knew. This was the Illusionary Forest she was familiar with.

Her ears twitched, and she sensed the source of the noise behind her suddenly stop. She chuckled twice and asked, "What are you doing, sneaking around like that?"