Chapter 149: Deep Into The Woods

Chapter 149: Chapter 149: Deep Into The Woods

After the test officially began, the disciples immediately started forming teams. Before long, groups of two or three had already set off, one after another, entering the designated area.

Actually, since Sui Sui wasn’t really a martial artist and lacked a proper understanding of even the basic fundamentals, he had been given the option not to participate in the test.

After all, the trial was primarily intended for disciples who practiced martial arts, and Sui Sui had only recently begun to take interest on how to defend himself.

However, after giving it some thought, Sui Sui felt that perhaps participating wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Although he lacked martial skills, this was a hunting trial, not a competition to see who could defeat their opponent in a direct fight. He could use this opportunity to learn how to observe his surroundings, recognize the signs of danger, and react to unexpected situations. These were things he couldn’t properly learn by practicing in the courtyard alone.

Besides, the trial didn’t restrict them to using specific weapons. Talismans, spiritual energy, arrays, and other tools were all permitted. Sui Sui might not be able to fight a spirit beast head-on, but that didn’t mean he was completely helpless, he still had other means at his disposal.

If he could learn to use them effectively in an actual hunt, that would be a valuable experience in itself.

The more he thought about it, the more reasonable the idea seemed. Plus, he didn’t need to outperform the other disciples or even achieve an impressive result. As long as he could catch a spirit beast and gain some practical experience, the trip wouldn’t be in vain.

Besides, each participant had been given a teleportation talisman that could be activated at any moment to remove them from the trial. With that safety measure in place, Sui Sui felt that he could at least give it a try.

Since Sui Sui didn’t know anyone else participating in the trial besides Yizhou, he had already resigned himself to completing the task alone. He had expected Yizhou to go his own way as well, especially after Elder Yurong had explicitly instructed him not to team up with anyone.

Yet, after walking for a while, Sui Sui couldn’t help noticing that someone was still following behind him. And judging by those familiar footsteps, it wasn’t difficult to guess who.

He stopped and turned around, looking at Yizhou with a puzzled expression. "What are you still doing here, Senior Brother? Didn’t the elder say you shouldn’t team up with anyone? Why are you still following me around?"

Yizhou met his gaze without the slightest hint of embarrassment. A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips, annoying as usual.

"Hmm? Who says I’m following you? We’re simply heading in the same direction."

"Oh? Is that so?" Sui Sui tilted his head, looking at Yizhou with newfound understanding. Then, with a fake innocent smile, he stepped aside and gestured down the path. "In that case, Senior Brother, please go ahead. Since we’re heading in the same direction, there’s no reason for you to follow behind me, right?"

Yizhou’s smile paused for the briefest moment.

This junior brother of his seemed to have learned how to talk back.

"What’s the rush?" Yizhou asked, raising an eyebrow. "We’re only walking along the same path. Surely Junior Brother doesn’t mind having some company?"

Sui Sui’s smile twitched.

Actually, I mind!

How was he supposed to concentrate on hunting spirit beasts with Yizhou standing right beside him?

Besides, Elder Yurong had already said that Yizhou wasn’t allowed to team up with anyone. If he continued following Sui Sui around, wouldn’t that be breaking the rules?

"Senior Brother, I wouldn’t dare deprive you of your precious time," Sui Sui replied earnestly, gesturing toward the path again. "You have your own task to complete. You should hurry along before the other disciples finish theirs and make you look bad."

Yizhou looked at him for a moment, seemingly amused by his attempt to chase him away. However, with Sui Sui standing there so sincerely urging him to leave, he couldn’t very well insist that he was simply going for a walk, he will let him have his way for this one.

"Fine, then. I’ll go first."

"Take care, Senior Brother!" Sui Sui called cheerfully, waving him off with considerably more enthusiasm than necessary.

Yizhou gave him a final glance before turning and walking away.

Sui Sui watched him go. One step, two steps, three steps...

The moment Yizhou disappeared farther down the path, Sui Sui immediately spun around and hurried off in the opposite direction.

Phew! Finally!

Having Yizhou around would undoubtedly make the hunt much safer, but Sui Sui didn’t want to become someone who relied on his senior brother for everything. He had joined this trial to gain experience, after all. If Yizhou stayed beside him, he would probably end up watching his senior brother handle everything while he stood there doing nothing.

And that wouldn’t do!

Besides, a little pressure was necessary. How else would he learn to rely on himself?

With that thought, Sui Sui quickened his pace, determined to find a spirit beast he could handle on his own.

He had no idea that, somewhere behind him, the person he had just managed to send away might not be quite as easy to get rid of as he thought.

After making sure Yizhou wasn’t following behind him, Sui Sui finally relaxed and continued with his own plan.

For now, his goal was simple: find a small spirit beast he could handle. Sui Sui had a fairly clear understanding of his own abilities. Anything bigger than MuMu was beyond what he could take on directly, and he had no intention of testing whether his bones were as sturdy as a spirit beast’s claws. As long as he found something smaller, he should have a reasonable chance.

Fortunately, he hadn’t come unprepared. He had replenished his stock of talismans beforehand and had even received a few useful items from Bai Suichen. With these things at his disposal, he figured he should at least be able to manage a low-level spirit beast.

With his plan settled, Sui Sui ventured deeper into the forest. However, after walking for quite some time, he hadn’t encountered a single spirit beast.

He slowed down and looked around, growing increasingly puzzled. Wasn’t Elder Yurong supposed to have arranged the distribution of spirit beasts so that each area contained a roughly equal number? That way, every disciple would have a fair chance of finding one.

Yet, he had been walking for so many minutes that he was beginning to wonder whether he had accidentally entered some beast-free corner of the forest.

Could it be that I’m just unlucky? Or is it about something else?

Sui Sui was starting to grow impatient when he suddenly heard the rustling of leaves nearby.

His head turned at once. From the corner of his eye, he caught a fleeting glimpse of something small moving behind a tree. A few bright red feathers fluttered briefly into view before disappearing behind the trunk.

Sui Sui’s eyes lit up.

Red feathers? Could that be a spirit beast?

At last! After wandering around for so long, he had finally found something!

What Sui Sui didn’t realize was that in the direction he followed, the lush trees from before started to one by one disappear, the trees were still intact but instead it gradually turned darker color black as if burnt?

—

Meanwhile, along the same path Sui Sui had taken earlier, a group of disciples made their way through the forest, their eyes searching the surroundings as they followed the trail.

"Are you sure he went this way?" a young girl asked, her high-pitched voice carrying a hint of impatience.

The girl was Chu Ran, and several of her friends had accompanied her.

"I’m sure. I’ve been keeping an eye on him since earlier," one of the disciples beside her replied confidently.

Ever since the beginning of the trial, Chu Ran had been determined to seize this opportunity to teach Sui Sui a lesson. She had tolerated him for long enough!

Why was Bai Sui Sui allowed to stay so close to her Senior Brother while she could do nothing about it?

To make matters worse, her family had even scolded her recently because of this very matter. The more she thought about it, the more resentful she became. Since Bai Sui Sui had made her so unhappy, she would make sure he paid for it today.

A cold glint flashed through Chu Ran’s eyes as she surveyed the surrounding forest.

Although the elders had assured them that the trial was safe, that didn’t mean there was absolutely no danger. After all, this was still a forest inhabited by spirit beasts.

No matter how carefully the elders had prepared the trial, accidents could always happen. A single mistake might be enough to turn a routine hunt into a disaster. For instance, what if someone happened to encounter a horde of spirit beasts and was attacked to death? Who could say for certain that such a thing wouldn’t happen?

And Chu Ran intended to make sure it happened to Sui Sui.

Her plan was simple. They would secretly trap him, take away his teleportation talisman, and then lure a horde of spirit beasts toward him. Without the talisman, he would have no easy way to escape.

So what if Bai Sui Sui was a genius alchemist? He was still only a Qi Refining cultivator. No matter how many tricks he had up his sleeve, could he really defend himself against so many spirit beasts at once?

Chu Ran didn’t think so.

Unfortunately, carrying out her plan wasn’t as easy as she had hoped, especially with Yizhou constantly by Sui Sui’s side.

"Are you sure you saw Senior Brother leave on his own and not with that Bai Sui Sui?" Chu Ran asked impatiently, casting a sharp glance at the disciple beside her.

"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes! Senior Brother went in a different direction, while Bai Sui Sui went off on his own. We can finally teach him a lesson now!"

Hearing this, Chu Ran’s expression eased slightly.

Fortunately, Elder Yurong had explicitly forbidden Yizhou from teaming up with anyone during the trial. At first, Chu Ran and her companions had thought this would make things easier for them. However, they hadn’t expected Yizhou to continue following Sui Sui despite the elder’s instructions, leaving them unable to act without risking his interference.

They had been trying to think of a way to separate the two when Sui Sui unexpectedly took the initiative himself, insisting that Yizhou go ahead before setting off alone.

It was an unexpected turn of events, but one that worked perfectly in their favor. With Yizhou no longer beside Sui Sui, they finally had the opportunity they had been waiting for.

"Good. I want that Bai Sui Sui gone, forever." Chu Ran said viciously, her eyes flashing with malice.

Her companions exchanged qlances Although none of them voiced their thoughts, they understood perfectly well what Chu Ran meant. This was no onger a simple lesson to put an arrogant person in his place. She wanted to make sure Sui Sui would never have the chance to return

Unbeknownst to the group, high up in a tall tree, a pair of dark red eyes watched them through the gaps between the leaves.

It was Yizhou.

He had indeed left first, just as Sui Sui had wanted. But leaving didn’t necessarily mean he had gone far.

He had merely been curious about what his junior brother intended to do on his own. Who would have thought that a short detour would lead him to such an interesting discovery?

A faint smile tugged at his lips as he listened to their conversation, but his eyes remained cold.

Oh? They want to hurt his person?

These people were truly courting death.

Since they had no intention of showing Sui Sui any mercy, they couldn’t blame him for returning the favor.