Chapter 7

While Xu Qing was observing the fighting area, the clamor from the surrounding spectators grew louder. In the arena, the gate through which Xu Qing and his group had just passed suddenly slammed shut with a loud boom, a massive wooden door descending heavily to the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust.

This sound, like a trumpet call, further excited the surrounding scavengers. Xu Qing noticed that on the top platform at the front, a middle-aged man in a brocade robe, accompanied by a group of people, had taken the seat of honor.

Due to the distance, his appearance was somewhat blurry, but it was clear that this man was no ordinary person. Even from this distance, Xu Qing could feel the intense spiritual energy emanating from him, far surpassing anything he had ever encountered. This made Xu Qing both wary and speculative, as this man was most likely the camp leader.

Beside him, Xu Qing saw the man with the three-bristled mustache from yesterday, bowing and reporting cautiously. As the camp leader took his seat, the man with the three-bristled mustache stood on the platform and gestured to the crowd below.

Soon, another wooden door at the edge of the arena opened, and the roars and growls of fierce beasts, no longer muffled by the door, became even clearer.

Following the sounds, a group of scavengers emerged. They were divided into four small teams, each consisting of three people, each carrying a large iron cage. Inside the cages, the beasts roared and leaped, as if trying to tear through the bars.

Xu Qing quickly scanned the four cages. Inside, he saw two giant wolves, one large and one small, both with sharp teeth, black fur, and bloodshot eyes. Drool dripped from their mouths, and they glared at Xu Qing and his group with vicious intent.

There was also a red bear with fiery red fur, its arms thicker than an adult's thighs, its face filled with rage as it continuously shook the iron cage. The three scavengers carrying it were clearly struggling.

The last cage contained a gorilla, its body covered in pus-filled sores that seemed ready to burst at the slightest touch. It appeared to be in great pain, constantly slamming against the cage, causing the sores to rupture, a sight that was both shocking and disturbing.

Their appearance caused the surrounding audience to erupt in excitement. The two boys beside Xu Qing turned pale, the little girl's eyes filled with terror, and even the young scavenger, who was used to such scenes, became visibly nervous.

"Why are there four?" Xu Qing was surprised, looking at the open wooden gate.

Just as he looked, the four roaring and struggling beasts suddenly fell silent, as if they had been intimidated. At the same time, a massive iron cage, nearly twice the size of the others, was slowly carried out by six scavengers from the wooden gate.

As the cage appeared, the audience erupted in exclamations.

"Colossal Horned Python!!"

"The camp leader has actually brought a Colossal Horned Python this time. But then again, in the camp leader's eyes, this thing is probably not even considered valuable."

"For these kids, whoever draws this will die. Even if we encounter it in the wild, it takes two people to kill it."

The beast in the cage was indeed a colossal python. Its body was as thick as an adult's waist, its skin gray and black with dark patterns that, upon closer inspection, resembled horn-like mountains.

It lay coiled in the cage, its massive head slightly raised, yellow vertical pupils cold and menacing, staring at the outside world.

Under its gaze, both the giant wolves and the gorilla trembled. Only the red bear let out a low growl, seemingly trying to resist, but in reality, it was slowly retreating until it reached the edge of its cage.

"Please don't draw it, please don't draw it..."

The two boys behind Xu Qing trembled, whispering their prayers, while Xu Qing's eyes flashed with a determined light. He knew about the Colossal Horned Python from his time in the slums, where he had seen city dwellers bring back the carcass of one they had hunted.

At the time, he had heard from experienced people that this python was incredibly strong, capable of breaking even large trees with its coils, and its skin was very thick. However, it was clumsy and relatively slow.

Its gallbladder had excellent medicinal properties, capable of detoxifying the body, and its meat was very nourishing. Thinking of this, Xu Qing remembered that Lei Team Leader had once said he liked to eat snakes.

He had caught many snakes as a child, so he licked his lips. Additionally, the mutation points on his body had become increasingly black, and during his cultivation yesterday, he had felt a faint stinging sensation.

Xu Qing thought that if he could eat the python's gallbladder, it would likely help alleviate many of his issues. As he stared at the Colossal Horned Python, the drawing began.

A scavenger, arranged by the man with the three-bristled mustache, brought over five bamboo sticks, each marked with the name of a beast to be fought. The young scavenger went first, and upon seeing what he had drawn, he visibly relaxed.

Next were the two boys and the little girl. The two boys, after drawing their sticks and praying, looked somewhat bitter, but the little girl, upon seeing her stick, looked utterly despairing.

She had drawn the Colossal Horned Python, and the last stick, the small wolf, was clearly the weakest of the five beasts.

Xu Qing held his stick, his brow furrowed in thought. Soon, after the scavengers withdrew, the trial participants were arranged in a corner, and the first trial began amidst the cheers of the audience.

The first to step out was one of the two boys. He trembled as he faced the massive red bear. The fight was quick, and the boy was no match for the bear. After a few desperate attempts to fight back, he was knocked down and torn apart in despair.

Blood splattered everywhere, and the audience erupted in excitement, accompanied by regretful curses. This scene terrified the other boy so much that he began to tremble uncontrollably. He was supposed to be the second to go, but he suddenly shouted that he wanted to give up the trial.

Amidst the boos, Xu Qing watched as the boy was led away by the scavengers, the outcome of his decision obvious.

The third participant was the young scavenger. He had drawn the larger black wolf, and his experience as a scavenger made him more ruthless than the others. After a heart-stopping battle, he emerged victorious, though injured and gasping for breath, becoming the first successful participant in the trial.

The gate opened, and he clutched his chest as he left, free to go.

The fourth participant was the little girl. As the cage containing the Colossal Horned Python was opened, she trembled, gritting her teeth in despair, and was about to pass Xu Qing to face the beast.

But at that moment, Xu Qing suddenly spoke.

"Let's switch."

The little girl was taken aback, and before she could react, Xu Qing had already swapped his stick with hers. Taking the stick marked with the Colossal Horned Python, he ignored her grateful gaze and walked towards the beast.

As he entered, the surrounding scavengers, who had seen the order, began to cheer. However, apart from those who had bet on him and the little girl, no one else cared about such matters. The camp leader certainly didn't, and everything was left to the participants to handle on their own.

In the arena, Xu Qing calmly approached the iron cage, where the Colossal Horned Python watched him with cold, yellow eyes, slowly slithering out. As its thick body emerged from the cage, its scales scraped against the iron bars, producing a harsh, grating sound.

Instinctively, the beast sensed that this boy was different from the prey it usually encountered. Therefore, after emerging, the Colossal Horned Python did not immediately attack but coiled itself outside the cage, its head raised high, alert and wary, watching Xu Qing as he approached.

This scene piqued the interest of the audience, and the cheering died down somewhat.

Xu Qing's expression remained calm as he approached. Perhaps he had entered the python's attack range, or perhaps he was being provoked by its aura, but the python's yellow eyes suddenly grew cold, and it struck the ground with its tail, producing a loud boom.

With this sound, the python's body launched forward, its mouth opening wide, revealing sharp teeth and emitting a foul, fishy odor, as it lunged at Xu Qing, intent on swallowing him whole.

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes, watching the python as it approached. At the last moment, he dodged, not taking the opportunity to strike or paying attention to the massive head passing by him. Instead, his eyes gleamed with a sharp light, and he closely observed the python's belly, like a hunter.

As the python missed its target, it let out a low growl, twisted its body, and swung its tail behind it, producing a sharp whistling sound as it lashed out at Xu Qing. The hunting instinct also made the python's head turn sharply, forming a circular attack with its tail, aiming to wrap around Xu Qing.

Xu Qing remained silent, his gaze still fixed on the python's belly. As the tail approached, he suddenly clenched his right fist and struck it as it lashed out.

Bang.

Although Xu Qing had only cultivated the Sea Mountain Technique to the first level, the physical enhancement it provided was significant. The python's tail was struck back, preventing it from connecting with its head, and the python clearly felt pain, but this non-fatal injury only increased its ferocity. It charged forward, its head red with rage, aiming to bite Xu Qing.

But Xu Qing's eyes flashed with determination. He had finally found what he was looking for. He stepped forward, not retreating, and approached the middle of the python's body.

With his right fist, he struck forcefully, one punch after another, each one landing with a powerful impact.

The force of Xu Qing's punches forced the python to retreat, its roars growing louder as it tried to wrap around him, but the strength in his punches prevented it from doing so. The python's belly, with its thinner scales, began to crack and bleed after several punches, its resilience weakening.

Seeing this, Xu Qing's eyes flashed with a cold light. He quickly drew a dagger from his leg, and with a swift, precise motion, plunged it into the python's flesh.

The blade pierced through instantly, and he slashed deeply. Blood splattered everywhere, and the python let out a piercing scream as a deep, shocking wound opened in its belly, revealing its gallbladder.

The snake was large but clearly mutated, and its gallbladder was small, like an egg. Without hesitation, Xu Qing reached into the wound with his right hand, grabbed the gallbladder, and pulled it out, causing the python to scream in agony.

Blood sprayed, splattering the sand. Ignoring the blood, Xu Qing held the gallbladder, his eyes gleaming, and swallowed it whole in front of the shocked scavengers.

The Colossal Horned Python, in excruciating pain, thrashed wildly, its body slamming into the ground, raising dust as it tried to vent its agony. Its head charged at Xu Qing, its red eyes filled with madness, its mouth open wide, as if trying to swallow him whole.

Xu Qing watched coldly. As the python approached, he leaped into the air, dodging the head, and while in mid-air, he swung his right hand, producing a black iron stake.

Looking down, his eyes flashed with a killing intent, and he plunged downward, using his strength, speed, and weight to maximize the impact of the stake, driving it into the python's heart.

The stake shattered the python's scales, piercing through with ease. With a loud boom, the python's body convulsed violently, as if it had lost the strength to support itself. Its head and tail hit the ground heavily, and its piercing scream abruptly stopped, leaving only the sound of its tail weakly slapping the ground.

After a moment, as the dust settled, the scavengers watching the battle were stunned. Many stood up, their expressions heavy as they watched the boy who had just emerged from the snake's body, pulling out the iron stake.

If an adult had killed the Colossal Horned Python, it wouldn't have caused such a reaction. But for a small, thin child to cleanly extract the gallbladder and swallow it, then kill the snake with a single strike, all while remaining completely calm, was extremely rare in the camp.

The small wolf and the red bear in the other cages were clearly terrified, trembling in fear. This didn't seem like a trial but a hunt.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the boy put away the iron stake, grabbed the python's wound, and walked towards the arena's gate. A trail of blood followed him, a shocking red line.

At the gate, which had not yet opened, Xu Qing turned to look at the platform. After a moment, the man with the three-bristled mustache on the platform, still shaken, gestured, and the gate slowly opened.

Outside, Lei Team Leader, arms crossed and leaning against the wall, had been waiting. He smiled at Xu Qing.

"Can I stay with you now?" Xu Qing, dragging the snake's body, looked up at Lei Team Leader.

"Sure," Lei Team Leader smiled.

Xu Qing nodded and threw the snake's body to him.

"You like to eat snakes, so here you go."

Lei Team Leader was taken aback, then laughed heartily, taking the python's body. With a smile, he led Xu Qing away.

As they walked, the arena erupted in excited chatter. In the crowd, in a corner, an old man in a purple robe sat with a middle-aged man who looked like a servant, his forehead marked with a pentagram.

They sat there, their clothing and demeanor clearly out of place with the surroundings, but no one seemed to notice their presence. Even the camp leader's eyes did not register them.

The old man, with a ruddy complexion and eyes that seemed to contain lightning, looked at Xu Qing's retreating figure and couldn't help but smile.

"This boy is interesting."