Chapter 57

At the bottom of the slope, six freshmen found themselves in an awkward situation. This rare plant had dozens of vines, which were as hard as steel yet incredibly flexible. G-grade weapons could not inflict any substantial damage on them.

These vines could extend or retract, reaching up to dozens of meters in length. They flew through the air, blocking all paths and cutting off the six freshmen's escape routes.

It was difficult to attack effectively, and they couldn't retreat either, which left the six freshmen feeling quite frustrated. This rare plant was at most as strong as a third-level warrior, but it left them powerless.

Apart from Feng Lingsnow and her three companions, the other two freshmen were a bald youth with thick eyebrows and large eyes, exuding a heroic aura, and a handsome blonde with a tall, imposing figure and a charming, devilish charm.

"First and foremost, safety first, safety first."

The bald youth dodged the vines while shouting, his steps neither hurried nor slow, full of agility.

"Safety my ass! If we keep this up, we'll be worn out. We need to lure these vines away and attack the main body directly."

The blonde swung two battle knives, the blade light rolling as he tried several times to break through the vine blockade but was ultimately forced back.

Feng Lingsnow stood to the side, not using any weapons. Her hands glowed with elemental energy, gently slapping the attacking vines and suppressing the plant's attacks one by one.

"This is getting troublesome. I'll tie up those vines, and you take the opportunity to attack the main body," Feng Lingsnow said.

"No way!"

"You can't go!"

Chen Wang and Chang Cheng stopped her simultaneously, and the bald youth and the blonde also disagreed. Letting a beautiful girl take the brunt of the attack would make it hard for them to hold their heads up after entering the academy.

Shui Lianqing anxiously said, "Sister Lingsnow, you can't go. If something happens to you..."

Feng Lingsnow smiled and comforted her, "Don't worry, Lianqing. Protect yourself. If something happens to you, that guy will blame me."

With that, Feng Lingsnow took a step forward, moving like a gentle breeze, darting into the dozens of vines.

The rare plant's attacks were incredibly tight, the vines weaving a net that sealed off a 50-meter diameter area. However, Feng Lingsnow's movement techniques were extremely elusive. Her body seemed weightless, moving gracefully and ethereally within the net.

The blonde's eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "What incredible movement techniques! This technique is at least fourth-grade, and her strength is probably that of a fourth-level warrior."

It was clear that if not for the vines' incredible toughness, they would have been shattered by Feng Lingsnow long ago.

Shui Lianqing bit her lip, hating herself for being unable to help. How could she have been specially recruited by the Imperial Wind Academy if she couldn't contribute?

Suddenly, the vines paused, and thick vines sprouted sharp thorns, gleaming dark green in the sunlight.

"Trouble!"

"Lingsnow, come back quickly."

"Beautiful girl, be careful..."

"First and foremost, safety first!"

Everyone's faces changed, and they shouted in alarm. If they were caught by the vines, their bodies would be riddled with holes.

At that moment, a loud whistling sound came from above. The group instinctively looked up and were stunned, their legs tensing as they wanted to run away.

In the air, a black shadow fell, over ten meters long, blocking the sunlight and darkening the area.

What made everyone's scalps tingle even more was that the black shadow shouted, "I'm here!"

What kind of monster could speak? Could it be a legendary super beast? Would they have any chance of survival?

Bang!

The rare plant also noticed the situation above and determined the landing point of the black shadow, which was its main body. It immediately abandoned Feng Lingsnow, and dozens of vines gathered and shot upward. A loud noise echoed as the black shadow was bounced away, and when it landed, another figure jumped out.

Recognizing the newcomer, Shui Lianqing exclaimed in surprise, "Ayan!"

It was Sun Yan, jumping from the back of the whip-tailed crocodile's corpse. He smiled at Shui Lianqing but didn't say anything. Instead, he dragged the huge crocodile corpse and charged toward the strange plant.

Chen Wang and the others were dumbfounded, staring at Sun Yan dragging the massive object straight toward them.

Thud, thud, thud...

Sun Yan swung the crocodile corpse, continuously hitting the strange plant, forcing it to abandon Feng Lingsnow and use most of its vines to fight the corpse. The vines struck the crocodile corpse repeatedly, and finally, the plant seized the opportunity, wrapping dozens of vines around the corpse and tearing it apart.

"Right now!"

"Attack!"

Chen Wang and the others had been waiting for this moment. They flew toward the plant's main body, each attacking with fury.

Chen Wang, wearing boxing gloves, punched like the wind, with broad and powerful movements. Chang Cheng wielded a G-grade alloy nunchaku, creating a whirlwind. The blonde swung two alloy battle knives, the blade light blurring and moving as fast as lightning. The bald youth's palm strikes carried a scorching heat.

The rare plant squealed as it was beaten, and in a moment, its thick trunk was pierced, and its vines fell to the ground, quickly withering.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. This rare plant had given them quite a bit of trouble. Then, they looked at Sun Yan, their gazes filled with curiosity.

Looking at the crocodile corpse broken into dozens of pieces, Sun Yan sighed, "What a pity. I was planning to skin it and maybe sell it for some money."

A white, tender hand reached out, pinched the flesh on his waist, and twisted it hard, causing a pig-like scream to echo through the forest.

"Lingsnow, you're trying to kill me! Is this how you treat your savior?"

Sun Yan's eyes watered from the pain, and he pointed at Feng Lingsnow, shouting, "After so long, you should give me a warm hug."

Feng Lingsnow pursed her lips and said, "If that thing had fallen on me from the sky, what would you have done? You didn't even warn me."

"With my precise calculations, how could there be any error? Besides, with your strength, you could easily dodge it!"

"I don't care. It's your fault."

"My fault? You don't welcome me with gratitude and blame me? Lianqing, stop laughing and come judge this."

Seeing the young man and the two girls bickering, the bald youth was speechless, his face falling. "Before we even enter the academy, two top-notch beauties have been snatched away, and by the same person. The Imperial Wind Academy is not safe at all."

The blonde stroked his chin and muttered, "This guy is interesting. It looks like my days at the Imperial Wind Academy won't be boring."

Chen Wang and Chang Cheng exchanged glances, both seeing shock in each other's eyes. Using a whip-tailed crocodile corpse as a weapon and wielding it with ease required what kind of monstrous strength?

Chen Wang smiled bitterly, "It won't be long before this guy catches up to us."

Chang Cheng clenched his fists and said softly, "We need to work hard. I don't want to be beaten into a pig's head by this guy."

After a while of bickering, everyone gathered and introduced themselves. Sun Yan met the two young men.

The bald youth was called Long Pingan, from the northern part of the Southwind Domain. The blonde was from the Eastlin Domain and was named Green. Both were new students in the Elite Department.

From their conversation, Sun Yan learned that Feng Lingsnow and Shui Lianqing had coincidentally met Chen Wang and Chang Cheng the previous evening. The four of them had passed through the Ten Thousand Paths Mountain together and encountered Long Pingan and Green in this maze, where they accidentally ran into the strange plant and were trapped in a difficult battle.

After some small talk, Sun Yan volunteered to be the guide. Despite the skeptical looks from the others, he led the way toward the edge of the maze.

...

The exit of the Ten Thousand Paths Mountain was completely different from the mountain path at the entrance. The exit was a huge mountain passage, 200 meters wide and 20 meters high, with a sunken white line in the center, dividing the passage into two distinct parts.

In the early morning, sunlight shone on the exit of the Ten Thousand Paths Mountain. On either side of the exit were two stone tables, each occupied by a young man.

Both young men wore red and black uniforms, with a circular emblem on their chest, the word "Imperial Wind" in the center.

The young man on the left had gray long hair tied in a ponytail, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, his expression calm, almost blending into the surroundings.

The young man on the right had short black hair, a hooked nose, and thin lips, giving off a sharp and unkind impression.

The morning sun shone on the gray-haired young man's face, and he opened his eyes, smiling. "The second-best record in the Ten Thousand Paths Mountain outdoor race is 15 hours and 15 minutes, set by third-year chief Lin Binglan. I wonder if this year's freshmen will give me a surprise."

The young man with the hooked nose snorted coldly and said indifferently, "Lin Senior's record will never be broken by any freshman, even in 100 years. Meng Dongwang, don't make such baseless speculations. If other students hear you, even as one of the top five second-year students in the West Turtle Academy, you'll be drowned in criticism."

The gray-haired young man smiled slightly and suddenly looked up, gazing at the forest ahead. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Breaking Lin Senior's record is impossible, but this year's freshmen have given me a surprise."

He checked the time and muttered, "16 hours and 45 minutes, seven people. Three more are 10 kilometers behind, and 14 are 40 kilometers behind. Not bad, not bad."

From the forest ahead, seven young men emerged from the shade, with Sun Yan leading the way.

"Look, we've made it out of that maze," Sun Yan said with a smile.

Long Pingan marveled, "They say some people are born with extraordinary senses, able to discern truth from falsehood and dispel illusions. It seems, Sun classmate, you are one of them."

Sun Yan modestly replied, "Not at all, not at all. You flatter me. I'm not that capable."

Feng Lingsnow and Shui Lianqing subtly glared at him, both showing beautiful smiles that were radiant in the sunlight.

At that moment, the gray-haired young man on the left waved and called out, "Elite Department freshmen, report here. Don't just stand there; every second you delay, the race record gets worse."

Hearing this, Long Pingan and the others ran toward the gray-haired young man. However, after a few steps, they were surprised to see Sun Yan and Shui Lianqing turn and head toward the right side of the exit.

Green's eyes widened in disbelief, "Sun Yan, are you a regular department freshman?"