Chapter 37

Many figures leaped through the mountain forest, even with over two hundred pounds of armor, they moved like apes, a manifestation of their powerful vitality.

Originally, traversing the mountain forest was very difficult, with thickets and thorny bushes that had to be cut down to pass through.

But with the metal armor, it became much easier, as many thorny bushes were simply plowed through.

Moreover, there was a waterproof membrane inside the metal armor, preventing even the small insects, ants, and centipedes from getting in.

In the primeval forest, the most terrifying things were not the various monsters, but the tiny insects that could penetrate any gap, causing painful and itchy bites, some of which could even be fatal.

The only downside was the weight, especially when moving through the forest, which consumed dozens of times more energy than usual. Only the strong could run.

Fifty students, some in groups of three or five, others alone, entered the vast jungle, like grains of sand scattered into the sea, disappearing instantly.

Zheng Wenbing, Yang Wu, and Zhang Yue also stealthily followed behind. They gritted their teeth, hating Jiang Li to the bone, but dared not act, clearly aware that Jiang Li had won the favor of Luo Han and Xue Ling. Opposing the two women would be courting death.

"This Jiang Li must have had some incredible luck for his strength to improve so rapidly."

Zheng Wenbing, who had lost out in his scheme and had to pay 300,000 star coins, was naturally unwilling and wanted revenge.

"How do we take revenge? The official channels won't work; Xue Ling and Luo Han are protecting him," Yang Wu, who had recovered but still felt a lingering pain from the slap Jiang Li had given him, felt a mad sense of humiliation.

"Just watch, we might be able to incite a conflict between Ouyang Xing and Jiang Li. Once Ouyang Xing acts, Jiang Li will surely suffer greatly."

Zhang Yue was very cunning.

"Yes, if the two of them clash, it will be quite a show..."

"Should we contact Ouyang Xing?"

"We can, we must incite it."

The three of them sneaked into the jungle.

Xue Ling held a bright long knife, suddenly swinging it, a flurry of snowflakes fell, a D-level knife technique, "Snowflakes Cover the Top." The long knife enveloped all sides.

Many thickets were cut down by her long knife, creating a flat path.

This long knife was her weapon of choice.

For this training, only cold weapons were allowed.

Of course, firearms were already prohibited for civilians, and even the wealthy could only use them secretly. Cold weapons, however, were not restricted.

Xue Ling's knife was her specialty, three feet long, with a narrow blade made of ultra-strong alloy steel, capable of slicing through metal like butter.

It resembled a Japanese samurai sword from over two hundred years ago, but even narrower, with a cold edge and a fine blood groove in the middle.

In Xue Ling's hands, the knife moved like a butterfly, skillfully and precisely, as if guided by a sixth sense.

Swoosh!

A strange snake suddenly darted out from the grass, spitting venom that splashed onto the steel armor, causing it to emit white smoke, showing signs of corrosion. Without the armor, the venom would have caused the entire body to rot.

A flash of the knife, and the snake's head fell. Xue Ling's strike was precise, severing the snake's head with one cut. Then, with another move, "Picking up the Sword by the Lamp," the snake's body was split open, and the gallbladder was extracted, sticking to the blade.

"Jiang Li, collect it. This is a Biqu Snake from an extraterrestrial planet, and the gallbladder can fetch several dozen star coins."

Although Xue Ling had killed the snake and obtained the gallbladder, she didn't need it; a few dozen star coins were not worth much to her.

Jiang Li, however, carefully collected it, taking out a bag and not minding the small amount. Even a few dozen star coins were a significant sum, equivalent to his parents' half-month salary. Even a small amount was valuable.

"This is the first extraterrestrial creature I've killed, Jiang Li. When the human army arrived on Biqu Planet, these strange snakes caused many casualties."

Xue Ling said proudly, feeling her knife skills, agility, and mental state had greatly improved.

"If you weren't wearing metal armor, you would be completely rotten by now," Luo Han said coldly. "Moreover, look at the snake's head."

Xue Ling was startled.

The severed snake's head had a long needle stuck through it, firmly pinned to the ground, piercing through the Biqu Snake's brain.

This needle was clearly shot by Luo Han.

No one knew when she had shot the needle.

The venom of the Biqu Snake was extremely potent, with strong corrosive properties. If sprayed, it could dissolve a person's bones. A hundred years ago, when the human army arrived on Biqu Planet, the venomous snakes caused significant losses, even corroding and melting some weaker armor.

Luo Han was skilled with needles.

"This time it's a draw," Jiang Li said, seeing the two women in competition. "I saw clearly that when Luo Han's needle was shot, Xue Ling's knife also cut the skin. You both were equally alert."

"Whatever, a small Biqu Snake isn't worth my attention. Luo Han, you playing with needles makes you seem like a perverted eunuch from an old novel, Dongfang Bubai."

Xue Ling sneered.

"Playing with needles isn't just for Dongfang Bubai; there's also Sun Wukong," Luo Han said with a faint smile, the needle appearing and disappearing on her fingertip like a snake.

"Hmph! Luo Han, if you have the skills, let's compete. Take off the armor and traverse the jungle. How about it? Being in constant danger, on the brink of life and death, is the true test of one's abilities. Dare you?"

"Of course, I dare," Luo Han began to remove her armor.

"Wait, ladies, don't take your anger out on your lives!" Jiang Li was alarmed. In this dangerous jungle, removing the armor was like courting death. Just now, without the armor, the Biqu Snake's venom would have caused her to rot, turning a beautiful woman into a skeleton.

Removing the armor was like rolling on the edge of a blade, and deeper in the jungle, who knew what other dangers they might encounter.

Seeing Luo Han take off her armor, Xue Ling quickly followed suit, revealing a tight-fitting outfit that accentuated her tall, slender figure, standing at over 1.8 meters.

Luo Han's figure was also excellent, and both women wore tight-fitting outfits of unknown material, emitting a pleasant fragrance that sparked endless imagination.

"Ladies, don't be so competitive. The jungle is very dangerous. One wrong move, and even with advanced modern medicine, it might be too late to save you."

Jiang Li kept trying to dissuade them.

But the two women ignored him.

"This is the only way to focus the mind, always being alert to danger, and to train the mind and spirit. There are three venomous spiders, four scorpions, and two centipedes in the grass," Luo Han suddenly perked up her ears, accurately detecting many movements. She flicked her wrist.

Swish, swish, swish...

Nine fine needles, as thin as cow hair, flew out, causing a commotion in the grass. Indeed, several venomous insects were accurately killed.

"Jiang Li, carry our armor!" Xue Ling smiled brightly. "When we rest at night, we'll still wear the armor."

"Carry the armor? Both of you want me to carry it?" Jiang Li was taken aback. One set of armor weighed two hundred pounds, and with two sets, it would be over six hundred pounds, a massive burden.

"You should be a gentleman and help the ladies. What's the big deal?" Xue Ling deliberately teased Jiang Li.

"Yes, help us carry things. That's what a good man does," for some reason, Luo Han, who was usually at odds with Xue Ling, joined forces against Jiang Li.

"Fine, I'll be the laborer this time. Just walk slowly. I'll treat this as exercise," he squatted down, folding the armor into two large iron boxes, one in each hand, and followed the two women, moving swiftly without falling behind.

Originally, without the armor, Luo Han and Xue Ling ran very fast, and Jiang Li couldn't catch up. However, without the armor, they were also more vulnerable, and they had to be cautious, focusing their minds and spirits to sense the surroundings, which slowed their pace.

Jiang Li, on the other hand, had no such concerns, plowing through the thorny bushes and crushing large numbers of insects.

"Poisonous bees are coming!"

As they crossed several mountain ridges, a buzzing sound suddenly came from ahead.

Luo Han and Xue Ling's faces changed as they saw a large cluster of poisonous bees, each as long as a finger and as thick as a thumb, a highly aggressive species from an extraterrestrial planet.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh...

Sensing human presence, the cluster of bees suddenly flew over, fiercely attacking.

Luo Han, like a drawn bow, suddenly sprang up, her hand flicking, and a shower of needles flew out, colliding with the bees and causing them to rain down like raindrops.

"Kill!" Xue Ling burst forward, her knife drawing a circular arc, her arm vibrating, and delivering hundreds of cuts in rapid succession. The knife hummed, each cut accurately striking a bee.

No bee could get within three feet of her.

C-level knife technique, "Rain of Swords."

This technique evolved from ancient fencing, Japanese swordsmanship, and Chinese sword techniques, requiring extreme accuracy, speed, and strong muscles.

Some experts could split flies in a closed environment, killing over a dozen in a second, each cut splitting them in half.

Xue Ling was even faster, delivering over twenty cuts per second, with a long, continuous breath, continuously striking.

Jiang Li only saw the knife technique flashing, enveloping Xue Ling in a protective shield, causing the bees to fall one by one. After ten seconds, the entire swarm was eliminated.

However, Xue Ling's face was red and swollen, clearly stung by a stray bee, causing disfigurement.

But she was prepared, immediately taking out a small spray bottle and applying it to her face, the redness and swelling disappearing, leaving her skin smooth and new. This was the latest skin repair active solution, expensive and hard to find, costing thousands of star coins for a small bottle.

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