Chapter 66

The oppressive aura of life and death has finally dissipated, and the cold blade hanging over his head has vanished. Xu Dong's muscles ached intensely, as if his body was about to fall apart. Although it was just a brief moment, the power of the void giant palm had still penetrated his body, causing multiple soft tissue contusions and bone fractures. The desperate struggle had further exacerbated his injuries.

Only now did he notice two thin streams of blood, like small snakes, flowing from his nostrils. The mental storm seemed to have vanished without a trace, but it had still caused him harm.

However, after the battle with the two-star Awakened, Xu Dong had gained invaluable experience that would greatly aid his growth.

Enduring the intense pain throughout his body, Xu Dong limped over to Qidao's side. The little girl was in a terrible state, with the most fatal wound on her chest still gushing blood, which could not be stopped even by pressing it with her hand, continuously seeping through her fingers.

When Qidao recognized the person, this simple girl with a simple worldview instinctively wanted to grin and laugh heartily, but the movement of her wound made her grimace, her smile no longer as innocent and bold as when they first met. "I didn't expect you to be able to take down an intelligence-type two-star Awakened. You're really amazing!"

She paused after each sentence, her breathing labored, with pink blood foam trickling from the corner of her mouth.

In fact, Xu Dong's ability to kill the Fox was due to a combination of favorable conditions. First, the Fox's迷惑 skill consumed a lot of the flesh armor's power, and at that moment, he had ensured that no other infiltrators besides himself were affected, unexpectedly sparing Xu Dong.

Second, Xu Dong's sudden attack broke the mental shield that the Fox relied on. Intelligence-type Awakened were not adept at close combat, and after the mental shield was broken, they inevitably became mentally lax and failed to seize every opportunity.

Third, the Level 2 Insight skill played a crucial role. If Xu Dong had not seen through the Fox's secrets, he would never have been able to make the Fox relax through his words and turn the tide.

Fourth, and most importantly, during the process of upgrading the Insight skill, Xu Dong's consciousness had been honed, allowing him to largely resist the mental storm.

Without these four conditions, Xu Dong would never have been able to accomplish this impossible feat.

Xu Dong's face was hidden in the darkness, with only his eyes, like cold stars, staring intently at Qidao's pale face.

At this moment, he did not lack the thought of being ruthless. If he did not help her, Qidao would certainly die. After her death, with the qualification tokens from the Fox, he could obtain two, completing at least two-thirds of the mission.

Qidao, despite her carefree demeanor, was a perceptive person. She laughed softly, "Are you thinking of killing me?"

Her words revealed the truth, and Xu Dong's expression turned serious.

After a long pause, his expression softened, "We are friends."

Qidao also breathed a sigh of relief, "You scared me. I thought you would finish me off... But, but even if I don't die, I can't participate in the subsequent evaluation. I'm really不甘心!"

Xu Dong smiled slightly. For others, such injuries would be difficult to handle and require a lot of time. However, he flipped his hand, and a chubby bug raised its head in his palm, seemingly very unhappy at being interrupted from its rest. It had no choice but to crawl onto Qidao's neck, bite down, and transfer its life essence.

What is this! Qidao's hair stood on end. If she could move, she would have already picked up her sword and gone mad with slashing.

Xu Dong quickly held her down, saying sternly, "Don't move. This is my emergency measure. Don't worry, you will recover completely soon."

The leech's body emitted a gentle, warm light. It could be seen that the life essence was being transferred through its mouth into Qidao's body, starting from her neck, the skin and flesh beneath gradually emitting a corresponding glow, the light flowing along her veins, radiating throughout her body.

Soon, Qidao's face showed surprise, "My body is recovering so fast! Is this a leech that can only grow in a secret realm?! How is this possible? Your leech can exist outside the secret realm? By Mondo, why is this so?"

Secret realm? A leech that can only grow in a secret realm?

Xu Dong suppressed his curiosity. When the leech had transferred all its life essence and showed signs of fatigue, he quietly put it back into his storage space.

Qidao, seeing that Xu Dong did not answer, did not press further, only looking at him curiously, as if re-evaluating him, "You are so mysterious. I admit, I'm starting to like you."

Xu Dong was startled by the girl's directness, "Hormones like this will fade quickly. Don't talk nonsense."

What are hormones? Qidao curiously scratched her head.

After taking care of Qidao, Xu Dong walked over to the Fox and searched through all the items. Unexpectedly, the Fox was very poor, with only ten gold coins on him. But then again, if he had a lot of wealth, he wouldn't have been unable to buy even a decent piece of internal equipment.

And if he had internal equipment, Xu Dong would have been dead for sure.

Indeed, everything happens for a reason.

Of course, Xu Dong also took all the external equipment. A silent ring that improved mental control, a peaceful necklace that maintained focus. As for the other items, Xu Dong didn't find them useful and didn't bother taking them. These two pieces of external equipment would bring in at least several dozen gold coins.

As for why Xu Dong didn't use them himself, it was mainly because the equipment didn't suit him, and he needed the money more.

Just as Xu Dong and Qidao left, someone else appeared. This person was full of energy, with a sharp gaze, and his breathing was deep and powerful, occasionally emitting a sound like a steam locomotive, puffing and hissing. If Xu Dong were here, he would recognize this person as the five-star Awakened who had disguised himself as Ma Er's subordinate yesterday.

Surveying the scene, he muttered to himself, "It seems the girl's strength has improved a lot after obtaining the Broken Clever Sword."

Noticing something, his expression changed, "That kid, able to kill a two-star Awakened, and an intelligence-type at that, with only one star? His growth rate is faster than I imagined! Only such a talented person would make the fight more exciting. Hehe, grow quickly, I can't wait to take revenge for the one-strike grudge."

His voice was cold and bloody, with a strong sense of confidence in his own strength.

With a loud hiss, the five-star Awakened's movements were like lightning, and he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Xu Dong, who preferred to take his time, rarely acted hastily. After leaving with Qidao, he found a house and broke in. With money, the residents' anger dissipated.

The two entered the room, and the owner, for the sake of the gold coins, brought in a large plate of beef and vegetables.

Qidao, after the intense battle, was hungry. After eating a little, she lay down on the bed, not minding the man sitting beside her, and began to meditate. Although most of her external injuries had been healed by the leech's life essence, her mental exhaustion still needed to be replenished. Moreover, after a fierce battle, it was a great opportunity to improve her combat skills and willpower, so she needed to take advantage of it.

Xu Dong had never tried to meditate and could not do so. Out of curiosity, he couldn't help but observe her closely. Qidao's breathing was steady, as if she were asleep, but her eyelids twitched, as if she could wake up at any moment. A subtle movement caught his attention; during her meditation, Qidao subconsciously activated her flesh armor.

"What type of flesh armor is this?" Xu Dong was slightly surprised.

Under the thick clothing, Xu Dong could only see a glimpse. The flesh armor was a type he had never seen before, with a bronze color and scales as fine as a snake's. With each breath, the life essence in the air flowed into her body, making the scales even finer and the aura more condensed and powerful.

He pondered, the flesh armor was like human skin, a form of life characteristic. Different genes led to different types of flesh armor, similar to how some people have large pores, some have small pores, some have abundant hair, and some have none at all.

Xu Dong knew everyone had their secrets and did not pry. However, this girl, Qidao, not only had a unique flesh armor but also practiced a complementary method.

With each breath, the power of the flesh armor subtly fluctuated, causing the scales to rub against each other. The unique armor and specialized cultivation method made Xu Dong purse his lips, "It seems Qidao is not an ordinary girl, with a deep family background!"

About an hour later, Qidao woke up. Xu Dong wasn't sure if he was seeing things, but when the girl opened her eyes, there was a strange yellow light in her eyes, mysterious and ancient.

She looked at Xu Dong and asked curiously, "Why aren't you taking the time to meditate? I don't think you lack a cultivation method. Don't you know that the best time to meditate is right after a life-and-death struggle?"

Xu Dong smiled but said nothing. It wasn't that he was complacent; although he couldn't gain strength through cultivation, he had a mission system. As long as he completed missions, his strength would improve rapidly, and the speed of improvement was extremely fast!

Qidao pouted, "Fine, don't say anything. What do we do next? Since you saved me, I'll follow you without a word. If we can't take them on one-on-one, we'll gang up on them. One by one! Hmph, I don't believe we'll fail again."

This was exactly what Xu Dong wanted. He pursed his lips and said softly, "Why don't we go find Yangguang?"

This was more of a statement than a question. Qidao's strength had surprised him. In a one-on-one situation, she could attempt to challenge a two-star Awakened. With his own abilities, they might not win, but they could hold their own. And Yangguang was also mysterious and likely not weak. With the three of them working together, they might be able to obtain the three qualification tokens!

This was Xu Dong's plan.