Chapter 88

When Xu Dong arrived at the city gate to gather, Qidao and Yangguang were already there. Both were wrapped in large cloaks, with wide-brimmed hats covering their faces. If they hadn't called out, it would have been hard to recognize them for a moment.

Seeing Xu Dong, Qidao slowly breathed a sigh of relief, "It's good that you're here. Just now, when I was buying necessities, I heard a lot of... well, gossip. Yang Shaoxing declared that he would definitely kill you and that bastard..."

As if to confirm Qidao's words, at that moment, three examinees passed by the city gate. Upon seeing Xu Dong, they unconsciously quickened their steps. When they were far enough away, they couldn't help but turn back to point and whisper, looking at Xu Dong as if he were a dead man.

Wasn't it true? The Yang family was powerful, and everyone in Blood Helmet City knew it. Since Yang Shaoxing had the nerve to declare that he would kill someone during the field trial, even if he didn't have a hundred percent certainty, he must have a good seventy to eighty percent chance.

Yangguang was the type who didn't care much. Upon hearing this, he only shrugged and spread his hands indifferently, "Ever since I came out of my mother's womb, I never thought I would live to return. If he wants to kill me, I can't stop him. So why should I be afraid?"

As for Xu Dong... it seemed that since he started his career, he had never thought of not killing anyone, yet he had carved out a bloody path. Having experienced life and death, mere words wouldn't affect him.

Seeing that the two were unmoved, Qidao didn't bother to say more.

Xu Dong put on his outer robe, covering his face, and gave Yangguang a nod. The latter nodded in return.

Since everything was ready, there was no time to waste.

Just as the three were about to leave, they suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

"Be careful, ambush!"

Before they could react, three small dots rapidly enlarged in front of their eyes.

They were three arrows, almost identical to those shot by the Blood Helmet City guardian that Xu Dong had seen before!

A strong sense of fear overwhelmed Xu Dong. His scalp tingled, and he instinctively activated the Small Steps skill, diving towards Qidao in the next second.

"Whoosh" "Whoosh" "Whoosh"

The three arrows whistled through the air, coming from far away, as fast as lightning. Since it was a surprise attack, there was no way to avoid them!

In a flash, Xu Dong pounced on Qidao, tightly hugging the petite girl. Yangguang, on the other hand, crossed his arms in front of him, his arms covered in green scales, clearly activating the flesh armor.

Just as the arrows were about to hit, they suddenly exploded with a loud "bang," scattering countless organic substances like fireworks, splashing onto Xu Dong and Yangguang. An indescribable, intense smell immediately permeated the air!

"Huh?!" Xu Dong was slightly taken aback and let go of Qidao, "Why did the arrows explode?" He picked up a piece of the organic substance with his fingers, "What is this? So strange!"

However, Qidao and Yangguang's expressions were very grim.

Yangguang couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, that's a scent dye!"

Scent dye? Xu Dong's expression also turned grim. If there was a scent dye, did it mean that there was another device to track this scent?

"I want to know the tracking range of the device that works with this scent dye," Xu Dong slowly turned around, sweeping the organic substance off his adventure robe, and looked at Yangguang.

Yangguang held up five fingers and swallowed hard, "It's an insect. Within fifty kilometers, they can find us if they want to."

At the same time, Xu Dong turned his head and saw a man standing on the rooftop across from them. The man's clothes flapped in the wind, and he met Xu Dong's gaze, making a throat-cutting gesture with his finger, the meaning clear!

"Let's go!"

Xu Dong turned and left without looking back, "This time, it was my mistake. I didn't expect Yang Shaoxing to be able to mobilize the guardian to shoot at us. Fortunately, the purpose of these arrows was not to kill but to deploy the scent dye. Otherwise..."

Yangguang remained silent.

When the three entered the forest outside the city, Xu Dong found a secluded spot and asked Yangguang to take out the map he had found.

The map was of high quality, with clear terrain and even a rough division of species activity areas. Xu Dong was very satisfied with this map, and his occasional glances at Yangguang were filled with deep meaning.

Unlike Xu Dong's calmness, Qidao's expression was very urgent. She couldn't help but tug at Xu Dong's sleeve, "Hey! What are you doing? Both of you are covered in scent dye, why are you wasting time here? We should run, complete the mission early, and return to Blood Helmet City. No matter how powerful Yang Shaoxing is, he won't dare to kill us!"

However, Xu Dong raised another question, "Qidao, don't be in a hurry, listen to me. If Yang Shaoxing is eager to kill me, why didn't he ambush us on the road but chose to track us? Think about this question." As he spoke, he held the map in front of Yangguang and continued, "Is this a river? Is this a valley?"

In her urgency, Qidao's thoughts were in chaos, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't figure it out, stomping her feet in frustration.

Xu Dong patted her head and said gently, "Actually, let's think about it this way. What is the purpose of throwing the scent dye? To make tracking easier. Why are they tracking us? To kill us. What is the difference between this method and an ambush on the road?"

Yangguang, deep in thought, blurted out, "Exhaustion!"

Xu Dong smiled and nodded, "Exactly. Once we are in disarray, we will be exhausted, and then, when they are prepared, killing us will be as easy as slicing through melons. Of course, I can think of another point, though it's a bit twisted, but also very practical... It's likely that this hunter and prey game, where one chases and the other runs, can extremely satisfy Yang Shaoxing's ugly psychology, giving him the fullest sense of revenge."

Although this explanation was quite sinister, Yangguang and Qidao had to admit that it was the most reasonable.

Yangguang lowered his eyes, not daring to look at Xu Dong. The proud and self-important him couldn't deny that the young man in front of him, in terms of wisdom, breadth of mind, and potential and strength, was far superior to him!

What was even more remarkable was that he was still stubbornly growing!

A man who was so excellent, yet completely unaware of it.

This was Yangguang's feeling.

Qidao stomped her feet in anger, "But, but you shouldn't be studying the map like nothing happened. If you keep this up, you'll be killed!"

Xu Dong subconsciously glanced at Qidao, who was genuinely worried, her pretty face flushed red, like a ripe apple.

He smiled confidently, "Will I be killed? How could I be killed?"

As he spoke, Xu Dong's thoughts suddenly returned to the moment he advanced to a two-star Awakened.

When a terrifying hurricane swept through his consciousness, and his consciousness bud once again stubbornly stood firm...

After "Power" and "Devour" were upgraded, "Small Steps" also advanced to the next level.

Power (Awakened)

Level: 2

Effect: After activating this skill, the power of your next attack will increase by 60% (80%). When used with relevant techniques, it can achieve 70% (90%) of its power.

Cost: 10

Cooldown: 24 minutes

Devour (Awakened)

Level: 2

Effect: You can recover by devouring organic matter. The recovery effect depends on the object devoured, with a maximum of a one-star Awakened level creature, lasting 60 (90) seconds.

Cost: None

Cooldown: 20 minutes

Small Steps (Awakened)

Level: 2

Effect: After activating this skill, your movement speed increases by 50% (75%), lasting 15 (20) seconds.

Cost: 20

Cooldown: 30 minutes

Note: The values in parentheses are the values after awakening.

Xu Dong's naked physical attributes also improved significantly. His strength had reached the average of a two-star Awakened, and once the flesh armor was activated, his strength could even reach the peak of a two-star Awakened!

The changes brought about by the upgrade of the three innate skills were nothing short of a qualitative leap!

The biggest change in the Power skill gave Xu Dong a significant boost in his cultivation in this world, turning a 0 to 1 breakthrough!

The biggest change in the Devour skill allowed Xu Dong to overcome the awkward situation of not being able to actively enhance the power of the flesh armor. With sufficient resources, he could continuously grow stronger!

Based on this transformative improvement, Xu Dong had a certain level of confidence in the current situation. He wasn't afraid of powerful opponents; he was only afraid of not having enough time and resources to improve before facing them.

Now, Xu Dong was about to enter the Ghost Forest, where precious beasts roamed. For others, it was an extremely dangerous place, but for him, it was a beautiful paradise! What he was most satisfied with was that he still had time to strengthen himself, to reinforce himself!

He even couldn't help but clench his fists and shout in his heart, "Come on, let the storm come more fiercely, and bring out my potential!"

Unfortunately, Xu Dong dared not reveal these trump cards to anyone. It was a huge secret, a tacit understanding between him and the existence he had not communicated with. He didn't know what consequences would follow if he revealed this secret to others, but he was clear that the consequences would be unbearable.

Xu Dong just smiled gently, his smile gradually gaining a charm that was hard to describe, as if any problem was no problem in his eyes.

Qidao's anxious and restless mood gradually calmed down under this smile. Soon, her eyes lost focus, and she felt that the young man in front of her was full of captivating beauty.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly stared at her toes, her voice as weak as a mosquito, "Alright, I'll follow your arrangements."

At this moment, she couldn't help but recall the moment at the city gate when Xu Dong immediately hugged her.

Trust him, he never disappoints.

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