Chapter 53

When Li Luo's shout reached his ears, Yu Lang's mind was also flooded with countless thoughts. After all, closing his eyes at this moment would undoubtedly give the opponent a chance to take advantage. However, based on his understanding of Li Luo's style, he gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.

So, when the blinding light burst forth, Yu Lang avoided the light's stimulation and, relying on his previous memory, reached out and grabbed the Ghost Face Fruit.

In contrast, the figure that launched the surprise attack was startled by the sudden burst of light, with his eyes stinging, and his speed involuntarily slowed down.

The intense light appeared and quickly disappeared.

Yu Lang, however, managed to grab the Ghost Face Fruit. Immediately, his face turned cold, and a slender sword shot out from his sleeve. Green phase energy surged, cutting through the air as it mercilessly stabbed towards the figure that was just a few steps away.

"Hmph."

The attacker now realized his attempt had failed and let out a cold snort, punching out with a burst of yellow phase energy, colliding directly with Yu Lang.

Phase energy exploded, and the attacker's figure only wavered slightly, while Yu Lang was sent flying back, landing on the ground not far away.

The moment Yu Lang succeeded, Li Luo and Zhao Kuo quickly moved out of the Ghost Face Devil Vine's attack range and rushed to Yu Lang's side, their eyes cold as they stared at the figure in front of them.

"Hehe, what a quick reaction, you didn't even manage to snatch it." The figure smiled, facing the three cold gazes.

At this moment, he revealed himself, a tall and muscular young man with short hair, his body exuding a sense of brute strength, giving off a visual pressure.

"Is he from the Dongyuan Academy?" Zhao Kuo immediately noticed the crystal badge on the other's chest, which bore the emblem of the Dongyuan Academy.

"He is Lian Zhong from the Dongyuan Academy, the second-best student there, a Sixth Rank Earth Phase with Eight Imprints strength." Yu Lang revealed the other's identity and information, living up to his reputation as the compiler of the exam data, who had a thorough understanding of the top students from various academies.

Li Luo's expression was calm as he said, "Do people from the Dongyuan Academy like to snatch things so much? Your teaching philosophy has serious problems."

"The exam rules don't say we can't snatch things," Lian Zhong said with a smile.

"Snatching things is fine, but hiding like a mole for so long and still not managing to snatch it is a bit frustrating," Li Luo said with a smile.

Lian Zhong's smile faded slightly. This ambush was a long-planned move, and he had originally thought it would be a sure thing, allowing him to mock the other side. However, he didn't expect Li Luo to react so quickly, counterattacking and causing him to fail.

"Li Luo, you've underestimated me."

Lian Zhong's gaze fixed on Li Luo, and he said with a faint smile, "But this is just a small appetizer; you shouldn't be too pleased."

"From what you're saying, you're still targeting me?"

"I can't help it. The boss said he's too busy to deal with you, so he asked us to give you some fun." Lian Zhong said with a seemingly helpless smile.

"Shi Kong?" Li Luo mused.

"Engaging you here now wouldn't be meaningful, as we can't snatch points here. After this round, when the elimination matches start, I'll come for you." Lian Zhong said.

Then he glanced at Zhao Kuo and Yu Lang, saying, "If you two are smart, you'll separate from him early. The boss has said that all of us from the Dongyuan Academy will target him. Following him will only bring you trouble."

"Go to hell."

Zhao Kuo glared and cursed, "I'd be happy to have you Dongyuan Academy dogs come over to give us points."

Yu Lang shook the slender sword in his hand and said thoughtfully, "Li Luo and I are life-and-death friends, deeply bonded. If you want me to leave him, you'll have to... pay more."

"You ungrateful thing, do as you please." Lian Zhong shook his head, not bothering to say more, and moved towards the depths of the dark forest.

"How much more, at least give a number. If it's not enough, we can negotiate!" Yu Lang said urgently.

He wanted to chase after, but Li Luo stopped him, "There's no need to waste time here. Fighting here is meaningless, and we can't snatch his points."

"Damn, too arrogant." Yu Lang grumbled, clearly still angry, whether at Lian Zhong's attempt to ambush or at his refusal to negotiate.

Zhao Kuo looked at Li Luo and frowned, "Brother Luo, if the Dongyuan Academy people really target you, we should find others to counter them."

If they didn't, the other side would clearly have the advantage in numbers.

"No rush, let's see how it goes."

Li Luo remained calm. Clearly, Shi Kong didn't take him too seriously, so the task of dealing with him was given to Lian Zhong and others. However, if they really intended to do this, he wouldn't mind showing them what it means to send a meat bun to a dog, with no return.

Wait, I'm not a dog.

"Here, this is our harvest." Yu Lang then handed over the Ghost Face Fruit.

"Give it to Zhao Kuo first; he suffered the most." Li Luo said with a smile.

Zhao Kuo's body still had several bloody marks, looking quite miserable, but these were just surface injuries, and with his defensive capabilities, he would recover quickly.

Zhao Kuo didn't say much, taking the Ghost Face Fruit. After all, he would help Li Luo and Yu Lang to get another one later.

He held the Ghost Face Fruit, crushed it, and extracted the fruit core, squeezing it to get a drop of green juice, which he dripped onto his chest crystal badge, which then absorbed it.

The points on the crystal badge immediately jumped to one hundred.

"Let's go, continue for the second one." Li Luo said, and the three continued deeper.

In the next hour, the three found two more Ghost Face Devil Vine trees and repeated the process. This time, there were no other interruptions, and they successfully obtained two more Ghost Face Fruits, bringing Li Luo and Yu Lang's base points to one hundred.

After reaching one hundred base points, further Ghost Face Fruits would no longer be effective, so the three didn't linger and began moving at full speed towards the location of the third-layer elimination matches.

...

At the foot of Bai Ling Mountain, the massive crystal wall displayed constantly changing points, drawing the attention of countless spectators.

On the points board, the top positions were still dominated by full scores, with a base of two hundred points, led by figures like Lü Qing'er and Shi Kong.

The most eye-catching were the two mirror projections at the top of the crystal wall, providing a visual impact.

The first was Lü Qing'er, standing on a Ghost Face Devil Vine tree. The vine, which was usually a headache, was now completely frozen by ice crystals. Her long hair flowed, her figure slender, and her beautiful face made many people appreciate the charm of the top student of the Nanfeng Academy.

The second was Shi Kong, holding a Ghost Face Fruit with a smile, behind him a Devil Vine tree emitting black smoke, occasionally with lightning flashing.

Both of them had defeated the Devil Vine tree and obtained the Ghost Face Fruit using their own strength.

Their impressive achievements earned them even greater support, and everyone knew that the top student of this year's exam would likely be one of these two.

Cai Wei and Yan Lingqing didn't pay much attention to these scenes; their gazes were fixed on the points board. When they saw Li Luo's points finally change from zero to one hundred, they breathed a sigh of relief.

Although this evaluation round was just to get base points, if Li Luo had entered with two zeros, it would have been too peculiar.

As more and more students used various methods to obtain Ghost Face Fruits, the atmosphere here became increasingly heated. Everyone knew that the two evaluation rounds were just a prelude, providing everyone with some base points for the upcoming elimination matches.

So, when the elimination matches began, the exam would officially start.

...

In Bai Ling Mountain.

Li Luo, Yu Lang, and Zhao Kuo emerged from the dark forest, a stream appearing before them. On the other side of the stream was a complex terrain of rolling hills, filled with trees and boulders.

The three exchanged glances, understanding that crossing the stream would lead them to the elimination match venue.

However, they didn't hesitate. Phase energy surged, and their figures flashed, crossing the several-meter-wide river and landing on the other side, officially starting the elimination matches of the exam.