So fast?
Su raised his brows in surprise. Yi Beixuan's efficiency exceeded even his expectations.
With a flicker of light in his left hand, Su darted forward, energy gathering in his palm as he hurled it toward the lion.
"Roar—!"
The lion, with its milky white pupils, showed no fear of Su's light ability. It crouched slightly, then charged straight at him.
The once gentle light ability suddenly turned violent. As radiant as the sun, the light blinded the lion, forcing it to close its eyes in pain.
Su pushed off the ground, his palm exploding with energy as he struck the lion's head hard.
Blood burst from its orifices, and in the next instant, the lion dissolved into golden sand.
Kaziel had witnessed the whole scene. His fists clenched involuntarily. He had always heard that Su Qiluo was powerful, but he had never seen it with his own eyes—until now.
And what he saw stunned him.
One strike. Just one, and the lion was gone. Su had smashed the beast's head like it was tofu.
Troublesome...
"Keep moving," Su said coolly, glancing at him before walking ahead.
…
On the other side, Mu Qingyun raised her eyebrows as five virtual beasts suddenly surged into view.
Strange. There had been none earlier—why so many all of a sudden?
She shook her head. There was no need to question their sudden appearance. All she had to do was eliminate them.
"I'll handle this," Fan Xuanye said, his pupils vertical and snake-like. His serpentine body manifested as he lunged at the most distant of the five beasts.
Using his tail for leverage, he launched himself into the air and struck at the creature's skull with both hands.
But just then, the virtual beast let out a deafening roar.
The sound pierced through his ears like a demonic screech, causing his eardrums to throb in pain.
It wasn't just his ears. Fan Xuanye felt as though his brain were being torn apart.
These virtual beasts had become significantly stronger—and not by a small margin.
He wasn't the only one who noticed. Mu Qingyun and Xiong Ruoyou realized it too.
The beast's roar had affected them both as well.
[What the hell? Why do my ears hurt so much?][You're not alone. I had headphones on, volume maxed. Now my ears and head are both killing me.][Something's wrong with these virtual beasts! Everyone, turn off your sound—now!]
"Why are these virtual beasts so much stronger?" Xiong Ruoyou's face went pale as she leaned against Mu Qingyun, her body trembling uncontrollably.
"I don't know." Mu Qingyun's expression was serious. She ignited her fire ability in her right hand, lowered her stance, and attacked the roaring birdlike beast.
The giant, arrogant bird showed no fear and opened its mouth to shriek again.
But Mu Qingyun was prepared. She struck several acupoints, blocking her hearing. Her flames surged, engulfing the bird in a blazing inferno.
Its greatest weapon was its cry, but it lacked offensive strength. Within seconds, the bird was consumed and turned into golden sand, adding a point to her counter.
As she released the acupoints, her ears rang, and pain spread to her head.
Before she could recover, the remaining four beasts charged.
She had no time to rest. She pressed her left hand to her right, infusing her fire ability with her plant ability. With inner energy flowing through her, she launched another attack.
But one beast rushed ahead, shielding the others, and was reduced to sand by her flames.
The remaining three, protected by their fallen comrade, broke through the fire and charged directly at her.
Damn it.
Eyes widening, she had no time to wonder about their new formation. She drew a dagger from her waist to defend herself.
One was manageable. Two were barely manageable. But three? She was overwhelmed.
A sharp pain struck her shoulder. One of the beasts hit her hard, sending her flying.
"Mu-ge!"
Xiong Ruoyou raced over, transformed into her bear form, and caught Mu Qingyun mid-air.
A rusty taste filled her throat. She frowned, forcing herself to swallow the blood welling in her mouth.
"I'm fine."
She reached up to her left shoulder. Whether it was dislocated or fractured, one thing was certain—it hurt. Badly.
[Holy hell, these beasts leveled up big time. Are these really beginner-level virtual monsters?][I trained at a military academy. I'm telling you, beasts like these don't appear until years into combat simulations.][Why are they suddenly so strong? Did the academy's system glitch?][I don't know, but this is intense! Mu Qingyun used to look so strong—turns out she's just average.][Right? Totally overrated. Look at her now—getting her ass kicked. So satisfying!]
"Something's not right," Fan Xuanye muttered, stepping back and eyeing the three remaining beasts with suspicion.
Could it be that the academy thought their previous battles were too easy and upgraded the difficulty?
"We can't win," Mu Qingyun said grimly, using Xiong Ruoyou's arm to get back on her feet. "Xiong Ruoyou, get us out of here—now."
"What?" Xiong Ruoyou froze.
All this time, Mu-ge had always charged forward without hesitation. Nothing ever seemed to stop her. And now she was ordering a retreat?
"Hurry!" Mu Qingyun snapped. "What are you spacing out for?"
"Roar—!"
The three virtual beasts charged from different directions.
"Ahhh!"
Panicking, Xiong Ruoyou grabbed Mu Qingyun and Fan Xuanye, then bolted with everything she had.
"Help!" she screamed.
For the first time, with enemies chasing from behind, Xiong Ruoyou's survival instincts kicked in. Her legs moved wildly, and before long, she had outrun the beasts.
"You run fast," Mu Qingyun muttered, glancing back at the distance they had covered.
She quickly tossed out the last of her "charcoal bait."
But it was useless. The three beasts were no longer fooled by bait. They kept chasing—locked onto their targets like predators that had already chosen their prey.