Outside the Steel Giant City, the world was nothing but endless Gobi desert, filled with boundless silence; no sign of life could be seen, neither in the sky nor on the ground.
The Girl's hair danced in the wind and sand, and her black short skirt had been cut open in several places by Lu Li. The skin beneath the torn clothing was dry and wrinkled.
Surging Fire Elemental Power surged around her, and a tongue of flame, like a red silk ribbon, coiled around her attractive body.
As her Spiritual Power continuously output and Lu Li occasionally plundered it, her face began to turn pale. Anxiety was evident on The Girl's face; she knew very well that if this continued, she would meet her end here.
On the other side, Lu Li moved deftly, weaving freely through the fireballs The Girl launched. Several times, fireballs grazed the hem of her clothes, but none managed to harm her in the slightest.
She was like an Elf Fairy dancing, elegant, composed, and possessing a hint of killing intent amidst her beauty.
"Buzz, buzz."
In the distance, the sound of a Mechanical Alien Race turbine rotating could be heard.
The sudden turn of events startled both of them. They hadn't been fighting for long, yet the Mechanical Alien Race had arrived so quickly.
It seemed that a squad of the Mechanical Alien Race searching for intruders must have been nearby, and upon hearing the sounds of battle, they rushed over immediately.
Although they were still some distance away and couldn't clearly see how many Mechanical Alien Races had arrived, judging by the massive dust cloud in the distance, the number was certainly significant.
However, upon seeing the appearance of the Mechanical Alien Race, The Girl's face lit up with joy. She seemed to see a chance to escape, gripping her horizontal saber and slashing out fiercely, unleashing a bright red Flame Saber light.
Lu Li slightly shifted her body, easily dodging The Girl's attack.
But then, her pupils contracted, because after she dodged that Flame Saber light, it rapidly slashed toward Feng Kai.
This was The Girl's method of escape: forcing Lu Li to save Feng Kai. Even if Lu Li chased her afterward, the Mechanical Alien Race would have nearly arrived.
At that point, she didn't believe Lu Li would stubbornly insist on fighting her instead of trying to shake off the Mechanical Alien Race first.
Although she felt she was no match for Lu Li, holding her off for a minute or two was no problem. That time would be enough for the Mechanical Alien Race to surround them.
Either they flee separately, or they die together.
Then, a scene unfolded that The Girl hadn't anticipated: facing the Blazing Saber light she had slashed out, Feng Kai actually charged straight toward it.
Feng Kai knew very well that although the group of Mechanical Alien Race seemed far away now, they wouldn't take long to arrive.
His leg was severely injured, and he couldn't run away at all.
Lu Li was only a Scholar Rank, after all, and couldn't run fast while carrying him, this burden. If she stopped to treat him first, they would run out of time.
In other words, no matter what, his elimination was unavoidable.
Thinking of this, Feng Kai acted decisively. He clapped his hands on the ground, unleashing a burst of strength that propelled him forward, directly meeting the Blazing Saber light slashed by The Girl.
With no defense, Feng Kai was directly struck by the Blazing Saber light, split in two from head to toe, and then his body vanished into thin air.
Only the last four words he uttered echoed across the vast Gobi desert.
"Lu Li, get her!"
If this woman hadn't suddenly jumped out to interfere, his injuries would have been healed by Lu Li long ago, and the two of them would have left safely.
Thus, when he spoke this phrase, there was quite a bit of resentment in Feng Kai's tone.
It strongly felt like, "If I'm not playing anymore, then neither are you."
Seeing this scene, Lu Li didn't pause. She rushed toward The Girl's location, slashing out with the Sword of Vitality in her right hand, aiming for The Girl's back.
The Girl also hadn't expected Feng Kai to be so decisive, crashing headfirst into her Blazing Saber light without a second thought.
She hurriedly turned to block, an action already performed in haste. Coupled with her prior desire to escape, she had lost her nerve, and the strength in her hands was naturally weaker.
When the sword and saber clashed, the Tang Horizontal Saber in The Girl's hand was struck away by Lu Li's sword.
Immediately, the Sword of Desolation in her left hand followed up, directly slicing The Girl in half at the waist.
After dealing with The Girl, Lu Li did not delay for a moment and quickly fled into the distance.
"Not bad. Decisive."
Outside, in the Invigilating Room, an Invigilating Teacher watched the video of Lu Li and The Girl fighting. Seeing Feng Kai decisively choose death in the final situation, the teacher nodded approvingly.
Clearly, making the ultimate sacrifice when faced with an irreversible predicament was a bonus point criterion.
Even though they knew this was just a trial and they wouldn't truly die, facing the twenty bonus points for the final hundred slots wasn't something everyone could decisively give up.
Especially when success was imminent, the closer they got to succeeding, the stronger the shackles of unwillingness became.
Time continued to pass. As the Poison Circle kept shrinking, the nearby Mechanical Alien Race Patrol Teams increased in both frequency and number of appearances.
Moreover, because there were fewer and fewer covers available for hiding, the probability of Examinees being discovered by the Mechanical Alien Race was continuously increasing.
Given the current density of the Mechanical Alien Race distribution, if an Examinee was discovered and couldn't escape immediately, they would essentially be surrounded by the Mechanical Alien Race, leading to their elimination from the Professional Trial.
Not only that, but the Examinees soon discovered that the Mechanical Alien Race were clearing the surrounding cover; any place suitable for hiding could not escape the baptism of rocket launchers.
Faced with this situation, the competition among the Examinees grew increasingly fierce.
There was no choice; the number of Mechanical Alien Race was simply too great. A head-on fight was impossible, so they could only eliminate other Examinees as quickly as possible to ensure they remained among the last hundred survivors.
Of course, compared to rushing out and engaging other Examinees directly, it was clearly safer to launch an attack, create a commotion at another Examinee's hiding spot, and lure the Mechanical Alien Race over.
Consequently, the remaining Examinees began to display their unique abilities, showing what it meant to be a Battlefield Sneak.
However, even under these circumstances, there was still a clear stream.
Gu Xiao was surrounded by a Hurricane, slaying gods if they blocked her path and slaying Buddhas if they blocked her path.
Her arrogance quickly came at a price: over a hundred Mechanical Alien Race surrounded her, including ten Rank Wei Mechanical Alien Races.
Faced with being surrounded by the Mechanical Alien Race, Gu Xiao showed no sign of nervousness; instead, she flashed a hearty smile.
Two Blade Spears appeared, one stepped on beneath her foot, and one resting on her shoulder.
"Finally, let's make a grand scene."
With a hook of her foot, the spear blade entered her hand. Gu Xiao transformed into a hurricane, appearing instantly before a Mechanical Alien Race.
The spear blade in her hand slashed through; with a flash of green light, that Mechanical Alien Race was split directly in two.