Author: 易修罗 / Yi Xiu Luo

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 23

A lone student from Team C was carefully walking through the forest, with his arms always in front of his chest in a combat-ready stance, protecting his scorekeeper at the same time.

A strange bird call came from the sky. He looked up and immediately saw a figure burst out from the bushes diagonally in front of him, heading straight for his chest. The student reacted quickly, jumping back in defense. But as he focused on the enemy in front, another person suddenly jumped out from behind. Caught off-guard and attacked from both sides, one of the attackers ruthlessly pressed his stop button.

“Got him!” The two students from Team D, successful in their ambush, gave each other a high-five.

The ambushed student from Team C was visibly upset. “Ganging up on me, how unfair!”

The attackers chuckled. “All’s fair in war!”

Before they could finish their taunt, a dark shadow suddenly fell from a tree, swiftly pressing the termination buttons on both Team D members. The two, caught up in the thrill of scoring, were stunned for a moment before realizing they had been eliminated from the game.

“Thanks for the points.” Ling Xiao laughed, having successfully taken down both. In an instant, he earned three points.

The disgruntled students rolled up their sleeves in anger. “Ling Xiao, you bastard!”

Ling Xiao had already jumped several meters away. His voice echoed in the distance. “All’s fair in war!”

Ying Feng was also scoring impressively, earning four points in just half an hour, including one point from Zhu Yue. He figured it was better to earn the points himself rather than letting other teams take them. At least with him, the point would be in better hands than with Zhu Yue.

As he ran through the jungle, a sixth sense told him an enemy was near. He instantly turned and kicked, sending the would-be attacker flying.

The assailant thought his attack would be successful, but Ying Feng’s reflexes exceeded his expectations. Seeing the tables turned on him and a counterattack imminent, he quickly jumped up and blew a whistle.

Team D probably had the best team coordination. The four members maintained a certain distance from each other, scanning four different directions, ready to assist if an enemy appeared from any side.

Hearing the alert from their teammate, three Team D members quickly turned back. Seeing Ying Feng, one of them exclaimed, “You’ve caught a big one!”

The first attacker was desperate, as Ying Feng had him on the back foot. With his scorekeeper in danger and his teammates just watching the scene, he shouted, “Help me out here! This guy has 5 points!”

Team D and Team A weren’t from the same class, but since awakening, they had lived on the same campus and were well acquainted. Everyone knew about Ying Feng’s skills. Hence, even when outnumbered, they didn’t underestimate him; each of them fully engaged in the battle.

The average combat abilities of the Tianxiu people were quite high, so even Ying Feng, whose strength was extraordinary, still struggled to face four opponents simultaneously. He used the terrain to retreat while focusing his attacks on one person, trying to find a weak spot. However, Team D’s teamwork was impeccable. Whenever one was in danger, the others would come to the rescue, not giving Ying Feng any chance. The situation looked dire for him.

Just then, a sixth person recklessly entered the fray. Ling Xiao had heard the commotion from afar and wanted to join in. To his surprise, he found four Team D members attacking Ying Feng. Seeing one of them about to succeed, Ling Xiao swiftly flew over to block him.

Everyone paused upon seeing the newcomer. At first, they thought he was from Team A, but upon closer inspection, they realized it was Ling Xiao from Team B, leaving them speechless.

“Ling Xiao, what’s your strategy here?” The combatants briefly ceased hostilities to engage in banter.

Ling Xiao wasn’t entirely sure himself. He simply didn’t want to see Ying Feng lose to these individuals. Without much thought, he had joined the fight reflexively.

“You’re not from Team A. Ying Feng is your toughest opponent. If you help us eliminate him, his 5 points are yours,” the leader of the four-member team said, proving himself quite the negotiator.

“After you take my 5 points, these four will turn on you. You might stand a chance one-on-one against me, but you won’t win against all four,” Ying Feng chimed in. “Their combined points are worth more than 5. Think it through.”

Everyone was stunned. It was rare for Ying Feng, who always acted alone, to team up with someone. It seemed everyone was giving their all to win this battle.

Ling Xiao pondered and realized that Ying Feng had a point. He readied himself and said, “I can ally with you temporarily, but you better not run off later.”

Ying Feng had already targeted one of the opponents. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

With the addition of Ling Xiao, the tides of the battle turned drastically. While fighting four was challenging, facing two was as easy as slicing melons. Moreover, after a week of intense training, there was a newfound synergy between them. Just a gesture or a glance was enough for each to understand the other’s intent.

Working closely together, they quickly eliminated the four opponents. The kills were evenly shared between Ling Xiao and Ying Feng. A squad that had the potential to go far was defeated by the joint efforts of the two strongest participants in their grade. It seemed their grievances had nowhere to be vented.

Though the four were out, they didn’t leave. They waited to watch the outcome.

“What are you guys looking at?” Ling Xiao was puzzled.

“We want to see who wins between you two,” someone answered. Both of them had accumulated high scores, with Ying Feng at 8 and Ling Xiao at 7. If either could take the other’s points, they’d likely be the ultimate winners. This was a decisive battle.

Unexpectedly, Ying Feng spoke up. “There are still two hours left. If we start fighting here, it might take a long time, and the winner would only gain a few points. Moreover, if we fight here, others might take advantage of us when we’re exhausted.”

In a nearby tree, a member from Team C, who was eavesdropping, suddenly felt a pain in his knee.

Again, Ling Xiao found Ying Feng’s words sensible. “So, what’s your plan?”

“I’ll leave the last half-hour for you,” Ying Feng proposed. “By then, I should have more to wager, making it more enticing for you. I’ll wait for you at the starting point, and we’ll have a fair duel. I hope your score doesn’t look too pitiful by then, provided you last that long.”

“Needless to say,” Ling Xiao was confident. “If I have one point less than you, I’ll give you three moves. Six moves if I’m two points short. I promise I won’t lose in terms of the number of opponents I take down.”

“Agreed.”

After reaching the agreement, they went in opposite directions. The four who remained were left dumbfounded. Could this survival game even be played this way?

As time went on, the number of participants decreased, and the battles intensified. Ling Xiao managed to eliminate five more players, scoring 9 points, earning a total of 16 points. He believed that Ying Feng wouldn’t surpass him.

Soon, the agreed-upon time came. Many awaited at the gathering point, eager to watch their final battle.

Ying Feng appeared as promised. He had maintained a one-point lead over Ling Xiao. He had taken down a strong player from Team C, claiming all five of their points.

“As we agreed, I’ll give you three moves,” Ling Xiao defended. “Make your move. I won’t retaliate.”

“No need,” Ying Feng readied himself. “The extra point was from Zhu Yue. We’re even.”

Ling Xiao realized that Ying Feng had defeated his own teammate. It was ruthless, but somehow, it felt oddly satisfying.

“Alright then.” Ling Xiao no longer held back and lunged first. Ying Feng quickly counterattacked. It was their second public confrontation. Away from the constraints of the training room, their bout seemed fiercer than ever.

Near the gathering point was a dense forest. Ling Xiao, using the trees as cover, showcased his agility to the fullest. He gracefully leapt between trees, rapidly changed positions using vines, and seemed to multiply himself, making it hard for his opponent to pinpoint his location.

After some time, Ying Feng realized he was at a disadvantage. Ling Xiao’s style was perfect for guerrilla warfare in the jungle. He was as agile as a monkey, thriving in this environment, fighting freely and effortlessly.

In contrast, Ying Feng’s direct fighting style was unsuitable for situations with many obstacles. After analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of both sides, Ying Feng intentionally or unintentionally led Ling Xiao to the open ground nearby.

So, the two of them moved from the dense forest to the open land. The spectators, especially the students from the neighboring class, watched this riveting duel with bated breath, fearing to miss any splendid moves even by blinking.

The battle stirred up dust, and the two figures were hidden beneath the flying sand, becoming increasingly difficult to catch sight of. Their previous practice made them familiar with each other’s moves; even with their eyes closed, they could predict the other’s next attack. Their punches and kicks landed on various parts of their opponents, but they couldn’t hit the critical point on the chest.

Even the students on the field stopped fighting to watch, and the instructor constantly nodded in approval from the side. These were the two most promising tenth-grade students, the future hopefuls for the Royal Sky Military Academy. Gaining admission to the academy, which was directly affiliated with the military department, was notoriously difficult. But once admitted, after graduation, one could directly join the military department, a leap to great heights.

Because of this, despite the extraordinarily difficult entrance examination and the rigorous training afterward, many young aspirants longed to get in. If admitted, not just the student but even the instructor guiding them would feel extremely honored.

Time passed by the minute, and neither could gain the upper hand. After three hours of intense combat, both were exhausted. Ling Xiao, who had recently been eating only bread, gradually showed signs of fatigue.

Ying Feng noticed that Ling Xiao’s speed wasn’t as good as before and took the opportunity to intensify his attacks. Ling Xiao, finding it hard to keep up, resorted to his strength, darting around the field to recuperate whenever Ying Feng couldn’t catch up, slowly regaining some strength.

The duration of the battle dragged on, and as the stipulated end time approached, neither had won. The instructor prepared to blow the whistle at the end time.

With only three minutes left, Ling Xiao no longer dodged and, using all his remaining strength, engaged Ying Feng directly. Both had only one goal: to stop the opponent’s counter.

Five, four, three, two, one—the instructor’s whistle echoed. Almost simultaneously, the two who had been moving all over the field stood still. Both reached out and pressed each other’s stop buttons.

The crowd was silent, waiting for the moment that would decide their fates. Whoever pressed the button first would get all the points of the opponent, determining the outcome of the teams. Who was the ultimate winner?

The instructor pulled up the match results on his terminal. “Both pressed the stop button at the same time, accurate to the millisecond. Regrettably, no one won this fight.”

“What?” The crowd exclaimed in surprise. “How will the final result be calculated?”

“They completed the fight 0.3 seconds after the stipulated time, so the scores are based on the previous points.”

Only then did everyone understand why, even though both pressed the stop buttons simultaneously, the numbers on the screen remained unchanged.

In the end, the remaining members of Team A and Team B tied in points. Thus, the extra point from Ying Feng made the difference, and that point came from their own team.

Team A, who won the first day of the field practice, was in high spirits. They even praised Zhu Yue, who was eliminated within the first minute of the fight. “Good job. You indeed contributed to the team.”

Zhu Yue took a deep breath, reminding himself that the main reason for being here wasn’t the outdoor training. And his plan was about to be executed.

Using the extract from Zhen He, he intended to make the suppressant in Ying Feng’s body ineffective and increase the sex hormone, which might trigger the coming-of-age ceremony. Although there was the previous example of Ping Zong and Lang Sheng, Zhu Yue believed that with his abilities, he wouldn’t pose any threat to Ying Feng. Although there was some risk, he felt it was worth it. Once the blood pact was successfully formed, it would last a lifetime, and no one could break them apart.

Zhu Yue, having meticulously planned everything, held the prepared bottle tightly, feeling both nervous and excited.

But when he returned to the tent, he happened to see Ying Feng coming out, carrying his belongings.

Seeing this, Zhu Yue was stunned. “Where are you going?”

“I’ll sleep outside.” Ying Feng’s words shattered all of Zhu Yue’s plans.

“Why?” In his anxiety, Zhu Yue grabbed Ying Feng’s sleeve, only to be brushed off disdainfully.

“I told you, keep your distance. I won’t stay with someone who hasn’t been injected with the suppressant. Either stay away from me or pack up and leave.”

Ying Feng was uncompromising. Zhu Yue could only watch him walk away; his carefully prepared drug was now useless.

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The author has something to say:

Tip: In the world of “Tianxiu,” adults don’t need to use basic methods like aphrodisiacs. Couples have unique ways to induce passion.

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