Chapter 702: The Wrath of the Crowd?
During the joint examination hunting period.
It’s unclear when it started, but a strange post began circulating on the Plant Network hunting forum. It originated from a candidate who posted about following the wanted notice for Teaching Assistant Xiao Han, claiming that they would always encounter large groups of mutated beasts.
Subsequently, many other candidates who had the same experience commented below, confirming the truth of the claim.
It felt as if starting from the second day of hunting, they rarely saw Teaching Assistant Xiao Han. Every time, they could only see the tracking location, and if they followed it, they would undoubtedly face unexpected dangers.
Those mutated beasts they rarely encountered began to show up in herds, and don’t think it’s all about scoring. When these groups of mutated beasts charged, even teams of dozens had to avoid them.
Even if there were some clever individuals trying to hunt the mutated beasts using this “feature,” the final outcome was always the mutated beast herds counterattacking them, and the best result they could hope for was to narrowly escape with their lives.
As time passed, this Teaching Assistant Xiao Han got closer to the boundary of the Ninglan Realm, occasionally even crossing it.
The quantity and strength of the mutated beasts there were terrifying.
Despite this, Teaching Assistant Xiao Han still gained much admiration. After all… if you couldn’t find a group of mutated beasts to hunt, following her would surely lead to one—whether or not you could defeat them was another matter.
Naturally, if merely following her could lead to encounters with groups of mutated beasts, this would not have gained such wild popularity. After all, at this stage, some wanted notices for assistants have yet to expire, with accumulated durations hitting three digits!
Now, that’s what I call absurd!
This assistant has almost truly become a reaper!
Now, most candidates would avoid her if they encountered her.
However, she hasn’t truly cemented the title of “reaper.”
Because soon, some people discovered that this assistant also avoided group hunts. Whenever large hunting parties of dozens or even hundreds came charging, this reaper would retreat, leading to comments on the Plant Network that such a person did not deserve to be called a reaper.
One could only say that this assistant was popular for only a short time.
But Teaching Assistant Xiao Han is different!
“Follow Xiao Han, and you’ll feast on mutated beasts” is merely a humorous saying most average candidates joked about. What really gotten the name of “Teaching Assistant Xiao Han” circulating on the Plant Network hunting forum was her actions.
She sought out genius figures from various extraordinary academies throughout the entire Expanding Realm for challenges.
As long as a competitor was recognized by her, she would challenge them to a battle, whether it be a one-on-one or a small team, even a one against many scenario.
Liking challenges isn’t an issue, but the key point is that she would also challenge other teaching assistants!
Moreover, if she fought and won against an assistant after a bout, Teaching Assistant Xiao Han wouldn’t k*ll the opponent but instead make them a “gift” for her next opponent, essentially gifting them a hundred points to score and inviting them to fight her!
If you win, you can earn another hundred points!
Although no one on the Plant Network has claimed to have received those hundred points from Teaching Assistant Xiao Han, her deeds have already spread like wildfire.
In an instant, Teaching Assistant Xiao Han became the most sought-after person, as encountering her was tantamount to another assistant falling victim, and if you were recognized by her, if you were confident enough, you could even score two hundred points in a single battle!
Even if you weren’t skilled, at least you had the points from one assistant as a safety net. Deducting the points for d*ath and resurrection, that’s still a significant gain.
Furthermore, this Teaching Assistant Xiao Han doesn’t discriminate by academy. Over the past few days, she has challenged opponents from the Witch Academy, Wizard Academy, Aphhemia Academy, Holy Angel Academy, parts of the Beast Academy, and more.
Let alone during this time, she not only fought these candidates but also faced those teaching assistants who were treated as “greeting gifts”—they too were her opponents!
Many candidates have firsthand experience with the strength of the assistants; there’s no need to elaborate on their abilities.
In general one-on-one situations, it’s tough to win, even against assistants with weak combat awareness. Their physical fitness and astonishingly tough health bars are among the reasons one can’t beat an assistant.
This is also why Teaching Assistant Xiao Han is so sought after—because it’s fair.
While her health appears quite normal, even when struck by an arrow in a surprise attack, her health bar drops dramatically. Though she also possesses strong physical attributes, she doesn’t cheat as much as other assistants.
Later, someone on the Plant Network explained that an assistant’s thick health bar correlates to their vitality; the stronger the vitality, the more pronounced their self-healing abilities, known as undying.
Winning against the stronger is the most celebrated tale, and Teaching Assistant Xiao Han, who’s similar to them, fights against assistants they find to be cheating and always wins—what could be more celebrated than that?
Though on the Plant Network, some spread the rumor that Teaching Assistant Xiao Han doesn’t always win against assistants, no one paid them any attention. Besides, the fact is that no one has seen her lose!
At this rate, even if Xiao Han were confirmed to have lost, there would still be a large number of supporters backing her up. Because the assistants’ abilities are so unfair, it’s normal for Xiao Han to lose, but her track record shows that… she mostly wins!
If one were to solely view it from the Plant Network, Xiao Han seems to have already become a third faction, distinctly separating herself from both the “candidates” and “assistants” at this joint examination hunting.
……
“Alright, time to go.”
I looked at the half-orc lying at my feet, this little beast king from the Beast Academy is akin to an assistant from the Witch Academy, worth a hundred points. I’ve run into this one many times, after all, capturing them is the least strenuous method given the many extraordinary academies under the Beast Academy.
Although half-orcs have some differences from normal humans, making them unconscious without killing them is also quite simple.
The battle has now ended.
I cleansed the wounds with a healing spell, then tilted my head back to drink a healing potion, after all, I’m not at the level of having undying abilities yet.
Although little beast kings from the Beast Academy are common, it doesn’t mean they are weak. The Beast Academy emphasizes “beastly might,” and within the academy, they stress the survival of the fittest and strength as king.
There, I learned through simple observation that fighting is the most common means of interaction, and the academy even allows students to engage in combat on campus, encouraging competition.
In contrast, at the Witch Academy, students are only permitted to fight on the arena stage, but at the Beast Academy… it’s said that you can step a few paces and get onto the stage. Though somewhat exaggerated, it’s the true portrayal of the Beast Academy.
Furthermore, from my experience, the close-quarters combat awareness of the assistants from the Beast Academy seems to be significantly stronger than that of some from the Witch Academy!
While overall the Witch Academy can still dominate the Beast Academy students, that’s just due to the Beast Academy’s shortcomings in the extraordinary system.
At least, that’s how I view it.
Looking at the wounds left on my body from battle, I was about to take out a potion for external application when suddenly, a sensation of an arrow triggered instinctively activated my sense of time.
A blurred visual image of a shimmering arrow was hurtling towards my direction, embedded with the elf magic of concealment runes and sound-dampening runes.
Just in an instant, I concluded that this arrow was not aimed at taking my life, but rather its target was the potion bottle in my hand!
Upon reaching this conclusion, I didn’t move at all, allowing the arrow to pierce through the glass bottle in my hand, creating the sound of shattering glass.
“Who?!”
At this moment, I seemed to suddenly become aware, looking around and questioning.
Since the opponent intended not to deliver a lethal strike but rather to directly pierce through something I was about to use, this was undoubtedly a form of derision or perhaps… a declaration?
It also implied that they weren’t afraid of me escaping, which meant I might be surrounded right now.
In just an instant, I thought of many things and contemplated sensing the possible hidden auras around me.
The joint examination hunting had been ongoing for many days; my exploits had likely spread widely, so it couldn’t be just an opponent being arrogant.
Instead, they held absolute confidence.
This confidence could come from their own strength or be bolstered by teamwork.
“Yang Yuelan, don’t you think your behavior is too excessive?”
At this moment, two stout figures appeared from a distance, walking towards me and addressing me by name, their voices low and filled with restrained anger.
“A little beast king from the Beast Academy? Funny, shouldn’t you be part of a group that worships strength as king? They are inferior in both skill and strength to me… hmm, are you here seeking justice for those failures?” I looked at the two with some surprise.
Two little beast kings from the Beast Academy… this is far from all there is. The one who shot the arrow, from the level of accuracy, should be a genuine elf student, not merely a beastman choosing a ranger profession.
“No! Their defeat was their own fault, but you shouldn’t use them as stepping stones for your advancement! Beasts can be killed but cannot be insulted!” After saying this, he unleashed an intimidating force towards me.
“What a pathetic excuse~”
I replied sarcastically as I dodged, taking advantage of my agility. Meanwhile, the other one silently released vines from beneath his feet, which belonged to a control-type plant entanglement.
However, such spells have limited effectiveness against the powerfully built beastmen. Although I’ve developed new applications for this spell, perhaps the beastmen possess great strength, but their bodies are weakest at the moment they generate that strength. As a body cultivator, I have some understanding of body force generation.
Thus, when this charging beastman aimed to establish dominance over me, his plan fell short. He witnessed the plant vines that should have torn effortlessly halt his actions. Though he could have broken free with a bit more effort, he was constantly disrupting his rhythm of attack at that crucial moment, making it impossible to land a hit.
So after just a few brief exchanges, he succumbed to his own mindlessness and carelessness.
Watching his body lose balance and ultimately fall to the ground due to my strikes, I didn’t get the chance to follow up, as he still had another companion.
Moreover, there could be an elf lurking in the shadows who might sh**t a black arrow at me at any moment.
Currently, I am not in a condition to confidently respond to all attacks; I can only use the Power Network and my foundational body cultivation strength.
So, in response to unknown situations, I must preserve at least half of my reaction margin to calmly face unknown dangers.
“Impressive! You took down a little beast king in just a few moves; I can acknowledge the rumors on the Plant Network that you’re unafraid of one-on-one challenges.”
“Who are you? Emerging from the shadows and saying ‘impressive,’ how can it be complete without applause?” I remarked toward the figure.
“Alright then, fulfill your last wish.” The female figure began to clap, though somehow, it sounded perfunctory.
“Oh, an elf! Were you the one who shot the arrow that shattered my potion bottle?” The figure removed the shadow and revealed herself, and at that moment, I recognized her as an elf, as they excel at concealment.
“Regrettably, that was not me.”
“It was me.”
At that moment, another figure jumped down from the tree, unhesitatingly admitting with a certain elfin pride in her voice.
“Look at the things you are saying, your tone exudes confidence. Can you still perform for us?” As I spoke, I took out another potion bottle, wiggling it at the elf.
“Elf archery is not a performance for you! It’s a hunting skill!”
“Cut the talk—don’t you just not want to perform?” I stored the potion away while mocking the other’s outlook.
Yet internally, I confirmed one thing: my current situation is indeed a trap.
I looked at the little beast king lying a short distance away, and it made sense why this guy was so obviously alone; however, his strength shouldn’t be underestimated—originally, he must have had a premeditated scheme.
Wait!
Suddenly, something clicked, and I looked back at the wounds I had previously handled.
That little beast king was consistently focused on wounding me rather than defeating me… this was the main reason I got injured; I initially thought he’d grown wiser…
And just as I realized this, a curse rune suddenly manifested at the previously treated wound!
“Oh? Did you notice? That little beast king may have a bit of skill, but not much; achieving your submission at the cost of merely scratching your skin?”
“The Wizard Academy… truly thinks highly of me, you lot…”
I watched as another figure walked back into view, my previously relaxed mindset sinking.
This was the curse ability mediated through the special method of the wizard skill tree.
I attempted to use a magic shield spell to enhance my magic resistance against the cursed corrosion effect, but the results weren’t promising.
Even the stone skin physical resistance spell only slowed down the progression of the curse.
“Of course we think highly of you. If we didn’t, would we need so many of us to besiege you?”
At this moment, the people lurking in the shadows revealed themselves brazenly, and just one glance at them showed over a dozen individuals!
This was even more than I had previously observed in my scouting for ambushes; it seemed there were indeed a substantial number of extraordinary academy geniuses.
“Yang Yuelan, we’ve let you frolic for so long these past few days; you don’t truly believe that among so many extraordinary academies, you alone are the genius, do you?”
“Do you seriously think that every competition is a stage reserved solely for you?”
“Understand that on the stage, the hardest-working actors are often merely clowns, just like you. Though you’ve drawn attention these days, so what?”
“Do you realize that your actions during these days have drawn the wrath of the crowd?”
“The wrath of the crowd?” I chuckled lightly, as though I were the one not in a dire situation. “So-called wrath of the crowd is just your unrelenting pride.”
