Chapter Sixty-Two: Rescuing Lu Yao

Chapter Sixty-Two: Rescuing Lu Yao

The young man parted ways with the three girls and headed in the very direction Lu Yao had just gone.

The lecherous youth gazed at Lu Yao before him, his mind already conjuring a series of obscene and depraved fantasies involving her. At this moment, he intended to strip Lu Yao completely, right then and there.

Suddenly, a crescent-shaped scimitar sliced through the air toward him with lightning speed, aiming to sever the hand he had stretched toward Lu Yao at the wrist. Just then, a strange development occurred: the purple bracer on his wrist emitted a glow. The purple light swiftly circled the bracer, forming a small defensive barrier.

The spinning crescent blade, whirling with the power of the world’s laws, cut through everything in its path. Yet, as it struck the bracer, its deadly edge was forcibly blocked.

No sooner had the first blade been halted than a second scimitar flew in, this one slashing toward the lecherous youth’s neck as he leaned over Lu Yao. He had no time to dodge and was forced to raise his other arm in a desperate attempt to block.

Bang! Bang!

Two collisions rang out in quick succession. The force of the two crescent blades sent the lecherous youth hurtling backward, flying several yards away and thus separating him from Lu Yao.

He barely had time to regain his footing when another youth—ragged and downcast—struck him in the chest with a powerful kick, slamming him into a tree as thick as two water vats. The impact left a man-shaped crater in the trunk, and blood spurted from the lecherous youth’s mouth as he became wedged in the pit.

The ragged youth gave him no respite; as he launched the kick, he simultaneously recalled the two crescent blades with a deft manipulation of the world’s laws.

Pinned in the tree, the lecherous youth had not yet extracted himself when the two blades slashed again, one high, one low. He managed to block the blade flying toward his chest, but the second swept through his splayed legs, slicing clean through the trunk behind him.

A heart-rending, hopeless scream echoed with the whistle of steel. Still fixed in the tree, the lecherous youth’s blood streamed down the trunk between his legs. That part of him had been utterly destroyed—he would never again possess the functions of a normal man.

“Hand over the antidote. Today, I’ll spare your wretched life, letting you live in regret forever. If you ever wish for revenge, you know where to find me.”

The ragged youth addressed him, his face unmoved, as though nothing could alter his calm. From start to finish, his expression remained impassive and detached.

Relieved that his life would be spared, the lecherous youth relaxed despite his agony. Life, at least, was still his.

He fumbled a small vial from his chest and handed it to the ragged youth. “Thank you for sparing me.”

“Get lost! I have no wish to see scum like you again—and you’d best pray we never cross paths in the future, or else…”

It was as if even speaking to him sullied the youth’s dignity; he did not finish his threat.

With his legs spread awkwardly, the lecherous youth staggered away, vanishing from sight, his eyes burning with venomous hatred—though no one saw it.

The ragged youth, now alone with Lu Yao, seemed utterly at a loss. All trace of the decisive, ruthless figure from a moment ago had vanished. He stood, hesitating for a long time, as if struggling with himself. At last, he made up his mind and, with awkward, tentative steps, approached Lu Yao.

He opened the vial of antidote and, with great care, brought it to her nose. Unable to bear looking at her disheveled state, his hand trembled, as though pricked by needles, and he let go, dropping the vial onto her chest. He quickly turned away, presenting his back to her.

This ragged youth was none other than the same downcast figure mocked moments ago by the three girls who fancied themselves the world’s beauties. Seeing the lecherous youth’s sneaky behavior and suspecting his intentions, the youth had grown curious. After questioning the three girls, he detected something amiss in their words, which confirmed his suspicions. Sensing danger when he saw Lu Yao being lured away, he hurried after them. Fortunately, he had arrived in time; otherwise, Lu Yao’s innocence would have been lost forever.

In truth, the ragged youth had been following Lu Yao for some time, though she remained unaware of his presence.

He, too, was one of those scattered by the upheaval within the Inner Realm. Alone, with no ties to anyone, he wandered aimlessly through the realm. By chance, he saw someone ahead and slowed his pace to observe. Strangely, he felt a sense of déjà vu about the girl before him, as if they had met before, though he could not recall where. Thus, he followed her from afar, which led to everything that subsequently unfolded.

“Xueyou, why do you think we were all separated by the Inner Realm’s upheaval?” Li Hao, puzzled by the events, turned to Lin Xueyou beside him.

“I’m not entirely sure either,” she replied. “But do you remember what that middle-aged man said to us in the Wanbao Palace square?”

“What did he say?” Li Hao tried to recall, but the man had spoken at length, and he was unsure to which words Lin Xueyou referred.

She explained, “He said something like: ‘The first round is a test of survival in this world; it is also the most merciless elimination round. You may form teams or fight alone. Conflict is permitted. The round lasts for one month. After a month, those not eliminated will proceed to the next round. If you cannot endure, you may crush the identity token given to you at registration. Doing so withdraws you from the arena. At the month’s end, the surviving participants will advance to the second competition.’”

“So you mean we’ll spend this month testing our survival skills in various environments here?” Li Hao’s memory was jogged, and he shared his thoughts to see if they aligned with Lin Xueyou’s.

“That’s how I understand it. What do you think?” she replied.

“I agree, now that you mention it.”

Their thoughts coincided. After a moment’s reflection, Li Hao wondered, “Do you think there will be other types of trials ahead?”

“I’m not sure,” Lin Xueyou admitted, “but I’m certain of one thing: the challenge won’t be nearly as simple as this. If everyone breezes through, the first selection would be far too easy.”

“You’re right. I wonder what other difficult tests await us.”

Hearing this, Li Hao grew even more curious about what lay ahead.

“What will come, will come,” Lin Xueyou said at last. “Speculating is pointless; we must adapt as circumstances change.”

Li Hao nodded his agreement.

“I wonder how vast this Inner Realm really is. I sent out nine avatars, but not one has brought back any useful information,” he mused, half to himself, half to Lin Xueyou.

She responded, “The Inner Realm is like a miniature world. Its size depends on the strength of the Heaven-and-Earth cultivator who created it. According to the books, every Inner Realm differs: its creatures, laws, and size vary. Some are only a few thousand square meters, others hundreds of thousands. Strength isn’t necessarily tied to size, yet it is—though in a complicated way.”

Li Hao was confused by her words—how could strength both be related and unrelated to size? “Can you explain more clearly? I’m lost.”

She continued, “It’s like our cultivation. Some with high realms are powerful; others, despite their high realm, are unremarkable.”

At this, Li Hao recalled a question he had once asked the venerable Herb Sage: “Grandfather Baicao, why do cultivators with the same attributes, methods, and realms differ in strength?”

The sage had replied with a question of his own: “Hao’er, why is it that with the same tables and benches, the same food, the same bowls and chopsticks, some eat much and finish everything, while others eat little and leave food behind? Some eat elegantly, others crudely—why is that?”

From this simple analogy, Li Hao had found his answer.

Now, he understood what Lin Xueyou meant by the paradox of size and strength.

“Thank you, Sister Xueyou. Now I understand.”

She thought to herself, “This boy is truly teachable.”

As they talked, both suddenly turned pale. “No! Yao’er is in danger!” Li Hao exclaimed.

Lin Xueyou reacted at once, knowing that Li Hao’s nine avatars truly existed; they were his extra eyes and ears, able to relay everything they saw and heard directly to his mind, no matter the distance. Hearing Li Hao’s alarm, she realized that one of his avatars had located Lu Yao and discovered she was in peril.