117: Chapter 117

Somewhere in the Chaotic Battlefield.

BOOM!!

A blazing flame exploded, instantly snapping dozens of towering ancient trees at the waist, scattering wood chips and sparks across the sky.

A slender figure darted out from the smoke and dust, her toes lightly tapping a tree trunk to gain momentum as she dashed off into the distance again.

It was Jiang Ruoxue.

At this moment, her breathing was slightly ragged, fine beads of sweat trickled down her forehead, her white clothes were already marred by several charred tears, and her right arm had been slashed by a sharp blade, with blood continuously dripping from her fingertips.

Yet she had no time to tend to her wounds, only continuing to flee forward.

Because behind her, four figures were following like shadows.

"Don't let her escape!"

A low shout rang out in the forest.

The four figures maintained an incredibly tacit distance from each other, quickly spreading out.

They did not pursue blindly.

Instead, they kept blocking all the directions Jiang Ruoxue could escape in.

On the left, a youth holding a bow leaped onto the treetops.

Swish!

A sharp arrow light cut through the forest, accurately shooting toward the spot where Jiang Ruoxue was about to land.

Jiang Ruoxue shifted her steps, narrowly avoiding the arrow.

But before she could steady herself, a burly man in front swung a heavy blade, slashing down at her head.

BOOM!!

The blade light hit the ground, cracking the earth into a trench several meters long.

Jiang Ruoxue retreated again.

And on the other side, a mage had finished chanting.

Dozens of ice cones whistled through the air, completely sealing off all her retreat paths.

The four of them coordinated almost seamlessly.

They were the most common type of elite Hunting Squad in the battlefield, with their captain ranked forty-ninth on the leaderboard.

The other three were also all ranked within the top one hundred and fifty; the four of them teamed up specifically to hunt down lower-ranked Contestants.

Because they knew very well that they couldn't afford to provoke the truly top-tier geniuses.

But a Contestant like Jiang Ruoxue, currently ranked around one hundred and eighty, was their best prey.

Low risk, high reward.

Guaranteed profit, no losses.

The captain glanced at the panel.

[Current teaming time: 11 minutes 32 seconds.]

He said in a deep voice.

"We have over eight minutes left."

"Finish her off."

"Don't exceed twenty minutes."

The other three nodded simultaneously; they knew very well that once twenty minutes passed, points would begin to be continuously deducted.

If they dragged it out, it might even trigger attribute penalties. Therefore, they had to finish the battle quickly.

BOOM!

Another flame attacked, and Jiang Ruoxue dodged again.

When she was hunting monsters earlier, she had been ambushed by them, and neither her HP nor her mana had fully recovered.

The continuous chase was causing her stamina to deplete rapidly.

Jiang Ruoxue bit her lip, but there was not a hint of retreat in her eyes.

She could not stop, and even less could she lose, because she had to enter the Talent Training Camp.

While running, her right hand subconsciously reached toward her waist.

There, a palm-sized item rested quietly—a silver-white positioning device.

This was given to her by Lin Yan personally before entering the Dungeon.

At that time, Lin Yan had only said one sentence calmly.

"If you encounter danger."

"Press it."

"I will come to find you."

She had just wanted to refuse, but Lin Yan's next sentence silenced her.

"Entrusted by the Jiang Family, I am to take care of you if I have the chance in the Dungeon."

At the time, she could only nod slightly and put it away.

But deep down, there was a pride and stubbornness ingrained in her bones, and she had never thought she would actually use it.

Jiang Ruoxue looked down at the positioning device in her palm, her fingers gently stroking it.

Yet she hesitated to press it, a flash of struggle crossing her eyes.

From beginning to end, she had hidden an extreme pride and stubbornness in her heart.

Born into a prominent family, her entire life trajectory and future path had been firmly controlled by the family since she was a child, never having any autonomy.

Her entire life, all paths, all choices, and even her future marriage and destination, had been clearly arranged by the family long ago.

Others' evaluation of her was always just one sentence—privileged background.

Everyone took it for granted that she would eventually just follow the path paved by the family, marry for alliance, stabilize her status, and be a pawn under control.

Since she was a child, elders had told her that she didn't need to be too strong, and that stability and obedience were her destiny.

Her father told her that family arrangements could not be refused, and that life was inherently beyond one's control.

She was unwilling, so she held a sword at six, entered simulation Dungeons at ten, and gritted her teeth to fight until now.

She desperately wanted to break into the Federal Talent Training Camp, not for vanity, but to gain autonomy.

Because only by entering there.

Would she have the opportunity to grow into a top powerhouse and truly possess the qualification to decide her own future.

Only then could she escape the family's control and the life arranged by others for her.

What she wanted was never the glory brought by the family, but freedom.

She wanted to prove that Jiang Ruoxue's future did not rely on the family, did not rely on marriage alliances, and did not rely on anyone's protection.

Because of this, from the moment she stepped into the Chaotic Battlefield, she silently told herself—

"In this match, I must rely only on myself."

Therefore, she could not lose, and even less could she keep relying on Lin Yan.

Just at the moment she was distracted, in the depths of the forest, a cold light flashed in the eyes of the Hunting Squad captain.

"Now is the time!"

The next moment, the four of them attacked simultaneously!

BOOM!!

Flames, arrows, blade light, ice spears.

The four attacks descended at the same time, and Jiang Ruoxue hastily raised her sword to block.

BOOM!!

The immense force instantly sent her flying.

Pfft!

A mouthful of blood sprayed out, and her body heavily broke several ancient trees before finally falling to the ground.

Her white dress was quickly stained red with blood; she struggled to stand up, but her body could not help but tremble slightly.

The Hunting Squad slowly surrounded her, not in a hurry to act.

Because they knew the prey could no longer escape.

The captain looked at Jiang Ruoxue and spoke slowly.

"Give up."

"Continuing to struggle is meaningless."

"Giving up voluntarily will save you some suffering."

Jiang Ruoxue did not answer, only slowly gripping her longsword tightly.

Blood dripped down the blade, drop by drop.

She looked into the distance, but her eyes gradually became somewhat dazed.

Is it really...

...the end here?

What she wanted was never to win a match, but to prove—that she could decide her own path.

But the pressure of reality was crushing her persistence bit by bit.

Her blood was decreasing bit by bit, her stamina was draining, and the enemy's encirclement was tightening.

She suddenly realized one thing.

The so-called "proving oneself" should not be built on a persistence that leads to "inevitable failure."

If she were eliminated here now, she would not even have the qualification to "choose her own life" anymore.

What she wanted was freedom.

Not to trade a moment of stubbornness for a battle that was destined to be irreversible.

Thinking of this, her breathing hitched slightly.

The strength in her fingertips loosened bit by bit, then tightened again.

Until finally, she understood—

Some persistence is growth.

But some persistence is just an escape from reality.

She slowly closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, the hesitation in her eyes had completely vanished.

She no longer struggled with "whether to rely on Lin Yan," but accepted a more realistic choice.

Only by surviving first can one have the qualification to talk about freedom.

Thinking of this, Jiang Ruoxue finally pressed the positioning device gently.

Hum—

A silver-white light slowly lit up.

A spatial fluctuation, invisible to the naked eye, spread out silently.

She let out a soft breath, her voice very light, so light that only she could hear it.

"Lin Yan... this time..."

"Consider it a debt I owe you."

Meanwhile. On the other side.

Lin Yan, who was walking slowly through the ruins, suddenly stopped his steps.

A positioning jade pendant at his waist, which had been silent for a long time, suddenly lit up with a soft white light.

Lin Yan looked down, and his eyes instantly turned cold.

"Something happened."

He raised his head, his gaze looking toward the distance, which was the direction the positioning signal came from.

The next moment, the ground beneath his feet exploded.

Lin Yan's figure instantly disappeared from where he stood, leaving behind only a continuously spreading sonic boom as he dashed toward the distance.