87: Chapter 87 The Perilous Desert

Outside the city, apart from a few scattered patches of turf where the ground met the city walls, the rest was an endless desert as far as the eye could see.

As a strong gust of wind blew past, yellow sand instantly filled the sky.

Even the air carried the intense, parched scent of sand.

The candidates who had come to familiarize themselves with the testing grounds were all holding the maps given to them upon departure, slowly moving along the edges of the high-looming dunes.

In this desert, one had to not only be constantly on guard against attacks from ferocious beasts suddenly bursting from the sand, but also pay constant attention to the sand beneath their feet.

It was very likely that a single moment of carelessness would lead to sinking into quicksand.

Once trapped in quicksand, if one lacked the means for self-rescue, death on the spot was highly probable.

Some beasts would even utilize the unique environment of the quicksand to hunt; once a target fell in, they could only become a meal for the predators.

In the vast, boundless desert, the greatest danger was getting lost.

There were no obstacles and no landmark buildings.

Once a strong wind blew, the dunes whose shapes you thought you remembered clearly would begin to shift silently with the wind.

By the time you looked back, things would have already changed, and the path would be gone.

Wandering aimlessly would only lead one into an even more dangerous situation.

The temperature difference between day and night in the desert was as high as nearly a hundred degrees.

Once night fell, the beasts that hid in the sand during the day would come out to forage, and the danger level would skyrocket.

Tang Mo and the other three also began to move slowly along the edge of the dunes.

The provided map only roughly indicated the direction and distance of several nearby beast dens; it did not provide specific routes.

After all, these dunes were constantly shifting, and no one could find a perfectly accurate path in this ever-changing desert.

After advancing about a hundred meters, they encountered some desert beasts—five or six Level 13 Sand Rats.

These Sand Rats were as large as an adult domestic cat, with rounded bodies and slender limbs that seemed completely out of place with their plump frames.

However, this did not affect their speed in the slightest.

The Sand Rats quickly moved their thin limbs, rushing toward the people around them at high speed.

Tang Mo was curious about the attributes of the beasts in this desert, so he cast a Scouting Technique on them.

【Sand Rat】

【Level: 13】

【Strength: 410】

【Agility: 460】

【Spirit: 320】

【Stamina: 4000】

【Skills: Sand Escape (Lv10), Bite (Lv10)】

Under the siege of the group, the few Sand Rats were quickly dealt with.

Those who arrived later and saw that the Sand Rats had already been wiped out all showed expressions of regret.

Too many people, too little to go around.

Wang Kaiwen couldn't help but frown at the sight. "Brother Tang, this competition is way too intense. I feel like there aren't enough beasts in this desert to go around!"

"How are we supposed to take the exam like this?"

Yang Shiyu responded, "The principal didn't say the assessment content was killing beasts. Maybe it has nothing to do with them."

As she spoke, Yang Shiyu's voice grew smaller and smaller; perhaps even she didn't believe her own words.

"Killing beasts to gain points—this kind of assessment method has practically become the standard."

"Besides, if not to kill beasts, why would they put us outside the city?"

Tang Mo agreed with Wang Kaiwen's words. Even if it wasn't about gaining points by killing beasts, it was likely related to them; otherwise, why come outside the city?

However, looking at the situation, points might not be easy to obtain.

With so many wolves and so little meat, the beasts simply weren't enough to share.

"Let's walk further ahead and see."

With that, Tang Mo took the lead and walked forward.

Sure enough, the further they got from the city walls, the more active the beasts became.

Just as they stepped onto the edge of a dune, several Sand Scorpions rushed toward Tang Mo and his group.

The Sand Scorpions were massive, comparable in size to an adult horse. A pair of giant pincers guarded their fronts, and their high-raised stingers gleamed with a cold light.

Tang Mo cast another Scouting Technique over.

【Sand Scorpion】

【Level: 15】

【Strength: 510】

【Agility: 560】

【Spirit: 420】

【Stamina: 5300】

【Skills: Poison Sting (Lv10), Pincer Strike (Lv10)】

Wang Kaiwen pulled out his weapon and charged forward.

However, Wang Kaiwen, who was only Level 12, was clearly no match for several Level 15 Sand Scorpions. As soon as they clashed, he was immediately in a perilous situation.

"Healing Halo!"

"Song of Courage!"

As a healer, Yang Shiyu immediately raised her hand and cast two support skills on Wang Kaiwen, which allowed him to narrowly escape the Sand Scorpions' encirclement.

"What are you trying to show off for!"

"Didn't you see that these Sand Scorpions are higher level than you?"

"We've come in too deep."

Yang Shiyu scolded Wang Kaiwen while continuing to cast buff skills on him.

Tang Mo: ...

"I'll do it."

Seeing Wang Kaiwen suffer a setback, Tu Xiaoxia also brought out her weapon and met the challenge.

"Judgment Domain!"

"Sword Execution!"

Instantly, countless swords burst directly from the ground, impaling the bodies of the Sand Scorpions.

The brilliant skills immediately caused Yang Shiyu to cry out in excitement, "Xiaoxia is so amazing! Xiaoxia is so cool!"

Tang Mo was speechless again, but then he thought that they were only Professionals in their teens; these Level 15 Sand Scorpions were indeed a significant challenge for them.

Tu Xiaoxia was different; her level was already higher than these Sand Scorpions, and she was decked out in Gold-grade equipment. Killing these Sand Scorpions was an easy task for her.

"Tang Mo, should we keep going forward?"

The experience just now had left a shadow in Wang Kaiwen's heart. The beasts appearing at this distance were clearly no longer something he could handle.

"A few hundred meters ahead is the Sand Rats' nest. We should at least go there and take a look."

Seeing Tang Mo insist on continuing, Wang Kaiwen didn't dare say anything more. "Anyway, with Old Tang and Tu Xiaoxia here, what am I getting nervous for?"

Tu Xiaoxia had the same intention. If they wanted to have a better result tomorrow, they needed to scout the testing grounds as thoroughly as possible today.

Although they couldn't memorize the routes, they naturally needed to understand the situation of the beasts within this range.

Just as the few of them were about to continue forward, they suddenly heard someone shouting for help.

Before Tang Mo and the others could check the situation, several figures were seen sprinting desperately toward them. Behind them, a massive, dark swarm of Sand Rats was hot on their heels.

"Run! Get out of here! A Sand Rat swarm is coming!!"

Gao Jun, Guan Yushi, Feng Yuankai, and Ji Lianlei all came from the same school.

After arriving in Shahe City, the four of them had agreed to explore the Sand Rat nest together to prepare for tomorrow's exam.

They were all top students at their school and were quite confident in their own strength. They figured that even if they couldn't defeat a Sand Rat swarm, they could at least escape.

And so, as soon as they left the city, they headed straight for the Sand Rat nest.

Who would have thought that while exploring, they would accidentally disturb several Rat Kings inside the nest, and were instantly besieged by thousands upon thousands of rats.

The four of them could only run for their lives.