95: Chapter 95 One Wave Subsides, Another Rises?

Bone-spiked Black Wolves, Gray-armored Mountain Lizards, strange birds with fleshy wings, and several others noticeably larger in size were currently crawling on the wreckage of the airship, their claws slapping against the outer shell, emitting dull thuds.

The metal plating had already been dented in several places, and cracks were spreading along the edges, ready to collapse at any moment.

There was a low commotion in the cabin, and the faces of the students who had just recovered from the crash turned a few shades paler.

Just then, one of the older crew members suddenly stared fixedly at the mountain range on the edge of the projection, stunned for two seconds, his throat bobbing.

"This is..."

Everyone looked at him immediately.

The crew member stepped forward, the fear on his face not yet dissipated, but his eyes held a bit of certainty after recognizing the terrain.

"Qingyan Mountain Range... Look, the rocks around us, their color is cyan-green; this is a sight unique to the Qingyan Mountain Range."

Hearing this, a boy wearing glasses among the students immediately looked up.

"The Qingyan Mountain Range on the western border?"

"Yes, young man, how did you know?"

The crew member turned to look at him, clearly a bit surprised.

The bespectacled boy pushed up his frames, his voice not loud, carrying a scholarly air.

"I have hand-drawn the map of the Dragon Kingdom... I guess I know a little bit."

As soon as these words were spoken, many people around were stunned, their gazes falling on him instantly.

Zhou Jinan couldn't help but take a few extra looks. "Brother, that's quite a hardcore hobby you have."

The bespectacled boy felt a bit uncomfortable being watched, pursed his lips, but still continued, "My name is Tao Jiansheng."

He squatted down and reached out to draw a few lines on the floor, which was covered in dust and bloodstains.

"If this really is the Qingyan Mountain Range, then we are most likely in the northwest edge area."

As he drew, he looked up at the direction of several mountains in the projection.

"From here to the location of the Navigator Academy, it is about three hundred to four hundred kilometers; the specific distance depends on our current location."

As soon as this sentence fell, the despair in the cabin dissipated a little.

Three or four hundred kilometers sounded very far, but for this group of people who could get on the airship for the Navigator Academy selection, it was not an unreachable place.

However, Tao Jiansheng did not relax at all, the gaze behind his lenses still focused.

"I think... the best method right now is to wait until this group of exotic beasts leaves before we go out."

There are too many exotic beasts outside; rushing out rashly is no different from courting death.

Many people nodded subconsciously.

Lu Cheng stood in front of the projection, scanned the group of exotic beasts outside, but his expression did not change much.

"No need for such trouble."

He lifted his chin.

"Just kill all these exotic beasts."

The air went quiet for a moment.

Several people turned to look at him, their expressions quite colorful.

Pei Yan had never liked Lu Cheng, and upon hearing this, he rolled his eyes directly, the gunpowder in his tone impossible to suppress.

"Boasting again, damn it."

He pointed at the largest exotic beasts outside the projection and sneered.

"There are quite a few Third-Order exotic beasts in there; don't drag us down with you if you want to go die!"

Lu Cheng turned his head to look at him, his eyes truly carrying a bit of disappointment, and he walked over.

His steps were not fast.

But as Pei Yan watched him approach step by step, his heart tightened inexplicably.

Lu Cheng stopped in front of him, his voice very flat.

"Before I came, the commander at home told me that the Navigator Academy selects the thousand most talented people from across the country."

"Looking at it today..."

He scanned Pei Yan up and down.

"If a piece of trash like you can be called a genius, then the Dragon Kingdom is truly doomed."

"What the hell did you say!!"

Pei Yan's face flushed red on the spot, his anger surging to his head, crimson flames ignited on his hands, and he punched Lu Cheng in the face, the heat wave rushing at him!

Several people around were shocked.

But Lu Cheng didn't even move his feet, just raised his hand casually.

Slap.

Pei Yan's flaming punch was steadily caught in his palm.

The flames exploded at Lu Cheng's hand, and the heat wave rolled out in a circle.

Lu Cheng looked down at Pei Yan's fist, his tone still faint.

"I've discovered that not only are you cowardly, you're also ignorant."

"I dared to attack the Black Seed earlier; you should think about your own strength."

As soon as the words fell.

Bang!

Lu Cheng punched Pei Yan directly in the abdomen.

Pei Yan curled up, his feet left the ground, and he flew backward for more than ten meters, slamming heavily into the cabin wall behind him.

A dull thud.

He slid down the wall, his stomach churning, and he vomited a mouthful of acid, his face turning pale instantly, the veins on his forehead bulging.

The surroundings went quiet.

The few people who had originally wanted to stop the fight stopped in their tracks.

Pei Yan clutched his stomach, his breathing trembling, his eyes full of shock, anger, and disbelief.

Not even on the same level...

Damn it...

How could this person be this strong?!

Lu Cheng didn't even look at him again, turned around directly, and scanned the rest of the people.

"I will take care of those Third-Order ones with..."

Halfway through, he looked at Su Wan beside him.

Su Wan understood what he meant, nodded, her voice cold and crisp.

"I will deal with the Third-Order exotic beasts with Lu Cheng; the rest is up to you."

"The airship is too bulky, staying here makes us too obvious a target; we must act as quickly as possible to avoid the Black Seed people finding us again."

As soon as she said this, many people felt a chill in their hearts.

Right.

The exotic beasts were only the problem in front of them.

The Black Seed people were the real trouble!

Tao Jiansheng was the first to nod.

"Okay, I will be responsible for observing the terrain and evacuation routes."

Qian Shuying loosened her wrists, her eyes becoming serious.

"We can handle the Second-Order exotic beasts."

Xia Xi gripped her big hammer and added: "Then let's fight quickly, the sooner we finish, the sooner we leave!"

Zhou Jinan swallowed hard, but still gritted his teeth and said: "Fine... it's come to this anyway."

Lu Cheng didn't want to waste any more words and walked straight to the damaged cabin door.

"Open the door."

Several crew members scrambled to operate the remaining systems, pulling open a crack in the external blockade plate.

The next second, a fishy wind rushed in.

The exotic beasts outside immediately became restless, low roars, sharp screeches, and the sound of claws scraping against rocks instantly blended together.

"Go!"

Lu Cheng was the first to rush out.

Su Wan followed closely, cold air rapidly spreading along the blade.

The other students also gritted their teeth and followed.

Those who could come here were certainly not mediocre.

When it truly came to a life-or-death moment, each of them exploded with the level they should have.

Relying on the Body Refining Realm, they could take on two or three Second-Order exotic beasts at the same time!

Zhou Jinan's short staff flew in his hands, smashing a Gray-armored Mountain Lizard's head until it swayed.

Tiger patterns lit up on Qian Shuying's body, her speed and strength soared, and every punch and kick carried a force like metal tearing.

Xia Xi charged fiercely with her big hammer; one swing sent a Bone-spiked Black Wolf rolling away.

And Lu Cheng rushed into the beast herd, facing the pouncing Third-Order exotic beasts, he didn't even bother to dodge, charging up against them, his punch landing with a loud explosion.

Bang!

The skull of a Third-Order Gray-armored Mountain Lizard was dented on the spot.

Another punch.

Another Black Wolf with bone spikes was sent flying sideways, breaking a cyan-green rock pillar behind it.

His attacks were too fierce, his movements too fast, and the pressure after getting close was simply terrifying.

On the other side, Su Wan's combat style was completely opposite.

Her figure was light as a feather, her footsteps shifted, and she had already plunder to the side of a Third-Order exotic beast.

Cold air poured out from her body, and where the sword blade passed, the air turned white.

Swish!

A cold light slashed past.

Half of the exotic beast's body instantly froze.

Immediately after, the ice layer shattered, and even the flesh and blood turned into ice dregs all over the ground.

She kept swinging her sword, freezing everything along the way.

Wherever the sword light went, frost spread, and ice chips splashed everywhere.

Many people, while fighting, couldn't help but be distracted to watch.

And the more they watched, the more silent they became; the gap was too big...

They were all here for the selection, so why were those two clearing Third-Order exotic beasts like clearing cannon fodder?

Pei Yan had also climbed back up, his face looking terribly ugly.

His stomach was still cramping from that punch earlier, but for now, he could only grit his teeth and fight.

This wave of slaughter lasted for nearly half an hour.

By the time the last exotic beast fell, the ground was covered with corpses, the smell of blood mixed with the mountain wind drifting all around, and the cyan-green rocks on the ground were stained dark red.

Many students were gasping for air, with injuries on their bodies.

Lu Cheng shook the blood off his hands and looked up at the surroundings.

"Find high ground first."

Everyone dragged their exhausted bodies and quickly moved to a nearby high ground.

The view here was good, they could clearly see the mountain terrain nearby, and it was convenient for keeping watch.

Tao Jiansheng sat on the ground, not caring that his clothes were dirty, and reached out to continue drawing on the ground.

He had been memorizing the terrain the whole way, and now his strokes were fast; mountain ridges, valley paths, cliffs, and stream locations were all outlined by him.

After finishing, he looked up and pushed his frames.

"We are lucky; we are on the northwest side of the Qingyan Mountain Range."

"It's only over two hundred and eighty kilometers from here to the city where the Navigator Academy is located."

"If we go faster, it will only take three days..."

Speaking of this, his voice suddenly stopped; there were still four crew members on the airship.

Two of them were just ordinary people.

In a place like the Qingyan Mountain Range, the mountain roads are complex and exotic beasts are everywhere; traveling with ordinary people would definitely slow them down.

And the registration deadline for the Navigator selection...

Was April 5th.

Even if they hurried at full speed now, they would barely be able to arrive before the deadline.

If they took those four crew members with them...

It would be almost impossible to arrive according to the original plan, but if they left them here...

The silence lasted for a few seconds.

Lu Cheng spoke up.

"Give up on these four people for the sake of registration?"

He scanned the crowd, his voice not loud, but very clear.

"If the academy finds out, will they still let you in?"

As soon as this was said, many people's expressions changed.

Pei Yan clutched his stomach, not daring to speak as loudly as before, just muttered lowly.

"Something like this happened... If you don't say it, and I don't say it, who would know?"

Lu Cheng turned to look at him, the disappointment in his eyes even more obvious.

"I originally thought you were just ignorant."

"I didn't expect you to be brain-damaged too."

Pei Yan's face twitched, his fists clenched, but he didn't dare to explode again.

Lu Cheng didn't bother with him and said directly:

"Only two crew members are ordinary people; I can carry one, and we can take turns with the other one."

As soon as this plan was proposed, Tao Jiansheng shook his head immediately.

"No."

He looked up at Lu Cheng, his tone very serious.

"You are the one with the strongest combat power among us. If you carry one, our team's safety factor will drop exponentially; let me carry one."

Zhou Jinan also quickly added.

"I'll be responsible for one with you, and we'll all take turns with the remaining one... is that okay?"

This proposal was quickly responded to.

Qian Shuying nodded: "Okay."

Xia Xi also raised her hand: "I have no objections."

The others agreed one after another.

No one mentioned leaving people behind again.

Tao Jiansheng quickly completed the map and marked a shortest and relatively safe route.

"This road requires crossing two mountain ridges, passing through a narrow valley, and then bypassing an area where beast herds are active."

"There is danger, but it's better than going straight through the main mountain path."

"Everyone try not to fall behind, and be extra careful at night."

After the simple distribution, everyone didn't delay any further and set off immediately.

The road in the Qingyan Mountain Range was even harder to walk than they had imagined.

Under their feet were gravel and steep slopes; in many places, one would slip if not careful.

The mountain wind poured out of the canyon, carrying coldness and the smell of blood.

Occasionally, the roars of exotic beasts would come from afar, keeping everyone's nerves on edge.

Lu Cheng, Su Wan, and several powerful students paved the way in front.

The students in the middle took turns carrying the two ordinary crew members and the injured crew member.

Someone was at the back to prevent sneak attacks by exotic beasts.

The monsters encountered along the way were all quickly dealt with.

Although Pei Yan had a foul mouth, when it came to fighting, he didn't hesitate; the lethality of his fire element was indeed not weak, and he contributed quite a bit.

Just like that, a group of people forcibly raided through the mountains for a whole day.

When the sky turned completely dark, everyone stopped in a leeward rock crevice area to prepare for a temporary camp.

The two ordinary crew members were so tired they could barely stand, leaning against the rock wall and panting heavily.

Zhou Jinan sat down on his butt, his legs shaking.

"Damn it... I've never walked such a long mountain road in my life."

Lu Cheng stood on the edge of the camp, looking up at the dark mountain body under the night, the wind rolling in from afar.

The next second, Seeking Good Fortune and Avoiding Bad Luck triggered, behind him!

Lu Cheng's eyes sank instantly.