54: Chapter 54 Challenge Beasts Begin

With several people eliminated, changes appeared on the Points Leaderboard.

Although Zhu Tiancheng, Han Yuesheng, and Huo Changkong didn't break into the top ten, they were still among the top hundred on the Points Leaderboard.

After being defeated, their points remained, but their names dimmed, signifying their elimination.

"Boss, please take a seat for a while. We'll go check the surroundings for any remaining targets."

"Holy crap, that was awesome!"

"I'll help you recover."

"..."

A crowd of students from the Tianhe System swarmed over, with a clear division of labor.

Some were from the Support Class, helping Chen Xing recover his spent energy, while others were skilled at scouting and ran off to see if anyone was still hiding nearby.

Chen Xing said nothing, which was a silent acknowledgment.

"It seems my power is still insufficient, especially my Fist Intent; my cultivation isn't deep enough." He reflected, feeling that the time it took to finish his opponents just now was too long.

"Although the Virtual World is fake, the Battle Technique Profound Truths and Concepts that Ability Users comprehend inside are real improvements. Can I use this to gain some insights?"

Thinking of this, he called out to the System in his mind.

"New opponents unlocked: Zhu Tiancheng, Han Yueliang, Huo Changkong, Xu Chen..."

"New battle scene unlocked: Grassland."

As expected, even in the Virtual World, he could summon the System anytime, anywhere, without any obstacles.

Looking at the several names on the new character list, Chen Xing nodded slowly and closed the interface.

There was no time for practice right now, as the time had come.

Boom!

A massive roar, like a dragon waking from a ten-thousand-year slumber, let out a deafening howl to the world.

Countless pillars of light shot into the sky; no matter where they were on the battlefield, every participant could see them clearly.

The locations of these light pillars were the spawn points for the Challenge Beasts.

Currently, only the black markers on the map remained unlit; all other Challenge Beasts descended at the same time.

"They've appeared!"

"Boss, what do we do now?"

"Do we just charge in and take it down?"

Everyone was incredibly excited and eager to try, all looking to Chen Xing to make the call.

"Insta-kill it." After saying that, Chen Xing charged straight ahead.

...

Light Opening Realm Battlefield, Rainforest.

Qin Feng had been fighting fiercely with several others for a long time, also putting on a one-against-four performance.

Lu Qingnian, Zhou Kuoyun, Chen Yunxiao, and Xu Cheng besieged their opponent and severely wounded him, but they weren't faring much better themselves.

"How is this guy's defense even tougher than my turtle shell? It doesn't make sense; he clearly just has a Dragon Soul Body, not a real dragon!" Zhou Kuoyun couldn't help but complain.

Although his defense was formidable, Qin Feng's Dragon Claw Hand specialized in armor penetration, leaving him with numerous injuries and several shocking bloody gashes.

The other three glanced at him but said nothing—or rather, they had nothing left to say.

Fighting until now, everyone was seriously injured and their energy was heavily depleted; they could no longer sustain a prolonged battle.

Boom!

Then, a massive purple pillar of light rose nearby, the violent air currents buffeting the entire forest.

"Damn, the Challenge Beast has appeared, but our current condition is terrible," Zhou Kuoyun said with a grim expression.

"Don't panic. Even though we're injured, others won't be able to get the Challenge Beast either. We just need to ensure they can't make a move," Lu Qingnian whispered.

"But stalling like this isn't a solution, especially since the War Zones are merging tomorrow. I still want to survive until then," Zhou Kuoyun said.

"Hey, are we not fighting anymore?"

On the messy, muddy ground, Qin Feng stood alone. Despite the bloodstains on his face, he wore a bold, flamboyant smile.

Faced with their silence, Qin Feng shook out his hands as if nothing was wrong; if anything, the Battle Intent in his eyes grew even stronger.

Qin Feng held up two fingers as the Dragon Soul coiled around his body, letting out a low dragon roar.

Buzz!

An astonishing scene unfolded as the blood-red Dragon Soul began to emit bursts of green light, enveloping Qin Feng's entire body.

Ever since hearing about Old Chen's experience, he had been pondering how to improve his recovery power; otherwise, he would only end up being a burden.

Thus, in his spare time, Qin Feng had learned another S-Rank Body Refining technique called the Heavenly Dragon Body Forging Art.

This was the self-healing ability of the Heavenly Dragon Body Forging Art. It provided passive repair during normal combat, but to achieve a higher-power recovery effect, one had to manually perform hand seals, which consumed more energy.

"Not good!" Xu Cheng's face changed.

"How is he so hard to kill?" Chen Yunxiao gritted his teeth, his hand trembling as he gripped his sword hilt.

"How are we supposed to fight this?" Zhou Kuoyun gasped.

Lu Qingnian pondered for a moment and said, "If there's really no other way, let's retreat. Stability is the priority."

Hearing this, Zhou Kuoyun was shocked. "Just retreat like that? And give the Challenge Beast to him?"

Lu Qingnian glanced at him. "If we keep fighting, I don't know if we'll get the Challenge Beast, but you'll definitely be taken down by him."

Zhou Kuoyun was speechless, unable to refute.

Currently, Qin Feng's condition was gradually recovering, and they were powerless to stop it.

Where on earth did this monster come from?

They grumbled inwardly—why was the gap so large when everyone was an A-Rank Esper?

Ding!

Just then, a pop-up appeared from their virtual network assistants.

Participant [Chen Xing] has defeated the Red Challenge Beast [Thunder-Horned Rhino]. All surviving participants from the Tianhe Galaxy Alliance Academy receive one thousand points!

This scene stunned everyone.

The sounds of fighting had ceased at the scene. Everyone stared fixedly at the large screen, the silence eerie.

Half a minute—not even half a minute—and a Challenge Beast was killed?!

"You've got to be kidding me!" Zhou Kuoyun couldn't help but exclaim.

"A Red Challenge Beast... if I remember correctly, the lowest level is the Ninth Layer of the Divine Sea, right?" Chen Yunxiao was dumbfounded.

"Ninth Layer of the Divine Sea... insta-killed?!" Xu Cheng was wide-eyed.

"Bro... where's my brother?"

Suddenly, he searched the Points Leaderboard and saw Xu Chen's name at the bottom, only to find it had already dimmed.

"Eliminated? What happened?" Xu Cheng was completely bewildered.

Wasn't his own brother also an A-Rank Esper? How could he be gone?

Could it be that he ran into an S-class Esper?

"Old Chen is amazing!" Seeing this, Qin Feng laughed heartily, truly happy for his friend.

"Run!" Shortly after, Zhou Kuoyun and Lu Qingnian retreated.

"While there's life, there's hope!" Xu Cheng was also decisive, immediately calling his companions to leave.

"Want to leave? It's too late!"

Qin Feng immediately moved to intercept, striking him back.

There was also Chen Yunxiao; because he wasn't good at escaping and wasn't fast, he was also intercepted.

"Brother, is this really necessary?" Chen Yunxiao asked with a heavy expression.

"One should show mercy whenever possible," Xu Cheng said coldly.

"Mercy? Sure, go tell it to the Points Leaderboard." Qin Feng threw a punch.

With two people down, their combat power was greatly reduced, and they were taken care of in less than five minutes.

"Boss, come quickly! We've pinned them down for you."

Meanwhile, the students from the Tianhe System waved to him.

"Coming." Despite being exhausted, Qin Feng didn't rest; he threw himself into the next battle to farm more points.