BXBX NOVEL Chapter 236: Do you want me to slap you to wake you up?
"Ah, whatever. I should focus on doing well in the trial instead of thinking about what could have been. If I keep worrying about the possibilities, then I'll never progress and end up falling behind Lingyu even more."
Speaking to himself, he decided to take a breather first, after all the intense fighting, before focusing on the token tied to his waist and noticing that the number '4' was displayed on it. "Great! I'm just short of one beast for completing the first stage! Since I have yet to encounter any cultivators here, I should proceed with caution.
It will do me no good if I get ambushed by someone when I am about to succeed."
With that thought in mind, he took one last look at the horned drake's corpse before he walked away from the carnage he left behind while keeping himself on alert.
However, before he could even travel ten meters, he caught sight of something moving amidst the trees next to him and halted in his tracks. His body tensed, ready to act on a moment's notice should any danger appear.
"Who's there? Show yourself!"
He demanded as he wielded his trident in his hands, ready to fight whoever approached him.
After several moments of silence, a voice spoke up from within the bushes, "I didn't think that you would be surprised by just a few footsteps. Well, I should still congratulate you on winning against that monster without getting hurt at all! It was an impressive sight! Maybe it would have been better if I had seen it from the start instead of just catching the ending of the battle."
As soon as he heard those words, Yuan Long's eyes widened in surprise; he had expected to hear something sinister, not praise from someone watching him in secret with a familiar voice. So, he was taken aback by the comment, and he relaxed his guard somewhat before asking in confusion, "Huh? Is that you, Lingyu? How come you are already here?"
He heard some rustling sounds coming from behind the tree, and when he turned to check what they were, he found himself staring straight at a beautiful young woman with reddish-brown hair and a pair of auburn eyes that glittered like jewels. She wore a dark brown dress embroidered with a maple leaf design that accentuated her curves, giving her a regal aura.
However, for a split second, he had an illusion as if he saw something different. He blinked once, and the illusion was gone as he saw the woman's auburn eyes looking at him in the same manner as always, which confused him, but he decided not to think about it too much, thinking perhaps he was seeing things.
Seeing him getting lost in thought, the young woman raised an eyebrow in annoyance and spoke with an impatient tone, "Why do you look like you just saw a ghost? Do you want me to slap you to wake you up?"
As she threatened him, a menacing aura emanated from her body, making him shiver in fright. Yuan Long shook his head in response while waving his hands in front of him as he denied her accusations. "No, no, I was just mesmerized by your appearance, that's all! You know, you really are beautiful! So, please forgive me for getting distracted! Haha..."
At this excuse, the woman clicked her tongue in annoyance before her expression softened and her aura dissipated. She replied in a neutral tone, "Whatever, as long as you are not daydreaming anymore. So, hurry up and tell me about the situation here. Have you run into anyone so far? Are any strong opponents around? And how many beasts have you hunted so far?"
Hearing her questions, Yuan Long shook his head before explaining in detail what had occurred to him so far. "Right now, I've hunted four beasts: Two Initial-Stage Rank 3-Star Beasts, One Middle-Stage Rank 3-Star Beast, and this High-Stage Rank 3-Star Beast. I haven't met anyone yet except you, but I'm sure others are near this place. There's no way that we would be the only ones in this area."
Once he finished talking, Long Lingyu nodded her head in acknowledgement and gave a small smile, which made Yuan Long's heart skip a beat, before replying, "Very well, you did well so far, but do not let your guard down. Remember, the closer we are to the end of this trial, the stronger the competition will get. We need to remain vigilant at all times and be prepared for anything that might happen.
After all, we don't want to lose because we underestimated our opponents."
As she spoke, she walked towards him, and by the time she finished her words, she stood right in front of Yuan Long with their faces mere inches apart. Then she reached her hand to touch his cheeks and said, "Just one more beast, and you can advance to the next round, so be careful, alright?"
Yuan Long swallowed hard as he felt her warm breath wash over his face and nodded his head. "Of course, I won't let you down, Lingyu."
He found her intimate gesture strange, considering that she was always cold and distant to him, never acting like this before. However, before he could ponder on it further, he was pulled out of his thoughts as he heard something crack, breaking his concentration.
When he looked down, he noticed that his token had cracked open and shattered into pieces before a bright light covered his whole body, teleporting him away from this location.
The last thing he saw was Long Lingyu's face, which had an expression of both satisfaction and amusement on it.