Chapter 308 - 210: Battle of the Hundred Prodigies (2)

Chapter 308: Chapter 210: Battle of the Hundred Prodigies (2)

"Get me something to eat. Pack some supplies, weapons, and ammunition for me, too. I’ll need them in a bit!"

Qin Hao looked astonished. "Mr. Yu, you’re going out again?"

"That’s right. The upperclassmen gave me quite a welcome during the day, so it’s only natural I return the favor with a big gift tonight!"

Yu Fei was exhausted, but he believed Zhang Hu and the others couldn’t be in much better shape. The Melt Gold Jade Body Skill had excellent recovery effects. Now that he was out of the high-intensity battle, he felt his condition had already improved significantly, despite his fatigue.

Moreover, after such an intense fight, his body seemed to obey his will more readily. The absorbed gold and jade properties felt as if they had been repeatedly forged, becoming second nature.

Yu Fei devoured simple meals meant for nearly ten people, consuming a third of the outpost’s reserves before he finally felt full. He then chugged four straight bottles of Red Mist Wind Dew to wash it all down.

Only then did a deep sense of satisfaction wash over him.

"Mr. Yu, we don’t have a Soul-Eater here, but we have an Eagle-Strike. It’s less stable, but it packs a bigger punch!"

Qin Hao was observant; he had noticed Yu Fei’s rifle was missing.

Yu Fei took the rifle and aimed it a few times. The Eagle-Strike had a more aggressive design, with a larger stock and a longer barrel. Both rifles used the same ammunition.

"Alright!" He slung the ammo belt from Qin Hao over his waist, shouldered his pack, secured Zhanming to his right side, and rushed out into the night, Eagle-Strike in hand.

"Mr. Yu is a total badass..."

Qin Hao smacked him on the back of the head.

"Of course he is! The Salted Fish Assault Team was almost completely wiped out by him alone. Look at the records. Have you ever seen anyone this incredible in the last ten years? If we stick with Mr. Yu, our class will be raking in merit points. Got it?"

Under the cover of night, the two sophomore classes merged and began heading toward the base station. The atmosphere was grimly silent.

Their battle with Yu Fei had shattered their confidence. They were all prodigies, Martial Artists who were normally admired wherever they went. On the front lines, the Celestial Pride Class from each of the seven major academies was renowned.

Any one of them could take on ten opponents at once—this was no exaggeration. A normal Martial Artist would be considered a team’s core combatant just by mastering a single Cultivation Technique, a feat that takes years. Yet, which of them hadn’t mastered several techniques to the point of perfection?

But today, against a monster like Yu Fei, they were reduced to mere background characters. Most of them couldn’t even survive a single blow if they faced him alone.

"Brothers!"

Zhang Hu’s voice drew everyone’s attention.

"Let’s be honest, we’re probably going to be famous after this—and not for the right reasons. This Desperate Fortress exercise has been running for dozens of years, and we’re probably the only class to get completely thrashed by a first-year... Heh."

Everyone forced a bitter smile at his words.

Zhang Hu’s tone shifted. "But, brothers, are we really weak?"

His question made them all pause and think. Considering the third-years’ skill level and their own combat records, they were actually stronger than the previous class had been at this stage.

"At the battle of Wind Track Cliff, we killed a xeno vice-general of the Gang Qi Realm. At Fengqing Valley, we held off an attack from four allied xeno divisions totaling twenty thousand soldiers... Looking at our achievements alone, we rank fourth among all classes in the last decade."

Zhang Hu’s voice was heavy as he said, "Brothers, we are not weak!"

His words gave them pause. Over the past year, they had fought in at least four or five major campaigns, winning every time despite being outnumbered.

Compared to the records of their own year and those of the classes before them, they truly weren’t weak. So why had they suffered such a crushing defeat today?

Qingshan let out a long sigh. "We just had bad luck, running into a freak like Yu Fei. Think about it. What first-year has ever been that monstrously powerful?"

"Brothers, there’s no shame in not being able to take down Yu Fei. We handled all the other first-years, didn’t we? You can’t compare yourself to a freak like him. At the end of the day, he’s one of our Shenhan Martial Artists. He’ll be our ally on the battlefield one day!"

Listening to the two class leaders’ encouragement, the group’s morale finally lifted. The gap between people could be as wide as a chasm. They didn’t have to look far for an example; Emperor Bufan was a prime one. That legend had been undefeated since his placement matches.

No matter who his opponents were, or how many.

Perhaps Yu Fei was another figure on the level of Lu Bufan. Once they reframed it that way, comparing Yu Fei to Lu Bufan, they all felt much better.

"Take cover—"

Gao Nianzhen’s sharp cry rang out, but it was too late. Green ripples of light flared up around three of their teammates as their bodies crumpled to the ground.

Qingshan rubbed his face in anguish.

"Dammit, isn’t this kid ever going to let up?"

With that, he hefted his Bright Silver Spear and vanished into the darkness before Zhang Hu could even try to stop him.

At the same time, ten reconnaissance-specialty Martial Artists exchanged a glance, activated their stealth abilities, and sped toward the muzzle flash.

Zhang Hu didn’t stop them. He knew Qingshan and the others were trying to buy time for the main group to get back to the base station. Against the phantom-like Yu Fei at night, they had to use fortifications to defend themselves. Otherwise, out in the vast wilderness, he would just pick them off one by one.

"All units, prepare for a forced march!"

The battered remnants of the two sophomore classes, now as skittish as birds that have heard a bowstring snap, dragged their exhausted bodies in a mad dash through the night.

They had barely started running when two more teammates were taken down. At night, Yu Fei was an unseen phantom—uncanny and lethal.

Qingshan and his group raced toward the source of the muzzle flash. Yu Fei made no attempt to hide; he simply reloaded his magazine and fired at a shimmering, gem-like illusion.

When Qingshan’s group reached the location, Yu Fei was nowhere to be seen. Eleven of them had set out, but only six had made it. Qingshan roared into the darkness in a fury:

"Yu Fei, come out and face me! Stop running!"

The words had barely left his mouth when another muzzle flash lit up the distance. Qingshan was ready this time and dodged the shot, but three more of his men went down.

"Fuck..."

Furious, he charged toward the flash again, only to find nothing. He turned, and another burst of gunfire echoed out. This time, he was the only one left standing.

As the night dragged on, a profound sense of helplessness washed over Qingshan. He had never encountered a Martial Artist like Yu Fei before; he was simply too versatile. A guy like this would be the enemy’s worst nightmare on a real battlefield, but right now, he was their tormentor.

After a moment of thought, he gripped his spear and began to walk, remaining on high alert. ’Yu Fei definitely won’t let me go. Since I can’t find him, I’ll just let him come to me.’

He hadn’t gotten far when a black shadow flickered in his peripheral vision. A greatsword was already slashing down at his face. It was too sudden; Qingshan had no time to react. By the time he raised his Bright Silver Spear, it was far too late. And this time, there was no Zhang Hu to save him.

BOOM! The green ripple flared, blocking Zhanming’s attack before the force of the blow slammed Qingshan into the ground.

Yu Fei thought he heard the distinct crunch of multiple breaking bones.

He stepped forward to check and saw Qingshan, mouth bubbling with blood, barely able to speak. The man slowly raised his right hand and gave the now-visible Yu Fei the middle finger before his head slumped to the side and he passed out.

’This guy!’

Yu Fei casually scooped up some dirt and rock, burying Qingshan up to his neck as a "polite" gesture in return.

The purple-grade talent, [Silent Hunter], had turned him into a lethal assassin of the night.

Silent movement combined with his Illusory Sword Intent elevated his stealth capabilities to an absurd degree. So far, no one had been able to detect him when he used both in tandem. He figured it would take a Grandmaster to even notice him.

When attacking from the shadows, Instant Shadow Slaughter increased his first-strike speed by 50%. Combined with the Electric Arm, which tripled his arm speed, even a Celestial Pride Class leader like Qingshan couldn’t react in time and was taken out instantly.

During the day, his stamina and recovery were absurdly powerful, making him a perpetual motion machine on the battlefield, his combat strength never waning.

At night, Yu Fei transformed into a lethal killer, a king in the darkness.

Yu Fei had also discovered that most talents he copied from humans were related to cultivation aptitude and rarely had unique properties. Talents copied from animals, however, had highly specific effects. When combined, they could easily create bug-like, overpowered abilities.

Unfortunately, very few animals possessed talents, and he rarely encountered any at school. This exercise’s battlefield was, of course, desolate and uninhabited.

Luckily, he had acquired one silver and one red talent from Feng Hua. He would just have to wait until the exercise was over and he was back in the Geometric Pyramid Realm to load them.

After dealing with Qingshan’s group, he continued his pursuit of the remaining sophomores. Once he was gone, two Flying Devices descended silently to carry away the unconscious students. With both sides having withdrawn from the location, the judges considered all of them to be eliminated.