Chapter 205 - 204: Healing

Lu Qi looked up and saw Jian Yu’s face. It was expressionless, yet utterly harmless.

Her small face was porcelain-white, her cool brows knitted in a slight frown. Not a hint of a smile touched her lips, and only the gentle curve of her pale green skirt seemed soft and delicate.

Lu Qi turned his head away, raising a hand to secretly wipe away his tears.

He scrubbed at his eyes furiously with his sleeve, his shoulders trembling slightly. "Thank you... Thank you, junior."

Wang Hu pulled Lu Qi over to the side to sit down. "Hey, what about me? How come you’re not thanking me?"

Lu Yi tilted her chin up. "That’s right. We all jumped in, but you’re only thanking her?"

Lu Qi said nothing. His mind was blank, and his heart was pounding so hard it thundered in his ears.

His muscles were twitching, his limbs felt impossibly weak. Instinctively, he looked toward the person in front of him.

Teacher Hu and the others, having been ignored, just smiled and turned their gazes back to Jian Yu.

Jian Yu was engaged with the last Mutant Beast.

Her fighting style was bizarre; it looked like she was just toying with the Mutant Beast.

Her use of Instant Teleportation was jerky, almost clumsy.

Yet, every single attack landed her Soul Power precisely on the Mutant Beast, and each clumsy-looking Instant Teleportation just so happened to perfectly dodge the beast’s vicious slashes.

Lu Yi lowered the hand she’d raised to help, her eyes darting back and forth to follow the fight.

Wang Hu also stopped in his tracks. "Don’t worry, the Star Map on its head is about to fade. It just needs another hit or two..."

"I told you to help her! What are you doing?!" Zhang Qin exclaimed as he dug out a Beast Crystal. He turned his head, and the smile on his face slowly vanished.

A blue light flared around him as he instinctively charged forward.

’How could they just push my girl out there to fight?!’

Out of the corner of her eye, Jian Yu saw Zhang Qin charge over like a bull seeing red, and she instantly grew flustered.

She immediately raised her hand, and a ball of mist shot through the Mutant Beast’s head.

The green light of the Star Map on the Mutant Beast’s head extinguished completely.

"?" Zhang Qin lowered his clenched fist, a bewildered look in his eyes as he stared at Jian Yu.

’What the hell was that speed?’

’I just used the fastest attack I’ve ever thrown.’

The air fell silent. Above, the shadows of the trees crisscrossed, their leaves rustling as they swayed.

Jian Yu turned to the side, her gaze meeting the eyes of ten people.

She dropped her gaze, her fingers twisting the hem of her skirt. Her long lashes slowly veiled her eyes, and a blush crept onto her cheeks.

Teacher Hu wore a benevolent expression; he didn’t seem too surprised.

With Pei Yin and the others training her, it would have been more surprising if Jian Yu’s progress was still slow.

A hint of pride entered Zhang Qin’s doting expression. "Are you really just recently Awakened?"

Jian Yu didn’t understand what he had to be so proud about.

She nodded rapidly, like a chick pecking at grain. "Mhm."

Her beautiful eyes glistened. Her cool, aloof features, combined with her pale green dress, created an air of innate cuteness wrapped in a layer of coldness.

Zhang Qin clutched his chest. ’It’s too much.’

The atmosphere grew silent. After a long moment, the sound of sobbing reached everyone’s ears.

"Teacher Hu." Lu Qi clutched his arm, his expression dazed.

He called out for the teacher again, his eyes vacant as tears streamed down his face.

Jian Yu looked over, wanting to say something, but she opened her mouth and found she had no words.

She stared at the tiny green needle on the ground, a seed of doubt planted in her mind.

’A Poison Beast Needle doesn’t look like this, does it? Did I remember it wrong?’

Jian Yu stealthily took out a Poison Beast Needle to compare and immediately sighed in relief.

Teacher Hu didn’t notice Jian Yu’s small movement. He shook his head and sighed. "Lu Qi, that’s a Detoxification Needle."

If it had really been a Poison Beast Needle, he would have intervened immediately.

Not to mention several others were already rushing over to help.

"Oh, you... What am I even supposed to say to you?" Wang Hu said, patting the dumbfounded Lu Qi on the back.

Lu Yi whispered consolingly, "Are you red-green colorblind?"

"Yeah," Lu Qi sniffled, his voice thick and nasal.

’The treatment to cure red-green color blindness is expensive. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have taken this mission.’

Lu Qi got to his feet, a wave of visible relief washing over him.

He wiped his eyes. "I’m sorry."

Teacher Hu didn’t dwell on it, instead offering some simple guidance to the group.

"Your formation was a mess. You’re a team, not a group of solo fighters. When you encounter a Mutant Beast, you need to identify its weakness first. Don’t just attack blindly next time."

Everyone looked thoroughly deflated.

Lu Qi was still mired in self-reproach and shame, and couldn’t bring himself to look up.

He had signed up for this mission specifically because there would be a supervising teacher and teammates to help. But now that he had actually become a burden and needed protecting, he felt terrible.

Everyone else was holding their own in the fight, but he was the only one getting chased around.

Even though he had managed to kill two low-level Mutant Beasts, the way he’d fled made him look just like a deserter.

Lu Qi felt utterly humiliated.

RUSTLE.

The Beast Forest was full of giant, mutated trees. A breeze swept through, and leaves rustled as they fell.

Jian Yu pursed her lips and looked up timidly at Teacher Hu. "Teacher, what’s the most important thing?"

Teacher Hu’s expression remained unchanged. "Safety, of course. Remember, your life is always more important than the mission."

Teacher Hu understood her intent. "Lu Qi, the last Mutant Beast that attacked you was two Levels higher than you. Don’t be so hard on yourself. You did a good job."

Lu Qi looked up, trying his best to hold back the stinging sensation in his eyes.

Teacher Hu wasn’t good at emotional appeals.

He cleared his throat, dampening their excited mood. "The Beast Crystals are part of the mission. During the mission, no matter how many Mutant Beasts you kill, the crystals must be handed over to the academy. Your share will be redistributed by the academy."

In other words, it didn’t matter how many Mutant Beasts they killed. The academy would take the lion’s share, and the rest would be divided equally among them.

After all, the academy had also paid a hefty price.

Teacher Hu glanced at their expensive gear. "The sooner you complete the mission, the more time you’ll have to find other resources."

The Ultimate Eye has more to offer than just Beast Crystals. While the academy takes a small cut of any other resources found during the mission, it at least allows them to choose which thirty percent they hand over.

Zhang Qin looked at the darkening sky. "Let’s put the 27 Beast Crystals we just collected together and see what attributes we’re still missing."

The mission required one Beast Crystal of five different attributes.

For a team of ten, that meant ten of each.

Lu Yi stared wistfully at the 2S Crystal Stone she had acquired. "Why are they all Healing Attribute?"

Level 2S Mutant Beasts were hard to come by, even one with the least dangerous Healing Attribute.

Besides, she had been injured getting it.

Teacher Hu huffed. "Other teams haven’t even seen a single Mutant Beast yet. You should be happy with your results on the first day. You still have six days. Don’t be impatient."

No one paid him any mind.

How awkward.

Jian Yu glanced from side to side. "Teacher is right."

Teacher Hu raised his hand, gratified, about to pat her on the head. But when he felt an odd stare, he awkwardly pulled his hand back.

Zhang Qin looked away.

’I thought we’d be able to get ten Beast Crystals of two different attributes at once.’

He looked at the 2S Crystal Stone with a touch of regret. "We still need defense, speed, attack, and enhancement."

The moment Jian Yu heard the word "Healing," her ears perked up like a rabbit’s.

She twisted the hem of her skirt, her cat-like eyes wide and round. "Is anyone hurt? Do you need Healing? I still have a lot of energy."

Wang Hu sounded hesitant. "My spiritual power is a bit unstable. Can you heal that?"

Jian Yu nodded. "I can. I can heal physical injuries, too."

’I’ve healed Ling Yanzhi before,’ she thought.