The air was dense with the stench of battle as Wu Lina, with each resolute swipe of her jade sword, extinguished the life of a soulweaver.
Shen Hong, as steady as a mountain, dispatched every soulweaver unfortunate enough to cross his path, his wind arrows finding their mark with deadly precision.
Xiao Se, a silent tempest, was a whirlwind of steel, his long sword a dancing specter that reaped the souls of its adversaries.
On the sidelines, Zhang Jie, Chen Wei, and another inner sect disciple, whose name Alex didn't know, stood motionless, their eyes were calm.
It was clear to Alex that they had no intention of stepping into the fight.
They were aware of the formidable prowess of Wu Lina, Xiao Se, and Shen Hong, and knew that these three were more than capable of sweeping away the entire hoard of soulweavers on their own.
Alex, however, was not content standing on the sidelines.
The sight of Wu Lina, Xiao Se, and Shen Hong mowing down the soulweavers with such ease ignited a spark of restlessness in his heart.
The prospect of claiming the Qi cores and the Exp points from the slain beasts was too enticing to ignore.
With a swift, decisive movement, Alex unsheathed his dagger and charged into the chaos.
As if sensing his approach, three soulweavers turned their attention toward him, their eyes gleaming with malicious intent. Alex, however, was ready.
With an agile sidestep and a swift slash of his dagger, he severed the head of the first soulweaver, its body collapsing onto the ground in a lifeless heap.
_…_…_…_…_…
[DING! DING!!]
A low-stage lesser Qi beast _ soulweavers was killed.
Reward_ 152 Exp points.
_…_…_…_…_…
"152 experience points..." Alex murmured, a hint of satisfaction creeping into his voice.
But there was no time for celebration. The remaining two soulweavers seized the opportunity to attack.
One lunged at him, claws aimed at his head. Alex instinctively wanted to duck, but he noticed the other soulweaver waiting in the shadows, ready to pounce.
Instead, he dropped to the ground and rolled to safety, narrowly evading the deadly claws of the second attacker.
He sprung up from the ground with cat-like agility, just as a dull thud echoed behind him.
Turning, he saw the soulweaver that had tried to claw him, now embedded into the ground where he had just been standing, its failed attempt to crush his head leaving a crater in its wake.
"Seems like these beasts have developed an unhealthy fixation for my head," Alex thought, a grim smile playing on his lips, "Well, I'll just have to rectify that."
With a sudden burst of speed, he closed the distance to the stunned soulweaver, sending it flying with a powerful kick.
The beast sailed through the air before crashing into the ground, lifeless.
_…_…_…_…_…
[DING! DING!!]
A middle-stage lesser Qi beast_ Soulweavers was killed.
Reward_ 128 Exp points.
_…_…_…_…_…
"A middle-stage lesser Qi beast died just like that?" Alex mused, his surprise evident in his voice as he responded to the unexpected notification. "It appears that these soulweavers indeed have a rather frail physique," he continued to ponder, the wheels of his mind turning ceaselessly.
However, even while lost in his musings, Alex's keen battle senses remained sharp and undistracted.
In the very periphery of his vision, he caught sight of a third soulweaver, its speed astonishing as it came hurtling towards him.
With a swift, practiced move, Alex dove to the earth, his body rolling smoothly to evade the incoming soulweaver as it whizzed past the space he had just vacated.
His role was a brief act, a fleeting moment of grace amidst the chaos, and he was soon back on his feet, his dagger in hand.
Without hesitation, he hurled the weapon at the soulweaver that had just narrowly missed him, the throw filled with focused force.
The dagger found its mark, piercing through the soulweaver with a force that pinned it firmly to the ground.
As the beast writhed in its death throes, Alex's gaze lifted, landing on Xiao Se.
He noticed, with a spike of alarm, two more soulweavers slinking towards the other man, clearly aiming for a stealthy surprise attack.
Alex's first instinct was to shout a warning, but he knew better.
The cacophony of the raging battle and the shrill cries of the soulweavers would drown his voice before it could reach Xiao Se.
Instead, he sprang into action, darting towards the pinned soulweaver, his feet barely touching the ground in his haste.
In one swift motion, he retrieved his dagger from the creature's lifeless body.
Twisting his wrist and body, he gathered his Qi and threw the dagger once again, this time aiming for the two soulweavers threatening Xiao Se.
Xiao Se engrossed in his dance of death with the soulweavers, felt a sudden jolt of danger.
He spun around, his eyes widening in surprise as he spotted the dagger speeding toward him.
It was too late for him to react, to defend, but the dagger wasn't interested in him. It whizzed past his face, missing him by mere inches.
Following the trajectory of the dagger, Xiao Se's eyes landed on Alex, who was watching him intently.
There was a nod, a smile, an acknowledgment of something unspoken.
"Is this fool bold enough to launch an attack on me amid battle?" Xiao Se muttered to himself, his rage flaring up at the audacity. "Do you dare to strike me during a fight, are you seeking my death?" he yelled, his voice echoing over the battle cries and the shrieks of the soulweavers.
But as he turned to see where the dagger had landed, his anger turned to shock.
Behind him lay two soulweaver corpses, one pinned to the ground by Alex's dagger. It was clear that it wasn't Xiao Se who had dealt with them.
Bewilderment washed over Xiao Se as he turned back to face Alex, who was still watching him.
The young man's smile had evolved into a smug grin as if to say, "Guess who is the righteous one now, Senior Brother Xiao Se?"