The light white surface of the water tiger beast's soft skin gathered a little frost, forming an ice armor.
The sword tip pierced the ice armor, only causing some slight cracks without shattering it.
"Han Pu, quick, get out of the way!" Du Chaoping shouted.
However...
Struck in a vital spot, the water tiger beast, almost dying, was completely enraged and it moved even faster than Du Chaoping's warning.
Boom!
Like a cannonball, Han Pu was sent flying, leaving a deep mark on the ground along the way.
Without time to check Han Pu's injuries, Du Chaoping approached with his weapon to intercept the water tiger beast, which continued to charge at Han Pu.
But with his own strength alone, Du Chaoping could only manage to block, unable to kill the water tiger beast.
Lin Xiu rushed down the hillside and ran to Han Pu's side.
Lying on the ground, Han Pu's clothes in front of him were soaked with blood, and his arms were twisted irregularly, seemingly broken.
"Lin Xiu, take Han Pu and withdraw," Du Chaoping said as he dragged the water tiger beast with Qin Zhi.
"Senior, hold on a bit," Lin Xiu lifted Han Pu and hurried up the hillside.
"Qin Zhi, you withdraw too. This water tiger beast has already formed an Ice Spirit Shield. We can't take it down," Du Chaoping realized his previous judgment was wrong.
The normal weak point of a water tiger beast is under its jaw, but the one in front of them is obviously abnormal. It seems mutated, with an Ice Spirit Shield that typically appears only at the third rank, appearing prematurely.
Unable to attack from its weak point, and with the tough skin of the water tiger beast, it's difficult for them to kill it using conventional means.
Breaking the Ice Spirit Shield requires an extremely fast and strong burst, which is incredibly difficult.
Du Chaoping needs to keep it occupied and can't afford to be distracted, and Qin Zhi's experience is weaker compared to Han Pu's. If Qin Zhi also gets into trouble after Han Pu's failure, it would be troublesome.
Understanding the seriousness of the situation, Qin Zhi didn't hesitate and turned to retreat.
At this moment, it seemed like the water tiger beast had no intention of letting them go. It opened its mouth and spat a water bomb at Qin Zhi.
Prepared, Qin Zhi easily dodged it, although her speed was momentarily hindered, and the distance she had just widened between her and the water tiger beast was closed again.
Seizing this opportunity, Du Chaoping thrust his spear, but unfortunately, it had little effect.
Neither of them dared to let the water tiger beast get close. It was strong with tough skin, and being hit by it would be no better than Han Pu's fate.
Qin Zhi continued to flee, knowing that only by her leaving could Du Chaoping escape. Staying behind would only worsen Du Chaoping's exhaustion.
Seeing Qin Zhi getting farther away, the water tiger beast seemed to become anxious. Dark blue lines lit up on its skin, spreading all the way to its head.
Whoosh!
The next moment, a larger water bomb burst forth. As it approached Qin Zhi, it exploded with a thunderous sound, countless water droplets splashing and turning into large patches of white cold air cascading down.
The ground became slippery, quickly freezing over.
As Qin Zhi stepped down, her figure wavered, but she managed to steady herself in time by using her longsword to support herself, preventing herself from falling.
Large patches of frost formed on the surrounding ground, with ice crystals shimmering in the light.
"Senior, I'll help you." Just as Du Chaoping and Qin Zhi were falling into panic, Lin Xiu rushed down from the hillside.
Lin Xiu held Han Pu's sword, moving swiftly and gracefully.
"Junior, it's dangerous!" When Du Chaoping realized Lin Xiu was already by their side, he couldn't help but feel anxious.
If anything happened to Lin Xiu, how would he face his teacher when he returned?
"Senior, this beast won't let us leave easily." After observing for a moment, Lin Xiu noticed that the water tiger beast's movements were not very fast. As long as they were careful, there wouldn't be any danger.
Moreover, with Du Chaoping providing support nearby, the danger was even lower.
Missing out on this opportunity to gain experience with a Second Rank Magic Beast would make it hard to come by again.
Approaching the side of the water tiger beast, Lin Xiu's longsword emitted a thin layer of green light.
Flying Flowers Through Leaves!
The longsword fluttered, resembling butterflies dancing in a flower garden, its blade flashing incessantly.
"Roar!"
Several new wounds immediately appeared on the water tiger beast's body, accompanied by painful roars from its mouth.
With 14 points of Constitution, Lin Xiu possessed considerable strength. Coupled with the speed boost from Wind Attribute Dou Qi, the sharpness of his sword increased even further.
"Junior, you're this strong?" Du Chaoping was astonished by the flickering swordlight.
"I just happen to know a little sword technique," Lin Xiu modestly replied, but his actions did not stop.
[You engaged in a battle, Flying Flowers Through Leaves experience +50]
[Your Ability Flying Flowers Through Leaves has leveled up to level 2, gaining 1 Attribute Point]
Glancing at the notifications, Lin Xiu's fighting spirit soared.
Facing the water tiger beast's counterattack, Lin Xiu's arms swelled, causing his sleeves to bulge as he blocked.
Energize!
A tremendous force surged into his arms, causing Lin Xiu to retreat six or seven meters. His body swayed but he didn't fall.
"Just a casual collision, and the strength is this immense." His arms tingled and swelled. Lin Xiu couldn't imagine how much pain Han Pu must have endured when kicked directly earlier.
Despite his increased defense using Dou Qi and blood energy, Lin Xiu still felt sore.
[You engaged in a battle, Energize experience +50]
"Junior, are you okay?" As he thrust his spear into the water tiger beast's hide, Du Chaoping diverted its attention.
Just now, seeing the water tiger beast charging at Lin Xiu, Du Chaoping was almost prepared to fight it to the death.
But seeing Lin Xiu still able to grip his sword, he was surprised once again.
No wonder Lin Xiu caught the teacher's attention. He's so strong, and he's only been at the Academy for such a short time.
"Is this why the teacher values Lin Xiu?" On the other side, Qin Zhi's face revealed astonishment.
She didn't expect Lin Xiu to dare to come back and help despite the danger.
Last year, their classmates encountered similar situations, but most chose to flee, unwilling to participate knowing the danger.
But Lin Xiu was completely different from them. Not only was he unafraid, but he also seemed to be getting more and more excited.
"Lin Xiu seems to be born for battle!" Qin Zhi stared blankly at the figure attacking beside the water tiger beast.
In just a short moment, Lin Xiu had already switched roles with Senior Du. Lin Xiu was responsible for restraining, while Senior Du searched for opportunities to kill.
On the hillside, Han Pu, seeing this scene, coughed up a mouthful of blood.
The teacher misled me. If I had known that Lin Xiu had such strong combat experience, I would have called him to join us earlier.
There would have been no need to protect him along the way. Why did I end up with both my hands broken?
"Sister Qin, you go take care of Senior Han. Senior Du and I can handle things here." Seeing Qin Zhi preparing to come help, Lin Xiu quickly stopped her.
As long as he doesn't engage in direct strength confrontation with the water tiger beast, there won't be any major injuries.
Each skirmish yields at least 50 experience points.
Lin Xiu hasn't had such a lucrative battle in a long time, and he doesn't want it to end too soon.
"Go ahead, Qin Zhi. Leave this to me and Lin Xiu," Du Chaoping waved to Qin Zhi, feeling somewhat incredulous himself.
Every stroke of Lin Xiu's sword was just right, accurately hitting the water tiger beast's critical points, hindering its attacks.
Such precision in technique, even he could only occasionally achieve it himself.
In Du Chaoping's eyes, Lin Xiu's swordsmanship was rapidly improving, becoming more and more exquisite in skill.
"Am I dreaming?" Du Chaoping had never seen anyone's Dou Technique improve so quickly, discernible even to the naked eye.
[You engaged in a battle...]
[You engaged in a battle...]
One message after another quickly flashed by as Lin Xiu unleashed all of his Dou Techniques.
Whenever his internal Dou Qi was about to be depleted, he would take out the Qi-replenishing pills he exchanged from Elder Huo and swallow them.
Or he would let Du Chaoping hold the line while he took a brief moment to adjust.
"Junior, you should retreat first. I can barely hold on anymore."
After a while, Du Chaoping was panting heavily, his hands gripping the spear trembling.
"Senior, can't we kill it?" Lin Xiu asked in response.
He felt like the water tiger beast's eyes were bloodshot, making it difficult to leave.
At this moment, the water tiger beast was covered in wounds, with blood staining most of its skin.
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