"Wow, I didn't imagine it to be a killer move, Rue Bu, but you are amazing." Chen Huan said, looking at Rue Bu in reverence. "Can you tell me how it works?" she asked awkwardly, unsure if he would reveal the secret.
"What? Do you think I know?" Rue Bu laughed. "You overestimate me, Chen Huan. I just activate the Gu worms in the sequence the elder taught me." he said dismissively.
'I guess I was too easygoing on them, huh? Why would I share the secret of my killer move? It may not be super complicated or powerful, but it's effective against average rank-one opponents. I don't want anyone to anticipate it, let alone have a way to counter it.' he thought to himself.
'But I wouldn't have been able to get the Gu worms necessary for it if not for the opportunity to visit different tribes and buy various Gu worms that weren't available at the Mu tribe. So, in a way...'
"What are you talking about? Even if you don't fully understand the profundity of the killer move the elder taught you, being able to perform it once, let alone three times in a row, is impressive!" she interrupted his thoughts.
"I don't know about those twins, but at least Chen Yan couldn't perform the killer move the elder taught them even once. And that was in the elder's home, a safe environment, let alone in a place like you did it in. So, you shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Rue Bu." she continued, forgetting about the killer move in the process.
They were still racing through the forest towards the Ma tribe's territory. Chen Huan hadn't returned to the Lin tribe for some reason, but Rue Bu didn't ask. He was intrigued by her conversation with Chen Yan and their relationship, but he figured it was just an elder favoring his talented grandchild over the less talented one, so he didn't bother to ask.
'Twins? Hmm, I feel like I'm forgetting something...' Her words triggered a memory, but before he could recall it, they arrived at the front gate of the Ma tribe's territory. The huge doors cast a shadow that dwarfed them, and as they passed the checkpoint, they were greeted by a crowd of youths whispering and running in the same direction.
"What is going on? The sun is already going down. Why are so many students still here?" Chen Huan asked, confused.
"Why are you still here?" Rue Bu asked instead, already having figured out the reason for the students' presence.
'That dumbass must have done something stupid. I think I know what's going on here... I don't really care... tsk, but I have to go, don't I?' Rue Bu was furious. 'Didn't I tell her to forget it? It was just a wild boar. How much primeval essence stones is it worth? Tsk...' he grumbled.
"Huh? I'm going to stay here for a while. I already decided. I got bored of the place I was staying, and there's no academy for the next few months, so it's a good opportunity to go somewhere else. Besides, if I stay here, we'll be closer to each other and won't have to travel as much." Chen Huan explained as if she had already prepared an answer for such a question.
'...' Rue Bu didn't know what to think for a second. 'What do you mean? You live in the Lin tribe between the Ma tribe and the Shui tribe. It doesn't matter where you move as long as Shui Tao and I don't move.' What she said was obvious nonsense, but he still didn't refute it.
"Okay, let's go. There should be a good show in that direction." he said plainly, walking in the same direction the students were running.
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"Wow, even though it's just simple Gu worm usage, it's impressive how long they can sustain this level of intensity. If it were me, I'd already be exhausted."
"What are you saying? They're rank one, you idiot. If we used the same Gu worms as them, we would defeat the three of them without much effort."
"Hahaha, you're right. But it's not fair to compare rank two and rank one like that. You don't have to discredit them. Especially that young boy—he's single-handedly resisting both enemies at the same time. If I faced two rank two Gu masters simultaneously, I'd be long dead, let alone exhausted."
"Hmph, I guess..but.." he hesitated for a second and chose to stay silent.
Among the students watching the three youths fight, some rank two Gu masters were observing and discussing the battle. One was impressed, while the other seemed more annoyed.
"Wow! Ma Rue Gang is so awesome. As expected of one of our tribe's geniuses, he's holding his own against both of the Kui twins and still isn't losing!" one student shouted.
"Hmph, those Kui twins are a disgrace to the Lin tribe." a Lin tribe student said.
"Yeah, how can both of them lose to just one person? They are totally useless, tsk, tsk..." another grumbled.
"What's going on, guys? Are they fighting for that girl over there?" someone asked.
"What? Did you just arrive? Let me tell you, that Rue Gang, even though he's strong, is too arrogant and overbearing. He demanded the Kui twins apologize to that girl and even beg for mercy from her. Can you imagine?" someone explained.
"What? Is he crazy? Does he know who these two are?" another Lin tribe member added.
"Who are they? Just a couple of insects in front of our almighty Rue Gang, hahahaha." a Ma tribe member laughed.
"Insects? Then why is your almighty Rue Gang struggling to keep up?" someone pointed out. Despite Rue Gang managing to fight both of the Kui twins, his speed was decreasing little by little as he fought alone in a disadvantaged position.
'Damn it!' Rue Lan gritted her teeth. 'I've already run out of primeval essence and can't provide much help for Rue Gang. Where the hell is Rue Bu? Why hasn't he come yet?' She was furious, gnashing her jaws and watching the fight in silence.
"Hahaha, what's wrong, Rue Gang? Are you getting tired? Or is your primeval essence running out? Too bad for you, we're not finished yet." Kui Tu taunted while activating his Gu worm. The fungus-like Gu worm began to emanate a purple hue, and with a swift movement of his hand, a purple cloud appeared around Rue Gang.
Rue Gang had experienced this before. His body started slowing down, and his movements became staggered, giving Kui Mu an opportunity. Kui Mu launched the tree branch revolving around his body straight at Rue Gang. Although Rue Gang's quick reactions helped him avoid a direct hit, the branch struck his shoulder.
Surprisingly, Rue Gang was fine. Instead, the tree branch began to burn as a fiery cloak appeared around his body, defending him. This had happened several times already, each time giving Rue Gang a moment to catch his breath and prepare for the next attack. But this time was different. The Gu worms in his aperture dimmed and fell; he was out of primeval essence!
'Fuck!' Immediately, the fire cloak disappeared, and his crimson eyes reverted to their normal brownish color. 'Damn it, I thought I was strong enough to take both of them on...' Rue Gang had always been a talent, both innately and physically. He possessed inhuman strength from a young age, giving him an advantage in close combat. But the two brothers he was fighting were no pushovers. By working together, they managed to keep their distance, not giving him any opportunity to corner them like he had previously.
"Hahaha! This is the end, Rue Gang. You should have known your place, hmph!" Kui Mu shouted as he reactivated his Gu worm, sending a tree branch straight at Rue Gang.
Rue Gang had no way to dodge or block the attack, but he stared at the Kui twins, gnashing his teeth. Disgust, anger, and a mix of bravery or stupidity clouded his judgment as he began running towards them instead of trying to escape, not that it would have made any difference.
'I will not let you have your way. I will kill both of you! I swear!' Rue Gang was already panting heavily as he pushed himself forward. He almost forgot about the attack, but that didn't last long. He felt an excruciating pain in his lower abdomen and looked down to see something had penetrated it.
"Ugh!" Rue Gang grunted, falling to his knees. He clenched his teeth and, with all his strength, ripped the branch in half. Kui Mu had already abandoned it the moment Rue Gang grabbed it and activated a second one.
'Goddamn! This monster, how long will it take to take him down?!' Both Kui twins thought the same thing simultaneously. Though the previous attack had worked, it hadn't penetrated his abdomen completely, and Rue Gang had ripped it in half, leaving part of it in the wound. Despite the pain and the risk of losing consciousness, he remained dangerous. If hemanaged to get close to them again, as he had earlier, they would have a hard time escaping, especially this late in the fight with most of their primeval essence used up.
'A dying animal is far more dangerous than a healthy one. We should retreat immediately...' Kui Mu was already planning to escape, even though they had essentially won. However, when he turned to look at his brother to ask for his opinion, he was shocked. His brother was lying flat on the ground, unconscious. A young man with beautiful blue eyes and wavy black hair was standing there, smiling at him, sending a chill down Kui Mu's spine.
"Haha, don't worry. Hmm? Kui Mu, was it? I've heard a lot about you. Ah, your brother isn't dead or anything. I can't really kill both of you, or I might get in trouble, so don't worry—I will just play a little with you." the young man said confidently. Then his eyes changed color, which Kui Mu recognized, and he disappeared.
'What... wait, he's attacking...' Kui Mu was flustered for a second. He didn't think someone would interfere in their business, even on their own territory. He was confident no one would dare. But recognizing the crimson red eyes that flashed in the youth's eyes before he disappeared, Kui Mu attempted to block the attack.
However, Kui Mu didn't anticipate him being even faster than Rue Gang. With the toll of the previous fight and his earlier flustered state, he ended up taking a punch to the stomach, followed by two low kicks to his legs. He almost felt his bones cracking. Falling to his knees, Kui Mu continued to be pummeled by punches and kicks. The young man didn't activate any Gu worm other than the Berserk Gu, but it was more than enough to render Kui Mu unconscious, just like his brother.
"Are you okay?" Rue Bu's hands were covered in blood, and the smile on his face sent a chill through everyone present. He asked Rue Gang, who was still panting heavily.
"Yes, of course I'm... ugh!" Rue Gang tried to stand up again but fell back to the ground with a grunt.
Everyone was startled for a moment, everything had happened so fast. Rue Bu had immediately knocked out both of the Kui twins. Some were frustrated that they wouldn't see any more fighting, some were happy Rue Bu didn't go overboard, while most of the Lin tribe's students didn't know what to feel, as the Kui twins weren't particularly the best classmates.
"Oh, hey." Rue Bu, supporting Rue Gang with Rue Lan, was already heading to the infirmary. He suddenly turned around and said. "When they wake up, tell them my name. It's Ma Rue Bu. They should know it." He said this plainly and then continued walking.
"Ah! Now I understand. Hahaha, it's Rue Gang and Rue Lan's cousin. He's also one of our tribe's young stars. No wonder he could beat both of those bums so quickly," a Ma tribe student said arrogantly, as if he had done it himself.
"Hmph, what are you talking about? Our Lin tribe's twins were already exhausted and caught off guard. Anyone could have defeated them like that." a Lin tribe student said, defending his tribe's "geniuses" to maintain some pride.
"Well, you aren't wrong, but for the two of them to be this exhausted against just one opponent, they must have been more apprehensive about Rue Gang and forgot to be on guard against other threats. They are really pathetic." another Lin tribe member said, angering the first.
"What are you talking about, you idiot? It's impressive enough that they managed to make Rue Gang fall to his knees. How can they be bothered by other threats when their opponent was still breathing and more dangerous than ever?" Surprisingly, a Ma tribe rank two started defending the Kui twins, even if it was somewhat embarrassing, as they were two against one. This made the rest of the Ma tribe students stop slandering the Kui twins.
"Hahaha, how can you say that? Our tribe's students clearly had the advantage, yet they still lost to a surprise attack. It was their fault for not being more aware of their surroundings. They should have retreated as soon as Rue Gang was down, but they weren't satisfied with just that, so they faced a terrible end." a Lin tribe rank two said, making the rest of the students confused.
"Ah, Lin Hong Zhen, I didn't know you were here tonight. It's really good to see you again." the rank two from the Ma tribe greeted him.
"Brother Long Min, you are still as I remember you. It's a pleasure, likewise." Hong Zhen greeted him back.
After a short conversation between the two, Hong Zhen ended up taking both of the Kui twins and left. They agreed that this was a small problem among the upcoming youth and that they shouldn't intervene unless something drastically changed, as it would help them improve in the future.
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"That was a total headache. I already told her to forget about it, and it wasn't a big deal, but that stupid brute had to act like a hero. Why do I have to fix your mistakes for you? Tsk, tsk... I bet those stupid twins won't leave me alone. Sigh!" Rue Bu was sitting cross-legged under a tree at the Ma tribe's far border.
He sighed as he pushed those thoughts out of his mind, focusing on his aperture. He controlled his pale green primeval essence and started to nourish his watery aperture walls. He wasn't close to attempting a breakthrough yet, but he would do this every night after finishing with missions or the academy. He didn't like doing it at home or in the Ma tribe at all for some reason and found it more calming and effective in this place.
Maybe he wasn't used to feeling safe at home, or maybe he didn't want anyone to disrupt him. Either way, he preferred to do it here. His eyes were closed, and the moonlight shone on his face, illuminating it and giving life to him amidst the ever-growing darkness of the forest.
*SCREECH* *SCREECH*
Suddenly, he heard two screeches and was startled, as he somewhat recognized these sounds. "What is going on? I've never heard a beast screech like that in this place for the past two or three months. Didn't I hear something similar today?" He remembered his encounter with Chen Yan and the others earlier today and was intrigued.
He stayed silent for a while and then smiled.
"Interesting." he said and sat back down, contemplating what to do.