Wang Xu had a grim look on his face as he spotted Song Zhen and the others from a distance. He noticed that Song Zhen's leg was nearly crushed—despite the possibility of healing, it would take almost half a year for him to recover. Half a year? The best training time for a gene warrior would be wasted. Even if he were to heal in half a year, he would have lost a significant amount of strength.
However, what infuriated him the most was Xu Yuan's demand for contribution points from Song Zhen. During the last trial, Xu Yuan had already pulled such a stunt; if it weren't for his fear of Wang Xu's power, he might have taken all the points instead of just half. The facts were evident—without Wang Xu around, Song Zhen and the others became easy targets for Xu Yuan, and he squeezed them without any hesitation!
Wang Xu had originally thought he could count on Zhang Xinglin to look after things, but in the end, Zhang Xinglin chose to stay out of it, leaving Wang Xu feeling cold inside.
Straight away, he stepped out, his expression darkened as he fixed his gaze on Xu Yuan and the others. Upon hearing the commotion, Song Zhen, Tang Yan, and the rest turned towards him in surprise.
"Big Brother!" Song Zhen's eyes instantly welled with tears.
They could hardly believe that Wang Xu had survived, successfully escaping the pursuit of Fourth-Stage elite insect beasts.
Zhang Xinglin felt a ripple of emotions upon seeing Wang Xu. His eyes flickered as he recalled his promise to him; since he had not fulfilled it, he averted his gaze, choosing to ignore the situation.
Tang Yan also gasped, tears shimmering in her beautiful eyes. Wang Xu had saved her from the dual scythes insect beast and now had rescued her from the thousand-legged soft worm. Thinking of Wang Xu's receding figure caused a sharp pain in her heart.
Xu Yuan stood right behind Tang Yan and at the moment he laid eyes on Wang Xu, his good mood dissipated. He hadn't anticipated that such a thorn in his side could endure something so dire and remain unscathed.
Xu Yuan squinted, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes as he said, "To be able to survive the pursuit of a Fourth-Stage elite insect beast, how fortunate."
"Indeed, quite fortunate, and I should be thanking you," Wang Xu retorted with a smile.
Thank him? Xu Yuan sneered, unconvinced that Wang Xu had anything to be grateful for.
"Since you're here, why don't you just hand over that spatial ring?" Xu Yuan proclaimed arrogantly. What he wanted wasn't just contribution points; it was Wang Xu's spatial ring and everything within it!
Hearing this, the students looked on in astonishment, their attention riveted on Wang Xu. They were eager to see whether this second-ranked talent on the leaderboard would bow down before Xu Yuan.
"I'm afraid this time, Brother Wang has no chance of escape."
"He has talent but lacks backing—what a pity! Truly a pity…"
The students whispered among themselves, sighing and shaking their heads.
Song Zhen was furious and swiftly yanked off his ring, declaring, "Xu Yuan, didn't you want my contribution points? Here, take the spatial ring too! Just let Brother Wang go!"
Xu Yuan had five Third-Stage warriors behind him, and Song Zhen had already sensed Xu Yuan's strength had grown since their last encounter—he must have consumed plenty of cultivation resources and was now almost at Fourth-Stage. The situation for Wang Xu looked dire!
"Xu Yuan! I won't let you lay a finger on Wang Xu!" Tang Yan stepped forward, positioning herself protectively in front of Wang Xu, glaring at Xu Yuan.
Xu Yuan's face darkened. He turned to Wang Xu and said, "Wang Xu, are you just going to hide behind a woman like a coward?"
Xu Yuan was irate; he hadn't expected Wang Xu to have so many people willing to protect him.
"Tang Yan, this is between me and him. Step aside for now," Wang Xu said as he moved Tang Yan out of the way. He then fixed his gaze on Xu Yuan. "Do you want to fight me? I'm ready whenever you are."
Xu Yuan's eyes glinted, a smile creeping across his face, "Then it's on you for challenging me."
As he spoke, Xu Yuan withdrew a bottle of blue potion from his spatial ring—indeed, it was the "Body Enhancement Agent."
"Xu Yuan! How despicable to use performance-enhancing drugs in a one-on-one fight!" Tang Yan shouted in anger as she watched Xu Yuan gulp down the enhancement agent.
"It doesn't matter," Wang Xu interrupted her with a smile. "Feel free to use whatever tricks you have."
Hearing such arrogance, Tang Yan couldn't help but stomp her foot. At a moment like this, why was he still trying to act tough?
Song Zhen quickly intervened, "Brother Wang, that guy's power has surged! Plus, with the Body Enhancement Agent, you won't stand a chance…"
Not only did Tang Yan and Song Zhen believe Wang Xu would lose, but even the nearby students felt he was being overly confident to say such things.
Zhang Xinglin peeked at Wang Xu, seemingly startled by his words. Even he would find it challenging to face Xu Yuan with the Body Enhancement Agent, let alone someone of Wang Xu's caliber.
"Don't hesitate. Why not just take him on all at once?" Wang Xu pointed at Xu Yuan's accomplices casually.
Wow!
Everyone's astonishment grew—Wang Xu's earlier challenge to Xu Yuan had already shocked them, but now he had declared that he wanted to take on all six Third-Stage gene warriors at once!
"Hmph! If you're asking for death, then so be it!" Xu Yuan was enraged by Wang Xu's audacity, and with a wave of his hand, the five Third-Stage gene warriors lunged forward!
In an instant, blades and shadows filled the air, surrounding Wang Xu and blocking every possible escape route.
Clearly, these five had worked together for a long time, their combination was lethal, planning to give Wang Xu a demonstration of their prowess by unleashing their most devastating techniques.
Facing their coordinated assault, Wang Xu simply smiled. If he were still a Third-Stage warrior, he might have been overwhelmed, defeated within a few exchanges. After all, being besieged by five Third-Stage gene warriors would multiply the combat power against him, making it impossible to fend them off. But now, Wang Xu had transcended the Third-Stage and had become a Fourth-Stage elite!
"Boom!" Wang Xu lifted a leg—not a flashy move nor the use of a weapon—he kicked straight at the advancing gene warrior. The impact sent that warrior flying, as if his insides were shattered, and he spewed a mouthful of blood.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
With a series of four kicks, Wang Xu's legs moved like phantoms, too fast for the naked eye to follow. He sent the remaining four gene warriors crashing to the ground, each one gasping for breath as they lost their combat ability.
Silence!
The scene fell eerily quiet; even the sound of the breeze could be distinctly heard.
Xu Yuan's smile abruptly froze. He had believed five Third-Stage warriors would surely handle Wang Xu. Even if they struggled, he thought he could easily assist them for the finish, leaving Wang Xu with no choice but to face death.
But unexpectedly, Wang Xu had only casually moved, and without him even understanding how, all five gene warriors were sent flying, utterly defeated.
Song Zhen and Tang Yan's pale faces suddenly blossomed with color; Song Zhen looked at the tranquil Wang Xu, his eyes filled with fervor!
Even the usually indifferent Zhang Xinglin didn't hide his astonishment, the shock radiating from his eyes. A storm was brewing in his heart.
Since when did Wang Xu possess such terrifying strength?!
Suddenly, Zhang Xinglin seemed to realize something, his face changing dramatically. Fourth-Stage? Could it be that... Wang Xu had already become a Fourth-Stage elite warrior?
Despite how incredible a Third-Stage warrior might be, facing this kind of arrangement—I mean, no one could rely on mere physical strength and speed to simultaneously defeat five people. The only explanation was that Wang Xu had broken through to Fourth-Stage!
"Alright, now it's just you left. Come over," Wang Xu said to Xu Yuan with a smile.
Instantly, color drained from Xu Yuan's face, and he stood frozen in place with trembling hands.
Xu Yuan knew he had made progress; with his family's vast resources, his power was rapidly advancing. Even if he couldn't surpass Wang Xu, he was close enough, especially after consuming the Body Enhancement Agent. His strength should easily crush Wang Xu and Zhang Xinglin.
But even with all that might, he could never have anticipated that he'd be counterattacked and taken down by five Third-Stage warriors in the blink of an eye!
This was no longer strength belonging to someone of the Third-Stage! Was it possible… Xu Yuan seemed to grasp something terrifying, his expression turning horrified.
"You… you've advanced to Fourth-Stage!" Xu Yuan stuttered.
The moment those words escaped him, it was as if a bomb had dropped in the open field, shaking everyone to their core!
Fourth-Stage!
To achieve Fourth-Stage elite status at just eighteen years old—was that even possible?!
But Wang Xu didn't deny it; the smile on his face provided the strongest proof to them all—indeed possible! Absolutely possible!
"Wang Xu, you truly have advanced to Fourth-Stage?" Tang Yan's eyes sparkled with excitement upon hearing the news.
"Brother Wang, is this true? This… is just too…" Song Zhen stammered, unable to articulate his thoughts due to his excitement.
Wang Xu nodded with a smile, his gaze now fixed on Xu Yuan: "Make your move. Didn't you want to kill me? You took the Body Enhancement Agent, and here I am. Come at me."
Wang Xu vividly recalled the incidents from the previous night when Xu Yuan had forcefully occupied his quarters, isolating him behind an energy barrier, nearly costing him his life at the teeth of the thousand-legged soft worm, and even breaking Song Zhen's leg. Not to mention, the plot against his spatial ring involving five gene warriors… Everything Xu Yuan had done, even the Buddha himself would find it hard to forgive!
Wang Xu had a simple principle: if others don't mess with me, I won't mess with them. But if anyone crossed his bottom line and endangered his life, he would show no mercy!
At this moment, Xu Yuan didn't dare to make a move. He wasn't a fool; the difference between Third-Stage and Fourth-Stage was insurmountable!
"Fine, since you won't make a move, then I'll strike first!" Without waiting for Xu Yuan to respond, Wang Xu clenched his fist, which struck Xu Yuan's stomach like lightning. Xu Yuan immediately doubled over in agony like a shrimp, crumpling to the ground.
Fast!
So fast!
Xu Yuan could not even react before Wang Xu's punch reached him. It was only when the sharp pain in his gut surged through him that he finally saw Wang Xu's figure clearly.
Zhang Xinglin watched, his face turning pale as he realized he hadn't even seen Wang Xu's movements. If he couldn't follow that, then any counter was entirely out of the question.