Translator: 549690339
Before accepting the challenge, Lin Zhen had a headache about how to get a Planet Crystal, because without handing a Planet Crystal to Brother Guang, he couldnât initiate a team battle.
Lin Zhen wanted to go out and borrow one, but martial artists regarded Star Crystals as more important than their lives, so he couldnât borrow one. Su Mingyue saw that Lin Zhen was a little troubled and asked, âWhatâs wrong?â
âNothing much, itâs just that we may not be able to secure third place without a
Planet Crystal. We canât initiate a team battle, so weâre basically destined to lose,â Lin Zhen replied.
To his surprise, Su Mingyue smiled and said, âThatâs alright; Iâve already handed over the Planet Crystal, so go ahead.â
âAh! Where did you get the Planet Crystal?â Lin Zhen asked.
âI borrowed it from someone,â Su Mingyue winked.
âWho did you borrow it from?â Su Mingyue spent all day cultivating in the tree hole and hardly ever went out, so who could she have borrowed it from?
âAnyway, I managed to borrow it. We can just get another one tomorrow to return. Letâs go; itâs starting.â
Although he still had doubts, Lin Zhen didnât think too much about it. Su Mingyue was the Divine Sectâs Saintess, and it shouldnât be too difficult for her to borrow one if she really wanted to.
The challengers were a mixed team. As soon as the challenge began, they proposed individual battles, but Lin Zhen proposed a team battle instead.
Brother Guang agreed to Lin Zhenâs request, saying that he had received the Planet Crystal and would proceed with the team battle.
After a fierce battle, Lin Zhenâs team emerged victorious again. However, Su Mingyue seemed to be in bad shape, and even had blood oozing from the corners of her mouth after the battle ended.
Seeing Su Mingyueâs condition, Lin Zhen found it very strange since her strength shouldnât have been affected by such a battle.
The only solution now was to find more Star Crystals for Su Mingyue to absorb, which would be beneficial for her recovery.
At this point, they couldnât continue to challenge the second-place team. Lin Zhen approached Group Two and exchanged a day with them, hoping to switch Sunday and Saturday.
Group Two had been fighting all day in the Ant Nest yesterday and needed to rest, so they immediately agreed to Lin Zhenâs request.
Lin Zhen delved into the Ant Nest again, but his luck wasnât good this time.
When Lin Zhen returned to the tree hole with the Planet Crystal, he found that Su Mingyue was gone, and only Sun Tie and Luo Zhen were there.
Lin Zhen asked, âWhereâs Su Mingyue?â
Sun Tie glanced at Lin Zhen and replied, âSheâs gone.â
âGone? She was so badly injured; where did she go?â
âSomeone from the Sky Dome came â a woman. She claimed to be Su Mingyueâs senior sister and took Su Mingyue away,â Sun Tie explained.
âHer senior sister?â Lin Zhen was taken aback. He recalled that Su Mingyue had mentioned a few days ago that she had a senior sister who had come to the Star Fruit Tree a few years ago and had never left. Su Mingyue had intended to look for her this time.
However, Lin Zhen couldnât understand why Su Mingyue was in such a hurry to leave. She shouldâve informed him first.
Sun Tie continued, âSu Mingyue was injured and seemed to be in bad shape, but she didnât want to leave. Her senior sister insisted on taking her back for treatment. They even argued. Her senior sister accused her of going into battle with an old injury that hadnât completely healed, and said she was risking her life. She insisted on taking Su Mingyue away.â
âAn old injury that hadnât healed?â Lin Zhen was stunned. Where did the old injury come from? Hadnât he given her a Planet Crystal to heal her injuries from the last match?
He suddenly remembered that after he had given Su Mingyue the Planet Crystal last time, he had never actually seen her absorb it. She had just told him she was fine.
And when they accepted the challenge, Brother Guang said he had received the Planet Crystal. So where did Su Mingyueâs Planet Crystal come from?
She said she had borrowed it, but Su Mingyue never interacted with anyone else. Who could she have borrowed it from?
The truth became clear to him. Su Mingyue hadnât absorbed the Planet Crystal. Instead, she had given it to Brother Guang so that Lin Zhen wouldnât be eliminated. Thatâs why her condition worsened after todayâs battle.
Sun Tie kept talking, âSu Mingyue didnât want to leave, but her senior sister knocked her out with a slap. Then her senior sister took her away, saying they were going to the Sky Dome and would never return.â
At this point, Luo Zhen added, âWhen Su Mingyue was being taken away by her senior sister, she was already unconscious, but she still cried.â
Lin Zhen took a deep breath, refrained from asking further questions, and sat down in the tree hole. After some thoughts, he said to Sun Tie and Luo Zhen, âEach of you take a Comet Crystal. There are only three of us left, so weâll give up the next challenge.â
Sun Tie tentatively asked, âAre you okay, Lin Zhen?â
Lin Zhen shook his head, âIâll be fine. Life must go on as usual. In two more weeks, itâll be a month, and we can reassemble our team. We canât let others laugh at us.â
Upon hearing Lin Zhenâs words, Sun Tie and Luo Zhenâs confidence was boosted. They took the Comet Crystals from Lin Zhen and left.
Lin Zhen remained alone in the tree hole, where a faint feminine fragrance lingered. That was Su Mingyueâs scent.
He hadnât expected the girl to be so resolute, bearing her injuries without absorbing the Planet Crystal because she didnât want him to be eliminated.
As Lin Zhen recalled the sight of Su Mingyue with blood at her mouth, his heart clenched in pain.
âMy silly girlâ¦.â
âLosing the third spot in the team is no big deal. Weâll get it back soon, so why are you treating yourself like this? Youâre a high and mighty Saintess, after all!â
Lin Zhen had always thought he and Su Mingyue were friends, but it seemed like it wasnât that simple now.
Thereâs a saying, âthe hardest thing to endure is a beautyâs favor.â Lin Zhen hadnât experienced this in his previous life, but he had now.
However, since it had already happened, he didnât dwell on it. It was impossible to get Su Mingyue back for now. What he thought about was how Su Mingyue had been found by her senior sister.
Without a doubt, someone had been working behind the scenes.
Lin Zhen didnât go asking anyone because it was useless to ask now. After all, he knew who could deal with him.
After walking out of the tree hole, many people around looked at Lin Zhen, seemingly wanting to see his embarrassed and flustered expression, but Lin Zhen disappointed them instead.
Finding the central team at Level Three, Lin Zhen exchanged the Planet Crystals in his hand for ten Comet Crystals. He wouldnât need them anymore, and keeping them would be a waste.
Afterward, Lin Zhen returned to the tree hole and began a new round of cultivation.
âSky Dome people, huh? Even if youâre the heavens, Iâll tear you open. Ming Yue, you must wait for meâ¦â
In the dimly lit tree hole, stars shone brightly as Lin Zhen began his assault on reaching the Fifth-level War General.
Outside the tree hole, Zhang Sicheng said to Brother Guang: âBrother Guang, you really have skills, managing to get someone from the Sky Dome to take the girl away. This kid must have lost the will to cultivate.â
âHe should be done soon. With his girlfriend taken away, very few young people can withstand such a blow. If he doesnât go berserk during his cultivation, thatâs already a good thing. Maybe heâll go straight to Sky Dome to get her back. â
âHeh, heâs really asking for death then. Iâll just stay here and watch how he dies.â
âAlright, Iâve fulfilled my promise and helped you. Stop bothering me from now on.â Brother Guang turned cold and immediately drove Zhang Sicheng away.
Zhang Sicheng didnât leave but instead attached himself to the third squad on the central tree branch. He had an old friend here. Although one of his hands wasnât very agile, he did some miscellaneous tasks humbly and stayed on.
Including him, many people wanted to see Lin Zhen make a fool of himself. Lin Zhen simply cultivated by the pond without interacting with anyone, disappointing him.
Not only did Lin Zhenâs cultivation not go awry, but he also successfully advanced to the Early Stage of the Fifth-level War General.
After the promotion, he showed no intention of going to Sky Dome to retrieve her. Zhang Sicheng occasionally passed by and purposely uttered some words about not being able to protect his girlfriend. Lin Zhen never responded, and it gradually became meaningless to Zhang, who stopped mentioning it in time, lest he betray Brother Guang.
Another week passed, and when the challengers arrived, Lin Zhen directly said that he was giving up the third spot.
With only three people in the team, there was no chance of victory, so Lin Zhenâs giving up was within peopleâs expectations.
Half a month passed just like that, and Lin Zhen stayed motionless by the pond as if he were a stone statue. Only occasionally at night would people catch a glimpse of his eyes flashing brightly, proving he was still alive.
Some Spiritual Mind Masters would also suddenly feel that Lin Zhenâs spiritual power seemed to be growing stronger.
After a full month, Lin Zhenâs team could be reassembled.
In the early morning, Jiang Huai appeared by the pond, and Lin Zhen stood up for the first time.
âWow! Youâve made quite some progress in the past month!â Jiang Huai looked at Lin Zhen, somewhat surprised.
âYour progress isnât bad either.â Lin Zhen smiled.
âWhereâs the beautiful Su? Hurry un and let your brother see her. Iâve been
watching bugs for a whole month.â Jiang Huai joked with Lin Zhen with a smile.
âShe left.â
Jiang Huai fell silent, sensing that there was a story behind this. He wisely did not ask further.
âEven without her, our team of two might not be able to win.â Jiang Huai pointed out the key issue. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Lin Zhen was also troubled by this. He had made considerable progress over the past month, not only advancing to the Early Stage of the Fifth-level War General but also cultivating his mental power to the Late Golden Stage. However, as others improved as well, and he no longer had the chance to obtain Star Crystals, challenging others wasnât guaranteed to succeed.
At that moment, someone walked up behind them and hesitated before asking, âCan I team up with you guys?
Lin Zhen and Jiang Huai turned around to see a newcomer.
This person was covered in dust, and their clothes were in tatters, but their eyes shone brightly, making them look incredibly strong and confident.
It turned out to be Lin Zhenâs old acquaintance, Lou Qingfeng, who had advanced from a Seventh-level War General to a Level Eight War General. Seeing Lou Qingfeng, whose strength had clearly gone up a level, Lin Zhen finally showed a happy smile: âA warm welcome..â