Chapter 33: These Two Little Ones Are Quite Something

The live broadcast had split into multiple camera feeds. At first, since Lin Xiao’s team had the fewest members, they naturally drew quite a bit of attention. But as time went on, the number of viewers steadily dwindled. There was simply no helping it—these two were too cautious, and following them meant seeing no combat at all.

Yet, against all expectations, even after being so careful, they still ran into a stray spirit beast. The handful of viewers who remained couldn’t help but grow excited.

As the battle began, Zhou Zhi immediately conjured four earthen walls, enclosing and protecting the two of them. This, however, left the audience disappointed once more.

"Damn, it’s a turtle-shell mage after all! I thought we’d finally get to see them fight."
"Forget it, there’s no point in watching anymore."
"Wait! Something’s happening!"
"No way, did they just trap themselves?"

Indeed, things took a turn for the unexpected. Under Zhou Zhi’s sturdy defense, they had thought the Violent Rabbit would be forced to retreat. Unfortunately, Zhou Zhi had overlooked something crucial: while all four sides were blocked by the earth walls, the top was left open.

The Violent Rabbit, upon seeing the walls, instantly knew how to attack. It kicked off powerfully with its hind legs and leapt into the air. The walls, only two or three meters high, were no obstacle at all. The beast cleared them easily, breaking through Zhou Zhi’s defense.

Worse still, the walls became an impediment to Lin Xiao and Zhou Zhi’s escape, making it impossible for them to withdraw at the first sign of trouble.

Lin Xiao felt a wave of despair. He knew Zhou Zhi was earth-elemental, and that the basic ability was earth wall, but he never imagined that, given Zhou Zhi’s prestigious family, Zhou Zhi still hadn’t absorbed even a first-tier spirit orb. Zhou Zhi’s earlier confidence had misled him into thinking his friend could handle himself. Who would have guessed Zhou Zhi was simply blindly self-assured?

"Hahaha, I might not be able to handle the spirit beast, but don’t worry, Brother Xiao! These first-tier spirit beasts will never break through my defenses."

Lin Xiao tugged at Zhou Zhi. Zhou Zhi stared at him blankly, then followed Lin Xiao’s gaze upward. His expression changed dramatically.

"Oh crap! I totally forgot the enemy could attack from above. We’re doomed, we’re dead!"

The Violent Rabbit landed inside the walls and flashed them a disturbingly human-like grin. The space within was cramped and the drone’s angle wasn’t ideal, so the viewers couldn’t see what was happening inside. This left the curious audience on edge, eager to know what was unfolding and worried for Lin Xiao and Zhou Zhi’s safety. In such a confined space—a spirit beast and two humans—it seemed unlikely they would escape unscathed.

They’d already seen the Violent Rabbit in action. Except for Shen Yao, who had dispatched it easily, the other teams had all struggled against it. Would there be casualties in this year’s secret realm assessment?

The security personnel monitoring the situation noticed the trouble.

"Anyone near coordinates 125.18, proceed there immediately—emergency assistance required!"

"Roger! I’m nearby, but it’ll take two minutes to get there. Can they hold out?"

"Situation unclear—just get there as fast as you can!"

Lin Xiao and Zhou Zhi had originally been under secret protection. But seeing how cautious they were, and since they were walking well-traveled paths, their protector had relaxed. Moreover, another team nearby had encountered two spirit beasts, so their protector prioritized them. Who could have guessed that trouble would arise just after they left?

Even though casualties were not unusual in the annual assessment, no protector wanted anything to happen to their charges.

Once inside the walls, the Violent Rabbit wasted no time and lunged at them. Zhou Zhi instantly positioned himself in front of Lin Xiao.

"Brother Xiao, this is my mistake. I’ll hold it off—I'll dispel the walls, you run!"

Lin Xiao felt both moved and angry. Moved, because Zhou Zhi was loyal, thinking of him even in danger and shielding him. Angry, because did Zhou Zhi take him for someone who would abandon a brother to save himself? He might fear death, but he wasn’t the kind of man to leave a friend behind.

Counting on Zhou Zhi to handle the Violent Rabbit was unrealistic; in the end, he’d have to turn the tide himself.

"Enough, Zhou! Stop trying to play the hero—let me handle it!"

As Lin Xiao spoke, he grabbed Zhou Zhi. Zhou Zhi struggled, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t break free from Lin Xiao’s grip.

"Brother Xiao, stop messing around! Even with your F-rank ability, I’m no match for you—let alone that thing! Ah—!"

The Violent Rabbit’s attack was about to land. Lin Xiao wasted no more words. With a powerful pull, he yanked Zhou Zhi behind him and faced the Violent Rabbit head-on.

The cramped space made it hard for Lin Xiao to dodge, so he lifted an arm to block. His wrist guards increased his load but also his defense—they could serve as shields in moments like this.

A dull clang rang out as the rabbit’s claws struck Lin Xiao’s wrist guards. The Violent Rabbit paused, clearly surprised—it hadn’t felt like striking flesh.

Lin Xiao didn’t hesitate. He counterattacked instantly, grabbing the rabbit’s neck with his free hand. With a sharp twist, a crack sounded—the Violent Rabbit’s neck was broken.

Everything had happened so fast that Zhou Zhi stared at Lin Xiao in disbelief. It took him a while to recover.

"Holy crap, Brother Xiao! How did you do that? When did you get so amazing?"

Lin Xiao still felt a lingering fear. Thank goodness his sparring partner lately had been Sun Zhiyuan; compared to him, the Violent Rabbit was nothing.

"Don’t worship me, brother. I’m a legend."

Just as they were about to speak further, the surrounding earth walls shattered. Both tensed with alarm. To break Zhou Zhi’s walls so easily, it had to be at least a second-tier spirit beast. How could such a creature appear here?

But when they saw it was not a beast but a member of the secret realm’s protection staff, they relaxed.

"Hey man, why’d you have to smash my wall? Nearly scared me to death! I thought another spirit beast had shown up."

The rescuer couldn’t help but laugh helplessly. He’d rushed in, afraid he’d be too late. But clearly, his help hadn’t been needed at all. These two kids… they had some real skill.