Chapter 55: Summoning the Pack of Wolves

This fellow is utterly disgraceful. The Shadow Wolf appeared out of nowhere, and while everyone else stepped up, he shamelessly abandoned his companions without hesitation. It's truly embarrassing.

Perhaps it's simply human instinct, but nothing reveals a person's true nature more clearly than moments like these.

Though I'm just an ordinary person, I despise people like him.

By the way, did any of you notice the Shadow Wolf seems to be charging straight toward Ji Boxiao?

Just as the comments predicted, the Shadow Wolf was now racing toward Ji Boxiao at breakneck speed.

Meanwhile, Lin Xiao and Chu Ran’s teams, having spotted the Shadow Wolf, were rushing toward the scene as fast as they could. However, the distance wasn’t short, and it would take them some time to arrive.

The other four members of Ji Boxiao’s team, having just unleashed their spirit skills, were powerless to assist him. Moreover, Ji Boxiao’s earlier actions had thoroughly broken their trust; even if they could help, they might not be willing to do so.

Ji Boxiao’s flight was a purely instinctive reaction. He always believed himself more precious than most others present. Although he knew there were people assigned to protect them, he could not tolerate even the slightest risk to himself.

Even after becoming aware of his actions, he felt no regret. In fact, he secretly hoped the other four would be eliminated. If only one more person were eliminated, he would be guaranteed a spot in the top ten.

Unfortunately, his calculations were off. When he realized the Shadow Wolf wasn’t eliminating the others but was instead coming straight for him, he felt his world collapse.

“Help me!” he cried.

The Shadow Wolf cared nothing for Ji Boxiao’s pleas; all it wanted was to take him down.

In the nick of time, Ji Boxiao triggered his distress flare. Brilliant red light streaked across the sky, signifying his withdrawal from the assessment.

The Shadow Wolf drew ever closer, and what tormented Ji Boxiao most was that, even now, he saw no sign of reinforcements.

Where were his protectors?

He couldn’t die here! He was destined to become the head of the Ji family!

In that moment, terror overwhelmed him, and he lost control of his bladder and bowels.

Just as the Shadow Wolf was about to crush his throat, Ji Boxiao vanished from sight.

Murong Yu intervened at the critical moment. Although Murong Yu held Ji Boxiao in contempt, he could not simply let him die.

When Ji Boxiao regained his composure, he found himself safe, surrounded by other eliminated trainees.

These trainees instinctively kept their distance. Though they had been eliminated, they could still watch the performances of those still in the competition through the live broadcast.

Ji Boxiao’s display was met with deep disdain.

Moreover, his loss of control had left a pungent odor; no one wanted to approach him.

Others had also succumbed to fear, but no one had mocked them—nor did they have the right to do so.

But this time was different. Most people watched Ji Boxiao with mocking, amused expressions.

Ji Boxiao felt deeply wounded by these looks.

“You worthless rabble, what gives you the right to look at me like that?” he snarled.

No one paid him any mind. As far as they were concerned, Ji Boxiao was nothing more than a mad dog, not worth the effort.

Liu Ruyan was among the crowd. Even she did not attempt to console Ji Boxiao.

She was once again lost in confusion.

Fear of death is a basic human instinct—nothing shameful in itself. Had this not been broadcast live, no one would have held Ji Boxiao’s actions against him.

The real issue was that Ji Boxiao had displayed his cowardice so openly before so many people. This was destined to become an everlasting humiliation.

...

The Shadow Wolf was baffled by its missed strike, unable to comprehend how its prey had vanished at the last moment.

While it hesitated, Lin Xiao and the others finally arrived, surrounding the Shadow Wolf.

Lin Xiao hadn’t expected Ji Boxiao would be eliminated so quickly. He had planned to take care of him himself, but it seemed Ji Boxiao had dug his own grave.

If Ji Boxiao hadn’t abandoned his teammates, he could have waited for their support. His solitary escape drew the Shadow Wolf’s attention to him.

Truly, he had brought ruin upon himself.

At least it saved Lin Xiao some trouble.

But now was not the time for regret—the priority was to deal with the Shadow Wolf before them.

Surveying the scene, Chu Ran was the first to speak.

“Long-range fighters, start your attacks! Melee classes, protect the ranged ones and prevent the Shadow Wolf from ambushing!”

After giving instructions, Chu Ran unleashed a first-level lightning ability: Thunder Strike.

The others had no objections and began to activate their abilities one by one.

Lin Xiao and Shen Yao, both melee types, did not rush forward but stood near the ranged fighters, ready to guard against any surprises.

The Shadow Wolf deftly dodged the spirit skills. Its speed was impressive, and not a single skill landed.

However, the barrage of spirit skills left it somewhat disheveled.

Annoyed, the Shadow Wolf grew furious. Though these people’s cultivation was inferior, their numbers forced it into such a predicament. With a roar, it howled toward the sky.

“Awooo~!”

At first, Lin Xiao and the others paid no mind, thinking the Shadow Wolf was simply enraged, until wolf howls began echoing from all directions.

“Awooo~!”

“Awooo~!”

“Damn it, it’s summoning its pack! We need to eliminate it quickly!”

Everyone felt the gravity of the situation. One Shadow Wolf was already troublesome—if more joined, they’d be in real danger.

“Finish this quickly! Don’t hold back!”

They knew if the Shadow Wolf wasn’t dealt with before the pack arrived, elimination was all but certain.

In that instant, everyone fought desperately.

Lin Xiao and Shen Yao exchanged a glance and charged toward the Shadow Wolf, with the other melee fighters following suit.

A flicker of mocking intelligence appeared in the Shadow Wolf’s eyes.

Foolish humans, so naïve.

...

Sun Zhiyuan and Murong Yu watched the approaching wolf pack with some surprise.

“What should we do? Should we let the pack join the battle?”

“Let them in—why not? Whether they kill the Shadow Wolf doesn’t matter anymore. The important thing is to train these youngsters. Don’t you think this will be a better test?”

“You’re right. Let’s see if these kids can surprise us.”

Zhou Wei made the same decision, but requested that the others ensure no further casualties among the trainees.

The two naturally agreed. With them present, there would be no more accidents.

After summoning the pack, the Shadow Wolf avoided fighting Lin Xiao and the others, relying solely on evasive maneuvers.

It wanted to wait for its underlings to arrive before settling accounts with this group.

If they enjoyed ganging up on it, soon they’d experience a real mob assault.

Lin Xiao was exasperated. His speed was impressive, but still just short of matching a second-level Shadow Wolf.

And as if that weren’t enough, the Shadow Wolf would occasionally slip into shadow using its darkness abilities, evading their encirclement. There was no way to subdue it quickly.

At that moment, the wolf pack finally arrived.

It was a horde of Gale Wolves—first-level spirit beasts, but numbering forty or fifty strong.

Everyone’s faces turned grim. A single second-level Shadow Wolf was enough to throw them into chaos.

Now, with forty or fifty Gale Wolves added to the mix, how could they possibly fight?

Was it still possible to withdraw now?