Chapter Fifty-Five: Naming

"Take action!" Lei Yan ordered the members of the Sixth Squad to move. Lu Sheng had already given the command, and he dared not defy it.

Qi Yuan cursed loudly, "Lei Yan, you despicable coward!"

Lei Yan snorted coldly, "Foolish idiot, so full of yourself. Did you really think I'd turn against my own people for you? I only lured you in here to kill you."

Qi Yuan was so furious he spat blood, wishing he could tear Lei Yan apart.

Ye Yang ignored their quarrel and leaned close to Qi Yuan's ear, hissing sharply, "Listen—take your men and break out with me toward the rear!"

At this point, Ye Yang no longer held any grudge against Qi Yuan. Survival itself was uncertain; there was no point in arguing over past grievances.

Qi Yuan nodded, showing he understood.

"Charge!"

"Brothers, fight your way toward the rear!"

The rear was guarded by only a handful of people; compared to the front, the defense was weak.

Ye Yang let out a cold laugh. These people at the settlement were not very clever, leaving such a huge gap—wasn't that just inviting them to escape?

Next time, he would reclaim his dignity!

With that thought, Ye Yang already envisioned himself breaking free.

Though he was only at the second rank, fighting so many at once would certainly spell disaster for him. Lei Yan was also second rank; staying behind to fight would be idiotic.

But what puzzled them was why the defenders seemed to have no intention of stopping their escape.

This gave him an uneasy feeling.

But with the path to survival right before him, he couldn’t abandon it. Even if there was an ambush ahead, they had to risk it!

Gritting his teeth, Ye Yang stopped thinking and unleashed his full speed, charging forward.

Qi Yuan and the others followed close behind.

"Phew—escaped!"

"They really are fools, trying to kill us with this."

"Exactly!"

Having broken out of the encirclement, everyone was in good spirits, though they weren’t overly complacent. They looked ahead, preparing to accelerate their departure.

"What is that?"

Two massive black shadows blocked their path, the aura of fierce beasts washing over them.

Everyone’s hearts leapt to their throats, eyes fixed on the two sudden figures ahead.

At last, the true forms of the shadows were revealed.

Ye Yang’s eyes widened, his voice trembling, "Two... third-rank... monsters!"

As soon as Ye Yang shouted, the giant crocodile and the bristled, tusked boar launched their attack.

Their huge bodies charged forward like two steel war machines!

Especially the bristled, tusked boar, its stiff bristles stood upright, making it look like a giant porcupine.

As the two massive beasts charged, the ground trembled beneath their feet.

Ye Yang and his companions struggled to resist, tried to flee, but before absolute power, all efforts were futile.

Within moments, the bristled, tusked boar and the giant crocodile slaughtered them all.

The ground was littered with corpses, a gruesome sight.

Lu Sheng arrived, reverting the monsters to cards and storing them away.

"Ha—Lei Yan, I'll leave the cleanup to you. I'm heading back to sleep. I don't mind being exposed, but tell your men not to gossip."

"Understood."

Yawning, Lu Sheng departed.

Hiding was only necessary when one wasn't safe, when the future was uncertain.

With his current strength and rate of growth, concealment was no longer needed.

He couldn't play the weakling forever, could he?

What meaning would there be in pursuing strength, then?

Lei Yan watched Lu Sheng depart with reverence.

"You all heard him! When we get back, keep your mouths shut, or don’t blame me for being ruthless!"

"Got it!"

"Alright, clean up and let's head back!"

Although Lu Sheng had said previously that he didn't need Lei Yan to do anything, Lei Yan had already made up his mind to cling tightly to Lu Sheng. He could tell Lu Sheng would become a major figure in the future.

Now he was the first to know Lu Sheng's true strength. If he seized the chance and pleased Lu Sheng, he would surely reap the benefits.

He understood how to curry favor.

Anything that threatened Lu Sheng—eliminate it all!

And he must let Lu Sheng know it was his doing.

Only then would his efforts matter.

Otherwise, why had he dragged Lu Sheng out tonight?

Ever since he’d been easily subdued by Lu Sheng last time, he’d reflected deeply—and this was the result.

There's a saying: when one rises, even his dogs and chickens ascend.

He didn't compare himself to chickens and dogs, but... but... well, so what if he was a dog?

Even those who aspire to serve great men must meet certain conditions.

Lei Yan resigned himself completely, discarding all distractions.

One must be ruthless, have sharp vision, and never waver once committed.

He pondered who else had offended Lu Sheng—he would drag them over for a beating...

Lu Sheng returned to his room, surprised by Lei Yan's bold maneuver.

He entered the subspace in his mind, summoning the bristled, tusked boar and the stone-throwing goblin.

"Now that you've both completed your first stage of evolution and gained consciousness, I'll give you names."

That was the idea Lu Sheng had when he summoned the bristled, tusked boar earlier.

"You shall be called Greenstone. And you, Bristletooth."

"Thank you, Master, for naming us!"

Greenstone was the stone-throwing goblin, Bristletooth the bristled, tusked boar.

The names suited their identities well.

Lu Sheng reverted the two monsters back into cards and fell asleep.

In Taurus City

After Meng Yang’s death, Zuo Qiang hurried back with his men.

If he were tasked to hunt Yan Dao, he would not want to do it.

Yan Dao was already late-stage fourth rank, equal in strength to him.

According to intelligence, Yan Dao had completed his first awakening, while Zuo Qiang had not.

He didn’t feel confident about pursuing Yan Dao with his men.

Besides, their leader was dead; he had little heart for carrying out such a mission.

The Thunderbird Gang's survival was the priority.

After reporting to the Frostgate Sect, Zuo Qiang returned to the gang.

Now his mind was wholly occupied with what the Thunderbird Gang should do next.

Frostgate Sect

"Sect Master, Meng Yang is dead."

"What happened?"

"Reportedly he was drawn into the Blood Moon World from the Spirit Fruit instance and never returned."

"Hmph! If he hadn’t coveted treasures in the Blood Moon World, nothing would have happened. Fool!"

"Send Gu Quan to deal with Yan Dao. Also, a new monster species has appeared in the wilderness and has entered the safe zone. Tell Cao Bin to take a team to handle it."

"As you command."

The messenger departed, carrying the two orders.

Leng Ya sat quietly in his room, his thoughts drifting.

Since becoming the Frostgate Sect Master, his responsibilities had multiplied.

He couldn’t trust others to manage for him, and his strength had plateaued at mid sixth rank for a long time.

If he couldn’t break free from the constraints of the Frostgate Sect, perhaps he would never have the chance to reach seventh rank.

He had once thought that leading a faction and controlling vast resources would help him advance quickly.

But in the end, the resources he needed still had to be fought for, seized.

As sect master, he had to care for his subordinates, manage Taurus City, and oversee the major affairs of its surrounding safe zones.

If this power hadn’t been left to him by his father, he truly wouldn’t want it.

He was already weary.