If you are asked to raise a dog, you raise a stellar beast?

Chapter 67 The Winner Flees

The whistling sound of the crystal missile tearing through the air was like a sharp blade, piercing the eardrums. Xu Mo instinctively grabbed Huangfu Xuanjue and rolled away, awkwardly hiding behind a broken stone pillar.

The rubble clattered and crashed onto the crystal rock ground, the flying sparks making Jian Yi's wound on her hind leg appear even more gruesome. The dark red scabs mixed with crystal rock fragments were a shocking sight.

"Zhenhai can't hold on any longer!" Huangfu Xuanjue wiped the blood from his face, leaving five bloody marks where his fingertips had brushed against the ground.

The water ripples on the sea turtle shell on his shoulder were being shattered by the crystalline rock lizard's tail whip; the once flowing blue light had dimmed, and occasionally, blinding white flashes would appear.

That was a sign that the defensive barrier was on the verge of collapse.

The frozen pool water reflected an eerie bluish-gray light, cutting the entire space into a sharply defined cage.

Xu Mo knelt on one knee, panting, his eyes fixed on the wound on the lizard's joint.

"Jian Yi! Use the Shattering Combo to strike its joints!" He suddenly stood up, and rubble fell from his shoulders.

The dog whimpered, and the yellowish-brown light on its paw solidified, leaping up like a stream of light.

Sensing the threat, the crystal lizard's scales shot out like blades from its back, only to be shattered by the water shield that Zhenhai had temporarily conjured. The splashed crystals mixed with blood droplets landed on the two of them.

Jianyi's sharp claws struck the same joint precisely, and with a "crackling" sound, spiderweb-like dark patterns appeared on the surface of the crystal rock.

"A mere trick!" Yang Wei's cold laugh came from the crack in the crystal rock, and dozens of sharp spikes suddenly rose from the ground. Xu Mo reacted extremely quickly, flipping over and leaping onto the back of the sea-suppressing turtle. The waves carried the two of them into the sky, but they were still grazed by the water, leaving three bloody marks on their ankles.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jianyi crawled into the lizard's belly and bit down hard on the most vulnerable part of the crystalline rock.

"Crush it for me!"

The moment the shattering skill was unleashed, the lizard's massive body crashed to its knees, and spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the crystal rock.

Yang Wei's expression changed drastically, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

The crystal lizard struggled to turn over, and the protruding crystal on its back suddenly spun and shot out.

Xu Mo dragged Huangfu Xuanjue into the crevice, pebbles grazing their noses and creating a scorching wave of air. Jian Yi and Zhen Hai worked in perfect harmony; the former used a shattering attack to dismantle the crystal rock, while the latter used a water curtain to swirl the pebbles and counterattack, exploding into sparkling water droplets in mid-air.

"You think you can win like this?" Yang Wei wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, then suddenly bit his fingertip and pressed it against the crystal rock lizard.

The entire space began to distort, and the Crystal Rock Lizard's wounds healed at a visible speed, its size increasing dramatically once more. "In my Crystal Rock Realm, earth elements are my servants!" His maniacal laughter, mixed with the rumble of the crushing rocks, made Xu Mo's eardrums ache.

Huangfu Xuanjue's face turned ashen: "Damn it, the water element in Zhenhai is almost depleted!" The water patterns on the Zhenhai tortoise shell became as thin as gauze, and even the defense began to show flaws.

Xu Mo stared at the wildly growing crystal rock and suddenly noticed strands of yellow light seeping from the cracks in the ground—a sign of an overload of earth element in the veins!
"Xuan Jue, have Zhenhai use water cannons to bombard the cracks in the ground!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs,

"Jian Yi, channel the chaotic earth veins with all your might!"

The mongrel whimpered and dug its front paws deep into the ground, the light emanating from between its canine teeth spreading along the cracks.

Zhenhai let out a deep roar, and the remaining water element condensed into a cannon, which slammed into the center of the crack.

The crystal rock ground trembled violently, and Yang Wei was horrified to discover that the crystal rock he was so proud of was beginning to collapse uncontrollably.

The crystal lizard let out a painful roar, its massive body swaying amidst the chaotic ley lines.

"impossible!"

Yang Wei's pupils contracted sharply.
"This is my domain!"

Xu Mo sneered as he wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth: "Oversaturation of earth element will backfire. Surely a senior student doesn't even know this basic common sense?"

Jianyi's Shattering skill resonated with the disordered earth veins, causing the Crystal Lizard's shell to peel away inch by inch, exposing its dark red flesh to the air.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhenhai unleashed his final water cannon attack, the immense force of which knocked the lizard unconscious.

The crystal realm shattered like glass, and Yang Wei staggered, thrown back by the shockwave, crashing heavily onto the crystal debris. "Rebirth... How is this possible?"

He slumped to the ground, staring at Xu Mo and Huangfu Xuanjue with disbelief in his eyes.

It should be noted that even Feng Yan wouldn't be able to easily break through his Crystal Rock Domain at the same level.

An electronic notification sounded at the right time: "Xu Mo and Huangfu Xuanjue defeated senior student Yang Wei at Qinghua Pond, and are awarded 100 points."

Huangfu Xuanjue kicked away the crystal fragments at his feet and picked up the assessment token that Yang Wei had dropped: "I told you not to joke about names."

As the token was taken away, Yang Wei's body gradually became ethereal and disappeared into a shimmering light.

"My god, we finally got rid of this guy."

Xu Mo slumped to the ground, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.

As soon as the tension from the battle eased, a wave of pain washed over him. His right arm, where it had been cut by crystal rock, was still bleeding, and his knees were bruised and swollen.

Huangfu Xuanjue was the same. He knelt on the ground, the blue light of the Zhenhai Turtle Shell had completely gone out, and Zhenhai lay weakly on his shoulder, too lazy to even move its tail.

"Let's go, Xu Mo, let's pack up and leave here as soon as possible."

He stumbled as he stood up and patted Xu Mo on the shoulder.

"I'm exhausted, can't I rest a little longer?"

Xu Mo was puzzled; this battle was simply too exhausting.

Winning is all luck. Why run away right after winning? Wouldn't it be better to enjoy it a little longer?

"Rest?! You want to rest?"

Huangfu Xuanjue's eyes widened.
"Didn't you hear the notification sound? We beat Yang Wei. All the upperclassmen around here will be attracted by us."

"Uh... does that mean we can't stay here anymore?"

"Yes, if we don't run away soon, I feel like we're doomed."

Xu Mo hurriedly got up from the ground, and the crystal fragments on his body fell off in a flurry.

The two of them didn't even bother to wash themselves, and scurried off toward the exit of the secret realm.

Their footsteps gradually faded into the crystal maze, and shortly after the two left Qinghua Pool, a pair of loafers kicked away the scattered crystals on the ground.

"Xu Mo! You get the hell out here!" Zhang Li emerged from the darkness with Fire Poison Scorpion, his blond hair glowing eerily red in the dim light.

But all that answered him was the empty Tsinghua Pool and the broken crystal rocks floating on the surface of the water.

Zhang Li angrily kicked a piece of crystal rock on the shore of the hot spring, but unexpectedly kicked a large one.

"Ouch, holy crap!!! Hiss~" The immense pain turned his face ashen instantly, and he hopped around in place, clutching his foot.

"Xu Mo! I'm not done with you!!!" His roar echoed in the empty secret realm.

On the other side, Xu Mo, who was running away, suddenly sneezed twice.

He rubbed his nose and muttered, "What happened? Did I catch a cold from taking a bath?"

Huangfu Xuanjue glanced at him, said nothing, and quickened his pace.

The two figures quickly disappeared around the corner of the secret realm, leaving behind only the empty crystal ruins and the gradually falling silent Qinghua Pool.

(End of this chapter)