I can receive unlimited protection; my parents handed me over to the state.

In the middle layer of the Fallen Star Forest, the light was dimmer than in the outer areas, and the rotten, damp smell in the air was even stronger.

The trees here are even more twisted and bizarre, some trunks even bearing burls that resemble human faces, silently watching every creature that steps into this area. The ground is no longer soft fallen leaves, but has turned into a black, sticky swamp, from which fist-sized, pale white bubbles occasionally rise, bursting and emitting a nauseating stench.

"Watch your step." Yan Ji's voice rang out from ahead. Her footsteps were light, leaving almost no trace on the swamp. "This is the 'Swamp of Resentment,' inhabited by a level 15 star beast called the 'Swamp Lurker.' They like to drag their prey into the mud to drown them."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan immediately became extremely alert. He imitated Yan Ji, channeling his spiritual energy into the soles of his feet to make his body lighter, and tried to move forward by stepping on the protruding tree roots.

After reaching level 3, he became much more proficient in manipulating psionic energy.

"roar!"

Suddenly, a black tentacle covered in slime shot out from the nearby swamp and coiled towards Lu Yuan's ankle.

Lu Yuan was prepared. Almost the instant the tentacles appeared, the "Wind and Thunder Guide" in his hand transformed into a streak of purple-blue lightning, precisely striking the root of the tentacles.

"Pfft!"

The tentacle snapped off with a snap, spurting out black blood. A painful roar came from beneath the swamp, then quickly subsided into silence.

[Killed a level 15 Swamp Lurker, gained 300 experience points]

"Not bad." Yan Ji turned around and glanced at him, a hint of approval flashing in her eyes.

From the outer perimeter to the middle level, they encountered several more waves of monsters along the way, ranging in level from 8 to 12. Lu Yuan had gone from being flustered at the beginning to becoming increasingly adept at handling the situation. His fighting style was unique, without flashy moves or fixed routines, relying entirely on his terrifying theoretical knowledge and on-the-spot calculation ability.

He can always instantly judge the monster's attack intentions and the best counterattack route, and then use the unreasonable and abnormal attributes of "Wind and Thunder Guidance" to defeat the enemy in one blow.

In Yan Ji's view, this fighting style was simply "the violent aesthetics of a theorist".

"The area ahead is the habitat of the 'Broken Star Beasts'." Yan Ji pointed to a forest shrouded in gray mist, her expression becoming more serious. "Be prepared. These things are completely different from ordinary star beasts."

Lu Yuan nodded and gripped the sword in his hand tightly.

The so-called "Broken Star Beasts" are a special kind of existence in the world of Star Ocean. They are usually higher-level Star Beasts that have been severely injured during interdimensional travel or battles, and have fallen into lower-level dungeons. Their level and power are forcibly suppressed by the dungeon rules, but their combat instincts and some powerful characteristics are retained.

They are like max-level veterans dressed as beginners. Although their attributes have been weakened, their combat awareness and the strangeness of their skills are far beyond those of ordinary star beasts of the same level.

As soon as the two stepped into the area shrouded in gray fog, a chilling sense of oppression washed over them.

A gigantic figure slowly emerged from the mist.

It was a "tree" ten meters tall. It was called a tree because of its thick trunk and lush foliage. But on its trunk grew a huge, pained human face, its mouth wide open, as if roaring silently. Its branches were like twisted arms, ending in sharp, knife-like thorns. Its roots, like countless giant pythons, writhed across the ground, staining the surrounding earth an ominous black.

Corrupted Treant (Broken Elite Star Beast)

[Level: 30]

[Skills: Root Entanglement, Poisonous Spores, Hardened Bark, Life Drain]

【Trait (Damaged): Advanced Regeneration (Restores 1% of maximum health per second)】

[Weakness: Fire attribute; Core located between the eyebrows of the tree trunk and the human face]

Seeing the "Advanced Regeneration" feature on the panel, Lu Yuan frowned.

It recovers 1% of its health per second, which means that if you can't unleash enough damage in a short time, this thing is practically unkillable!

"This is your midterm exam." Yan Ji took a few steps back, leaving the battlefield entirely to Lu Yuan. "Kill it, and you'll pass today's training."

"roar!"

The Corrupted Treant had clearly noticed the two intruders who had entered its territory. Its pained face let out a muffled roar, and dozens of python-like roots suddenly shot out from the ground like arrows, shooting towards Lu Yuan from all directions.

"【Azure Bird】!"

Lu Yuan let out a low shout, his feet moved like the wind, and his speed instantly increased. His figure moved nimbly through the dense root attacks, each dodge perfectly timed, as if he had anticipated the trajectory of the root attacks.

"【Water God】, Liquid Recombination!"

The "Wind and Thunder Guide" in his hand instantly transformed into a flowing liquid metal, wrapping around his arm and forming a constantly rotating, arc-filled, light blue shield.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Several roots that couldn't dodge lashed out at the shield, but were easily deflected by the +10 "Sturdiness" attribute and the flowing, force-dissipating water.

"A great opportunity!"

Seizing the opportunity presented by the root attacks, Lu Yuan leaped up and charged straight at the corrupted tree-man's main body.

"Highly poisonous spores!"

The tree-man opened its enormous human face and spewed out a large cloud of disgusting yellow-green mist.

Lu Yuan had anticipated this, and forcibly twisted his body in mid-air. At the same time, with a thought, the liquid shield in his hand instantly transformed into a slender rapier, which he fiercely stabbed at the obvious weak point between the tree's eyebrows!

This series of offensive and defensive transitions flowed smoothly, even prompting Yan Ji, watching from afar, to nod in approval. This kid's battle intelligence was frighteningly high.

It seemed that this sword strike was about to achieve its goal.

Right now!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Three blazing fireballs and two sharp ice spears suddenly roared in from the other side of the forest, arriving before Lu Yuan's sword could strike the corrupted tree man!

"boom--!"

The violent explosion instantly engulfed the Corrupted Treant, the power of fire and frost raging, blasting its upper body into pieces, sending splinters flying everywhere.

Although it is recovering rapidly due to the characteristics of "advanced regeneration", this fatal blow was stolen by this sudden attack!

Lu Yuan stopped abruptly in mid-air and landed steadily on the ground. He frowned and looked in the direction from which the attack came.

Five or six young men dressed in various colored college uniforms emerged from the mist. They looked to be about the same age as Lu Yuan, but their faces carried an undisguised arrogance and sense of superiority.

The leader was a tall, handsome young man. He wore a magnificent blue and white uniform, with an exquisite dragon badge on his chest, and carried a longsword engulfed in flames. Clearly, he was the one who had unleashed the fireball earlier.

As soon as this group appeared, they completely ignored Lu Yuan, who was standing to the side, and their eyes were all drawn to another figure.

Flame Princess.

Even in this dark and eerie forest, her stunning beauty, fiery figure, and cold, noble demeanor, like the bright moon in the night, instantly attracted the attention of all the males.

The young man at the head of the group, Li Tianhao, stared wide-eyed the moment he saw Yan Ji. He had roamed through various dungeons and considered himself to have seen at least eighty or a hundred beautiful female Star Envoys, but none of them could compare to even a single finger of this silver-haired woman before him.

It was a deadly charm that blended ultimate sexiness with absolute danger.

Li Tianhao's heart was instantly filled with a strong sense of possessiveness.

He straightened his collar, put on what he thought was his most charming smile, and strode towards Yan Ji, completely ignoring Lu Yuan.

"My beautiful lady," his voice was magnetic, and he considered himself quite charming, "I am Li Tianhao, from the Azure Dragon Star Envoy Academy. This Fallen Star Forest is fraught with danger, and it's too risky for you to be here alone. Why not join our group, and I will protect you?"

When Yan Ji looked at this narcissistic guy who suddenly appeared, the temperature in her golden eyes instantly dropped to freezing point.

She was about to tell this ignorant fly to get lost.

"Azure Dragon Academy?" Lu Yuan's voice rang out first. He sized up Li Tianhao and his lecherous companions behind him, and asked calmly, "You guys, are you here to steal monsters?"

Li Tianhao then glanced at Lu Yuan impatiently. When he saw Lu Yuan's ordinary training clothes and his unremarkable face, his contempt was undisguised.

"Kid, this is 'Starry Sea,' where strength reigns supreme. We've set our sights on that treant, it's ours. Any objections?" He turned back, continuing to gaze at Yan Ji with what he thought was affectionate eyes. "Beautiful lady, ignore this frail boy. He can't even protect himself, how could he be worthy of teaming up with a beauty like you?"

In his opinion, Lu Yuan, who was clearly a newbie who had just left the beginner's village, must have gotten incredibly lucky to be with such a stunning beauty. Maybe this beauty was kind-hearted and had a younger brother who was a burden to her.

Yan Ji's face was so cold it was almost frosty.

She was about to have an outburst.

"Pfft!"

The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh broke the standoff.

Everyone turned around in astonishment, only to see that the corrupted treant, whose body had been blown off halfway, had now fully recovered. A thick root had quietly circled behind Li Tianhao and, like a venomous snake, instantly pierced through his thigh!

"ah--!"

Li Tianhao let out a piercing scream as his body was hoisted high by the roots, blood gushing from his wounds.

Li Tianhao's screams were particularly piercing in the silent forest.

His companions panicked instantly, frantically unleashing their skills at the corrupted treant.

"Fireball!"

"Frost Arrow!"

Multicolored magical beams bombarded the treant, exploding into dazzling fireworks, but the damage was negligible. The Corrupted Treant's level 30 and its "Hardened Bark" skill rendered the attacks from these level 20 students practically a tickle.

"Help me! Help me!" Li Tianhao was hanging upside down in mid-air, his face flushed a deep liver color from the blood rushing to his head. He watched in horror as the tree spirit's "Life Drain" skill was draining his health bar. The fear of death made him completely lose his composure.

"A bunch of useless trash!"

Just then, a cold rebuke rang out.

Flame Princess's figure moved.

She didn't even draw her sword; she simply flicked her finger, and a golden flaming lotus flew from her fingertip, tracing a graceful arc in the air before landing precisely on the root that was entwined around Li Tianhao.

There was no violent explosion, nor any terrifying noise.

The golden lotus simply clung quietly to the roots, and then... it burned.

"Sizzle sizzle—"

A tooth-grinding sound rang out, and the tough root, thicker than an adult's thigh, shrank and carbonized instantly under the scorching of the golden flames, just like plastic encountering concentrated sulfuric acid, turning into a handful of ashes in less than two seconds.

Li Tianhao fell into the mud with a "plop," splashing up a layer of foul-smelling mud, but at least he survived.

The Corrupted Treant let out a painful roar, seemingly filled with fear of the golden flames, and all its wriggling roots shrank back into the ground with lightning speed.

Li Tianhao's companions were all dumbfounded.

The roots that they had been trying to break for a long time were completely shattered by this silver-haired beauty with just one move.

What level of strength is this?

Li Tianhao struggled to get out of the mud, ignoring the excruciating pain in his legs and the filth covering his body. He looked at Yan Ji, his eyes now filled with awe and fervor in addition to his previous possessiveness.

Incredible! This woman is definitely a core elite of a top academy, and might even be a direct descendant of a powerful family!

If I can win her over, my future achievements will be limitless!

Thinking this, the fear in his heart was instantly replaced by greater greed. Instead of learning his lesson, he felt this was a perfect opportunity to showcase his charm.

He limped over to Yan Ji, forcing a smile that he thought was very handsome despite the pain: "Thank you so much for saving my life, Miss! I am deeply grateful! To repay your life-saving grace, you will deliver the final blow to this treant..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lu Yuan interrupted him.

"We don't want trouble." Lu Yuan stepped forward, standing between Yan Ji and Li Tianhao. His voice was calm. "This area is large, and there are many monsters. How about we each fight our own battles and keep to ourselves?"

Lu Yuan genuinely didn't want to cause trouble. All he wanted now was to quietly grind monsters and level up, completing the task Su Lie had assigned him as quickly as possible. Wasting time with this arrogant spoiled brat was completely pointless.

However, in Li Tianhao's eyes, his concession was seen as proof of weakness and cowardice.

"Kid, do you even have the right to speak here?" Li Tianhao's face instantly darkened. The opportunity he had painstakingly created to talk to the beautiful woman had been ruined by this "trash" in his eyes.

"I was talking to this lady. What right do you, a mere lackey, have to interrupt?" He sized Lu Yuan up and down, his contempt growing stronger. "Look at you, so timid and cowering. Were you so scared your legs went weak? A grown man hiding behind a woman, aren't you ashamed?"

One of his henchmen immediately chimed in, "Exactly! Brother Hao, don't waste your breath on this trash! I bet he's just jealous of how handsome and strong you are!"

Another mage with a pointed face and monkey-like features added sarcastically, "Beautiful lady, you'd better open your eyes wide. Following this good-for-nothing will lead to nothing. Look at our Brother Hao, a top student in Class S of Azure Dragon Academy, his future is limitless. Following him is the only way to live a life of luxury!"

Upon hearing these words, Yan Ji's golden eyes blazed with undisguised killing intent.

How dare a student from a third-rate college insult a core member of the "Divine Craftsman Project" right in front of her? And even try to poach her members?

This isn't just reckless; this is actively seeking cremation.

She was about to make a move when Lu Yuan stopped her with a look.

Looking at this group of clowns jumping around in front of him, Lu Yuan felt not angry at all, but rather found it a bit funny.

Is this what they call a genius? Blinded by jealousy and desire, they can't even do the most basic intelligence analysis and assessment of strength.

"Okay." Lu Yuan nodded, pulled Yan Ji back a few steps, and said, "You can have that treant. Let's go somewhere else."

After saying that, he actually grabbed Yan Ji and turned to leave.

"Lu Yuan!" Yan Ji was somewhat puzzled. With her temper, she would have burned these flies to ashes long ago.

"Don't worry, Instructor." Lu Yuan's voice came through the team channel to her ears. "There's no point in getting angry with a bunch of idiots. Besides... I want to see just how stupid they can be."

For Lu Yuan, this was also a rare opportunity for sociological observation. He observed how these so-called "chosen ones," after losing the halo of their families and academies, would reveal their ugly nature in the face of the cruel law of the jungle.

Seeing Lu Yuan actually "back down" and walk away, Li Tianhao and his gang of followers burst into smug laughter.

"Hahaha! See that? That kid ran away in fright!"

"What a fucking coward! That's hilarious!"

Li Tianhao was even more smug. He felt that he had completely crushed his "useless" rival in front of the beautiful woman he admired, and had greatly demonstrated his masculinity.

He turned around and shouted loudly at Yan Ji's departing figure, "Beautiful lady! You can come find me anytime you want! My team will always have its doors open for you!"

After shouting, he turned around with satisfaction to face the corrupted treant who looked somewhat lost because he had lost his goal.

"Brothers, let's get to work! Dig out the crystal core from this giant thing. Tonight, I'll treat everyone to a night out at 'Heaven on Earth'!"

"Yay! Hao-ge is awesome!"

A group of people cheered and charged towards the corrupted treant once again.

However, they did not notice that Lu Yuan and Yan Ji had not gone far in the shadows of the nearby woods.

"What exactly do you want?" Yan Ji asked impatiently.

"Let's watch the show." Lu Yuan found a clean rock to sit on, took out a nutrition bar from his backpack, and slowly started munching on it. "Besides, I suspect that their following us is not a coincidence."

Flame Princess was taken aback: "What do you mean?"

"This instance is the T-3 training ground, a military-controlled area. Regular academy students have absolutely no permission to enter," Lu Yuan analyzed. "There are only two possibilities for them to be here. One, they have special connections and obtained passes. Two, they smuggled themselves in."

"Whether it's the case or not, their presence in our vicinity and their deliberate provocation seem too deliberate."

Just as Lu Yuan was analyzing the situation, the battlefield situation changed again.

Although Li Tianhao's group lacked strength, their equipment was quite good, and their teamwork was relatively smooth. Relying on their numbers, they constantly circled around the corrupted treant, attacking it relentlessly. While they couldn't inflict fatal wounds, they successfully drew the treant's aggro.

Li Tianhao, taking advantage of his companions' distraction, quietly circled around to the other side.

The place he was going to was the very spot where Lu Yuan and Yan Ji had just been.

As he moved, he whispered in the team chat, "Afei, Ahou, you two keep following that scumbag couple! Don't let them get too far! Harass them whenever you get the chance, make sure they never have a moment's peace! I refuse to believe that woman can tolerate that piece of trash under my constant harassment!"

"Understood, Brother Hao!" The two henchmen immediately broke away from the fight and quietly sneaked towards Lu Yuan's direction.

Upon seeing this, Yan Ji's eyes turned completely cold.

"I understand," she said coldly. "From the very beginning, our target was us."

"No, to be precise, the target is you." Lu Yuan finished the last energy bar, patted the crumbs off his hands, and stood up. "And I am just the obstruction that needs to be removed."

He watched the two furtive figures creeping towards him, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"It seems that some people don't know how to spell 'death' until they get beaten up."

Just as the two henchmen were about to approach the woods where they were hiding, Lu Yuan's figure suddenly emerged from the shadows.

"Gentlemen, is there something you need?"

The two men were startled, but when they saw that it was Lu Yuan, their panic immediately turned into a sinister grin.

"Kid, you've got a path to heaven but you choose to barge into hell!"

"Perfect timing! Brother Hao sent us to 'take care' of you. Since you've delivered yourself to our doorstep, don't blame us for being impolite!"

The two men, one on each side, grinned maliciously as they flanked Lu Yuan.

However, they did not see that behind them, on the battlefield they had just left, Li Tianhao and his men's formation had become vulnerable due to the lack of firepower from two people.

The Corrupted Treant seized the opportunity, letting out a deafening roar. Countless roots burst forth from the soil, instantly entangled a healer who couldn't dodge in time, and hoisted him high into the air!

"Ah! Help!"

The formation is in disarray.