C11 Abandoned

"A beast tide?" Hwang Ningxue's face changed dramatically. The Devil Dragon Mining Area was a vast wasteland, with few large animals, let alone mythical beasts. The idea of a beast tide occurring here was simply unbelievable. What on earth had happened in the mining area to trigger such an event?

"What could have caused the beast tide?" Ningxue furrowed her brows and quickly asked.

Ma De, an outer courtyard steward, shook his head and then coughed heavily a few times. His energy was clearly unstable as he spat out a mouthful of black blood, speaking in a grave tone, "I just encountered a small wave of beasts led by a fourth-tier mythical beast. Luckily, I managed to hide in time, or I would have been torn to pieces."

Ma De looked visibly shaken. A fourth-tier mythical beast was comparable to a master at the Heaven Connecting Stage, and behind it were hundreds, if not thousands, of lower-tier beasts. Their momentum was like a torrent, sweeping everything away. Even a master at the Heaven Connecting Stage would be pulverized...

Ma De was incredibly fortunate to have only encountered the edge of this small beast tide, allowing him to survive!

"Alright, I'll have the students preparing for the assessment get ready to leave the mining area as soon as possible," Ningxue nodded and said.

She understood the gravity of the situation. What started as an encounter with a mutated Corpse King had escalated into a massive beast surge in the desolate Devil Dragon Mining Area, where even wild creatures were rarely seen.

"No way!"

Upon hearing this, Ma De quickly grabbed Hwang Ningxue's arm, lowering his voice. "If we take the students undergoing the assessment, we'll be too conspicuous. We'll easily become targets for the beast surge, and no one will survive!"

"What?"

Hwang Ningxue looked at Ma De, the external affairs officer, in disbelief, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Are you suggesting we abandon those students outside?"

"I can't do that!" Hwang Ningxue's tone was resolute, her loyalty unwavering.

Ma De frowned, raising an eyebrow in dissatisfaction at Hwang Ningxue's stubbornness, gesturing outside. "If we bring those burdens along, we'll all die."

"You clearly haven't witnessed the terror of a beast surge. The overwhelming number of beasts rush in like a tsunami. Forget about Soul Connecting Stage warriors; even those at the Heaven Connecting Stage wouldn't survive!"

Hwang Ningxue held a prestigious position, even the new dean of Flowing Cloud Academy held her in high regard. Ma De, as an external affairs officer, was speaking with uncharacteristic humility. If it had been any other ordinary student, he would have slapped them by now.

As for the group of assessment students outside, most of whom hadn't even reached the Three-vein Connection, Ma De couldn't care less in the face of such a crisis. Strictly speaking, they weren't even Flowing Cloud Academy students yet.

"Ningxue, speak properly. Professor Bai is just looking out for us," Bai Jutian took a deep breath, trying to mediate while casting a cold glance at Qiao Gao. "This guy, we absolutely can't take him back to Great Flame City. He needs to stay here in the Devil Dragon Mining Area."

"Hmph!" Hwang Ningxue snorted indifferently, unable to comprehend Bai Jutian's twisted logic.

Just then, someone shouted from outside.

"Something terrible has happened! There's a massive beast attack!"

"We've been abandoned."

"The deacon and the seniors are planning to leave us behind!"

"Don't leave us! Take us back to Great Flame City!"

It turned out someone had been eavesdropping and spread the conversation, causing an uproar. People were loudly pleading with Deacon Ma not to abandon them.

"These burdens!" Ma De's face was dark and grim as he muttered under his breath.

At this moment, he had to go out and maintain order because he knew the Corpse King was lurking nearby. If it got drawn to them, he'd be in serious trouble.

In the past, as a master in the late stage of the Soul Connecting Stage, he could have easily escaped from such a Corpse King, even if he couldn't hunt it down. But now, having been severely injured by a minor beast attack, his strength was reduced to a fraction, making it nearly impossible to fend off the Corpse King.

"Everyone, quiet down!" Ma De stepped forward and announced in a commanding voice, his words carrying an authoritative weight. Even though his strength was greatly diminished, it was more than enough to subdue this group of novice fighters, none of whom had reached the Three-vein Connection stage.

The students felt the pressure, their faces turning red, especially those troublemakers who were given special 'attention' by the Deacon Lord, nearly forcing them to their knees.

Ma De declared loudly, "There's been a major upheaval outside, causing a terrifying beast tide. I, along with two senior students, will return to the academy for help. The rest of you taking the assessment, stay here quietly and wait for rescue."

As expected of the Deacon Lord, accustomed to all kinds of situations, his words were flawless. Coupled with the pressure of his authoritative presence, the students, despite their dissatisfaction, couldn't muster any resistance.

"Hah, isn't this just abandoning us?" Qiao Gao remarked inappropriately, stepping out from behind Hwang Ningxue, his face showing a hint of mockery.

"Yeah, that's not what they said during recruitment."

"They promised to ensure our safety during the assessment."

"If we had known, we wouldn't have applied to this lousy academy!"

Someone muttered through gritted teeth, their face showing unwillingness.

Nearby, there were other academies stronger than Flowing Cloud Academy. However, Flowing Cloud Academy's admissions criteria weren't as strict, and they offered certain incentives, which attracted many locals from Great Flame City to participate in the assessment.

Ma De turned his head, exuding an intimidating aura without a hint of anger, his gaze fixed on Qiao Gao. He spoke in a deep voice, "You can't just say things like that. How could Flowing Cloud Academy abandon students taking the assessment? As soon as you safely return to the academy, we'll immediately send experts to assist you!"

Qiao Gao remained calm and composed, unfazed by Ma De's imposing presence, strolling as if in a garden.

"Yeah, right. I bet you'll wait until the beast tide is over before sending anyone to rescue us. By then, they’ll already be the Corpse King’s lunch."

Qiao Gao showed no respect for the so-called Deacon Lord.

Ma De was furious. His energy surged, transforming into a blur as he tore through the air, aiming a slap at Qiao Gao. Despite being severely injured, Ma De's enraged strike from the Soul Connecting Stage was not something a low-level warrior at the Vein Connecting Stage could withstand.

Ma De's attack was ruthless. A typical low-level warrior below the Three-vein Connection would likely be bedridden for at least three months from such a blow!

"Just try touching me!"

Qiao Gao remained unruffled, pulling a bottle from his pocket and holding it high. Ma De approached quickly but retreated just as fast. As a late-stage Soul Connecting Stage expert, his spiritual power was strong. He looked intently at the item in Qiao Gao's hand, a hint of fear flickering in his eyes. Instinctively, he felt he needed to stay away from whatever Qiao Gao held, or he would suffer greatly.

This was a moment of realization, as the power of the spirit reached a certain level of understanding. Qiao Gao sneered, knowing the poison of the Corpse King could easily bring down a warrior at the Soul Connecting Stage. Of course, Ma De in his prime could resist for a few minutes, but he was now severely injured. The poison had been specially refined to infect only once, preventing widespread transmission.

Seeing Ma De back down, Qiao Gao stepped forward and addressed the crowd, "I, Qiao Gao, won't abandon you."

"What's there to fear? It's just a small beast horde. Nothing to be afraid of!"

"Come on, everyone, a thousand crystals each, and I'll get you out of here. I guarantee you won't lose a single hair."

Qiao Gao was actually drumming up business, trying to rally support.

Bai Jutian scoffed coldly, "Qiao Gao, you can't be so shameless. Disaster is upon us, and you're still trying to profit from it!"