“However, I am quite interested in this thing you mentioned,” Mo Qingqing said, her fingertips twisting Su Yun’s pinkish-blue fur.
The texture remained soft and smooth.
She absentmindedly stroked Su Yun’s small ears while speaking in a leisurely voice. Her fingertips carried a slight chill, rubbing against the tips of Su Yun’s ears until they went numb, yet he did not dare dodge.
“Since we have nothing else to do anyway, let’s go take a look.”
Mo Qingqing withdrew her hand, her tone carrying a bit of spontaneity as if she were merely suggesting a stroll through a garden.
“Eh? It’s… it’s very dangerous!!”
Su Yun’s heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly reached out to grab the corner of Mo Qingqing’s clothes. Due to his sudden anxiety, his fingertips gripped the fabric until they turned white.
His voice carried a tremor, his large pinkish-blue tail was tucked tightly between his legs, and his ears drooped in utter panic. He seemed truly terrified of making another trip.
In reality, it was because he had just gone on a killing spree in the Training World, slaughtering eleven mid-tier mages. The battlefield still held the lingering scent of his lightning. If Mo Qingqing stumbled upon any clues or if he were recognized by other Red Name mages, he would be completely finished!
Being locked in that dark, sunless room forever might actually be the best possible outcome. He did not doubt for a moment that if Mo Qingqing discovered he had hidden his strength and deceived her, she would absolutely find even more cruel and bottomless ways to toy with him.
“Oh?”
Hearing the word “danger,” Mo Qingqing’s interest was piqued instead. A hint of playfulness flashed within her deep red eyes, which looked like the depths of the ocean.
“Do you think it’s dangerous because you are too weak? You and I are completely different.”
After she finished speaking, she did not wait for Su Yun to protest further. She directly grabbed Su Yun’s small hand and turned to walk toward the Soul Hole testing area. Her grip was not heavy, yet it carried an unquestionable dominance.
Su Yun’s mind spun with anxiety, but he did not dare to resist too obviously. If he behaved with too much hostility, it would instead arouse Mo Qingqing’s suspicions. He could only follow her helplessly, looking back with every step until they arrived before the Power Sovereign.
By this time, the Power Sovereign no longer possessed his initial explosive temper. His edges had likely been worn down by the succession of students testing for high hole counts, and he simply sat lazily behind a stone table. He was fiddling with a crimson crystal ball as if it were a walnut, the object emitting a faint luster.
Seeing the two of them approach, he merely lifted his eyelids. His voice was muffled as he said, “Seven.”
He knew that Sovereign-level existences had little need for ordinary Soul Beads. Only Sovereign-level Soul Beads could bring them a substantial increase in power, so he no longer bothered to get angry over his own four hole positions. If he could truly kill another Dominator in single combat, there was no need to care about how many holes he had.
After finishing the Soul Hole check, the two did not linger and headed straight into the Forest of the Training World.
The moment they stepped into the Forest, Su Yun immediately switched back to his cowering persona. He followed closely behind Mo Qingqing, moving with small steps and occasionally pretending to trip over tree branches. His face was full of alarm, looking exactly like a coward entering a dangerous zone for the first time.
His large pinkish-blue tail was pressed tightly against his back, and his ears were pricked up alertly, though he intentionally made his reactions seem sluggish. Even the sound of fallen leaves beneath his feet made him shrink back. He had to hide his strength perfectly; he could not expose even a fraction of it in front of Mo Qingqing.
In contrast, Mo Qingqing showed no fear at all. She even seemed somewhat curious as she wandered around. Her dark purple magic robes fluttered as she moved through the woods like a flowing shadow. Just like Su Yun, she used her magic to casually cut away any branches blocking her path. When she encountered rare flowers, she would even stop to observe them for a moment, completely ignoring the threat of the Red Name mages.
Her strength at the peak of the mid-tier allowed her to be fearless. In her eyes, no matter how strong these exiled death row inmates were, they could not stir up much trouble.
However, it was not long before a powerful fluctuation of magic surged from the depths of the dense Forest. Immediately after, three figures appeared out of thin air, surrounding the two of them.
“A mid-tier peak? And a low-tier brat?” The leader was a high-tier mage dressed in black robes. His eyes were sinister, and the magic surrounding him was so dense it had almost solidified. Hovering above his head was a blood-red Level 61 marker. It looked as though Qi and Blood were churning within the text.
This was an identification mark that only appeared after killing at least 100 people. Normally, such a person would have been executed immediately, but for the sake of training the people of this era, he had fortunately received the special privilege of living a few days longer.
Behind him followed two equally powerful high-tier mages. One held a burning staff, while the other gripped a bone blade glinting with a cold light. They had clearly been drawn here by the magic Mo Qingqing had released earlier.
Mo Qingqing’s expression shifted slightly, yet she remained steady. She shielded Su Yun behind her as a pale purple orb of magic instantly condensed in her hand. “High-tier mages? This is actually somewhat interesting.”
Before her voice could finish echoing, the mage with the staff took the initiative to strike.
**[Fire Magic: Meteor Shower]**
Countless burning fireballs accompanied by ear-piercing whistles smashed toward the two of them. Mo Qingqing did not dare to be careless. She immediately activated her life magic, causing dense vines to grow around her to form a sturdy green shield.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The fireballs slammed into the shield, setting off violent explosions. The vines sizzled as they were scorched, and thick smoke filled the air. Mo Qingqing gritted her teeth to endure the impact while simultaneously launching a counterattack. Several sharp wooden spikes shot from her fingertips, aiming directly at the enemy mage’s vital points.
Over the next dozens of rounds, Mo Qingqing fought with extreme difficulty. The magic purity and casting speed of a high-tier mage were far superior to those of a mid-tier mage. Although she possessed the self-healing abilities of life magic, her physical strength gradually began to wane.
Her magic robes were charred black by the fire magic, and a bone blade had sliced a wound into her arm so deep that the bone was visible. Blood dripped from her fingertips. However, relying on her extensive combat experience and tenacious will, she pushed herself to the limit. Trading injury for injury, she finally managed to defeat the Level 61 mage. The man fell unwillingly, vanishing into a cluster of light.
But before Mo Qingqing could catch her breath, a hurried set of footsteps approached from behind. Another Level 63 high-tier mage, drawn by the commotion of the battle, took advantage of her weakened state and suddenly launched a fatal strike.
**[Dark Magic: Desolation Slash]**
A pitch-black energy blade carrying an aura of destruction instantly struck Mo Qingqing’s back. Mo Qingqing let out a muffled groan and spat out a mouthful of blood. Her body collapsed weakly, her eyes full of indignation.
Su Yun watched from the side, his heart pounding with fear. He instinctively wanted to use his lightning magic to counterattack, but the moment a flicker of lightning condensed at his fingertips, he forced it back down.
‘I absolutely cannot be exposed!’
Thus, he could only watch as Mo Qingqing fell. Subsequently, the high-tier mage turned around, his eyes looking at him with icy coldness. With a casual wave of his hand, a blast of dark energy carrying a hint of law-based power struck Su Yun’s chest.
Su Yun let out a muffled groan, pretending to be unable to resist. His body collapsed softly to the ground, and his consciousness quickly sank into darkness. He could feel his life force fading rapidly, yet his heart felt a sense of relief.
‘Thankfully, I wasn’t exposed.’
Even though he had died once, it was better than Mo Qingqing discovering his secret.