Chapter 89: This Kid Is Far Too Pretentious
Xia Ling and her companions were hunting exotic beasts in the forest.
“We should leave now as well. This path is certain to be crossed by the Titan Ape King,” Shui Lingyao said, her brows furrowed in concern.
The other girls nodded in agreement.
Xia Ling casually picked up the equipment left behind by the slain beast.
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble.
“What’s happening?!” Shui Lingyao glanced warily around.
Boom!
A massive figure crashed out of the woods, landing heavily and kicking up clouds of dust.
Staring at the giant beast towering over twenty meters before them, the girls were stunned.
A dreadful murderous aura filled the air, pressing down upon them like a mountain.
“Could this be... the Titan Ape King?” Xia Ling murmured.
“Roar!” The Titan Ape King let out an enraged howl.
It swung a fist straight at Su Li, who stood closest.
Su Li, still frozen in shock, watched as the shadow above her head rapidly expanded.
Boom!
The fist pounded into the earth, carving a deep pit.
Xia Ling, gripping Su Li’s hand, stood to the side, gasping for breath.
Her back was drenched in cold sweat.
How perilous! That was far too close!
Had she hesitated for a moment, both she and Su Li would have been smashed to pulp.
“Thank you…” Su Li whispered softly.
Xia Ling looked toward Shui Lingyao and the others. “You all go ahead. I’ll stay behind to cover your retreat!”
Shui Lingyao shook her head firmly. “No!”
“If we leave, we leave together!”
Xia Ling gritted her teeth, her silver teeth biting down. “There’s no time!”
“My agility is the highest. I’m the only one who can hold off the Titan Ape King!”
“If you stay, you’ll only hinder me!”
Shui Lingyao clenched her fists, biting her lip. “Just don’t die!”
“We’ll wait for you up ahead!”
With that, she turned and dashed off into the distance.
Qin Xuan Yi and Shui Xuelan followed swiftly.
Su Li cast a worried glance at Xia Ling, then finally ran after them.
Meanwhile, in the spectator stands, the crowd watched the scene unfold.
“Ah, these beautiful girls are so unlucky, encountering the Titan Ape King?”
“I like that female swordswoman—she’s willing to stay behind for her friends.”
“The others are smart, too. If they’d stayed, they would’ve distracted her and put everyone in greater danger.”
The audience discussed animatedly.
On the main stage, the deans wore grim expressions.
“This girl is tough-hearted, volunteering to hold the rear. Not something just anyone can do,” Zheng Gang praised.
Huang Zhengtian nodded. “Such fortitude is rare indeed.”
Shui Tianluo shook his head regretfully. “Sadly, even with speed, she can only delay for so long.”
As they spoke, the Titan Ape King roared in fury.
It swung a fist at Xia Ling!
Her brows knitted tightly, Xia Ling pushed off lightly with her toes, soaring gracefully onto a nearby tree.
Boom!
The fist smashed another pit into the ground.
Sweat beaded on Xia Ling’s forehead.
Her nerves were taut, her eyes locked unwaveringly on the Titan Ape King's movements.
She knew well—the gap between herself and the Titan Ape King was immense.
One mistake, and she would be killed in an instant.
There was no room for defense now.
Only attack!
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
Everything around her seemed to fall silent.
She slowly opened her eyes, meeting the Titan Ape King’s blood-red gaze.
Boom!
The next moment, another punch came crashing toward the trunk where she stood!
Boom!
The tree, as thick as a barrel, was snapped in half by a single blow and toppled to the ground.
A white silhouette, swift as a phantom, darted along the Titan Ape King’s arm, heading straight for its head.
The audience erupted in excitement.
“She’s still alive?!”
“She dares to attack? That’s incredibly bold!”
“Madness! This year’s students are all lunatics! Still thinking about attacking at a time like this?”
The longsword shimmered with silver light.
In an instant, it was before the Titan Ape King.
Slash!
A sword mark nearly a meter long appeared across the Titan Ape King’s face.
Blood trickled down its skin.
Joy sparked in Xia Ling’s heart.
She’d succeeded!
“Roar!” The Titan Ape King’s fury intensified.
It reached out to grab Xia Ling, intent on crushing the human who had wounded it.
Xia Ling’s face paled.
She gripped her sword and swiftly dodged to the side.
The Titan Ape King tried several times, but Xia Ling eluded its grasp each time.
Infuriated, it abandoned grabbing her.
Instead, it swiped at her with its massive palm.
Thud, thud, thud…
Xia Ling clenched her teeth, running for her life.
But that giant hand, like the scythe of Death, followed relentlessly.
Facing the hand looming inches away, Xia Ling had nowhere left to retreat.
She leapt, aiming for a distant tree.
A black hand chased after her.
In the stands, spectators looked on in horror.
“Behind her! Look behind!”
“It’s over, she’s done for.”
“The gap is too great—worlds apart. She lasted this long; that’s already impressive.”
Thud!
The giant hand, swatting like a fly, struck Xia Ling.
Her body was hurled like a cannonball into the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
As the dust settled, Xia Ling lay on the earth, covered in blood.
Her health was reduced to a sliver.
Her once elegant white robe was now tattered.
Despair filled her eyes as she watched the Titan Ape King approach.
In the stands, many girls turned their heads, unable to watch what was coming.
Zhong Zhen clenched his fists, brows tightly knit.
To be trampled to death alive—
For a student, such trauma would last a lifetime.
It would severely limit her potential.
But what could he do?
It was already too late.
The Titan Ape King’s foot, carrying a howling gust, stomped down toward Xia Ling.
Boom!
A dark purple thunderbolt shot down from the sky, striking the Titan Ape King directly.
The Titan Ape King staggered back, its fur singed, smoke rising from its body.
Enraged, it looked upward.
High in the sky, a mighty eagle soared.
Standing atop the eagle’s head was a young man.
He crossed his arms over his chest, calm and unruffled.
It was Xu Han!
The audience erupted in cheers.
“Wow! It’s Xu Han! So cool!”
“He flew over here on an eagle! Damn, I need to get myself one someday!”
“If Xu Han could rescue me like that, I’d die happy.”
On the stage, Zhong Zhen and the others chuckled wryly.
“That kid, always showing off.”
“Damn it, I’d love to punch him! Why didn’t he come sooner? If he’d arrived earlier, my student wouldn’t have suffered so much.”
“What do you mean your student? She’s mine!”
“Get lost!”
Zhong Zhen fixed his gaze on Xu Han atop the eagle, a flicker of hope in his eyes.
He wondered if this young man could resolve the crisis.