Chapter 88: Burning Flames

It's a pity that I can't bring this sword and broadsword back to the real world. But using them in this competition will greatly enhance my strength.

Li Xiaofei couldn't help but love them. He pocketed the golden ancient coins inscribed with mystical patterns. The red bottles contained some kind of pills that emitted a faint fragrance. The blue bottles held some powder, with an unknown purpose. Li Xiaofei put away the sword, broadsword, porcelain bottles, and even stripped the relatively intact armor from the mummified corpse.

"Senior, I am Li Xiaofei. I apologize for disturbing you and taking your belongings for temporary use. If you're angry... well, you can come and fight me, Li Xiaofei."

Li Xiaofei bowed to the corpse, then quickly turned and left.

***

"Li Xiaofei's luck is incredible."

"It's him. He effortlessly encountered a golden resource point, obtaining two Vibranium weapons, a certain amount of Sky Coins, Life Extension Pills, and Armor Repair Powder... "

"This is great news for the Red Flag High School team. Let's shift our focus to the Longteng High School team... What?"

"Oh my God! This is insane. Longteng High School has adopted a lightning RUSH tactic. They’ve completely abandoned gathering resources. Each member is rushing from their drop point straight to Red Flag High School's resource area."

"In this map, it takes at least half an hour to rush from the initial drop point to the enemy's gathering area. During this half hour, not only will they deplete a large amount of starforce qi, but they also risk being attacked by star beasts."

"When they finally reach the destination after all that hardship, what awaits them might be a fully armed enemy team. But Longteng High School has still chosen to RUSH without hesitation."

"It seems they've been infuriated by Li Xiaofei and are determined to crush Red Flag High School using the most extreme means. Let's see what the Red Flag High School team members are doing. They're still on their way to the rendezvous point, without much defense. Red Flag High School is in big trouble... "

Commentators watching the scenes on their screens couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. Meanwhile, the home team's supporters in the stands were filled with anticipation and excitement.

"Tear them apart."

"Teach that bastard Li Xiaofei a lesson and show them that Longteng High School is invincible."

"Kill!"

The crowd in the stands surged with waves of people.

Little White Dragon in the Waves Shen Yan nervously pinched his thigh, muttering, "Be careful, things are about to go wrong... "

***

Li Xiaofei was also hurrying. He had encountered two more mummies emitting a faint blue glow on his way. Like the previous golden mummy, they each had some resources. Li Xiaofei accepted them without hesitation.

Finally, after twenty minutes, he arrived at the rendezvous point. The rendezvous points were generally fixed. Each map had a limited number of suitable rendezvous areas. Every high school team would study all the system maps and develop plans. These tactics were continuously improved and refined during long pre-match preparations.

Red Flag High School had naturally conducted research and devised corresponding strategies for classic competition maps like Sky City. The designated rendezvous point was the front plaza of a temple. The terrain was open and flat.

Since the Sky Temple was at their back, they could retreat into the temple if they encountered an enemy attack and couldn't withstand it. The temple's winding corridors and complex terrain were advantageous for either fighting the enemy or escaping.

Whoosh.

Li Xiaofei landed in the center of the front plaza.

Huh? Where is everyone?

The plaza was empty, with not a single teammate in sight.

Did Fang and the others run into trouble?

𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Li Xiaofei jumped onto a ten-meter-tall statue, scanning the surroundings. Fang Buyi, Ren Dong, Liu Xiao, and Bai Longfei were nowhere to be seen. Li Xiaofei pondered, wondering if he had arrived too quickly.

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard clear footsteps coming from the Sky Temple. Li Xiaofei turned his head to look. His pupils instantly contracted.

The person who slowly walked out from the dark shadows within the temple was not any of his Red Flag High School teammates. It was Zheng Shou, the Beast. This burly, muscular youth seemed like a ferocious and terrifying doomsday bear.

"Are you looking for someone?" asked Zheng Shou with his lips curled into a cruel smile.

Li Xiaofei's heart sank.

How did the Longteng team get here so fast? A RUSH tactic? If that's the case, then my teammates...

"Heh." A light chuckle came from Feng Yuzhen, the medic of the Longteng team, who appeared atop the temple.

The girl in the red athletic leather jacket had the delicate features typical of her age but she also had a ruthlessness that was unusual for her age. She looked down at Li Xiaofei, her eyes filled with undisguised murderous intent.

She gestured lightly and a vine as thick as a python uncoiled from the dense green vines at the top of the temple. The long vine left the figure hanging in mid-air.

Drip, drip.

Thick, red blood dripped down. The person wrapped in the vine was Ren Dong, the medic of the Red Flag High School team. The big-headed girl’s limbs had been pierced through by the vines, rendering her incapable of fighting. Blood flowed from the wounds, staining the green vines a crimson red.

She struggled to open her eyes, saw a blurry Li Xiaofei. Her breathing became rapid, and she used the last of her strength to say, "Run... quickly..."

In that instant, Li Xiaofei felt a surge of blood rush to his head. But just as he took a step forward.

Bang.

The vine suddenly jerked. Ren Dong's body was torn apart into a rain of blood. She transformed into a stream of data light and disappeared.

"That's the first," Zheng Shou, the Beast, said calmly.

ROAR..

A deafening beast's roar echoed as a Lion-Head Python revealed itself from the right side of the plaza. This terrifying Grade One star beast was sixteen meters long, with the head of a lion and the body of a python, it was like a crudely made chimera.

A lazy-looking young man in a yellow tracksuit was standing on its head. His delicate features resembled those of a girl, and his slightly wavy long hair gave him a look straight out of a Japanese manga. Guan Guan, the chief beastmaster of the Longteng team, was also a star student who had reached the tenth stage of the Qi Refining Realm. The Lion-Head Python under his feet opened its massive jaws. In its mouth was another figure.

It was Liu Xiao, the beastmaster of Red Flag High School. The sharp teeth of the Lion-Head Python had mercilessly pierced through Liu Xiao's waist and chest. But he was not yet dead.

He looked at Li Xiaofei with difficulty, his lips moving, but no sound came out. He wanted to say sorry but couldn't utter the words when it mattered most. Since the league had started, Liu Xiao, as the main beastmaster of the school team, had become the team's biggest weakness.

Even in their first-round victory, he had been the only blemish on Red Flag High School's moment of glory. But he had once again become a tool for the enemy to attack Li Xiaofei's morale.

Crunch, crunch.

The Lion-Head Python's jaws opened and closed, slowly chewing Liu Xiao's body. Blood splattered. The data light surged, scattered, and disappeared.

Li Xiaofei's eyes began to burn in fury.