The silver-white examination arena seemed capable of transforming into any scene imaginable. A rumbling sound filled the air, and before long, the arena morphed into a lush, vibrant forest. Weeds grew knee-high, and trees, thick enough for two people to embrace, stood verdant and dense. Strange and unusual plants covered the ground; Huang Xiu even spotted a Rafflesia, famously known as the world’s stinkiest flower.
“How about fifty meters?” she asked.
“Alright!” Li Xiushen nodded. He was unwilling to take undue advantage of Huang Xiu, desiring a fair fight. Besides, a distance of fifty meters was merely a stone’s throw for an Awakened individual.
“We don’t have any objections either,” Liu Lu said, a lollipop dangling from her mouth, her expression nonchalant.
“Who wants to make the first move?” Huang Xiu casually tilted her head, seemingly surveying her surroundings. Liu Lu and Li Xiushen noticed this detail, and their vigilance sharpened. Since Huang Xiu had actively chosen a jungle environment, it was clear this was her home turf, undoubtedly aiding her in deploying her ability.
‘What kind of powerful ability could it be?’ Li Xiushen mused inwardly. He could roughly guess it was either a long-range or guerrilla-type ability, or something related to plants. But one thing was certain: it was definitely not a direct assault ability; its frontal strength was likely not high.
‘But no matter what it is, it can’t surpass my Surge.’ A flicker of brilliance gleamed in Li Xiushen’s eyes. Most Awakened individuals in the Li family possessed abilities related to electricity. From the most subtle overvoltage to devastating lightning strikes, the potency of their abilities varied with each generation. In his generation, however, he had surpassed his predecessors, awakening a formidable ability named [Surge]. This ability allowed Li Xiushen to generate an immensely powerful transient voltage within his body without harming himself. He could use the current produced by this transient voltage to stimulate and enhance his physical capabilities, or he could channel it onto his body to deliver electric shocks to enemies. It offered enormous potential for development. The admissions teachers at the Awakened Higher Vocational College had given him extremely high praise. This was why he felt so confident, believing that even if Huang Xiu was an S-rank, dealing with her would not be an issue for his A-rank ability.
Li Xiushen snapped out of his thoughts and declared loudly, “I’ll go first!”
“You go ahead, it doesn’t matter to us.” Liu Lu only wanted to ensure she got to fight Huang Xiu; the order was of little concern to her. Having said that, she began to stretch and warm up. A series of crackling sounds emanated from her small body, surprisingly formidable.
“One minute from now, the test will officially begin. Examiner, please keep track of the time and inform us when to start.” Huang Xiu finished speaking, then deliberately turned and retreated backward until she had covered approximately fifty meters before stopping. When she looked up again, all that remained before her was a vast, eerily silent jungle. Sprawling vines and weeds filled the gaps between the trees, obscuring all sightlines. In these conditions, let alone fifty meters, even a mere ten or twenty meters would make it impossible to see one another.
Huang Xiu, light on her feet, twirled like a butterfly. Her gaze swept across her surroundings, and a joyful smile bloomed on her face. “Truly… I’ve never had such a wonderful beginning.” With the pink nail of her left index finger, she lightly sliced open her right palm. She clenched her fist, allowing the hot blood to trickle between her fingers. “Test begins!” A mechanical voice suddenly echoed in her ear. Huang Xiu, still smiling, waved her hand, sprinkling blood. “The show is about to begin.”
****
At the same moment, fifty meters away, Li Xiushen, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open. A flash of blue electric light darted across his eyes, and his hair and body hair bristled like a desert hedgehog. Debris on the ground suddenly lifted and swirled, adhering to his clothes. “I’m coming, you’d better hide well!” he intoned, his voice like that of a robot. The next second, a faint, almost imperceptible crackle of electricity sounded. Li Xiushen’s body flickered, and he vanished from his spot.
****
Li Xiushen was gasping for breath, his figure utterly disheveled. Green sap dripped from his hedgehog-like hair, leaving a verdant streak across his face. A pungent, unfamiliar odor made it difficult for him to breathe. “Come out!” he roared in fury, yet his eyes remained constantly vigilant, scanning for any movement around him. ‘Damn it…’ he raged inwardly. ‘He had miscalculated everything! This wasn’t Huang Xiu’s home turf; it was her absolute domain!’ He had initially been brimming with confidence, but the moment he entered the jungle, Huang Xiu had struck him with a blow that left him dizzy and disoriented. ‘Every blade of grass a soldier, an ambush on all sides.’ Under the terrifying manipulation of her ability, these were no longer mere metaphors, but an undeniable reality! Any plant, no matter how innocuous it seemed, could suddenly launch an attack. The entire forest was his enemy!
*Rustle!* Suddenly, a slight movement stirred behind him. Li Xiushen darted aside, his right hand shooting out with fierce force. A mutated weed-soldier was instantly torn to shreds by his strike. *Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.* Electricity surged through Li Xiushen’s hand, and the weed’s body instantly turned charred black from the shock, disintegrating into scattered fragments. But he had no time to feel pleased; instead, a look of urgency and anxiety clouded his face. Because at this very moment… *Swish, swish, swish* – movements erupted from all directions. He spun around, only to see an unquantifiable number of mutated plants emerging from every conceivable spot. They were surrounding him. “Shit!” Li Xiushen’s face darkened to an extreme. He had to break through. In this jungle, he was absolutely not…
*Thump-thump!* His thoughts instantly ceased—his shoulder was suddenly tapped twice by a wooden, club-like object. ‘When did it get so close…?!’ Li Xiushen’s face was filled with horror. He spun around abruptly, his right hand sweeping behind him, trailing dazzling blue electrical light. “Don’t curse!” The large tree that had been behind him had, at some unknown point, transformed into a colossal Tree Man. And it was this very Tree Man that had just bent down, gently tapping Li Xiushen’s shoulder with its finger. *Bang!* His right hand struck the Tree Man’s leg, and immediately, electricity surged along the wood grain, creating patterns of charred black resembling lightning-struck wood, eventually halting at its knee. “Nice tattoo, I’m very satisfied!” it chuckled. The Tree Man’s gigantic right hand grew steadily larger in Li Xiushen’s terrified eyes. Finally, it completely engulfed his vision, obscuring all light and scenery. “Ahhhhhh!!!!” A shriek of terror reverberated through the jungle, slowly fading as it echoed among the trees.
****
Hearing the commotion, Liu Lu’s eyes widened with doubt. What on earth was happening in the forest? If she hadn’t misheard, that scream just now had to be Li Xiushen’s voice. But… he had only been in there for less than a minute! *Swish, swish, swish, swish!* Liu Lu turned her head at the sound. In the distance, weeds and vines suddenly swayed violently, as if something was about to emerge. ‘Who could it be?’ The athletic young woman’s gaze sharpened. Under her watchful eyes, the constantly swaying weeds and vines suddenly sprouted legs and scurried away to either side. “Huh, what the hell is that?” Liu Lu was so startled that she chomped her lollipop to pieces, the white stick falling to the ground.