Chapter 353: Hidden Master

Jin Yuanxun stretched his limbs and bones, then leaped over Li Xiangling to look at Chu Tianqiu behind her.

Chu Tianqiu's gaze met Jin Yuanxun's, and he smiled.

"I won't give up. Be careful; she's tougher than you think."

Jin Yuanxun thought for a moment, glanced at Chen Junan's body on the ground, then looked up and asked,

"Ge, even if I die, you'll save me, right?"

Chu Tianqiu was silent for a moment after hearing this, then grinned and said,

"Jin Yuanxun, you can't always rely on me. You have to stand on your own feet."

Jin Yuanxun's expression dimmed slightly, then he nodded.

"I understand, ge."

Just as he was about to step forward, Lao Lu couldn't stand it anymore.

"Wait, hold on…"

Lao Lu scratched the back of his plump head and said,

"What are you two doing? Are you big guys planning to gang up on a little girl?"

"Get lost," Jin Yuanxun said.

"What do you mean 'get lost'?" Lao Lu was clearly getting angry. "You look only fifteen or sixteen. Is that how you talk to your elders?"

Tong Yi, who had been listening nearby, quietly said,

"Lao Lu, we should stay out of this…"

"No way!" Lao Lu declared righteously. "Don't think I'm just a background figure most of the time. When it matters, I know what's right and wrong!"

"Uncle, I appreciate your kindness," Li Xiangling said, her eyes fixed on Jin Yuanxun, her face serious. "This guy's ability is very unique. You should stay out of it, or you might get hurt."

"Don't be so brave, little girl!" Lao Lu rolled up his sleeves and stepped forward a few paces. Despite his imposing manner, his voice was trembling. "Today, I want to see if this kid can take down all of us!"

Jin Yuanxun sneered dismissively, then closed his eyes and vanished from sight.

The next second, he appeared on a table next to Lao Lu and kicked toward Lao Lu's head.

Lao Lu, being overweight, couldn't dodge in time and let out a yelp as he was knocked to the ground.

But that brief moment gave Li Xiangling an opening to attack.

She reacted swiftly, delivering a side kick to the table. As the table toppled, Jin Yuanxun leaped into the air, disappeared mid-jump, and reappeared on another table.

Li Xiangling abandoned defense and rushed forward to counterattack.

Generally speaking, human lower limbs are stronger than upper limbs. Jin Yuanxun clearly knew Li Xiangling was not an easy opponent, so he kept attacking with kicks.

But Li Xiangling was more agile than anyone expected. She didn't block any of Jin Yuanxun's kicks directly; instead, after dodging, she would kick at the table he was standing on.

In indoor combat, few people jump to high places because it makes them vulnerable if their footing is attacked, causing instability. But Jin Yuanxun didn't care about that—he could always disappear just before the table collapsed.

The two fought for over three minutes. Li Xiangling was starting to show signs of fatigue, but Jin Yuanxun showed no strain, as he had been mostly leaping around in the air while she had been running the entire time.

"Enough," Chu Tianqiu said softly. "Take her down."

Jin Yuanxun flashed to the table closest to Li Xiangling. As she caught her breath, he prepared to kick her, but suddenly felt the table shake beneath him—one of its legs broke without anyone touching it.

He immediately shut his eyes tightly and reappeared on another table. Before he could steady himself, that table's leg also broke.

This time, Jin Yuanxun couldn't evade in time and fell to the ground with the shattered table, letting out a muffled groan.

The entire room fell silent, with only Li Xiangling's heavy breathing breaking the quiet. She was baffled—how could Jin Yuanxun, who had been jumping around like a monkey, stumble because a table collapsed?

Chu Tianqiu's brow furrowed slightly at the sight. He scanned the room and murmured,

"There's a master here…?"

Jin Yuanxun slowly got up from the ground, cautiously eyeing everyone in the room, then glanced at Chu Tianqiu with a puzzled look.

The two table legs breaking in a row—unless it was due to a "Huixiang," it was too much of a coincidence.

Chu Tianqiu was familiar with the "Huixiang" of most people present, so he quickly ruled out most suspects, leaving only two possibilities.

Xu Qian and Zhao Yisheng.

He had never seen the first girl before and hadn't talked to her much. Did she have some strange "Huixiang"? But if she had such a powerful ability, would Chen Junan, who was playing the game with her, have died so miserably?

So…

Chu Tianqiu turned his head toward Zhao Yisheng.

This was interesting indeed.

From all the data he had collected before, he had never discovered this person's "Huixiang." He had always thought Zhao Yisheng was just an "unfortunate one."

Zhao Yisheng looked up, his eyes accidentally meeting Chu Tianqiu's, but he quickly pretended to look elsewhere nonchalantly.

Chu Tianqiu smirked, stood up, and walked toward Zhao Yisheng, muttering to himself,

"It's really something… hiding it all this time?"

Zhao Yisheng swallowed hard, his eyes darting around nervously. Han Yimo, sitting next to him, sensed the tension and wisely shifted away.

Knowing he couldn't avoid it, Zhao Yisheng forced a bitter smile and looked up.

"What are you saying?"

"This doctor…" Chu Tianqiu leaned down, staring into Zhao Yisheng's eyes. "Is your main job 'repairing,' but your side job 'destroying'?"

"What are you talking about…? I don't understand…"

"No need to understand." Chu Tianqiu smiled. "I don't think you've grasped the situation here. Have you even counted how many of Qi Xia's people are left in this room from this morning until now?"

Zhao Yisheng was slightly stunned and realized things might not be right.

Qi Xia, Qiao Jiajin, and Li Shangwu had followed "Mao" away. Lin Ge, Zhang Chenze, Su Shan, and Qin Dingdong had gone to join the game. And just a few minutes ago, Chen Junan had left.

Before long, Tian Tian would follow Yun Yao out. In the entire room, the only ones left from Qi Xia's group would be himself and…

Han Yimo?

"What… what are you saying?" Zhao Yisheng stammered. "They're just temporarily away; they'll be back tonight."

"Is that so?" Chu Tianqiu placed a hand on Zhao Yisheng's shoulder. "But it's almost dusk now. Why don't you ask yourself—will any of them really come back tonight?"

Zhao Yisheng lowered his head in thought.

Yes, it was uncertain.

Not a single one was guaranteed to return.

They all seemed to have their own clear goals; none of them would willingly stay here.

"You two are completely on your own. Qi Xia has abandoned you—don't you get it?"

At these words, both of them showed a slight change in expression.

"It's not his fault, really. After all, abandoning useless teammates is just the 'survival of the fittest' here." Chu Tianqiu noticed Zhao Yisheng's reaction and knew his words had shaken him. "So think it over. As long as you're a 'Huixiang' user, 'Tianguokou' is willing to take you in."

Before Zhao Yisheng could respond, Han Yimo slowly stood up, his face filled with terror.

"What the hell are you saying…?" Han Yimo's pupils flickered wildly, as if he was on the verge of breaking down. "You're saying Qi Xia… he abandoned me?!"

Distant echoes resounded, and the bell suddenly tolled.

Chu Tianqiu furrowed his brow and looked at him.

"How can we go on without Qi Xia…?" Han Yimo's lips trembled, his voice turning hoarse. "Without Qi Xia… what will happen to all of us? What if we all die?!"