Chapter 595: A Predator in the Jungle
This super-sized world was very strange. Green blades of gra.s.s towered for several dozen meters, looking as crystal-clear as precious jade, their fresh greeness dazzling to the eye.
The red flower petals were vibrant and looked like a raging inferno, while the white lilies appear to be semi-translucent. Everything looked like it came from a movie, giving the illusion of extreme surreality to people.
This was a picturesque backdrop, yet Xia Fei had no intention of admiring the sight in the least. The final round of a.s.sessment was a test of life and death! Blood and gore was the nature of this a.s.sessment, so no matter how pa.s.sionate Busey’s speech had been and no matter how powerful the Edgeless war armor was, Xia Fei remembered the nature of this test of life and death, not at all losing focus on what truly mattered.
*Whoos.h.!.+*
Shuttling through this peculiar and humongous jungle, Xia Fei demonstrated his speed ability to its fullest, clearing well over tens of thousands of kilometers in the blink of an eye.”
“Breath Control.”
Xia Fei came to a halt. Just like a chameleon, he hid himself behind a super-sized white birch like a leopard awaiting its prey, silent.
“Hmph. Nothing but parlor tricks, yet he praised himself to high heavens as if he’s some G.o.d. Yours truly was once able to use my darkness special ability to shroud an entire galaxy; how was shrinking a bunch of warriors considered anything special?” Lionheart Emperor Oros jeered with dissatisfaction.
Due to his lack of freedom, Oro hardly thought anything of others unleas.h.i.+ng their law power. This was because he could very easily remember his once glorious past, so Oro hardly considered Busey’s act of creating this humongous world noteworthy.
Xia Fei unhurriedly commented, “I know the world hasn’t really been enlarged; it’s me who’s been shrunk. I simply don’t know what law Busey used to accomplish this feat.”
“You do?” Lionheart Emperor Oro had his doubts. “I didn’t tell you this, so how did you know?”
Xia Fei rolled his eyes. “Mister expert, who made it a rule that I would only know things by consulting you? It’s simple, really. If this world has really been magnified, then the proportions are absolutely inconsistent. Take the gra.s.s for example; that would surely become overcrowded when enlarged. The only way would be to enlarge the entire planet along with it.
“If that were the case, then there would be an obvious flaw: A planet becoming large while the surrounding cosmic s.p.a.ce remained the same, be it the rotational speed or the direction of the sun, all should change from before. It wouldn’t take long for the plants or animals to feel uncomfortable due to the changes to the planetary rotation, perhaps even peris.h.i.+ng as a result, but the animals and plants here are clearly alive and well, so I realized that Busey had secretly shrunk himself and all of us without any of us noticing it.”
A sliver of surprise flashed past Oro’s eyes. He had once more witnessed Xia Fei’s reasoning capabilities, and this was a quality that many warriors happened to lack. Due to over-cultivation, many warriors ended up becoming martial idiots—people who ignored common sense most of the time.
As for Xia Fei, he did not have this issue at all. While he devoted plenty of time madly cultivating, he did not neglect his study of technology and other fields. He had essentially taken a holistic approach to his personal growth.
“Yes, you’re right. Busey wielded the Law of Miniaturization, and such a law is anything but simple, requiring a foundation in both s.p.a.ce and Matter laws. Only by comprehending the two great laws, as well as being a high-level Law Adept, can one cultivate it,” Oro explained.
Xia Fei nodded. Just Busey’s ability to wield two great laws at the same time was shocking enough, but upon considering that he was one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Dragon Ascension, Xia Fei was relieved. After all, given how powerful the Dragon Ascension Martial Hall was, it made perfect sense that they had some monsters in their midst.
The identification plate on his chest vibrated, and Xia Fei saw someone’s name appear on it.
“Lu Jinbo?” Xia Fei frowned slightly. It appeared like this was the target he had been designated to hunt down for this a.s.sessment, and only by killing him could he clear this round. Otherwise, he would have to kill three other candidates and s.n.a.t.c.h their plates as the alternative to clearing this a.s.sessment.
“Do you know this person?” Phantom asked.
“Not at all. Yu Xiaobei is the only candidate I know here, and everyone else is a stranger,” Xia Fei said.
It was no wonder, too. Who would have their names carved on their foreheads? With candidates coming from all across the Law Realm to attend this, it was normal for the candidates not to know one another. Besides, Xia Fei had only been in this circle for barely a few months, hardly having gotten himself a foothold in the realm. He practically knew n.o.body.
With a smile, Xia Fei muttered, “Whether or not I know the target matters not. What matters is if I can take the number one spot!”
Phantom and Lionheart Emperor Oro shuddered at the same time. Xia Fei’s eyes glowed in brilliance. He unhurriedly took out a grade 4 Origin Crystal and held it in hand as he began his cultivation. Continuing with cultivation even when on the battlefield? Xia Fei was now looking more and more like a martial arts idiot.
Obtaining the number one position was no simple matter. The best solution to this was to kill as many other candidates as possible!
…
Reality had proven that Xia Fei’s choice to hide far from the main battlefield was a very wise one. Candidates that were ranked at the forefront would gain entry to the jungle earlier than those who scored lower, subsequently setting up their traps as they waited for their prey to appear, and the lower they ranked, the greater the danger they face.
The ma.s.sacre began near the spatial gate, as dozens of candidates lost their lives without even managing to break out from this danger zone by any means necessary! This was all to gain entry into the Dragon Ascension Martial Hall and get their hands on the Law-Emperor-grade armor manufactured by Fig Corporation! Everyone had gone insane!
Edgeless was of course very tempting, but not everyone could get it. Those candidates who knew their limits would never partic.i.p.ate in this hopeless struggle and would do whatever they could to hunt their designated targets or just kill three others randomly to take their identification plates, instead. These were the criteria to gain entry to the next cycle of a.s.sessments, where they would be retested with the elites from the Nine Great Clans.
With regard to people who knew themselves well, this was already enough. It did not matter how great the war armor if they did not have the life to wear it.
Once they accomplished their goal, these candidates would immediately depart from the battlefield, getting as far away as possible!
As such, they were bound to run right into Xia Fei!
Those candidates who immediately departed upon obtaining their identification plates were intelligent, but Xia Fei was an uncompromising hunter!
Xia Fei was a man who trained in the arts of a.s.sa.s.sination, after all. Aside from Crafty Thrust and Breath Control, what mattered most to a killer like him was the ability to a.n.a.lyze and predict human behavior as he hunted down his target.
According to human behavioral science, when people were faced with an unfamiliar setting, men would tend to head left, while women would opt for right. When fleeing, humans would inadvertently take any roads which seemed narrower, believing that the una.s.suming small side paths were safer or valleys were more secure than open plains. This was because the terrain of the former was more suitable for hiding. A jungle was safer than underbrush because tall trees were obviously better at providing cover.
This was human behavior, and humans often made choices based on their experience, not logical reasoning. In a way, it was similar to innate instinct.
Though Xia Fei had made his way out, he did not choose the location randomly.
Having learned the ultimate skill from the a.s.sa.s.sin Sect, Xia Fei had already perfectly grasped humans’ survival instincts. Rational people who thought themselves clever would think that they had chosen their route of escape objectively when, in fact, it was not. No matter how rational one was, they would always be influenced by their survival instincts when fleeing for their lives.
Just past 20,000 kilometers from the epicenter, in terms of behavior, the further away they were from danger, the more mentally relaxed they would become, and the fear toward the danger, in turn, would determine how far they fled
Xia Fei’s chosen location was already somewhere he decided based on careful calculation. Preys that arrive would already be feeling very much at ease, believing that they had managed to escape from danger. Both the position and the angle were perfectly in line with a human’s expectation of escape based on behavioral science. He was like a wild beast, hiding in the vegetation quietly waiting for his prey.
This was how a proper predator should be hunting. Choosing the ideal location to save himself the trouble of doing more work rather than chasing after prey and getting caught up in fights behind them. Xia Fei’s style of hunting was definitely the most sinister, exacting and effective. It was something he had honed and summed up after a lot of experience murdering.
The jungle was strangely quiet on the first day, with hardly a breeze disturbing the gra.s.s. Xia Fei cultivated, waiting for his prey to arrive. On the second day, he continued to cultivate and, on the third day, did the same thing.
Time pa.s.sed and it was already the night of the third day. Lionheart Emperor Oro was slowly unable to contain himself.
“Fig Corporation is very famous even in the Demon Race. All their products are very high-tech, definitely considered top-notch in the Law Realm—nay, the universe. Just staying here won’t net you Edgeless,” Oro said.
Xia Fei smiled. “Do you not trust human behavioral science?”
“Not at all. I’m not human in any case.” Oro snorted.
Xia Fei very casually responded, “The ancestors of mankind were very weak and were constantly being tested by nature. That is why they developed plenty of vigilant habits, and human behavioral science is a collection of human habits…”
Just as he was explaining this, Xia Fei stopped abruptly. His entire person was now in the Breath Control state, and the Lionheart Emperor was also unusually quiet. This was because their prey had arrived!
*Whoosh—*
A black figure cut through the forest at high speeds under the moonlight, constantly looking behind him with uneasiness. Upon seeing that there was no one around, this candidate leaned on a big tree and sat down; his face turned in the direction where he had come from.
The behavior of this candidate was a great example. He was looking at his rear because he subconsciously determined that danger would come from there, while the path ahead was safe.
Of course, he did not know that he had already landed in the trap of the predator called Xia Fei. No matter where his concentration was, the result of this encounter was not about to change.
“Covering 20,000 kilometers in two and a half days… This person has quite the speed.” Xia Fei made a mental note.
Phantom pouted. “I think that’s rather slow.”
“That’s because you’re already used to my speed. How could there be that many high-ranking speed ability users in this universe, anyway?”
Hiding in the jungle, Xia Fei’s two eyes afforded him great clarity since he had cultivated the Beast Spirit Codex before. He took in this newcomer’s outfit, his heart rate, and his degree of nervousness. The moment the latter let his guard down, that would be when Xia Fei should act!
A true predator would never strike easily, but it would definitely be a guaranteed kill when they did!
This person was hardly anyone of note during the a.s.sessment, and Xia Fei had a vague impression of the man. At present, he was softly ma.s.saging his right shoulder with bared teeth. He seemed to be in quite the pain, most likely from wounds he suffered.
After several minutes of thought, this person determined that he ought to be safe, and so he tore off half his sleeve and took out medication from his spatial ring, ready to treat his injuries.
Xia Fei smirked as he thought to himself, ‘His pupils are erratic as if he’s carrying some treasure. Looks like he has already gotten what he needed.”
Softly creeping up, Xia Fei was like a ghost in the dead of night as he approached the guy from behind without a trace.
He was neither too fast nor too slow. Upon circling around behind this man, Xia Fei was not even ten meters away.
Blood Crystal unsheathed and drew a perfect arc, like a fog that was hanging over the jungle.
His blade was getting closer, no more than three meters away from that man’s neck.
Suddenly!
Blood Crystal sped up like a bolt of lightning! Xia Fei was no longer masking his presence!
If the prey could escape at such proximity, then all those years of perfecting Crafty Approach Xia Fei would have been all for naught!
He was 100% confident that there was no escape!
*Crunch!*
The dagger tip penetrated the skin and dug deep into the bone. Blood Crystal began draining the man’s blood essence ravenously, a portion for itself while the remainder went into Xia Fei’s body!
Xia Fei felt an indescribable pleasure as he absorbed the essence of an expert, and the colorful energy ball in his seventh brain region was rapidly expanding!