Sunset Warrior Chant - Chapter 53 - Magical Beast Garden (Part 8)

“The trip to the Magical Beast Garden was quite enjoyable overall,” Xiao Gang said, and everyone nodded in agreement.

After a hearty meal, Lu Xiner rinsed her mouth with purified water. Seeing this, Yu An joked, “Miss Lu, you’re living too extravagantly, using purified water for rinsing. Remember, once tomorrow’s exam is over and we’re back at the inn, we need to account for everything we’ve purchased. Anything borrowed has to be returned.”

Lu Xiner replied with a laugh, “Who saved your life? Without my mist barrier, you’d be in big trouble. If I were to sell you back to your parents, they might offer a city as big as Kur City in exchange for you, haha!” Her words left Yu An speechless.

The group had faced several dangers in the Magical Beast Garden, and while they weren’t in a hurry to find shelter, they were content with what they’d achieved. Each member of the team was exceptionally skilled, and unlike other groups that had suffered casualties, the eight of them were safe and sound, a small miracle in itself.

“Flood! Flood!” came the cries as they felt the ground shake and the roar of water filling their ears.

The Magical Beast Garden truly brought disaster after disaster!

The floodwaters surged like a tidal wave, quickly coming into view. Qi Nanshan remarked, “What are we going to do? I get headaches just at the sight of water!”

Xiao Gang laughed, “If only you learned some water magic, you wouldn’t be afraid.”

In a flash, the water was at their feet. Lu Xiner grabbed several thick vines from a tree and said, “Let’s stay together. Be careful not to get separated by the water. Grab some vines.”

Fu Qiruo suggested, “Looks like we need to climb the trees.”

Qi Nanshan glanced upward and said, “I’m going up first,” and with that, he scrambled up a nearby large tree.

Lu Xiner tied the vines end-to-end into one long rope. Everyone held onto the vine with their backs against the tree. Xiao Gang stabbed his Berserk Sword into the tree trunk and leaned against the hilt. The first wave of water rushed past, already over their heads, and soon the water level was several meters high, but the surge gradually slowed. Xiao Gang withdrew the Berserk Sword as the seven of them floated up with the vines. The water reached about twelve or thirteen meters, no longer rising. The entire tree base was submerged, leaving only the top half visible. Qi Nanshan stood on a high branch, clinging tightly to it.

Xiao Gang chuckled, “If you’re not afraid of black rats and wolf packs, what’s there to fear about the water? Coward!” Qi Nanshan glanced at Xiao Gang but said nothing.

Yu An asked, “What do you think Yan Mountain Academy will do next?”

Fu Qiruo speculated, “Keeping us stuck in the trees means they must have released magical beasts in the water.”

Yu An replied, “Dealing with magical beasts in trees might be like handling the monocular wolf. I wonder what kind of magical beasts they’ll release?”

Xiao Gang said, “Black rats and monocular wolves probably can’t swim. I wonder if the Ox-headed man can?”

Lu Xiner replied, “The Ox-headed man is incredibly strong, so I doubt they would come. Otherwise, with one punch, they could uproot this entire tree, let alone us. If a group of Ox-headed men came, anyone in the water would just have to run, though the chances of escape would be slim. All three hundred or so candidates here would be doomed.” The group racked their brains, thinking about the various fierce beasts that might appear. Any of the ones they had encountered before were terrifying. Now, perched high up, they looked around and saw many others standing in trees, seemingly the only safe place.

“Quite perceptive.”

A voice suddenly came, seemingly from nowhere. Though it sounded close, it was elusive, like it was coming from all around, making it impossible to pinpoint its source. It vaguely sounded like a young woman.

Fu Qiruo looked around and asked, “Who spoke?” Everyone shook their heads.

“You won’t be able to find me; I am everywhere between heaven and earth.” The voice came again.

“Who are you?”

“I am the Sea Spirit Maiden.”

“So you’re called Sea Spirit Maiden. Are you in the Magical Beast Garden too?”

“Of course.”

“So you’re a candidate as well.”

“A candidate? Haha, you actually took me for a candidate, hahaha…” As the Sea Spirit Maiden laughed, a towering wave ten meters high suddenly rose from the water, crashing toward them. With no way to dodge, they were thoroughly soaked, each becoming vigilant, eyes fixed on the water like a looming threat.

Yet, the water was only covered with floating leaves, making it difficult to see what lurked beneath.

Fu Qiruo exclaimed, “If you’re not a candidate, then what are you doing here?”

“Hehe, I am an examiner.”

Xiao Gang remarked, “Certainly not good news.”

Fu Qiruo, gripping the Spirit Sword and on high alert, asked, “Are you here to oppose us?”

The voice laughed, “Hahaha… Just you few? Even with hundreds of you freshmen combined, you’re no match for me. However, my fish could use some exercise. My fish, come out!”

Lu Xiner had been silently watching the water, then suddenly extended her hands, sweeping swiftly across the water’s surface. A wave surged, rippling, and a dense mass of leaves lifted and scattered towards the distance, uncovering the water.

Fu Qiruo had been fixated on the water’s surface. With the leaves cleared, he saw a transparent shadow flicker about six or seven meters under the surface, momentarily visible before vanishing into the murky depths.

The voice continued, “Such a remarkable water mage, able to sense my presence. I underestimated you, but don’t get cocky. We’ll soon see who prevails. Farewell, enjoy your time with the fish, hahaha…” The voice drifted away, leaving no trace of its origin.

Lu Xiner asked, “Junior brother, did you see her shadow?”

Fu Qiruo replied, “I saw a transparent shadow in the water, but it disappeared in the blink of an eye. It moved so fast.”

“Hmm, my water magic sensitivity is sharp. I sensed unusual energy waves about ten meters below our feet, but I can only tell the general direction, not the exact location. I don’t know what she is exactly, but it looked like a human figure, only faster than a fish in the water.”

“Look underwater! What’s that green thing?” someone suddenly shouted.

With a wave of Lu Xiner’s hand, the leaves on the water’s surface parted again, and everyone gazed into the water. They were taken aback. Underneath, countless green creatures twisted and clumped together like thousands of tiny snakes swimming. Yu An suddenly exclaimed, “It’s a giant octopus!”

Upon closer inspection, it was indeed a giant octopus.

At that moment, two long tentacles reached for a branch near their feet. The water surface churned, and suddenly a three or four-meter-high water column rose and fell as spray rained down. Behind it, a giant octopus emerged, entirely green, with an oval head over a meter high, surrounded by dozens of densely packed tentacles. Each tentacle was as thick as an arm, five or six meters long, and they reached out, gripping nearby branches. The tentacles were covered with numerous depressions, giving them a hairy and terrifying appearance.

Instinctively, Lu Xiner stepped back a couple of paces, her heart pounding as the dozens of swaying tentacles filled everyone with fear.

Lu Xiner unleashed a Thousand Wind Blades, sending dozens of ice blades hurtling towards the octopus’s head. The octopus slightly lowered its head, and several tentacles intercepted the attack. The ice blades shattered into powder against the tentacles, leaving them unharmed. The octopus continued to move closer.

Everyone was stunned once again. The power of Lu Xiner’s level 4 mage abilities seemed to have no effect. For the first time, she felt her water magic was powerless, increasing her fear.

Fu Qiruo pondered. The ice blades from his senior sister seemed effortless, yet he knew he wouldn’t dare take them barehanded. Even with the Spirit Sword, it might not be possible. The octopus easily withstood the ice blades. Could it be familiar with wind blades? Being a water creature, it might be a water-based magical beast, naturally resistant to her water magic.

Considering this, Fu Qiruo activated dark magic, launching a few Inferno Blades at the octopus. The creature again blocked with its tentacles, but where the Inferno Blades struck, it flinched slightly, leaving visible marks. Deep green blood oozed out, and a couple of its tentacles trembled more violently as if in pain.

Fu Qiruo shouted to Lu Xiner, “Senior sister, that octopus is like a fellow disciple of yours. It doesn’t fear your ice blades but is susceptible to my Inferno Blades. However, even my Inferno Blades don’t seem to do much damage.”

Lu Xiner’s eyes lit up, “I see. I thought I had wasted years practicing my water magic.”