Chapter 1338: Three Balls in Hand

The Begonia Squad wasn't just one casualty; Begonia herself and the remaining member were also seriously wounded. If the situation hadn't changed so quickly, had the Western late-stage cultivator been given a little more time, he could have wiped out the entire Begonia Squad. This clearly demonstrated his formidable strength.

But now, that was no longer an option. He was all alone, and despite his late-stage cultivation, he couldn't fight eight opponents, especially since one of them was a person he couldn't fathom. To this day, he still couldn't understand how Lu Ye had managed to kill his mid-stage companion with a single strike. His companion's underestimation of the enemy was certainly part of the reason, but the opponent's formidable underlying strength was likely the main factor.

Watching the eight Eastern cultivators regroup and transport the spirit orb towards their main camp, the late-stage cultivator sighed, realizing he couldn't stop them. Although he could still harass them and slow down the Eastern team's spirit orb transport, how much impact could he really have by himself? Furthermore, if he were to actually do that, he would put himself at risk. For a late-stage cultivator like him to die here would be an enormous loss of face.

Before the exercise, he and everyone in the West had only considered the South their main enemy, completely overlooking the East. But now, it seemed the quiet ones were the biters. The East had silently produced such a strange individual, and he felt it was necessary to re-evaluate the threat posed by the East.

With his keen eye, he naturally saw that Lu Ye was not from the Dwarf Clan, because Lu Ye showed no signs of using spirit talismans during the combat, and his fighting style was purely that of a soldier-cultivator. This was undoubtedly an external helper found by the East. A Constellation-stage early-phase cultivation was within the rules and beyond reproach.

From a distance, he called out, "Friend, what is your name?"

Lu Ye naturally knew he was being addressed. Without turning his head, he replied, "Lu Ye!"

The Western late-stage cultivator nodded slightly and introduced himself, "Ye Chaoqun!"

With that, he turned and left decisively. Staying there alone was useless; it would take a long time for his fallen Western companions to rejoin the fight. He could only place his hopes on the South, anticipating their forces would arrive to impede the East. However, it seemed unlikely now, as the South had just finished placing their spirit orb. Even if they rushed at full speed, they wouldn't arrive in time.

In the mysterious mist space, the three Sun-Gazing cultivators remained silent. This scene had persisted for some time. The sight they had just witnessed was simply too astonishing. As they watched, six Western cultivators pursued the Eastern team transporting the spirit orb. They had expected to see the Eastern side annihilated and the spirit orb seized, but the situation unfolded completely differently from their predictions. In just fifty breaths, only one late-stage cultivator remained alive among the six Westerners; the other five, including two mid-stage cultivators, had been killed. In contrast, the seemingly vulnerable Eastern team had only lost one early-stage cultivator. Such a casualty ratio could only be described as a complete victory for the East.

Not to mention the Sun-Gazing cultivators from the South and West, who were dumbfounded, even the three from the East found it hard to believe. The root of it all lay with one particular early-stage Constellation cultivator from the East. In the manifestation of the combat exercise space, wherever the light point representing this individual moved, death followed. Especially the scene where a mid-stage Western cultivator was killed with a single blow upon their first encounter was truly inconceivable.

After a long silence, a Western Sun-Gazing cultivator finally spoke gravely, "Brother Chen, your East has truly hidden its strength well. When did such a promising talent emerge?"

Even without knowing the specific combat details within the Black Abyss, the Sun-Gazing cultivators could infer that this unique early-stage Constellation cultivator possessed the ability to defeat opponents of a higher cultivation level. Defeating opponents of a higher level is common when cultivators are at lower cultivation stages; the lower the cultivation, the easier it is to achieve this. Conversely, the higher the cultivation, the more difficult it becomes, as each stage requires significant time for accumulation and refinement. For a Constellation-stage cultivator to still be able to defeat opponents of a higher level was unprecedented in the history of the Dwarf Clan. That such a promising talent appeared in the East sparked admiration, but even more envy, among the Western Sun-Gazing cultivators.

Zhu Lao'er from the South also did not stint on praise: "What's even more remarkable is that this young man is not only exceptionally strong but also very resourceful!"

A Western Sun-Gazing cultivator, clearly annoyed, scoffed, "Are you saying you, Zhu Lao'er, could discern all this from across a spatial barrier?"

Zhu Lao'er chuckled, "Then why did only six of your Western cultivators pursue the East?"

The Sun-Gazing cultivator replied, "Naturally, three of them were trapped!"

"Who trapped them?" Zhu Lao'er asked again.

The Sun-Gazing cultivator pondered for a moment, then suddenly understood.

Zhu Lao'er explained, "This young man must have planned it all out from the start, determined to seize this sixth spirit orb. That's why he used methods earlier to trap three of your Western cultivators. This way, your remaining six Western cultivators were entangled with the South, who were transporting their spirit orb, preventing a quick victory and serving to buy time. When the sixth spirit orb appeared, the East could seize the initiative. Our South was preoccupied, and your Western youngsters, being overconfident, only sent six to pursue. The East could then launch a counterattack and secure victory! Your Western juniors, they fell right into his trap from the very beginning."

The Western Sun-Gazing cultivator was furious. "Do you think I don't understand? Do I need you to explain it!"

Zhu Lao'er paid him no mind and looked at Chen Xuanhai. "Regardless, I still want to congratulate you, Brother Chen."

Chen Xuanhai grunted sullenly and transmitted a message to Su Yuqing: "Fellow Daoist Su, this young man Lu is so formidable. Why didn't you tell me earlier? You had this old man worried sick."

How could Su Yuqing have known how formidable Lu Ye was? When she first saw the lineups of the South and West, she had thought the East would once again finish last. Who knew such a turn of events would occur? But if things truly unfolded as Zhu Lao'er explained, then Lu Ye had indeed put considerable thought into this exercise. What seemed like merely trapping three Western cultivators was actually preparation for the upcoming spirit orb contention. Since the South was transporting their spirit orb, when a new one appeared, the East's only opponent would be the West! Eliminating three of the opposing forces beforehand was preparation for the subsequent struggle. This kind of foresight was something the cultivators of their own clan simply lacked.

She understood in her heart that the request she had made of him earlier must have put pressure on him. She also felt a bit annoyed. Was this young man truly so unwilling to stay at Fangcun Mountain? Why was he trying so hard?

Currently, the East had secured three spirit orbs. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they would at least rank second. And judging by the course of the recent major battle, the East was not without qualification to contend for first place. If they could truly secure first place, the East would undoubtedly redeem itself. Not only did Su Yuqing have some pleasant fantasies, but Chen Xuanhai and Wu Qimo also let their imaginations run wild. They finally understood why Su Yuqing had such high hopes for Lu Ye and had even resorted to such means. Now, it seemed Su Yuqing's efforts were worthwhile, as she had indeed brought a formidable general to their clan.

At the Eastern main camp, the third spirit orb was placed. Everyone cheered and rejoiced, highly invigorated. They had never imagined that, under these circumstances, the East would manage to secure three spirit orbs. This undoubtedly meant the East had essentially locked in a second-place ranking. Initially, everyone had only hoped not to lose too badly. Not only had they achieved that, but they had even exceeded their expectations.

Everyone knew who deserved the most credit and turned to look at Lu Ye, their faces filled with gratitude. It was only after the recent battle that everyone truly understood how powerful this external helper, invited by their clan, was. They all sighed with emotion, realizing that the Sun-Gazing uncles' discernment was indeed extraordinary!

Begonia reappeared, having been reborn. She had been severely wounded in the previous battle, so after returning to the main camp, she chose to self-destruct and be reborn. This way, all her previous injuries would disappear. Of course, the consumed spiritual power could not be recovered, and rebirth itself consumed a significant amount of spiritual power. Therefore, in the Black Abyss, cultivators would not casually choose to be reborn unless they were killed or their injuries significantly impaired their performance, lest their spiritual power deficiency affect subsequent battles. Her teammate was reborn along with her.

"Junior Brother Lu, do you think we should now defend our current achievements, or should we press on?"

The Black Abyss combat exercises typically involved two phases: offense and defense. In the early stage, contending for spirit orbs was the offensive part. Once the number of secured spirit orbs neared the predetermined goal, it was time to defend. This way, by leveraging the unique rules of the Black Abyss, they would generally not lose the achievements they had seized, unless the other two factions allied to attack.

Previously, when Begonia sought Lu Ye's opinion, she would secretly transmit her thoughts, primarily considering the reactions of their clan members. After all, Lu Ye was not from the Dwarf Clan, even though his ostensible identity was Begonia's Dao companion. As the ostensible leader, if Begonia herself lacked sufficient decisiveness, it would affect troop morale and spirit. But now, there was no need for secrecy. After the recent battle, everyone in the East had personally witnessed Lu Ye's capabilities. They naturally knew that whatever decisions Begonia made or whatever tactics she set, they would invariably revolve around Lu Ye.

Lu Ye said, "Senior Sister Begonia, you can decide. I'll follow your arrangements." In his heart, he inclined towards holding their main camp, which would allow him to safely complete Su Yuqing's task. However, this was ultimately an internal struggle for the Dwarf Clan, and it was a critical moment that would determine the East's future for the next fifty years. As an outsider, it was inappropriate for him to offer decisive advice.

Begonia also understood this and fell into contemplation.

Lu Ye turned his head and looked around, meeting numerous fervent gazes. He smiled faintly and said, "Regardless of what we do next, restoring our spiritual power is the most important thing." His words served as a wake-up call. Everyone had been so caught up in the excitement of securing three orbs that they had completely forgotten this crucial detail. Upon hearing him, they quickly sat cross-legged and took out spirit jades and elixirs to recover.

Huang Li and Xu Xinghe walked up together and bowed in unison.

Lu Ye asked, puzzled, "What is this for?"

Huang Li said earnestly, "Senior Brother Lu, please rest assured. If there are any more battles, neither of us will make any mistakes again!"

Only then did Lu Ye understand that they were apologizing for what had happened earlier. The situation then was truly due to their overwhelming shock and mental disturbance, which caused their reactions to be a half-beat slow and unable to keep pace with Lu Ye. In combat, such errors could potentially be fatal.

Lu Ye patted both of their shoulders and said, "Let's work hard together!"