Originated from mountains and seas, life never ends

Chapter 334 Destined to be Difficult

"I heard that you and Mo Hanyu are together? Is it true?"

"……real."

Qin Xiao had an expressionless face as he looked at Xia Wule, who was looking at him with a look of surprise, and sighed in his heart.

He was still having breakfast at this time, and it was not yet eight o'clock. This was the third time he had confirmed it to himself.

Miao Kaijie...this kid is quite talkative.

Qin Xiao rubbed his brows and turned his eyes to look at Xia Wu: "Why do you ask this?"

Xia Wu paused: "Isn't this just caring about you? Haha..."

"Is there a bet?" Mo Hanyu walked over from behind, put down the plate, and said with a smile.

Xia Wu was shocked: "You all know?"

Qin Xiao: "Know what?"

Mo Hanyu smiled and said, "I know almost everything."

Qin Xiao turned to look at him. Mo Hanyu blinked at him twice, a smile in his eyes, but did not answer.

Xia Wule's whole body was tense, and his vigilant eyes moved around between the two of them.

"Why are you so nervous? I won't eat you." Mo Hanyu laughed.

Seeing that the two were not angry, Xia Wuliao gradually felt relieved: "Oh... I was just joking, but I didn't expect the back to be so big."

"Making fun of other people's feelings is quite boring." Qin Xiao picked up the meat slices on the plate and chewed slowly. "How big is it?"

"Well...it's just..." Xia Wuliao rolled his eyes, realizing he wasn't to blame, so he continued, "You know, Mo Hanyu's appearance attracts a lot of attention wherever he goes, so naturally, many people in school will pay attention to him. Plus, he was acting abnormally those few days...so when they found out the reason, they were all very surprised!"

"Why?" Qin Xiao asked, leaning back in his chair.

"Because we can't imagine that someone could refuse Mo Hanyu with his looks." Xia Wuliao thought of something funny and joked, "We are all curious about how you could have the heart to do it."

"Why wouldn't I be so sorry about this?" Qin Xiao didn't understand and took a sip of the milky white soy milk. "I heard that Yin Xihui was the banker? Wasn't that the one who opened the game?"

"...Ahem."

Xia Wuliao wanted to fool around, so he turned his head to meet Mo Hanyu's half-smile, his mouth twitching a few times. Adhering to the idea of "I'd rather die than let my friend die", he nodded sincerely: "Yes, it's him."

Qin Xiao nodded and said nothing. Xia Wuliao stared at him nervously: "What do you want to do?"

"No, just asking." Qin Xiao chuckled, without a trace of anger on his face. Xia Wule was covered in goosebumps.

"Ah... let me tell you something, the competition date is coming soon, so be careful and don't get hurt." Xia Wule decided to change the subject and said.

"I see." Qin Xiao nodded. "So who are you going to send in the first round?"

"Because the rules say each team can only send five people... That place must be huge and chaotic." Xia Wuliao crossed his arms, feeling a little annoyed when talking about this. "And I heard it might be dangerous, so we must send strong people."

Qin Xiao: "So?"

"Is Shen Youge participating?" Mo Hanyu suddenly asked.

"...I don't want him to participate." Xia Wuliao glanced at him. "He has a physical disability. Even if he forces himself to stand, he can only last a few hours. But there is no time limit for the first round. It lasts until the elimination."

Mo Hanyu understood and said nothing more.

"I actually wanted Huaiqiu and the other mid-level warriors to participate. Even if they can't hold on to the end, they can still gain something from the battle." Xia Wuliao frankly said what he was thinking. "Also, I'm worried that if something unexpected happens, there will be a high-level one to back me up."

"Then why don't you just not participate?" Qin Xiao swallowed the last bit of food and said, "If I remember correctly, you've already stepped halfway into the Earth Realm, which is enough to cover your losses."

"...but I don't know who to send." Xia Wule frowned with some worry. "The first round will decide whether or not someone will be eliminated. Everyone will definitely send out some pretty powerful characters. I'm worried..."

"Actually, there's no need to worry too much, Senior Sister." Mo Hanyu wiped his mouth. "You're just like the dean. You always like to shoulder responsibilities that don't belong to you. That's not good."

Xia Wule: "Actually, I didn't either—"

"I think this is an easy decision." Qin Xiao and Mo Hanyu exchanged glances and said, "Gather everyone and let them make the decision themselves."

Xia Wule frowned slightly, then nodded after a moment.

"Then... let's do this."

……

"Let us decide for ourselves whether to go for the first round?"

Miao Kaijie seemed a little surprised, pointed at himself, and then collapsed on the soft sofa behind him, smiling, as if thinking about something.

After chatting with Qin Xiao, Xia Wule immediately gathered everyone to discuss in the house rented by the dean.

The house where the dean lives is similar to the one Yuhua arranged for Qiu Puryue when she participated in the Magic Moon Competition. It has three floors, a courtyard and a small natural bathing pool.

At this moment, everyone was sitting in the first-floor lobby. In the center of the hall was a circular pink couch with a hollowed-out center, allowing people to sit in a circle. In the middle, a round table and several plates of snacks were placed, making it feel like a gathering.

Xia Wuliao ate the melon seeds that the dean had just brought over and nodded. "Yes, after much thought and Qin Xiao's suggestion, we finally decided to let you decide for yourself whether to go or not."

The dean brought the washed fruit, pulled out a small sofa and sat beside it, listening to the discussion.

"Is this a complicated decision? Is it worth your pondering so hard?" Yin Xi said with a smile.

Xia Wule: ...

Xia Wuliao looked at him with a smile, gritting his teeth: "If it's that simple, then make a decision quickly."

Yin Xihui chuckled twice and did not answer.

"Senior thinks this is dangerous, so we need to be cautious." Qin Xiao glanced at Yin Xihui, "I think so too. Besides, I haven't come into contact with memory-type mustard seed fragments yet, so I don't have much confidence."

Qin Xiao's words surprised several people, especially Miao Kaijie.

"There are still things you're unsure of." Miao Kaijie said in surprise, "Then we're doomed."

Having said that, he still looked nonchalant.

"So, you're not going to play in the first round?" Yin Xihui got a teacup from somewhere, slowly shook the wall of the cup, and looked at the swaying and floating tea leaves.

"No." Qin Xiao looked at him, his gaze inexplicably making Yin Xi feel uneasy. "I'm ready to go."

"Me too." Mo Hanyu leaned slightly against Qin Xiao, resting his arm on Qin Xiao's shoulder, and chuckled, "After all, there's nothing to be afraid of."

Qin Xiao looked at him. Mo Hanyu turned back and met his gaze, smiling faintly, as radiant as a spring flower.

Qin Xiao's eyes darkened slightly, and he said nothing.

"That's not necessarily true." Yin Xihui said with a smile.

"It seems you have some news." Mo Hanyu turned to look at him, his eyes slightly fixed.

Yin Xihui didn't deny it, but said, "From what I know, the first round is very dangerous for us, and it may even cost our lives... You should think carefully before making a decision."

"what do you know?"

Xia Wuliao and the dean's expressions suddenly became serious and they stared at him.

"It's still uncertain... but there's news that someone is secretly contacting other academies or sects, and has reached some kind of agreement behind the scenes. It seems they want to do something to us." Yin Xihui smiled and shook his head. "Although I don't know the exact information, this is my rough guess. They might do something in the first round of the melee. The worst result is just death in the mustard seed fragments, right?"

"What will happen if you die in the fragments?" Qin Xiao asked.

"It's nothing. The body is annihilated like dust, and the soul is forever trapped in that fragment. Unless someone with the ability can completely shatter that mustard seed fragment, there is no way to get out of there." Yin Xihui smiled, "Also, if the soul is trapped for a certain period of time, it will be disintegrated and become part of the fragment and merge with it."

Hearing a certain word, Mo Hanyu suddenly squeezed Qin Xiao's arm. Qin Xiao glanced at him, and although he was puzzled, he patted him twice in a soothing manner.

"...Even so, do you still want to go?" Yin Xihui looked at Qin Xiao and asked.

"Go ahead." Qin Xiao didn't waver at all, his eyes remained indifferent, and his voice was steady. "You have to participate anyway, definitely—"

"——How about we withdraw from the competition?"

The silent dean suddenly spoke and looked at everyone.

Everyone was stunned, some were surprised, some were confused.

“? Why?” Qin Xiao was puzzled.

Xia Wule didn't say anything, but looked at the dean with calm and complicated eyes.

"Because... there's no need for that." The dean pulled the corners of his mouth, as if trying to reveal a soothing smile, but unfortunately the effect was poor. "It doesn't matter even if it's disbanded. As long as we're alive, that's all that matters."

"From the very beginning, I created this academy to give children like Wu Liao a choice, a way to survive... Now that you have the ability to live on your own, there is really no need to waste your lives on such a competition... right?"

Xia Wu Le's brows were furrowed so tightly that he could almost pinch an ant to death, but he remained silent.

"Why do you think I'm wasting my life?" Qin Xiao was puzzled. "It's all in the mustard seed fragments. Every participant will take this risk. If they can accept it, then so can I."

"But..." The dean looked at him and wanted to refute, "What if something happens to you? My current cultivation level is not as good as yours. It is extremely difficult to crush that thing. I-"

"So, you think you can't cover for us?" Qin Xiao seemed to understand and glanced at Xia Wu, who had a complicated expression. "But I never need a cover."

"Me too." Mo Hanyu immediately followed with a smile.

"...Actually, I don't need it either." Miao Kaijie thought for a moment, then raised his hand with a smile, his eyes squinting. "Then why don't I go too? Since there's a risk, I can still take care of it."

Chen Mo glanced at him and said, "I can do that too."

The dean frowned, clearly disapproving of their seemingly hasty decision: "Calm down, this isn't the time to be so righteous. If something unexpected really happens—"

"Haven't there been constant accidents since we were notified to participate? It's endless." Qin Xiao said sadly.

"Yeah, I'm also a little annoyed by these capricious rules." Miao Kaijie said, looking at Chen Mo, "Do you really want to participate?"

Chen Mo hummed, "We are both of high rank, so I can take care of you."

"Then I won't get involved." Yin Xihui suddenly spoke, ignoring Qiu Puryue's surprised look, and said with a smile, "After all, I'm only at the intermediate level, and the risk is too great, so I won't get involved."

Qin Xiao was not surprised by Yin Xihui's decision and just nodded slightly.

Qiu Puyue hesitated: "Then I——"

"You can leave now. Just watch from outside with Senior Xia and the others." Miao Kaijie said with a smile, "It'll just be the four of us."

"...If the situation is really serious, even life-threatening, just admit defeat." Xia Wule was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "When you enter the fragment, everyone will be given a jade slip. If you admit defeat, just crush it and we will take you out in an instant."

"Okay, okay..." Miao Kaijie nodded in response, not nervous at all.

Qiu Puyue hesitated to speak, glancing at Lan Huaiqiu. Lan Huaiqiu, who was frowning and pursing his lips, suddenly spoke: "I want to go too."

"Just forget it." Without waiting for Xia Wule to react, Miao Kaijie spoke first.

"Yin Xihui already said it's dangerous, why are you doing this?"

Lan Huaiqiu: "But you are not—"

"We are all high-ranking." Miao Kaijie explained with a smile, "And it might not be that dangerous. Let's go check it out first. He said we have the jade slips so we can escape at any time. Don't worry, we will definitely escape if the situation gets bad."

Miao Kaijie said, winking at Qin Xiao: "Right."

Qin Xiao was stunned, then met Lan Huaiqiu's gaze and nodded: "Yes, I will definitely run away if I encounter danger."

"That's what I mean. We are not fools." Miao Kaijie spread his hands with a casual attitude, obviously not taking the matter to heart.

Seeing that they had made up their minds, the dean didn't know what to say. He glanced at Shen Youge, who had been silent, and his face showed worry.

Shen Youge nodded his finger, and facing the Dean's worried gaze, he smiled slightly: "The path of cultivation is destined to be difficult, and life and death situations are often encountered. There is no need to worry too much."

Shen Youge glanced at Qin Xiao, then at Mo Hanyu beside him, and smiled meaningfully: "Perhaps the more dangerous the situation, the more it can stimulate their potential."

"Yes, yes, and we will definitely gain something from this trip. You don't have to worry, Dean." Miao Kaijie said with a smile.

Seeing this, the dean no longer insisted. Having said that, if he still refused, it would seem like he was singing a different tune.

Potential?

Qin Xiao tilted his head slightly and frowned in thought.

It's not like he hasn't been in danger before, so he naturally understands the thrill of being on the verge of life and death. If he thinks about it carefully, he will indeed have some insights at that moment or before, and sometimes he can even comprehend some new skills.

If this time is really as dangerous as Yin Xihui said... as long as we survive, we will definitely gain something.

Qin Xiao glanced at Mo Hanyu. Mo Hanyu seemed to have sensed something and kept looking at him. When he turned his head, he smiled at him.

Qin Xiao noticed that his knuckles were clenched again, but he did not refuse and reached back to hold the slightly cold hand.