FRGNM -Chapter 200 It’s a Blue-Rank!

Boom! The ground trembled violently. The man with the dark expression looked at the wolf pinned to the earth and let out only a cold snort.

“What?!”

Ling Ruoxi’s pupils constricted sharply, and she sucked in a breath. Pushing aside the leaves, she saw Jiang Ling pressing down the wolf. In that instant just now, the green Dou Qi in his hands… contained blue Dou Qi!

Blue. That meant what? That meant this man was a Blue-Rank Dou Qi practitioner! Achieving Blue-Rank Dou Qi wasn’t easy. And here he was, hiding his power under the guise of a Green-Rank Dou Qi practitioner… for what purpose?

Jiang Ling wasn’t a novice; he must have been here before. His true motives were unknown.

Ling Ruoxi had intentionally lured the wolf out, sealed the movements of the jade frogs with silver needles, all to let the others see how weak they truly were—so weak that even a seven-star monster could overpower them. She had planned to make them retreat, leaving her free to focus solely on the divine beast.

But… Jiang Ling had disrupted her plan. This man was hiding his true strength, deceiving their eyes. No wonder the others spoke so arrogantly—Purple-Rank practitioners weren’t as formidable as they thought; it had all been exaggerated.

“Huh?” Jiang Ling’s expression darkened. He looked up suddenly. The empty tree trunk had nothing on it. Leaves drifted down slowly. His brows furrowed. Just now… someone was there?

Such keen perception… Jiang Ling really is no ordinary man!

A bright glint flashed in his eyes. Ling Ruoxi picked up a stone from the ground and threw it. The little rabbit running nearby fell. She skillfully cleaned it, washed it with fresh water, and roasted it over the fire.

“Number Ten, from here to the main river, it’s a full kilometer each way—two kilometers round trip. You’re quite fast,” Jiang Ling said, tossing another log on the fire. His tone was still cool, but a layer of intrigue underlined it, as if he were confirming something.

Ling Ruoxi rolled the rabbit meat in her hands and smiled. “Oh? I wasn’t there. I saw a small pool up ahead, so I cleaned it there.”

Of course, she had used her Water Spirit Pearl to create water. Because of a small depression in the ground, it resembled a tiny pool—though a little gross.

“You were lucky. Didn’t you hear anything strange out there?” Jiang Ling asked again, casually observing the roasting wolf. His questions seemed trivial but carried suspicion.

Ling Ruoxi loathed this back-and-forth deception, but now she had no choice. The eight ahead looked down on her, and they trusted Jiang Ling—not her.

“I heard some howling, but that’s normal in the deep mountains,” she replied with a smirk. “This is my first time in a forest like this. I’m a little scared. Before, I always had guards to make my bed and set up barriers. Slept really well—smelled like the forest.”

The fat man snapped. “So you got in here using money and connections! Guards to make your bed, barriers to protect your sleep! Your family must be powerful.”

“Just a small family,” Ling Ruoxi said with a laugh, flipping the rabbit over.

Jiang Ling, watching her, said lightly, “You’re skilled at roasting rabbits. Do you do this often? A rich young master shouldn’t have to do it himself.”

“I’m just greedy,” she said, smiling. “My father wouldn’t let me eat this, so I have to do it secretly. Not the best taste, but edible.” Her mind was racing—how best to handle the man in front of her?

Jiang Ling snorted, silent now, but observing. The divine beast was the priority; no mistakes could happen on this journey.

“I’m going to pee. Be back soon,” she said after finishing, standing and preparing to leave.

Jiang Ling raised an eyebrow, a faint smile on his lips. “Just so happens I’m going too. Together?”

“Uh…” Together? That would be like hitting herself in the face! She was a woman, dressed as a man. Not hiding her identity, but no need to announce it either.

“Really? You sure? Peeing in the open is… stinky,” she said, twitching at his words.

Jiang Ling’s expression changed slightly.

The fat man snorted. “If it’s just pee, she can do it here. Leaving must mean number two. Jiang Ling, let it be. Sit and rest.”

“Yeah, yeah,” everyone nodded. This time, the fat man unintentionally saved her.

But Jiang Ling tilted his eyebrows. “Just so happens I need to go too. Don’t mind?”

“Not…” Ling Ruoxi stiffened, realizing he just wanted to keep an eye on her. Yet she wondered—only one person could get the divine beast’s core. They should be fighting among themselves. If this was a team… something was off. Why was he afraid she’d run?

The wind rustled the leaves. Even dangerous forests had calm moments.

Ling Ruoxi had walked far, and if Jiang Ling hadn’t been holding her, she’d have gone further.

“Here’s far enough. Tailwind,” he said, pressing a hand to his belt, a cold smile crossing his face as he pulled down his pants.

Pfft! Ling Ruoxi almost spat blood from shock. She spun around, coughing lightly. “I just wanted to walk and clear my mind. You stay here; I’ll go check ahead.”

“Oh? What are you really investigating? You look guilty now,” Jiang Ling said, pulling his belt back on, stepping to block her.

“Investigate?” Ling Ruoxi smiled, eyes flashing. “I’ve liked using a thirty-square-meter outhouse alone since I was a kid. Using rice paper to wipe. This place is bigger, but no paper.”

Still arguing, Jiang Ling’s eyes narrowed. “Who sent you? I’ve been watching—you’re not a Green-Rank Dou Qi practitioner. You don’t even qualify as one. Why enter here and join the Gods? You’ve hidden yourself too well!”

“What do you mean hidden? I just wanted to understand the Gods and accidentally joined the contest. But you… scared? Afraid someone’s investigating? Divine beasts, even Purple-Rank, aren’t easy to control. Yet you send Green-Rank practitioners to die. Bold.”

“You!” Jiang Ling’s grip tightened on his sword, pointing at her neck. “One last chance. Who are you?”

“Me? Just arrived in the capital today. You wouldn’t know me. Using the frogs to dodge monsters, sending them to die, thinking you’ll get the core? How naive!” A sharp glint flashed. Ling Ruoxi bolted backward.

No survivors! Jiang Ling surged forward. The green Dou Qi around his sword instantly turned blue, roaring like a tiger as he slashed forward.

But as he swung, a sudden presence struck—his face changed drastically. Even Ling Ruoxi turned, eyes wide.

From the dark branches, a massive figure loomed, like a mountain. Blue-skinned, fanged, claws slicing the air. The mountains tilted in an instant. Boom! The tail slammed to the ground, shaking the earth.

Crash! Dust flew. Trees toppled. Jiang Ling’s body sank instinctively, barely dodging the fissures in the ground.

Huff! Ling Ruoxi inhaled sharply, exhaling. She retracted her silver thread, stepping onto the tree trunk, staring at the chasm ahead. That force… what power must it take? A single tail strike collapsed the ground.

But she could sense the aura—it was divine beast energy.

“Damn it! Those idiots dared provoke it and lured it out!” Jiang Ling’s eyes reddened. His black figure became a streak of lightning, charging forward.

Too fast. Ling Ruoxi’s face paled as she followed the streak.

“Quick, quick! Fatty, run! It’s chasing!”

“Damn, thought the core would be easy to get. Only one egg taken, now it’s chasing us. Run!”