"What kind of nonsense are you spouting here?"
Chen Shu raised an eyebrow and kicked the man away. He was already Silver Two-Star. Was this reverse cultivation?
"Next victim... cough cough... purchaser!"
The spatial rabbit beside him twitched its ears and casually sat on the ground, appearing incredibly excited. This was truly sitting back and collecting money!
"I am from the Green family of Kuro State..."
Clay's eyes held a hint of unwillingness. He wanted to struggle a bit more, hoping his family's prestige could intimidate the other party.
"Oh?"
Chen Shu's brows shot up. He directly pulled out a butcher's knife and said calmly, "And then?"
Clay instinctively swallowed, his gaze fixed on the dark bloodstains on the knife. He didn't quite believe it was pig's blood... He straightened his body and declared loudly, "As a prominent family, we must pay for what we buy!"
He then handed over all the materials he carried, the most heartbreaking being the two True Treasures he had just acquired.
"As expected of a great family!"
Chen Shu's brows furrowed. He immediately recognized the two Silver True Treasures, which were likely the most valuable items in the entire place.
Soon, the nineteen individuals submitted their items one by one, placing their keys alongside. They felt a sense of relief knowing they had the protection of the ruins; at least their lives were guaranteed.
"That's quite a lot of stuff!"
Chen Shu raised an eyebrow. There were still a large number of materials on the ground, and the spatial rabbit's storage space was almost full.
"Old Wang, come out and pick up the money!"
As he spoke, Xiao Huang opened its mouth, and A Liang and the other two appeared on the ground. They were now protected by the ruins and wouldn't face any life-threatening danger.
"Hmm? Three Black Iron rank?"
Clay and the others were slightly taken aback but remained silent. A Liang and the others looked at the expressions of the others, then at Chen Shu's smug demeanor and the vast amount of materials on the ground, and immediately realized this was a crime scene...
Wang Jue spoke, "Chen Pi, did you rob them?"
Chen Shu shrugged and said, "What do you mean 'rob'? We just did some business!"
"..."
Wang Jue sighed, seemingly with a hint of worry, and said, "What if this gets out? Wouldn't it ruin our academy's reputation?"
Everyone's gazes converged, not expecting Chen Shu's teammate to still have a conscience! However, the next sentence made them tremble with shock!
"How about... we just silence them..."
"???"
Clay and the others scrambled to distance themselves. Even though they had protection, they still felt insecure. Were these people really students?! What kind of bandit training camp was this?
"Just kidding!"
Chen Shu looked at the others and said with a smile, "My bro is just trying to lighten the mood."
"Heh heh..."
Everyone let out awkward laughter. Was that how they made jokes?
Just then, a white mist rapidly surged, covering a hundred-meter radius.
"The passage has opened?"
Everyone was slightly startled, realizing what was happening.
"Flame Ruins, Uncle is here!"
Chen Shu rubbed his hands together, no longer engaging with the others. He stepped into the spatial passage ahead with A Liang and the others. The rest quickly followed, afraid of falling behind, lest Chen Shu make a move on them.
A wave of dizziness washed over them. Chen Shu and his group successfully arrived at the [Flame Ruins].
'Received Reward: Large amount of Beast Taming Power, Skyfire Meteorite +1'
Clearly, the previous system choice had been successfully completed. However, before Chen Shu could celebrate, he heard the sound of intense burning.
"Hmm?"
He slowly opened his eyes and cautiously observed the surrounding scene. All he saw were yellow flames, as if he were immersed in a sea of fire.
"Holy cow, no wonder there's a protection mechanism!"
Chen Shu's mouth twitched. Without the mechanism, he would have been burned to death the moment he entered. If the master died, even the most powerful contracted spirits would be useless.
"You guys should put away your contracted spirits first!"
Chen Shu quickly said. A Liang and the other two were Black Iron rank, and their contracted spirits had low fire resistance. They wouldn't be able to endure for long.
The three nodded and recalled their respective contracted spirits, leaving only Chen Shu's Slime and Husky to face the upcoming trials.
"What should we do?"
The three looked at Chen Shu in unison, awaiting his command.
"What are you looking at me for?"
Chen Shu spread his hands. He had only been to an ruin once before, and the mechanisms and rewards of each ruin were different.
"Didn't you go to a ruin before?" A Liang asked. "Do the same thing you did last time!"
"Are you sure?" Chen Shu raised an eyebrow. "Last time I buried a nuclear bomb the moment I entered."
"???"
The three's mouths twitched. They quickly said, "Don't be impulsive!" Trapped in a sea of fire, any potion would likely explode.
At that moment, the flames ahead churned and automatically parted to create a passage.
"Huh? It's opening a path?"
Chen Shu looked ahead, then glanced back at the spatial passage. By the time, the others should have arrived. But he didn't see anyone, likely having been teleported to a different location.
"Is it a squad-based assessment?" Chen Shu stroked his chin. In the previous [Ice Fire Forest] ruin, the earlier stages were solo, and only the final stage was undertaken together.
"Let's go! The rewards are coming!"
The four sat on Xiao Huang's head and rushed directly into the passage ahead. The others, as Chen Shu expected, also entered the ruin, but were in different seas of fire.
"Flame Ruins, I'm sure it will make my contracted spirits stronger!"
Clay looked at the four people beside him and said, "Listen to my commands, or don't blame the Green family for settling scores with you after we get out!"
The four accompanying strangers quickly nodded, but couldn't help but grumble inwardly: Such a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong! So meek towards the formidable bandits, but so aggressive towards them...