Chapter 154: The Trials of Xyl (Part-19)

Alpha’s voice softened — almost amused. “I told you before, kid. It’s your duty to protect the spirits in the Valley, not absorb them. That’s not kindness. That’s responsibility.”

Lin Fang smirked faintly beneath his mask. “Yeah, well… responsibility or not, this girl’s gonna be a headache.”

As if on cue, Sun Nianxi turned and waved at him cheerfully. “Come on, Mister Alpha, we’ve still got daylight left.”

Lin Fang groaned under his breath. “Yep. Definitely a headache.”

Taking a heavy breath, he stopped mid-step and finally turned toward the persistent girl while his patience was running thin. She froze for a second, blinking at him nervously as he crossed his arms.

“Alright,” he said, his tone calm but firm. “Here’s the deal.”

Her head tilted slightly, curiosity gleaming in her eyes.

“I’ll give you two options,” Lin Fang continued. “One — you come with me. I’ll keep you safe, and in return, you’ll collect the monster heads and spirit cores for me, basically do the labor work. And you follow my commands completely. No questions, no complaints.”

He raised two fingers. “Or two — I leave you right here and disappear, and you fend for yourself.”

The forest wind rustled the leaves between them.

Sun Nianxi blinked, then grinned. “Of course I’ll go with you”

Lin Fang stared at her flatly for a moment before letting out a long sigh. “Figures.”

He reached into his pouch and tossed her a folded black robe and a wolf mask — the same kind he wore.

“Here. Wear these.”

She caught them clumsily, surprise flashing across her face. “Huh? A mask?”

“So you don’t draw attention,” he said.

Her lips parted in a faint pout, but she nodded and quickly slipped into the robe, pulling the mask down over her face.

Once she was done, Lin Fang stepped forward and placed his palm gently on top of her head.

“Hold still.”

“Huh—?”

“Activate, Genesis Pulse.”

Before she could react, a soft golden glow spread from his hand, washing over her body like a warm wave. The pain in her legs, the cuts across her arms — all of it vanished in seconds.

Her eyes widened behind the mask. “You… healed me?”

Lin Fang withdrew his hand, already turning away. “Yeah. Try not to get hurt again. Let’s go.”

“Y-Yes” she said quickly, voice full of excitement. “Right behind you, Alpha-gege”

Lin Fang sighed quietly. “Please don’t call me that. We aren’t that close. Keep it formal.”

The next day;

Sector 77;

It was the time when the sun was already dipping behind the distant cliffs.

Meanwhile, a Commander-tier monster, a jagged, horned beast resembling a rhino, fell with a guttural roar, collapsing into the grass with a thud.

Lin Fang landed in front of it with his daggers dripping with blue blood. His Mana boots slid against the dirt before he stopped cleanly.

He glanced upward. “Nianxi.”

“Coming right up.”

Her cheerful voice echoed from above as she leapt down from a tall tree, landing gracefully beside the corpse. Without hesitation, the teenager unsheathed her curved dagger and got to work. She was quite swift as she sliced through the monster’s neck and chest.

Even if Lin Fang wasn’t an expert, he could clearly see her experience in assassinations.

Lin Fang watched in silence as she pulled out the glowing spirit core, tossing it his way. He caught it and slipped it into his dimensional bag, while she carefully stored the severed head in hers.

After finishing, she twirled her pouch with a grin. “With this, I’ll definitely make Silver class. Seriously, Alpha-gege, you’re the best.”

“I told you not to talk that way…” Lin Fang smiled faintly beneath the mask but shrugged outwardly. “Just focus. Thirty hours left till the trial ends.”

As they walked toward the next clearing, Lin Fang opened his holographic interface. Rows of glowing notifications scrolled across his screen:

*Ding!

[+3,200 Coins]

[+100 Common-Grade Spirits]

[+3,400 Coins]

[+100 Common-Grade Spirits]

He couldn’t help but feel a flicker of satisfaction. After two days of hunting nonstop…

His eyes drifted to one factor in the character screen interface.

Store Balance: 948,400 coins

“Not bad,” he murmured. “One more day, and I’ll hit a million and a half.”

Alpha’s voice chuckled in his head. “You’re finally thinking like a proper hunter, kid.”

Lin Fang didn’t reply as his gaze fell on the quests list, on a certain quest that he had yet to claim the reward.

[Quest: Guardian Spirit — 100,000 Common-Grade Spirits gathered.]

[Reward: Mythical Grade Guardian Spirit (Unclaimed)]

His finger hovered over the “Claim” button. But he didn’t press it.

Instead, he quietly closed the screen.

Alpha didn’t need to ask — he already knew what Lin Fang was thinking. He was worried about the old man. Lin Fang was worried that he wasn’t far enough from that demigod class to accept this spirit.

Maybe he would feel better when he accepts it near a King Tier monster, as its powerful aura could mask his presence.

A while later;

Lin Fang stretched, and the pop of tired joints answered him. The smartwatch read 10:45 p.m. He pushed himself up, dusted his shirt, and let out a long, soft sigh.

“Let’s sleep,” he said in his usual flat voice he was maintaining in front of this teenage girl so far.

Nianxi scanned the trees and pointed at one with a wide, low branch. “How about up there? Looks sturdy.”

Lin Fang yawned, dropped onto the bare earth, and flattened out. “Why bother?” He curled an arm under his head and shut his eyes. The ground was hard; the night was colder than he expected, but after three days in the wild, you learned to sleep anywhere.

Nianxi hesitated, then sat down beside him. “I’ll look out,” she offered.

“Don’t bother.” He kept his eyes closed deliberately. “We agreed: you follow orders. Sleep.”

She huffed, cheeks puffed in mock offense. “Fine.” She lay down, pulled the robe tighter, and closed her eyes — but seconds later she was rolling left and right, restless.

Lin Fang watched her for a moment in the half-dark, then spoke without opening his eyes. “Can’t sleep?”

“Mm.” Her voice was small. “I’m not used to sleeping on the ground…”

Lin Fang turned his head, letting the moonlight catch the edge of his mask as he replied. “Want me to knock you out with a chop? You’d be down for atleast an hour or two.”

Nianxi shot him a scandalized look that didn’t hide the small smile tugging at her lips, knowing that the person was just kidding. “No thanks. I don’t want you to get arrested for attempted homicide, Mister Alpha.”

Lin Fang shook his head, letting out a smile underneath the mask before turning away and falling asleep.

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