Night slowly descended.
Some contestants hurriedly tried to start a fire, while others only realized their stomachs were growling and that they hadn't prepared any food at all.
Tianlan, however, had already kindled his fire in just a few swift moves and was now leisurely savoring the roast chicken he had prepared that afternoon.
Jianchen, on the other hand, had managed to catch a wild boar before dark and was now preparing to roast it over the fire.
Xuan Ye was even more prepared—he had sealed a wild pheasant inside a barrier spell earlier that afternoon. When night fell, he merely cast a small flame spell on a pile of twigs, and the campfire sprang to life with ease.
Tingshi, Cangyu, and Yan Lie each caught one rabbit and two pigeons and were busy lighting their own fires.
Lielian was different. Before nightfall, she had shot down a pigeon with magic for her meal. Now she hid inside a small cave. She didn't make a fire—instead, she used magic to warm her body, quietly resting in silence.
Yingci remained hidden in the darkness.
He had been tailing a contestant for quite some time. Just as that person finished roasting his meat and was about to take his first bite, a flash of cold light swept across the night—
A broken blade slashed through his throat. Blood splattered under the flickering firelight.
Elsewhere, Kuangyan used a different tactic. As soon as night fell, he charged straight toward the nearest fire, drove away its original "owner," and took over the spoils.
Jinghao, meanwhile, was drawn by the aroma of roasting meat.
He descended from above, landing right in front of Jianchen.
"Yo, Jianchen," Jinghao greeted with a grin. "It's you. I'm starving—mind sharing some of that meat?"
Jianchen didn't even look up. "One gold coin."
"What?!" Jinghao exclaimed. "One gold coin?!"
"What, you don't want it? Then get lost."
Jinghao's stomach growled in protest. He sighed in defeat. "Fine, fine! I'll take it!"
So, with tears in his eyes, he gnawed on the roast meat while muttering, "So good… T.T Don't worry, I'll stand guard for you tonight!"
But not long after midnight, his loud snores echoed through the jungle like a hibernating bear.
Veins bulged on Jianchen's forehead as his temples throbbed. He clenched his jaw, hand gripping his sword's hilt, thinking—
"Should I just eliminate him right now?"
In the end, he swallowed his anger and silently moved aside.
From the spectators' stands, Sword Saint Clan Head Yao Feng glared at Fist Royal Clan Head Zhen Yue.
"Your son's version of 'standing guard' is this?!"
Zhen Yue chuckled awkwardly. "Haha… I think he meant to help, just got a little too tired! My bad, brother!"
The other clan heads burst into laughter.
"So it's a 'buy one roast, get one guard' deal? Hahaha!"
Meanwhile, deep in the jungle, a giant gorilla quietly sat on a tree trunk, munching on a banana—
Because it didn't know how to make fire.
By now, some audience members had begun leaving their seats.
Some planned to have dinner or take a bath before coming back; others decided to return the next morning. A few, not wanting to miss anything exciting, simply prepared to camp out in the stands.
Among the nine clan heads, Fengyu and Hongjin chose to dine together.
Hongjin smiled gracefully. "Staying up late is bad for the skin. Come, Fengyu—let's have a nice dinner."
She rose elegantly and left. Soon, the other clan heads followed suit, leaving only Youying, Zhen Yue, and Kuangchen behind.
Everyone else went to rest, while Cangsong took over maintaining the barrier and inspecting its stability.
As for the three who remained, Youying was accustomed to the night; Zhen Yue and Kuangchen, thanks to their strong bodies and willpower, could easily go several days without sleep.
In the early hours before dawn, the lurking contestants finally made their move.
They crept silently toward those who were asleep, daggers glinting faintly in the dark.
Some cautious ones remained half-awake, their bodies resting but their minds alert; the inexperienced, however, couldn't sleep at all—haunted by fear and chilled by the night air.
Every rustling leaf, every whispering breeze became an unbearable noise, amplifying their anxiety.
Worse still, some never even managed to start a fire and could only curl up, shivering.
Yet, in this dark forest, two slept soundly.
One was the "guard-type sleeper," Jinghao;
The other was Xuanye—who had eaten well, set up double barriers, and now slept in complete safety.
An assassin, drawn by Jinghao's snoring, crept toward him.
He drew his dagger, holding his breath as he approached.
Jianchen, half-asleep and clutching his sword, sensed the movement—but when he saw the intruder's target wasn't himself, he quietly sheathed his blade.
The assassin crouched beside Jinghao, sneering inwardly.
"Sleeping this deeply, even here?
So much for the proud heirs of the nine clans—they have their flaws too."
The dagger gleamed coldly as it descended—
Then suddenly—BAM!
A heavy punch smashed straight into the assassin's face, sending him flying several meters away.
He clutched his face, stammering, "H-how… how is that possible…?!"
Jinghao slowly sat up, his gaze calm as he watched the attacker flee into the dark.
Jianchen asked, "Not chasing him?"
Jinghao shook his head. "Chasing an assassin in the dark is foolish. Who knows what traps he's laid? Let him go."
Then he started to lie back down.
"Go. Stand. Guard."
Jianchen's blade pressed against his chin, voice dripping with menace.
Jinghao raised both hands with an awkward grin. "Alright, alright! I'm up!"
Meanwhile, ambushes erupted throughout the jungle.
The weaker contestants were swiftly eliminated.
A few, like Jinghao, managed to fight back—but even they were left shaken, haunted by the fear of what lurked in the dark.
By dawn, they were all visibly drained.
Tianlan too faced an attempted ambush.
As the assassin approached, Tianlan calmly flicked a pebble toward the hidden direction—
A silent warning: I know you're there.
Realizing he'd been discovered, the assassin had no choice but to retreat.
From the spectator stands, Youying remarked, "Smart. Not only did he detect the assassin, he even pinpointed the direction.
Just one stone avoided an unnecessary fight. For assassins, once the target is aware, the mission is as good as failed—especially if it means revealing their location."
Zhen Yue nodded. "Indeed. He's far exceeding expectations."
Kuangchen remained silent, simply watching intently.
The sun slowly rose.
Tianlan sprinted toward a large boulder, moved aside the grass and stones beneath it, revealing a hidden cave entrance.
He had found the natural cave when he first entered the barrier and covered it with foliage and rocks for concealment.
Now he crawled inside and sealed the entrance once more.
At night, he hadn't dared to light a fire too close to the cave, fearing it would reveal his shelter. But now that morning had come, he could finally rest safely for a few hours.
Meanwhile, Yao Feng returned to the control hall and relieved Zhen Yue from his shift.
Zhen Yue briefed him on the events of the night.
After listening, Yao Feng sighed lightly.
"As expected… he's well-versed in wilderness survival. Looks like he had everything planned from the moment he entered the barrier."
Three hours later, Tianlan woke up, rubbing his eyes.
"Alright," he muttered to himself,
"First, food. Chicken… or rabbit?
"After I eat, I'll decide what to do next—this, or maybe that…"
(To be continued)