Bai Wushang was in rags, and stumbled to get up from the ground.

At the moment of the explosion just now, he had turned around in time to rush out some distance, so he was only shaken by the aftershocks, and was basically unhurt.

Smoke was everywhere, the air was filled with the pungent smell of burning, and there were clusters of flames burning.

Bai Wushang choked on the smoke, and struggled to stare with reddened eyes at the Ghost Vine’s shriveled and largely charred body.

[Status]: Satiated/heavily wounded/lightly poisoned/lightly paralyzed/moderately burned/shivering/in a trance/…

“Good, good, just stay alive.” Bai Wushang stopped his worries.

Probably because of the unique environment of the dark forest, the flames that sputtered around didn’t spread much further, but instead became a good source of light.

Bai Wushang paced closer to the Ghost Vine, his face filled with joy.

“The days of this master personally taking the field for blood are at an end! Oh, Ghost Vine, Ghost Vine, don’t blame me. In the future, I’ll bring you the lap of luxury, and absolutely won’t treat you poorly…”

Bai Wushang rambled on, and he summoned the Book of Oaths from the vortex of soul power with a thought.

The silver-white pages clattered and flipped, a black soul seal leaping out.

He reached out and grabbed the soul seal, about to slap it at the Ghost Vine’s tattered bud.

Just then, a cloud of gray shadows suddenly fell from the air with irresistible force.

The corners of Bai Wushang’s eyes jumped, and he instinctively leaped backward.

Pa!

With a sound similar to a water balloon breaking, the gray shadow smashed down on the roots of the Ghost Vine, splashing a large amount of mud.

“A mud blast?”

Bai Wushang identified the skill as a control skill that was not too deadly but was nasty enough.

Once hit head-on by a mud blast, the mud that broke open would cling stubbornly to the victim.

If it weren’t cleaned in time, when the mud completely set, it would form a natural shackle that drastically limited the flexibility of the victim’s body.

The Ghost Vine, which was already heavily wounded, was unable to struggle at all, and at this time, the lowermost part of the main vine was all covered with mud, drying and solidifying at a visible speed.

“Don’t be afraid, fellow student. We’re here to save you!”

A fat white-haired man burst out from a bush not far away, and greeted Bai Wushang with a smile.

Behind him, a man and woman followed.

The male was tall and strong, definitely over two meters, with thick eyebrows and dark skin. He was carrying a thick, long wooden stick, his aura domineering.

The female, petite and delicate, and with short pink hair and beautiful bow ornaments visible on the top of her head, on her cuffs, and at her waist, was walking at the moment, tearing into the skewer of meat in her hand with a serious look of concentration.

Quickly scanning through the basic features of the three, Bai Wushang saw a crawling creature following at the tall man’s feet as his pupils narrowed.

The dark brown armored body, the flat head, and long muzzle, the wagging tail as it walked… it was a Swamp Crocodile!

That mud blast just now, that was its doing…

Bai Wuyou’s face gradually turned cold, and from the moment the contract was interrupted, he had a bad feeling.

“Don’t panic, don’t panic. You see, the Ghost Vine has been trapped by our mud, and is completely incapacitated. You are no longer in danger,” the fat man at the head of the group with a white quiff haircut said with an air of calmness.

“So I have you guys to thank for this?” said Bai Wushang, looking him straight in the eye.

“Hey, that’s not necessary. It wasn’t much of an effort.”

The fat white-haired man came closer to Bai Wushang’s side, and stared at the half-dead Ghost Vine, clicking his tongue.

“It’s a rare plant-type species. It’s so rare. I didn’t think there was such a great creature in the trial grounds…”

“What, you’re planning to intercept halfway and rob this Ghost Vine?”

Bai Wushang was expressionless as he asked a question in return, his eyes seemingly skimming over the Swamp Crocodile without a second thought, pausing at the words Mortal Bone, Level 6 Stars, and late-stage youth.

“How can you call it a robbery?” The fat white-haired man was displeased, and muttered, “I’m openly trying to take possession of it for myself, so be tactful and leave on your own.”

“I’ve seen shameless ones, but I’ve never seen one so shameless as you!”

Bai Wushang spat and took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled again, his voice becoming extremely calm.

“If I remember correctly, students aren’t allowed to attack each other for the first five days. Are you ready to break the rules of the trial?”

The fat white-haired man snickered, and pointed at the Ghost Vine, making an innocent expression.

“Why would we? Did you see us attack you?”

“If we really wanted to kill you, wouldn’t it be good to wait until you were halfway through the contract, and then sneak up on you?”

After saying that, the fate white-haired man stopped being playful, and instead stared at Bai Wushang’s eyes aggressively, and said, “My name is Shi Bailong, Shi of Taishi¹, the Ba in domineering, and Long in dragon king. To put it plainly, I have my eyes on this Ghost Vine. Thank you for crippling it, but you can forget about the contract. It’s mine now. Please leave!”

Bai Wushang’s gaze was icy cold, and the fat white-haired man stared at him without the slightest fear, but a stifled breath in Bai Wushang’s chest was extremely unbearable.

My fault. It’s my fault for not being cautious enough, knowing that there are others in this dark forest…

Forget it. It’s useless to think about that now. Calm down, calm down. Now that things have come to this point, what should I do? The injuries on my body aren’t severe, but they’re definitely not light, either. The three of them, and the Swamp Crocodile…

Bai Wushang thought as hard as he could.

I definitely can’t fight alone. Not to mention whether I can win, as long as I strike first, he can counterattack on the grounds of self-defense, so I would be the one who broke the rules. The final result, no matter what, is my loss. It’s not worth it…

How about I take a gamble? Preempt the contract of Ghost Vine in front of them? The process of contracting the pet at the low end is less than 10 seconds, and at the high end, it’s more than a few minutes… Alas… forget it. This method is not reliable. In case it is interrupted, the consequences of mental backlash are more serious. I would rather give up the contract than take such a risk…

But… just give it to them? I won’t give in like this. I wasted so much energy and time, used so many materials and props, and even suffered injuries, with only one last step to go!

After a moment of silence, Bai Wushang lifted his head, his eyes somewhat bloodshot, and slowly said, “You should know that forcing a contract on a pet that you aren’t personally involved in subduing, even if you manage to succeed, the fit between the human and the pet would be very low. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“That’s not for you to bother with.” Shi Balong waved his hand, not caring. “Ghost Vine is a rare species, and even if I force a contract, I’ll still make a solid profit!”

“Fine, since you want it, I’ll give it to you!” Bai Wushang turned around swiftly, and was about to leave.

“Haha, that’s right. We are all students who love each other and should help each other! Seeing that you are so badly injured, we have quite a lot of herbs; we can share some with you—”

Before he finished his words, Shi Balong’s face froze when he saw Bai Wushang pull out a short spear.