Chapter 125: Cave! Exotic Beasts!

Hoo—

The ground and specks of light beneath the feet shrank rapidly, and the army‑green armed helicopter shot upward like an arrow.

It isn't Lu Jing's first time on an aircraft, but it's his first time in a military helicopter.

However, in terms of speed, it's still slower than Xiao Huo.

Lu Jing couldn't help but stare blankly, recalling Xiao Huo's figure in his mind: "I wonder how it's doing now—hopefully it hasn't been captured again?"

As the helicopter vanished into the night sky, the few people beside the barbecue stall finally lowered their heads, their necks already feeling a bit sore.

"Leng Yueyue, do you know what this plane is here to take Lu Jing for?"

Zhang Hao turned to Leng Yueyue and asked.

"It should be to attend the Dragon Imperial New Star election; the woman speaking on the helicopter just now is our training camp's chief instructor..."

Leng Yueyue's eyes sparkled, and in an admiring tone she said, "With Lu Jing representing Dongchuan Province this time, we won't be at the bottom again, right?"

Atlantis Peninsula, inside a villa.

Lu Haitao stared blankly at the phone in his hand.

Seeing his absent‑minded look while cooking in the kitchen, Feng Qinru hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? Who just called you?"

"It was the Martial Arts Association President Xu Xingwu..." Lu Haitao snapped back, his face worried, "He called to say Lu Jing was taken by the military, and that the election was moved up, I think."

"What?"

Feng Qinru frowned, "I specially bought the child's favorite vegetables today; why did they just leave without saying goodbye?"

She patted Lu Haitao's face after speaking, "It's not a bad thing. Why do you look so frightened?"

"Nothing, I'm just worried about the child…"

Lu Haitao didn't tell Feng Qinru the truth; Xu Xingwu not only informed him of the election's advancement but also said the difficulty had increased, possibly posing a life‑threatening risk.

So he called specifically to ask Lu Jing's parents for their opinion.

Lu Haitao initially refused, but after Xu Xingwu's persuasion, he finally relented.

He knows his child; no matter how dangerous, they won't retreat at the first sign of trouble.

On the whistling, speeding helicopter.

Lu Jing asked in confusion, "Instructor Dong, why so sudden? Weren't we supposed to go to Kyoto for the report tomorrow? And this route seems wrong—it's not heading toward Kyoto."

Seeing Lu Jing's curious expression, Dong Ningxue replied, "The election venue was changed at the last minute, so we no longer need to go to Kyoto."

"Then where?"

Lu Jing frowned and asked.

"The border, Cave!"

"What?" Lu Jing sat up instantly, "What is a Cave, and why have I never heard of it?"

Dong Ningxue tucked away her elegant legs from the front seat and explained, "It's normal you don't know about Caves; only Martial Artists above the Warrior Realm are authorized to know."

This world is far less safe than you think. Not only does it have the sprawling Huāngshén Cónglín covering much of Blue Star, but also fissures that can appear as Caves at any moment!"

Lu Jing's eyes flickered briefly as he listened quietly.

"The fissures of these Caves are our greatest battleground, because countless alien races appear within them. If not cleared promptly, those alien races will surge out and devour nearby humans."

"Then why do these Caves exist? Can alien races and humans not coexist peacefully?"

Lu Jing pressed further.

Dong Ningxue was speechless at Lu Jing's naïveté; she sneered, then continued, "The reason Caves appear and the truth behind alien invasions remain mysteries, unsolved to this day. Human flesh is a deadly attraction to them..."

"They feed on human flesh? That's terrifying."

Lu Jing, surprised, asked, "Then what's the difference between those alien races and Demon Beasts?"

"The difference is huge. Demon Beasts are mutated native organisms of Blue Star, whereas alien races are more like products of another world, so we also call them 'Exotic Beasts'!"

Dong Ningxue pulled up a photo on her phone, handed it to Lu Jing, and showed, "Look at the humanoid creature in this picture—that's an Exotic Beast. They usually exist in humanoid form..."

Lu Jing leaned in; the picture was clear, depicting a monster with a human body and beast head, baring its claws.

Its body was covered in pus‑filled sores, with pus constantly spouting out.

No wonder it's definitely not a Blue Star creature; this little thing looks absurdly abstract.

"This thing… looks so familiar."

Lu Jing narrowed his eyes; the Exotic Beast in the picture looked just like the Blood Lake monster they killed before.

"What, are you scared?"

Dong Ningxue saw Lu Jing's daze, smiled, and said, "I didn't ask your opinion; I just took you away. You're not thinking of forfeiting, are you?"

"Forfeiting is impossible," Lu Jing wriggled in his helicopter seat, adjusting to a comfortable posture, "The authorities would never send us to our deaths, so why should I be afraid?"

Dong Ningxue smiled and nodded, "You're quite clever. The Cave we're heading to is a low‑level B‑class Cave, not especially dangerous for you."

"Caves have different grades; could you explain them in detail?"

Lu Jing asked.

"Sure," Dong Ningxue thought for a moment and gave an analogy: "In a B‑class Cave, Martial Artists face a risk of death; in an A‑class Cave, Warriors have that risk, and so on—S‑class, SS‑class, SSS‑class."

Lu Jing, surprised, said, "There are SSS‑class Caves? Then only Dragon Imperial New Star could handle them, right?"

"In theory, yes," Dong Ningxue nodded, "But fortunately, there are only six SS‑class Caves worldwide, none of which lie within Huaguo's borders. Huaguo's highest is SS‑class, and it's not very active."

So that's how it is...

Lu Jing understood.

These Caves are like game dungeons; the higher the level, the greater the difficulty.

For Martial Artists around the Fourth Realm like them, entering a B‑class Cave, as long as they don't go too deep, poses no real danger.

Seeing Lu Jing lost in thought, Dong Ningxue smiled and said:

"Don't worry, you're the future backbone of Huaguo; we wouldn't let you risk yourselves. The B‑class Cave we're heading to has been cleared, and the Exotic Beasts inside have essentially been eradicated!"

Lu Jing frowned slightly, "Since the inside has already been cleared out, why are you bringing us there? To fight in an arena bout?"

"Definitely not, this election isn't about having you fight each other, but to see how you perform and your combat power when facing exotic beasts."

Dong Ningxue explained, "After all, the Cave and exotic beasts are your true future battlefield; those who can become Dragon Imperial New Stars aren't required to be exceptionally strong in solo combat—what matters most is their mindset and character."