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Chapter 10: The Iron Tree Blossoms

Chapter 10: Chapter 10: The Iron Tree Blossoms

When the fissures were completely enveloped in blue light, the seawater began to seethe like boiling water.

The surging waves caught everyone’s falling bodies. Xu Qingsui, the only one still on the stone pillar, was even lifted into midair.

Realizing the situation had changed and that they might not die here after all, everyone slowly opened their eyes.

But before they could get a clear view of the situation, the roiling waves once again swept them up.

Like a rollercoaster, they suddenly accelerated before plunging downward.

SMACK!

In an instant, they were all slammed hard onto a solid surface.

The violent impact made it feel as if their internal organs had been scrambled.

For Xu Qingsui and the one or two Sentinels with weaker physiques, even breathing brought indescribable pain.

As the one with the greatest Physical Ability, Lu Jingyu was in the best condition.

After just a moment to catch his breath, he was able to rise steadily to his feet.

He didn’t even realize it himself, but his gaze immediately locked onto Xu Qingsui, as if on a homing beacon.

The moment he saw her pale, pained expression, he was by her side in an instant.

As if handling a priceless and fragile artifact, he gingerly helped her up.

"How are you? Can you stand?"

With his support, Xu Qingsui managed to get up. Feeling the discomfort wracking her body, she gave a wry smile. "I’m okay. No serious injuries, but this is definitely going to hurt for a while."

A flash of pain flickered in Lu Jingyu’s eyes, and his movements grew even more cautious.

But just as Xu Qingsui straightened up, the sea began to seethe once more.

The water surged beneath them, flinging everyone into the air again with even more force than before.

Sensing she was about to endure the same ordeal, Xu Qingsui’s face fell. ’Looks like I’m in for another world of hurt,’ she thought.

Just as she was wondering how to lessen the pain, a broad, strong hand wrapped around her lower back.

Before she could react, the owner of the hand used the momentum to pull her into his embrace.

Xu Qingsui met Lu Jingyu’s eyes. He decisively tightened his grip, spun them around, and angled his own back toward the ground.

’What is he trying to do?’

In her moment of hesitation, they began to fall again.

As they drew closer to the seafloor, Xu Qingsui’s eyes widened in realization.

’He’s going to use himself as a cushion for me!’

The very moment she realized his intention, they slammed into the ground again.

Judging by their momentum, the force of this impact was even greater than the last.

But because the body beneath her absorbed most of the blow, Xu Qingsui was only lightly jolted.

Lu Jingyu’s face, now beneath hers, was visibly paler than before.

Xu Qingsui scrambled off him and helped him up.

"You... You didn’t have to do that!"

Although the blow wasn’t life-threatening for Lu Jingyu, Xu Qingsui was deeply moved that he had used his own body to shield her from harm.

Seeing that Xu Qingsui was unharmed, Lu Jingyu inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

He waved it off with a casual expression. "Don’t worry about it. You’ve saved me so many times. It’s the least I could do."

With that, Lu Jingyu stood up and started looking for his teammates.

But it seemed their predicament wasn’t finished with them yet.

The waves surged again, subjecting them to several more freefalls like a drop tower ride.

And each time, Lu Jingyu repeated his earlier action, taking the impact for Xu Qingsui.

Eventually, he just kept Xu Qingsui held tight in his arms, constantly ready for the next sudden upheaval.

After all the ups and downs, Xu Qingsui, the one with the weakest physique, ironically ended up the least injured.

Conversely, Lu Jingyu, the one with the strongest physique, now showed faint signs of fatigue in his expression.

The one in the worst state, however, was Li Yaru, the only other woman in the group.

Her physique was already weaker compared to the other Sentinels.

With no one to shield her, she had to take the full force of the impacts with her own body and had already been battered into a daze.

Her gaze fell upon Lu Jingyu, and seeing how he treated Xu Qingsui, her eyes burned with jealousy.

She believed that if Xu Qingsui weren’t here, Lu Jingyu would undoubtedly be protecting *her* in the exact same way.

When a long moment passed without another incident, the group gradually let down their guard.

Although the ordeal had been agonizing, it was far better than being swallowed by the fissures and vanishing without a trace.

Wincing and rubbing their bruises, the team members gathered around Lu Jingyu.

"How is everyone doing? Can you all still hang in there?"

Lu Jingyu asked about his team’s condition. Whether he’d forgotten or simply didn’t care, his hand remained wrapped around Xu Qingsui’s waist.

The teammates who noticed shot a quick glance at his hand, laughing inwardly.

Their boss was, after all, known throughout the Heiyu Alliance as the "Cold-Faced Buddha."

They had all secretly guessed he would never understand the meaning of tenderness.

Now, it was clear they had all been wrong. Even an iron tree could blossom.

The teammates, all on the same wavelength, exchanged smiling glances before answering Lu Jingyu’s question.

After getting a response from every team member except Li Yaru, Lu Jingyu merely shot her a glance.

Determining that she wasn’t about to die, he spoke. "Everyone, stay alert. Rest here for a moment. We need to leave this area as soon as possible, in case it happens again—"

He was cut off by a piercing roar.

The roar was accompanied by another tremor that shook the seafloor.

Unlike before, a visible ripple spread across the seafloor within their line of sight.

Directly in front of them, a pillar as thick as a water tank suddenly shot up from the seabed.

Before they could even get a clear look at it, a familiar sensation made everyone’s expression turn grim.

Lu Jingyu finally removed his large hand from Xu Qingsui’s waist, pulling her behind him in one smooth motion.

His expression grave, he watched the swaying pillar as he drew his weapon. "SS level Mutant! We can’t handle this! Retreat! Opposite direction, now!"

The moment they sensed its aura, they had already suspected as much.

Now, hearing Lu Jingyu’s confirmation, their faces turned ashen.

’What the hell is with this instance? First, we run into an S Level Mutant right at the start, and now an SS level one shows up?’

With no time to discuss the issue, everyone began to retreat cautiously in the opposite direction.

Seeing that the pillar’s attention wasn’t on them, Lu Jingyu gave another order after they had retreated a safe distance.

"Pick up the pace! Get out of this SS level Mutant’s active range as fast as you can, in case something changes!"

As an SSS level sentinel, Lu Jingyu did have the ability to contend with an SS level Mutant.

But an instance was different from the outside world. Not only could the unexpected happen at any moment, but as team captain, he was also responsible for his squad.

Therefore, when faced with a situation that was clearly difficult to handle, a tactical retreat was the only sensible choice.

This was one of those moments. He didn’t even have the luxury of figuring out what kind of creature this Mutant was.