Chapter 309: Stay Here
However, there was one thing Xu Zhi was certain of.
The “Cup” slumbering deep underground—once it awakened—would absolutely become a Named.
She had to let the little aberrant devour it before it achieved that state. If it succeeded, the little aberrant’s level would likely rise dramatically in one go. Even if it couldn’t reach the Named tier, it should at least advance to the third or fourth stage of Longevity, right?
The return journey would inevitably be faster than when they came. If they really pushed their limits, they could still go deeper for another half day or so—but Xu Zhi decided to head back now.
First, the others in the team were already exhausted. Some had begun to experience brief lapses—just a moment of distraction, and tempting whispers would surface at their ears. Both body and mind had reached their limits. Though they were still conscious, it was extremely dangerous.
Second, Xu Zhi herself felt she couldn’t continue either—because she had started to not want to leave this place.
It was an extremely dangerous thought. It arose so naturally, as if it were nothing more than “The sun is nice today, let’s bask in it.” She couldn’t even distinguish whether this was temptation or her own genuine feeling.
But no matter what, she couldn’t allow this thought to grow. She could feel the attraction from the depths of the Lost Land. It was strange—she didn’t feel intensely drawn, not overwhelmingly so. She was simply very curious about the depths. She just felt that if she ever had the chance, she should go take a look.
The impulse wasn’t even particularly strong, yet it kept flashing repeatedly in her mind. That made Xu Zhi feel awful.
It was time to leave. Otherwise, she wasn’t sure that after a while longer, she would still be willing to go.
“Alright.”
Everyone nodded. Their hearts were filled with a complex feeling. They felt some relief at leaving, yet at the same time, a strong reluctance surged up within them.
Were they really leaving? Not staying a little longer?
In just a few days, they had undergone transformations that could only be described as rebirth. The increase in strength was obvious. The air here contained far more and purer extraordinary energy than the outside world. With every breath, they could feel energy flowing into them.
The growth of extraordinary power within their bodies; the combat skills honed between life and death; the “new knowledge” gained through battle; the constantly strengthening resistance to temptation and mental fortitude after resisting it again and again—these benefits were not easily obtained outside.
Were they really leaving now?
The more exhausted their bodies and minds became, the stronger this reluctance grew. Xu Zhi could tell at a glance that something was wrong. In truth, even she was tired by now. After all, she had taken on more responsibility than anyone else. As the commander, her mental expenditure was the greatest.
Yet her mental strength was far greater than the combined total of her teammates. Though she had consumed the most, her current state was actually the best among them. Seeing her teammates’ unfocused gazes—except for Chu Xiaoyue—Xu Zhi didn’t even bother maintaining her smile anymore. Expressionless, she walked up and gave each of them a crisp slap across the face.
“Wake up. What, can’t bear to leave?”
The awakened teammates covered their cheeks, aggrieved. “Junior, don’t hit the face.”
Xu Zhi replied helplessly, “Your faces are the only parts in decent condition. If I hit somewhere else, what if I reopened a wound?”
They had been fighting at high intensity for days. Relying on Senior Sister Su Ran alone for healing wasn’t enough. Now everyone had injuries of varying severity. Xu Zhi had no idea which parts of her teammates were fine and which were still wounded.
Especially Qiu Hou—her condition could only be described as tragic.
“Well, that’s true. Junior is smart.”
Xu Zhi: ?
“I think your brain really is damaged. Let’s just hurry back and rest.”
No one in a clear state of mind would say something like that.
The return journey was much easier than going deeper. After all, most of the powerful extraordinary creatures that would actively hunt them had already been dealt with. And as the clearest-minded person on the team, Xu Zhi was naturally responsible for planning the route back.
But the moment they set out on the return path, the temptation from the Lost Land—never particularly strong for Xu Zhi before—suddenly intensified.
An overwhelming reluctance and a strange sensation began tugging at her. If she had to describe it, it felt as though the Lost Land suited her perfectly, as if she had been born here, as if she was meant to remain in this place. The mere thought of leaving caused her pain.
For a split second, her expression faltered. She nearly had to grit her teeth to force herself to “wake up.” But when she looked at her teammates, their expressions hadn’t changed at all.
It seemed only she felt this intense, inescapable summons.
A summons directed solely at her.
This place didn’t want her to leave.
“Damn it…”
She muttered under her breath through clenched teeth.
“Hm? Junior, what did you say?” The person walking beside her looked at her in confusion.
“Nothing. Let’s move faster.”
Xu Zhi’s face didn’t look good. She no longer had the strength to maintain a fake smile. Nearly all her energy was spent resisting the Lost Land.
She felt like someone trapped in a swamp. Every seemingly casual step toward leaving required her full strength to break free. Countless hands stretched up from the mire, tugging at her mind, calling to her, saying, “Stay here.”
Damn it!
What exactly is inside this place?!
Xu Zhi felt she was about to lose control and choose to stay. She had never felt something so intensely before—the sense that she was meant to do something.
For example, stay.
“Junior.”
Someone was calling her, but Xu Zhi’s gaze was unfocused. She didn’t notice.
“Junior?!”
The person waved a hand in front of her face. Xu Zhi suddenly snapped back to herself. Cold sweat broke out along her back. She realized that just now she had almost—
“What is it?” She forced herself to appear normal and looked at Shu Yushan.
“We’re almost at the entrance. I was saying, the things we hunted were temporarily stored with me, right? After we get back, I’ll convert them into points and transfer them to you?”
“Alright.” Xu Zhi nodded, quietly exhaling in relief. She didn’t dare imagine what might have happened if Shu Yushan hadn’t called her back in time.
But no one else seemed to notice anything wrong with her.
For the rest of the journey, Xu Zhi devoted her entire being to resisting the temptation. She kept repeating the word “leave” in her heart, as if reinforcing her resolve, or perhaps brainwashing herself to create a goal.
When they finally exited completely and returned to the entrance, and the teacher stepped out from the shadows to congratulate them on completing the trial, Xu Zhi could barely hear what anyone was saying.
Since leaving the shallow layers of the Lost Land, the temptation had gradually weakened. By the time they reached this place, the allure that had once robbed them of sanity upon arrival was now trivial.
Only Xu Zhi remained trapped in the haze—deeper and deeper.
No one noticed anything wrong. Her personality had always been somewhat strange. It wasn’t unusual for her to fall silent. Even the inner court teachers believed that at this point, nothing could possibly go wrong.
Until they stepped through the exit—the true boundary out of the Lost Land.
Xu Zhi stood outside, appearing courteous by letting her teammates go first. In truth, she could barely force her legs to take that final step.
When the last person passed through, she realized she couldn’t linger any longer. Irritation surged within her. She didn’t know what was causing her abnormal state, but she knew one thing—she absolutely couldn’t let anyone notice something was wrong. Whatever this damned thing was, it could not interfere with her and make her reveal a flaw.
Fueled by that fierce determination and anger, she finally forced her legs to step forward.
Her mind was nearly incapable of thought. She couldn’t hear any normal sounds—only the distorted whispers of temptation. Her vision narrowed to a small patch of ground before her; everything else was shrouded in thick fog.
To outsiders, she simply walked calmly through the doorway.
To Xu Zhi, everything had become slow motion.
When she finally stepped fully inside, her body suddenly relaxed. It was as if everything had been stripped away—the powerful temptation, the crushing heaviness, the buzzing in her head. Even the voices echoing in her ears vanished instantly.
All resistance disappeared without a trace.
Caught off guard, Xu Zhi collapsed to the ground. Sweat rolled down her forehead. Teachers and teammates hurried to support her, asking what was wrong.
She paled and shook her head. “Just a little tired.”
Her teammates seemed to realize that Xu Zhi had probably been the most exhausted of them all. Worry and guilt appeared on their faces. They thought that although Junior was strong, she was still only a first-year student. Perhaps they had grown used to her strength and overlooked her need for rest.
But only Xu Zhi knew why she had fallen.
Her mental power seemed overdrawn. Her body and awareness felt lighter, yet her brain throbbed faintly. That short stretch on the way back had been more grueling than the previous days combined.
In a daze, she turned and looked back at the sky above the Lost Land beyond the doorway.
The ground was covered in mist, yet the sun shone unexpectedly bright—so bright she couldn’t look directly at it, nor see its true shape. The piercing light made tears well in her eyes, and she had to look away.
Even though all temptation had vanished, Xu Zhi still felt lingering fear.
Yet she also felt—
If there were a chance, she would go back in.
She would go deep into the Lost Land and see for herself.
What exactly was targeting her?
And what was it that attracted her so strongly?
