Nine Star Burden

Chapter 241: Volcano

On the following day, Jiang Xiao and the rest arrived at the assembly area, after which they boarded a coach that brought them to the wilderness after a bumpy journey that lasted more than an hour.

Although they were in the wilderness, there were military squads stationed there.

Clearly, the country was developing the newly emerged volcanic Dimensional Space. According to the staff, the Wasteland Reclaimers had already entered the Dimensional Space some time ago and were the first to explore. The students were expected to continue exploring.

Something worth noting was the fact that the guardians of the “volcano” were still in the process of getting stationed because it was a newly-emerged Dimensional Space that had yet to be completely developed by the officials.

The staff repeatedly instructed and reminded the students to act within their own limits.

Although there were already guardians in the volcano that could protect the students to a certain extent, they had, after all, only been stationed there for a short period and had yet to form a system. Hence, it was likely for there to be a delay in rescue.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Xiao’s team members looked at each other, but none of them gave up on the idea of exploring in two separate groups.

Without Han Jiangxue by their side, Jiang Xiao and Xia Yan had no choice but to carry their own bags. The two of them played a round of rock-paper-scissors where Jiang Xiao won. Yet, Xia Yan claimed that the winner would carry the backpacks.

Hmm…

Under the leadership of the staff, everyone put on the headbands that were equipped with a mini camera and put on the special attire. They grabbed the pen and paper for drawing the map, looking very much like miners going to work in the mine. At 10 am, they officially entered the volcanic Dimensional Space.

…

“I’ll go.” Although Jiang Xiao had already made mental preparations, the heatwave that surged from behind almost pushed him back.

Jiang Xiao and his teammates entered the place wearing special dust-proof masks that were issued by the officials. Although the dust had been blocked out, the burning temperature almost made Jiang Xiao lose his breath.

No wonder there’s so much water in the military backpack. This volcanic Dimensional Space is just like a huge furnace!

Indeed, looking at pictures on books and visiting the place in person felt completely different.

The sky in the volcanic Dimensional Space was gray and cloudy.

The air quality there was particularly poor, and it was as if there was still volcanic ash floating in the air. The Awakened students had only entered for a short while and yet, they were already covered in ash.

Jiang Xiao and the others remained standing on an endless mountain range. The soil beneath their feet was boiling hot, and they looked into the distance to see a large volcano in the west with thick smoke billowing from the top. The scene was utterly astonishing.

To their east, Jiang Xiao saw a few lava lakes that were lighting up the gray and dark Dimensional Space.

Jiang Xiao finally got an eye-opener. The endless mountain range was just like a patch of gray where weeds were scarce and trees were absent. The environment was extremely harsh.

At the highest point of the mountain, there was a house on the bare land, as well as a flagpole on which a red flag with stars soaring high in the sky could be seen.

Coughing from the contestants could be heard, presumably because they couldn’t stand the blazing heat even though they were wearing the dust-proof masks.

Jiang Xiao and the rest looked around and felt that the creatures of other dimensions that could survive in this Dimensional Space definitely had special lungs.

He took pity on the Guardians Of The Night and the other guardians because they would definitely suffer great damage if they were to be stationed in such a dusty and scorching environment for a long time.

Xia Yan took out a bottle of water from the side pocket of the military backpack that Jiang Xiao was carrying and lifted her mask, after which she raised her head and took a few sips. “Three days? I bet there’ll be people crying and returning to Earth within just three hours.”

Xia Yan then turned to look at Han Jiangxue and asked, “How do we go?”

Han Jiangxue had a clear mind, and a muffled voice began to pass through the mask. “We’ll first go to the summit and visit the supply point to take a look before planning the route.”

Xia Yan nodded and thought to herself that Han Jiangxue was indeed the smartest.

The first thing they did when they arrived was to climb the mountain.

The other team members were not silly at all. A lot of other students also had the same idea as Han Jiangxue and wanted to go to the summit to take a look.

The team that consisted of almost a hundred members held each other’s hand as they began their mountain-climbing journey.

If Jiang Xiao was a soldier on top of the mountain, he would probably get a great shock because a horde of zombies seemed about to attack…

The team quickly arrived at the supply point, but they did not go in and disturb the guards.

Han Jiangxue looked around, took out the manual, and drew up an estimated map outline. She said in a muffled voice through the mask, “We’re here to explore the terrain, so you guys must remember to stand at the highest point when you’re drawing the map to ensure its accuracy. We’re not professionals. We only need to draw a rough topographic map.”

“Hmm.” Xia Yan looked at Han Jiangxue’s solemn expression and nodded like a chicken pecking at rice.

Jiang Xiao rolled his eyes at Xia Yan in exasperation while thinking to himself, Why are you nodding? You’re not drawing the map anyway…

He looked around silently before fixing his eyes on the huge smoke-billowing volcano. He said, “If I stand on the top of that mountain, I can probably get a sketch of the large terrain.”

Han Jiangxue looked up and said, “I have Barren Wind which will help me climb the mountain better. Li Weiyi and I will head towards the west while you and Xia Yan head towards the east. Take note of the time. You must assemble back here before 9 am, three days from now. We only have three days. If the time you take exceeds the limit, the results will become invalid.”

“Ah~” Xia Yan pursed her lips that were hidden behind the mask, seemingly a little displeased about the route that Han Jiangxue had planned.

“What? Do you have an opinion?” Han Jiangxue questioned as she looked at Xia Yan with a frown.

“No, no.” Xia Yan frantically denied as she shook her head.

“Okay.” Han Jiangxue carefully checked Jiang Xiao’s watch and verified the time before beckoning Li Weiyi. She then threw out a Barren Wind and the two of them instantly “flew” down the mountain and headed towards the west, dashing towards the large volcano that was billowing with smoke.

Jiang Xiao watched as Han Jiangxue left before turning around to look in the direction of the east.

He could already see the large lava lake, and he could also imagine the sounds of magma bubbling.

He had honestly never seen magma with his own eyes before.

Everyone noticed that Han Jiangxue and Li Weiyi had left, and the participating students had also noticed that Jiang Xiao and Xia Yan who were carrying giant swords had remained put.

They decided to split up!?!

This is the volcanic Dimensional Space!

Besides, it was a newly-developed Dimensional Space. Hence, the guarding system was not perfect yet. The team from Jiangbin High School actually dared to split up?

Damn it, impressive.

Everyone was filled with a complicated mix of emotions as they were extremely astonished by the team’s decision.

Some felt that the team from Jiangbin High School was being complacent because they might end up dying by doing so.

Some were full of awe and respect and felt that they truly deserved to be a godlike team that was absolutely impressive!

Wu Haoyang noticed that scene and turned around to look at An Youyou. “I think…”

An Youyou said in a muffled voice through the mask, “No, you don’t.”

Wu Haoyang was speechless.

Jiang Xiao similarly noted down the terrain in the manual before placing it inside his bag. He then turned around to look at Xia Yan. “Shall we go now? Neither of us has a wind-series Star Technique. Shall we walk?”

Xia Yan nodded and said, “Let’s go. Oh yes, I heard that you plan to get a few Lava Ghoul Star Beads?”

Jiang Xiao subconsciously touched the handle of the sword on his shoulder and strode away while carrying the military backpack. “Well, we finally got to make a trip here. If we see any Lava Ghouls, I’ll just give it a try.”

Of course, Xia Yan knew what Jiang Xiao wanted to do, and she was also looking forward to the progress that he would make and the level that he could reach as a “great healer”.

Xia Yan chuckled and said, “Alright, if we run into any, I’ll try to get a few for you.”

“Okay.” Jiang Xiao expressed assent. Xia Yan would stand to gain the most from the improvement of his Star Technique quality.

During the distribution of teams yesterday, Jiang Xiao especially looked for Han Jiangxue and told her to try to get some Lava Ghoul Witch Star Beads if she were to run into any.

Han Jiangxue knew that her younger brother’s Star Technique was upgradeable. Hence, she agreed to it.

It seemed that Han Jiangxue had already discussed the matter with Xia Yan.

Having found some motivation, the two of them quickly rushed to the lava lake area with their giant swords on their backs under the gray and cloudy sky.