The winds seemed to be even more intense around the outskirts of the desert. Within half an hour, grit and sand had made their way into every hunter's hair and skin, and it was difficult for them to even open their eyes when a strong wind blew.

What sort of lifeforms could live in such a hostile environment?

"Captain, why haven't we encountered any superior-grade lifeforms yet?" Sun Xiaowu was slowly relaxing after realizing that the Desert of Silence wasn't as dangerous as it seemed.

After all, they had walked quite some distance through the desert, but they hadn't encountered even a little bug.

"Oh, you'll get your fill of them soon enough." Zhang Lie laughed.

"Don't worry, Captain, I won't be afraid!" Sun Xiaowu patted his chest as he walked onward with confidence. He didn't look carefully at his surroundings as he ventured forward.

With the sand and grit affecting their vision, it would be easy for them to miss something even if they were paying careful attention, let alone if their behavior were like Sun Xiaowu's.

"There's no danger here at all! Is this really the Desert of Silence?" Sun Xiaowu exclaimed.

Behind him, a gust of wind and sand shot toward Sun Xiaowu, closing the distance so quickly that the others barely had any time to react.

"Be careful!" Sun Mengmeng shouted. Instinctively, she circulated her genetic energy and thrust forward with her sword, purple flames shooting out in the direction of her thrust, courtesy of [Black Sun].

It was only then that Sun Xiaowu noticed what was coming for him. Squawking, he darted aside.

The gust of wind and sand dissipated after being struck by Sun Mengmeng's blow, revealing a black insect-type lifeform. As it realized that its cover had been blown, it burrowed deep into the sand. Moments later, no trace of the sneak attack remained.

Sun Xiaowu stared at the place where the bug had vanished in shock. If he hadn't darted away, or if Sun Mengmeng hadn't reacted in time, he could well have been injured or dead by now.

"Do you still think you're safe?" Zhang Lie cocked an eyebrow at Sun Xiaowu, who shuddered and took a step back.

Carelessness could be life-threatening under such situations. Zhang Lie had discovered this insect quite a while beforehand, and he had deliberately allowed the situation to happen to shock Sun Xiaowu into paying attention.

Sun Xiaowu was so shocked from the ordeal that his face turned pale.

"Captain, this insect seems to be a superior-grade lifeform, the beetle of the sands," Sun Mengmeng stated. Her earlier attack was at about two-thirds of her maximum strength, but it had only managed to remove the protective barrier of sand surrounding it.

Zhang Lie nodded. The beetle of the sands had extremely tough chitin. It lived in deserts and was able to control the sand in the environment both for attack and defense, but the trickiest part of dealing with these beetles was their stealth.

The desert sands were the perfect environment for these beetles. When they burrowed underground, they were exceedingly difficult to sense, allowing them to give their unsuspecting target a lethal blow from any direction and angle.

The members of Team Zenith arranged themselves in a large circle, so as to sense everything around them. Zhang Lie narrowed his eyes as he surveyed the sands, channeling genetic energy to boost his senses. He noticed a sudden movement by a patch of yellow sand, but he said nothing out loud. Instead, he simply continued tracking the beetle's movements.

"Captain, this isn't an easy lifeform to deal with," Fang Yi murmured. It was a superior-grade lifeform with an overwhelming environmental advantage, and its stealth was undeniably effective.

"If you guys can't even deal with the superior-grade lifeforms on the outskirts of the Desert of Silence, then there's no need for any of you to participate in the Void Cup," Zhang Lie replied. It was only under such circumstances that they could hone their abilities to the utmost.

The superior-grade beetle of the sands wasn't going to go easy on them like he did, and every member of Team Zenith knew that. Each of its blows could well be lethal, and the hunters would have to keep that in mind.

Zhang Lie didn't plan on stepping forward until it was absolutely necessary.

A massive gust of wind flung a pile of sand into the air toward the hunters of Team Zenith. Each grain of sand was as sharp as a shard of glass, and it was obvious that they would have to defend themselves against the attack.

Sun Mengmeng activated [Black Sun]. Purple flames ringed them all, and the heat of the flames seemed to distort even the air.

The longsword clutched in her hands erupted in purple flame.

"[Baptism of Hellfire]," Sun Mengmeng shouted. She swung her blade downwards, releasing a spike of genetic energy at the sand.

Fang Yi supported her attack with a gale of wind, causing the flames of her attack to flare. The grains of sand in the air fell to the ground even as the purple flames continued shooting forth. Zhang Lie could see just how developed Fang Yi and Sun Mengmeng's teamwork was, as well as their innate ability to coordinate to an impressive extent.

At the same time, Yang Ze and Li Feng worked together to fill the region around them with a light mist, forming a mirage to confuse the beetle of the sands.

His teammates' coordination was beyond his expectations, at least when it came to setting up a proper defense. How was their offense?

The world seemed to tilt as the sand beneath their feet collapsed, causing Sun Mengmeng and the others to stumble.

Zhang Lie frowned: the beetle of the sands seemed to be rampaging.

The sand suddenly coalesced into a pair of huge claws. Despite the mist obscuring the beetle's vision, the wide-ranged attack would hit them all no matter how they tried to evade it.

Zhang Lie still had no intention of stepping forward.  This was the first trial that they had faced upon coming to the Desert of Silence, and Zhang Lie wasn't going to deprive them of such a useful opportunity to learn. 

Furthermore, the beetle of the sands had already exposed its greatest weakness. Whether or not they would win would depend on how quickly they could spot that weakness.

As the sand beneath their feet began to shift once more, the claw enveloped them in its shadow.