"Three days from now, a group of sect disciples will be coming to the Hundred Thousand Mountains for a trial. You Furred Beast Slaves must give your full cooperation," Elder Huohuo said expressionlessly.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming and Wulu exchanged a glance, then found themselves staring at each other in bewilderment.
"What exactly will this trial involve?" Wulu asked after a pause.
"You do not need to know that yet. Just remember to gather here in three days. Understood?" Elder Huohuo ordered in a tone that brooked no refusal.
"Yes." Wulu lowered his head and responded, while Yuan Ming nodded listlessly.
"I know what you are worried about. Trials like this are commonplace in the sect, but you will not always have a chance to prove yourselves. Listen carefully: once this trial is over, you will receive between one hundred and three hundred portions of Blood Food based on your individual performance. If anyone renders great merit, it is not impossible for them to be admitted directly into the sect as a registered disciple," Elder Huohuo said after glancing at the two of them.
Wulu's breathing immediately grew much heavier at those words, and Yuan Ming's eyes lit up as well.
"I have said all that needs to be said. Do not let this opportunity slip away," Elder Huohuo said blandly.
"Yes." The two answered in unison, their voices immediately much louder.
After that, Elder Huohuo took their beast blood and bestowed this month's antidote upon them. Then he hurriedly leaped onto the giant eagle and flew away with a beat of its wings, leaving Yuan Ming, who had intended to report the corpses in the valley to him, rather speechless.
Right afterward, Wulu bade Yuan Ming farewell and turned to leave as well, looking quite hurried as his figure quickly vanished into the distance.
Yuan Ming did not linger there either. He headed toward the gorge, but his mind was occupied with what Elder Huohuo had said about the disciples' trial, and his expression gradually turned solemn.
At first glance, this trial seemed like a fine opportunity for the Furred Beast Slaves scattered throughout the Hundred Thousand Mountains, but upon closer thought, something did not feel right.
The disciples Elder Huohuo spoke of had to be Registered Disciples. In terms of talent and cultivation, those people were stronger than Furred Beast Slaves like them, who stood at the very edge of the sect. The only value Furred Beast Slaves had for them was their familiarity with the Hundred Thousand Mountains and their ability to point out the way.
He did not believe that the sect would reward Furred Beast Slaves with a substantial amount of Blood Food merely for leading the way and doing odd jobs.
Things could not be that simple.
I'd better be more careful myself, he silently warned himself.
Three days later, beside the boundary marker.
At dawn, figures gathered from every direction. Before the sun had fully risen, more than thirty people had already assembled there.
Some were quite excited and eager to try their hand, while others looked utterly lost, seemingly unaware of why they had been summoned.
Not long after Yuan Ming arrived, Hagon sidled over to him.
"Have you heard? It seems the sect has sent a group of Registered Disciples here for training this time," Hagon said in a low voice.
"If they are here to train, then let them train. Why do they need us to cooperate?" Yuan Ming asked doubtfully.
"You still do not understand? Those people spend their days pampered in the sect. How could they know the dangers of the Hundred Thousand Mountains? They must be having us accompany and assist them," Hagon said, rolling his eyes.
"Like princes and nobles taking attendants along when they go hunting?" Yuan Ming asked.
"Calling us attendants is putting it too nicely. We are more like hunting hounds and lackeys," Hagon said, shaking his head.
As they spoke, a group of more than ten half-bare-chested men arrived together, surrounding a tall man with loose black hair and a sinister, ferocious face. It was Wubao of the Green Wolf Gang.
Once they arrived, their gazes all turned toward Yuan Ming and Hagon, their eyes filled with anger.
Yuan Ming's expression remained unchanged. He met their gazes without the slightest attempt to avoid them, and there was not a trace of fear in his eyes.
"What is meant to come cannot be avoided after all," Hagon said, tugging at the corner of his mouth.
No sooner had he spoken than another group of around ten people arrived, led naturally by Jin Kun of the Hyena Hall.
When their gazes met, Jin Kun's expression did not look any better. His previous cooperation with the Green Wolf Gang against Yuan Ming and Hagon had not only allowed the two to escape, but had also left several of his men seriously injured.
Neither of these two forces, especially Wubao, had given up on Yuan Ming. They simply had not encountered a suitable opportunity. Once one arose, he would still strike without hesitation.
Jin Kun's pair of pea-sized eyes kept roaming back and forth between Yuan Ming and Hagon as he said to Wubao, "Since you still have plans, why not act now? Elder Huohuo has not arrived yet, and we have plenty of men. Is this not the perfect opportunity?"
"I have my own arrangements, so do not stir up trouble. Yuan Ming is certain to die this time. As for the remaining Hagon, we can slowly play him to death afterward," Wubao said with a cold sneer, licking his lips.
"Good, good." Jin Kun nodded and smiled upon hearing that.
Seeing the two of them acting like wolves in cahoots with jackals, Hagon could not help frowning tightly, while Yuan Ming appeared completely unconcerned.
At that moment, a sharp cry suddenly rang out from high above.
A huge shadow spread over them and descended in their direction.
Everyone looked up to see Elder Huohuo riding in on his eagle mount, with four unfamiliar figures standing behind him.
After the eagle landed, Elder Huohuo was the first to leap down, followed in turn by the other four.
The appearance of these people immediately drew the attention of every furred beast slave.
The first to jump down from the eagle was a rough-faced man with a short beard. He was broad-shouldered and powerfully built, his dark black robe stretched taut over his frame. A black battle-axe was strapped to his back, making it obvious at a glance that he was not someone to provoke.
Following close behind was a woman with a full, voluptuous figure but utterly ordinary looks. Her outfit was almost identical to that of the short-bearded man, seemingly the same standard uniform. Even the beast-head ornament on her chest was exactly the same.
Yuan Ming looked closely and noticed a line of small words beneath the beast-head ornament: "Beast Taming Hall."
Though the woman's appearance was plain, her figure was truly fiery. When she jumped down from the eagle's back, it was as though she had two snow-white jade rabbits tucked before her chest, bouncing ceaselessly. The Furred Beast Slaves, who knew not how long it had been since they had seen a woman, stared until their eyes went straight.
The woman seemed utterly unconcerned by their brazen gazes. She thrust out her chest, struck a seductive pose, and stood beside the short-bearded man.
After her came a thin young man in a green robe. A shy smile hung on his face, but his eyes remained fixed on the tiny patch of ground before his toes.
Although his robe was a different color from those of the first two, it was of the same cut. An alchemy furnace ornament was embroidered on his chest, beneath which the words "Alchemy Hall" were written in the Southern Frontier script.
The last person wore a fiery red short skirt, quite different in style from the previous three. Beneath the ornament on her chest were written the words "Fire Refining Hall."
This woman had delicate, lovely features and exceptional beauty. Her almond-shaped eyes in particular brimmed with spirit. Combined with her short, practical attire, they perfectly outlined her exquisite figure, making her appear both lively and beautiful, yet neat and capable.
The moment she appeared, she drew away more than half the gazes that had been fixed on the seductive woman.
However, unlike that seductive woman, she was greatly displeased by the brazen stares sizing her up. One hand pressed down on the green vine whip coiled at her waist as she swept a furious glare across the crowd.
Swept by her sharp gaze, the Furred Beast Slaves all lowered their heads.
Yuan Ming, however, stared at the words "Fire Refining Hall" on her chest and fell slightly into a daze. He recalled learning from Zhao Tong that the Fire Refining Hall was the branch of the sect responsible for forging magical artifacts.
That fellow had previously said he would ask around to see whether there were any senior brothers from the Fire Refining Hall who could help inscribe Array Patterns onto the Azure Fish Sword, but the matter had vanished like a stone sinking into the sea, without a trace of news.
Crack!
Just then, a sharp whistle through the air suddenly struck.
Yuan Ming instinctively dodged aside, only to see a whip shadow flash past his side before snapping back.
His eyes were full of confusion, as though he could not understand why the woman had suddenly attacked him.
Seeing that his gaze had moved away from her chest, the woman in red could not be bothered to pursue the matter. She coiled up her long whip and hung it at her waist.
What a rotten temper, Yuan Ming cursed inwardly, curling his lip.
Elder Huohuo turned a blind eye to this. Only after seeing that the woman would not pursue the matter did he speak.
"Everyone, all the Furred Beast Slaves under my command are here. You may choose as you please. Even taking them all away is acceptable."
The Furred Beast Slaves were left baffled by this, as he had not even offered them a word of explanation.
"Elder Huohuo, if we only need people to lead the way, one or two will be enough. There is no need for so many," the woman in red was the first to speak.
"Senior Sister Chen Wan, perhaps we should bring a few more? If we truly encounter danger, having more people would at least provide a buffer," the thin young man in green said, looking toward the woman in red.
What did he mean by a buffer? Were they not simply substitutes meant to die in their place?
At those words, Yuan Ming immediately felt displeased. Most of the other Furred Beast Slaves also revealed unhappy expressions, though none dared to vent them.
"Bada, with us here, what are you worried about? For this mission of ours, what difference does it make whether we bring one or two Furred Beast Slaves, or ten or eight?" the short-bearded man said with a grin, his tone full of contempt.
"Exactly. Bringing too many people would only make them a burden," the seductive woman said as well. Her voice was soft and charming. Though her words were clearly dismissive, they made the Furred Beast Slaves' hearts tremble, and each of them wished he could follow her.
"Kuntu, Yang Chan, this training is no child's play. Think it through carefully," Elder Huohuo reminded them.
"Elder, there is no need to worry. This is our training to begin with. How can we rely entirely on Furred Beast Slaves to clear the path for us?" the short-bearded man named Kuntu said, waving his hand with an utterly unconcerned look.
Then, as though pointing casually into the crowd, he said, "You, you. You two will come with us."
Though his gesture seemed casual, everyone's eyes immediately focused on the two "lucky ones" he had chosen.
Wubao grinned and looked toward Yuan Ming.
Yuan Ming could not help frowning.
"Brother Yuan, I do not think this is any cushy assignment," Hagon said worriedly.
The two people Kuntu had selected were none other than Wubao and Yuan Ming.
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