Ambush on the Prairie, Mysterious Tribe

Chen Siyu and Chen Ruixuan watched the approaching riders warily. The strange beasts they rode resembled qilin, their bodies radiating a faint glow, each step carrying a peculiar ripple of spiritual energy. The riders wore colorful leather armor, gripped long spears, and their eyes held a mix of vigilance and hostility.

At the lead was a tall man with a stern face. He reined in his mount, stopping before the siblings, and looked them up and down before asking, "Who are you? Why did you come out of the Flower Sea? That place is always fraught with danger—ordinary people can hardly enter, let alone walk out alive."

Chen Siyu replied politely, "We're adventurers passing through. We accidentally stumbled into the Flower Sea and barely found our way out. And who might you be?"

The man frowned, seemingly unconvinced by her words. "Hmph, adventurers? I think there's more to you. This grassland is the territory of our Lingxi Tribe. You've set foot here without permission—you owe us an explanation."

Chen Ruixuan grew irritated at the man's tone. "We didn't know this was your territory! And we haven't done anything wrong!"

A rider behind the man brandished his spear and barked, "Little brat, no more excuses! Our Lingxi Tribe has guarded these plains for years. Any outsider could be up to no good."

Chen Siyu knew this wasn't the time for rashness. She softened her voice. "We truly mean no harm. How about this—we help you with something as compensation? Would that work?"

The man sneered. "You two little kids? What could you possibly help us with? Still, since you're young, if you can pass our tribe's trial, we'll let you go."

Chen Siyu and Chen Ruixuan exchanged a glance and nodded. Seeing this, the man said, "Our Lingxi Tribe excels in speed and spiritual energy control. You'll run a lap across this grassland through the obstacles we've set. If you finish within the time it takes a stick of incense to burn, you pass."

With a wave of his hand, numerous spiritual energy traps appeared across the plains. In some spots, the ground suddenly caved in; in others, arrows of spiritual energy rained down; elsewhere, fierce whirlwinds kicked up.

At the man's command, the trial began. Chen Ruixuan moved like a nimble little monkey, dodging left and right to avoid the collapsing ground. Chen Siyu unfurled her Five-Colored Ribbon, blocking the incoming volleys of spiritual arrows.

But the whirlwinds were ferocious, tossing the siblings off balance. Chen Siyu steadied herself and shouted to Chen Ruixuan, "Younger brother, let's use Chaos Power together!" The two focused their minds, channeling the Chaos Power within them to form a Chaos Shield, struggling forward through the gale.

Just as they were about to complete the lap, time was nearly up. Suddenly, a beast hidden in the grass sprang out, blocking their path. It looked like a leopard, its body exuding an icy chill. It opened its jaws wide, and a spike of ice shot toward Chen Ruixuan.

Chen Ruixuan couldn't dodge in time. Just as the ice spike was about to hit him, Chen Siyu dashed in front of him and blocked it with her Five-Colored Ribbon. The ribbon and ice spike collided with a crack—the spike shattered, but part of the ribbon froze solid.

The incense stick was nearly spent. Chen Ruixuan's heart raced. Suddenly remembering the small bead he'd found in the ruins, he pulled it out and poured all his spiritual energy into it. The bead released a powerful light, which turned into a force that shoved the beast aside.

Chen Siyu and Chen Ruixuan seized the moment and dashed across the finish line, completing the trial just in time. The man looked at them, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, and gave a slight nod. "Didn't expect you two little kids to have some real skill. Since you passed the trial, you may go."

Just as they were about to leave, shouts of battle rang out from the distance—it seemed the Lingxi Tribe had run into trouble...