Horned Sheep Extinction

As evening fell, the western sky was adorned with vibrant sunset clouds.

In the Trial Grounds, the seven brothers gathered, looking like seven little gourds.

For the second hunt, the team's operational funds were quite ample.

With the four thousand Demon Spirit Coins obtained from the hunt, plus Lu Piao's remaining thousand-plus Demon Spirit Coins, they had a total of over five thousand Demon Spirit Coins.

Nie Li then purchased three light crossbows and several tubes containing a hundred crossbow bolts each, and also prepared a large quantity of Horned Sheep tranquilizer poison.

Before the operation began, Nie Li pulled Xian Wu aside and said to everyone with a solemn expression, "Before we hunt, I have something I need everyone to do. If you can't do it, I won't force you. Put down your tools and leave our team."

"What is it, Nie Li?" Seeing Nie Li's seriousness, Lu Piao couldn't help but ask.

Du Ze already had a guess in his heart and nodded, saying, "Go ahead, Nie Li, we're listening."

"It's not a big deal." Nie Li held up four fingers and said, "I need each of you to swear to the Heavenly Dao that you will strictly keep Xian Wu's secret and not tell anyone, including your closest loved ones. Can you do it?"

"Yes!" Zhu Jun Xiang didn't hesitate and immediately raised his hand, "I, Zhu Jun Xiang, swear to the Heavenly Dao that I will not reveal Xian Wu's secret to anyone. If I break this oath, may Heaven and Earth destroy me."

The others stared blankly at Zhu Jun Xiang, wondering how much Xian Wu had bribed him to make such a solemn vow.

Although the others hesitated, they all followed suit and made their oaths.

Nie Li nodded with satisfaction, "Good, let's go!"

He was the second to take the oath. He had originally wanted to be the first to lead the oath, but he hadn't expected Zhu Jun Xiang to jump in.

Xian Wu was also very grateful to Nie Li.

He had initially worried that too many people knowing the secret would be disadvantageous to him, but Nie Li had solved it with one move.

Zhang Ming and Wei Nan were very curious about what secret Xian Wu had that was worth such a solemn oath.

When they saw Xian Wu instantly dig a huge, deep pit in the ground with his bare hands, they began to understand.

Such strange and powerful strength – it would be a lie to say they weren't tempted.

Even they, as children, desired it, let alone those greedy adults.

"What are you standing there for, stunned? Pick up your light crossbows and shoot!" Seeing the two still dazed, Lu Piao couldn't help but remind them.

The Horned Sheep wriggled densely in the pit like maggots; the scene was indeed quite eerie.

Coming back to their senses, the two picked up their light crossbows and joined the shooting.

Xian Wu moved away from the edge of the hemispherical pit, making room for Nie Li and the others.

The Demon Left Hand could expand and shrink its decomposition range at his will, so when he placed his left hand on the ground, he could avoid decomposing the quarter-sphere of ground he was standing on, creating a pit only in front of him.

With the addition of Wei Nan, Zhang Ming, and Zhu Jun Xiang, the hunting team's efficiency skyrocketed.

They frantically scoured every inch of the beginner hunting grounds, killing every Horned Sheep without exception.

The Horned Sheep were practically extinct in the Trial Grounds.

It was too inhumane!

On the second night, they hunted over a thousand Horned Sheep, with the spoils valued at over thirteen thousand Demon Spirit Coins.

Adding the previous four thousand-plus Demon Spirit Coins, their total assets reached an astonishing seventeen thousand Demon Spirit Coins.

"Are we coming back tomorrow?" Zhang Ming asked, carrying two large sacks, his eyes practically popping out with joy.

He had never seen so much money in his life.

This oath was worth it, damn it was worth it.

Nie Li shook his head, "My specially made tranquilizer is designed specifically for Horned Sheep. Since the Horned Sheep are all gone, what's the point of coming back? Besides, I've reached the small goal I set for myself, and now it's time to start the next plan."

"What plan?" Lu Piao shoved his big face closer.

"A secret." Nie Li pushed away his large, flat face.

After selling the spoils, with some time left before dawn, everyone decided to go back and get some sleep.

No one complained about Nie Li controlling the finances. Without his special tranquilizer, they wouldn't have been able to hunt Horned Sheep so efficiently.

"Nie Li, I've finished reading the Compendium of Human Anatomy. What should I learn next?" Xian Wu asked as they walked back to the dormitory.

"The next step is practice," Nie Li said, patting Xian Wu's shoulder with dark circles under his eyes.

"Infuse your Soul Force into your meridians and slowly clear the blockages. Remember, don't use too much force. It's very painful when clearing the meridians. You need to be gentle, slow... Sigh, don't go, I'm not finished yet! You must be gentle!"

Gentle? That word wasn't in his dictionary.

His Soul Force could only last for one minute, so how could he not be quick?

Back in the dormitory, Xian Wu took off his shirt, picked up an oil lamp and a bronze mirror, and began to guide... guide his energy.

The first thing he tackled were the bruises on his face. He had been wearing a mask for the past two days, and sweat had almost rotted his handsome face.

Xian Wu forcefully infused his Soul Force into his skin, quickly locating nearby acupoints and meridians based on the knowledge he learned that afternoon, and then roughly cleared them, like scraping fish scales.

The dawn's light lifted the veil of night, revealing brilliant morning clouds, and in the blink of an eye, it was morning.

Xian Wu put on his pants and then his outer clothes.

He had already destroyed most of the bruises, but the remaining ones were hidden in obscure corners that he hadn't found yet.

Gazing at the reflection in the bronze mirror, his expression was grim.

It wasn't because of the pain from clearing away the bruises; the main issue was that his hair remained silver-white, showing no signs of turning black.

"I'll ask Nie Li!" Placing the bronze mirror back on the table, Xian Wu donned his cloak and pushed open the door to leave the dormitory.

Mysterious Dormitory 10.

The dormitory door was ajar, so Xian Wu walked straight in.

Lu Piao was buried in his covers, hugging a pillow and sleeping soundly, completely unaware that someone had entered the room.

Nie Li's bed was empty, the quilt neatly folded, and the person was nowhere to be seen.

Quietly closing the door, Xian Wu tiptoed away.

Finishing his work at the mess hall, Xian Wu strode towards the classroom.

"Huh?" He suddenly spotted a familiar figure darting out of the dormitory area. As he got closer, he saw it was indeed Lu Piao.

Xian Wu asked doubtfully, "You didn't just wake up, did you?"

"Don't even get me started! That Nie Li kid not only didn't wake me up, but he also shut the door tight, preventing me from hearing any noise in the hallway. He made me sleep until now, it's outrageous!" Lu Piao grumbled.

Xian Wu chuckled awkwardly. When Nie Li left, the door seemed to have been open...

"Maybe Nie Li opened the door for you, and the wind blew it shut later," Xian Wu tried to explain.

Lu Piao wasn't an idiot; he had basic common sense about physics.

"Nonsense. If the wind had blown it shut, there would have been a loud 'bang,' and I would have woken up. But... I didn't hear anything," Lu Piao said indignantly.

"Nie Li must have gone on a secret date with 'Little Sweetie' and didn't want me to know. That guy prioritizes romance over friendship, I'm cutting him off!"