Archery

Before Nie Li and the others arrived, various aristocratic families had already explored the Ancient Orchid City Ruins. Unfortunately, they didn't find much, and few people came to explore it afterward. Chen Linjian somehow got a map of the Ancient Orchid City Ruins, which led him to decide to form a group and come here.

"We've finally arrived at the Ancient Orchid City Ruins. We have two paths to choose from. Here's the map!" Chen Linjian spread out the map and pointed to some of the routes on it.

Everyone gathered around the map, discussing it.

"The first path is to enter from the west gate and follow the city walls. We can quickly reach the main city. But what can we find along the way? We should definitely enter the residential buildings inside the city to gain something!" one of Chen Linjian's subordinates said.

"I agree with his opinion!"

"Yeah, we should search this residential area!" everyone echoed.

Chen Linjian was silent for a moment, then looked up at Nie Li and asked, "What do you think?"

Everyone was a bit surprised that Chen Linjian would ask for Nie Li's opinion at a time like this.

Ye Ziyun's clear eyes looked at Nie Li, and Hu Yan Lanruo also stared intently at him.

Everyone was now very interested in Nie Li's opinion.

Nie Li spread his hands and said, "If you're only here to search these residential buildings, you're making a big mistake. Those who came before us have definitely already searched these buildings. If we search again, we'll probably find nothing. Generally, who is the wealthiest in a city? Is it the common people? Of course not. 90% of a city's wealth is concentrated in the hands of the aristocratic families!"

"This city spans hundreds of miles, with so many residential buildings, and many places have been destroyed. How do we know which areas were inhabited by aristocratic families?" Shen Yue retorted from the side. He had to object to everything Nie Li said.

"Continue!" Chen Linjian looked at Nie Li with interest. He clearly agreed with Nie Li's deduction.

"It's actually very simple to find the areas where aristocratic families lived. Look at this map: wherever the building density is sparsest, that's where they are! Aristocratic families usually have their own independent courtyards!" Nie Li continued.

Everyone's gaze fell on the map.

"It's here!" Hu Yan Lanruo exclaimed in surprise.

"That's right, it should be here. Many of the buildings here are very large!"

Chen Linjian frowned slightly and said, "This area has already been searched by others. Although they found some good things, not many! Someone has already dug three feet deep in this area, but they haven't found any secret rooms or anything like that!"

"I told you, if you can think of it, others have already thought of it! Do you think all the aristocratic families in the City of Brilliance are just going to sit around and do nothing?" Shen Yue scoffed.

Nie Li frowned and stared at Shen Yue. "Can you shut up when I'm talking? Since you're so smart, why don't you tell us?"

Shen Yue was about to retort when he saw Chen Linjian glare at him and scoff, "Shut up!"

Shen Yue opened his mouth, then sullenly closed it. Although he was a direct descendant of the Sacred Family, his status was incomparable to Chen Linjian's. If he had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare to contradict Chen Linjian.

"It's normal that this area has been searched. Let's continue looking at the map. This area where the aristocratic families lived is right on the central axis of Ancient Orchid City. This is because it's the most heavily guarded and safest place in Ancient Orchid City." Nie Li pointed to an area behind the aristocratic families' residences and said, "This area should be the location of the City Lord's Mansion!"

Shen Yue nodded. All of Nie Li's deductions so far were correct. However, even the City Lord's Mansion had been searched by those who came before, including underground, and they still hadn't found much.

"Let's continue looking at the map. A few hundred meters away from the City Lord's Mansion, there are three areas. Do you know what these three areas are for?" Nie Li asked Chen Linjian.

"Of these three areas, one is a training ground, where the City Lord trains his troops. One is built with dense stone fortresses, which are empty inside and entirely constructed from Black Cloud Stone, so dense that they can't even be chipped! The other one, we don't know what it's for, is next to the stone fortresses, overgrown with weeds and trees!" Chen Linjian said. He had thoroughly studied the map of Ancient Orchid City before coming here.

Hearing Chen Linjian's words, Nie Li smiled slightly and said, "My judgment is similar!"

Chen Linjian's eyes lit up. "You mean these three places are suspicious? Could it be that stone fortress? But that place has also been searched!"

"That stone fortress should be a shelter during disasters. When the Demon Beasts attacked, they would definitely enter this stone fortress to hide. There might be some hidden chambers inside where treasures are stored. The open ground near the stone fortress is clearly a trap zone, used to resist Demon Beasts. If you investigate here, you might not even know how you died. As for me, the most suspicious place should be this training ground!" Nie Li said with a faint smile.

"Why is the most suspicious place the training ground?"

The training ground was just a muddy open space, a plaza for military training. What was suspicious about it?

"The most inconspicuous places are often the safest! Moreover, for the City Lord to place the training ground on the central axis of the city, it must be significant. Something very important is likely hidden beneath the training ground!" Nie Li said, pointing at the map. "Let's go to this area first and search around!"

If you think this book is good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.

"Okay! It's decided!" Chen Linjian closed the map and smiled slightly. Now that the direction was set, they could save a lot of time and avoid many detours.

Chen Linjian's subordinates looked at Nie Li with a hint of admiration. No one looked down on Nie Li anymore. They felt it was only natural for Nie Li to choose a treasure first.

Hu Yan Lanruo looked up, her eyes shimmering with brilliance. Nie Li's rigorous reasoning impressed her greatly. She vaguely sensed that Nie Li was not simple; otherwise, how could a mere Bronze 1-star ignore her charm techniques?

"The man I chose is destined to be extraordinary!" Hu Yan Lanruo thought proudly. Even though Nie Li completely ignored her, she had already set her heart on him.

If Nie Li knew what Hu Yan Lanruo was thinking, he would probably cry his eyes out. Why did he have to show off? He'd probably never be able to shake off this clingy person once she got attached to him!

Ye Ziyun pursed her lips and smiled. Her captivating charm made Nie Li daze for a moment. Ye Ziyun's every frown and smile had a unique and familiar quality.

Seeing Nie Li completely captivated, Hu Yan Lanruo was about to go mad. Such a sexy and alluring beauty like her was standing right in front of Nie Li, yet he acted as if he were blind, with only Ye Ziyun in his eyes. It was simply infuriating! Nie Li, I hate you!

Nie Li couldn't be bothered with what Hu Yan Lanruo was thinking. He took out his crossbow bolts and Purple Mist Grass potions from his backpack, applying them to the arrows.

"Nie Li, what are you doing?" Hu Yan Lanruo and Ye Ziyun looked at Nie Li in confusion.

Nie Li shrugged and said, "Nothing!"

"Alright, let's set off!" Chen Linjian shouted loudly. The group slowly moved towards Ancient Orchid City, following the edge of the city walls, choosing a relatively faster and safer path. If they had taken the original route, it would probably have been very difficult, as areas with complex terrain often harbored many Demon Beasts.

The roars of Demon Beasts could be heard from within the Ancient Orchid City Ruins. Besides Demon Beasts, occasional groups of people could also be seen passing by. They were all explorers from the City of Brilliance who had come to explore the Ancient Orchid City Ruins.

Just as Chen Linjian, Nie Li, and the others ventured deep into Ancient Orchid City, a group of people appeared at the entrance of Ancient Orchid City.

This group consisted of fifteen people, all wearing black robes.

"Are you sure those brats are all noble scions?" the leader, a black-robed man, asked a few people beside him. He was tall, a head taller than the others.

"Yes, Deacon Yun Hua!" a black-robed person replied.

"Very good!" Deacon Yun Hua revealed a ferocious smile and said, "Capture the three with the highest status and hold them for ransom from their families. Kill the rest!"

The Dark Guild was a name that struck fear into the hearts of those in the City of Brilliance. They frequently kidnapped the children of noble families for ransom, like a swarm of leeches feeding in the shadows of the City of Brilliance, amassing wealth through dark means to provide cultivation resources for their members. Although several major noble families in the City of Brilliance had joined forces to strike against the Dark Guild multiple times, whenever they attempted to purge them, the Dark Guild seemed to vanish into thin air.

It was rumored that the Dark Guild's headquarters was hidden in a very secret location within the Sacred Ancestor Mountain Range. They were an incredibly powerful and terrifying force, one that even Lord Ye Mo could not completely eradicate.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh! The figures in black robes darted towards the depths of Ancient Orchid City.

Inside the Ancient Orchid City Ruins.

Nie Li and the others pressed onward with great difficulty. Giant Green Arm Giant Apes would occasionally burst from the ruins. These Demon Beasts stood two meters tall, their thick arms like pillars of black iron, yet they moved with extreme agility and were almost all Silver Rank.

Six Green Arm Giant Apes flitted through the broken walls and ruined buildings, trailing Nie Li and his group from a distance.

These Green Arm Giant Apes possessed astonishing intelligence. Seeing over thirty people on their side, they didn't dare to approach, merely following from afar and waiting for an opportunity.

"These Green Arm Giant Apes are really annoying!" Chen Linjian grumbled. Although the apes weren't charging in to attack, there was nothing they could do about them. Furthermore, as time went on, more and more Green Arm Giant Apes would appear. Once the number of trailing apes grew large enough, they would attack them all at once.

Just then, with a whoosh, a cold glint flashed from the shadows of a corner.

Chen Linjian and the others quickly saw what it was: an arrow. The arrow flew at an extremely tricky angle, passing through the gaps between branches and shooting towards one of the Green Arm Giant Apes.

The arrow struck the Green Arm Giant Ape with a single hit. The ape let out a mournful cry and fell from a distant high wall, crashing down with a boom that kicked up a cloud of dust. The ape struggled on the ground, unable to get back up.

Seeing this, Chen Linjian immediately leaped forward, swung his sharp sword down, and with a thwack, the Green Arm Giant Ape's blood splattered as it died on the ground.

Everyone turned back in astonishment and saw Nie Li calmly walking out from the shadows.