The Strange Central Province Wasteland!

The Strange Central Province Wasteland! "Bye recipient, Fu Chengqin!"

"Bye recipient, Fu Chengqin!"

"Bye recipient, Fu Chengqin!"

"..."

Over the following rounds, the outer disciples finally witnessed what true "good luck" looked like.

The arena matches had already gone through several rounds. Whenever the total number of participants was odd, Fu Chengqin was always the one who received a bye.

It was rather shameless.

"Does Fu Chengqin have some kind of backing? How does he get a bye every single time?"

A disciple who had guessed correctly muttered speechlessly to his companion. His voice was low, and he did not dare look toward the elevated platform.

"Probably not. He only barely got accepted into the outer sect after kneeling outside the sect for an entire month. If he really had backing, why would he have done that?"

An overly naïve outer disciple explained.

"Hah, when luck comes, nothing can stop it. I refuse to believe it. There are still several rounds left—can he keep getting byes all the way to the finals?"

"Exactly. My luck has always been pretty good. At the very least, it should be my turn once."

"You people are so naïve. Sigh, forget it. I won't say any more."

"Bye recipient, Fu Chengqin!"

"Bye recipient, Fu Chengqin!"

The many outer disciples: "..."

On the elevated platform, several outer sect elders could no longer sit still and turned to look at the Third Elder seated in the center.

Something like this happening during the outer sect competition truly made it difficult for anyone to accept.

The disciples were one thing. The main issue was the Third Elder.

If the Third Elder believed that they outer sect elders had cheated and interfered, things would become very troublesome.

"It's fine. Just follow the rules in all things."

Noticing the elders' reactions, Fu Tianming responded calmly. After all, no one knew the reason better than he did.

At that, the elders let out long breaths and could not help wiping the sweat from their foreheads.

To be honest, not only did the disciples find today's events bizarre, even they found them unbelievable.

After all, getting byes for several consecutive rounds was an incredibly shocking occurrence even in the history of the entire outer sect.

It was good that the Third Elder did not care. Otherwise, it would have been hard to explain.

In the resting area below, Gu Yuan stood to Fu Chengqin's left and could not help sighing at how incredible it was to have a good father.

This was far too outrageous.

From the opening round to the semifinals, this kid had barely moved from where he sat.

He had simply watched the people on the arena fight back and forth. Anyone unaware of the situation would have thought he was an ordinary spectator.

The arena battles soon entered the semifinals.

After sitting still for so long, Fu Chengqin finally shifted his body slightly.

According to the rules, there were still two hours of rest time.

This was far too boring.

Gu Yuan had never imagined that an arena competition could be this boring. He simply turned his attention to Chu Tian.

Central Province, the Wasteland.

The cost of forcibly using a teleportation stone was considerable, but after nearly a month of recuperation, Chu Tian had mostly recovered his strength.

Late-stage Qi Refining cultivation.

Watching such cultivation speed made Gu Yuan anxious.

"The Wasteland is still too dangerous. I have to find an opportunity to leave."

Standing beneath a tree, Chu Tian surveyed the surrounding environment. He looked toward the sun in the sky, trying to find a direction that would lead him out.

A place recorded as a deadly land in nearly every ancient text was not somewhere a mere mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator like him could survive.

Leave. He had to leave.

Within the Wasteland.

It was not as barren as he had imagined. Instead, countless forests stretched out in connected swathes.

Yet it was difficult to spot even a single living creature here.

Other than plants, there was nothing.

During his past days of recuperation, Chu Tian had survived only by relying on leaves and plants.

He continued forward in one direction. The farther he went, the thicker the mist became.

The gravity on the ground increased as well.

"This is the wrong direction."

Chu Tian was not foolish. After all, he had lived two lives. Though he had never come here in his previous life, he knew that something was wrong with his current situation.

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

Buzz, buzz, buzz!

An inexplicable sound kept ringing by his ears.

It was as if countless mosquitoes were flying about beside him.

Faintly, it seemed as though some voices were calling out for something.

The sky was dim.

With sounds like these and the surrounding mist, it would be perfect for filming a horror movie on the spot.

There were two auras... They should be people... right?

Gu Yuan's perception of auras was extremely sharp. Looking toward the front left, he sensed two presences, each at least at the Nascent Soul realm, watching this place from behind the dense mist.

He could not see their exact appearances, but for the moment, they bore no malice toward Chu Tian.

What was going on here?

The so-called curse?

It did not seem like one.

Chu Tian walked in the opposite direction through the mist, while the inexplicable feeling in his heart grew stronger and stronger.

Those two auras vanished.

Yet strangely, the atmosphere became even more sinister. Chilling gusts of wind swept through, carrying bone-piercing cold.

The light within the mist was dim, as though he had entered a special region.

The rustling of branches rang out. Something seemed to be surging beneath the ground, and the space ahead appeared to twist slightly.

How exciting.

As for panic, Gu Yuan was certainly not panicking. After all, the form in which he existed was even more absurd than a so-called ghost.

Thus, Chu Tian quickened his pace, mobilizing his spiritual energy as he darted through the forest.

Clang, clang, clang!

The sound of bells rang out in the forest from nowhere, mixed with a faint sound of running water.

A stream?

Where would a stream come from here?

There was not even a mud puddle nearby.

The question flashed through Chu Tian's mind, but he did not dwell on it. The most urgent matter was to leave this place as quickly as possible.

Perhaps after reaching the Deity Transformation realm in the future, he could investigate it.

Gu Yuan could only feel regret over Chu Tian's decision.

Honestly, he was truly curious about the Wasteland. This atmosphere, these unknown presences, and the inexplicable sounds all made him eager to explore.

A place like this was usually either an inheritance ground, the dwelling place of some powerful expert, or the seal of some vicious creature.

If he had a body, he really would have gone in to take a look.

Those two auras... had appeared again.

As Chu Tian left, Gu Yuan clearly sensed that the two auras were still watching them, seeing them off as they moved farther and farther away.

They did not show themselves, nor did they cause harm. They only frightened him.

The Wasteland seemed somewhat inconsistent with the danger described in the rumors.

But if nothing unexpected happened,

then the rumors were probably based on what they had encountered today.

But why had they let Chu Tian leave?

Why?

Was there something different about Chu Tian compared with those people?

And what exactly lay in the depths of the Wasteland?

These questions surfaced in Gu Yuan's mind, plunging him into thought.

Once Chu Tian had gone far away,

the mist in the forest changed once more.

The sinister atmosphere seemed to be completely concealed within the gray fog. The earlier eeriness was gone, though the faint sound of flowing water could still occasionally be heard.

Rustle, rustle.

The forest continued swaying in the wind.

Beneath the gray fog, the wind swept up sand and dust, revealing traces of old crimson blood.