Mobilization

Su Shi'er had never intended to join forces with anyone. Seeing this, he found it even more pointless. He shook his head and refused decisively. "No. I'm still more used to acting alone."

With that, he turned and squeezed into the crowd, moving to a more inconspicuous spot.

Zhu Hanwei had wanted to persuade him further, but seeing Su Shi'er's resolute attitude, he opened his mouth, then could only abandon the thought and return to his other three companions.

The moment he approached, the Qi Refining Stage Three youth in the crowd rolled his eyes. "I already told you not to invite that kid, but you just wouldn't listen. Good thing he didn't come, or we'd have another deadweight to drag along!"

"Exactly. That kid only started cultivating half a year earlier than us and became a Qi Refiner one step ahead, that's all. With his Mixed Spiritual Roots, he's probably only just reached Qi Refining Stage Two by now. I'm already at the peak of Qi Refining Stage Two and could step into Stage Three at any moment." Beside him, a square-faced youth chimed in, sounding rather smug.

"Still, that kid's arrogant enough. He doesn't even know how to cherish an opportunity handed to him. Does he think he can pass the trial alone?" Another youth with an oval face curled his lips.

"Enough, stop talking about him. Once the trial is over and he fails the assessment, he'll spend the rest of his life as a menial disciple. Then he'll know regret!" the Qi Refining Stage Three youth said again, putting an end to the subject.

Zhu Hanwei stood off to the side with his head lowered, wearing a fawning smile without saying a word.

Yet deep down, he always felt Su Shi'er was not so simple.

He clearly remembered that Chen Tie, the fastest cultivator among the four and now at Qi Refining Stage Three, had still taken a full seven months just to become a Qi Refiner at Qi Refining Stage One.

Naturally, Su Shi'er knew nothing of their discussion.

Having changed to an inconspicuous spot, he continued waiting patiently.

As the sun was about to rise, the vast plaza suddenly fell silent.

Three figures emerged from the main hall.

The man in the center wore a long green robe, with a youthful face and crane-white hair. He was Luofu Peak's Peak Master, Lu Mingshi.

Behind him, on either side, stood a young man and a young woman.

The man had sword-like brows and starry eyes, handsome features, and a tall, imposing build. There was also a hint of unruliness between his brows. He was Han Yu, the genius who had entered Luofu Peak alongside Su Shi'er and the others five years ago.

The woman possessed a graceful figure, brows like spring mountains, and eyes like autumn waters cut from a clear pool. She was breathtakingly beautiful, as lovely as an immortal maiden. A faint smile rested on her face, revealing two small dimples, and she seemed like a gentle spring breeze. This woman was Lu Mingshi's granddaughter, as well as Luofu Peak's acknowledged greatest beauty, Xiao Yue.

Walking side by side, the two looked like a golden boy and jade maiden. Their cultivation was equally astonishing—both were at the peak of Qi Refining Stage Six.

The clothes and shoes they wore were far more magnificent than those of everyone else, giving off a faint radiance. Each also carried a long sword on their back, one azure and one violet.

Their clothes, shoes, and swords were all High-grade Magical Artifacts.

At the sight of them, everyone in the plaza sucked in a sharp breath. At this moment, it was no longer envy—they were green with jealousy!

What was a rich tycoon? These were the real rich tycoons!

Amid the crowd, Su Shi'er's eyes also burned with envy. Each of them visibly possessed three top-tier magical artifacts. What about the things that could not be seen?

He clearly saw that Han Yu and Xiao Yue each had an exquisite little cloth pouch at their waist.

Those were unmistakably two Storage Pouches.

"As expected of the Peak Master's personal disciples. They're truly different."

"But isn't Han Yu's talent a little too terrifying? In just five years, he's actually cultivated to the peak of Qi Refining Stage Six?! No wonder the Peak Master regards him so highly."

Su Shi'er was not surprised by Xiao Yue's cultivation level. After all, Xiao Yue had already possessed some cultivation five years ago.

But Han Yu truly shocked him.

Only at this moment did he understand just how vast the gap between a genius and an ordinary person was.

Still, his mindset did not become unbalanced. He had no intention of comparing himself with anyone. He only wanted to steadily improve his own strength, find the Man in Black, and avenge his grandfather and the villagers.

At that moment, Lu Mingshi led Han Yu and Xiao Yue to the front of the plaza. His gaze swept over the crowd as he began speaking calmly.

"The focus of this Newcomer Trial is only one thing: gathering materials. These include materials for artifact refining, pill refining, and all manner of other uses."

"In the end, the results will be determined by the quantity of materials collected. Anyone who gathers more than ten Second-Grade Materials may become an Official Disciple."

"To help everyone gather materials more effectively, the sect will issue each person a temporary Storage Pouch, a copy of the Material Compendium, and a Teleportation Talisman."

"The Teleportation Talisman requires Ninety Days to charge with spiritual energy. After Ninety Days, it will automatically teleport its wearer back. Therefore, you must keep it safe and never lose it."

Lu Mingshi explained succinctly. Besides introducing the trial rules, he also mentioned some information about the Ancient Forbidden Zone.

It was largely the same as what Su Shi'er had learned from Meng Tianyi, except that the process of discovering the forbidden zone had been omitted.

After finishing, Lu Mingshi's gaze swiftly swept over the crowd. His brows furrowed slightly as he shook his head with evident dissatisfaction.

Although there were many people in the plaza, in his eyes they were all crooked melons and cracked dates, as insignificant as transparent figures.

With a sigh, he turned toward Han Yu and

Xiao Yue.

"This trial is in a newly discovered location. There will certainly be some danger, but the opportunities will also be immense."

"I can't count on anyone else. Yu'er, this time, it all depends on you! Although your senior sister's cultivation is not poor, her current strength is still slightly inferior to yours. You must take good care of her as well."

As soon as he spoke, a delighted smile appeared on Lu Mingshi's face. His expression was warm and genial, and his eyes were filled with nothing but satisfaction.

"Rest assured, Master. This disciple will certainly not disappoint you!" Han Yu declared proudly, chest raised and gaze resolute.

Lu Mingshi nodded in satisfaction. Ignoring everyone else, he drew Han Yu and Xiao Yue aside and continued giving them quiet instructions.

Everyone in the plaza also became fired up by Lu Mingshi's words.

A newly discovered Ancient Forbidden Zone contained vast quantities of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures?!

This news was truly explosive.

For many disciples of ordinary aptitude, diligent cultivation alone could never lead to any great achievement.

Only by relying on Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures could they possibly advance further.

Even ants cling to life. Many menial disciples who had originally believed their Immortal Path hopeless rekindled the Hope Fire in their hearts at this moment.

Su Shi'er mingled among the crowd, appearing comparatively restrained. He had already known this information. Unlike the others' excitement and agitation, he only felt that this journey would be even more dangerous than he had imagined.

At the same time, two Boy Attendants wearing Disciple Robes appeared, each carrying a large tray as they approached the plaza.

The trays held brand-new cloth pouches the size of a palm.

Those pouches were Low-grade Spatial Artifacts—Storage Pouches.

Using his identity token, Su Shi'er quickly received one.