Among the crowd, the peak masters and elders of the other peaks swiftly exchanged glances, surprise and shock flashing through their eyes.
On one hand, they were surprised that Tianshu Peak had sent only these thirty-five disciples to participate in the trial.
On the other hand, they were shocked by the strength of those thirty-five people. Every one of them was at Qi Refining Stage Six, their Baleful Intent surging skyward; at a glance, it was clear they were anything but ordinary.
His eyes rolling, Fu Boren turned his gaze toward the old man. He clasped his hands and smiled. "Grand Elder, why have you come this time? Where is Sect Leader Junior Brother?"
The Grand Elder gently stroked his beard and smiled calmly. "The Sect Leader is in seclusion, preparing to break through to the next realm. I will preside over this Newcomer Trial."
With that, he swept out his hand, and a dense surge of True Yuan emanated from his body.
As the True Yuan swept through the area, starting from the center of the valley, everyone felt an enormous force crash toward them like rolling waves.
For a moment, everyone retreated in succession.
In the blink of an eye, an open space a hundred meters in diameter appeared in the middle of the valley.
"Peak masters, please lend me your strength!" the Grand Elder shouted again.
Six figures rose into the air from the crowd, each circulating their True Yuan and pouring it into the open space below.
True Yuan of every color intertwined and shifted above the clearing.
Then the earth rumbled, and a massive circular Magic Array emerged from the open ground.
The moment the Magic Array appeared, it released an ancient, primordial aura. Spiritual power filled its surface, weaving together incomparably vast and intricate array patterns.
Standing amid the crowd, Su Shi'er merely glanced at it out of curiosity before dizziness overwhelmed him, as though his entire head were about to burst apart.
Yet he still noticed that the array patterns were almost identical to the Teleportation Talisman in his Storage Pouch.
Clearly, this had to be the Teleportation Array leading to the Ancient Forbidden Zone.
"The array has been activated. Disciples, heed my command. Enter the Teleportation Array in order and proceed to the trial grounds."
Above the Teleportation Array, the Grand Elder's beard trembled as he raised his voice in a resounding shout.
At once, everyone present was stirred. They looked at one another; some hesitated, while others had resolute gazes.
But soon, they all headed toward the array. The instant they stepped into it, they transformed into streaks of white light and vanished.
Mixed in with the crowd, Su Shi'er stepped into the array.
The instant he did, he saw a flash of blinding light, bright as day and impossible to look at directly. His entire body felt top-heavy and weightless, as though he had nothing to rely on in any direction—front, back, left, right, above, or below.
The sensation lasted only an instant.
Thud!
Immediately afterward, Su Shi'er fell into a dense forest.
The moment he landed, two Offensive-Defensive Talismans appeared in his hands.
As his vision gradually recovered, he swiftly surveyed his surroundings. Everywhere he looked, there were Giant Trees dozens of meters tall.
As far as the eye could see, there was not another person in sight.
"What dense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. So this is the Ancient Forbidden Zone?! If I cultivated in a place like this, my speed would be at least one or two times faster."
"Unfortunately, this trial only lasts Ninety Days. Otherwise, cultivating bitterly in this place would be quite a good choice!"
"Still, I never expected the teleportation to be random. It seems not forming a team was indeed the right decision."
After quickly examining the surrounding environment and sensing the dense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in the air, Su Shi'er silently pondered.
Once he confirmed that his current location was safe for the time being, he did not rush to explore. Instead, he found a nearby large tree, climbed up it in a few swift movements, took out the Material Compendium issued by the sect, and began reading it carefully.
To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools. Since he intended to search for materials, he felt it necessary to first understand them properly.
Su Shi'er was not the only one with that idea.
The moment they landed, quite a few disciples likewise chose to hide and study the Material Compendium issued by the sect.
But even more disciples chose to search for materials right away, or to read while searching.
After all, for most spiritual materials, the more precious they were, the more abundant the spiritual power they contained.
Among the tens of thousands of disciples, everyone reacted and acted differently.
As large numbers of disciples began moving about, many soon encountered one another.
Friction and conflict followed in their wake.
Su Shi'er naturally knew nothing of any of this.
He spent a full two days memorizing all the information on spiritual materials in the Material Compendium before finally jumping down from the tree and casually choosing a direction to travel.
An hour later.
The temperature became damp and cold, and the air was filled with much denser Water Spiritual Qi.
"What dense Water Spiritual Qi. Could there be some water-element treasure here?!"
Su Shi'er took a deep breath and muttered softly, then immediately used the Heavenly Eye Technique to inspect his surroundings.
Besides detecting concealment and aura suppression, the Heavenly Eye Technique could also reveal the flow and distribution of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.
Cultivators often used it to seek treasures as well.
After swiftly sweeping his gaze around, Su Shi'er's pupils contracted, and his spirits soared.
Under the Heavenly Eye Technique, he could clearly see that the dense Water Spiritual Qi all emanated from the same spot in the distance. That was highly unusual.
"Could there be a water-element material or treasure there?"
Without giving anything away, Su Shi'er scanned his surroundings. Seeing no other movement, he cautiously headed toward the source of the Water Spiritual Qi.
Before long, a lake appeared before him. On the shallow shore, a pale-blue Profound Clear Ice Lotus was in full bloom.
"Hmm? This... this is a Second-Grade Superior Spiritual Plant, the Profound Clear Ice Lotus?!"
Delight appeared on Su Shi'er's face. He had already memorized the Material Compendium, and he recognized the spiritual plant at a glance.
Staring at the Second-Grade Spiritual Material before him, Su Shi'er did not rush to pick it. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the lake behind it.
"If I remember correctly, a spiritual plant like the Profound Clear Ice Lotus is accompanied by a demonstric beast called the Poison Arrow Frog."
"This demonic beast is not powerful; it is merely a Low-Tier Demonic Beast. But it has great numbers, and its attacks are exceptionally insidious."
Recalling the relevant information, Su Shi'er's gaze swept across the lake before locking onto a spot in its center where tiny bubbles were rising.
With a flick of his hand, two Beastskin Fireball Talismans appeared in his palm. Just as he was about to activate them, he hesitated, then instead took out two Freezing Talismans.
"Low-Tier Demonic Beasts are not worth much, and fireball Talismans would make too much noise. It would be troublesome if they attracted other people."
As he silently considered this, True Yuan surged within him and flowed into the Ice Talismans.
The next moment, two icy-blue streaks shot forward and landed on the lake's surface.
The temperature in the air gradually dropped.
In less than the time it took to burn an incense stick, the surface of the lake was covered by a layer of solid ice half a foot thick.
Only then did Su Shi'er step forward to pick the Profound Clear Ice Lotus.
At that moment, a voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Stop! That spiritual plant belongs to our Tianhua Peak!"
Su Shi'er's heart jolted. He hurriedly turned around and looked behind him vigilantly.
Then he saw a young man with sword-like brows and starry eyes striding over with an arrogant expression.
The young man wore a Disciple Robe embroidered with the emblem of Tianhua Peak. A Fiery Red Hairband bound his hair, while a fiery red longsword was strapped across his back.
Qi Refining Stage Five?! Seeing the other man's cultivation, Su Shi'er's heart shook, and he immediately raised his vigilance to the utmost.
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