The First Second-Grade Spiritual Material

Among the crowd, the other Peak Masters and Elders exchanged quick glances, their eyes flashing with surprise and shock.

On one hand, they were surprised that Tianshu Peak had only sent these thirty-five disciples to participate in the trial. On the other hand, they were shocked by the strength of these thirty-five individuals. Each one was at Qi Refining Stage Six, and their fierce, murderous aura made it clear they were no ordinary lot.

His eyes shifting, Fu Boren fixed his gaze on the old man, cupped his hands, and smiled. "Grand Elder, why is it you who has come this time? Where is Junior Brother Sect Leader?"

The Grand Elder gently stroked his beard, a faint smile on his face. "The Sect Leader is in seclusion, preparing to break through to the next realm. This Newcomer Trial will be presided over by me."

With that, he waved his hand, and a dense surge of true essence radiated from his body.

As the true essence swept outward, starting from the center of the valley, everyone felt a tremendous force surge toward them like rolling waves.

For a moment, all present stepped back.

In the blink of an eye, an empty space a hundred meters in diameter appeared in the middle of the valley.

"All Peak Masters, lend me your strength!" the Grand Elder shouted again.

Six figures rose into the air from the crowd, each channeling their true essence and directing it toward the empty space in the center.

Multicolored true essence interwove and shifted above the clearing.

Then, the ground rumbled, and a massive circular magic array emerged in the empty space.

As soon as the array appeared, it released an ancient, primordial aura. Spiritual power permeated it, weaving together an enormous and complex pattern of array lines.

Standing in the crowd, Su Shi'er took only a curious glance before feeling dizzy and lightheaded, as if his head were about to burst.

Yet he still noticed that the pattern of this magic array was nearly identical to the Teleportation Talisman in his Storage Pouch.

Clearly, this should be the Teleportation Array leading to the Ancient Forbidden Zone.

"The array is activated. All disciples, hear 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 shouted in a clear, resonant voice.

Immediately, the crowd stirred, exchanging glances—some hesitant, others with firm resolve.

But soon, they all began walking toward the array. The moment they stepped into it, they vanished in flashes of white light.

Su Shi'er mingled with the crowd. The instant he stepped into the array, he felt a blinding light flash before him, as bright as daylight, impossible to look at directly. His head felt heavy and his feet light, as if there were no support in any direction—front, back, left, right, up, or down.

The sensation lasted only a moment.

Thud!

The next moment, Su Shi'er landed in a dense forest.

The instant he hit the ground, two Offensive-Defensive Talismans appeared in his hands.

As his vision gradually cleared, he quickly scanned his surroundings. All he could see were towering trees dozens of meters high.

As far as his eyes could reach, there was no sign of anyone else.

"Such dense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi—this is the Ancient Forbidden Zone?! If I were to cultivate here, my speed would be at least one or two times faster."

"Too bad this trial only lasts Ninety Days. Otherwise, bitter cultivation here would be a fine choice."

"Still, I didn't expect it to be a random teleport. Looks like not forming a team was the right call."

After quickly surveying the environment and sensing the rich Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in the air, Su Shi'er thought to himself.

Confirming that his current position was temporarily safe, he didn't rush to explore. Instead, he found a large tree nearby, climbed it in a few swift moves, pulled out the Material Compendium issued by the sect, and began studying it seriously.

To do a good job, one must first sharpen one's tools. Since he needed to search for materials, he felt it necessary to understand them first.

Su Shi'er was not the only one with this idea.

Upon landing, many disciples also chose to hide and flip through the Material Compendium issued by the sect.

But even more disciples opted to search for materials directly, or to look while moving.

After all, for most spiritual materials, the rarer they were, the more abundant the spiritual power they contained.

Among the tens of thousands of disciples, reactions and styles of action varied widely.

And as large numbers of disciples began to move, soon many started encountering one another. Friction and conflict followed.

Of all this, Su Shi'er was completely unaware.

It took him a full two days to commit all the information on spiritual materials in the Material Compendium to memory. Only then did he jump down from the tree and pick a random direction to walk.

An hour later.

The temperature grew damp and cold, and the air became thick with dense Water Spiritual Qi.

"Such rich Water Spiritual Qi—could there be some water-attributed treasure here?"

Su Shi'er took a deep breath, muttered to himself, then activated the Heavenly Eye Technique to inspect his surroundings.

The Heavenly Eye Technique, aside from detecting invisibility and concealed aura, could also reveal the flow and dispersion of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

Many times, it is also used by cultivators to seek treasures.

Sweeping his gaze around in an instant, Su Shi'er's pupils contracted, and his spirit jolted alert.

Under the Heavenly Eye Technique, he could clearly see that this dense Water Spiritual Qi was all emanating from the same distant location—highly unusual.

"Could it be a water-attribute material or treasure?"

Su Shi'er scanned his surroundings without changing his expression. Seeing no other movements, he cautiously made his way 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.

"Hm? This..."

"...This is a Second-Grade Superior Spiritual Plant, the Profound Clear Ice Lotus?!"

Delight spread across Su Shi'er's face. Having long memorized the Material Compendium, he recognized the spiritual plant at a glance.

Gazing at the second-grade spiritual plant before him, Su Shi'er did not rush to harvest it. Instead, he turned his attention to the lake behind it.

"If I remember correctly, a spiritual plant like the Profound Clear Ice Lotus is accompanied by a demonic beast called the Poison Arrow Frog."

"This kind of demonic beast isn't strong—just a Low-Tier Demonic Beast. But it makes up for it in numbers, and its methods are extremely insidious."

Recalling the relevant information in his mind, Su Shi'er swept his gaze across the lake and locked onto a spot in the center where tiny bubbles were rising.

With a flick of his hand, two Beastskin Fireball Talismans appeared in his palm. He was about to activate them, but hesitated, then swapped them out for two Freezing Talismans instead.

"Low-Tier Demonic Beasts aren't worth much, and a Fireball Talisman would make too much noise. If it attracts others, that won't be good."

Thinking to himself, he channeled his true essence, pouring it into the Ice Talismans.

The next second, two icy-blue streaks of light shot across and landed on the lake's surface.

The temperature in the air gradually dropped. In less than the time it takes to burn an incense stick, a half-foot-thick layer of solid ice had formed on the lake.

Seeing this, Su Shi'er stepped forward to harvest the Profound Clear Ice Lotus.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

"Stop right there! This spiritual plant belongs to our Tianhua Peak!"

Startled, Su Shi'er quickly turned around, eyeing the figure behind him warily.

Then, he saw a young man with sharp brows and bright eyes striding over with an arrogant expression.

The youth wore a Disciple Robe embroidered with the emblem of Tianhua Peak, and a Fiery Red Hairband tied around his hair. A Fiery Red Longsword was strapped to his back.

Qi Refining Stage, fifth layer?! Seeing the other's cultivation level, Su Shi'er's heart jolted, and he immediately became fully alert.