Chapter: Robbery

"Pack up, let's go."

Dongfang Wanyu flicked her long whip, directly shattering the branches behind him.

She had merely gone to look for a couple of fruits to eat earlier, and the fellow had sobbed his eyes out and wailed in great grief, his crying sound especially wretched.

Mu Sheng had just been reflecting on where he had fallen short of doing well the previous moment, when in the next second he discovered that the branches binding his hands had been untied. He scrambled up from the ground in one swift motion.

"Sister Wanyu, you aren't angry anymore?"

Dongfang Wanyu cast a strange sideways glance at him. "Why should I be angry?"

Mu Sheng lowered his head and wiped his face with his sleeve. "Sister Wanyu, if I don't snatch spirit stones from someone else's hands within an hour, I'll be eliminated. Thanks to your care all along this road, you can come to the Wood Hall to find me anytime you have any needs in the future, and I won't decline."

"Are you reciting your last words?"

Mu Sheng hurriedly shook his head. He simply didn't know when he would be sent away, so he was saying all the things he wanted to say; even if he vanished in the next second, at least there would be some closure.

The two walked one after the other. Dongfang Wanyu suddenly halted her footsteps and pulled Mu Sheng down into a crouch.

"What is it?"

Right around twenty meters ahead of the two, two teams of people had run into each other, currently presenting a five-on-five mutual standoff. One of the teams wore azure robes, and the person leading them had a red silk ribbon tied around their wrist, looking like some sort of team leader. The other team wore the hall uniforms of the various halls, clearly being first-years.

Veterans versus this batch of first-years.

Anyone with a brain probably wouldn't bet on the first-years winning.

The two factions of people soon made a move. Dongfang Wanyu pressed Mu Sheng down, hiding in the dark to watch. For the two teams with such a disparity in strength, it took less than a moment to decide victory and defeat.

"This bunch of brats actually have more backbone than that previous team, daring to still resist us." One of them laughed as he took out branches and tied up the ones unable to get up from the ground one by one, finally binding them into a bunch.

The leading man said, "Alright, stop dawdling. Out of more than two hundred people, we've only run into two teams. When will this combat competition ever reach an end?"

Combat competition?

Dongfang Wanyu pondered it for a moment, and surprisingly discovered a loophole. Earlier, the examiner had only said that previous senior brothers and senior sisters would come to snatch their spirit stones.

Yet what she heard from their mouths was not the same thing at all.

She understood. This wasn't a game at all, but two confrontations.

"This game is getting more and more interesting." Dongfang Wanyu said with a smile.

Mu Sheng was startled into a fright as he watched from the side. Whenever Sister Wanyu wore this smile previously, it was when she threw him into a pile of fire-ant magic beasts.

Now she was smiling at... uh, it seemed she was smiling at that group of senior brothers.

Mu Sheng suddenly had a rather bad premonition, but his bad premonition quickly came true.

"Let Little White out."

"Ah?"

Dongfang Wanyu looked at him with a beaming smile. "As far as I know, the fog of this Old Man White of yours isn't just useful against magic beasts, right?"

Mu Sheng's scalp tingled, thinking to himself how she knew about that.

"Hurry."

Glared at by her like that, Mu Sheng immediately surrendered to her might and summoned his little companion.

The grade of Old Man White wasn't very high, and they could grow up to the fifth grade at most. However, Old Man White was full of skills, capable of releasing two kinds of miasma: one was poisonous toxic fog, and the other was just mists. The scents emitted by both were the same, but the visible colors floating in the air differed, by which one could tell whether it was poisonous or non-poisonous. However, ordinary people found it very hard to detect unless they had extremely powerful perception.

Of course, this was all common knowledge that Qing Mo had crammed into her soul sea to help her catch up.

That team of senior-brother teammates was in the middle of looting the jade tokens in the hands of the first-years. One only heard the ding, ding, ding sounds of transactions, just like swiping cards; the jade tokens of the two people merely needed a gentle tap against each other to input all the other party's spirit stones into their own jade tokens.

The first-years who had been thoroughly plundered drooped their heads. With the spirit stones gone, another hour passing meant elimination.

This group of senior brothers, however, were each and every one of them in high spirits, yet still unsatisfied as they said, "Did the others all go hide, or else how have we only found two teams after such a long time?"

"Speed it up, we need to find them faster than the other teams."

Their actions were fierce, swift, and orderly. Mu Sheng watched with alarm from the side; if a team like this could handle the first-years so neatly, then how could they as first-years possibly win? Moreover, it seemed there wasn't just one team like this, and another nine teams hadn't been seen yet.

Little White's powder-scattering speed accelerated, and soon a light fragrance mixed with the scent of grass and trees wafted out.

"Strange, I seem to smell a fragrance. Did any of you smell it?"

"Mh, it really seems there is one."

"Bad, we've fallen into a trap." The person wearing the red silk ribbon had just said "bad" when several others were already sitting on the ground with limp legs. He propped up half his body stubbornly using his long sword.

"What people, hiding your heads and showing your tails, come out quickly."

Mu Sheng thought to himself that even if beaten to death he wouldn't go out.

As a result, Dongfang Wanyu walked out just like that, so openly and aboveboard, conveniently saying, "Mu Sheng, why aren't you coming out quickly? Your hour is almost up."

This was clearly wanting to drag him down into the water. Mu Sheng wore a weeping face as he walked out tardily, resembling a frost-bitten eggplant.

"I think this senior brother's spirit stones should be handed over to you." Dongfang Wanyu casually pointed at someone for Mu Sheng.

That person glared fiercely at the two of them, so angered he almost vomited blood. "Such a big tone. You even dare to rob us."

"You guessed right, didn't the rules of the game stipulate that we can mutually rob? Since you can rob us, why can't we rob you?" Dongfang Wanyu looked smilingly at that stubborn team leader who was holding out to the very end. "Senior brother, am I right?"

The words fell as she un-expectantly flicked out her whip. A single whip-lash coiled around his wrist that was propped on his sword, and with a gentle tug, the opponent couldn't sustain himself and lunged forward to the ground in a sorry state.

"Leader."

Everyone cried out in surprise, their gazes looking at Dongfang Wanyu as if they wanted to stare holes right through her.

Dongfang Wanyu's words were like a pebble thrown onto a tranquil lake, stirring up ripple after ripple. The five bound first-years looked at each other in dismay; they only knew that previous-batch students would rob their spirit stones, but they had never thought about counter-robbing spirit stones from their hands.

This scene was too beautiful, he didn't dare to look. Mu Sheng covered his face, feeling as though he had caused a huge catastrophe and would probably die a miserable death shortly.

Seeing him dawdle and not make a move, Dongfang Wanyu simply slapped him on the forehead, then squatted down to open their jade tokens. When she saw the quantity of spirit stones inside, Dongfang Wanyu grew merry.

"Fifty." Dongfang Wanyu directly inputted the numbers, then tapped her own jade token and his together. Very soon, the spirit stones arrived on her jade token.

"What sort of trick did you actually use on us, why are we unable to move?"

"That little junior sister, can you help us untie the ropes?"

"Right, everyone is a first-year, help each other out and we will be endlessly grateful."

Watching them struggle for half a day without being able to shake off those branches, Mu Sheng wanted to go up and help, but the moment he thought of what happened before, he simply stood stock-still, watching Sister Wanyu gleefully plunder spirit stones.

Dongfang Wanyu didn't even look back. Her movements were exceptionally swift, inputting this one and then that one. The spirit stones of the five people added together had already reached two hundred ninety spirit stones.

The expressions of the five people looking at her grew more and more ferocious, obviously not expecting that coming out on this trip would lead to capsizing in a gutter and being robbed by others instead.

"Thanks a lot."

Finishing her words, she pulled Mu Sheng and left in a brisk walk.

"How long can your miasma last?"

Mu Sheng didn't understand why she asked this, but still honestly confessed, "Little White is only tier two right now, it can probably last about the time it takes to burn an incense stick."

"Quickly conceal the aura on your body, they will chase over very soon." Dongfang Wanyu spoke to him while hauling him along to sprint at high speed. Halfway through, she made a turn and ran toward another path.

The two of them luckily spotted a rock cave, and Dongfang Wanyu walked right in without a second thought.

"Sister Wanyu."

"Hand over the jade token." Dongfang Wanyu punched in a number, placing the two people's jade tokens close together and sliding them across each other gently.

"One hundred!" Mu Sheng was scared to death by the number on the jade token. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and said with difficulty, "Sister Wanyu, giving me one hundred is too much, I only need five."

Five was the base number; as long as he wasn't robbed, he could make it to the end.

Dongfang Wanyu glanced at him. "This is what you deserve."

Mu Sheng felt a bit prickly in his heart from her gaze. Accepting it wouldn't do, and not accepting it wouldn't do either, so he simply sat down to the side and said, "Sister Wanyu, do you think they'll discover this place too?"

Dongfang Wanyu pressed her lips together, estimating the combat strength of those five people. "If they chase over, we'll beat them black and blue."

As for this side, Dongfang Wanyu and Mu Sheng had no inkling that they had become famous. The examiners hadn't told them that once they entered the trial grounds, everything would be recorded in the Mystic Light Mirror. The team they had just robbed was called the Bloodthirsty Team, ranking third in overall capability among the ten teams.

They were also the team among the ten viewed as most likely to take first place in the combat competition. However, right at the very start, those people placing bets had their faces fiercely slapped by the stunt pulled by this little girl who had popped out of nowhere-slap, slap, slap, slap-both left and right cheeks swollen red.

"Oh, this little girl seems to be from our Thunder Hall. Not bad, extremely gutsy. If her results are stellar, let her enter my sect." An old man stroked his beard and nodded with a beam, feeling quite satisfied in his heart. Good, good, their Thunder Hall had produced Li Yunan, and it had been several years since they produced a seedling like this.

Daring to act and fight, forging ahead courageously. Furthermore, she was a brave and resourceful little girl; he liked her.

Those eliminated first-years also constantly followed everything recorded in the Mystic Light Mirror. Seeing the first-years being suppressed by the senior brothers of the previous batch without any power to fight back, each and every one of them had their teeth itching with anger, wishing they could step right up to overturn them and start a mass brawl. However, when they saw Dongfang Wanyu and Mu Sheng use the fog to rob a team of five senior brothers, everyone was stirred beyond comparison.

So naturally, Dongfang Wanyu and Mu Sheng became famous.

The fantasy mirror was set in the plaza several thousand meters wide within the Royal Academy. Ever since she found out, Dongfang Minghui guarded the front every day to watch, hoping to catch sight of the female lead's figure. Just as she had anticipated, not long after the female lead made her entrance, she pulled off a stunning stunt. At this moment, she was hauling a little wood-element fellow with one hand, the two of them fleeing at extreme speed for their lives.

Dongfang Wanyu and Mu Sheng were unaware that the five members of the Bloodthirsty Team were actually not far from them. Yet the scene displayed in the Mystic Light Mirror was heart-stopping, as though they were separated by just that tiny bit of distance. Everyone held their breath in concentration, all worried the two would be found by them. However, very soon, the figures of Dongfang Wanyu and Mu Sheng vanished from the Mystic Light Mirror.

"What's going on?"

"How did they suddenly disappear? Tell me, have this little girl and the kid been found?"

Dongfang Minghui curled her lip. How could the female lead be so freaking easily found by people? If she were found, she wouldn't be called the female lead. According to the script, right now the female lead should be hiding in a cave and then discovering a person inside that cave.

Dongfang Wanyu and Mu Sheng sat quietly inside the cave, leaning against the stone wall, gnawing on dry rations to store up energy and sharpen their weapons. Dongfang Wanyu possessed an urgent feeling that once she rested enough, a battle would begin.

They had only run into one team, yet they had been chased and fled in a sorry state. Moreover, she believed this team wasn't the strongest among the ten teams. If they encountered the strongest among them next, what should they do?

After finishing eating, she closed her eyes, preparing to cultivate for a bit. She had been killing magic beasts continuously these past few days, and felt she had a slight sensation of about to breakthrough.

"Who is it, come out."

Startled by her shout like that, Mu Sheng choked on the dry rations stuck in his throat, almost unable to get them out.

Cough, cough.

"Sister Wanyu, who are you shouting at?"

Dongfang Wanyu didn't answer immediately, instead directly drawing out the long whip around her waist and lashing it pa against the ground, splitting open a crack in the earth.

Mu Sheng immediately hid behind her. "Are there still ghosts in this godforsaken place?"

How come they hadn't sensed a thing when they entered just now?

"The young lady has fine skills, to actually be discovered by you." From the depths of the cave walked out a youth dressed in fluttering white clothes. The youth possessed delicate eyebrows and fine eyes, bright pupils and white teeth, looking extremely charming when he smiled.

Dongfang Wanyu didn't relax her vigilance just because he was handsome and dashing. She had an extraordinary memory, practically possessing a photographic memory; she hadn't seen this youth among the two hundred trainees, which showed that the other party wasn't a first-year.

Looking again at the clothes on his body-white robes. Among the nine major halls of the general academy, the clothes were arranged according to color, and the only one missing was white. "Speak, who are you, and how did you sneak into the first-years' ranks?"

The white-clothed youth widened his eyes slightly, his face displaying astonishment, clearly not expecting the opponent to expose him with just a single encounter.

"No way." Mu Sheng widened his eyes in terror. Hadn't they just escaped from the wolf's jaws, how did they run right into a tiger's mouth by turning around? Who on earth was this pretty youth?

"Young lady, can you put away your Water-Thunder Whip? Although your Water-Thunder Whip is formidable, however, I advise you to put it down."

He had seen right through her long whip the moment he opened his mouth. Although ordinary people knew she used a long whip, no one had ever pointed out the origin of the whip, nor had anyone even recognized it. The white-clothed youth's remark didn't make her lower her vigilance, but instead stirred up her passion for battle.

"Wanyu, take back the long whip and see what on earth he's doing." Qing Mo said within her soul sea.

Dongfang Wanyu put away her long whip and said unceremoniously, "You still haven't said who you are."

The white-clothed youth smiled slightly, his smile peerlessly beautiful, making one unable to easily forget it once seen. "My name is Xiu Qi. What is the young lady's name?"

"Qian Wanyu."

People of the Qian household? The white-clothed youth's expression as he looked at her clearly carried a bit more scrutiny.

The white-clothed youth looked again at Mu Sheng behind her. "Miss Qian, I unintentionally intruded into this secret realm. Once I find the Pig Immortal Grass, I will leave immediately."

Dongfang Wanyu furrowed her brows, unable to help asking Qing Mo in her soul sea, "What on earth is the secret realm and the Pig Immortal Grass he's talking about?"

"The so-called secret realm is like an encrypted space, just like the spatial ring in your hand, but its area and various aspects are ten million times larger than yours. Pig Immortal Grass... I really haven't heard of this one. You can ask your ninth younger sister next time, she is the one who understands plants best."

At the end, Qing Mo couldn't help but make a sarcastic jab.

"Is your purpose in coming here truly for the Pig Immortal Grass?" Dongfang Wanyu looked at him doubtfully.

At the same time, she also deliberately glanced at his wrist. This person didn't have a jade token engraved with an identity on his body, and might not even be someone from the Royal Academy.

"Naturally, why would I deceive the young lady?" The man spoke indifferently, an aura capable of making people feel at ease radiating from his body.

"Sister Wanyu, then how did he get in?" Mu Sheng whispered, biting ears with her.

Yet Xiu Qi showed a slight smile toward him. "I chased the Pig Immortal Grass and mistakenly barged into this secret realm. Thinking about it now, the Pig Immortal Grass probably wanted to trap me right here."

"Isn't the Pig Immortal Grass a spiritual herb? You can describe it to us, and once we run into it later we'll help you catch it together." Dongfang Wanyu felt a tiny bit of curiosity toward this person who had suddenly appeared.

"It is indeed a spiritual herb, but a spiritual herb that has gained intelligence. It is exceptionally cunning; even if you find it, it'll be hard for you to catch it. The reason it's called Pig Immortal Grass is because it's a herb possessing two plump leaves, with curled roots and leaves resembling a pig's ears, and the name originates from that." Xiu Qi explained simply.

"This Xiu Qi has zero aura on him, seeming harmless, but I feel you are no match for him. If you get a chance to leave, quickly leave and don't let him detect the dark-attribute in you." Qing Mo rarely revealed a solemn expression.

This white-clothed youth who suddenly appeared inside the cave was an enigma.

Mu Sheng tilted his head and muttered, "A spiritual herb that has gained intelligence."

Xiu Qi nodded. "Just like that Old Man White on your body. But what a pity, this Old Man White of yours can at most break through three more grades; its cultivation has already reached its limit and it's impossible for it to cultivate into a holy herb."

Damn, the other party had casually stated the existence of his little companion, and even pointed out the other party's grade and flaws. Mu Sheng shivered; this person was too terrifying.

Even more terrifying than Sister Wanyu.

Seeing the two of them chatting away, Dongfang Wanyu simply closed her eyes and began to cultivate. When she opened her eyes once more after this cultivation session, everything inside the cave remained as before.

"How many hours has it been?"

Mu Sheng had been keeping watch at the side all along and didn't dare to sleep either, blinking away drowsiness continuously. "I just went outside to take a look, three hours have already passed."

"Let's move." Dongfang Wanyu stood up, seeing Mu Sheng constantly rubbing his eyes, and understood in her heart that the other had guarded for her the entire night.

At this moment, however, Xiu Qi opened his eyes. "You're leaving?"

"Yes."

"I'll go with you guys."

Dongfang Wanyu pressed her lips together and said, "We are being hunted down by people. If you follow us, it's very likely you'll be implicated."

There was no telling if that previous team was waiting outside to snap up prey.

"It's fine, let's go."

Since the other party didn't care, Dongfang Wanyu cared even less, and the three of them temporarily formed a strange three-person combination.

They had just walked a few hundred meters when they saw a team walking toward them head-on. Their team uniforms were identical to the ones they had robbed last time, and the leading person also had a red silk ribbon tied around his wrist.

"Sister Wanyu, should we hide?"

Dongfang Wanyu shook her head. "It's too late, they've already seen us."

Mu Sheng trembled; he was truly scared to death of this group of senior brothers and senior sisters. "Then... are we going to hand the spirit stones over to them?"

"Of course not." Dongfang Wanyu curved her lips into a smile. "We're going to rob theirs."

Mu Sheng staggered, and if Xiu Qi hadn't reached out to pull him at the side, he would probably have had an intimate kiss with the dirt.

That group of people was laughing and bantering. "I heard the Bloodthirsty team capsized in a gutter this time, being tricked by two little fellows. It's simply the utmost disgrace to us."

"Hahahaha, just how stupid must they have been?"

"Two? I thought there were at least five people?"

"The other party seemed to be able to release a fragrance, which is why they fell for the trick."

"If let me see those two little fellows, I'll dismantle their bones inch by inch to see if they're different from others." After finishing, that person even licked his lips.

Mu Sheng's calves started trembling. Were they discussing them just now? What did they mean by saying they'd dismantle their bones? These people were so vicious.

"These three first-years are actually quite interesting." Other first-years saw them, each and every one like mice seeing a cat, scared to death.

"Come on, I'm in a good mood. You guys proactively hand over the spirit stones, and I won't beat you up." The person who had just said he would dismantle their bones inch by inch carried a large saber, legs spread wide, staring arrogantly at them.

Dongfang Wanyu reached for her waist, flicked out her long whip, and lashed straight at the man's face.

"Watch out!" Lie Yan's eyes were sharp. He had already sensed something wrong: their opponents were far too composed. Instead of running, they had walked toward them.

Still, attacking at the slightest disagreement-what a fiery temper.

Of the entire team, Lie Yan was attacked by Xiu Qi the moment his warning left his mouth. He had no idea what Xiu Qi had done, but the aura emanating from him suppressed Lie Yan so completely that he could not move.

He tried circulating spiritual power throughout his body, but he still could not budge. His opponent stood nearby, as calm as drifting clouds and a gentle breeze, while Lie Yan felt as though a massive boulder were crushing him. The pain was unbearable.

The man carrying the saber was Butcher. At his leader's shout, he immediately darted backward, but even so, his opponent's whip hooked the saber resting on his shoulder.

"Little girl, do you want a taste of my ultimate art of ripping out tendons and tearing apart bones?"

Dongfang Wanyu snorted. "Flapping your mouth doesn't make you a hero. Fight me if you have the guts!"

As for the other three, seeing that their companions had each chosen an opponent, they immediately focused their attention on the delicate-looking Mu Sheng.

The three of them had planned this beforehand: Xiu Qi would handle the captain, Dongfang Wanyu would draw Butcher away, and Mu Sheng would stall for time.

The moment Mu Sheng saw them draw their weapons, he raised his hands in surrender. "Don't hit me! Don't hit me! I'll give you my spirit stones!"

The three exchanged looks. What a strange combination these people were. Stranger still, Mu Sheng really did bring out his jade token and cautiously bargain with them. "I only have a hundred spirit stones. When you divide them up, could you leave me five?"

A hundred spirit stones.

At those words, their eyes lit up, the corners crinkling with smiles.

A hundred spirit stones was no small fortune.

"Since you're such a sensible kid, sure. Come on, hand them over yourself. Don't make us do it." One of them held out his hand.

Xiu Qi tilted his head and watched Mu Sheng touch his jade token against theirs, his expression agonized. Soon, one hundred became zero.

"Hey, hey! Why aren't you keeping your word?" Mu Sheng stamped his feet in panic. Seeing his jade token return to zero, he wanted to cry. He had viewed the world with such innocence, yet the world had shown him endless darkness.

"Little brother, keeping our word? Do you know how pigs die?"

Mu Sheng seethed inwardly. When Wanyu had discussed this with him earlier, he had thought robbing their senior students was rather disrespectful. Now, he realized just how foolish he had been.

"I do."

"Hahahaha! He actually says he knows! You're so adorable, I almost can't bear to hurt you."

Mu Sheng gave the three a sinister look and asked in return, "Do you know how you're going to die?"

"What?" All three looked incredulous, thinking they must have misheard.

Mu Sheng counted the time. It was about right. He silently counted down: Three, two, one.

The three crumpled to the ground, retaining only a little awareness. Only belatedly did they realize they had fallen into a trap. Mu Sheng smiled. "I'll tell you the answer: from stupidity."

Seeing his four companions unable to move, Butcher understood exactly what had happened. They had encountered the two people who had trapped the Bloodthirsty Team-no, three people.

Xiu Qi, dragged into the accusation despite his innocence, did not care.

"Hurry up and take all their spirit stones!" Dongfang Wanyu shouted to Mu Sheng while handling Butcher.

"Boy, don't you dare!"

Mu Sheng stuck his tongue out at him. Did he dare? Before, he certainly would not have. But prolonged oppression had stirred a little rebelliousness in him. Besides, they had already successfully dealt with two teams. What was there left to fear?

At worst, wouldn't he just lose all his spirit stones, take a beating, and get eliminated?

Thinking about it now, that was no big deal. Even if he was eliminated, he would at least be a loser who had robbed two teams of senior students.

Then they would see who really lost face.

Hmph.

Mu Sheng quickly took all the spirit stones from their jade tokens. Their eyes and ears reddened with fury, but they could not move, like lambs awaiting slaughter.

A thrill of satisfaction rose in Mu Sheng's heart. In a rare display of sternness, he snapped, "What are you staring at? Keep staring and I'll gouge your eyes out! Are you the only ones allowed to rob us? We can't rob you?"

What sort of reasoning was that?

It was simply a robber's logic.

Perhaps because Butcher had moved outside that circle, his reaction came a little later than the other four's. Soon, however, he sensed something wrong. His spiritual power was leaking uncontrollably, slipping beyond his command.

"You-"

Before he could finish, he fell from midair and hit the ground with a thud.

Dongfang Wanyu nudged him with her foot. Seeing that he could not move, she quickly touched her jade token against his. "I didn't expect you to be this poor."

She was a little disappointed. Only thirty.

Butcher's veins bulged. She had nearly infuriated him to death.

The two robbed them, gathered their things, and swiftly slipped away.

Soon, news spread that a second team had been robbed by newcomers.

However, something had gone wrong with the Mystic Light Mirror. When Dongfang Wanyu and Mu Sheng robbed Lie Yan's team, it suddenly went black and recorded nothing.

Only after they left did the Mystic Light Mirror return to normal.

Five people lay sprawled across the ground, unable to move. Their expressions were ugly; clearly, they had been robbed.

"Doesn't this scene look familiar?" one of the eliminated students who had been watching the inner institute entrance trial suddenly asked.

Everyone thought about it, and it really did. Hadn't the Bloodthirsty Team also been robbed while lying on the ground, then remained unable to move for a while? There was no need to guess whose handiwork this was. Everyone knew Dongfang Wanyu and Mu Sheng had done it.

"Wahahaha! That's so satisfying!" Someone slapped their thigh while laughing. While Dongfang Wanyu and Mu Sheng had been hiding in the cave, ten teams had already been robbed by senior students, and five of those teams had unfortunately been eliminated. In other words, only a hundred and thirty or forty remained out of more than two hundred people.

Seeing the senior students get robbed again really vented their anger.

Listening to their discussion, Dongfang Minghui could not help secretly chuckling. The heroine had used the same method to rob two teams, but soon the other teams would join forces to hunt her down, and Mu Sheng's skill would be neutralized.

Counting them up, he seemed to have eight chances left to release the mist.

"Hey."

While Dongfang Minghui was considering the plot, someone suddenly patted her shoulder from behind, giving her a fright.

"Nan Nan, what are you doing here?"

Nan Nan smiled. "I heard them say that a lightning-element girl had apparently trampled those senior students underfoot twice. I thought that sounded a little like Wanyu, so I came to look."

"It doesn't just sound like her. It is Seventh Sister," Dongfang Minghui told her with certainty.

Nan Nan looked surprised, then understood after a moment's thought. She smiled. "Wanyu was right. The only person who can save you is yourself. If she hadn't awakened me in time, my brother and I wouldn't have known what to do."

"Um, did Lu Peng come looking for you again?" Seeing the crowd, Dongfang Minghui simply pulled Nan Nan aside to a quieter spot.

Nan Nan shook her head with a smile. "After you left, my brother and I immediately moved somewhere else. I also came to take the entrance examination, just to give it a try. Later, the Alchemy Institute admitted me as an exception. I'm a new alchemy student now."

"Congratulations, Nan Nan."

Dongfang Minghui could not help marveling. No matter what happened, everything still followed the script.

Meanwhile, Dongfang Wanyu and Mu Sheng discussed things. It really was not easy for newcomers to hold on to their few spirit stones, so they would not rob any they encountered. They would leave them a path to survival and specifically target the senior students instead.

Whenever Xiu Qi caught the scent of Pig Immortal Grass, he would leave for a little while, then return if he could not find it.

Dongfang Wanyu had already grown accustomed to the eerie sight of him suddenly disappearing and reappearing.

"Wanyu, I think I just saw Xiao Ruo," Mu Sheng suddenly said.

She glanced at him. "Do you want revenge?"

Having been betrayed by his closest friend, Mu Sheng surely had feelings about it, Dongfang Wanyu knew. If he felt nothing at all, she certainly would not partner with such an indiscriminate do-gooder.

"Of course. I want them eliminated," Mu Sheng answered without hesitation.

Dongfang Wanyu smiled. "Good."

"Don't use your skill this time. You have eight uses left, and we might encounter another eight teams later. Leave these people to me."

Mu Sheng was suddenly deeply moved. Not only had Wanyu looked after him from time to time along the way and helped him hunt magic beasts, she was now taking revenge for him.

Earlier, they had agreed not to rob newcomers, but Wanyu had made an exception for his sake.

Mu Sheng secretly made a decision.

"Will you hand over your spirit stones yourselves, or shall I take them?"

Dongfang Wanyu had observed this team earlier. There were five of them. Xiao Ruo had the wood element. Of the other four, one had the wind element and specialized in Whirlwind Blade, which grew stronger in the wind. One had the ice element and excelled at Ice Spike. The remaining two had the earth element. They were all Spirit Masters: a level-one wind Spirit Master, a level-three ice Spirit Master, and two level-two earth Spirit Masters. As for Xiao Ruo, Dongfang Wanyu intended to let Mu Sheng deal with her himself.

The five exchanged looks, clearly never expecting someone so arrogant. Earlier, they had only seen Mu Sheng, not Dongfang Wanyu, so they had endless scorn for this inexplicable woman, completely unaware that she had a reason for coming.

"Hahahaha-ha!"

Dongfang Wanyu lashed out with her long whip, first targeting the level-three ice Spirit Master. They had underestimated her from the start and naturally had not raised their defenses, so the whip struck him squarely.

One of the Water-Thunder Whip's major abilities was its lightning. Anyone who touched it would experience the tingling numbness of being struck by lightning-a truly exquisite sensation.

Seeing this, the two earth Spirit Masters dared not remain arrogant and immediately unleashed Earth Thorn. Yet the moment they activated their skill, an even stronger surge of earth-element power rushed at them, blasting them flat onto the ground. It was like intending to slap someone twice, only to receive ten slaps in return.

"What happened?"

Dongfang Wanyu smiled. Naturally, she would not tell them she had combined her two elemental attributes, burying lightning in the earth. The moment they attacked, they triggered the trap she had planted below. Naturally, it felt exquisite.

As for that level-three ice Spirit Master, he had better not attack. Lightning loved water most of all.

The wind Spirit Master saw that in a single exchange, this lone opponent had already caught three members of their team in her traps. Realizing her earlier boast had not been empty arrogance, he immediately and cautiously unleashed Whirlwind Blade at Dongfang Wanyu.

Dongfang Wanyu swung her whip as though dancing in the air, flinging every one of his Whirlwind Blades back at him.

"Ah! Help!"

Xiao Ruo had the wood element. Aside from making branches attack Dongfang Wanyu, she had little offensive power. When the wind blades were knocked straight back, one hurtled toward her face. She could do nothing but cry for help.

Hearing her cry, the level-one wind Spirit Master immediately abandoned his attack on Dongfang Wanyu and went back to save Xiao Ruo.

After taking a beating, they naturally recognized the gap between them and her.

"You're alone. Why not join our team? At least we could look after one another," the level-three ice Spirit Master offered.

He was this team's captain.

Dongfang Wanyu looked at them with a cold smile. "You lot?"

A team that plotted against someone from the outset held no appeal for her, even if it was illustrious. Besides, they were merely a disorderly rabble, nothing to fear.

She called to Mu Sheng, "Come out. Hurry up."

She did not want to spend another moment with these people.

Mu Sheng immediately ran out with a broad smile, readied his jade token, and waited to sweep the spirit stones directly out of theirs.

Seeing Mu Sheng, Xiao Ruo's eyes widened. "Mu Sheng, how could it be you?"

With Mu Sheng before them, what was there left to misunderstand?

Mu Sheng glanced coldly at her. "Who are you? I don't know you."

This was exactly what it meant for fortune's wheel to turn.

"Mu Sheng, let us off this once. If you take all our spirit stones, we'll be eliminated soon," Xiao Ruo pleaded despite herself, then added quietly, "Besides, we only took five spirit stones from you back then."

As though he could not hear her, Mu Sheng kept his head down and transferred their spirit stones. All thirty scattered among their tokens went into his own. His token now displayed 395.

Mu Sheng thought he would have to find somewhere later to transfer these spirit stones to Wanyu.

"Then get eliminated. You were supposed to be eliminated before anyway. I've already let you enjoy yourselves here for ten hours. Consider the other twenty-five interest, understand?"

Hearing his words, Dongfang Wanyu could not help laughing. That delicate, timid boy had grown up too. This trial ground really was a good place.

"Gag them and tie them up."

Mu Sheng's eyes lit up. He thought Wanyu's idea was wonderful. Gagging them would stop them from continuing to wail like ghosts and howl like wolves for help.

"Xiao Ruo, just bear with it. An examiner will come release you in two hours," Mu Sheng kindly advised as he tied them up.

"Mu Sheng, how did you become like this? We're friends, aren't we?"

Finding Xiao Ruo's voice too noisy, Mu Sheng stuffed a foul-smelling rag from some unknown source straight into her mouth.

Looking at them all unable to speak, Mu Sheng felt immensely satisfied.

"Wanyu, let's go."

The two