Continue north.
The forest began to change. The ancient trees were no longer so dense, and there were more artificial traces on the ground - broken stone roads, collapsed stone pillars, and the occasional boundary monument with vague lines. In addition to the rich vegetation Spiritual Qi, there was also a faint burning sensation in the air.
Liu Qing stopped and concentrated for a moment. "The front is the territory of Fire Element Demon Beast, be careful."
Qin Tiexin nodded. The two slowed down and moved forward cautiously.
After walking less than half a mile, a red shadow passed across the sky ahead.
It was a bird with bright red feathers, a wingspan of nearly three feet, and a tail as long as a tassel of flames. It hovered at low altitude, its sharp eyes scanning the woods below, as if looking for prey.
Fire Feather Bird. Eighth level of Qi refining.
Liu Qing whispered, "This thing is fast and can spit fire. It is difficult to deal with. We have to lure it down."
Qin Tiexin looked at the surrounding terrain and pointed to a slightly open space on the left. "There."
The two quietly retreated and hid behind the trees at the edge of the clearing. Liu Qing picked up a fist-sized stone from the ground, weighed it, and then threw it hard into the center of the clearing.
The stone fell to the ground with a muffled "thud" sound.
The fire-feathered sparrow in the sky immediately noticed the movement, circled in a circle, and swooped down. It descended very quickly, its wings folded together, like a sharp red arrow.
Liu Qing held Hand Seals in her hands and chanted a curse in a low voice.
Just when the Fire Feather Bird was about to land and was about to check the rocks, Liu Qing's Law Technique took action.
"Water Archery!"
Three feet long aqua blue arrows condensed out of thin air and shot through the air towards the Fire Feather Sparrow. The arrow speed was not fast, but it accurately sealed the space for the Fire Feather Sparrow to rise and dodge left and right.
The Fire Feather Bird screamed and instinctively sprayed out a red flame, trying to evaporate the water arrow. The flames collided with the water arrow, making a "chiss" sound, and the water vapor evaporated. But Liu Qing had more than one water arrow, and the last two had already been shot in front of the Fire Feather Bird when it responded to the first one.
The Fire Feather Bird flapped its wings in panic and tried to hide, but its speed was delayed for a moment by the water vapor brought up by the water arrow.
Just this moment is enough.
Qin Tiexin The dagger in his right hand was already in the palm of his hand. He narrowed his eyes and locked the Fire Feather Bird's neck. The strength of his whole body rose from the soles of his feet, passed through the waist and abdomen, gathered on his right arm, and then - throw! This was a long-range attack method that he had figured out before, but it was rarely used. At this time, the wind blade of the wolf's fangs should not be exposed.
The short knife turned into a dark cyan stream of light, breaking through the steaming water vapor, and accurately pierced the Fire Feather Bird's neck.
"Pfft!"
The short knife penetrated the throat and came out from the other side. The Fire Feather Bird's body froze, its wings fluttered feebly twice, and then fell to the ground, splashing a cloud of dust.
Qin Tiexin walked out of the bushes, walked to the body of the Fire Feather Bird, pulled out a short knife, and wiped away the blood. Liu Qing also walked over, looked at the bird corpse on the ground, and praised, "Qin Dao is friendly and accurate."
"You control it well." Qin Tiexin said briefly.
The two began to deal with it. Fire Feather Bird's Essence Blood is a good material for refining Fire Element elixirs. The feathers can be used to make talismans and are of high value. Liu Qing took a small half bottle of Essence Blood, Qin Tiexin collected the feathers and processed the bones and meat and put them into the ice Storage Bag.
After collecting the loot, the two continued to move forward.
The farther you go, the more obvious the artificial traces are. A complete stone road begins to appear on the ground. Although it is overgrown with weeds, you can still make out the direction of the road. Occasionally, you can see collapsed stone statues on both sides, carved with vague human or animal shapes, which have been eroded by wind and rain beyond recognition.
The burning sensation in the air gradually faded away, turning into a neutral and peaceful Spiritual Qi, with the attributes of the five elements mixed but delicately balanced.
Qin Tiexin I know, we are almost at the center.
Sure enough, after walking for about a quarter of an hour, the front suddenly became clear.
The forest ends here. In front of it is a huge bluestone square, about a hundred feet square. The ground is paved with a whole piece of blue slate. Although the gaps between the slates have been covered with moss over time, the overall shape is well preserved.
In the center of the square, five portals are suspended in mid-air, about three feet above the ground.
From left to right, they are: gold, green, blue, red, and yellow. Each door is about two feet high and one foot wide. The door frame is engraved with complex runes. At this moment, the runes are dim, and there is a rotating halo of chaos inside the door.
There are already many people in the square.
Qin Tiexin After a rough scan, there were about a hundred people. That was half the number when we entered - the remaining people either hadn't arrived yet or had stayed in the forest forever.
The various forces are clearly distinguished.
Seven members of the Jinyang Sect occupied an area on the east side of the square, and all members were present. The woman in red stood at the front, with her arms folded, her red whip hung on her waist, and her eyes scanned the whole place indifferently. The six disciples behind her looked solemn, and their positions were vaguely formed into a battle formation.
Five people from the Qingxia sect are on the west side, three women and two men. They are all wearing light blue robes and have a noble temperament. They are regulating their breath with their eyes closed.
Disciples from small and medium-sized sects were scattered everywhere, gathering together in twos and threes, looking at others warily.
The Rogue Cultivator group has the largest number of people, about forty or fifty people, but they are the most dispersed. They sit alone or in groups of two or three, with their eyes full of alertness and calculation.
Qin Tiexin and Liu Qing walked out of the forest and stepped onto the square.
Immediately, several eyes came over. Some were scrutinizing, some were curious, and some were disdainful - especially when they felt the aura of Qin Tiexin, the fifth level of Qi Refining.
Qin Tiexin ignored these glances. He scanned the square, looking for people from the Liuyun Sect.
Soon, he saw a familiar figure on the south side of the square.
Li Yun was sitting cross-legged on a bluestone slab, her aqua blue dress looking soft in the gray light. There were five people around her - five of the six outer disciples, with one less.
Qin Tiexin walked over.
Li Yun noticed someone approaching, opened her eyes and saw it was Qin Tiexin, obvious joy flashed in her eyes. "Junior Brother Qin!"
She stood up, walked over quickly, and looked him up and down. "Are you okay?"
"It's okay." Qin Tiexin nodded, then looked at the five people behind her, "One is missing?"
Li Yun looked slightly gloomy. "Senior Brother Wei didn't arrive... he must have been buried in the forest."
Qin Tiexin was silent. He had some impression of Senior Brother Wei. He was a taciturn middle-aged man with an eighth level of Qi Refining. He didn't expect to end up here.
Li Yun quickly adjusted her emotions and looked at Liu Qing next to Qin Tiexin: "Who is this?"
"Liu Qing, a Daoist friend I met on the road." Qin Tiexin gave a brief introduction.
Li Yun nodded to Liu Qing and said, "Li Yun of Liuyun Sect."
Liu Qing returned the greeting with his hands raised, his attitude respectful but slightly alienated. It was the first time he saw so many disciples from major sects gathered together, and he was a little reserved, but his eyes were still clear, neither humble nor arrogant.
Li Yun turned to Qin Tiexin and lowered her voice. "Before you came, we exchanged information with several major sects. The five portals in the center are the entrances to the five domains and are also the core assessment areas. However, they have not been opened yet. They will have to wait until midnight, which is about three hours. One domain will be opened at midnight every day for five days."
Qin Tiexin looked at the five portals. "Open them in turn?"
"Hmm. The order should be metal, wood, water, fire and earth, the first day is the metal domain, the second day is the wood domain, and so on." Li Yun paused, "The five domains assessment corresponds to the five elements Spirit Root. It is said that non-corresponding Spirit Root will be rejected by attributes. You are five Spirit Root. In theory, you can enter all domains, but..."
She didn't finish speaking, but Qin Tiexin understood what she meant - although five Spirit Root has no attribute rejection, but is not good at the five elements, he may suffer in the assessment.
"I understand." Qin Tiexin nodded.
Li Yun added, "There are about a hundred people in the square now, more than half compared to when we came in. I have observed that the Jinyang Sect has seven people, the Qingxia Sect has five people, our Liuyun Sect has one less person, and other small and medium-sized sects and Rogue Cultivator have suffered the most losses." She lowered her voice, "After the five domains are opened later, the competition will be more intense. You should be careful."
Qin Tiexin should be downloaded.
Li Yun looked at Liu Qing, then at Qin Tiexin, and said softly, "You talk to fellow Daoist Liu first, and I'll go over there to adjust your breathing. Call me anytime if you need anything."
She walked back to Liuyun Sect and started talking quietly with the other five people.
Qin Tiexin turned to Liu Qing: "You should also find a place to adjust your breath."
Liu Qing looked at the area in the distance where a large number of sect disciples gathered, and then at the corner where Rogue Cultivator were camped. He hesitated for a moment, then pointed to an uninhabited corner at the edge of the square. "I'll go over there."
"Okay."
Liu Qing walked a few steps and then turned back. "Fellow Daoist Qin, the five domains will be opened later. Which domain will you enter?"
"All come in."
Liu Qing was stunned for a moment, then smiled, "That's right, five Spirit Root. Then... I'll join in too."
He turned and walked towards the corner, his back looking a little thin in the empty square, but his steps were steady.
Qin Tiexin returned to Liuyun Sect and sat down cross-legged next to Li Yun.
Li Yun handed him a small jade bottle. "Rejuvenate Pill, replenish spiritual power."
Qin Tiexin took it, poured one out and took it. The elixir melted in the mouth, and the cool spiritual energy flowed along the meridians, nourishing the exhausted physical strength.
He closed his eyes and began to regulate his breathing.
The square gradually became quiet. Everyone knew that the next five domain examinations were the real trials. All they could do now was to recharge their batteries and wait for the start in three hours. Other disciples were coming over one after another, but there were not many of them.
Qin Tiexin During the interval between breath adjustments, he opened his eyes and scanned the whole place.
The woman in red from the Jinyang Sect still stood with her arms folded, her eyes occasionally scanning the five portals, her eyes as sharp as swords. The five people from the Qingxia Sect sat in silence with their eyes closed, breathing long. Rogue Cultivator They were sitting or lying down, with different expressions.
He then looked towards the edge of the square - Liu Qing was sitting alone in the corner, making mudras with his hands, practicing. His green shirt was slightly moving in the wind, looking lonely, but his back was straight.
Qin Tiexin looked away and closed his eyes again.
Three hours, very quickly.