In the early morning of the fourth day of the conference, the sky was just getting dark, and the square was already full of people. It was not as casual as the previous few days, and everyone's Law Artifact, armor, and clothes were much more formal. Qin Tiexin noticed that there was a defensive physique who carried a heavy shield with a radius of six feet behind his back. It looked no lighter than his own Edgeless.
There were fewer contestants standing in line than on the day of the opening ceremony. Some people came for exchanges and learning, so they naturally left early. Most of them had seen the blood and cruelty of fighting Devil Race and voluntarily gave up.
Of course, a very small number of them died during the follow-up patrols in the first two days.
The remaining about five or six hundred people gathered together in twos and threes, chatting in low voices. Qin Tiexin stood in the crowd, and Duan Xuan was next to him, still wearing the same red outfit, with a long whip and dagger hanging from his waist.
A conference deacon climbed onto the high platform and announced the first round rules straight to the point. His voice was not loud, but it covered the entire square.
"First, it lasts for seven days and is based on teams. You can form teams freely. If anyone is found to join the existing patrol team of Wind and Snow Pass, they will be directly disqualified."
"Second, there is only one scoring standard - Devil Core. Devil Soldier level one is worth one to ten points, Demon General level starts at thirty points, and is converted according to grade and rarity. It will be uniformly verified by the referee team when it is handed in."
"Third, each team sets out to receive a jade rescue talisman. When encountering a critical life-or-death situation that cannot be handled, crush the jade talisman, and other participating teams within a hundred miles will receive a distress signal. However, there is a price for seeking help - the rescued team must equally distribute all the Devil Core it has previously obtained to the teams that come to the rescue, and the points will automatically be credited to the opponent's name. If activated maliciously, or activated without encountering an actual threat, the referee team has the right to directly cancel the team's results."
There was a low discussion in the audience. Some people frowned, and some nodded. Qin Tiexin listened silently, and felt that the rule was reasonably designed. The cost of the help mechanism is high enough, and it can not only protect the bottom, but also prevent people from easily abusing it.
The elder deacon paused for a moment, waited for the discussion to subside, and continued, "There is no limit to the number of people in the team. They can go alone or form a team. The ranking will be calculated according to the distribution. At the end of this round, the conference will give out two thousand Refined Blood Pill as the total reward of the hunting stage. The higher the ranking, the greater the share."
After the deacon and elder made the announcement, they got off the platform and said no more.
After the show, Duan Xuan found Qin Tiexin immediately. "I'm on the same team as you."
Qin Tiexin nodded without hesitation.
Duan Xuan asked him if he needed to bring in a few more people. Qin Tiexin thought for a while and said that two people would be enough. He explained, "It is indeed safe to have more people, but teammates who are not familiar with the cooperation are in Devil Domain Forest On the contrary, it is easy to expose the whereabouts. The two of us have cooperated several times, and we know each other's rhythm, so there is no need to spend time getting used to each other. Moreover, the two-person team has small goals and flexible actions. When encountering high-level Demon General, they can make decisions quickly whether to fight or retreat."
Duan Xuan thought for a moment and agreed with this judgment. But she asked a very practical question, "How can the hunting efficiency of a two-person team be compared with a full five-person team?"
Qin Tiexin has also thought about this question and answered succinctly, "The ranking is calculated according to the distribution. We can specifically hunt down the early and intermediate Demon General targets and give up the high-level Demon General. As long as the efficiency keeps up, the points will be no worse than the five-man team."
Duan Xuan didn't ask any questions after hearing this, and just said, "Then it's settled."
After the two of them discussed the division of labor, they went back to prepare and set off tomorrow morning.
Qin Tiexin Return to C Zone Number Seven, close the door, take out all the javelins from the storage ring, and arrange them one by one on the forging table. There are one hundred and three javelins in total, including ordinary Armor-Piercing Spear with forty javelins, Parent-Child Spear with fifteen javelins, Frost Spear with twenty javelins, and Bursting Spear eighteen handles, and the newly made Profound Ice Spear ten handles. He spent two hours checking the wear of the gun tip, the straightness of the gun body and the integrity of Spirit Rune one by one. Those with cracks were dismantled and redone, and the worn Spirit Rune were re-engraved. After confirming that each handle was in perfect condition, they were neatly arranged in the storage ring.
The Wind Gathering spiritual power of Wind-Rending Dagger has been fully restored by itself, and the Return to Origin Array on the scabbard is functioning normally. He also rechecked the Spirit Rune of the wolf fang bracelet and found that it can be activated normally.
In the evening, he went to the market and replenished a batch of elixirs - Qi Recovery Pill, Healing Pill, Antidote Pill, and bought a few large pieces of dried Demon Beast dried meat for later use. After returning to the weapon refining room, he put all the items into storage rings, then lifted Edgeless from the wall, held it in his hand, weighed it, and inserted it back into the knife buckle behind his back.
Different from the calm preparations of Qin Tiexin and Duan Xuan, most of the teams in the square were busy recruiting people to form a full five-man team. When Qin Tiexin received the team card from the registration office, he passed by several teams that were forming teams. Some people were looking at the rosters while shouting greetings to acquaintances, and some were squatting on the ground using tree branches to draw terrain maps and arguing about which route to take. There were still people in the corner arguing over who should be the captain.
As he was walking by, he heard someone talking. "That two-person team over there, just two people, is it dragging them down or looking for death?"
Someone next to him answered, "Qi Refinement Realm Body Tempering Ninth Layer and one Foundation Establishment Early Stage Body Tempering Eighth Layer. With this configuration, do you dare to form a team to escape? Wait for help."
The two of them didn't care about these words. After receiving the team cards, they returned to their residences to rest and prepare.
The next morning, outside the east gate.
All participating teams gathered here, received the jade charms and team logos, and set off in batches in order. When it was their turn, Qin Tiexin took two half-palm-sized jade charms at the collection area, cold in hand, with a simplified Spirit Rune engraved on the surface. He handed one to Duan Xuan and put the other in his inner pocket.
Duan Xuan took the jade talisman and stuffed it directly into the pouch on his waist without looking at it. "Which way?"
"North by east." Qin Tiexin said, "I am familiar with that route. I have explored it several times before. The terrain and Devil Race distribution are well known." Duan Xuan had no objection, nodded, and took the lead to cross the city gate.
After leaving the city gate, the ground beneath our feet gradually transitioned from bluestone slabs to frozen soil. Devil Domain Forest in the distance looked like a dark curtain wall under the gray sky, stretching across the horizon.
The moment we stepped into the border of the forest, the surrounding air suddenly became colder. The snow crunched under our feet. The light in the forest was much dimmer than outside, and the layers of tree crowns above our heads blocked most of the skylight.
Duan Xuan walked in front of Qin Tiexin, with light steps and precise landing on bare rocks and tree roots, making almost no sound. Qin Tiexin walked behind her, Edgeless was held in her right hand, and Spirit Material Sense remained open.
On the first day, they were not in a hurry to hunt.
Along the way, we met several Devil Soldier patrol teams. Duan Xuan was about to step forward, Qin Tiexin shook his head slightly and whispered, "There is no rush now. on the periphery Devil Soldier Just leave it to the people behind to clean it up. Let them help us warm up the area first, and then we can go deeper into it to save time and effort." After hearing this, Duan Xuan took back the steps he had taken and nodded silently.
The two detoured along a gravel ditch, avoiding the Devil Soldier team, and continued to advance deeper.
At dusk, the two stopped in a hidden mountain gap. The mountain gap was not deep, but the entrance was narrow, and there were protruding rock walls on both sides, which were enough to block the firelight and most of the spiritual power fluctuations. Qin Tiexin cleared a small space, took out ten Grain Avoidance Pill from the storage ring, and gave one to Duan Xuan.
"You won't be returning for the next few days?" Duan Xuan took Grain Avoidance Pill and swallowed it in one gulp.
"I won't go back." Qin Tiexin said, "It takes too much time to go back and forth. Find a safe place to camp every night and take turns keeping watch."
"Okay. You stay here for the first half of the night. I'll take your place for the second half of the night."
Qin Tiexin nodded.
Night fell quickly. The temperature in the forest was a little lower than during the day. A few deep beast roars occasionally came from outside the mountain gap, which echoed in the valley for a moment and then fell silent. Qin Tiexin leaned on the rock wall at the entrance of the mountain gap, Edgeless lay across his knees, and his eyes fell on the edge of the forest illuminated by the dim moonlight outside, maintaining a motionless posture.
Duan Xuan's even and gentle breathing came from behind. She leaned against the rock wall, one hand resting on the side of the sword hilt at her waist, sleeping lightly. Qin Tiexin withdrew her sight and continued to stare at the darkness ahead.