Gray Mist Pearl

Wei Meng, after recognizing the clothing and insignia of the two groups, whispered to Dongfang Yueming, "The group on the left is led by Chi Qing from the Chi Family and Qiang Feng from the Qiang Family, both geniuses who have condensed mid-grade Qi Swirl Phenomenon! The group on the right is led by my cousin Wei Dao from the Wei Clan, and Lang Po from the Heavenly Wolf Gate!"

When Lang Xiaotian saw Lang Po, a barely perceptible hint of apprehension flashed in his eyes.

The three groups met here! The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward.

Chi Qing broke the silence first, his gaze sweeping over Dongfang Yueming and the others, a gentle smile appearing on his face.

His team members chimed in, "Senior Brother Chi Qing! Qiang Feng Brother Qiang Feng! Now that everyone's here, it's only right that you two lead us through this final challenge!"

"That's right! Senior Brother Chi Qing is both intelligent and brave, Qiang Feng Brother Qiang Feng is extremely strong. With you two here, we will surely succeed!"

On the other side, Wei Dao remained silent, his face cold and stern. Behind him, however, the men shouted, "We are willing to obey Brother Wei Dao's orders!"

The dozen or so people on Dongfang Yueming's side subconsciously turned their gazes to him, clearly regarding him as their leader.

A hint of surprise flashed in Chi Qing's eyes when she saw this.

Lang Po glanced at Lang Xiaotian, whose face was ashen, with a look that carried a hint of contempt. Lang Xiaotian felt that gaze, and the hatred in his heart intensified!

Dongfang Yueming, however, seemed oblivious to the undercurrents in the atmosphere, and simply said, "There's no such thing as leadership. Now that everyone's here, I suppose... this is the end of the second stage. Next, we should be facing the final test."

Upon hearing this, Qiang Feng couldn't help but glance at Dongfang Yueming again, thinking to himself, "This kid is actually smarter than I thought."

Chi Qing smiled and nodded, "Brother Dongfang is absolutely right; I had the same guess."

"Hmph! Enough with the nonsense!" Wei Dao coldly interrupted them.

Chi Qing wasn't angry, maintaining his gentle smile, "In that case, we won't disturb you any longer." He turned around decisively.

Wei Dao snorted coldly and turned back.

Lang Xiaotian watched their departing figures, clenching his fists tightly, his eyes filled with resentment and bitterness.

"I have a feeling... something's not right." Wei Meng looked at the dark passageways and a sense of unease rose in her heart for no reason.

Dongfang Yueming arrived in front of the stone wall and carefully observed the narrow passages.

Someone nearby whispered, "It looks like these passages... only allow one person to pass at a time!"

Dongfang Yueming looked into the depths of those dark passages, but all he could see was still shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see clearly.

"Only one person can pass at a time..." A thought struck him. "What if someone with ill intentions attacks from behind after the person in front has entered the passage? Wouldn't that be impossible to defend against?"

He did not choose to enter immediately, but returned to the group.

After some discussion, the group decided to rest here for the night to recharge their energy and make further plans for tomorrow.

The following morning, everyone was full of energy and ready to face the final test.

Everyone chose a passage that looked pleasing to the eye and filed in. Dongfang Yueming also randomly picked one and stepped inside.

Inside the passage, the mist still lingered, but it seemed even colder and damper than outside. Dongfang Yueming proceeded cautiously, wary of any potential dangers around him.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the mist ahead surged, and a mist monster similar to the one he had encountered in the canyon appeared silently and pounced on him!

Dongfang Yueming's eyes narrowed, and without hesitation, he threw a punch!

Bang!

The fog monster dispersed instantly!

"Fortunately, it's only equivalent to the Qi Refining Minor Achievement." Dongfang Yueming breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, where the monster had vanished, a bead the size of a pigeon egg, emitting a faint gray glow, lay quietly on the ground.

"What is this...?" Dongfang Yueming picked up the bead curiously. It was icy cold to the touch and seemed to contain a strange energy.

He carefully put the beads away and continued on his way.

After walking for a while, the view suddenly opened up, revealing a slightly open area. On the ground, crooked characters were carved with an unknown sharp tool:

"Only three people can pass this level! The one who wields the Gray Mist Pearl can transform into Mist Phantom and hunt down others!"

"What?!" Dongfang Yueming was shocked upon seeing these words! "This... is it true?! Transform into Mist Phantom? Hunt others?!" He subconsciously touched the gray bead in his pocket, his Spirit Transformation serious. "I obtained the Gray Mist Pearl... what about the others? Did anyone else obtain it?"

He suppressed his surprise and continued forward.

The space ahead grew increasingly open, and finally, he arrived at a huge underground cavern! Inside, a number of people had already gathered—the students who had previously dispersed to enter the various passages! They were huddled together in twos and threes, discussing something in hushed tones.

"That really scared me to death! A monster just suddenly appeared!"

"Yeah! Luckily, that monster wasn't very strong; I took care of it in just a few moves!"

Listening to the crowd's discussion, Dongfang Yueming thought to himself, "It seems they've all encountered mist monsters too. But... it seems not all monsters drop Gray Mist Pearl. Could it be... that the Gray Mist Pearl are randomly distributed?"

At the front of the cave, Chi Qing and his team were discussing something in hushed tones; they appeared as united and calm as ever.

At its end, several wider passages suddenly appeared! However, there were far fewer of them than before, and each passage entrance exuded an even more profound and unfathomable aura!

Chi Qing's gaze swept over the crowd, and he said loudly, "Everyone, it seems this is the entrance to the final challenge. For safety's sake, I suggest you continue to form small groups and proceed together!"

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

Looking at Chi Qing, Dongfang Yueming felt that this person was quite cunning and not as gentle and harmless as he appeared on the surface.

Chi Qing seemed to notice Dongfang Yueming's gaze, glanced at him unintentionally, and then began to assign teams.

Just then, one of Wei Dao's men suddenly spoke up, saying in an unfriendly tone, "Why should you be the only ones to go first? This passage should be divided equally among the three teams!"

"Exactly! There are more of us, why should we let you take advantage of us?" someone immediately echoed.

"Hmph! We should have gone in first! Who knows what you might have done in there!" someone in Chi Qing's group retorted discontentedly.

In an instant, the scene became tense again! Everyone was arguing fiercely over the order in which they would enter the passage!

However, the four leaders, Wei Dao, Lang Po, Chi Qing, and Qiang Feng, all watched coldly from the sidelines, showing no intention of stopping them.