43: competitors

Lin Feng pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement: "Very well, then I will trouble you, Senior Brother. With us joining forces, we will surely gain something."

Just then, the crowd suddenly stirred and parted to both sides, clearing a path.

"Tsk, how unlucky, why is it them again..."

"Keep your voice down, don't let them hear you. Move aside quickly."

"Sigh, now that these two groups are here, I'm afraid we won't even get a sip of soup..."

The hushed complaints of the surrounding Disciples and their swift movements to avoid the path made Lin Feng frown slightly.

'Troublesome figures have arrived...'

At the end of his line of sight, two groups of people arrived at the valley entrance almost simultaneously from different directions, and the atmosphere instantly tightened.

The group on the left was led by a youth in his twenties, arms crossed over his chest, chin held high.

He was followed by six or seven people, each with arrogant gazes, their movements involving obvious shoving and driving others away.

'Such arrogant behavior... This Spiritual Pressure, I'm afraid he is not far from the Ninth Layer.' Lin Feng felt a shiver in his heart, his body tensed slightly, and he memorized the appearance of this group.

Almost at the same time, another group arrived on the right. It was led by a youth with a cold expression, who scanned the entire scene and let out a soft, cold laugh.

'Another Peak Eighth Layer... Two tigers fighting?'

The youth on the left was the first to break the silence, sneering: "Li Xuan. You certainly arrived quickly. What, are you determined to compete with me to the end this time?"

The cold-faced youth on the right did not change his expression, though his eyes grew colder, and he replied indifferently: "Zhang Kuang, the Myriad Beast Valley is not your family's backyard. The Magic Treasure for flight and the dragon scale fruit depend on one's own abilities."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Kuang let out a cold laugh: "Depend on ability? What a joke. Li Xuan, don't think that just because you were lucky enough to get some benefits last time, you will have the same luck this time."

Li Xuan did not back down: "Your lip service is certainly impressive. I hope that once we enter the valley, your methods can be as tough as your mouth."

Just then, Zhang Kuang caught a glimpse of Sun Hao in the crowd out of the corner of his eye.

He snorted coldly, temporarily shifting his focus away from Li Xuan, and said loudly: "Yo, isn't this Sun Hao? What, are you also bringing a new face at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, hoping to try your luck in this Myriad Beast Valley and get a share of the spoils?"

Sun Hao first nodded to Lin Feng beside him, then looked at Zhang Kuang: "Senior Brother Zhang, you are joking. The Myriad Beast Valley trial is based on one's own abilities. I, Sun Hao, naturally want to compete as well. Why not?"

Zhang Kuang sneered and wanted to say something more...

Suddenly, a clear and melodious chime came from the sky, sounding like a bell yet not a bell, like a chime stone yet not a chime stone, carrying a peculiar penetrating power that instantly overwhelmed all the noise in the plaza.

Everyone looked up.

They saw a cyan stream of light cutting through the sky, approaching rapidly. When the stream of light flew closer, everyone could see it was a strangely shaped Magic Treasure for flight.

Its shape was like a giant, unfurled feather, with a gentle luster flowing over its entire body, and tiny wind swirls faintly circling its edges.

On top of the feather Magic Treasure, a woman in a moon-white dress with a slender figure stood against the wind, her clothes fluttering.

The woman moved slightly, gracefully descending from the feather, her toes lightly touching down on a towering boulder in front of the plaza, her posture light and elegant.

She raised her hand and beckoned, and the giant feather turned into a stream of light, rapidly shrinking, finally transforming into a hairpin that she gently inserted into her cloud-like bun, its luster restrained.

Only then did everyone see her appearance clearly. She was peerlessly beautiful, with painted brows and eyes, yet her whole body radiated a coldness and majesty that made people dare not look directly at her.

"It is Senior Sister Xiao from the Inner Sect."

"Heavens, Senior Sister Xiao is personally supervising this trial."

"It is said that Senior Sister Xiao has an extraordinary talent and can communicate with Spirit Beast, so the Myriad Beast Valley is likely as easy as walking on level ground for her..."

Senior Sister Xiao swept her indifferent gaze over the silent crowd below, her cold voice not loud, yet it clearly reached the ears of every Disciple.

"This Myriad Beast Valley trial will last for three days."

"Contribution points will be calculated based on the hunting of Yao Beast and the collection of spirit plants. First-grade Low Grade Yao Beast Materials or equivalent spirit plants count as 1 point; First-grade Medium Grade counts as 5 points; First-grade High Grade counts as 20 points. In the northeast corner of the valley, there is a 'Molten Lizard Nest'; although its guardian Yao Beast, the 'Molten Lizard', is a First-grade High Grade, its forehead fire-pattern crystal core and the 'Earth Fire Lotus' associated with it deep in the nest are worth 50 points."

"At noon three days later, we will check the harvest and calculate the contributions here."

"The one with the highest contribution points will be the champion of this trial, followed by second and third place."

"You must not intentionally harm the lives of fellow Sect members; violators will have their cultivation crippled and be expelled from the Sect."

"As for other grievances, let fate decide."

The moment the Myriad Beast Valley entrance opened, nearly two hundred Outer Sect Disciples surged in like a flood that had breached a dam.

In an instant, the peaceful valley turned into a boiling battlefield.

"Get lost. This Purple-Veined Grass is mine."

"Do it. Grab it first."

Spiritual light exploded; shouts, the clashing of weapons, and the sounds of Spell collisions erupted instantly, causing chaos at the entrance.

The Disciples did not hesitate to fight over the few Spiritual Plant and First-grade Low Grade Yao Beast within sight, and the scene instantly spiraled out of control.

'Melee at the entrance, how foolish...' Lin Feng and Sun Hao exchanged a glance, and with great tacit understanding, both sidestepped, avoiding the most intense area of the battle, and sped away along the edge.

"Follow me." Sun Hao whispered, as he was more familiar with the terrain of the outer valley area.

Lin Feng followed closely behind, while quietly activating the heaven-stealing vine.

However, the chaos was not limited to the entrance.

"Hahaha! If you are sensible, hand over your items to avoid physical pain."

Zhang Kuang's arrogant voice rang out not far away. He and his group of seven or eight people were like locusts passing through, specifically targeting those Disciples or small teams with good harvests but weak strength, forcefully robbing them with brutal methods.

The victims dared to be angry but dared not speak, only able to watch helplessly as their hard-earned gains were taken away.

On the other side, Li Xuan's team appeared more efficient. They were also robbing, but their targets were clear, their movements were faster, and they often attacked directly without a word, looting and leaving quickly after crushing the resistance.

Lin Feng and Sun Hao were moving quickly, trying to stay away from this place of trouble.

Suddenly, a figure flashed at the fork in the road ahead, and three Disciples blocked their path, all three having Qi Refining Seventh Layer cultivation.

"Yo? Isn't this Sun Hao? You run pretty fast. What, did you get something good? Hand it over obediently to avoid us having to take action."

It was from Zhang Kuang's group.

Sun Hao's face sank, and he blocked in front of Lin Feng: "Just based on you three?"

"What about adding me, is that enough?" Another person stepped out from the right, grinning viciously, and it turned out to be someone with Qi Refining Sixth Layer cultivation.

'Cannot avoid it...' Lin Feng's eyes narrowed.

"Senior Brother Sun, leave the left side to you." Lin Feng whispered, his figure advancing instead of retreating, rushing straight towards the Disciple on the right with Qi Refining Sixth Layer cultivation.

At the same time, with a crisp "clang" of a sword, the qinggang sword was already unsheathed, its sword light not blinding, but instead flowing with a Sword Intent that was soft like water yet hidden with sharpness.