“Shixiong ….… ” Gantang quietly pulled at Lu Qiancha’s sleeve, waiting for him to cast an inquiring gaze her way.
Only then did she lower her voice, asking with a hint of unease, “They …… they are all in teams of three, but only our Tianquanfeng has two people ……. can we really … .. can we really hold our own against them?”
The numerical disadvantage made Gantang’s heart pound.
Lu Qiancha’s expression remained calm, his gaze sweeping over the teams whose auras were not weak as he said indifferently, “If we cannot win, we avoid combat. By hunting some Yaoshou in the outer areas, small gains will add up; we can still obtain points that way.”
“The Sect did not mandate that we must clash with other teams.” This was the way of survival he had summarized from many years of participating in the Grand Competition.
“Oh … ”
Gantang nodded, though she only half-understood, feeling slightly more at ease. She stood up and followed closely behind Lu Qiancha, walking toward the Secret Realm entrance that pulsed with spatial fluctuations amidst the surging crowd.
At the entrance, the two of them received the Jade Tokens used for recording points. Just as they were about to step through the gate of light, the figure of the Presiding Elder, Elder Hu Shi, blocked their path.
“The team from Tianquanfeng,” Elder Hu Shi’s voice was steady and emotionless as his gaze swept over the only two people present.
“Due to the insufficient number of members, to ensure fairness, the Sect has granted a special compensation — an initial score of one hundred and eighty points. Do you two have any objections?”
Lu Qiancha bowed slightly, his tone submissive and respectful. “The Sect’s arrangement is fair. This Chenzi obeys.”
Beside him, Gantang also hurried to agree. “This Chenzi has no objections.”
“Good.”
Elder Hu Shi nodded and stepped aside to clear the path.
Lu Qiancha and Gantang exchanged a look and, without further hesitation, they stepped one after another into the Secret Realm entrance flowing with white light.
***
A blinding white light flashed, and the solid Green Rock beneath their feet was instantly replaced by soft, scorching golden sand. The blazing sun hung high overhead, its intense light making Lu Qiancha subconsciously squint his eyes as a dry, scorching heat rushed toward him.
“A desert, huh ….. ”
Lu Qiancha murmured to himself, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
According to his past experience, the outer perimeter of this Sect Secret Realm was divided into three major regions: the Endless Sand Sea, the Deep Rain Forest, and that Abandoned Ancient City filled with unknowns.
Each region would be randomly assigned three teams.
This sand sea was precisely the place he was most reluctant to set foot in.
Although there were many Yaoshou here and an Inducement Potion could be used to quickly lure a pack, the trouble lay in the fact that the meat of most desert Yaoshou was rank and fishy, making it completely inedible.
Even more headache-inducing was that many cunning sand-dwelling Yaoshou would unhesitatingly dive deep into the sand layers to flee when near death, leaving one helpless.
“First, we hunt some Yaoshou to accumulate points,” Lu Qiancha scanned the vast dunes, his gaze sharp. “At the same time, keep an eye out for any traces of the entrances leading to other outer regions.”
“Alright, I will listen to everything Shixiong says.” Gantang nodded immediately, viewing Lu Qiancha as her only reliance.
Just as the two were about to move, a clear and resonant phoenix cry that pierced the clouds suddenly rang out, reaching their ears clearly.
“Hmm?” Lu Qiancha looked up toward the sound, locking his gaze on a crimson figure trailing a magnificent trail of flames in the distance. Seeing that highly iconic Phoenix Phantom, a thought instantly flashed through his mind.
“Shixiong!” Gantang nervously tugged at Lu Qiancha’s clothes. “It looks like there’s a fight over there. Should we stay far away?”
She instinctively wanted to follow Lu Qiancha’s previous suggestion to avoid conflict.
“No need.” Lu Qiancha shook his head instead, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. “We will get closer and see the situation.”
“Eh?” Gantang was stunned, asking in confusion, “Didn’t Shixiong say we should avoid battle?”
“We are just going to look,” the corner of Lu Qiancha’s mouth curled into a meaningful arc. “Watching a battle does not mean participating in it.”
As he spoke, he took out two small grey potion bottles from his Storage Bag and handed one to Gantang.
“What is this ……? ” Gantang took it, puzzled.
“Stealth Potion,” Lu Qiancha explained briefly. “After drinking it, you can conceal your aura and form, significantly reducing your presence.”
He pulled the stopper and unhesitatingly downed the thick grey liquid in the bottle.
“Oh …. ” Gantang followed suit, tilting her head back to gulp it down.
As soon as the potion entered her mouth, an indescribable, extreme bitterness—as if the essence of a thousand bitter roots had been concentrated—instantly exploded in her oral cavity.
“Ugh—! So bitter! Ptu, ptu, ptu!” Gantang’s entire face wrinkled into a ball. She was so bitter she kept sticking out her tongue, and tears were nearly welling up. “Shixiong, this is way too bitter.”
“It is indeed very bitter.” Lu Qiancha nodded in shared sentiment, then, like a magic trick, he produced a crystalline candy and quickly popped it into his mouth, using the sweetness to drive away the nauseating bitterness.
“Shixiong, I want a candy too!” Gantang immediately leaned in, looking at him expectantly.
“I only brought one.”
Lu Qiancha glanced at Gantang before speaking.
“Wuu… fine.” Gantang slumped her mouth aggrievedly, having no choice but to resign herself to pulling a water skin from her own Storage Bag, intending to use the water to dilute the hellish bitterness.
“Don’t drink.” Lu Qiancha was quick, pressing down on her hand. “Drinking water will dilute the potion’s power and affect the stealth effect.”
“Ah ?! ” Gantang was instantly dumbfounded, wanting to cry but having no tears. Left with no choice, she could only endure the churning bitterness in her mouth, following Lu Qiancha with a bitter face as they sneaked toward the direction of the phoenix cry — the location of the Zaohua Peak team.
The two of them silently climbed a tall sand dune in the distance and lowered their bodies. Lu Qiancha looked as far as he could, taking in the battle situation below.
The three-person team from Zaohua Peak was currently embroiled in a fierce battle. A pack composed of dozens of sand-dwelling Yaoshou of various forms was charging in from all directions.
Most of the pack consisted of low-level Yaoshou at the Qi Refining and Foundation Building stages, interspersed with several Jindan stage leaders with fierce auras. The one leading them was a massive Nascent Soul stage giant sand worm covered in heavy rock armor.
However, facing such a formation, the three from Zaohua Peak appeared to be handling it with ease. Their cooperation was seamless, with Swordlight and techniques interwoven into a net.
The fire phoenix summoned by Shangguan Yunzhu was particularly dazzling, with every dive bringing a sea of Phoenix Flames that incinerated the sand.
Under the fierce assault of the three, the beast pack quickly crumbled. Low-level Yaoshou suffered heavy casualties, while the mid-to-high-level Yaoshou saw the situation was grim and dove into the sand to flee one after another.
In just a few moments, only scorched marks and several still-burning carcasses of Yaoshou remained on the spot.
“Shixiong!” Gantang felt her blood start to boil slightly. She lowered her voice, speaking with a hint of excitement and hesitation, “Could it be… are we waiting for them to finish, and then… ‘the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind’, to take their Ji Fen Pai? “
She then became a bit worried. “But… can the two of us really deal with the three of them?”
“If it’s a direct confrontation… ” Lu Qiancha’s gaze swept over the Phoenix Flames below that had incinerated the sand, as well as the seamless cooperation of the Zaohua Peak trio in both offense and defense.
Lu Qiancha shook his head gently, his tone carrying a calm assessment. “With the strength of just the two of us, facing the three of them would mean slim chances of victory. Most likely, we would be completely suppressed, or even hung up and beaten.”
He spoke the cruel reality without any hesitation.
“Uh …… ” Gantang was choked by this blunt judgment, her momentum instantly weakening as her voice dropped. “Then ….. then what should we …. do next?”
She looked expectantly at Lu Qiancha, placing all her hopes on her Shixiong.
Lu Qiancha’s gaze remained locked on the Zaohua Peak team below as they began cleaning up the battlefield, but the corner of his mouth curled into an extremely faint, almost imperceptible arc.
He did not answer immediately, only slowly raising his hand to signal Gantang to remain quiet and hidden.
A moment later, he used a breathy voice that only the two of them could hear to calmly and decisively utter two words: “Just wait.”
The voice was as steady as a mountain, as if casting a reassuring pill into the scorching desert air.
He turned his head slightly, his gaze deep as he looked toward the horizon where the sand dunes rose and fell in the distance.