The Sect Heads" could not hide their smiles when they received Qin Mo and Kong Xiao"s report. They bestowed a few sentences of praise upon them then sent them to rest. They discussed the matter of handling the secret territory after the disciples had left.

Those who went into the secret territory had to be below the Golden Core Formation, and only a hundred people could enter at once. That made selecting candidates extremely important, and they discussed it at length. In the end, it was decided to let the eligible disciples partic.i.p.ate in a contest of Jade Cards in Zhengyang Sect"s small heavenly grottos.

These heavenly grottos were a treasure left by the ancestors of Zhengyang Sect. Inside was an independent s.p.a.ce, and it contained various monsters and spirit gra.s.s. It was suitable for disciples to practice.

The contest of Jade Cards entailed allowing over a thousand disciples carrying jade tokens to enter the grotto, and those that obtained more than ten would pa.s.s the test.

Beforehand, the Sect Heads went to the Demonic Sect. After all, it was only appropriate to reciprocate.

The vast training ground was cacophonous with loud voices. After the contest was announced, the sects and other forces under the sky gathered like a swarm of bees to honey. Disciples who had never been sent by their sects also came this time.

For the first time in tens of thousands of years, the Zhengyang Sect reached its highest peak of capacity. Everyone was gathered in their training ground. Fortunately, it was immense and could accommodate all the cultivators.

Qin Mo stood on a high platform and looked out over the heated scene in silence. People from the Yueqing Sect stood beside him.

"Ds.h.i.+xiong, there are so many cultivators here!" Jin ling-er came yesterday with the other disciples, but now she held Qin Mo"s arm and stared at the crowd below in surprise.

Jin Ling-er was already eighteen, and it was a girl"s best year. No matter what expression she made, she was charming and attracted the attention of many people around them.

Qin Mo did not look at her when he replied with a single, "En."

Jin Ling-er couldn"t help but pout at his reaction. She grabbed his arm and acted cutely. "Ds.h.i.+xiong, we haven"t seen each other for so long. You don"t care about me!"

Qin Mo"s entire body stiffened. He wasn"t used to contact with others, but he also couldn"t explain it.

Jin Lingfeng, who had been standing at the side, watched the interaction and noticed Qin Mo"s awkwardness. He smiled, "Ling-er, don"t pick on your Ds.h.i.+xiong."

Only then did Jin Ling-er reluctantly let go of Qin Mo. Her eyes twinkled a little with unspeakable cunningness, "Ds.h.i.+xiong, I"m also partic.i.p.ating in this contest, you have to protect me!"

Qin Mo glanced at her and replied without hesitation, "Alright."

Lin Zizheng watched the two act harmoniously with each other, and his eyes narrowed into a glare. He unconsciously clenched both hands into fists, and his gaze was fixed on Jin Ling-er"s beautiful face.

"Nonsense! The small heavenly grottos are Zhengyang Sect"s most mysterious location. Like the Huangtian secret territory, everyone will go in at random places. How could your Ds.h.i.+xiong protect you?" Jin Lingfeng said dissatisfied, his brow wrinkled.

Jin Ling-er stuck out her tongue and stood at the side, refusing to talk.

Qin Mo took an interest in his words about the grottos and turned to look at Jin Lingfeng.

As if understanding Qin Mo"s thoughts, Jin Lingfeng smiled awkwardly and said, "Well, I"m not too sure either, but it"s supposed to be a dense jungle connected to the mountains. It"s said there are powerful monsters inside."

Jin Lingfeng beckoned over all the Yueqing disciples and made them listen. "Those partic.i.p.ating in the Jade Card contest will receive a card marking their ident.i.ty. After entering the small heavenly grotto, pay attention and protect yourself well." He paused, and his eyes swept over all of them.

"Most importantly, think of how you"ll take ten cards from the others. Only with that will you have the chance to enter the Huangtian secret territory."

The disciples were silent. After all, it wasn"t easy to defeat ten disciples from the other sects and collect ten cards.

"Everyone!" Kong Fan"s voice suddenly rang out over the training ground. It shattered the noise, and everyone quieted down.

"I believe everyone already knows, so I won"t say much. Everyone partic.i.p.ating in the contest will enter the cave behind me. Inside is our Zhengyang Sect"s small heavenly grottos."

Under the effect of spirit power, Kong Fan"s echo** carried through the entire training ground, and everyone could hear it loud and clear.

All eyes turned to the cave behind him. A burning glow shone from within, and they all s.h.i.+fted in its direction.

Qin Mo turned his head to look at Lin Zizheng before entering the cave and quietly said a few words of encouragement. Then he walked in without looking back.

Lin Zizheng"s mouth couldn"t help but rise slightly at the corners. With Qin Mo"s words, the resentment from earlier dissipated.

Qin Mo thought that entering the cave would lead to a dark path. Unexpectedly, once he stepped inside, he was transported to another world.

The area was beautiful, touched with the fragrance of flowers and the epitome of spring.

Qin Mo paused. When he was about to step forward again, the spirit bag at his waist shook. Only then did he remember putting the little fox into a spirit animal bag before going into the grotto.

With a s.h.i.+ft of his fingers, the little fox was released.

Just as it was freed, its nose twitched and both its eyes faced forward. The small shape darted ahead.

Qin Mo"s brow wrinkled, but he followed.

He saw the little fox stopped in the distance. In front of it was a fire-red fruit. The little fox had wide eyes and was drooling a little. It opened its mouth wide and swallowed the fruit whole.

"Wait…" Qin Mo wanted to stop it but was far too late.

He suddenly noticed the fox had gotten a little bigger. Qin Mo couldn"t help but be shocked. He couldn"t begin to guess what kind of heavenly treasure the fire-red fruit was. He went over to pick up the little fox and check it over.

But the little fox refused to be obedient. It darted around and escaped Qin Mo"s hands, turning around to look carefully over at him.

Was that a sense of scrutiny in the little fox"s eyes? Qin Mo blinked slowly. The little fox stared back at him with a pair of large, damp eyes.

Qin Mo couldn"t help but breathe a sigh of relief. He must have been seeing things. Even if the little fox was intelligent, it had never had that type of expression before. Qin Mo reached out and s.n.a.t.c.hed up the little fox, turning to leave.

He did not see it, but even if the little fox sat obediently in his hold, its eyes were focused on his long, arms, dark but bright eyes deep in thought.

"Rawr!" A loud roar came from behind Qin Mo. He was shocked and turned slightly, seeing a large flame fly pa.s.sed him.

Qin Mo turned his head in the direction it had come from, and he saw a large monster standing not too far away, gaze vicious on the little fox in his arms.

The monster looked like a lion, but it was much larger than normal. It had peculiar wings on its back and was covered densely in fire from head to toe.

Qin Mo had a revelation. Typically monsters guarded heavenly treasures. This giant beast was perhaps that one"s guardian.

As if feeling Qin Mo"s gaze, the beast"s eyes turned red, and its rear leg struck the ground, raising a cloud of dust. A beam of red fire burst from its mouth in Qin Mo"s direction.

"Chi!" Qin Mo quickly put the fox back into his bag and unsheathed his longsword. Flicking the sword, he blocked the attack.

The flame turned Biyou Jian"s tip black, and Qin Mo was stunned. He couldn"t help but look over at the giant beast in wonder. What creature was this, to be so powerful?

Irritation flashed in the beast"s gaze at having missed. Its wings flapped violently behind it, and it rose into the air. Scarlet flashed in its eyes again, and it rushed towards Qin Mo.

Qin Mo"s expression s.h.i.+fted. He made a sharp blow in the beast"s direction and retreated to the side.

The giant lion was strong, and Qin Mo"s strike had no effect. It darted after him regardless.

"Puchi!" Qin Mo"s face paled suddenly, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his body violently thrown aside.

He used the longsword to help him back up to a stand but suddenly fell back to the ground again. He looked up at the giant beast that was slowly approaching, and his lips pursed. He was not unable to adapt, however, and facing a strong enemy, he knew what to do.

Qin Mo pulled out a teleportation talisman from the Qiankun bag that Jin Lingfeng had given him, and he tore it. He gradually disappeared.

The beast watched him vanish before its eyes and rage flashed in its visage. Its roar shook the entire forest, but it had no way to find Qin Mo.

Translator(s): Teo
Editor(s): Bet