Zhuang Kexin said, "Senior sister's suggestion makes sense. Let's go back and think about it. By the way, senior sister, have you contacted any of the senior brothers these past few days?"

Ah Jiang shook his head and said with a smile, "I don't know what they've been busy with; there's been no news from them."

Wan Fangfang said, "Our senior brothers are at a higher level than us, so they must have already found a place to go."

“But we don’t have any information about Senior Sister Miao either. Her cultivation level is similar to Senior Sister Bai’s, and she’s never been very close to us,” Zhuang Kexin said.

"Yes, she's always been very aloof. Even when we attend parties, she rarely speaks."

"I wonder if I will participate in the forbidden area trip this time."

A-Jiang also had many questions about this Miao senior sister, but perhaps that was just her personality; she wasn't interested in approaching her, nor was she interested in talking about her at the moment.

So he asked Ning Anran, who hadn't spoken yet, "Junior Sister, have you decided where to go?"

Ning Anran remained timid, and when A Jiang asked her, she replied, "Senior Sister, I haven't decided yet. I've heard that places like the Spirit Stone Secret Land are quite dangerous, so I don't dare to go."

"Oh? Isn't that a spirit stone mine? What dangers are there?" A-Jiang asked curiously.

"Senior sister didn't know?" Zhuang Kexin was also a little curious.

Ah Jiang touched his nose, thinking he had only assumed it was mining work and hadn't inquired further.

Wan Fangfang understood from A Jiang's expression, and explained, "These secret places are dangerous, so they are usually sealed off as forbidden areas of the sect. This spirit stone mine is also a mine that has been mined for a long time, but strange things happened later and it was forced to close. Now, disciples are sent to mine it as a trial. Otherwise, ordinary people can mine it, so why is it listed as a forbidden area?"

A-Jiang nodded knowingly and then said, "Since we still have some time, why don't we try to improve our cultivation level? Maybe we can reap more rewards then."

The girls nodded absentmindedly. How were they supposed to break through to the next realm in just over twenty days?

After they all left, A-Jiang started to calculate her options. Of the three places she could enter—Heavenly Fragrance Medicine Valley, Spirit Stone Mine, and Black Bamboo Forest—the latter had a higher chance of having more monsters, but it was still no match for the Hunting Grounds Secret Realm.

She should give it a try. First, she should raise her cultivation level and try to find a team that would take her in. If not, she should settle for the Black Bamboo Forest.

She thought of the five senior brothers and sisters she had met in Qingqiu, wondering if they would have taken her along out of consideration for their past acquaintance.

I heard that those who had successfully established their foundation were gradually emerging from seclusion, but Senior Sister Qin Weiyu was still in seclusion. Only then did A Jiang realize that when she last saw her, she had not yet established her foundation.

——

A-Jiang first went to find the teams that were entering the hunting grounds. There were about eight or nine teams in each forbidden area. At this time, most of the teams were already full, and those that weren't full didn't care about her cultivation level.

Just when A-Jiang was at her wit's end, she received an unexpected invitation.

Zheng Jingyang rushed over in a flurry: "Junior Sister Bai, come with me to the Hall of Affairs."

"Senior Brother Zheng, what's wrong?" A-Jiang asked curiously.

"Today is the last day, why aren't you in a hurry at all?" Zheng Jingyang was speechless at her unhurried manner.

"The teams I contacted all rejected me, and I haven't decided on other forbidden areas yet."

“This trip to the secret realm can be considered a rare opportunity before Foundation Establishment. Don’t miss it. Our team is short one person, so come with me!” Zheng Jingyang revealed his intention.

A-Jiang asked curiously, "Which secret place are you planning to go to, Senior Brother?"

"Black Bamboo Wild Forest".

After thinking about it, Ah Jiang realized it was within his considerations and went along.

By this time, the line for registration in the deacon's hall had dwindled considerably, indicating that most people had already completed their preparations.

Zheng Jingyang greeted a small group of people, then pushed A Jiang to the front and introduced her, "This is a disciple who entered Chu Yufeng with me. Her name is Bai Chongjiang. You can just call her A Jiang."

"Alright, since the person is available, let's go and reapply," said the Foundation Establishment stage master.

After registration, Zheng Jingyang introduced A Jiang to the other members.

The team leader was Ouyang Lin, a Foundation Establishment stage martial uncle of Ling Xiafeng. She was a dashing female cultivator who gave A Jiang a very good impression.

The highest level among the others was Liu Shuo, the senior brother who spoke earlier and was at the seventh level of Qi Refining, and the others were several disciples at the fourth to sixth levels of Qi Refining.