Chapter 81. Completing Task Three, Seeing Fire...

A thoughtful look flashed across Xiao Weizhi's eyes, and he asked in a deep voice, "The reason?"

If I remember correctly, all four of their teams also participated in the ranking matches?

Gu Qingshan coughed twice, as if he was a little embarrassed, and said in a low voice: "Qingqi and the others were all defeated in the fourth round of the competition. Their admission tickets were distributed internally by their families."

This means that the four of them are competing individually, without any teammates to rely on, and the Trial Arena is a well-known professional prodigy killing tournament.

Originally, they only asked Xiao Weizhi to help look after things and lend a helping hand in their time of crisis.

But no one expected that Gu Qingqi and the other three would all fail in the ranking competition, including themselves.

Now, these 'elders' have no choice but to swallow their pride and force the four of them into the Dragon Fang Squad.

Unfortunately, the Trial Grounds for Prodigies is a compulsory course in the lives of every scion of a noble family. If they do not participate in this trial, they will be forced to widen the gap between themselves and their peers in the future.

Xiao Weizhi frowned, her tone somewhat suspicious: "How is that possible?"

Gu Qingqi and the other three, although not among the top in their generation, shouldn't be so weak that they all failed?

Even if their team members failed, given Gu Qingqi and his group's equipment, they shouldn't have all lost.

Gu Qingshan sighed and explained the reason: all four of them were defeated by the same team, which was a team carefully trained by the Mu family to participate in the Trial of the Prodigies.

Just as they were negotiating, a task notification screen suddenly popped up in front of Lin Xiaoxiao:

【[Task 3: Deliver the only offspring of the Serpent Leader BOSS (Epic-level Beast Egg) to the designated person (Completeable)]】

[Task Hint: Location of the quest target (minimap...)]

She looked at the target about thirty meters away and whispered to Xiao Weizhi beside her, "I have something to do, I'll go out for a bit."

Xiao Weizhi immediately gestured to stop the conversation, turned her head and whispered, "I'll stay with you."

Even if their voices were very soft, the highly skilled professionals present could hear their conversation clearly, but they pretended not to know anything.

Pei Ansheng's face immediately fell. She couldn't stand Lin Xiaoxiao's impolite behavior.

Lin Xiaoxiao shook her head slightly, lifting the black cat in her arms a little higher to indicate that it was there: "No need, I can go by myself."

Seeing the black cat in Lin Xiaoxiao's arms, Xiao Weizhi knew that she was safe. Considering what they were talking about, he didn't want to leave directly, so he whispered, "Okay, take care of yourself. Don't go too far. Turn on your communicator and press the emergency contact button immediately if anything happens."

Lin Xiaoxiao nodded, then greeted everyone present, left Red Tail with Xiao Weizhi, and calmly left the 8012 competition viewing room with the black cat in her arms.

Following the map, we walked to the 8020 match viewing room at the very end.

Lin Xiaoxiao lightly knocked on the door with her index finger knuckle: 'Knock knock knock-'

A moment later, the door was pulled open with great force, and the hot wind that rushed in ruffled the stray hairs on her cheeks.

A burly man, about 1.96 meters tall, with bronze skin, an open shirt revealing a muscular chest and abs, and large red flame tattoos, leaned against the doorframe with one hand, looking down at Lin Xiaoxiao with a frivolous smile: "Hello, beautiful lady, are you here to play with me?"

Lin Xiaoxiao looked up and, after confirming that this man was not the one she was looking for,...

Holding the black cat, she took two steps back, her voice carrying a chilling indifference: "No, I'm looking for the one inside."

The man immediately wiped the smile off his face, his muscles tensed, and he stared at Lin Xiaoxiao warily, as if he would raise his fist and charge at her at any moment.

"Let her in." A deep male voice came from inside.

Upon hearing this, the man lowered his head and obediently retreated behind the door, making way for someone to enter.

Lin Xiaoxiao slowly stepped into the room, which was 20 degrees Celsius warmer than the outside temperature, even though the air conditioning was on its lowest setting.

Standing in front of the room’s huge floor-to-ceiling window was a tall, muscular, red-haired man wearing fiery red armor, with his hands folded in front of his chest.

He was radiating intense heat, which made the room much warmer than the outside temperature.

The man slowly turned around, seemingly unsurprised by Lin Xiaoxiao's arrival.

He bowed slightly to Lin Xiaoxiao and said, "It's an honor to meet you, Ms. Agent. I am Mo Lingxiao, a minor official under the God of Flames."

[Mo Lingxiao: The Wish Master of the God of Flames, who has lived in the Dragon Kingdom for many years. As a neutral member of the divine retinue, he has no intention of joining any faction. Jinquan Palace is his property...]

Lin Xiaoxiao looked at the mission marker on his body and silently took out the Flood Dragon BOSS egg that she had been keeping in her space for a long time.

With a wave of her hand, the beast egg floated gently toward Mo Lingxiao's location: "Hello, I am Lin Xiaoxiao. This beast egg was sent to you by a certain demon beast."

The beast egg was held in place by an invisible energy and steadily delivered to Mo Lingxiao's hands.

Mo Lingxiao flicked a wisp of flame from his index finger onto the beast egg. In just a few seconds, the egg hatched into a small snake with flames on its body, which skillfully coiled around his wrist: "Thank you for taking the time to deliver it to me."

Lin Xiaoxiao received a notification that mission three was completed the moment the dragon egg hatched:

Congratulations on completing Task 3!

[Reward: 10,000 Faith Points from the Serpent Leader BOSS (Medium Unclaimed) (Claimable)]

[Bonus Reward: Lucky Fragment (1 point) (Claimable)]

After receiving the 10,000 points of medium-level faith power, Lin Xiaoxiao's gaze fell on the small dragon snake wrapped around Mo Lingxiao's wrist.

A hint of interest flashed in her eyes as she remembered that this was Quinn, the future demigod-level leader of the serpents.

If Mo Lingxiao hadn't died so young, this little serpent might have been able to successfully ascend to the level of a demon god with Mo Lingxiao's help, instead of ending up being skinned and gutted into an ornamental snake skeleton.

Mo Lingxiao noticed Lin Xiaoxiao's gaze fixed on the small dragon snake coiled around his wrist: "Miss Lin, is there something wrong with this small dragon snake?"

Lin Xiaoxiao looked away, a faint smile appearing on her lips: "It's nothing, she looks quite cute."

Mo Lingxiao's eyes darkened slightly, and he nodded in agreement: "Yes, Quinn is indeed very cute. This is the name I just gave it."

Lin Xiaoxiao smiled and praised, "That's a good name."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lin Xiaoxiao, holding the black cat that was staring intently at the little dragon snake and constantly licking its lips, turned and left.

Just after she left, the man who opened the door made a throat-slitting gesture, his expression serious, and asked Mo Lingxiao in a low voice, "Sir, should we inform those people?"

Mo Lingxiao raised his hand to examine the small, pink dragon-like snake with flames burning on its surface. After a long while, he slowly uttered, "No need. Clean up all traces of her contact with us. We'll sit back and watch the tigers fight."

Meanwhile, in the corridor, the black cat in Lin Xiaoxiao's arms yawned and spoke, unusually: "Kill him?"

She straightened her back and said in a cheerful voice, "No need. Mo Lingxiao is a very cautious person. He will probably erase all traces of his contact with me and then pretend to be nonchalant while watching the show."

If it weren't for his extremely cautious personality, Mo Lingxiao might not have died in that battle.

When she returned to 8012 with the black cat, Xiao Weizhi was talking with several 'elders' (old foxes) about the rewards and conditions that needed to be paid for bringing her four childhood friends.

After all, bringing the four of them into the Trial Grounds of the Prodigies required the cooperation of all Dragon Fang members. If it were just him alone, he could ignore the reward and only talk about friendship.

After they finished talking about everything, Lin Xiaoxiao was already standing in front of the large French windows, watching the challenge below for a while.

It has to be said that the professionals below are fighting for a ticket to this Trial of the Prodigies.

They really all came up with some ingenious tricks. If they couldn't win a direct fight, they would use poison, invisibility, or surprise attacks... There were also fierce battles with punches landing and exciting combat with skills flying everywhere.

Lin Xiaoxiao even saw two or three female professionals who, despite being outmatched, successfully navigated the ranking competition.

After their conversation, Xiao Weizhi approached and put his arm around Lin Xiaoxiao's waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder and looking down at her: "Is it pretty?"

Lin Xiaoxiao kept her eyes fixed on the battle unfolding below, a slight smile playing on her lips: "It's interesting."

She also met several old acquaintances with whom she would later cross paths; it was hard to imagine that they were so naive at that time.

Gu Qingshan looked at Gu Qingqi beside him with some surprise, questioning with his eyes: Is this really the Xiao family's kid?

Gu Qingqi nodded and responded with his eyes: Yes, it's him.

In their shock, no one noticed the fleeting resentment in Pei Ansheng's eyes when he saw Xiao Weizhi embracing Lin Xiaoxiao.

The qualifying days passed by one by one.

The entire Dragon Fang team, along with Gu Qingqi, Shen Bi'an, Lu Xumo, and Pei Shuyan, went down into the secret realm to familiarize themselves with each other's skills and adjust their battle formations.

Five days before the opening of the Trial Grounds for Prodigies.

Xingyan suddenly contacted Lin Xiaoxiao, who was taking a bath in the bathroom late at night.

Xingyan's slightly drunken voice rang out from the communication screen: "Crazy Xiao, are you going to participate in this year's Trial of the Prodigies?"

Lin Xiaoxiao closed her eyes and lay back, reaching out to fluff up the bubbles in the bathtub. The sound of water droplets falling echoed clearly in the bathroom. Her tone was calm: "Yes, I'll participate."

Xingyan seemed to have bumped into something; after a sound of shattering glass, the drunkenness in her voice subsided considerably: "They will send people to participate in this year's Trial of the Prodigies."

"Moreover, the prizes this time will be several times more generous than before. The first prize includes a 'decorative crystal ball' containing 6 million points of advanced faith power."

Lin Xiaoxiao, whose eyes had been closed, slowly opened them upon hearing these words, her voice tinged with amusement: "Are they crazy? Or do they have so many places of faith that they don't know where to spend them?"

6 million points of advanced faith power.

This reward alone will attract countless followers and servants to participate, and even some poorer officials will be unable to resist making a move.

As for the monsters, they will also be attracted by this reward and will do their best to annihilate all the 'enemies and competitors' in their sight.

The 'agent' who came up with this idea seems to be preparing to give up on recruiting talent and wants to turn this year's Trial of the Prodigies directly into a slaughter game.

What are the reasons that led them to make this change?

Xingyan's voice tightened: "Crazy Xiao, don't go. They're waiting for you to walk right into their trap."

Oh? She was the catalyst for the change in strategy, so those 6 million points of faith power are still too low.

Lin Xiaoxiao slowly sat up, her hands supporting her on the edge of the bathtub, her index finger gently tapping her temple, pondering the self-inflicted trap in Xingyan's words.

So what did those people put in the Trial Grounds of the Prodigies that could attract her?

She asked in a low voice, "Tell me, what did they put in the training grounds?"

There was no response on the other end. After a long while, the water in the bathtub gradually cooled down.

Xingyan's deep voice came: "Your exclusive skill: Endless Treasure Vault, don't go!"

An endless treasure trove that they couldn't find even in their last life! No wonder they were confident they could lure her into the Trial Grounds of Prodigies.

Lin Xiaoxiao supported herself on the bathtub with both hands and slowly got up. She did not answer Xingyan immediately. She turned on the shower, rinsed off the soap, put on a short bathrobe, and, leaning on her crutches, slowly walked to the full-length mirror to look at the severed section of her right leg.

After a long while, she seemed to be looking at herself in the mirror, revealing a provocative yet slightly excited smile: "I didn't expect them to be willing to use this skill as bait to lure me in."

Xingyan gritted her teeth and said, "I shouldn't have told you this."

Lin Xiaoxiao picked up a towel from the sink and wrapped it around her wet hair: "Even if you don't tell me, they'll find a way to let me know. It's good to know in advance, so we can find out where they hid their skills, right?"

Xingyan said with a hint of helplessness, "I couldn't find it. I'll have someone check again."

Even this news was only obtained by Xingyan because a fool from some faction got drunk and let it slip at the party.

The call had just ended when Xiao Weizhi frowned and pushed the door open, saying, "If you stay in this bath any longer, you'll catch a cold."

Lin Xiaoxiao was in a good mood, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly: "I haven't had a bath for a while. I just contacted Xingyan."

Xiao Weizhi untied the towel from her head, tossed it into the laundry basket, then picked up a dry towel from the side and stood behind her to wipe her wet hair…

Throughout the capital, promotional posters of all sizes were hung up.

There are also many videos of people cheering each other on various social media platforms.

The only constant is that it will always contain encrypted reminders that only Lin Xiaoxiao and her group of people can understand.

Five days later, the entire Dragon Fang team, along with Gu Qingqi, Shen Bi'an, Lu Xumo, and Pei Shuyan, lined up to enter the largest indoor central square in the capital.

Giant posters, filled with encouraging words, were hung all around the square.

Upon closer inspection, some of the characters are painted with a light gold color, deliberately emphasized: Jin, Bao, Wu, Neng, Ku, Qi... They look like words intentionally designed on a poster.

Despite the order being scrambled, Lin Xiaoxiao quickly rearranged the words: The Endless Treasure Vault skill is inside, do you dare to come in?

To use paint made from the power of faith as a raw material to write such a sentence is such a childish provocation.

Seeing that Lin Xiaoxiao was looking at the posters, Xiao Weizhi asked in a low voice, "Is there anything special about these posters?"

Lin Xiaoxiao chuckled and shook her head: "There's nothing special about it. The person who designed these posters seems to have no design talent at all. They're really ugly."

Xiao Weizhi hadn't expected that she kept looking at the posters because she thought they were ugly. He smiled helplessly, put his hand on her waist, and led her forward.

There are only 6,000 slots for professionals in the capital, while the remaining 94,000 slots are allocated to other cities in the Dragon Kingdom.

Professionals dressed in various business attire stood silently in the square, waiting quietly.

As the sun rose to its highest point, a group of guests dressed in various formal attire appeared in the center of the square, including: the mayor, the captain of the operations department... and even five professionals in special costumes.

These five professionals were dressed in identical, flowing clothing that seemed to float automatically even without wind. It looked neither like professional attire nor ordinary casual wear.

They stood silently three meters behind the mayor and his entourage, wearing full-face silver masks that resembled ghost faces.

The mayor, holding a golden microphone, spoke with a serious, expressionless tone: "The once-in-a-decade Trial of Prodigies is about to begin. As a citizen of the Dragon Kingdom and the mayor of Imperial City, I sincerely hope that everyone will achieve excellent results in this trial..."

"Finally, I wish you all good luck in your military campaigns and a safe return!"

After the mayor finished speaking, the five professionals dressed in light, flowing clothing stepped forward and stood in a pentagonal formation, holding hands.

Then, as the five people used their skills together, a pinkish-purple light was projected into the empty space between them.

The light gradually dyed the entire sky pinkish-purple.

A dozen minutes later, the most intense pinkish-purple color gradually coalesced into a dilapidated and ancient stone gate.

This stone gate is 19 meters high and 8 meters wide, with a semi-circular archway on top. The edges are painted with bright red paint and decorated with patterns that look like scribbles.

Inside the door was a swirling, multicolored light screen that, if viewed for too long, could induce a strange sense of dizziness.

Every professional's eyes were filled with an unwavering ambition, their gaze fixed intently on the door that could change their destiny.

Why is the once-a-decade Trial of the Prodigies so coveted?

It's because once you get inside, as long as you can survive to the end and successfully pass through the three baptisms, your whole being will undergo a dramatic transformation, directly widening the gap between you and your peers.

As the seven-colored light within the door faded, the gray teleportation vortex hidden within was officially revealed.

Xiao Weizhi took Lin Xiaoxiao's hand and led the line to enter through the door.

As the last professional entered, the door gradually disappeared, and the pinkish-purple light in the sky condensed into clusters, as if they had their own consciousness, and flew towards the designated direction.

They transformed into giant screens in mid-air, broadcasting everything that happened inside the training grounds.

The professionals within the Dragon Kingdom were assigned to different locations according to their respective cities, separated by a semi-transparent white protective barrier.

Looking into the distance, one can also see professionals from other cities within the Dragon Kingdom.

As the 'live camera' slowly zoomed in.

Everyone in the Dragon Kingdom could see through the light screen in the sky that the professionals who entered the Trial Grounds of Prodigies were standing on a giant chessboard, trapped in white squares that resembled chess pieces.

In the black square opposite them, many monstrous beasts with fierce eyes and drool dripping from the corners of their mouths when they breathed out were imprisoned.

Inside the Imperial Capital War Department sat a group of high-ranking officials from the capital, as well as the heads of various powerful families.

Even Grandpa Xiao, despite his ailing condition, appeared in the operations department, watching the live stream with his somewhat cloudy eyes.

The person in charge of the Mu family opposite him was an old man at the seventh level of cultivation. He looked older than Old Master Xiao. He had a kind smile on his thin face, but when he opened his eyes, which were narrowed into slits, one could clearly see the scheming and ruthlessness flowing within them.

Grandpa Mu said with a smile, "Old Xiao, I didn't expect you to actually come out of the sanatorium."

Old Master Xiao glanced at Old Master Mu, who looked like a venomous snake, and said coldly without expression, "If you, this old codger, can come, why can't I?"

Grandpa Mu's smile faltered for a moment, and he exhaled a breath of stale air before resuming his amiable smile: "Old Xiao, you're still so blunt."

Just as the two old men were about to start arguing again, Jiang Dehai, the head of the operations department, tapped on the table and said in a deep voice, "The trial is about to begin."

One sentence silenced the entire room.

Jiang Dehai stared at the live stream screen, sighing helplessly once again: If their country could also have a divinely favored representative for protection, they wouldn't be so oppressed by other countries.

Each time the Trial of the Prodigies takes place, the Dragon Kingdom can only participate in the dark, without receiving any additional hints.

Every time, the number of professionals within the Dragon Kingdom is the highest, with less than one in a hundred surviving—what a terrifying number.