Chapter 78. Remembering the reason, an S-rank secret...
The upward stretching motion caused Lin Xiaoxiao's clothes to rise a few inches, revealing a small patch of pinkish-white waist.
Xiao Weizhi reached out and pulled down Lin Xiaoxiao's hem to cover the small section of her waist that was exposed. Then he naturally put his arm around her waist and led her forward: "Let's go, let's go back."
Lin Xiaoxiao looked at the road ahead, a thought flashed through her mind, and she vaguely remembered several major events that had occurred in the past two years. She immediately turned her head and asked in a low voice, "Weizhi, is there any event or thing going to happen recently?"
Xiao Weizhi recalled for a moment, remembering a special day, and nodded in reply: "Yes, the Trial Grounds for Prodigies, which opens once every ten years, will open in a few months."
Upon hearing the familiar name "Heavenly Pride Trial Grounds," Lin Xiaoxiao immediately nodded in understanding.
No wonder the treasure chest craftsmen in the City of Divine Favor haven't been taking orders lately; they've probably all been asked to prepare for the Trial Grounds for Prodigies.
[The Trial Grounds for Prodigies: Gathering prodigies from all over the world in a single secret realm, ranking them by hunting monsters and accumulating points. The higher the ranking, the more favored they become by the gods of their respective factions, and the greater the rewards...]
To put it bluntly, it's a broken secret realm created by the agents of the gods from various factions, in conjunction with the high-ranking administrators of the City of Divine Favor, to select 'talents' (cannon fodder).
It is also a trial to help the managers of the secret realms filter out monsters with no potential.
Those high-level demonic beasts that survive this trial and obtain high scores will receive the bestowed support of the gods until they reach the level of demigod.
After leaving the secret realm, the team members dispersed and went home.
The two people in silver-white cars rode in a flying car, shuttling through the bustling streets of the capital, and finally stopped in the underground parking garage of an upscale residential community.
While waiting for the elevator, Lin Xiaoxiao felt a weight on her shoulder as a familiar black figure climbed onto her shoulder, securing its body with four claws. The figure was as soft as a black plush shawl.
She remained in the same position, holding Red Tail while waiting for the elevator, her eyes fixed ahead, her voice gentle: "Cat Brother, welcome back."
The black cat slightly raised its droopy eyelids, glanced at her with its emerald green eyes with annoyance, twitched its nose, grunted, and closed its eyes to enter a state of dozing.
Xiao Weizhi parked the flying car and walked over. Seeing the black cat on her shoulder, he naturally reached out to take the red-tailed cat from her arms.
Lin Xiaoxiao hugged the black cat on her shoulder to her chest and turned her head to ask, "Have you decided which secret realm to go to for the bosses in the later parts of your quest?"
Xiao Weizhi shook his head: "It's not decided yet. I'll check the information later and see which secret realm is suitable."
Back home, the two washed up, rested for a while, and changed into comfortable clothes.
Lin Xiaoxiao sat at a workbench in the corner of the study, slowly crafting a treasure chest, while Xiao Weizhi sat at a desk at the other end, constantly researching information to determine which secret realm to visit next.
There happen to be three people in the team who need to complete leveling-up quests, so we need to find a dungeon that can meet everyone's leveling-up needs.
In the following days, Xiao Weizhi declined many invitations from friends and stayed at home with Lin Xiaoxiao, each busy with their own things, but every night they would fall asleep in each other's arms.
After resting for almost half a month, the two of them hardly went out except to meet up with the rest of the team to replenish supplies.
Twelve days later, the entire Dragon Fang Squad gathered at the airship field and headed to an S-rank secret realm called [Thorn Forest].
This secret realm is a well-known place in H City, and it has existed for longer than Chen Yijin, the eldest brother of the Dragon Fang Squad.
For 33 years, no one has been able to successfully open this secret realm and obtain its core.
Professionals who have emerged from this S-rank secret realm often advise: 'Almost every area inside has a boss. If you're not strong enough, don't even bother entering this realm; you'll find it incredibly difficult to progress.'
Therefore, the H City Operations Department has to allocate a large amount of funds every year.
We specifically hire professionals who have completed six or more job advancements to regularly help clean up the secret realm, in order to prevent the monsters and bosses inside from breaking through the secret realm and manifesting in reality.
This secret realm doesn't even charge any entrance fees or taxes; you can enter simply by registering your level and name.
Xiao Weizhi chose this secret realm precisely because of its abundance of bosses.
He led his team onto the airship, and after a three-day, two-night journey, they successfully arrived in H City.
The Dragon Fang team, having completed registration, immediately plunged into the teleportation vortex of the secret realm without any hesitation.
After the familiar dizziness from teleportation subsided, the group of ten stood steadily in this S-rank secret realm.
The secret realm was shrouded in thick clouds, with no sunlight in sight, and surrounded by a dense fog so thick that nothing could be seen.
Even though it's daytime now, it's still hazy, and the furthest point of visibility is about two meters.
The secret realm is filled with countless gray-black thorny thickets, and black birds and beasts that occasionally circle in the sky, making it look like a dark jungle from a dark story, with an eerie and sinister feeling.
Upon entering the secret realm, Lin Xiaoxiao immediately took out a [Fog Repellent Lamp (Gold Grade)] from her spatial storage, lit the wick, and held it in her hand.
[Fog Dispeller (Gold): A gold-level piece of equipment crafted by Master Theresa. As long as you carry this ancient-looking lamp, no smoke can get close within its illuminated area. It's a great help when adventuring in special terrains...]
The fog light is entirely brass-colored, with a round body engraved with many unidentified small flowers. It is also surrounded by a grid-like circular enclosure made of interwoven metal wires. When lit, it emits a faint purple light, making it look very mysterious and noble.
After the fog in this secret realm was driven away by the lights, the entire Dragon Fang team stood still, unfolded a folding table, set up a searchlight for illumination, and gathered around the secret realm map placed on the table.
"Hiss, this map is practically a minefield." Li Junxuan rubbed his chin, looking on with a puzzled expression.
The map, drawn on the leather of an unknown monster, is marked with patches of red and large crosses, with only a small portion marked in green as passable, accounting for a paltry 12%.
Xiao Weizhi used his connections to buy this map from a team of professionals who regularly entered and exited this secret realm at a high price.
Chen Feng looked at the route on the map and frowned slightly: "This is not a good route."
Liu Huihui placed his hands on the table, a thoughtful look in his eyes, and tried to quickly plan a safe and suitable route in his mind.
Xiao Weizhi crossed his arms over his chest, the reflective lenses obscuring his thoughtful eyes. His expression was also very serious, and his complexion was not good.
Even the usually most carefree Wang Hao and Jiang Tao stood quietly to the side, deep in thought as they looked at the map.
Lin Xiaoxiao placed the fog light in her hand on the corner of the table, her eyes flashing with confusion, as if she didn't understand why her teammates were getting hung up on such a thing.
Her voice was filled with doubt: "Why do we need to find an easy route? Aren't we here to fight a boss? Just go in the direction that area looks dangerous."
Xiao Wei's mission requires defeating six bosses: five bricks and one epic item;
Cheng Cheng's mission requires defeating two bosses: two bricks;
Chen Yijin needs to defeat a BOSS: Diamond level;
Huang Yuwei needs to defeat two bosses: one gold and one diamond.
In total, you need to fight ten bosses. The map is full of boss areas, so you can just go through them. Why do you need to deliberately avoid them?
Wasn't their goal to fight the BOSS this time?
Upon hearing this, the entire team stopped discussing and fell into an instant silence, with awkward expressions on everyone's faces.
The habit formed from years of venturing into secret realms makes everyone's first reaction to choose a safe route rather than heading towards dangerous areas.
Xiao Weizhi quickly rolled up the map and put it aside. He turned to Lin Xiaoxiao and asked in a low voice, "Then we don't need to look at the map. Which direction do you think we should go?"
Cheng Cheng clapped his hands and smiled in agreement: "That's right, Xiaoxiao, which direction do you think we should go?"
Facing the expectant gazes of her teammates, Lin Xiaoxiao instantly understood the meaning behind their eyes. With a twitch at the corner of her mouth, she once again took out the long-unused fortune-telling container, held it up with both hands, and shook out an ominous fortune with a devout attitude.
[Ominous: Today is not auspicious for traveling northwest. There may be many dangers along the way, so proceed with caution. However, there may also be opportunities ahead.]
Wang Hao raised his hands and waved them in celebration: "Great, it's a bad omen! Quick, quick, pack your things and get ready to leave!"
Li Junxuan helped Liu Huihui fold up the table, and complained irritably, "Haozi, it's always you who doesn't help."
Jiang Tao crossed his arms and nodded in agreement: "That's right, this kid always just stands on the sidelines and doesn't lift a finger. It's too much."
Liu Huihui sneered: "Xiao Tao, you're all talk and no action."
Amidst the noisy banter and mutual complaints, the items were quickly packed away and put back into the space, then lined up and headed northwest.
More than an hour later, Li Junxuan, with a shield more than a meter wide in his left hand and a machete in his right, cleared a path ahead. With a few swift strokes, he cut a narrow path about a meter long.
Chen Feng and Liu Huihui followed behind Li Junxuan, one using a machete to trim the thorny trees on both sides of the front, and the other carrying a fog light to clear the way.
Cheng Cheng, Huang Yuwei, Wang Hao, Chen Yijin, and Jiang Tao walked in the middle.
Xiao Weizhi pulled Lin Xiaoxiao along at the back of the line.
Before long, the team successfully broke through the dense thicket of thorns and arrived at a dark swamp.
The swamp is about 8 acres in size. Bubbles appear from time to time, and then burst open two or three seconds later, releasing some greenish poisonous gas.
Xiao Weizhi took out a map, glanced at it to confirm the location, then put it away and commanded in a deep voice: "Junxuan, activate the shield; Chen Feng, Huihui..."
After everyone had taken their positions, Xiao Weizhi waved his staff and cast a forbidden lightning spell into the air above the swamp.
A 33-meter-long purple magic circle unleashed tens of thousands of lightning bolts like a torrential downpour, transforming the entire swamp into a blue-glowing lightning battery with a series of crackling sounds.
"Endure it—"
The BOSS, lurking deep in the swamp, was attacked and howled as it rose from the depths of the swamp. First, its head emerged from the surface of the swamp, breaking through the swamp's surface, and then its body slowly rose up.
The moment the BOSS's head popped out, Wang Hao had already raised his weapon, which was half the height of a person, and threw the forbidden spell, Savage Bombardment, at the BOSS, which looked like a lump of mud.
Lin Xiaoxiao raised her weapon and, in perfect unison with Wang Hao, fired several projectiles made of gold coins at the BOSS.
Dense explosions formed on the BOSS's body surface, blasting the mud on its body into the sky, turning it into mud rain that fell down.
Xiao Weizhi waved his staff, and protective shields shaped like diamonds enveloped the large creature.
He waved his staff again, and several 8-meter-long, ice-blue, diamond-shaped magic circles appeared at the front of the group, using arm-thick ice spikes as bullets to shoot directly at the BOSS.
In just a few seconds, the BOSS and the swamp below were frozen into ice blocks.
A minute later, the BOSS roared and shattered the ice on its body into pieces. Countless swamp muds transformed into ferocious giant hands, attacking the Dragon Fang Squad.
Chen Feng and Liu Huihui stood guard on both sides of the team, wielding their weapons to quickly cut off the large hands that were trying to break through and flank from behind.
Jiang Tao moved with agility, stepping on the giant hands with his toes, and dashed towards the main body of the BOSS. The hidden weapons in his hands fell like flowers from a fairy, creating bursts of skill explosions.
The battle became a stalemate, a stalemate.
Four hours later, the BOSS let out a wail and collapsed.
An explosion rang out, scattering the muddy water of the swamp everywhere. Countless gold coins and scattered items were blasted into the air before falling back down.
The diamond treasure chest dropped by the BOSS seemed to be held up by an invisible hand, emitting a faint dazzling light, and floated steadily in mid-air.
[Congratulations to the Dragon Fang Squad for defeating the (Diamond-level) Level 162 BOSS - Earth Beast, gaining 3212 experience points...]
Just as all the friends cheered and ran off to collect their spoils.
Lin Xiaoxiao stood still, looking straight up at the sky. A golden light flashed in her eyes, and her right hand glowed with a faint golden light as she made a grabbing motion towards the top of the fallen BOSS.
Congratulations on obtaining: 300 points of Unclaimed Faith Power (Low-level)
As the power of faith in mid-air was kneaded into a ball like cotton and pinched into her golden right hand, she quickly made several hand seals with her left hand, using a sealing technique.
The sealing technique was activated, and the 300 points of faith power were contained within a fist-sized crystal ball.
This series of skillful operations only took Lin Xiaoxiao a few seconds.
A moment later, the crystal ball containing the power of faith was thrown into her space, into an open treasure chest.
This treasure chest contains many crystal balls of various sizes, and the power of faith within them is transformed into a pale golden liquid that radiates light and sways back and forth inside the balls.
These are all the results of Lin Xiaoxiao's hard work during this period.
When Xiao Weizhi saw Lin Xiaoxiao collecting faith power, his first reaction was to stand in front of her and cover her from using the skill.
Lin Xiaoxiao's lips curled up slightly, and she reached out to poke his lower back: "Okay."
Xiao Weizhi took her hand in return and pulled her towards the treasure chest that Wang Hao and the others had brought back: "Let's go then."
Wang Hao waved to Lin Xiaoxiao: "Little Red Hand Xiaoxiao, come quick, you open this box."
Seeing Lin Xiaoxiao approach, the team members surrounding the BOSS treasure chest quietly made way for her to pass through.
Lin Xiaoxiao circled the diamond-grade treasure chest several times, carefully observing its design and structure. She memorized the design elements she liked and planned to try them out next time she made a treasure chest.
Finally, amidst the expectant gazes of his friends, he slowly opened the treasure chest:
Congratulations on obtaining: Radiant Longsword (Diamond Tier)
【Radiant Longsword (Diamond Grade): This sword is forged entirely from light-attribute ore. When swung, it reflects a warm and intense halo like the rising sun, and has 900 points of light attribute...】
Congratulations on obtaining: Haoli's Armlet (Diamond Grade)
[Hollow's Armlet (Diamond Grade): This armlet is the masterpiece of a certain master. Wearing it will forcibly increase attack by 800 points...]
...
The treasure chest contained two pieces of diamond-grade equipment, three gold-grade resources, and hundreds of thousands of gold coins.
"Wow, Xiaoxiao really has a lucky touch, that's amazing!" Cheng Cheng excitedly pulled Chen Feng and cheered.
Liu Huihui had already set his sights on the equipment that had been obtained this time. He said with a smile, "This longsword is perfect for A-Feng, and this armlet looks great for me!"
Li Junxuan retorted irritably, "You're talking nonsense, this armband suits me too."
Jiang Tao quickly replied, "It suits me, 800 attack points. Brother Xuan, this is a waste for you, you should cancel the purchase."
Wang Hao nodded in agreement: "That's right, I'm suitable too."
Just as they were arguing over the ownership of the equipment.
Lin Xiaoxiao moved to Chen Yijin's side and whispered, "Brother Yijin, you could collect some water from that swamp; it should be of some use to you."
Even without touching or examining it, Lin Xiaoxiao had a vague premonition that the water in the swamp was a silver-grade resource.
As for why she had this feeling, we have to mention a skill that Lin Xiaoxiao obtained after reaching the sixth rank in the City of Divine Favor:
[Special Perception (Diamond Level) (Upgradeable): Possessing this skill allows one to vaguely perceive things and events that others cannot detect...]
[Special Note: This skill enhances intuition; once someone harbors negative feelings towards you, you can always accurately pinpoint the source of that malice...]
Chen Yijin accepted Lin Xiaoxiao's suggestion and immediately took out several jars that were half a person tall to quickly collect the muddy water from the swamp.
Lin Xiaoxiao then discovered a resource called Silent Bone (Gold Grade) in the surrounding area, which led to another chaotic frenzy of digging and collecting.
For the next eight days, the Dragon Fang team maintained a pace of killing one BOSS every day. Unexpectedly, Cheng Cheng, Huang Yuwei, and Chen Yijin completed their missions very smoothly.
Xiao Weizhi's mission, however, got stuck on the final step: defeating the epic-level boss.
No matter how hard the Dragon Fang team searched, the highest level of the bosses in the secret realm was only Diamond-level, and there was no trace of Epic-level bosses.
Just as Xiao Weizhi was considering whether to switch to an SS-level secret realm to complete the mission.
Jiang Tao made an amazing discovery while taking a walk.
Jiang Tao saw Mu Yunzhi, the heir of the Mu family, leading a team into this S-level secret realm.
Upon hearing this news, Xiao Weizhi's first reaction was, "Jiang Tao, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
Jiang Tao's tone was firm: "How could I be wrong? I wouldn't mistake that bastard surnamed Mu even if I were a hundred meters away, let alone less than twenty meters away."
Lin Xiaoxiao was originally petting Hongwei when she heard the name, and a dark glint flashed in her eyes. "Does Mu Yun know? What a disgusting name."
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