The others in the square watched the best squad land and thought they might have come to the wrong place. It was obviously a team of complete rookies who probably thought this was some kind of mission site.
A kind-looking female cultivator stepped forward, walked to their side, and, wanting to give them a hint, asked with a smile, "Fellow Daoists, have you come here for some business?"
Since they came with goodwill, Shi Xuan naturally responded politely, saying, "Fellow Daoist, I've heard that this is a very prestigious trial ground in the outer realms. Our team has come together to experience it."
The kind-hearted female cultivator asked, "Fellow Daoists, do you know the entry requirements for this place?"
Shi Xuan nodded: "Besides one hundred high-grade spirit stones, are there any other conditions?"
“No, that’s not available,” the female nun said. “One hundred each.”
Shi Xuan cupped his hands in thanks to her and said, "Thank you for informing me."
At this moment, Shen Wuyang couldn't wait to run out and buy nineteen pass tokens at the passageway.
The female cultivator smiled in surprise upon seeing this and said no more.
Many cultivators around whispered among themselves: This is a group of nouveau riche rookies! They have little skill but a lot of money, and they don't know how to restrain themselves. It's as if their faces say, "You're stupid and rich, come and rob us."
Each entry to this trial ground allows you to stay for a full three days. If you exceed this limit, you will need to pay an additional fee of one hundred high-grade spirit stones every three days when you leave.
The reason it's so expensive is because a unique spiritual plant from another realm grows in this trial ground—the Dream Seeker Flower.
This is a sixth-tier spiritual plant with extremely strong hallucinogenic effects, making it an invaluable resource for alchemy, weapon crafting, and even array formation.
If you can find even one plant after entering, it will be worth the entrance spirit stone.
However, it is said that only a very small number of cultivators have this good fortune. Most people who come out of it say that the thing is extremely difficult to find. If you keep searching, you can search for three days and three nights and still not find one.
That makes sense. If it were that easy to find, everyone would be rich, and the Dream-Seeking Flower wouldn't be so expensive.
Before going in, Shi Xuan said to the team members, "We don't need to go for the Dream Flower or make improving ourselves our ultimate goal. If the trials here are beneficial to our cultivation, there's no need to rush out."
"Alright!" The team members were in high spirits. The tickets were paid for by Shen Wuyang, but they had just received a thousand high-grade spirit stones from Shi Xuan, enough to stay here for a month, so they were full of confidence.
Afterwards, Shi Xuan led the group of nineteen people into the trial grounds of the new East Island.
The entrance to this trial grounds seemed to be protected by some kind of illusion, but once inside, a completely different world unfolded. The vast expanse of mountains and winding rivers resembled a small, interconnected universe.
Shortly after they entered, several more groups of people bought tokens and followed them in.
These groups of cultivators had previously observed this small group at the entrance; they thought it was weak but wealthy, and that it didn't seem very bright.
This kind of team is hard to wait for, so they followed without hesitation.
Inside the Trial Grounds, everyone is cut off from the outside world. No one knows what happens inside, and once inside, life and death are left to fate, and wealth and status are determined by heaven. No one will be responsible for their safety.
This gave an opportunity to a group of ill-intentioned cultivators.
They dared not provoke those who looked powerful, but instead targeted those who appeared weak but were wealthy, following them in to rob them.
Shi Xuan's best squad is now seen by these people as the epitome of being rich and foolish, and there is no better target than this squad.
As soon as they entered, several groups of people followed them. The cultivator selling the tokens counted the spirit stones they paid with an expressionless face, as if he was already used to it.
After the young friend entered, Shi Xuan pointed to one of the mountain peaks and said, "I read the strategy guide in the miscellaneous affairs area before. That mountain range with a bluish tinge has the most spiritual energy and there are many monsters to hunt. Let's head in that direction."
The team members naturally responded.
But halfway there, a strange phenomenon occurred: several black-clad cultivators suddenly jumped out and blocked their path.
It's obvious what these people are up to at a glance.
In fact, Shi Xuan had already noticed them when they first came in. Not only these few people, but there were also several other groups of people who hadn't come out yet.
They haven't done anything yet in this trial ground; they haven't even seen the strength of this small team firsthand. Logically, they shouldn't be making a move so early.
But this time there were just too many people coming in. The group couldn't stand it anymore. They were afraid that if they didn't act soon, it would be their turn. So they couldn't hold back and jumped out before they even reached the center of the trial area.
Shi Xuan raised an eyebrow and announced loudly, "This is our first round of trials!"
"Alright!" The team members were not nervous at all, and they took their positions in attack and defense as rehearsed in advance, appearing to be in an orderly manner.
The group that stopped them was taken aback. In their minds, these newly arrived stragglers would be in a panic, just like a pile of loose sand, as messy as their clothes.
But no, these people methodically set up offensive and defensive formations, many with smiles on their faces.
But there's no time to worry about that now; once you've stopped them, you can't just walk away.
"Charge!" At the leader's command, the entire bandit group charged forward.
"Seven Kills!" Almost the instant the other side gave the order, Shi Xuan also made the team command.
The team members, who were already prepared, immediately formed a battle formation and quickly moved to meet the enemy's charge.
The Seven Kill Formation was originally a sword formation of the Lianfeng Sword Sect. In order to better suit the situation of this team, it was modified by Shi Xuan to be more suitable for the members of the best team now.
This formation connects everyone's spiritual energy, allowing each person to receive nearby support and flanking attacks when attacked. It cleverly leverages strengths and compensates for weaknesses, maximizing each person's strengths while concealing their flaws to the greatest extent.
The bandits sensed something was amiss once they entered the formation; they felt constrained, unable to unleash their full potential. Their attempts at surprise attacks were always haphazard, all their attacks being neutralized. Furthermore, a scattered Shi Xuan would attack them from outside the formation at opportune moments, causing them considerable annoyance.
This is infuriating! They clearly look like a bunch of scattered soldiers with lower cultivation levels than us, but how come they're so hard to deal with! It's like no matter who we attack, it looks like one person, but when we get there, it turns into three!
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