The following day, the five-person team from Linjiang First High School gathered at the camp entrance.
Leon noticed Ye Qingzhou now had a dark blue bracelet on his left arm, and thought it was a token of affection from someone. With a mischievous eyebrow raise, he gave Ye Qingzhou a discreet thumbs up.
Ye Qingzhou couldn't fathom what nonsense Leon might be imagining, and chose not to pursue it.
"Check your packs, and then let's set off."
"Okay."
The five of them packed enough food and water for three days. Although the Divine Feather Sword Sect was only about seven or eight kilometers away, a day's journey could cover it both ways.
But it's always better to be prepared when away on a trip.
En route, Miao Yi started discussing the current status of several other rookie teams.
"Huang Dengfeng's team is currently ranked first in points. I heard they successfully hunted a King of Chasing Wolf, completely dissected it, and brought its materials back to camp to sell to Instructor Weng, earning a substantial amount of Martial Arts Points."
"Is there a ranking for this Grotto Heaven Exploration task?"
Leon was puzzled.
Miao Yi clarified: "It's all internal ranking among our renowned school rookies. Although there's no official assignment and no official ranking, everyone has a competitive spirit, so they're all discreetly competing now."
Ye Qingzhou mused, "Indeed, where there are people, there are rivalries."
Xu Yuebing found it hard to believe: "The King of Chasing Wolf should have the strength of a professional level martial artist around the Upper Three Ranks, right? How did Huang Dengfeng's team manage to successfully hunt it down?"
"I helped them kill it."
"You!!!"
Xu Yuebing gritted her teeth in fury and stared at Ye Qingzhou: "Didn't you just give an advantage to outsiders?"
"No, I got paid for it."
"!!!"
Xu Yuebing was so angry she didn't want to speak. She felt that discussing collective honor and glory for the school with Ye Qingzhou was like playing to an unresponsive crowd.
This guy only knows money money money!
Such a money-grubber!
Leon, on the other hand, suddenly realized: "Ah, it was Master Ye who did it. Now it makes sense."
The five continued on their journey and soon arrived at the location of the Divine Feather Sword Sect.
Once a grand and magnificent sect, now only ruins remained, its glory and grandeur lost to the passage of time.
But time failed to disperse the unparalleled Sword Intent of this place; as Ye Qingzhou stepped in, he felt in his mind the swordsmen glory of countless years ago, sweating and fighting here.
Various Sword Intents had long seeped deeply into this land, enduring and unwavering.
"The Heart Sword Secret Technique is indeed infinitely wondrous, allowing me to perceive ancient Sword Intent from long ago."
Ye Qingzhou's eyes brightened, then quickly he moved toward the strongest direction of Sword Intent.
The place he headed was marked with the words "Forbidden Land" on the map, a Sword Sect's restricted area.
The entrance to the forbidden area was a cave, resembling an open mouth of a Taotie beast, capable of devouring everything in this world.
Rows of sharp swords were stuck in the ground, appearing as the beast's teeth, radiating an unsettling cold light despite the rust.
Half of a stone tablet remained, with the word "Forbidden" carved into it by a sword, only half of which was visible.
Though the script was peculiar, it could easily be understood, clearly intended as a warning left by a master, instructing future visitors not to enter recklessly.
The closer they got to the forbidden area, the more they instinctively felt a tingling in their scalp.
Nevertheless, the five were bold and skilled, bolstered by youthful vigor, thus encouraging one another and following Ye Qingzhou to venture deeper into the forbidden land in search of discovery.
The tunnel was dark, rendering them blind.
Leon took the lead, raising his left arm, loudly proclaiming, "Release the seal, my left hand, let there be lightning!"
Thunder Breath, converting Primordial Qi into lightning, transformed into a ball of light, hanging above everyone's heads, instantly illuminating the pathway ahead.
Miao Yi's eye twitched: "You exaggerate Initial Tier Thunder Martial Technique like it's a High-Tier Thunder Force Technique, can you stop being so pretentious?"
"Ha, I like it, what business is it of yours?"
Leon gave Miao Yi a provocative look; having recently fortified his physique through cultivating Dragon's Inner Breath, he had long wanted to assert himself over Miao Yi.
"Stop arguing, keep moving."
As soon as Ye Qingzhou spoke, the two quieted down, and the team continued on, quickly reaching a spacious area.
The ground was no longer soft earth, but solid stone paving.
A structure resembling an ancient small county town appeared before them, though many areas had been buried with sand and dirt.
Xu Yuebing warned everyone: "It's said that this place sank into the earth due to an encounter between powerful individuals. There are many bizarre dangers here, everyone should proceed cautiously."
Ye Qingzhou looked around, especially drawn to a giant sword scar running across the entire town, marveling at it: "Judging from the battle scars left, the battle back then must have been exceedingly fierce, causing the heavens to collapse and the earth to crack. Such formidable strength is truly enviable."
Leon chimed in agreement: "Yes, such mighty figures—I would love nothing more than to witness their battles with my own eyes. A rare talent like me would surely benefit greatly."
Miao Yi sharply retorted: "Save it; a breeze from them would blow you away. If you really met them, you'd probably cry the loudest."
"You, that temperamental fellow, looking to get hit?"
Leon gripped the sword hilt, eyes burning red.
Miao Yi likewise felt rage rising from within, thinking Leon his mortal foe: "Fight then, I'm not afraid of you!"
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