「The next morning.」
The morning sun had just begun to rise from the east, casting a faint, warm glow over the sprawling land.
Several thousand people had already gathered at the Mountain Gate of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect, which was abuzz with noise. These were the new Outer Sect Disciples.
"Why on earth did they gather us here so early?"
"I heard there's so kind of trial mission, specifically for us new disciples!"
"Heh heh, you guys don't know, do you? I've got inside information..." a smug-looking disciple trailed off, waiting until everyone was hanging on his every word before he slowly continued, "As everyone knows, our Cyan Nether Sword Sect is the Fengyue Kingdom's National Guardian Sect. We enjoy the highest status in the Kingdom, but in return, we bear the responsibility of protecting it!"
Everyone nodded.
The Fengyue Kingdom revered the Cyan Nether Sword Sect as its National Guardian Sect. They regularly sent tributes of various resources, and in turn, the Sword Sect was naturally obligated to protect the Kingdom. This was common knowledge.
"So just tell us, what exactly is this trial of ours?" soone pressed.
The sa disciple slowly explained, "I heard that a mysterious thief gang has recently appeared within the Fengyue Kingdom. They're powerful, and their movents are secretive. The Kingdom dispatched fifty thousand elite soldiers to suppress them, but the entire force was annihilated. Left with no other choice, the Royal Family had to turn to the Sword Sect for help!"
"Fifty thousand elite soldiers? My god! If that's true, just how strong is this thief gang?" A crowd of disciples gasped in unison.
Those worthy of being called the Fengyue Kingdom's elite soldiers were all true, battle-hardened warriors. The minimum requirent to join their ranks was a cultivation at the Fourth Layer of the Essence Realm. With a force of fifty thousand, there should have been at least five Generals at the Earth Soul Realm or higher among their commanders. And yet, such a force was completely wiped out?
One could only imagine how terrifyingly strong that gang of thieves must be!
"What's there to be afraid of? The weakest among us are at the Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm! Besides, we have top geniuses like Ling Tian, Dongfang Lang, and Duan Hong with us. There's nothing to fear!"
"I heard that on the very day Ling Tian entered the Inner Sect, he alerted the Sect Leader, who was in seclusion. The Sect Leader himself snatched Ling Tian away from the Elders and took him on as a personal disciple!"
"Duan Hong and Dongfang Lang are not to be underestimated, either. They also beca disciples of Elders thanks to their extraordinary talent!"
"Especially Duan Hong. He's a rare Spirit Warrior, and I heard he even beca a disciple of the powerful and influential Elder Zhu!"
As the new disciples were chattering, a sudden commotion from the rear made everyone turn to look.
A group of sixteen people strode over.
The one in the lead had a serene expression, as if everything was beneath his notice. But no matter where he went, he instantly beca the dazzling center of attention. He was none other than the number one new disciple—Ling Tian!
The fifteen people behind him were the so-called Celestial Pride Sons, new disciples who had been granted direct entry into the Inner Sect.
Though they seed much dimr in the brilliance of Ling Tian's shadow, their powerful auras and the gleaming gold of their Inner Sect Sword Robes made them impossible to ignore.
"Senior Brother Ling Tian!"
"Senior Brother Dongfang, Senior Brother Duan..."
The Outer Disciples all greeted them enthusiastically.
Ling Tian, as aloof as ever, found a corner and sat down to cultivate in silence.
Dongfang Lang and Duan Hong, on the other hand, clearly enjoyed being the center of attention, and satisfied smiles began to form on their faces.
In the crowd, Liu Liyun said with a hint of jealousy, "If only I could beco an Inner Sect Disciple! Sigh, if that happened, this young master would go ho in a blaze of glory. With one mighty flex, wouldn't all those young ladies from the Noble Families just line up to throw themselves into my arms?"
Hong Yu rubbed his nose in exasperation. "Is that the extent of your ambition?"
Liu Liyun shot him an aggrieved look. "Brother Hong, I'm eighteen and still a virgin!"
"..."
Hong Yu found a corner to sulk in, saying nothing more. 'Eighteen is nothing. I'm still a virgin after two whole lifetis!'
"Is everyone here?"
A powerful voice suddenly bood over the Mountain Gate, kicking up a fierce gust of wind as three young n in Sword Robes sped toward them.
The vital energy radiating from the three was imnse, their presence astonishing.
Even though they wore the silver-white Sword Robes of the Outer Sect, the sheer power they exuded was in no way inferior to that of the thirteen Earth Soul Realm experts who had entered the Inner Sect directly. In fact, their strength faintly seed to rival even Dongfang Lang and Duan Hong.
Hong Yu glanced over, a flicker in his eyes. 'These three are incredibly strong, a whole level above even Chen Xing. Among all the new disciples, I'm afraid only Ling Tian can best them!'
Seeing all eyes on him, Shi Tao strode forward with a Dragon Walk and Tiger Stride and laughed heartily. "Junior Brothers, you've all arrived in good ti! I am Shi Tao, and I am in charge of this trial mission!"
"Shi Tao? He's the Shi Tao who is eighth on the Earth List?"
"Then the two tower-like young n behind him must be the brothers Wang Lin and Wang Dong, ranked ninth and tenth on the Earth List!"
Shi Tao's reputation was considerable, and his na caused another stir among the disciples.
Even Dongfang Lang and Duan Hong wore grave expressions; they clearly felt an imnse pressure from Shi Tao.
Only Ling Tian remained with his eyes closed in ditation, completely unaffected by the outside world.
Shi Tao caught sight of Ling Tian ditating in the corner out of the corner of his eye. A flicker of displeasure crossed his face, but he suppressed it. His gaze swept over the crowd, and his seemingly indifferent eyes finally landed on Hong Yu. The corner of Shi Tao's mouth curled into a barely perceptible, mocking smirk.
'This Shi Tao is clearly up to no good!'
Hong Yu silently put himself on guard.
Shi Tao quickly averted his gaze and announced, "As you Junior Brothers may have heard, this trial for new disciples is to exterminate bandits. They are an extrely vicious gang of thieves. According to our intelligence, there are about twenty thousand of them, most with cultivation in the Essence Realm. However, there is no shortage of powerful experts among them, such as the Ten Great Commanders and the Three Major Heads!"
"The Ten Great Commanders all have cultivation at the Earth Soul Realm, with the weakest at the Initial Stage and the strongest at the Middle Stage. As for the Three Major Heads, they are the Blood Lady, Sunx Sanniang; the Blood-Dripping Sword, Lin Xue; and their most mysterious leader, the Mountain Opening Tiger, Ding Yuanshan. The strength of these three is profound and unfathomable. This is especially true for the Mountain Opening Tiger, Ding Yuanshan, whose cultivation is said to have reached the Late-stage Earth Soul Realm. His thods are also said to be exceptionally cruel."
Shi Tao slowly laid out the basic intelligence on the thieves.
He paused for a mont before continuing, "Our trial mission is to annihilate the thief gang led by the Mountain Opening Tiger. Of course, the Sect won't have you all working for nothing. You will receive corresponding points for every thief you kill. Ordinary thieves, from the First to the Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm, are worth one to nine points, respectively. Each of the Ten Great Commanders is worth fifty points. As for the Three Major Heads, killing any one of them will earn you one hundred points. And Ding Yuanshan himself is worth three hundred points!"
"All of you should have read the Sect Manual, so you should be well aware of what these points an to you."
Shi Tao scanned the crowd.
The thousands of new disciples were already stirred into a frenzy.
After a month of acclimatizing, they had all co to understand the importance of points. In the Cyan Nether Sword Sect, points ant cultivation resources and a faster cultivation speed. To a large extent, points determined one's future.
The only problem was that points were incredibly hard to co by!
Even the highest-rewarding Sect missions only offered a few dozen points, and those could take an entire month to complete.
Now that they finally had a chance to earn a huge amount of points, how could they not be excited?
Shi Tao seed very satisfied with the crowd's reaction. He glanced at Hong Yu out of the corner of his eye, the mocking amusent on his lips turning venomous and cruel. He said slowly, "Everyone understands the basic situation, so let's assign the operational zones. The thieves are hiding in Liger Ravine, nine hundred kiloters from the Royal Capital. The terrain there is treacherous and dangerous, and the gang is extrely cunning. We must catch them all in one fell swoop."
Shi Tao loudly announced the assignnts.
He divided everyone evenly into four teams, designated as Divisions One, Two, Three, and Four.
The first unit, led by Ling Tian, would attack from the east side of Liger Ravine.
The second unit, led by Dongfang Lang, would attack from the west side of Liger Ravine.
The third unit, led by Duan Hong, would attack from the north side of Liger Ravine.
As for Hong Yu and the others, they were assigned to the fourth unit, personally led by Shi Tao, to attack from the south side of Liger Ravine.
Once the assignnts were made, Shi Tao handed a map scroll to each of the unit leaders. He then announced that the bandit-extermination trial had officially begun and that each team was to head to Liger Ravine at full speed.
The first, second, and third units departed first.
Shi Tao waited quietly. Only after the first three units had been gone for a full half-hour did he unhurriedly say, "Everyone here is a mber of the fourth unit. This bandit-extermination trial is no small matter; you may even face life-threatening danger. I hope that once we reach Liger Ravine, you will all follow my commands!"
"We'll follow your every command, Senior Brother Shi!"
"We swear we won't hold you back, Senior Brother Shi!"
The several hundred mbers of the fourth unit pounded their chests in assurance.
Shi Tao nodded in satisfaction, and with a great wave of his hand, said, "Move out!"
To shorten the travel ti, the Fengyue Kingdom had prepared several thousand warhorses. These were all of a superior stock, capable of traveling hundreds of miles in a single day. Everyone collected their own mount, looking spirited and ready as they sat atop their handso steeds.
Only Hong Yu stared at the mount assigned to him with a peculiar expression.
Everyone else's mounts were tall, powerful horses with sturdy legs, sleek lines, and well-defined muscles, looking majestic and full of vigor. But the horse assigned to Hong Yu was nothing but skin and bones, its legs looking unsteady. From its old, frail appearance, it looked like it would collapse the mont he mounted it.
"Brother Hong, why is your horse..." Liu Liyun began, frowning as he led his own bay warhorse over.
Hong Yu shook his head and looked far ahead toward the front of the group. He saw Shi Tao, who was also looking right back at him.
Hong Yu's eyesight was incredible; even from a hundred ters away, he could clearly see the triumphant, sinister smile on Shi Tao's face. He seethed inwardly. 'That bastard is definitely doing this on purpose.'
"Brother Hong, how about you ride with on my horse?" Liu Liyun said.
Hong Yu shook his head. "No, that would just slow us down. By the ti we reached Liger Ravine, the others would already be deep inside."
"Then what will you do?" Liu Liyun asked worriedly.
Hong Yu smiled faintly. "Don't worry, I've got a trick up my sleeve."
Hong Yu vaulted onto the skinny horse. Its legs trembled and buckled, and it nearly stumbled to the ground. Hong Yu gripped the reins tightly, a mysterious glint in his eyes. 'Trying to make a fool out of ? Heh, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed.' As the thought crossed his mind, he gently pressed his left hand against the horse's neck.
He circulated the energy in his Dantian, and a stream of pure Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi slowly poured into the skinny horse's body.
The skinny horse shuddered, and its trembling body gradually cald. It slowly began to walk forward.
"Hahaha, look, what is that thing he's riding?"
"Damn, are you sure that's not a donkey?"
"That guy's definitely going to be left behind. What a poor bastard..."
Riding a skeletal horse amidst hundreds of tall, powerful steeds, Hong Yu was indeed an exceptionally strange sight, drawing waves of mockery and ridicule.
At the head of the group, Shi Tao let out a triumphant sneer and, with a wave of his hand, shouted, "Move out!"
Hundreds of fine steeds galloped away, and every disciple who passed Hong Yu shot him a mocking or derisive look. Even though Hong Yu had displayed great strength by defeating Chen Xing, he had, after all, offended an Inner Sect Disciple. No one thought he had a bright future.
'Just look—even his horse is that pathetic. It just goes to show how determined Senior Brother Hong Long of the Inner Sect must be to ruin him!'
Watching the others vanish in a cloud of dust, Hong Yu's lips curled into a smirk. He gently patted the old horse beneath him and chuckled, "Hey buddy, looks like we're being looked down on by everyone and their mothers. What do you say? Should we get a little payback?"
"SNORT!"
The old horse snorted, as if to say: 'I'll trample them all to death!'
Hong Yu laughed heartily and tugged on the reins. At last, the skeletal old horse broke into a gallop...
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