Early the next morning, the five of them left the stone room.
Wang Qianyi and Shen Bing had only suffered light injuries, which was why they had been able to stay in Mist Valley. After a night of recuperation, they were mostly fine.
After some discussion, the five agreed to act together. If they got separated, they would use talismans to communicate. Additionally, Qin Xi coldly made it clear to the two women: if they were eliminated due to lack of strength, they shouldn't hold any grudges against the group. His words and demeanor were vastly different from the previous night. Mo Tiange felt this person definitely had his own agenda and an unknown background. It would be best to have less contact with him in the future, lest she get implicated if something truly went wrong.
Wang and Shen could only smile wryly and nod. They were Qi Refining disciples with considerable seniority within the sect and understood the situation. Given their injuries, the fact that the others were willing to travel with them was already a kindness. Besides, Mo Tiange had already spoken to them the previous night, the gist being that since they were together, they needed to follow orders. Having mentally prepared themselves, Qin Xi's words didn't sound as harsh.
Today was indeed different from yesterday. They walked through the valley for a while without encountering anyone else. It seemed most had been eliminated yesterday. Liu Yidao continued to scout—he possessed an unorthodox technique adept at concealing aura and strengthening Divine Sense, making him the perfect candidate.
They rarely encountered small teams now. It was either groups of seven or eight up to over a dozen, or one or two individuals traveling alone. It seemed that after yesterday, those who remained either possessed formidable strength or had gathered in numbers.
They ambushed and eliminated most of the lone individuals. There were a few reputedly powerful among the Qi Refining disciples, whom Wang Qianyi and Shen Bing recognized. After some consideration, they decided not to act. Their hands already held enough tokens; there was no need to take risks.
The opportunity to fish in troubled waters was gone. With few people left, most were gathered together, making it difficult to strike.
Around noon, they rested briefly. Liu Yidao returned from scouting and reported that not far ahead, two teams were fighting—one from Yunwu Sect and one from Zixia Sect. The Yunwu Sect side had only one person, while Zixia Sect had six.
Moments later, the five decided to go investigate. Anyone who could fight six opponents alone must possess outstanding strength. With the five of them joining, they might immediately turn the tide.
They hadn't flown for long before they heard the sounds of battle—clashing weapons and colliding spells, quite intense.
Amidst the flying dust, they approached the combat site and saw the disheveled figure of the Yunwu Sect disciple from afar.
"Senior Brother Zhou!" Seeing the man's face clearly, Liu Yidao was shocked. It was actually their managing disciple, Senior Brother Zhou.
Mo Tiange scanned Senior Brother Zhou's opponents. Liu Yidao had reported six upon returning, but only five remained before them. Had Senior Brother Zhou managed to eliminate one already? Those who served as managing disciples were all elites among Qi Refining disciples. No wonder Senior Brother Zhou could hold out against six Qi Refining disciples for so long. Among these Zixia Sect disciples, three were at the eighth level—truly bold. An elite disciple dealing with ordinary disciples could handle several at once. Senior Brother Zhou, at the eleventh level of Qi Refining, was clearly no ordinary disciple. However, these opponents weren't wasting their efforts. With so many taking turns, Senior Brother Zhou's Spiritual Qi was evidently running low. If they persisted, they could still win.
The five companions each released their spiritual artifacts. Qin Xi's spells had already shot over, forcing the Zixia Sect disciples back several steps. Seeing their appearance, the opponents were startled. Clearly, they had been too hard-pressed to notice anyone approaching.
Senior Brother Zhou, however, was overjoyed and shouted loudly, "Junior Brothers and Sisters, they're almost spent. Attack quickly!"
Mo Tiange and the others didn't hesitate. Spiritual artifacts and talismans pressed forward. Their cultivation levels were significantly higher than the opponents'. Before long, they had cleared out all these Zixia Sect disciples.
"Senior Brother Zhou."
Freed from the bitter fight, Senior Brother Zhou wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at them.
"Several Junior Brothers..." He recognized the disciples he lived with, but they weren't close on a daily basis, so he wasn't familiar enough to recall their names. His gaze shifted to Shen Bing and Wang Qianyi, and he was surprised. "Junior Sister Shen, Junior Sister Wang, why are you two here as well?"
Shen Bing smiled bitterly. "Senior Brother Zhou, our original traveling companions were all eliminated, so we ended up together." Then she asked him, "Senior Brother Zhou, weren't you with Senior Brother Li and Senior Brother Qi? How did you..."
Now it was Senior Brother Zhou's turn for a bitter smile. "To be honest, we were too careless. We were ambushed while resting last night. Two were eliminated, and the other two were separated. Later, I couldn't find them either..." Since Senior Brother Zhou was an elite disciple, naturally those with him weren't ordinary either; each must have been outstanding. No wonder he said they were too careless. Mo Tiange couldn't help but sigh at her own good fortune. A team like Senior Brother Zhou's had met such a fate early on. If she hadn't happened to be with Qin Xi and Liu Yidao, she would probably have been eliminated long ago. It was precisely because Liu Yidao had powerful Divine Sense, Qin Xi had outstanding spellcraft, and they were exceptionally cautious that they managed to avoid powerful enemies and even obtain so many tokens.
After exchanging stories, the group fell into silence. Among the five of them, everyone except Mo Tiange was at the tenth level of Qi Refining—their strength was not weak. Senior Brother Zhou naturally hoped to join them, but as a managing disciple, he felt awkward saying so. Wang and Shen had joined later and wanted to speak up but didn't know if the others were willing, so they could only look at them tentatively. As for Mo Tiange, her worry was Senior Brother Zhou. It wouldn't be easy for them to intentionally lose now.
After her conversation with Qin Xi yesterday, she had agreed with his suggestion. Indeed, she couldn't draw attention. If she, with her eighth-level cultivation, persisted until the end, it would certainly attract notice. Outside Mist Valley were three Core Formation cultivators, and it was said the Sect Leader himself would personally award prizes later. Even with her Spirit-Concealing Jade Pendant, she didn't want to take that risk. Besides, even without the final reward, she had about fifty tokens in hand, which could be exchanged for over five hundred Spirit Stones. Qin Xi was willing to supplement some more so she could receive a top-three reward, which would mean another five hundred Spirit Stones and a bottle of Qi Gathering Pills. Calculating it, she could obtain over a thousand Spirit Stones and a bottle of Qi Gathering Pills. Combined with the bottle she already had, it would be enough for her to go into seclusion until she reached the peak of Qi Refining.
After Senior Brother Zhou recovered his Spiritual Qi under their protection, Qin Xi said, "Senior Brother Zhou, since fate has brought us together, why not travel together? I wonder if it's convenient for you?"
Senior Brothers Zhou, Wang, and Shen visibly relaxed. Senior Brother Zhou readily agreed, "Thank you, Junior Brothers and Sisters. I'm delighted to be able to travel with you."
Qin Xi smiled. "Then, Senior Brother Zhou, what do you think we should do now?"
Senior Brother Zhou said modestly, "I'm benefiting from your grace. You must already have good coordination. I'll just follow your lead."
Qin Xi nodded and said to Liu Yidao, "Senior Brother Liu, since we've had such difficulty encountering people today anyway, why don't we just wait here? Resting while waiting for the enemy is much easier."
Liu Yidao nodded without objection. Since yesterday, he had grown accustomed to Qin Xi making the plans. Ever since entering Mist Valley, Qin Xi had seemed perfectly at home, as if his Dharma Combat experience far surpassed theirs all. Thinking of this, Mo Tiange once again pondered deeply over this person's origins.