In the secret realm, evening had arrived by the time they finished cleaning up the battlefield.
The beasts had rioted for no apparent reason, and the forest at night was no longer as safe as it once was.
The fifty-plus disciples stayed together. Under the glow of the setting sun, they found a high ground far from any rivers to spend the night.
On the summit of a hill with sparse vegetation, a dozen campfires were lit.
Gu Ningyun thought for a moment and decided to divide the group into four batches. Each batch would take turns standing watch for a two-hour shift, staying alert for any surrounding anomalies.
As they sat by the fires eating dinner, Gu Ningyun finally had time to analyze the day's events.
According to Zhu Zijin's teammates, they had entered the secret realm at the northern edge of the forest, with the grasslands not far behind them.
After exploring the north for six days, just as they were preparing to head toward the forest's center, over two hundred beasts suddenly charged out from behind them—the direction they had come from.
These beasts fled at high speed, as if they had been spooked by something.
Their team consisted of only five people, so they were naturally no match for such a large pack and had intended to keep a wide berth.
To their surprise, once the beasts sensed their presence, they chased them relentlessly, as if they were some delicious spirit herbs.
A pack of over two hundred beasts would require at least several hundred disciples working together to stand a chance.
But in this year's batch, there were only one hundred and thirty-two teams of new disciples, all scattered across the secret realm by their keys. How long would they have to run before they could gather hundreds of people?
They would likely run out of spirit energy and be trampled to death long before they could assemble enough people.
Zhu Zijin had no choice but to order them to scatter and flee, splitting the pack into five groups of about forty beasts each. This way, they only needed to find a few dozen disciples to deal with each group.
Since the beasts came from the north and they were outnumbered, they didn't dare run north, so they fled toward the east, south, and west.
And so, they met up with fellow disciples along the way until they encountered Si Puyu, Fu Mingzhi, Gu Ningyun, and the others, finally managing to resolve the threat.
With three groups of frenzied beasts dealt with, they were now worried about the safety of Zhu Zijin and one other teammate.
Once they were safe, they had sent messages to Zhu Zijin and the other teammate, but they had yet to receive a reply.
After hearing their story, Gu Ningyun directly created a group chat with the top thirteen from the individual competition plus Zhu Zijin—a sword cultivator who hadn't made the top thirteen but was still quite strong—making fourteen people in total.
Just as the group was created, someone sent a message.
“Secret Realm Beast Hunt”—
Shao Yuqi: Something's not right. I've been wandering around the north for ages, but I haven't seen a single disciple or even a single beast.
Xi Caixuan: @Gu Ningyun, Senior Sister Gu, I'm in the northwest of the forest, near the outer edge. I found Senior Brother Zhu unconscious. He seems to have been corrupted by something, and pills aren't working. Senior Sister Gu, you're skilled with healing melodies—is there anything you can do?
Shao Yuqi: What's going on? Did something happen?
Seeing Xi Caixuan's message, Gu Ningyun didn't reply immediately. Instead, she discussed it with her friends from Ruiyu Pavilion first.
“We're at the northwestern border, just further inside the forest.”
Gu Ningyun used a twig to draw a simple map on the ground. “Xi Caixuan and Zhu Zijin are at the edge of the forest, not far from us.”
Wen Xuan rubbed her jade token. “Do you want to head over and treat them now?”
Gu Ningyun did indeed have that intention.
For one, if evil qi entering the body isn't treated promptly, it might damage one's foundation.
She and Zhu Zijin were fellow disciples; given her ability, she naturally couldn't just stand by and watch.
At most, she'd just charge him some medical and travel fees once the treatment was done.
Secondly, based on the current information, there was likely some great danger in the north of the secret realm that had caused so many beasts to flee.
It was possible that the sudden beast riot was linked to this northern threat.
They still had three days left in the secret realm, so it would naturally be safer to gather with their fellow disciples.
Zhu Zijin was one of the sword dao talents, with strength only slightly below Jun Luo's; he was a vital combat asset.
Healing him would provide them with another strong fighter should they encounter a major crisis later on.
Thirdly, Zhu Zijin had also lured away a group of beasts. His unconscious state meant a battle had occurred, but since he was only unconscious and not dead, it implied his side had won.
It was impossible for Zhu Zijin to face nearly forty beasts alone; there must have been other disciples cooperating with him.
Yet Xi Caixuan only mentioned finding Zhu Zijin and said nothing about anyone else being injured.
So, where were the other disciples who had helped kill the beasts with him?
Were they lying unconscious elsewhere waiting for rescue, or had they already...?
No, that's impossible. Judging by the recording stones on Fighting Peak, the Disciple Training Department was definitely monitoring this team competition. Xiaoyao had invested so much effort into these official disciples; they wouldn't just stand by and watch them die in the mouths of beasts.
In this batch of disciples, the youngest was only seven, and the oldest was only eleven.
But what if? What if the seniors from the training department didn't make it in time?
Gu Ningyun didn't dare to gamble.
As for where the other disciples were and what had happened to them, she would likely only know once Zhu Zijin woke up.
After hearing Gu Ningyun's thoughts, the four from Ruiyu Pavilion all agreed.
Wen Xuan quickly made a decision. “In that case, the four of us will go with you.”
“There's no need for so many people. Just Ningyun and I will go.”
Seeing Wen Xuan's confusion, Mu Chenze explained patiently, “The night is dangerous; it's not wise to move in a large group recklessly.
Ningyun and I are the fastest. If we encounter anything, we can escape quickly or come back to get your support.”
Gu Ningyun added, “I had the same thought. Xi Caixuan didn't ask for backup, which means they haven't encountered any beasts and are safe for now.
Mu Chenze and I will go and come back quickly. I'll handle the healing while Chenze stands guard for me; we'll look out for each other.”
After hearing their explanation, Wen Xuan stopped insisting on going along and simply said, “If you run into danger, contact us immediately.”
“We're ready to support you at any moment,” Jiang Yao said, his eyes shining with determination.
Gu Ningyun smiled slightly. “Alright.”
She was about to stand up when Jun Luo suddenly spoke. “Ningyun.”
“What is it?” Hearing his serious and solemn tone, Gu Ningyun sat back down and tilted her head to look at him.
“Ningyun, your three considerations are indeed very reasonable, but...”
He frowned. “If you were outside the sect in the future, collaborating with others, would you handle a situation like this the same way?”
As if afraid he hadn't been clear enough, he added, “Risking leaving the team in a night fraught with danger just for these reasons—risking your life to save someone.”
Gu Ningyun was stunned for a moment, then burst into a giggle. “Of course not. I'm not stupid. I only save those worth saving. What do outsiders have to do with me?”
“Protect yourself first,” Mu Chenze said. “Then analyze rationally to find the optimal solution.”
That was true; all four present agreed.
Rate on N.U.
