Chapter 277: Entering The Ancient Martial Arts World
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Gu Xiqiao studied Yao Jiamu’s expression, silent for a while before finally saying, “… Don’t bully them too much when the time comes.”
“Do we look like that kind of person?” Wu Hongwen spoke before Yao Jiamu could. He walked out of the cave, staring at the pair of clear, bright eyes on him.
“Not before this,” Gu Xiqiao replied easily, her eyes still on him.
Wu Hongwen: “…” And who was the one responsible for making them this way?
“You need a wooden token to enter the ancient martial arts world.” Gu Xiqiao rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “There’s no worry about this, I’ll get it for you guys later. The initial development of the ancient martial arts world will be handled by Wenlang.”
“Then what are we supposed to do?” Yao Jiamu was confused at that.
“You and Little Wuzi have something more important to do.” Gu Xiqiao took out her phone to shoot a message off to Luo Wenlang, and after thinking some more, she sent another to Jiang Shuxuan. “I’ll come back to you a bit later.”
With that, she turned around and was about to leave when Haha reached her feet.
Gu Xiqiao lowered her head to see the dog, and a slightly depressed Xixi who was sitting on top of its head. She leaned down immediately to pick up Haha in her arms.
Yao Jiamu had initially wanted to ask what important things she wanted them to do, but before he could ask, Gu Xiqiao vanished from the spot in a distortion of space with a, “I’m going first.”
Behind them, a bunch of people who had heard that Gu Xiqiao was here came running as soon as news reached them. However, they only heard her voice, not seeing a hint of her anywhere when they arrived.
“Young Master Jiang, where is Miss Gu?” One of them asked.
Wu Honweng patted him on the shoulder, pointing at the empty space in front of him. “Don’t you see? She’s right there.” Having said that, he left the area, heading back into the cave.
That person rubbed his eyes, and rubbed it again, but he couldn’t see anything. Then he exclaimed in shock, “Miss Gu, are you practicing some invisible array? Why can’t I see you?”
Wu Hongwen halted his steps when he heard that. “…” This idiot!
Having such little experience in life, what a naive person!
***
Gu Xiqiao’s figure disappeared from the training grounds, and appeared in the Elder’s Association the next moment in the ancient martial arts world.
There were two guards guarding the gates outside. Today is the qualifying matches, and all the young people in the ancient martial arts world had been sent over together, so there weren’t many people left in the Elder’s Association.
Gu Xiqiao walked through the front doors, and the two guards turned a blind eye to her presence.
Haha, who was in Gu Xiqiao’s arms, barked, “Woof woof woof!” (Do these guys have bad eyesight or something? Didn’t they see Beauty Gu?”
Xixi chirped weakly. “Chirp chirp chiiirp~” (Stupid dog, won’t they know she’s here with your barking?)
Haha: “…”
As soon as it raised its head, the two guards had already unsheathed their weapon and were looking around warily. “Who’s there?! Show yourself!”
Gu Xiqiao paused in her steps, Haha in one hand, and snapping her fingers with the other.
The two guards shook their head, a vacant gaze in their eyes for a moment before they quickly regained their senses. They sheathed their weapons, turning back to stand guard in their previous position once again.
Haha didn’t dare to make a peep at this moment, but it peered up at Gu Xiqiao with its beady eyes sparkling with worship for its owner who held it in her arms.
Gu Xiqiao merely rubbed Haha’s head gently, and pulled out her phone to see that she had two new messages.
Luo Wenlang: Alright, I understand. But the ancient martial arts world… will a regular person like me be beaten to death if I head over?
Gu Xiqiao swiftly shot back a reply—[Don’t worry, somebody will collect your body if you die.]
The other message was from Jiang Shuxuan—[In the Elder’s Association’s cabinet. You can get it yourself or wait for me to come back. As for the location, you can pick whatever you want.]
Gu Xiqiao kept away her phone. She caught sight of the scriptures that belonged to the seven elders on the table, and she walked towards it to find that they had read through most of it already. She rubbed her chin. “I didn’t expect these old men to have such a habit.”
After observing for a little while, she continued to walk and stopped by a bookcase. Xixi was on her shoulder, looking at the bookcase. “It looks like there’s a restriction.”
“It’s fine.” Gu Xiqiao casually reached out and opened the bookcase, opening a box that was inside it.
In the box, there was a large wooden plaque.
This was the same identity card that Jiang Shuxuan had given her previously for the ancient martial arts world. She was able to enter the ancient martial arts world because of this.
Waving a hand, more than one hundred identity cards disappeared instantly.
Having done that, she placed the lid back on the box and returned it to its original place. She closed the bookcase, the restrictions all still in place.
She leisurely walked out of the Elders Association, her mental powers stretching out to study the terrains of the entire ancient martial arts world. The houses near the center were denser, while the ones nearer to the edge were sparse. The closer it was to the center, the more spiritual energy was felt in the air. It was great for training and cultivation.
If you were to use rings to explain the distribution, it would go like this:
With the Jiang family house as the center, the outside was divided into a second ring, third ring, fourth ring and so on.
The Jiang family has the most spiritual energy, followed by the second ring. The second ring consisted of prestigious families like the Tang family and Murong family.
The third ring was where most of the ordinary families lived, like the Fu family.
The fourth ring is where the disciples of the ancient martial arts world lived.
As for the fifth and sixth ring, they were all deserted. That’s because after the fourth ring, there was no more spiritual aura in that area.
What Gu Xiqiao had her eyes on was the land in the fifth ring, a place where even the outer disciples were not interested in.
XIxi stood on her shoulder, and couldn’t help but say, “Beauty Gu, why did you pick such a place where even birds don’t sh*t? There isn’t a hint of aura in the air, isn’t it no different than the outside world?” It had initially intended to take up the place as king, and watch a good show. It didn’t expect that she would pick such a place so quickly?
You still need to inform Master Jiang to use such a broken, desolated place?
“How can the outside world compare to such a nice place like this?” Gu Xiqiao shook her head. “Put it here, let Wenlang open a treasure house and see the kind of medicine that you often take, and some other things that I’ll bring over. When those people from the ancient martial arts world see a regular person selling such elixirs, don’t you think they will try to do something? At that time, the peacekeepers will have work to do every day.”
Xixi: “…” Didn’t you say to not bully them too much?
Gu Xiqiao made a decision easily. Her people from the Peace Squad would settle down here.
But the matters in the ancient martial arts world still needed to be decided by the elders, and Gu Xiqiao thought about that. Well, let’s go find the elders then.
***
At this time, the great elder was talking to a group of young disciples, encouraging them to work together and strive to get the placements in the qualifying matches. As long as they managed to get a placement, they would have more resources, and there would be more rewards for the ancient martial arts world. They would even be able to enter the Jiang family’s inheritance base, which was easier than accepting missions and tasks on The Forum.
After finishing with his words, the great elder walked to sit down on his own seat. The elder on his left was still briefing the others about the rules of the qualifying tournament on stage.
The great elder picked up a cup of tea, blowing on it. Before he could take a sip, a voice came from his left. “Hello Great Elder, we meet again.”
“Yes, hello.” The great elder responded automatically, then he realized that something wasn’t right. Wasn’t the elder to his left still on stage?
And so he looked up to meet with a stunning face staring at him. His hands shook, and he nearly dropped the teacup, a horrified expression on his face. “Mi-Miss Gu!”
Oh my god! Why was this thing here!
“Relax, I’m not here to pick a fight with you. I just wanted to let you know something.” Gu Xiqiao rubbed Haha’s head, smiling at the great elder. “I’ve chosen a place in the ancient martial arts world, it’s in the fifth ring.”
“The fifth ring?” The great elder was thinking of the geography of the entire Imperial Capital, and understood what she meant after a moment. “Why don’t you let me arrange one in the second ring for you, there’s enough aura around the area and more suitable for people to live in.”
“Thank you, but no need. The fifth line is enough.” Gu Xiqiao smiled at the great elder again, then she disappeared.
The great elder immediately said, “Safe journey, Miss Gu.”
The other people around him couldn’t help the twitching of their mouths when they saw his actions. “Great Elder, why are you talking to air?”
Great Elder: “…” WTF? You guys couldn’t see her?! Then didn’t he look like some retard just now?
***
Gu Xiqiao, who had just riled the great elder up, returned once again to the training grounds.
Yao Jiamu and the others were already in the cave waiting for her.
She stood at the edge of the cave, a white light flashed on her hands before a table and stool appeared in front of her. She sat down, placing both arms on the table.
A voice sounded out through the air in the cave, echoing in everyone’s head, “Come out quickly.”
Those who were resting in the cave and those who weren’t in the middle of breaking through came out immediately, seeing Gu Xiqiao sitting lazily on the stool, which they didn’t know who had brought in the first place. There were a pile of wooden plaques in front of her.
There were some who were breaking through their levels, and only came out twenty minutes later.
Seeing that most of them had arrived, she stood from the table, pointing to the pile of wooden plaques on it. “These are the identity cards to enter the ancient martial arts world, each person will receive one. Little Mutou, Little Wuzi, and Xiao Yun will follow me to the qualifying matches today. Wait for me at the entrance at 11 o’clock. If you don’t know the way, look for Big Brother Yin. For the rest, your task is to build up our base in the ancient martial arts world. Let’s call it Peace Manor.”
Having said that, Gu Xiqiao moved to stand in front of the place. She closed her eyes, a huge wave of energy sweeping out to instantly envelope the cave.
The system had last time said that even if she were to use all her strength, she wouldn’t be able to move the cave. Now that she had advanced two levels, her mental powers were far beyond the level she had in the past. She wondered if that would be enough to pull the cave into her inventory.
After some loud rumbling, the entire cave disappeared.
Only the long purple dragon that hovered in the air was left.
Gu Xiqiao opened her eyes. She had succeeded, she actually did it! She had thought that without the help of the system, it would be impossible to pack away the cave, and she wasn’t holding out much hope. The surprise had come too soon!
After keeping the cave away, she raised her hands, waving it slightly to disperse the purple dragon.
“I’ve brought the cave to the ancient martial arts world, to a location that I’ve chosen. When you enter and find the cave, that’s the location I’ve picked!” Having said that, Gu Xiqiao disappeared on the spot.
***
At the same time, the entrance of the ancient martial arts world where the elders were teaching some young disciples and those from the fourth ring was suddenly met with a shocking scene.
A huge mountain appeared out of thin air in the fifth ring of the world, and a few minutes later, a purple dragon hovered on top of the mountain, both items exuding a terrifying aura.
A few more minutes later, the purple dragon disappeared instantly, leaving behind only an ordinary mountain.
“G-Great Elder… this… what is this?” All the elder’s eyes were wide, their jaw almost touching the going. “Who had managed to make such a big move like this? The entire ancient martial arts world should have felt the shock, right?
The elder looked at the position of the cave, and noted that it was in the fifth ring, then he turned back to look at the purple dragon that was in the air. He clutched his chest tightly. “It’s Miss Gu, she has picked a place to live in the ancient martial arts world. You go on ahead with your teachings, I’ll head back to the Elders Association first.”
He left after he said that, muttering under his breath as he walked away.
A young disciple listened carefully to his words, and his eyes widened. The great elder was chanting scriptures again?!
The great elder didn’t expect to receive another shock when he returned to the Elders Association, the wooden plaques for identity cards had disappeared! The main point to note was that all the protections and restrictions were still in place, untouched!
***
Jiang Shuxuan, who had curled the entire Imperial Capital and was preparing to return to the ancient martial arts world suddenly received a text from the great elder—[The identity plaques have been stolen! The ancient martial arts world is in danger!]
The man laughed for a long time after reading the message, and only replied once he was done—[Don’t worry.]
Little did the elders and everyone else knew, this was only the beginning. When the people from the Peace Squad entered the world one by one in the afternoon, they began to build the manor on the area at the edge of the cave. All of them were masters, building it according to the architect’s instructions. The manor was built up in an unnaturally fast time.
When the seven elders came over to see if Gu Xiqiao needed any help, they saw the people from the Peace Squad, who greeted them with friendly smiles.
Second elder: “… So… Miss Gu’s subordinates, they’re all… the members of the Peace Squad?”
“Yes.” The Great Elder said with a deadpan expression.
Chapter 278: Top Hundred!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Yao Jiamu and the others left once Gu Xiqiao was done talking to them.
The was still two hours before the selections started, and taking advantage of this time, she went home to grab Jiji’s body before heading over to Nine Heavens and the laboratories to settle things there.
Although the time was short, it was enough for her to settle everything. But she didn’t expect to bump into Chu Ziheng when she passed by a milk tea shop to buy a drink.
“President Gu.” The secretary opened the car door, revealing Chu Ziheng sitting in the backseat. “Do you have some time for a chat?”
Gu Xiqiao stabbed the straw into the milk tea in her hand, giving him a glance. “Sorry, I don’t have the time.”
Chu Ziheng smiled. “I hear that President Gu doesn’t have a hands on approach with Nine Heavens. How can you be so assured to leave the operations of Nine Heavens to someone else to handle? The collaboration I discussed with Mr. Mu today involved billions of dollars in funds.”
“Don’t doubt your employees.” Gu Xiqiao wanted to turn around and leave, but she couldn’t stop herself from pausing when she heard his words, leveling her gaze at Chu Ziheng.
“You must always have doubts in this world.” Chu Ziheng shook his head. “You can’t even fully trust someone who’s closest to you.”
“Your heart is too dark,” Gu Xiqiao muttered quietly, turning away and leaving.
Chu Ziheng watched her leave with no hesitation in her body, and couldn’t help but step out of the car, saying, “What if they really do betray you?”
“They won’t,” Gu Xiqiao replied without turning around. Even if there was a betrayal, she had the ability to make them regret their life. Since she created Nine Heavens, it was natural that she would be able to destroy it and just create another one. It was just a matter of time wasted.
After Gu Xiqiao had left, Chu Ziheng stood in the spot silently for a long while before turning back to get into the car. There was a middle-aged man sitting in the passenger seat, Gu Xiqiao had not seen him.
Chu Ziheng looked at the man, saying softly, “She really does trust you a lot.”
Saying that, the man blinked, slowly awakening. His eyes looked lost for a moment, before snapping to attention. “Ah, I’m very sorry, President Chu. I must have been more tired than I thought after reading the contract late into the night.”
“It’s fine, Mr. Mu.” Chu Ziheng smiled faintly.
Mu Zong let out a sigh of relief, then he took out his phone to send Gu Xiqiao a message. After he was done, he sat straighter, wanting to make sure he didn’t let himself fall asleep again.
***
Gu Xiqiao had turned into an empty alley, pulling her little pink car out. Before she could open her door, she saw the message that Mu Zong sent.
Mu Zong: Miss Gu, the company car is not really good quality. I only used it a few times, and it broke down already.
Her fingers hovered over the screen, wanting to send a reply. Just as she touched the keys, her head snapped up.
There was a green-clothed man sitting on top of her little pink car, looking at her with a pair of eyes that were as deep as an abyss.
Gu Xiqiao opened the hood of her car, placing the milk tea in the cupholder. She crossed her arms after, lifting her chin to look at the man with narrowed eyes. The cold in her eyes was chilling, and she was silent.
He had almost taken her life yesterday after all, and Dubhe hadn’t expected to see her again. She wasn’t showing any fear towards him, in fact her eyes were all too clear as they stared at him. He was finally the one to give in first, as he asked, “Outsider, who was that person?”
She had only bumped into Chu Ziheng on the way here, so Gu Xiqiao knew it must be about the man then.
“Aren’t you Dubhe?” Gu Xiqiao said instead, an indifferent look at him. “Find out yourself.”
She got into the car, adjusting her drink. Then she slammed on the accelerator, and the car shot off. Dubhe was caught off guard, and he slipped to the ground.
When he raised his head again, he could only see the back of the car in the distance.
Dubhe got up, his face dark. His ink hair was slightly messed up, and his robes bunched. With just a thought, the dust on his body vanished, and everything was clean and neat again.
***
After Gu Xiqiao went back, she sent an email to both Zhu Yuan and Mu Zong. She then placed Jiji’s body in her inventory, along with a big pot and some spices from the kitchen.
So when Mrs. Zhang came home from shopping, it was to a kitchen that looked like it had been ransacked. It was quite… messy.
The venue of the qualifying matches had to be reached through a teleportation array in the ancient martial arts world.
Gu Xiqiao and the others were teleported to a dense forest, it was packed with people with all kinds of people. Because the location of the teleport was random, they had been mingled together with a bunch of foreigners. The forest seemed to be endless stretched out, and the entire place was enveloped in formations and arrays. A large stone tablet was erected outside the forest, and it was black in color.
Gu Xiqiao had seen the ranking cup that was outside the Trial Tower, it was made from the same material.
Wu Hongwen looked at the forest, and felt like it was oozing something. “What is this place? Why is there just a big bead instead of the sun? How can there be such a big forest that can’t be seen on the world map?”
Xiao Yun and Yao Jiamu nodded their heads at his words. “Yeah, we’ve never seen it before.”
“Because this… is cyberspace.” Gu Xiqiao said in a low voice.
“Cyberspace?” Yao Jiamu frowned. “Why haven’t I heard of it before?”
Gu Xiqiao shook her head. “We’ll talk about this later.”
Yao Jiamu looked at the white-bearded old man standing on the platform, so he nodded and didn’t press further.
The old man on the platform was talking about the rules of the qualifying matches. “There are 196 countries participating in the selections this year, and the total number of participants are eighty thousand, which is double the number it was three years ago. However, only one hundred people will be permitted to enter the selections. The rules are simple, you have to enter this Bahuang Forest. There are various mythical beasts in the forest, and the closer you are to the center, the more powerful they are. You all have your identity tokens with you. Every time you kill a beast, its energy will automatically accumulate in your tokens. This ranking tablet will show the top one hundred. Of course, if you kill another person, then the energy accumulated in their tokens will become yours. Hence, you not only face the dangerous mythical beast, but you also have opponents and companions who stand beside you as threats. The Bahuang Forest is a dangerous place, and if at any time you are in danger and feel like quitting, you just need to shout that you give up and someone will come and bring you out. Dangers are also accompanied by opportunities…”
“We need at least five people to get in, we only have four.” Xiao Yun looked at Gu Xiqiao. “What do we do?”
“Tang Qinghong and the others have gone back to the Tang family’s team.” Gu Xiqiao squinted her eyes. “Just pull a random single person later, and then we’ll think about what comes after we’ve gotten in.”
Wu Hongwen patted Xiao Yun’s shoulders, smiling brightly at her. “Don’t worry, are you afraid that we won’t make it in? Such an interesting fun place, it’ll be a pity if we couldn’t get in.”
Xiao Yun rolled her eyes at him, and didn’t bother replying to him. However, her eyes clearly read ‘idiot’.
Wu Hongwen really wanted to beat the sh*t out of her at this moment.
“As long as you get a placement within the top hundred, you will obtain resources that are unimaginable, and the status of your family in the power world will also rise as your own status changes. I believe that your predecessors have said that as long as you successfully advance to the top ten, you will be able to obtain the secrets of ancient power. Good luck, my children.”
The eighty thousand participants were heating up after the white-bearded old man finished his speech.
Gu Xiqiao merely rubbed her chin as she watched the people beside her talking.
“That’s right, I heard that the little demon girl from China’s ancient martial arts world has reached the 62nd floor in the Trial Tower. She was only on the 49th floor three years ago, and now, Tang Qinghong is on the 50th floor, while she’s already on the 62nd!”
“I heard that the little demon girl is a girl, that’s so awesome!”
“Our Cecily from America is also a girl, she not only qualified for the selections for the Youth Ranking competition, she also got one of the top ten spots! She’s definitely not any less than the little demon girl!”
A black-haired teenager with a pair of black, coal eyes had both hands clasped together as he said, “They’re all great. I don’t have such great ambitions, I just want to get into the top hundred and get some resources for my family so that we won’t be bullied anymore!”
“I wonder how many more talents will come out from China’s ancient martial arts world.”
“There shouldn’t be any more than those few, I’ve never heard of any others either. And those that we mentioned have already reached the age where they can participate in the Heavens and Earth Ranking instead, so they shouldn’t be fighting with us on placement here.”
Hearing their discussion, a blonde girl stood up with a bright smile. “You don’t know about it, but there are four people in the entire power world that have the strength to compete for first place. Tang Qinghong from China’s ancient martial arts world, Yan Qi from England’s supernatural world, Cecil from America, Felix from Latvia, and Nozawa from Japan. Their strength is unfathomable, and there is only one thing to do if you meet them in here. Run away.”
At the same time, a tall man appeared on the platform. His expression was so very cold, and his facial features were sharp and elegant. There was a strange talisman in his slender hands.
The moment he appeared, the noise from the eighty thousand participants suddenly vanished, and it was dead silent. You could hear a pin drop.
All their eyes were on him.
Gu Xiqiao also turned to look, slightly stunned when she caught sight of the man. The figure on the high platform seemed to look in her direction, his deep, onyx eyes on her. When he saw her, his gaze lingered for a while before he turned away. His cold voice could be heard in every corner of the area. “I am the captain for the escort team in this year’s selections. Now, I will open the entrance to the Bahuang Forest.”
“Er Qiao, it’s Big Brother Jiang.” Xiao Yun continually slapped Gu Xiqiao’s arm, making the latter blink at the former. “Did you see!”
“Yes, I did.” Gu Xiqiao glanced at the girl, then turned her eyes back to the platform.
The people around her had also recovered.
The blonde girl exclaimed, “It’s him! It’s actually him! No, wait. How can he be in charge of such trivial matters such as the selections? And also being captain of the guards?”
“Do you know him?” Some of the people around were asking curiously. “Who is he? He looks like a Chinese, and his strength is decent.”
“Yes.” The blonde girl took a deep breath, her eyes still staring at the man who was talking. “He’s from China’s ancient martial arts world. As for his strength, he’s the top in China, what were you saying about it again?”
Shock appeared on all the faces around her when she said that, and it was a long time before any of them came back to their sense.
One of them swallowed heavily, disbelieving in his voice as he said, “The…the top person in the entire ancient martial arts world?”
“That’s right.” The blonde girl nodded confidently. “Although I didn’t participate in the qualifying matches last year, I watched it and remember it crystal clear.”
The number one person in the ancient martial arts world! He could be comparable to the ancient powers, and people like that little demon girl?
They already had such an insurmountable gap between them and the little demon girl, how could they even begin to compare to the number one person in the ancient martial arts world?
“The entrance to Bahuang Forest has been opened, let’s go in.” As soon as the girl said that, the voices finally faded off as they started to queue up.
Gu Xiqiao and her group of four also held their own identity tokens as they joined the line.
“There are more than eighty thousand people, and only one hundred will be selected. This rate of elimination…” Wu Hongwen pondered over the rules of the selections, and he couldn’t help but exclaim, “It’s really too terrifying!”
“These eight thousand people are also all elites from various power worlds, and they’re picking a hundred. There are almost 200 countries participating, so that means it’s possible that there will be countries where not a single person will be able to advance. No wonder they say as long as you can advance, you’d get resources and statuses.” Yao Jiamu nodded his head
There was also a sense of pride and fighting spirit that surged up in his heart when he thought about it.
Elites from almost the entire world were gathered here right now, and those who could achieve the top hundred placements were definitely the cream of the crop among all the geniuses! You could also obtain endless resources if you qualified!
At the same time, it was also indefinitely cruel!
The elimination rate was basically above 100%… among eighty thousand people, only a hundred would succeed in advancing!
In this hundred people, excluding the five who were contending for first place, there were only 95 places left!
Chapter 279: We’re Done For, Hurry Up And Run!
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
There were only four people in Gu Xiqiao’s team, and only groups of five or more could enter the selections. The others were obviously in their own family team, and most of them had ten or more to a team. The stronger the team, the better chances they had in Bahuang Forest, which also gave them a better ranking.
So for those who were alone, who wouldn’t want to join a strong team?
But on the other hand, stronger teams had more criteria in candidates that they chose to let into them, especially those from the bigger families. They had to at least know the person, otherwise if they were to let a complete stranger into their midst, let’s not talk about how awkward the stranger would feel, even the family teams would feel uneasy.
So for those bigger families, they didn’t wait at the entrance to recruit anyone, heading in directly instead.
Those who stayed at the entrance were those with average strength and wanted to recruit more people for better chances.
The number of people dropped sharply after that.
“The team captain of our group is a master that has reached the 42nd floor on the Trial Tower. The requirement to join our team is very simple, you just need to be at least on the 35th floor!” Reaching the 42nd floor indeed was a master. The little demon girl had successfully advanced into the top twenty the last selections when she was on the 49th floor three years ago, and although being on the 42nd floor didn’t necessarily guarantee a spot in the top hundred, who could tell what kind of luck they would get?
For a moment, this team with a master on the 42nd floor was hotcakes.
Gu Xiqiao and the others also stood at the entrance, but she had no plans to recruit anyone, nor to join any other team. She merely turned her head to look at the high platform.
The man on the platform was holding a picture, his head lowered as he spoke to a couple of white-bearded men. He raised his head suddenly, looking in her direction.
Seeing the corners of his mouth quirking up, Gu Xiqiao returned the smile before turning away.
“Aren’t you four going to look for a team?” A voice suddenly said in her ear. Gu Xiqiao turned around to find the blonde girl from just now, who seemed to have a lot of insight. There were two boys beside her, one black-haired and black eyes and one brown-haired with blue eyes.
Gu Xiqiao raised her head, looking at her bashfully. “The four of us are too weak, no one wants us.”
Xiao Yun let out a long, sad sigh, a depressed look on her face, the usual cold look on her face nowhere in sight. “We won’t be unable to go in, right?"
Wu Hongwen & Yao Jiamu: These two are just so bloody dramatic!
“Too weak?” The blonde girl repeated. “The division of the international forces is based on the Trial Tower from the ancient martial arts world of China. You guys are Chinese, right? Which floor have you reached?”
“The 20th floor… I think?” Gu Xiqiao said, looking up at the girl.
Xiao Yun thought for a while, before saying, “25th floor.”
Wu Hongwen and Yao Jiamu were sorely tempted to start hitting their foreheads. Saying that you’re at such a low level, it would be even weirder if anyone wanted you guys!
So Wu Hongwen replied with, “I can only get to the 32nd floor.”
Yao Jiamu: “… About the 35th floor, I guess?”
Guess? What was this supposed to mean? The blonde thought about it for a while, but she was also relieved. There weren’t that many women in the power world, and for Gu Xiqiao and Xiao Yun to reach this level at this age was already considered to be rare. Although their strengths weren’t anything to look at, at least the guys had good strength. Being able to reach above the 30th floor, they didn’t seem like they would be burdens at least.
And they also needed above five people for their own team.
Thinking about it, the blonde girl turned to look at the black-haired boy for his opinion. “Shi Qin, these four belong to your China’s ancient martial arts world, do you want to bring them along?”
Gu Xiqiao turned her gaze to the one called Shi Qin. With her eidetic memory, she could remember that this was the one who said that he wanted to get into the top hundred to get resources for his family.
Shi Qin looked a little cold, holding a sword in hand, his glance passing through Gu Xiqiao and the others. He didn’t say a word, just nodding his head.
“Haha! You four are in luck!” Seeing Shi Qin agreeing, the blonde girl looked at Gu Xiqiao and the others with a triumphant look on her face. “Shi Qin is a master who has reached the 49th floor in the Trial Tower, it won’t be a problem to hold out until the end!”
“Really?!” Xiao Yun exclaimed in surprise, reaching out to hold Gu Xiqiao’s hands. “Er Qiao, we can hold out to the end like this, how exciting! Those old men had said that I wouldn’t last a second in there before getting kicked out. Looks like we’ll be able to shove it back in their faces when we get back!”
A joyful look was on Gu Xiqiao’s face, but on the inside: “… This girl can act even better than me!”
“So I’ve said you’re in luck.” The blonde girl smiled. “The door’s about to close, we’d better go in. Oh right, my name is Betty, from America, 36th floor on the Trial Tower. You know Shi Qin already, this is Hans, from England. His strength is about the 43rd floor. The three of us have also just met just now…”
This was the smallest, most chaotic team in the history that entered Bahuang Forest.
The teams who were still outside recruiting people looked at the group of seven with eyes that said, ‘You are all going to die in there’.
Even the guards at the door repeatedly confirmed whether they were sure they wanted to go in with just seven of them, to the point that he almost wanted to tell them that they couldn’t go in with just seven of them. It was a pity that they had listened to everything that was said during the beginning.
“Seven people, either they’ll be eliminated as soon as they enter, or they get devoured.” The guard said, shaking his head.
“It’s just another group of youngsters that don’t know how high the sky is.” The other guard said, used to it. “When they meet some mythical beasts, then they’ll know what fear is.”
Ten minutes later, the last of the people who lingered outside had finally entered the forest.
Jiang Shuxuan waved the talisman in hand, and the entrance to Bahuang Forest was closed.
“Young Master Jiang, it’s expected that Tang Qinghong from your ancient martial arts world will be in the top five.” The old man who had announced the rules previously stroked his beard, smiling. “As for the fight for first place, it might be hard. I heard that Nozawa from Japan has reached the strength of the 70th floor in the Trial Tower. It seems that he has just emerged from the inheritance base.”
“Nozawa?” Jiang Shuxuan finally raised his head to look at the old man. “We’ll see.”
His face was indifferent, and there were no changes during the conversation.
Having said that, he turned around and left.
After he was gone, the others were still discussing him. “Why did Young Master Jiang take on the job of being captain of the guards this year? Shouldn’t he be preparing for the Heaven and Earth Ranking at this point?”
“I’m not sure, maybe he’s in a good mood?” Another person said suddenly. “But what’s with that Nozawa that you mentioned just now? He seems to be in high regard?”
“Nozawa has already accepted all the inheritance from Japan’s inheritance base, and his strength is close to the 70th floor. Just like the record that Young Master Jiang had set previously, it looks like this year’s Youth Ranking will fall to Japan.” The old man sighed bitterly. “Chinese martial artists always had the highest percentage in placement in the top hundred, and the first place has always been taken by them too. With Nozawa around this year, there’s definitely a good show to be seen!”
“Don’t forget about Cecil from America, he’s Cecily’s younger brother, and Cecily was in the top ten the last round.”
“Cecily and the little demon girl appeared out of nowhere in the previous competition, and it was super exciting to watch. I wonder if there’s any surprises this year.”
“Look, the ranking has begun to change. Nozawa is indeed at the top!”
More than eighty thousand participants had entered the forest, and the ones who stayed outside were people from the participating countries who were tasked with recording the ranking at any time, as well as broadcasting the live results.
The tablet only showed the rankings for those in the top hundred, and it could change at any time. As long as someone killed a mythical beast, they would get the energy and ranked up accordingly.
At this time, countless people in the power world were watching with rapt attention.
People in the ancient martial arts world were no exception.
The posts in The Forum were all discussions about the rankings.
Main Building: The latest ranking list has been released, and will be updated continuously [JPEG] [JPEG] [JPEG] [JPEG] [JPEG]
Anon 1: Strange, I can see Young Master Tang and Young Master Yin’s rankings, but why can’t I see Miss Gu’s?
Anon 2: Yeah, I thought that Miss Gu would for sure be number one. Who is this Nozawa and where did he come from?
Anon 3: Nozawa, Japanese, male, 22 years old, strength at 70th floor of Trial Tower, the successor to Japan’s power world. He’s really strong, and he has countless magic weapons at his disposal!
Anon 4: Holy sh*t! 70th floor! It’s almost the same as Young Master Jiang!
Anon 5: Scary!
Anon 10: Miss Gu, why isn’t your name in the top hundred?
Anon 20: Even Young Master Tang’s placement is quite low, looks like our ancient martial arts world really has deteriorated, only three are in the top hundred.
Anon 50: This Shi Qin is actually in the top 90? Who is this guy, hurry up and find out where he’s from!
Anon 1666: I’m the host, and the ranking list which is updated on an hourly basis is now up [JPEG] [JPEG] [JPEG] [JPEG] [JPEG]
Anon 1700: Miss Gu is still not on it, what a disappointment!
Anon 1710: Miss Gu, where have you gone?
Anon 1800: What Miss Gu, I think she’s just a liar. She can’t even enter the top hundred, Miss Jiang Tong wasn’t like this last time. I’m sure there was something fishy in the way she beat Miss Jiang Tong previously!
Anon 1999: I can only say, what a big disappointment!
***
Gu Xiqiao naturally didn’t know about the dispute that was happening outside of the forest, because at this time, she was setting up a fire in Bahuang Forest. She then took out a pot to start a hot pot.
The spicy flavor of the hot pot floated tens of meters away, the top covered in a layer of bright red oil. She dipped in the paper-thin beef slices, eating it leisurely.
Here she was cooking beef on one side, while six people were having a life and death fight against a bull shaped monster the size of a car ten meters away from her.
The scene was dangerous, with Shi Qin’s sword aura flaring around, cutting down countless trees that collapsed with a loud ‘bang’.
Only Gu Xiqiao’s corner was quiet and comfortable like a scene in paradise.
Wu Hongwen, Yao Jiamu and Xiao had struggled against the beast, the three of them had not used any weapons. They used the branches that Gu Xiqiao had given them. When the six of them had first worked together and saw the dead branches that Gu Xiqiao had given them to use as weapons, Shi Qin almost thought that they had met liars instead.
Luckily, when the fight started, the three of them used the branches with astonishing skills. Although their chi couldn’t be compared to his, they had moves that were skillful and they worked well together.
Shi Qin reluctantly acknowledged them, and then it turned into pity instead.
With a flash of bright light, the bull-shaped beast was stabbed by Shi Qin’s sword, and it dissipated immediately, the energy balling up and flying into his wooden token.
On the outside of the forest, Shi Qin’s ranking went up from 97 to 89. The entire world was in an uproar.
“The three of you have a good grasp and understanding of martial arts.” Shi Qin sheathed his sword back into its hilt, turning to look at Yao Jiamu and the others. “It’s a pity that you don’t have enough chi, otherwise you wouldn’t be any weaker than me.”
“Your praise is too much.” Yao Jiamu shook his head. Gu Xiqiao had already informed them from the beginning to use their moves against the beast without any chi. The three of them had understood her intentions, so they followed her instructions. They were extremely weak because of that, but even then there were people who praised them?
Yao Jiamu he… was dumbfounded, not sure whether to laugh or cry at that.
As the two were talking, the other four had already rushed to Gu Xiqiao’s side.
“Qiao Qiao, this is delicious!” Betty picked up a pair of chopsticks, not afraid of the heat and immediately shoving a beef slice into her mouth. “Although you don’t dare to kill those mythical beasts, don’t worry! With big sister here, I’ll definitely protect you!”
When Betty and the others first saw Gu Xiqiao not doing anything, hiding the moment the beasts appeared and not daring to come out due to fear, they had been disgusted and almost wanted to break up the team.
But once they ate her hot pot… they had converted to become loyal fans of hers.
In fact, everyone here was a closet foodie.
Hearing Betty’s words, Yao Jiamu, Wu Hongwen, and Xiao Yun gave her a look.
“What are you looking at me for?” Seeing that they were looking at her weirdly, she asked, “Don’t tell me you guys don’t intend to protect Qiao Qiao?”
“Of course, of course we will!” The three of them nodded hurriedly.
Gu Xiqiao had already eaten her fill, and was leaning against a tree bark. She ignored the others talking, her eyes narrowed in a direction to her left.
A moment later, Shi Qin, who was eating his beef, stood up suddenly, a grave expression on his face. “Some other teams are heading this way!”
As soon as he said that, a group of people came over.
Betty didn’t bother at first, they had a master who had reached the 49th floor with them after all, that was their protection. Up till the person appeared in front of her, and her chopsticks clattered to the ground, together with the beef that was in it. She couldn’t care about her distress at the wasted food at the moment, as she muttered, “This… This is the person with the highest chance of getting first place, Latvia’s Felix. Sh*t, we’re done for, hurry up and run!”