Chapter 399: First Battle of the Squad
Su Xiaoxiao’s countdown finally ended. Her slender fingers seemed to be glowing with endless secret powers, tightly grasping the accumulated power as if she was ready to release a spell at any moment.
After careful preparation, Yun Zhonghe’s squad could finally begin their mission.
Get ready to head up!
While Su Xiaoxiao was nervously counting down, Yun Zhonghe was also busy. He used his spiritual energy to scan the surroundings and found that there were too few spirits here and they were thinly spread out—picking them would be a waste of time and effort.
To win the championship in this great battle, staying in this layer was far from enough.
They had to charge up!
Thinking this over, Yun Zhonghe quickly took out a bottle of cedar oil from his storage ring: “Let’s spray some of this on ourselves. I found quite a few red-striped snakes around here, and they hate the cold. This oil can prevent them from attacking.”
With that said, Yun Zhonghe started spraying the girls proficiently. The oil drew beautiful arcs in the air before gently landing on their skin, emitting a pleasant chill.
Not long after, several hungry red-striped snakes stuck their heads out from the grass. Their bright red tongues flickered frantically, as if eager for a good meal.
However, the next second, the smell of cedar filled the air.
The snakes shuddered all together.
Their originally greedy eyes instantly filled with disgust.
“d*mn, what kind of smell is this? It stinks so much! Can’t take it anymore!”
Chilly!
Forced by the cold fragrance, the snakes had no choice but to turn and flee desperately, disappearing into the depths of the grass.
Darn, really unlucky…
Lin Zhongyu’s eyes lit up: “Brother Yun, your spiritual something is amazing!”
Yun Zhonghe chuckled, “Speaking of which, I still have some leftover Stone Hedge Grass essence. This stuff has a certain repellent effect against bugs and snakes. Do you guys want some just in case?”
This leftover essence was actually something he had left behind when executing a mission in Qingz Zhu Town.
At that time, Yun Zhonghe thought he had used it all, but to his surprise, he found two bottles hidden in a corner while sorting his belongings.
Su Xiaoxiao’s face immediately showed delight. She had a natural fear of snakes and eagerly replied, “Yes, yes, Brother Yun, give me more.”
Nodding, Yun Zhonghe said, “Alright, little Su, catch.”
The milky white Stone Hedge Grass essence poured over their faces.
Fortunately, such an unforgettable scene wasn’t projected by the Realm Spirit onto the water curtain, or it would have caused quite a stir.
Afterward, the four-person squad started cautiously navigating through the dense forest, each step taken with extreme caution.
Yun Zhonghe and Lin Zhongyu wielded their swords at the front, with Su Xiaoxiao holding her spell power in the center, and Mu Jixue guarding the rear.
This formation was their best arrangement based on endless practice and experience. Each person’s position and responsibility were carefully considered to ensure quick and effective responses during emergencies.
Such formations were ideal for advancing and exploring.
Because Yun Zhonghe and Mu Jixue had the strongest spiritual abilities in the team, they stood one after another, covering both ends of the group. Such a layout allowed them to respond swiftly and powerfully to any situation based on their keen intuition and strong mental strength, ensuring the entire squad’s safety.
And Lin Zhongyu activated her Emperor Sacred Eyes to monitor the surroundings, making sure no details were overlooked.
Their search was thorough, with no blind spots!
They weren’t told where the teleportation portal from Layer Three to Layer Two was located, as the sect didn’t provide the secret realm map to the contest participants. They needed to explore it themselves.
This design forced participants to explore the secret realm, increasing the chances of encounters between different teams.
Sure enough, before going far, Yun Zhonghe suddenly sensed an unusual aura in front of him. Instantly alert, he urged his teammates to retreat swiftly.
They moved quickly—too quickly, for the flash of sword light landed where they had been standing. If Yun Zhonghe had hesitated even slightly, they might have all been wiped out.
Following that, four agile figures appeared from the shadows of the woods!
“They’re Jiang Xinghan, ranked seventy-first on the Disciple List, and Chang Yong, ranked ninety-eighth!”
Before entering the secret realm, Yun Zhonghe did extensive preparatory work, gathering information about the sect’s elite disciples through his connections.
He never thought their first battle would involve two teams from the top hundred on the Disciple List!
Facing such formidable opponents, neither Yun Zhonghe nor Lin Zhongyu hesitated. They quickly moved to confront Jiang Xinghan and Chang Yong, the top-ranked students, while Mu Jixue easily pushed back the other two weaker outside sect disciples.
The battle was intense; in just a few exchanges, sword lights and fighting shadows danced.
A look of shock flashed across their opponents’ eyes, clearly unprepared to encounter anyone capable of resisting their ambush.
“You… You must be the zero-score team?”
Jiang Xinghan asked directly, revealing his surprise unabashedly.
Yun Zhonghe felt a chill run down his spine.
“You got zeros? Your whole family got zeros!”
Upon hearing this, Mu Jixue clenched her teeth with rage and her face turned bright red.
This shame label of ‘zero score’ seemed deeply engraved on her, impossible to forget.
Truly “once a zero, always known,” Mu Jixue gained widespread recognition, which could be considered both a bane and a boon.
Mu Jixue glared at the four of them: “None of you are better off. You’re still stuck in Layer Three, so what’s there to swagger about?”
Hearing this, the four faces turned slightly red.
Fine, they admitted they had neglected their studies, putting all their efforts into cultivation, completely unaware that there would be written tests in the competition.
Being reminded like this made them feel they had lost face.
“We’re still better than you! Just look at how your aura is unstable, barely forming an inner core, right? Encountering us is bad luck. Will you quit voluntarily, or do we have to snap your identity tokens for you?” commented Chang Yong mockingly.
Mu Jixue was already thinking about cursing them out.
“That’s enough, Jixue,” Yun Zhonghe stopped her.
Yun Zhonghe raised an eyebrow at the four of them. “Fighting? Or do you want us gone faster?”
“Not fighting, but getting rid of you,” Jiang Xinghan bluntly stated, “Even if we don’t hope to reach the top, we still want to enter the top ten. The rewards for the top ten are generous. So we want as many eliminations as possible.”
