The trial grounds on the East Sea’s surface were unexpectedly vast, with countless small islands scattered along the way. The largest spanned hundreds of li, while the smallest could be circumnavigated in a quarter of an hour. Not every island harbored beast spirits, nor did each one bear Yuan Zhu Fruits.
Three days had passed, and the few Yuan Zhu Fruits on the outer ring of islands had long been picked clean. Most of the two hundred disciples participating in the trial had moved to the inner sea area, while Li Fei’s group of five remained on the outskirts, enjoying a rare few days of leisure.
Bai Ligelin ran barefoot along the beach, hitching up her skirt to reveal a pair of snow-white calves as she dashed towards the azure sea. Golden light flickered in her palm as she used her Tai’a technique to pierce a sea fish, which floated to the surface, belly up.
She jubilantly ran back with the large fish, startling Yan Fei, who was building a fire, and Lu Li, who was collecting dry wood.
“Look! How’s this fish?” She proudly tossed the fish in front of them, exclaiming, “It’s much bigger than the one you caught yesterday, Senior Brother Lu, isn’t it?”
Lu Li’s gaze lingered on the fish for only a moment before glancing over her exposed calves and arms. His brow furrowed once more as he turned away without a word. Yan Fei, watching his retreating figure, laughed awkwardly and asked, “What’s wrong with him?”
Bai Ligelin shrugged, “Who knows? Such a prude! How can you catch fish without baring your arms and legs? Women are showing their chests all over the East Sea! He might as well gouge out his eyes!”
Yan Fei advised, “Gelin, you’re not a local of the East Sea. Perhaps Senior Brother Lu is just looking out for you. Girls from the Central Plains have such fair skin; it’s bound to attract attention when exposed.”
As they spoke, Li Fei and Lei Xiuyuan emerged from the island’s thicket, one carrying an armful of wild fruits, the other holding five full water skins.
Bai Ligelin’s eyes lit up at the sight of Lei Xiuyuan, “Lei Xiuyuan! Quick, start a fire, and grill this fish! We’ve been waiting for you!”
Lei Xiuyuan’s skill at grilling fish and meat was unparalleled. The same ingredients, prepared by his hands, tasted entirely different from others. If he ever gave up cultivation, he could certainly make a fortune as a chef.
Without hesitation, he started a fire, cleaned out the fish’s innards, split it into two pieces, and began slowly grilling them over the flames. Soon, the fishy smell mingled with a delicious aroma, drawing even Lu Li closer. The group eagerly watched the two pieces of fish, waiting to dig in.
Li Fei washed two fruits and sat on the beach, nibbling on them while admiring the scenery. The sky was clear, the vast blue sea stretched endlessly, and the island’s edge was lined with soft, silver sand. The coastal beauty was intoxicating. It was a pity that Ri Yan was asleep again; otherwise, he too could have enjoyed this serene seascape.
Suddenly, someone took one of the wild fruits from her hand. Lei Xiuyuan sat down beside her, holding a skewer of grilled fish. He took a bite of the fruit and furrowed his brow slightly, “…It’s sour.”
No way! It’s sweet! Li Fei snatched the fruit back and took a bite, glaring at him, “Hey, it’s sweet!”
Lei Xiuyuan smiled and reclaimed the fruit, saying casually, “Hmm, now it’s sweet.”
He was teasing her again! Li Fei wanted to jump up and give him a good thrashing. Was this really that amusing?
She turned away, ignoring him. The fruit that had tasted so sweet before now seemed a bit astringent in her mouth. He lightly tapped her head a few times, but Li Fei still didn’t turn around. She silently gazed at the horizon where deep and light blue waters merged. After some time, she suddenly noticed several small black dots rapidly approaching from that direction.
Li Fei abruptly stood up, squinting for a moment before exclaiming, “Someone’s coming!”
The group, who had been eating fish, immediately became alert. Yan Fei quickly extinguished the fire, while Bai Ligelin cast an illusion to conceal any traces of their presence on the beach. Li Fei raised her hand and added another layer of concealment, hiding everyone’s spiritual energy and the scent of the Yuan Zhu Fruits.
Soon enough, the sound of rushing wind heralded the arrival of two figures on the beach. It was Ye Ye and Ji Tongzhou. Ye Ye was covered in blood, his expression unfocused, while Ji Tongzhou supported him, his face filled with anxiety, “How are you holding up?!”
Bai Ligelin almost cried out and was about to rush over when she felt a sharp wind above her head. A giant crab spirit descended from the sky, carrying several people who appeared to be disciples of the Sea Faction.
Ji Tongzhou retreated a few steps, supporting Ye Ye, and said grimly, “I never expected the Sea Faction to be so vicious and cunning! Why did you suddenly attack and injure people? Aren’t you afraid of causing strife between our two factions?”
A woman on the crab spirit’s back angrily retorted, “It was your Mountain Faction who attacked first! My junior sister is still missing, her fate unknown! We’re just returning the favor!”
Yan Fei exclaimed in surprise, “That’s my senior sister’s voice! She’s alright!”
Another person on the crab spirit spoke up, “Why waste words with them? The Mountain Faction is full of scoundrels. Kill them all on sight!”
The crab spirit suddenly raised its large pincers, about to strike down at the two. Ji Tongzhou, unable to bear it any longer, conjured a fire lotus at his chest, ready to throw it. Suddenly, a giant, hideous green centipede spirit emerged from nowhere, as repulsive as could be. He had never quite gotten over his aversion to centipede spirits, and his body immediately tensed. However, the centipede spirit positioned itself in front of them, and Bai Ligelin reached out to pull them both up. Her face was ashen as she said coldly, “Want to bully us with numbers? I’ll take you on!”
Before she could finish speaking, vines burst through the sand all over the beach, writhing like giant snakes. The crab spirit was firmly ensnared by the vines, struggling in vain. Just as she was about to unleash her Lihua technique, her arm was suddenly grabbed. Lu Li’s cold voice sounded behind her, “Have you gone mad? Using lethal force against your own Sea Faction members?”
Bai Ligelin shook him off, about to speak when Li Fei lifted the concealment. Yan Fei excitedly ran out, waving and shouting, “Senior Sister! Senior Sister! I’m over here!”
A pretty, tanned woman in short attire immediately jumped down from the crab spirit. Her forehead was adorned with large black patterns, just like Yan Fei’s. Upon seeing that Yan Fei was safe and sound, she burst into tears, “Thank heavens! You’re alright! I was so worried those bastards had killed you!”
Yan Fei hurriedly explained, “Senior Sister, you’ve misunderstood! There are good people in the Mountain Faction too! They saved me and even helped me retrieve the Yuan Zhu Fruits! Look—” She pulled out two wrapped Yuan Zhu Fruits from her bosom.
The woman eyed Li Fei and the others suspiciously, giving a cold snort without saying a word.
Li Fei had already cast a healing net over Ye Ye. His injuries were far worse than Yan Fei’s had been earlier; his right abdomen had even been pierced through, leaving him on the brink of death. These Sea Faction people had gone too far! She couldn’t help but feel angry, yet this conflict had ultimately been instigated by the Mountain Faction’s Long Ming Zuo. After a moment, she turned to ask Ji Tongzhou, “What happened?”
Ji Tongzhou, still processing the fact that they were all here, took a moment to respond, “Ye Ye and I happened to encounter these Sea Faction disciples and decided to team up. But this morning, we met this woman, and after she said something to them, they suddenly turned violent. Ye Ye wasn’t prepared and was severely injured. They outnumbered us, and I was worried about Ye Ye’s condition, so I had no choice but to flee here with him.”
Lu Li furrowed his brow and stepped forward, saying, “There’s a cause for every grievance. As fellow disciples of the Sea Faction, how could you harm innocent people?”
Suddenly, four more Sea Faction disciples jumped down from the crab spirit’s back. One of them sneered, “What good could come from these Central Plains scoundrels? They started this conflict, so they must bear the consequences!”
Bai Ligelin found them increasingly familiar, resembling the Guangsheng Society members they had encountered before. She suddenly jumped down from the centipede spirit’s head and stepped forward, standing directly in front of the group, “I thought it was someone else, but it’s your lot.”
Seeing her dressed in East Sea attire, revealing large patches of snow-white skin and radiating allure, the others recognized her as the Wanxian Society beauty they had met at the tavern that day.
Shi Chengtian, the leader of the Guangsheng Society group, immediately smiled and said, “So it’s Miss Gelin. Why are you still mingling with these Mountain Faction scoundrels? Why not join our side? We already have two Yuan Zhu Fruits, and with one more, we’ll complete the task. Then we can just grab a couple of Mountain Faction people on our way out. Wouldn’t that make the trial a breeze?”
Bai Ligelin stared at him intently, suddenly breaking into a coquettish smile as she said softly, “You’re so impressive. Was it you who injured him?”
Shi Chengtian smiled without answering at first, but seeing her seemingly flirtatious smile contrasted by the cold glint in her eyes, he felt a slight chill. He said in a deep voice, “Miss Gelin, why get angry over a few Mountain Faction scoundrels? You’re with the Sea Faction now, don’t forget your position.”
Bai Ligelin began to walk towards him, step by step. Sensing danger, Shi Chengtian couldn’t back down without losing face, but he was reluctant to fight her and didn’t want to turn this Mountain-Sea conflict into an internal Sea Faction dispute. He immediately summoned his earth-element defense, watching her warily.
Bai Ligelin walked right up to him, almost pressing against him. She raised her eyes to examine him closely. Shi Chengtian hadn’t expected her to get so close; suddenly, he was enveloped in her subtle fragrance. Her snow-white face was inches from his, inspiring both fear and desire.
She scrutinized his eyebrows, eyes, nose, lips, and chin before suddenly parting her rosy lips to whisper, “I’ve memorized your face. I won’t forget it.”
Memorize his face? What did she mean?
Bai Ligelin turned away with a cold smile, saying as she walked, “Someday, I will return the pain he suffered to you tenfold! If you value your life, stay hidden in your Guangsheng Society and don’t show your face!”
At these words, the Sea Faction members immediately flew into a rage. The female Guangsheng Society disciple stepped forward and shouted, “Is that a threat?! If you’ve got the guts, let’s settle this right now! I’ll play with you for a bit!”
She threw out a talisman that transformed into a giant tiger spirit covered in flames upon touching the ground. Its low roar was like thunder, terrifyingly fierce.
Bai Ligelin didn’t even look back as she jumped onto the centipede spirit’s back, sitting beside Ye Ye. Seeing his blue-tinged lips, face covered in blood, and strands of long hair stuck to his brow with dried blood, she gently brushed them aside, slowly wiping away the dried blood from his face with her fingers.
The Guangsheng Society woman grew even angrier. Her opponent was completely ignoring her, leaving the tiger spirit standing alone and pitifully on the beach. But if she were to recall it now, where would she put her face?
“Are you afraid? You coward!” she cursed. The tiger spirit leaped into the air, pouncing towards Bai Ligelin.
Suddenly, a massive ice pillar descended from the sky, thoroughly freezing the tiger spirit within. Cold light flickered in Lu Li’s palm as he said coolly, “Why should the Sea Faction fight amongst itself? Please recall your tiger spirit, miss. I hope this matter ends here. This is the first meeting between Mountain and Sea; let’s not go against the elders’ good intentions.”
As he finished speaking, the ice pillar dissipated, and the tiger spirit fell to the ground, recalled into the talisman by the Guangsheng Society woman. She looked back at Shi Chengtian, who shook his head, “…Let’s go.”
These people all carried the scent of Yuan Zhu Fruits, which was what truly alarmed him. There were only four of them, yet they had managed to obtain so many Yuan Zhu Fruits. It was clear that each of them must be exceptionally skilled. Continuing this conflict would only lead to unpredictable losses.
Yan Fei looked around, torn. Her senior sister put an arm around her, “Yan Fei, let’s go. From now on, be careful who you trust, and don’t fall for those Mountain Faction scoundrels’ tricks again.”
Yan Fei was very reluctant to leave, but she had no choice. The situation had suddenly escalated, and it was her senior sister who had provoked it, angering Gelin to such an extent. She felt too ashamed to stay. She took out a wrapped Yuan Zhu Fruit from her bosom and handed it to Lu Li, saying softly, “I’m sorry, I have to go. Thank you all. This is for you.”
Lu Li watched them all depart, secretly breathing a sigh of relief. He glanced back at Bai Ligelin, his brow furrowing as he was about to go over and reprimand her when his sleeve was suddenly caught by Li Fei. She shook her head at him, “Don’t go over there. Let her be alone for now.”