“Senior Brother Gu, disciple Jiang Lu reporting for duty.”
Jiang Lu approached the Qi Condensation group and handed over her identity token. Gu Miao picked it up, examined it, and nodded.
Senior Brother Gu Miao was a cultivator at the Great Perfection of the tenth layer of Qi Condensation, and he was the one leading the Qi Condensation cultivators.
Meanwhile, the Medicine King Pavilion's other team, consisting of Foundation Establishment cultivators, was led by Senior Sister Li Lin, a cultivator at the ninth layer of Foundation Establishment.
Jiang Lu only glanced at them from a distance. After all, with her current rookie strength, she really couldn't join them.
The aura radiating from them alone was enough to make one's heart tremble.
It filled Jiang Lu with deep envy.
Inside her pouch, Chi Li and Cang Chen peeked out with two pairs of curious eyes. A demon beast tide, hmph! Finally, a place where they could be of help!
They might not be able to guarantee anything else, but they could certainly pinpoint the positions and sizes of the demon beasts.
“Now that all the disciples are here, I will lay down the ugly truth first.”
“This is not the first time our Medicine King Pavilion has participated in a demon beast tide trial, so we will follow the previous requirements.”
“First, you must obey commands and are strictly forbidden from acting on your own. You must help one another during the trial. Anyone found harming their fellow disciples will be severely punished according to the pavilion's rules.”
“Second, regarding the distribution of resources, we are required to hand over resources equivalent to one hundred high-grade spirit stones from our harvest. Based on past demon beast tides, this is only about ten to twenty percent. Don't be short-sighted and fixate on this small amount; everything will be done according to the rules.”
“Third, as the team leader, I will take one-fifth of the remaining resources. Do not feel slighted; you all know the role of a team leader, and this has always been the default rule.”
“Fourth, the rest of the resources will be distributed based on your individual contributions, regardless of your strength. If anyone is thinking of slacking off, you had better discard that thought immediately. Everyone will be watching.”
“If anyone has any objections, raise them now before the trial begins. If not, don't cause trouble for me later!”
Jiang Lu nodded inwardly as she listened to the rules. The distribution was fairly reasonable. As the organizer, the City Lord's Manor couldn't possibly expect nothing in return; they weren't running a charity, after all.
The team leader had to ensure the safety of the members and coordinate with other teams. Playing such a crucial role in the group, it was only right for him to take a share of the resources.
As for distributing the remainder based on contribution, there was absolutely nothing to complain about. This was also to prevent conflicts between the stronger and weaker cultivators.
She quietly looked up and saw that everyone else had looks of understanding and agreement on their faces.
She didn't care what they actually thought, as long as they didn't stir up any trouble during the trial.
At a command from the front of the line, Gu Miao waved his hand to the crowd and led them toward the dense forest.
Jiang Lu followed behind the group, running forward at a moderate pace.
The demon beast tide had not reached the city outskirts yet; it was only in the middle and outer areas of the dense forest. If it reached the city outskirts, it would no longer be a simple demon beast tide.
Arriving at a spot in the dense forest, Gu Miao stopped, turned to everyone, and said,
“We will handle the demon beasts within this defensive line. We'll divide into two groups: one for daytime patrol and one for nighttime patrol.”
Everyone nodded.
Jiang Lu was assigned to the night shift. She didn't mind, as she didn't need to sleep nowadays.
The disciples patrolling with her twitched their lips in resignation when they saw Jiang Lu sitting in meditation.
However, since she had contracted two spirit beasts to help patrol, it was only natural for her not to move personally.
Although it was called a patrol, it mostly just meant they couldn't sleep. They usually walked around in groups since doing nothing was rather boring, so they naturally had no objections to her behavior.
Still, it was their first time seeing a disciple like Jiang Lu. She cultivated during the day and continued to cultivate at night—she was simply too intensely competitive.
But this was just the beginning. Only after this trial ended would they truly understand what the world of an ultimate overachiever looked like.
Although Jiang Lu was cultivating, her divine sense was spread out to monitor her surroundings.
On the third night, while Jiang Lu was meditating and cultivating, a commotion came from not far away.
“Master, a large pack of Tier One demon beasts is running this way. There look to be several hundred of them.”
Chi Li's urgent voice sounded, and Jiang Lu snapped her eyes open.
She hadn't sensed any danger herself, but Chi Li and Cang Chen wouldn't make this kind of joke.
Jiang Lu immediately woke everyone up.
“Junior Sister Jiang Lu, are you sure there are hundreds of demon beasts heading our way?”
Gu Miao's expression was complicated. At the moment, he hadn't sensed the aura of any demon beasts.
But if hundreds of demon beasts were coming together, by the time he sensed their aura, it would be far too late. This was no small number, so he decided to trust Jiang Lu for the time being.
No one would play jokes at a time like this.
As for whether it was true, they would find out very soon, wouldn't they?
He looked at the two spirit beasts on Jiang Lu's shoulders. Spirit beasts possessed unique perceptions, so perhaps she was telling the truth.
Only...
He gave Jiang Lu and the two spirit beasts a complicated look, thinking to himself that it was a pity. Contracting spirit beasts too early was not a good thing.
He then began ordering everyone to prepare. After all, with hundreds of demon beasts, it meant each of them would have to face more than one.
He wasn't too worried about the mid-stage and late-stage Qi Condensation cultivators, but there were still quite a few early-stage Qi Condensation disciples, which made things a bit difficult.
He transmitted the news to the other teams. After all, if hundreds of demon beasts appeared here, it was impossible for only a few to appear near the other teams.
Just as doubts began to rise among the crowd, the sound of trees crashing down echoed from the distance.
Jiang Lu immediately gripped her sword.
This was her chance to test how well she had practiced her swordplay.
“Roar—”
Soon, the roaring of demon beasts echoed. Sensing the stampeding beasts and their overwhelming aura, everyone realized there were indeed hundreds of them!
Fortunately, Gu Miao had already made arrangements. Although they were a bit tense, there was no panic.
The demon beasts bared their fangs, their blood-red eyes radiating a hostile aura.
Sensing the presence of humans ahead, their already red eyes grew even redder as they lunged forward to attack.
At Gu Miao's command, everyone immediately followed him, plunging into the pack of demon beasts to engage in a fierce battle.
The roars of the demon beasts were endless.
Jiang Lu, sword in hand, continuously attacked the demon beasts.
Chi Li and Cang Chen assisted her from the side.
Although they could fight the demon beasts on their own, their master's safety was the top priority.
These demon beasts had long since gone berserk, and the strength they unleashed was one to two times that of a normal Tier One demon beast.
Jiang Lu had no real combat experience, so it was best for them to watch over her from the side. Most importantly, as Jiang Lu's contracted beasts under a Master-Servant Contract, the greatest taboo was acting without orders, even if it was for her own good.
Since she hadn't given any commands, they could not act on their own.
Looking at the frenzied demon beasts, Jiang Lu did not ask Chi Li and Cang Chen to spit out fireballs and waterballs. After their previous encounter, she knew that their fire and water were extraordinary. With too many outsiders around this time, it was better not to expose them.
“Chi Li, Cang Chen, you two hold it down!”
Rate on N.U.
