In the handyman disciples' area, at the foot of a stone mountain, a slender figure was wielding two sabers.
Sweat, following her movements, splattered onto the ground.
A fierce gust of wind suddenly rose, and a giant rock split into two, then exploded.
Clap, clap—
"Not bad, not bad, Xiaomei, you've improved again," Qin Hao said, clapping his hands as he emerged from the shadows.
"Brother Qin Hao!"
Fan Xiaomei wiped the sweat from her face, revealing a joyful smile, and quickly ran to Qin Hao's side.
"Xiaomei, you seem to have grown a little bit taller."
Qin Hao ruffled Fan Xiaomei's head.
He remembered when he first met Fan Xiaomei a few months ago, she was still scrawny and only about 1.4 meters tall.
Now, she had not only grown to 1.6 meters, but her appearance had also changed significantly; her brows exuded a heroic spirit, and her skin was healthy and radiant.
"Brother Qin Hao, when did you return? Where is Brother Fang Yuan?" Fan Xiaomei asked curiously, her clear eyes wide.
"Just returned. Your Brother Fang Yuan went to find your Sister Meng Ke'er."
As Qin Hao spoke, he squatted down and took out a storage ring, placing it on Fan Xiaomei's finger.
"This is a gift from Brother Qin Hao and Brother Fang Yuan. Do you like it?"
"I like it, but..."
"No 'buts.' It's only natural for a brother to give a gift to his sister."
Qin Hao gently wiped the tears from her face and softly said, "Don't cry so easily in the future. If your Brother Fang Yuan sees you, he'll scold you again."
"Mhm..." Fan Xiaomei sniffled and nodded vigorously... An hour later, everyone stood in the center of the plaza, looking straight ahead.
"Except for Jiang Xiaoxiao, Li Yongxiao, and Wang Xiaojun, all disciples ranked in the top fifty, step forward!"
Stomp, stomp—
Forty-seven players simultaneously took a step forward, their gazes intently fixed on Chu Huaian above.
"Zhao Shijie, heed my command! Immediately lead the team to rendezvous with Li Taibai and the others, and bring back the divine beast's essence blood and the innate five elements spiritual herb!"
"Yes!" Zhao Shijie roared, his silver spear on his back.
Within the team, Huo Sichun looked at his retreating figure, her eyes sparkling, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curved upwards.
"Hey, wipe your drool," a teasing voice from Fang Yuan came from beside her.
Huo Sichun subconsciously touched the corner of her mouth, then reacted, glaring angrily at Fang Yuan: "Would you die if you didn't talk?"
"Sister Sichun, there's one question I'm quite curious about: you and Zhao Shijie..."
Fang Yuan's words were cut off halfway by Huo Sichun.
"Shut up!"
Fang Yuan was about to tease Huo Sichun further when a sudden roar sounded in his ear, startling him greatly.
"Fang Yuan, Qin Hao, Sun Yiyi, Zhang Ziqiang, you four, all your actions must obey Zhao Shijie's command. If you dare to act recklessly, the sect rules will be enforced!"
"Depart!"
As soon as the words fell, dozens of people soared into the sky, flying towards the back mountain.
"Li Yongxiao, Wang Xiaojun, heed my command!"
"Now, lead all disciples in constructing warships. Whatever difficulties you encounter, tell me. I have only one requirement: before Zhao Shijie and the others return, build ten warships!"
"Guaranteed to complete the mission!"
Li Yongxiao and Wang Xiaojun were under immense pressure. Building ten warships in such a short time was an extraordinary amount of work.
They also had to consider the warships' defense and power, which was many times more difficult than the airships they had built before.
Fortunately, there was also Ouyang Zi, and all the disciples would participate, which made things much simpler... Central Continent, Saint Martial Dynasty, Saint City.
Inside the Imperial City Manor, dozens of prodigies stood on the lawn, waiting quietly.
"According to the news returned by our sect, the Immortal Emperor's Tomb has been open for an hour. If we don't go now, the opportunities might be taken by others," a prodigy said anxiously.
"Immortal Xing Yao, top prodigies from various major sects have gathered here. It's time to depart."
"No rush, wait a little longer," Xing Yao said calmly, looking into the distance.
"Immortal Xing Yao, may I ask who has such a grand presence that makes us wait like this?" Someone voiced their dissatisfaction.
Who among those present wasn't a top prodigy of their sect? Being made to lower their status and wait naturally left them feeling very unhappy.
"Immortal Xing Yao, could it be those three from before?" Saint Yu asked curiously.
"Who?"
The others also showed curiosity. After all, it was rare for the Yao Guang Sect's Saintess to lower herself to welcome someone in the ranks of prodigies.
"This prince does not know, but their background seems significant," Saint Yu shook his head slightly.
Just then, Zhao Liunian, who had been silent, slightly raised his eyes and spoke calmly: "They've arrived."
Everyone felt something and collectively looked towards the same spot.
In the distance, three streaks of light were flying towards them. In the blink of an eye, they landed in front of everyone.
"Are these the people Immortal Xing Yao was waiting for? They look rather ordinary," someone muttered.
"That woman is quite beautiful, but I wonder about her cultivation."
"Immortal Xing Yao, how strong are these three? If they hold us back, don't blame me for being impolite to them then."
A prodigy stepped forward, his face grim, expressing his dissatisfaction.
This person was Tang Hai, ranked ninth on the Golden Core Prodigy List. Among this group of prodigies, apart from Xing Yao and Zhao Liunian, he was the strongest.
When he spoke, the others' faces showed strange expressions, looking as if they were watching a show.
Li Taibai and the other two completely ignored him, looking at Xing Yao and asking, "When do we depart?"
"Now."
Xing Yao replied, and as she was about to turn and greet the others, a cold light suddenly flashed from the side.
Clang—
The sound of a sword ringing out.
Li Taibai pinched a small sword between his fingers and discarded it.
"You dare to ambush me?"
Chu Heshan's face was furious, and his body transformed into an afterimage, punching towards Tang Hai.
The fierce punch created a wave of air, and a roaring sound echoed in the air.
Tang Hai's face changed, and his body quickly retreated.
But the force of the punch still firmly locked onto him, leaving him no choice but to hastily respond, transforming his spiritual energy into a barrier to block in front of him.
Crack—
The barrier shattered, and Tang Hai slid back several tens of meters, his hands trembling slightly, and a burning pain coming from his chest.
"Such a powerful physical body!" Someone exclaimed.
The prodigies' gazes towards Chu Heshan became somewhat solemn.
"You're seeking death!"
A hint of killing intent flashed in Tang Hai's eyes, and thousands of small swords appeared behind him.
"Enough!"
Xing Yao landed between the two, her tone filled with ice-coldness.
"Whatever grudges you have, resolve them yourselves after we emerge from the Immortal Emperor's Tomb."
Tang Hai dispelled the small swords behind him and walked back into the team with a gloomy face.
Chu Heshan showed an expression of disdain and turned to return to Li Taibai's side.
If it weren't for wanting to inquire about information inside the Immortal Emperor's Tomb, the three of them would not have acted with this group of people at all.
"Everyone, let's go."
Xing Yao said calmly, controlling her flying sword to soar into the sky.
The others followed closely behind her.
Tang Hai subtly glanced at Li Taibai and the other two, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
The power the opponent had just unleashed was actually able to break through his defense, and only a handful of people on the Prodigy List could achieve that.
"Could they be disciples of an ancient hidden sect?"
For a moment, Tang Hai felt immense curiosity about the identities of the three.
But hidden sect disciples had not appeared for tens of thousands of years, and each time they emerged, it meant that a major event was about to occur in the cultivation world.
