Chapter 74: I wonder which unlucky fools got assigned to me!

Wu Qi had recently been unable to curry favor with Li Chen, and his inner frustration was mounting.

The goddess Chu Ruoyan had entered the palace as an imperial consort; he had long since abandoned all hope.

His two archrivals—Xiao Ming was nowhere to be found, while Liu Hao, as the scion of a great noble house, had the privilege to join the Spring Hunt and had already been preparing with his father, leaving him no time to venture out.

Wu Qi’s former daily routine, like Xiao Ming’s, had been to follow Chu Ruoyan around, acting as a sycophant.

Wasting his own potential.

Now that the goddess was out of reach and the godlike figure unattainable, Wu Qi suddenly felt hollow.

He had two elder cousins of the Ningyuan realm who said the secret realm was about to open and asked him to lead them.

The Wu family was a major clan in Huju City and also held assets in the imperial capital.

With nothing better to do, Wu Qi agreed.

He wore a mask because it was deeply embarrassing for a Poxu realm cultivator to be hunting in a wilderness realm—he was too ashamed to show his face.

If his identity were discovered, wouldn’t he be laughed to death upon returning to the capital by Liu Hao and the others?

Besides his two cousin brothers, Wu Qi was accompanied by his aunt, Wu Nanzhi.

Even masked, Wu Nanzhi’s full, alluring figure stirred a ripple of agitation among those nearby.

Yet everyone here was mostly Kaimai or Ningyuan realm cultivators; there weren’t even many Yuanshen realm cultivators. Wu Qi was Poxu realm—several tiers above them. How could they possibly match him?

With just a slight motion, Wu Qi could send all these minor players flying.

It felt like punching kindergarten kids and kicking elderly folks in the nursing home.

Many around him sensed his overwhelming strength and wished to avoid this round, waiting for the next.

After all, each person could enter a wilderness realm only once per refresh.

Most people treasured this single opportunity.

Seeing Wu Qi radiating imperial aura, many cultivators were dissuaded from approaching; his two cousin brothers began to lavish praise.

“Big Brother Wu, you’re incredible! That move alone would take me ten years to learn!”

“With Big Brother Wu here, this run is guaranteed! We’ll grab as many resources as possible and strive to break through to Yuanshen realm soon—then we’ll serve you and contribute to the Wu family!”

Hearing his cousins’ flattery, Wu Qi felt a flicker of pride.

Having played the sycophant for years, he’d almost forgotten he was a true child of heaven.

This was the treatment he deserved!

Wu Qi brought his aunt Wu Nanzhi along partly because she was bored, and partly because she had mocked him last time for failing to enter Yunlu Academy.

This time, he would show her what true heavenly talent looked like.

“I’ve heard rumors that some Poxu realm cultivators have nothing better to do than hunt wilderness realms—I came here specifically to teach them a lesson.”

Wu Qi had even given himself a perfectly reasonable excuse.

Among his peers, only Xiao Ming and Liu Hao could challenge him.

As a child of heaven, he routinely crushed ordinary Poxu realm cultivators by crossing tiers.

His presence here was a downgrade in combat dimension.

“I wonder which unlucky fools got assigned to me!”

Before even entering, Wu Qi was already brimming with arrogance.

At another wilderness realm entrance, Luo Yong chatted with Li Chen for a while, then invited him to enter together as a team.

Team formation meant touching the gate before it opened—your hand would leave a mark, and to form a team, you simply clapped hands with the person you wished to join.

A team could have at most four members.

Li Chen thought Luo Yong was genuinely considerate, but politely declined.

It’s not that I won’t take you along—I’m a Saint realm cultivator. Dare you team up with me?

You might get killed by the monsters inside.

Luo Yong, a cheerful man, replied: “I was indeed a bit forward just now, but if we end up paired, just call out if you need help.”

Li Chen answered: “Then I’ll be counting on you.”

You’d better hope you don’t get paired with me—or you’ll regret it.

As Luo Yong walked away, he thought: Kid, you just missed a chance to latch onto a powerful ally.

He had concealed his true strength—he was a Peak Dongxu realm cultivator, one tier above Yuanshen.

He was also a minor prodigy in the imperial capital region, on par with Chu Ruoyan. Chu Ruoyan seemed ordinary only next to heavenly talents like Xiao Ming and Wu Qi, but among ordinary cultivators, she was terrifyingly strong.

Of course, he couldn’t compare to Li Chen—Li Chen was pure, transcendent-level, and had avoided useless socializing from the start, allowing him to reach this stage.

This was Luo Yong’s second time coming to help his younger brother farm resources.

His brother had failed his breakthrough last time, wasting a great deal of resources.

Coming here, Luo Yong also felt he was engaging in dimensional suppression.

As long as he didn’t get paired with a Poxu realm prodigy, wasn’t he free to slaughter everyone else?

Judging by Li Chen’s attire, his family must be high-ranking nobility.

That’s why he’d approached Li Chen to do him a favor—never expecting Li Chen to refuse.

Still, he said nothing; such things depended on fate, not force.

In his view, Li Chen was merely being overly cautious—understandable, since they’d just met.

At the exact hour, the circular platform atop the wilderness realm erupted with terrifying energy.

!

All prepared cultivators entered one after another, beginning their exploration.

Wu Qi’s group was too dominant—they stood at the front and were the first team to enter the realm.

It was his first time entering; as he stepped through, he felt violent spatial fluctuations around him.

The starry tunnel before him surged violently.

A blinding flash of white light suddenly pierced his vision—and when his sight cleared, he stood within a primeval forest.

The fresh scent of rain-soaked earth filled Wu Qi’s olfactory senses, evoking a deep sense of nostalgia.

Before he even began exploring, cheerful insect chirps reached his ears, then abruptly ceased, followed by the rustling of wings as birds and beasts took flight.

An image of birds snatching insects instantly formed in his mind.

Wu Qi had grown up in Huju City, surrounded by mountain ranges teeming with demonic beasts—he felt at home here, like a fish in water.

Seeing his aunt and two cousins beside him, Wu Qi, as leader, began to explore.

In such places, the sooner you locate danger, the more likely resources lie nearby.

The level he’d drawn was naturally high-end—the demonic beasts here wouldn’t be weak.

Conservatively estimated, his presence had likely raised the beasts’ strength to around Dongxu realm.

Wu Qi was confident—this wasn’t just random fighting.

While others avoided danger, he actively sought it out.

His vision was filled with thick tree trunks, dense shrubs, and broadleaf plants.

In the dim light, he could see large rhinoceros beetles crawling along the forty- to fifty-meter-tall trunks, feeding on resin and fermented wood shavings.

Faint sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting dappled patches on the ground.

Wu Qi’s team marched boldly through the forest. Normally, one would tread cautiously in such a “dangerous” zone.

But they made loud noises on purpose, even trying to attract demonic beasts’ attention—to identify which areas held treasures.

Any spiritual herbs or spiritual minerals containing spiritual energy were their targets.

The quality of what they found depended entirely on luck.

Wu Qi felt he still had some fortune—he’d barely explored ten minutes when he spotted a two-meter-tall wolf demon.

Near the wolf demon’s lair grew two high-grade wild herbs: “Moonlight Spirit Leaves.”

These herbs had translucent, glowing leaves, rich with the essence of heaven and earth.

They were the dream breakthrough herb for Ningyuan realm cultivators—priced beyond reach on the open market.

Wu Qi’s two cousins were ecstatic; with just these two herbs, their breakthroughs were assured.

They hadn’t expected to find them so quickly.

Just as Wu Qi strode confidently forward, the wolf demon awoke.

As he prepared to strike, Wu Qi sensed something was wrong.

Why was this wolf demon’s aura so strong!?

(End of Chapter)