Chapter 167: Demon Suppression Domain

The Demon Suppression Domain is not within the capital, but lies between a certain mountain dozens of li outside the suburbs, where the defenses are extremely strict.

From the outside, it appears as a single heavy, massive stone gate; once the stone gate is pushed open, there are yet more formation arrays. Only by entering the central array protected by various formations will one be teleported to the special region below.

The Mr. leading the group is named Wang Wang Yueshen, a third-grade Mr.; this level would make him a sect master outside, but within the Pill Academy, he is merely at the teaching assistant tier.

Lu Xingzhou had attended one of his lectures; his level was average, and afterward, his assessment of Anuo was that she was not even fit to hold Lady Ye's shoes.

Although Anuo felt that her master himself wanted to hold Lady Ye's shoes... there was no evidence, so it was hard to say.

Regardless, this level was more than sufficient to lead a trial in the first layer of the Demon Suppression Domain.

The first layer was the place where Sheng Yuanyao, back when she was sixth grade, underwent her graduation trial at the Martial Hall of the Demon Suppression Bureau; students of the Pill Academy are at least sixth grade, with the majority being fifth grade, so they should be considered to have come to a low-level map. However, it is well known that the combat capabilities of Pill Masters are very weak; most probably do not even match Sheng Yuanyao's combat ability before her graduation, thus requiring protection.

Wang Wang Yueshen led the crowd into the formation array, and soon a boundless map appeared before their eyes.

Looking down from the half-sky, the area below was not of a single form; there were barren mountains, scorched earth, deserts, and so on. Overall, they all belonged to extremely harsh conditions; at first glance, green was extremely scarce, indicating that plants were rare.

A faint demonic intent emanated in the air; those with low cultivation would feel a chill just by standing here, with a natural fear rising from their hearts. But at the same time, a special Sanskrit sound pierced their ears, and a clear wind of the Dao realm pressed down, suppressing that demonic intent so it could not raise any waves.

The moment Lu Xingzhou stepped into this place, he felt something; his "Yin-Yang Mill" defensive art was very similar to the method here for suppressing demonic intent: heaven and earth like a mill, gradually grinding down external things.

Of course, this did not mean there was any origin connection with his own cultivation method; it could only be said that the Great Dao is there, and various schools of technique often reach the same destination by different paths.

Wang Wang Yueshen was explaining: "This place is the first layer of the Demon Suppression Domain; only demons that have not reached the upper three grades are cast here. Although there are some fourth or fifth grade stronger demons among them, after suppression and grinding, their momentum has already declined. The general entry threshold is sixth grade, which perfectly suits your trial."

"The trial method is very simple. This place has medicinal herbs not found in the outside world, or minerals usable for pill refining, or demon corpses and bones, etc. You must find them yourselves, and refine pills solely from what you obtain here. This tests both opportunity and insight, as well as your understanding of medicinal principles in combining limited resources to successfully refine pills, and also tests your composure under harsh environments and your ability to handle sudden crises."

"At that time, trial results will be ranked based on the grade, quality, and quantity of the pills everyone refines. The top three will receive extra rewards from the Academy, and may serve as references for top masters like the Dean when choosing disciples."

"Note, first: using medicines from your rings to refine is useless; we will know by smell whether you used anything brought from the outside. Once discovered, your results will be directly voided."

"Second: there is no earth fire here; only a few areas have volcanic terrain, which counts as having fire, but such flames are unstable and unsuitable for pill refining. You are all Pill Masters yourselves, and all cultivate flame techniques; this is to temper your own flame standards. If you really cannot manage, you may seek mutual help from classmates, which also encourages classmates to join hands and see your respective popularity. Therefore, you may act alone or in groups; there are no restrictions."

"Third: any treasure discovered, whether medicinal herbs or otherwise, belongs to the finder. However, internal strife and fighting for possession are strictly forbidden; anyone causing injury or death will be expelled from the Pill Academy."

Lu Xingzhou narrowed his eyes.

That last sentence was interesting... if this Old Wang were an enemy, couldn't anyone who ran into trouble simply pin the blame on him, Lu Xingzhou, achieving a result of "expulsion from the Pill Academy"?

And if he feared such things, responding to others provoking him would naturally lead to being tied hand and foot; if he were killed by someone else, since the mouth belonged to Old Wang, it could simply be pinned as being attacked and killed by a demon.

This is why the referee must never be biased, but unfortunately, this Old Wang could not be relied upon.

"Finally, there are demons here that are not dead, as well as dead demons forming certain special attacks; risks may come at any moment. I and the members of the Demon Suppression Bureau will not follow you to protect you; we will only station ourselves here and go to assist only where something goes wrong. During this period, you must rely entirely on yourselves to solve problems; do not expect anyone to save you."

"Very well, that is all I have to say. Now you may form teams on your own, or act alone."

"The trial begins."

The students looked at each other, and for a moment no one moved.

On the surface, forming a team is obviously best; one can jointly resist risks and share resources, benefiting everyone.

But the problem is that everyone has not been enrolled for long, and their relationships have not been properly established; this trial can essentially be considered a "ice-breaking action."

Now the ice has not yet broken, and mutual trust is lacking; being able to help each other would be good, but what if one ends up with someone who drags them down? Dragging them down would be one thing, but what if one ends up with someone who stabs them in the back?

Lu Xingzhou had originally thought he could go with Melon Sister and Bai Mao, but seeing as they were not following now, what enthusiasm would there be to team up with others? So he said directly: "Anuo, let's go."

Anuo pushed the wheelchair and ran off.

"Brother Lu, wait." Someone called from behind: "This junior would like to form a team with Brother Lu; I wonder what Brother Lu thinks?"

Anuo paused for a moment and stopped.

Turning to look, it was a familiar face, Chen Yu, who ranked in the top five of the enrollment assessment, from Chunshan Pavilion, also a sect famous for pill refining.

I thought it was Daoist Xuan Qing... Lu Xingzhou glanced at Daoist Xuan Qing without making it obvious; Daoist Xuan Qing was looking around, seemingly also considering potential teammates, showing no signs of anything suspicious.

At this moment, one could not judge whether this Chen Yu truly wanted to break the ice and get to know a classmate or had other intentions; to avoid unnecessary trouble, Lu Xingzhou politely declined directly: "Lu is accustomed to acting alone, and regrets declining Brother Chen's kindness. Once matters here are settled, Lu will host at Misty Rain Tower and treat Brother Chen to a drink, how about that?"

Chen Yu sighed with some regret: "Very well, then I will not disturb Brother Lu's treasure hunting and pill refining."

The master and disciple casually picked a direction and ran far away in a flash; only then did Anuo ask in a low voice: "What was that person doing?"

Lu Xingzhou shook his head: "It is not strange if a classmate truly wants to associate with us; it is hard to judge at this moment, so let's ignore him for now."

"Then where shall we go?" Anuo scratched his head: "What about that volcano over there?"

Smart people would have roughly memorized the terrain while descending from the half-sky just now, but Lu Xingzhou and his disciple did not need to be so smart.

Because he had a map secretly stuffed in his pocket, given to him by Sheng Yuanyao.

"Many people lack confidence in their flame techniques; I estimate the volcano area will be the most chosen destination. Although the volcano is unstable, there is still a chance to borrow its fire. But that holds no meaning for us..."

"Could there be special fire seeds?"

"If fire seeds were to exist in such a conspicuous area, they would have already been stripped bare by the trialists from the Demon Suppression Bureau like Melon Sister; logically, there shouldn't be any." Lu Xingzhou thought for a moment: "Let's go, to the desert terrain over there."

Without a word, Anuo turned toward the desert: "Why?"

"Over in the desert, from the aerial view just now, there were almost no plants; for Pill Masters seeking herbs, this should be the place with the fewest visitors, or even no one at all. Perfectly suits our desire not to interact with them too much; this place is just right."

"Doesn't that mean we have no medicinal herbs available?"

"Few plants do not mean none... besides, minerals and corpses can all be used for pill refining." Lu Xingzhou lowered his voice: "In such a special region, the possibility of a desert forming due to geographical reasons like wind and sand is non-existent; there is simply no wind or sand blowing over here, right? So why is there a desert?"

Anuo's eyes lit up: "Master is saying that fire seeds are more likely to exist down below?"

"Hmm, just a guess, needs verification. Smart people are everywhere in the world; quite a few should have thought of this, but no one has discovered it yet, so maybe there aren't any... but don't we have a treasure-hunting advantage over others?"

Anuo showed his neat white teeth.

Even if plants in the desert are scarce, they do exist; her Heaven-Sent Plant Spirit talent is a specialty in treasure hunting.

At their place of origin, the students of the Pill Academy also scattered in twos and threes, each going to seek herbs. Only then did the protectors from the Demon Suppression Bureau quietly disperse, following behind the students to protect them in secret.

Saying there was no protection and only support in case of trouble was merely spoken to the students, so they would not blindly rely on others and thus lose the effect of the trial. In reality, of course, they had to protect them secretly; these were all the Empire's precious treasures...

The internal grouping within the Demon Suppression Bureau was decided by the commanding general Sheng Yuanyao; theoretically, the disciples of the Holy Land coming to support also followed the Demon Suppression Bureau's arrangements. Sheng Yuanyao wore an expression of righteousness: "The task of following Lu Xingzhou and his disciple will be personally handled by this general. That Bai Mao, you go to the volcano area."

Du Gu Miss Qingli: "?"

Sheng Yuanyao spoke with righteous confidence: "Didn't you see that the most people are going there? Your strength is the strongest; you one-shot the number one new talent with a single sword strike. With such power, if you don't go to protect the place with the most people and instead run to the place with fewer people, isn't that a pure waste of talent?"

That sounded so reasonable that Bai Mao was powerless to refute. After holding back for a long time, she finally said: "You must station yourself at the central command to coordinate; how can you personally go out? Let me go in your place instead."

Sheng Yuanyao giggled: "There is Mr. Wang at the central command. Or, if you want to station yourself, you can provide support at any time?"

"..." said Dugu Miss Qingli.

Sheng Yuanyao began to pin the blame: "Does someone from the Sacred Land refuse to follow orders?"

Dugu Miss Qingli gripped the sword hilt, expressionless: "Then I shall remain here to provide support at any time."

In any case, one cannot plunge headlong into the volcano; if that happens, no changes occurring outside can be observed. It is better to stand here and look down from a high vantage point.

Speaking of which, this Commander Sheng looked as innocent and clear as me when he was in Xiazhou.

How is it that in the blink of an eye, upon arriving in the Capital, he no longer resembles me?

Watching Sheng Yuanyao strut away proudly toward the desert, Dugu Miss Qingli took a deep breath, sat cross-legged with eyes closed, and opened her already partially awakened divine sense to observe the entire area.

She closed her eyes, and the smile on Wang Wang Yueshen's face, who had been watching the young girls argue with a grin, began to fade. He squinted toward the direction of the desert, his expression unreadable.

He did not know that the genius Bai Mao beside him, who had not yet reached the third grade, could already activate divine sense. The change in his expression was perceived with perfect clarity by the seemingly closed-eyed little Bai Mao, whose white hair moved automatically as if the wind had risen.

—

PS: Begging for monthly tickets, begging for monthly tickets~

(End of this chapter)