Silence, observation.

Over a thousand people stood at the edge of the basin, opening their hearts and eyes to sense the unknown and mysterious before them.

It was everyone's first time to this place; most had not even heard of it before the Sky Rain Meteor Conference, and many had not heard of the Insect Extreme Crystal either.

The Cultivation World was truly vast, and they were relatively young, still deeply immersed in the process of cultivation, without enough time to learn the nuances of the expansive Cultivation World.

The atlas stated that Moon Sea in the West Pole was a dangerous Forbidden Land with unpredictable dangers. Even the son-mother talismans would lose contact there, and the specifics of this danger were not detailed, merely warning attendees not to enter.

Before the disciples from powerful sects arrived, various means had been used to inquire about the conditions in the West Pole.

Overall, the situation was as seen by the disciples who had entered: desolate, unsuitable for living. The place that the Insect Extreme Crystals loved the most was the only unbarren place in Moon Sea—an ancient forest, though Moon Sea was riskier and classified as one of the Cultivation World's mysterious areas.

These mysterious areas referred to some parts of the Cultivation World that were still not fully explored, rumored to be filled with all sorts of demons and specters. It was said that many leaders over the ages had sent large teams to scout these areas, but many of these teams mysteriously disappeared inside.

Some groups that went to scout came back unharmed, saying that aside from feeling a bit eerie and easy to get lost, there wasn't much danger.

In any case, there were claims of danger and claims of safety, so it was sensible for the conference to designate it as a dangerous Forbidden Land.

After experiencing the vicinity of the mysterious area, Guan Wen looked at the sky, pulled out the atlas, called over some team leaders from the stronger sects, and after discussion, split the group into eleven teams.

Guan Wen himself led nearly fifty people as one team, specifically responsible for supporting the others.

The other ten teams each took nearly a hundred people, scattered around the area surrounding Moon Sea to observe stealthily, and were to contact Guan Wen with son-mother talismans immediately if they observed anything prophesied.

For this, Guan Wen also revealed a pine cone-shaped metal object in his palm—it was the Magical Treasure "Wind Scale," proving his capability to lead support at any moment. Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang eyed the treasure with great envy.

After the thousand-strong team dispersed, the sky had darkened; the faint white-orange sky seemed to hint something.

Guan Wen said to everyone, "Standing here is too conspicuous; we should also find a place to hide."

Everyone agreed.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were indifferent, whether hidden or not—it made no difference to them.

The two did not know whether they counted as part of Guan Wen's team; they just naturally remained, while each of the ten teams had regularly organized personnel who followed their leaders upon call.

In their confusion, the two looked around as they saw group after group leave, ending up being left behind.

Fortunately, there were familiar faces; the bearded Chu Jingtang was also in this group.

As this group was about to find another place to hide, suddenly someone pointed at the sky and shouted, "Look, a meteor! Is it an Insect Extreme Crystal?"

Turning their heads, everyone looked.

In the dim night sky, several brilliant meteors appeared, different from the usual white light meteors—these were meteors shining with blue light.

As everyone gazed, more blue meteors lit up in the night sky, one after the other, constantly illuminating until their numbers reached hundreds and then stopped increasing. The scene was astonishingly beautiful, like a dream.

"Meteor shower, Insect Extreme Crystal meteor shower!" someone exclaimed.

Everyone watched with envy; they had heard about the Insect Extreme Crystal meteor shower before coming, but despite searching everywhere for the Insect Extreme Crystals, they had yet to witness the so-called meteor shower until arriving at Moon Sea.

A sense of luck surged in everyone's hearts.

Looking at the direction of the falling meteor shower, it seemed to be within this mysterious Moon Sea.

Guan Wen muttered in his gaze, "It seems the rumors are true; Moon Sea indeed has a large quantity of Insect Extreme Crystals."

As they watched, everyone suddenly realized something was off; the meteor shower seemed to be heading towards them, sparking an unbearable anticipation.

Yet reality brought clarity on the real—a meteor shower wouldn't fulfill their wishes. Contrary to their hopes, they watched helplessly as hundreds of meteors plunged into the mist of Moon Sea.

As they neared Moon Sea, the blue light of the meteors rapidly receded. By the time they plunged into the mist, all their radiance had vanished. Listening closely, there was no sound of impact with the ground; they silently merged into the mysterious land.

Significantly, the location where these hundreds of meteors fell seemed not far from where they were, probably within ten miles—a mere few leaps for these monks. That was indeed very close.

Many sighed in frustration; although close, it was beyond reach. How could they not feel regret?

Guan Wen's lips tightened then loosened, hesitated then hesitated again, but finally, a resolute expression crossed his face, and he said, "Such proximity, wouldn't it be a pity to miss it? Who is willing to fetch them?"

Everyone looked at him in unison, all with a look of surprise. What did he mean? Hadn't they agreed not to enter Moon Sea? Was he being too easily swayed?

Seeing no response, Guan Wen continued, "Before the conference started, my Su Yuan Sect had inquired about Moon Sea for our attending disciples; it's actually not as dangerous as the legends say. Indeed, many who came out mentioned finding no danger."

Easier said than sung, yet still, no one responded; if it were not dangerous, would it have been designated as a Forbidden Land?

Guan Wen's gaze moved from one face to another, hoping to get the response he wanted.

If he hadn't spoken, he wouldn't want to miss out; over a month of hustle, fighting and collecting only a little over 3,000 crystals. Suddenly discovering hundreds—what could that mean?

"Would Sister Mulan be happy if I managed to get hundreds of Extreme Crystals right off the bat?"

"Leaving hundreds of Extreme Crystals unclaimed, what would Sister Mulan think of me if she heard?"

"Searching Moon Sea is risky, but haven't people died in fights and battles over treasures before?"

His scanning gaze was suddenly blocked by a large figure in the crowd. Fixing his eyes on him, he made up his mind and said, "Brother Wang, Mr. Gao, both of you recently joined Youxia Mountain and haven't made your mark yet. How about you two take the lead in Moon Sea?"

Without waiting for the stunned pair to reply, he looked around at the others and asked, "What do all of you think?"

"That's appropriate. It's hard to justify without any contribution."

"Brother Guan makes sense."

"Brother Wang, Mr. Gao, don't let everyone's good intentions go to waste!"

The crowd echoed in agreement, eager to distance themselves from responsibility and eagerly pushing it onto the two newcomers.

Some even had a threatening tone in their words. After all, Youxia Mountain was a small sect that was hardly heard of, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they seemed easy to bully.

Chu Jingtang, with his blue-shirt and whiskered beard, just smirked without a word, deciding not to kick someone when they're down, especially since he had just gotten acquainted with Wu Jinliang.

Meanwhile, everyone stepped away from the two men.

Suddenly left isolated, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were indeed confused—weren't they not going into Moon Sea?

They had infiltrated the Xuan State's group smoothly and thought these people were easy to deal with, and Guan Wen seemed quite nice with his calm and handsome demeanor. Now, however, they seemed a bit monstrous.

Wasn't this bullying? And now the threats came, allowing both to understand why Youxia Mountain had not joined any group.

Guan Wen calmly spoke again, "Don't worry, if there's any real danger, send a distress signal, and we'll rush to your aid immediately. At this distance, it's just a matter of a few moments."

Damn it, then why don't you go, thought Wu Jinliang, irritated. The large saber on his shoulder shifted to his hand, ready to show some force.

Beside him, Shi Chun, with a thoughtful expression, placed a hand on his chest to restrain him and asked aloud, "Gentlemen, are you really bent on retrieving those hundreds of Extreme Crystals?"

"Of course."

"Do you think hundreds is a trivial number?"

The crowd's response was firm.

Guan Wen also said, "Hundreds is not a small number. In the Xuan State, over seven thousand of us have been working almost a month and a half, and so far, we've only gathered about three thousand."

Shi Chun nodded. "That is to say, we must retrieve them?"

"Correct."

"It's not a matter to joke about."

Facing the collective affirmation, Shi Chun again tapped Wu Jinliang's saber, signaling him to put it down, and continued to question the crowd, "Are you sure you won't regret this?"

His words made the atmosphere slightly eerie.

But once words are spoken, they cannot be taken back.

"Why would we regret?"

"We won't regret."

"Stop fussing. If you two bring back those Extreme Crystals, it will be a great achievement."

Guan Wen, his gaze flickering, worried there was a hidden meaning in their words.

Seeing the determined attitudes, Shi Chun nodded and declared, "Very well, these few hundred Extreme Crystals, we of Youxia Mountain will claim them!"

"Good..." As Guan Wen began to respond, with a false smile just forming on everyone's faces, Shi Chun's "but" killed it immediately.

"But, the two of us alone are too few. Brother Guan, we need some helpers."

The crowd, taken aback, were about to object when Shi Chun loudly continued, "There are three reasons I ask for assistants. First, hundreds of Extreme Crystals raining from the sky may appear to fall within a small area, but might not. With just the two of us, who knows how long it will take to find them.

Second, if just the two of us go, things may become unclarified. Although we have clear consciences, we must guard against those who might suspect us of a lack of effort or having grievances if we return empty-handed. Thus, we not only seek help but also supervision!

Third—why are we here? Isn't it because we suspect that other states have come? A meteor shower of hundreds of Extreme Crystals falling is bright enough for anyone to see, not blind. Hundreds, too many to leave behind; how could others resist seizing them? Would they take advantage of our vulnerability and rob us after we've collected them? Brother Guan, can you stand by and watch as hundreds of Extreme Crystals are stolen? If thousands from Xuan State suffer losses due to your hasty arrangements, what will we tell everyone?"

At this, Guan Wen furrowed his brow deeply, those who had been eager to push responsibility now exchanged looks.

Wu Jinliang almost split his face grinning viciously, wondering aloud to the group whether they guessed he and Shi Chun would return claiming they found nothing or had been robbed?

Shi Chun then indicated towards everyone present, "We don't need too many people, just the leaders from each sect to accompany me. Why specifically the leaders? Simple—while followers might hesitate to risk themselves, leaders, when in danger and signaling, are more likely to prompt their disciples' swift aid. Fellow disciples, am I right? Of course, if the leaders themselves are unwilling to take risks and prefer their followers to face them, then disregard what I said."

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