A place that gathers a crowd always draws more attention, and Bai Shuchuan's group was no exception as they made their way over to see what was causing the excitement.

The intimidation factor of the number one sect in Sheng Province was indeed significant. It was quite useful for clearing a way through a crowd, and Shi Chun and his comrades benefited from it as they squeezed into the center of the commotion to see what was going on.

There, several people were crouched on the ground, forming a circle and pointing at a small hole in the earth.

The hole was only as big as a chicken egg, with a ring of small mounds of dirt around it that seemed to rise from the hole itself, as if it had been dug out by some small creature. The hole wasn't deep, and the dirt at the bottom was loose—you could see to its bottom at a glance.

This scene was described in the distributed booklet; it was exactly like how the Insect Extreme Crystal would appear after burrowing into the ground.

Naturally, Shi Chun was surprised. Could it be that the glint he had just seen was the Insect Extreme Crystal? Could his right eye's superpower actually see the Insect Extreme Crystal?

"Just checking with a spell, it seems like there's a rock about a foot deep. Not sure if that's it."

"It must be."

"Look, it's written in the booklet that if the mounds around the mouth of the hole are even, it means the Insect Extreme Crystal is still inside. If the mounds are disorderly, then it means the Insect Extreme Crystal has left the hole."

"The mounds here are uniform, so it means it's still there."

"Never mind whether it's there or not, let's just dig and see. It's not like it's buried very deep..."

The group huddled around the hole made a decision, someone drew a sword, asked everyone to give them some space, and then inserted the sword into the ground to dig around.

The soil in the area wasn't hard, and very quickly a shiny, blue object was unearthed.

No sooner had the object come out of the ground, then it darted away in a nimble motion, shooting into the air.

"Wow, it's..."

Amidst a chorus of astonished cries, a black shadow flashed by, capturing the agile blue object mid-air. Immediately after, a figure leaped up, snatched the black shadow, and then drifted down to the outskirts of the crowd.

The one who had acted was none other than Bai Shuchuan, and the black shadow was a black bag he had thrown out in a hurry.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang looked at each other in the eyes, both revealing surprise. That bastard's reflexes were swift, certainly not undermining the reputation of the number one sect in Sheng Province.

"Quick, take it out and let's see what it looks like."

His comrades rushed over, urging him on, having never seen the real thing before.

Bai Shuchuan picked up the black cloth bag and shook it, then felt it through the bag, chuckling, "As expected, it stops moving after it's shielded from light."

Then he reached into the bag, slowly pulled out a shiny blue object, pinching it between three fingers, and showed it off to everyone, "It's moving, but not very strongly. Strange, I wonder how it flies—how it could take off so fast."

The shiny blue object wasn't very big, just slightly smaller than a chicken egg. It was pointed at both ends, shuttle-shaped, but also faceted. Overall, it looked like a sapphire, but with a more lustrous and glittering surface—a deep, profound blue mixed with the surrounding facets, which was very attractive.

After testing the crystal's strength, Bai Shuchuan felt confident and suddenly let go of it.

The crystal, now free, immediately tried to escape but was restrained mid-air by Bai Shuchuan's distant grasping force. He then retracted it and held it in mid-air with both hands, giving the crystal some relative freedom. It began to rotate swiftly in the confined space, bumping around but unable to break through that invisible controlling force.

Finally, everyone got a clear view of the true movement of the Insect Extreme Crystal, an eye-opening spectacle.

Before long, Bai Shuchuan grabbed the crystal again and stuffed it back into the black bag. He tied the mouth of the bag and slung it around his waist, then cheerfully announced to everyone, "The first one is in hand."

Suddenly, someone stepped forward, "We found this."

A few who had been squatting on the ground discussing stood up together.

Bai Shuchuan burst into laughter at this, "You didn't even touch it, how can it be yours? Just by seeing it with your eyes? Everyone here is not blind. If I hadn't acted in time, this Insect Extreme Crystal would've escaped long ago. Now gentlemen, do you mean to bully and rob by force? Let me tell you, I enjoy dealing with the likes of you who act tough!"

As he spoke, his companions also slowly formed up around him.

The five men obviously had no clue who Bai Shuchuan was, but then again, with so many sects in Sheng Province, who could recognize them all?

Still, the five men were sensible enough to quickly apologize and then they slinked away, causing Bai Shuchuan and the others to roar with laughter.

It was just a bit of excitement. Everyone didn't take it to heart, and the group continued on their way.

The people who had arrived at the same spot began to disperse even more, and gradually, there seemed to be fewer and fewer people around.

Shi Chun, who occasionally looked back, discovered that Sun Shigang and his group had vanished, and he became a bit anxious. After much thought, he approached Bian Weiyin, tugged at her sleeve, and gestured for a word in private.

Bian Weiyin didn't know what he was up to but remembered the previous comment that brought on group mockery. She slowed her pace and stepped aside from the group with Shi Chun.

Once they were apart from the group, Bian Weiyin asked discontentedly, "Why the secrecy?"

Shi Chun said, "Sister, now that we are inside, isn't it time to share some immobilization charms with us?"

Bian Weiyin became suspicious and sized him up, "With so many people in our team protecting you, what's the hurry?"

Shi Chun pleaded earnestly, "My dear sister, my kind sister, we've already obtained an Insect Extreme Crystal here, which many have seen. In Sheng Province, Jieyun Mountain is someone significant, but not so in the grand Shengshen Continent, right? In case anything happens, you may not be afraid, but I'm just at the Initial Martial Realm. I need to have some ability to protect myself, don't I? I can't always hide behind your backside when there's trouble, not to mention you don't have that big of a backside either. I can't always duck behind others' backs. After all, I'm now a disciple of Wukang Mountain. If I'm always mocked, it doesn't reflect well on Wukang Mountain, and neither does it flatter you, right? Give some to us, so we can have some peace of mind."

Wu Jinliang, hearing the talk of buttocks, felt uncomfortable all over and spat out, "What nonsensical rubbish are you spouting?"

Shi Chun raised his hand and said, "I know talismans are very expensive, I promise, the talisman is only for emergencies; I definitely won't use it recklessly and will hand them all back to Senior Sister afterwards."

In any case, he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. He was amenable now, but if he still didn't get his way, he would have to resort to underhanded methods.

Forget it, Bian Weiyin didn't want to get entangled with him any longer, mainly because what he said made some sense.

Immediately, she had Shi Chun turn away and took out a few immobilization charms from her bulging travel bag.

Wukang Mountain also had storage magic artifacts, but those things were too expensive, and it wouldn't be worth losing them.

Any magic artifact related to spatial ability is extremely expensive in the Cultivation World; no sect would allow its lower-tier disciples to bring them to such an event because they could backfire, making the attending disciples targets of collective animosity.

Bian Weiyin divided the talismans she had counted into several shares, giving one to Shi Chun and strictly instructed, "Remember what you said, don't use them recklessly, and hand over all the remaining ones after the event."

"Yes, yes, yes." Shi Chun hurriedly agreed, and checked to find three third-grade immobilization charms, and two second-grade ones.

He was just about to say that it seemed a bit too few when Bian Weiyin had already turned away.

When Bian Weiyin returned to the group, she stuffed a share into the hands of Wu Jinliang and Xiang Laner as well, coupled with a similar warning, urging them to avoid using the talismans unless necessary and to return all remaining ones afterwards.

Shi Chun saw this, and once Bian Weiyin moved over to Bai Shuchuan and his group, he immediately had Wu Jinliang check the number and grade of the talismans, finding they were the same as his own.

"That's about right," Shi Chun muttered to himself and gave a slight nod.

Wu Jinliang caught the signal. With the talismans in hand, it was time to proceed with the escape plan.

In fact, he was somewhat confused – was escaping now a bit too early? As far as he could tell, they were still safe.

Before long, the sky gradually darkened.

When they entered, it was already evening.

As the leader, Bai Shuchuan raised his hand and shouted to everyone, "Folks, night has fallen. The three months we have don't depend on an hour's delay; let's rest here tonight, regain our spirits, and plan as well. Consider today as an adjustment to the environment. Tomorrow, we'll officially begin a structured search."

"Okay."

"Sure, let's rest here."

Many echoed in agreement.

Then, the leaders of the various sects gathered to discuss something. Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were looking around, gauging the environment and figuring out how to escape when they noticed Bai Shuchuan, who was engaged in the discussion, pointing at them.

Both felt it couldn't be anything good; they just didn't know what kind of trouble it would be.

Sure enough, after the discussion ended, Bian Weiyin approached the two and hesitated slightly but still made the point, "Resting on the spot means we must set up a vigil. Some from each sect will be picked for perimeter guard duty, and you two will represent Wukang Mountain."

She didn't say it was Bai Shuchuan who personally nominated them. Bai Shuchuan had said that these two good-for-nothings had been well protected by everyone; they ought to contribute some effort.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang breathed a sigh of relief. They thought it was something more serious – just this? Normally, they might have been displeased, but as they were already contemplating escape, it couldn't have come at a better time.

The two promptly agreed without being deferential or aloof.

Nearby, Xiang Laner spoke up, "Count me in for the night watch too."

Bian Weiyin replied, "No need, two people are enough."

Xiang Laner wasn't nominated on the other side, and she could tell – Bai Shuchuan looked favorably upon Xiang Laner and continually showed her special attention.

Afterward, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang went to Bai Shuchuan's side to wait for instructions.

A group of about twenty from the various sects had been gathered, and Bai Shuchuan dispersed everyone around the resting area, ordering them to hide in ambush, pair up, and to immediately sound an alarm if they encountered anything.

The sky turned completely dark, the stars brilliantly dotted the night, soothing to the soul.

Xiang Laner, sitting on the ground, looked up at the starry sky. She wouldn't forget Sun Shigang's instructions, but she hesitated on how to lure Shi Chun and the other away, or should she expose their covert guard location right now?

Little did she know, that hiding spot was already vacant.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang had no sooner arrived at their designated spot than they left without a moment's delay, boldly walking off with their swords.

The only thing Wu Jinliang left at the guard post was a glob of spit – "Guard your grandma's mouth."

Once they were far away, Wu Jinliang sensed something amiss, "Chun Tian, it feels like we've circled back. What are we doing?"

Shi Chun replied, "I can't swallow the anger from that Sun surname calling you a big dumb oaf; I'm going to avenge you."

"Ah, what…" Wu Jinliang was a bit stunned, then looked skeptical, "For real? Seeking revenge in the dead of night, where will we find him?"

Shi Chun answered, "Easy to find. He should be trailing us. If we follow this direction, we'll catch him. Once we do, slap the immobilization charm on him and turn him over. Didn't you want to spoil his mouth? Once we catch him, you can have your fill."

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