"I see. This is imaginable. This mountain range is originally very wide - even placing three trials here would be completely possible." Lin Yi lowered his head in contemplation.
"Then let's go scout. If they allow it, we'll directly enter the venue to observe..." Nangong Tianming said.
"This has already been scouted. They seem to allow looking around nearby but can't go deep. This seems to be a benefit for us early arrivals - we can gain a little advantage." Nangong Suxin said.
"Then what are we waiting for? Everyone go now."
"Yes, all depart. Mo Yu, where are you going?" Nangong Suxin discovered Young Miss passing in front of her. When she had just notified Young Miss, Young Miss clearly said she wasn't interested, but now she appeared here.
"Going to find Seventh Sister. Someone said she seemed to have already gone to that mountain..." Young Miss replied without any pause and left.
"..."
It seems Lone Star had long gone to check the situation, and we seem to have fallen behind again.
This Lone Star would apparently be our greatest rival - or perhaps shouldn't be called rival, because she simply wasn't in our class. Her strength was a notch higher, and her quick reactions were also a notch higher.
She was just a bit solitary, didn't cooperate with others, and didn't like talking.
Wait, what was I still thinking? She had already gone to check the situation early on. What I needed to do now was go immediately, otherwise I'd fall behind again.
So Nangong Suxin also said nothing and directly left. After the people behind were stunned for a while, they immediately followed to check the situation.
After Nangong Suxin and others all left, some people in Wolong Town also left with the same purpose. What remained were those who hadn't rested enough and those who completely didn't take this trial seriously.
The second and third-place finishers from before didn't go. Their identities weren't comparable to Young Miss and others either - second place was Heavenly Wind Kingdom's Fourth Prince, while third place was Great General's son Li Yuan.
This time there weren't just princes and great generals' sons, but also princesses, county princesses, and daughters of military families. Among them, County Princess Ling Lan was even ninth in this trial, one place ahead of Young Miss, while Princess Ke Xin was also twentieth.
Those who could be here didn't rely on connections to enter. Though they had privileges and didn't need to compete for quotas, from now on, these princes and princesses were no different from ordinary people, without any rights to add points for themselves.
However, whether they had used official power beforehand, no one knew.
At this time, the Fourth Prince smiled coldly, holding a blueprint in his hands. If the examiners of this Dragon Gate Tournament were here, they would definitely be surprised - surprised that the blueprint in the Fourth Prince's hands was identical to the design drawings in their hands. Who had leaked it?
However, even if they knew this, they probably wouldn't ask much. Princes had many ways to obtain this - after all, they were princes and always had privileges.
Though this was somewhat unfair, who would uphold justice about this?
Actually, even having blueprints wasn't very useful - just having a little convenience. Anywhere would have tests that wouldn't disappear just because you had blueprints.
This was also why people were allowed to look - they simply weren't afraid of being observed. Even if you were familiar with the terrain here, you'd still face the tests you should have.
So actually, the most important thing these two days wasn't scouting but resting and preparing for battle.
Regarding this point, Lone Star and Nangong Suxin also quickly realized it. Others were the same - all returned to rest and prepare because even if they hadn't discovered this point, they couldn't see anything else anyway. Better to return and rest.
Another day passed, and people from behind also arrived successively. Though the first trial was arduous, seemingly not one person was eliminated. Even the latest arrived before noon on the seventh day.
However, though none were eliminated, the gap in strength was also very obvious. Those who arrived later basically had no chance of qualifying unless miracles occurred.
After noon, it didn't start immediately. People were given a chance to rest first - the second trial would begin the next morning.
The next morning, everyone gathered at Wolong Town's central square. The location of this trial would be announced here. Though everyone basically already knew this, they still had to go through the motions.
"Seventh Sister, why hasn't Xiaoyao appeared yet? Has Chi Chi brought any reply?" Young Miss asked. If Xiaoyao and Chi Chi wanted to return, they would definitely find Lone Star first, not her - she was very clear about this.
"No." Lone Star shook her head, seeming a bit worried too, but quickly returned to normal.
"What's wrong with this guy? It's been so long - why hasn't he appeared? Is he planning to appear only after we finish?" Young Miss said somewhat complainingly.
"Appearing after finishing wouldn't be a problem either. There's nothing here that would trouble him. He said he had work, so let him focus on his tasks." Lone Star said calmly. What she disliked most was troubling Xiaoyao. What she could complete herself, she absolutely wouldn't let Xiaoyao handle.
Regarding this trial, it tested her personal strength. In her view, Xiaoyao didn't need to come take care of her at all, though she also wanted Xiaoyao cheering on the side.
But if Xiaoyao was really busy, she naturally wouldn't trouble him. She would just perform well for Xiaoyao to see.
"Don't know where he's working either. Really, having already left the Mo family, who could still make him work? If it's just for wages, I can give him those." Young Miss was still somewhat unhappy.
"Hey, Mo Yu, what exactly do you want that little servant to come do? Serve you, or do you want him to see your efforts? If it's the latter, you should want my Third Sister to see more. Don't forget you're still pursuing my Third Sister." Nangong Suxin found it strange, discovering Young Miss seemed to care about Xiaoyao more than her Third Sister.
Looking at the situation, this Young Miss was just playing around. Regarding wooing girls, she was just talking without really caring much.
Because of this, Nangong Suxin instead reminded Young Miss to pay attention and not mistake her target.
"That's right. Why should I care about that guy? That guy will probably appear soon - he's that type of person. When people least expect it, he appears." Young Miss said, still talking about Xiaoyao, seemingly not thinking she should deal with her Third Miss.
"Yes, I believe that." Nangong Suxin said.
"Hmph."
Just as Young Miss and her group were talking, someone suddenly gave a cold snort, staring at Young Miss and Nangong Suxin with a very displeased expression.
"Hey hey, Nangong Suxin, your enemy?" Young Miss said directly. She could feel that hostility from the other party.
"No, it might be your enemy." Nangong Suxin looked once, then frowned.
"Strange. Not your enemy, not mine either - then why is he looking at us so displeasedly?" Young Miss was very puzzled. She wasn't very prominent and wasn't very hateful either. If it were about Nangong Suxin, that would be possible - she was more annoying.
Of course, Nangong Suxin had the same thoughts as Young Miss, so she felt it was a bit strange. "I know this person - he's the Fourth Prince. He arrived ahead of me, ranking second. Could he be displeased with Lone Star?"
"Should be, but why do I feel he's targeting you and me, not Lone Star?" Young Miss was somewhat puzzled.
"Might be an illusion..." Nangong Suxin said.
If this Fourth Prince was displeased with Lone Star, that would be completely understandable. But regarding Nangong Suxin and Young Miss, especially Young Miss who was far behind the Fourth Prince - how could she make the Fourth Prince displeased?
This matter was a bit strange.
Nangong Suxin felt her intuition wouldn't be wrong - this Fourth Prince was targeting herself and Young Miss. Because of this, she developed a secret wariness toward the Fourth Prince.
As for Young Miss, with her thick nerves, she felt what just happened was an illusion and completely ignored it.
"I'm very happy to see everyone here, but don't be too happy. What came before was just a small trial - what follows is the main point. Soon we'll take you to a place. There, I'll explain the rules to you."
This place was indeed at that location. However, at this time, everyone gathered in front of a memorial archway - a temporarily built archway with four characters: Trial Entrance.
"Alright, this is it. From entering this entrance, your trial begins. If you can exit from the exit, that means you've achieved victory and will directly enter the continental eastern district competition."
"There are several details to remind everyone. This will be divided into three stages. The first stage is very simple - you just need to break through. For the second stage, you need to find things like this inside."
While speaking, the examiner took out a bronze token and showed it to everyone.
"You only need one of these each. As long as you find one and exit the second stage, you pass. One thing to remind you - there are only one hundred of these tokens."
One hundred? That meant at most only one hundred people could pass the second stage, regardless of how many were eliminated in the first stage.
"As for the third stage, that depends on your luck. There will be gatekeepers, and as long as you gain recognition, you can pass. Those who complete all three stages can proceed."
It seemed the third stage was the real test - surely there would be masters as gatekeepers, then verifying strength one by one.
At this time, almost no one thought the first stage would be any difficult problem. They all believed this first stage should be the simplest, passable at any time.
(End of Chapter)