Mingyi wasn't a greedy person, truly. It's just that after her fall from grace, her desire for money had grown slightly—just a tiny bit stronger.
And it was precisely this tiny bit that made her agree to serve as Muxing's team sparring partner once more, especially since Qin Shangwu had offered five hundred thousand Shell Coins this time.
Five hundred thousand, my friends—that's equivalent to a hundred thousand scallion pancakes, enough to circle her estate thirty times.
Mingyi immediately set off with them to the training grounds prepared by Flying Blossom City.
Since elite Fighters from various cities had gathered for this event, Flying Blossom City didn’t dare open the gates of its inner courtyard. Instead, they chose a secluded green mountain in the outskirts and set up an expansive Nether Domain. It was said the other teams were still resting at the inn, so Qin Shangwu led his group here first, intending to squeeze in an extra training session.
However, the moment Ji Bozhai stepped into the Nether Domain, his expression shifted.
He stopped the others behind him and suddenly asked Qin Shangwu, "Who was the one who delivered the news about the other teams earlier?"
Qin Shangwu was taken aback. "Who else could it be? Just the Flying Blossom City guards stationed at the foot of the mountain during our scouting trip."
"The same two we just met?"
After carefully recalling their appearances, Qin Shangwu’s face also changed. "No."
They weren’t the same people.
A light breeze rose, carrying with it a faint trace of killing intent.
By the time Ji Bozhai thought to warn the others to retreat, it was already too late. The disturbance of entering the Nether Domain had marked them as targets, and an overwhelming pressure suddenly bore down on them from all directions.
"Go!" he barked, pointing in a specific direction.
Mingyi reacted the fastest. Though she was still carrying her heavy tool basket, she moved swiftly and silently, darting three zhang away in the blink of an eye.
The others, seeing this, didn’t hesitate either and immediately sprinted after her.
Starting off by revealing their position was far from ideal. As Mingyi ran in the direction Ji Bozhai had indicated, she quickly pulled out several ordinary Divine Tools and used her Essence Power to scatter them around.
Luo Jiaoyang, thinking she had thrown something dangerous, even rolled to the ground to dodge. But when he looked up, all he saw were those Divine Tools landing in the distance, glowing faintly before inflating like oxhide bags—swelling, deflating, then swelling again, emitting loud, rhythmic noises like heavy breathing.
This? He frowned, but before he could speak, several streaks of Essence Power shot toward them from afar and violently exploded upon impact with the Divine Tools.
The flames soared a full zhang high, instantly forcing them to hold their breaths and carefully conceal themselves behind their Shields as they followed Ji Bozhai forward.
Ji Bozhai glanced back at Mingyi, his expression softening slightly, before leading the entire team—including Qin Shangwu—into a dense thicket of flowers.
The flower thickets of Flying Blossom City weren’t just ankle-high. Instead, they formed vast, towering groves, with the tallest blossoms reaching three zhang, blotting out the sky and creating an extremely complex battlefield. Fortunately, they had scouted the area beforehand and knew the general layout. Unfortunately, it seemed they were being targeted by the other four cities.
Flying Blossom City, as the host, had yet to make an appearance, while the Fighters from the other cities had come fully prepared, lying in wait for them. Even with Mingyi’s Divine Tools serving as decoys, they soon ran into Chasing Moon City’s team.
The battle erupted instantly. Ji Bozhai stood at the forefront, shielding the others, while Luo Jiaoyang and the rest quickly fell into their practiced formations, each engaging their opponents."There's another group approaching from the northwest," Mingyi whispered. "Their tactics resemble those of Newgrass City."
Qin Shangwu gave her a surprised glance. If not for the urgency of the situation, he would have asked how she could tell.
Ji Bozhai didn't hesitate to cast a light barrier ahead before quickly instructing Mingyi, "Block their path. We're heading south."
Mingyi nodded and moved to the rear of the group.
Chu He looked at her with concern. "Miss Ming is a woman, she shouldn't be left at the back—"
Before he could finish, he saw dozens of "Pear Blossom" projectiles fly from her hands, exploding simultaneously before the opposing team. Countless poisoned needles clattered in the wind like bamboo groves, creating crisp metallic sounds.
Without turning her head, Mingyi even gave him a push, sternly saying, "Move quickly. There's no room for distraction here."
Snapping back to reality, Chu He hurried to catch up with the others.
Moving through the dense vegetation would make too much noise, so Ji Bozhai stepped onto an Essence Power-formed longsword to fly. This method consumed significant Essence Power, but with no alternative to avoid pursuit, everyone had to follow suit.
Chu He glanced back at Mingyi, only to see her mounting the sword with even more practiced ease than Fan Yao. With a graceful flick of her sleeve, she soared back to position herself slightly behind and to Ji Bozhai's left.
While the others showed signs of panic during this encounter, Mingyi remained composed, calmly relaying information to Ji Bozhai: "Newgrass City fighters excel in this terrain. They typically ambush in seemingly flat grassy areas—stay alert."
"Your prominence at the welcoming banquet made you a target. They came a day early to ambush and intimidate you. While not life-threatening, seriously injuring you would give them an advantage in tomorrow's competition."
"Our team coordination is still weak—direct confrontation would expose our flaws. Flanking them for surprise attacks and taking them out individually is our best strategy."
The way she matter-of-factly suggested "surprise attacks" made Ji Bozhai smirk. "No shame in that?"
Mingyi looked at him like he was an idiot. "Would you rather keep your pride or your life?"
The night in Flying Blossom City was starless and pitch black. He had to strain his eyes to make out her faint silhouette, its edges tinged with an ethereal blue glow.
As serene as pines in an empty valley.
Pursing his lips and lowering his gaze, he refocused as he watched her use Star River Sunset to detect nearby enemies armed with Divine Tools, then subtly maneuver toward them.
The Newgrass City team had coordinated with Moonchase City—Moonchase would engage first to drain Ji Bozhai's Essence Power, leaving Newgrass to finish the job.
But while they watched the fire from across the river, the flames suddenly vanished before their eyes.
Several figures crouched in the grass, probing their surroundings with Essence Power, when an icy chill ran down their spines. They barely had time to draw their swords to parry the sabers coming from behind.
Fan Yao's first strike notched his opponent's blade, and his follow-up swing sent the weapon flying.
Other Newgrass fighters, realizing their position was compromised, scrambled to regroup. Just as they were about to complete their formation, a Mystic Dragon charged through, cutting off their path.
Seizing the moment, Luo Jiaoyang delivered a sharp chop to the back of one fighter's neck.
The man's eyes rolled back as he was instantly enveloped by the Nether Domain—eliminated.
"That's how it's done!" Luo Jiaoyang exclaimed excitedly. "Quick, strike their necks!"Before the words had even faded, a dark figure rose behind him and struck a vicious blow to the back of his neck.
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