Volume Three: Rising Fame - Chapter 101: The Final Destination

"Some things, whether you see them or not, whether you want to look at them or not, undeniably exist all the same!"

Qing Yuan stirred the withered branches in the fire with a twig.

"Are you lecturing me?" Li Yu asked somewhat discontentedly, his voice turning chilly.

"Not at all. Just making a casual remark, don't overthink it!"

"..."

Wen Xiangxuan watched the two of them from the side, looking as though they were about to come to blows. She felt a helpless mix of frustration, yet dared not intervene: she could beat neither of them!

Still, she had figured out a few things. A barrier certainly still existed between them, but constrained by the circumstances of this secret realm, while the two of them would bicker from time to time, it never escalated into any real trouble.

Though Qing Yuan's tongue was sharp, every single jab hit Li Yu right in his soft spots. Clearly, he was trying to use this method to change Li Yu's mindset!

Speaking of soft spots... Wen Xiangxuan had to admit to herself that although Li Yu's strength was enough to astound countless people, his temperament was riddled with flaws—full of holes!

Too soft!

That was the most fatal flaw Wen Xiangxuan had discovered after such a long period of contact... Yet precisely because of this trait, they had managed to survive in Li Yu's hands back then, and even chosen to follow him afterward.

Therefore, even though she was well aware of this weakness of his, it wasn't her place to bring it up casually!

Li Yu watched Qing Yuan roasting exotic beast ribs with an indifferent expression, grinding his teeth in irritation. Yet in his heart, he understood that because of recent events, Qing Yuan's perception of him had somewhat shifted.

That was why, over the past few days, the fellow had been uttering all sorts of strange, high-and-mighty remarks, with the underlying intention—unsurprisingly—being 'for his own good'...

However, much like parents driving their children relentlessly to study hard—even if the intention is genuinely for the child's benefit—it doesn't mean the child can readily accept such kindness!

Li Yu knew his own situation best.

As someone hailing from Blue Star, the cultural and systemic differences between the two worlds were vast. Many things were simply beyond his acceptance. On the other hand, even if he knew in his heart what the correct course of action was, it didn't mean he could just bring himself to do it!

He could hardly be considered a good person, yet neither could he ever become a true villain!

*Hum!*

Just as his thoughts were wandering, he suddenly felt a wave of vibration emanate from his waist.

Li Yu took out the token. At this moment, it was emitting a faint tremor. Under his gaze, a soft white light surged from the token, weaving above it as a voice echoed directly from within.

"The Final Ground has been opened. Everyone, proceed there immediately. Two days from now, all non-local entities will be exterminated without exception!"

"Repeating: two days from now, the Trial Ground will be cleansed. All outsiders must head to the Final Ground immediately!"

Looking around, every single token in the vicinity was glowing and vibrating.

"So it's a real-time map!"

After a moment, Li Yu watched as the radiance on the token subsided, shifting and swirling until it transformed into a flat map upon the surface. A red dot marked his current position, alongside a gleaming white dot.

Clearly, that white dot indicated the location of the Final Ground!

"Young Master!" Wen Xiangxuan tucked her token away and hurried over to Li Yu's side.

"What is it?" Li Yu examined the token for a moment before looking up with curious eyes.

Xing Chengping chimed in, "What are the Young Master's thoughts on this Final Ground?"不知何时，他也凑到了一边。 (Unknown to when, he too had drifted over.)

"..." Li Yu pondered for a moment before slowly replying, "I think you can look at it lying down or sitting down—whatever posture feels most comfortable for you!"

Amidst the helpless gazes of the group, Li Yu straightened his expression and said, "I'm not omnipotent, you know. I know just as much about this Final Ground as all of you do!"

With that, he gestured toward the token with a chuckle. "Look, I only know the location and the time limit, just like you. However, I've thought of something rather fun. I wonder if any of you would be interested?"

Seeing Li Yu point at the token, the others had initially smiled, but upon hearing his sudden proposition, they exchanged uncertain glances, wondering what kind of mischief he was cooking up now. After looking around at each other, Wen Xiangxuan stepped forward to ask.

"Does the Young Master intend to make a move at the Final Ground?"

Still the one who understands me best!

Li Yu nodded, a brilliant light flashing in his eyes as he looked around at the crowd, his voice ringing clear. "I've checked—everyone's Final Ground location is identical. That being the case, it's likely that all the participants will converge on the exact same spot..."

Behind Li Yu, Qing Yuan's eyes flashed with sudden realization as he chimed in excitedly, "So you mean we can... camp at the entrance of the Final Ground?!"

An uproar instantly broke out among the people below.

Xing Chengping was the first to regain his composure. He calmly calculated, "There's a time limit, so we might actually be able to ambush people and snatch their scores. But won't that be overdoing it?"

If it provoked a joint backlash from everyone, it would undoubtedly become a formidable problem!

"Young Master, you, me, and Qing Yuan make four Fifth-Rank cultivators..." Wen Xiangxuan said, her eyes filled with excitement as she calculated, "If we play our cards right and team up with a few more squads of Fifth-Rank cultivators, this might genuinely be a brilliant spot for waiting for easy prey!"

"No! Just our current group will do!" Li Yu directly rejected the idea. "You've got it wrong. The Final Ground is already open; those who are closer will inevitably enter first, so our pressure won't be as heavy as you imagine!"

"Besides, you need to have confidence in me!" Li Yu swept his gaze across the circle and smiled.

Hearing this, not a single voice of dissent was raised.

*'Such incredible prestige!'*

Standing in the back, Qing Yuan mused inwardly.

He was certain that although Li Yu's words carried the weight of a final verdict, these gathered people were not silent out of fear of oppression. On the contrary, it was precisely because they trusted Li Yu that no one raised any further objections!

"Then let's make preparations and head over tomorrow morning to wait for easy prey!"

Li Yu waved his hand, signaling everyone to disperse.

Afterward, pondering for a moment, he pulled out his token and stared blankly at the score displayed upon it. "104 points. With fewer than eight hundred people entering this time, it means the score I'm holding accounts for a full eighth of the total points in this trial!"

Li Yu calculated mentally: everyone started with 1 base point, and combined with the tokens contained within various exotic beasts, there were at least 900 points total in the secret realm.

However, not all of these points could be accounted for. Some people inevitably died by accident, meaning their scores were lost; moreover, some exotic beasts carrying tokens might remain hidden and undiscovered, leaving their respective scores lost in the wild as well.

"In other words, if my score can reach 200, I'm basically guaranteed success. Who knows what the situation in the Final Ground will be like? It's best to gather as many points as possible before we step in!"

With a flip of his hand, the token vanished back to his waist.

Watching the bustling crowd going about their preparations, he narrowed his eyes and murmured, "Let's bring this to a swift close... There are still matters back on Blue Star that need dealing with!"