Chapter 62 Wind Wolf Valley

"Qin Lie, Lin Qing'er," Shen Lian thought to himself, "What are they doing here?"

At the top of the cliff, Qin Lie spoke first: "Miss Lin, I discovered the 'Soul-Gathering Grass' here first, so according to the rules, it should belong to me."

Lin Qing'er said in a cold voice, "If we're talking about who arrived first, I was a quarter of an hour earlier than you."

"Oh?" Qin Lie raised an eyebrow. "So, what does Miss Lin mean?"

"It's simple," Lin Qing'er said calmly. "Let's have a friendly spar, and the winner will take the 'Soul-Gathering Grass.' How about it?"

A fighting spirit flashed in Qin Lie's eyes: "Just what I wanted."

The two exchanged a glance, and the next moment they sprang into action.

Qin Lie swept his longsword horizontally, the strike as fast as thunder, aimed straight at Lin Qing'er's face.

Lin Qing'er held the jade flute to her lips, and a clear flute sound rang out, with visible sound waves spreading out and colliding with the sword energy.

Chi Chi Chi!

The blade energy and sound waves annihilated each other, creating ripples in the air.

Qin Lie's eyes narrowed, and his sword technique suddenly changed. His longsword transformed into countless cold stars, enveloping Lin Qing'er. He was using the Qin family's ultimate technique, the "Azure Dragon Sword Technique"!

Lin Qing'er gracefully retreated, playing her jade flute continuously. The notes formed a melody, and the sound waves transformed into an invisible barrier, blocking all the sword flashes.

The two exchanged blows extremely quickly, and in the blink of an eye, they had already gone through thirty moves, yet neither could gain the upper hand.

Chu Wen watched from under the tree, his heart pounding with fear.

"Is this the strength of Qingzhou Prefecture's top geniuses?" Chu Wen was secretly shocked.

Both Qin Lie's swordsmanship and Lin Qing'er's sonic attacks have reached a state of perfection. If he were to take the field, he probably wouldn't last more than twenty moves.

On the cliff top, the battle reached its climax.

Qin Lie roared, his aura surging. A blue light emanated from his longsword, its blade flashing like a dragon, soaring straight into the sky.

"Azure Dragon Breaks!"

Lin Qing'er's expression changed slightly. She spun her jade flute rapidly, playing seven consecutive notes. The sound waves overlapped, forming an invisible shield.

boom!

The blade clashed with the sonic shield, unleashing a deafening roar.

Rock fragments flew from the cliff top, and most of the mist was dispersed. The two retreated simultaneously; Qin Lie took five steps back, and Lin Qing'er took seven.

The difference in quality has been determined.

"You flatter me." Qin Lie sheathed his sword, his breathing slightly disordered.

Lin Qing'er's face was pale, but her expression remained aloof: "Young Master Qin's swordsmanship is divine; Qing'er admires it. The Soul-Gathering Grass is yours."

After saying that, she turned to leave.

"Wait a minute," Qin Lie suddenly spoke up, "Miss Lin, the trial still has four days left, and going alone is too risky. How about we cooperate for now?"

Lin Qing'er paused, turning back to look at Qin Lie: "Cooperation?"

"That's right." Qin Lie said seriously, "You should have heard that Chu Chunqiu and Xiao Chen have joined forces. Both of them are at the fifth level of the Heavenly Realm. If they were to fight one-on-one, neither of us would be a match for them. But if we join forces, we will at least have a fighting chance."

Lin Qing'er pondered for a moment: "Cooperation is fine, but I want half of the Soul-Gathering Grass."

Qin Lie frowned: "This..."

"Young Master Qin, although the Soul-Gathering Grass is only a second-tier spiritual herb, it is of great benefit to my sonic wave technique," Lin Qing'er said calmly. "If you agree, I will cooperate with you. If you do not agree, we will go our separate ways."

Qin Lie pondered for a long time before finally nodding, "Alright, half it is."

The two reached an agreement and began harvesting the Soul-Gathering Grass.

Shen Lian quietly climbed down the tree and told everyone what had happened.

"Chu Chunqiu and Xiao Chen have joined forces?" Chu Wen's expression was solemn. "Both of them are at the fifth level of the Heavenly Realm. If they really join forces, I'm afraid no one can defeat them."

Lin Feng coldly replied, "So what? If you can't beat them, just avoid them."

"Brother Lin is right." Shen Lian nodded. "Our goal is to enter the top ten. There's no need to go head-to-head with top geniuses. We'll go up to the bottom of the cliff to find the cave after they finish collecting the Soul-Gathering Grass and leave."

After an incense stick's time, Qin Lie and Lin Qing'er left Broken Soul Cliff and disappeared into the mist.

Shen Lian and his three companions then appeared and quickly arrived at the bottom of the cliff.

Sure enough, there were several natural caves at the bottom of the cliff. The largest one was about two zhang high and more than ten zhang deep. The cave was dry and had a clear spring.

"This is it," Shen Lian said with satisfaction. "The entrance is narrow, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. There is a water source inside, so we can hold out for a long time."

Chu Wen set up guard posts at the cave entrance, Chen Yun and Lin Feng inspected the cave interior, while Shen Lian climbed up the cliff and set up observation points at several key locations.

Everything was arranged before nightfall.

A campfire was lit inside the cave, and the four people sat around it, taking stock of the day's harvest.

Six silver moon wolf pelts, twenty-four claws, and one inner core. Combined with materials from other monsters hunted along the way, the total value exceeded eight hundred taels.

More importantly, it's about points.

Shen Lian: 412 points

Lin Feng: 238 points

Chen Yun: 205 points

Chu Wen: 197 points

"At this rate, Brother Shen's score may exceed six hundred by the end of the trial," Chu Wen calculated. "That will break the record for Qinghe County."

Shen Lian shook his head: "It's not enough. Top geniuses like Qin Lie and Lin Qing'er will only get higher scores. And the competition will become more intense as the trial progresses. We must remain vigilant."

Chen Yun said softly, "Senior Brother Shen, do you think that if Chu Chunqiu and Xiao Chen join forces, they might target others?"

Shen Lian said with a solemn expression, "It is highly likely that for them, hunting monsters is far less practical than stealing points from other participants. Their target is undoubtedly those ranked at the top of the leaderboard."

Lin Feng snorted coldly, "Then let them come."

"We must not be careless," Chu Wen warned. "Chu Chunqiu is a once-in-a-century genius of the Chu family, and it is said that he has mastered the family's 'Overlord Spear Technique.' Xiao Chen is the heir of the Xiao family in Qingzhou Prefecture, with countless resources and unfathomable strength."

Silence fell over the cave, broken only by the crackling of the campfire.

After a long silence, Shen Lian spoke: "Tonight, we'll take turns keeping watch, in pairs. Starting tomorrow, we'll hunt Wind Wolves, centering on Soul-Severing Cliff. Remember, try to avoid other participants. Avoid conflict unless absolutely necessary."

"clear."

……

The fog dissipated slightly the following morning.

Shen Lian emerged from the cave and climbed to the observation point on the cliff face. The rising sun pierced through the gray mist, casting dappled light and shadows through the forest. In the distant valley, a silver-gray figure could be vaguely seen moving about.

"The habitat of the wind wolves should be over there," Shen Lian said, pointing to the valley to the northeast.

Chu Wen checked the map: "That's 'Wind Wolf Valley,' marked on the map as 'home to a large number of second-tier demonic beasts.' If we can take it, our points will skyrocket."

"The risks are also high." Lin Feng analyzed calmly, "Group-living monsters must have a leader, at least a third-tier one."

Chen Yun said worriedly, "A third-tier demon beast is equivalent to a fifth-level martial artist. Even if the four of us join forces, we probably won't be able to deal with it."

Shen Lian pondered for a moment: "Let's scout first. If the leader isn't here, or if we can lure him out, we'll have a chance."

With the plan set, the four of them had a simple meal and then headed towards Wind Wolf Valley.

Wind Wolf Valley is about ten miles from Soul-Severing Cliff. The terrain is low-lying, with steep mountain walls on both sides and a narrow entrance, making it easy to enter but difficult to exit. Even before getting close, one can already hear the howling of wolves rising and falling.

Shen Lian told the three to wait outside the valley, while he climbed up the left side of the mountain wall to overlook the valley.

Hundreds of wind wolves were active in the valley. They were slightly smaller than silver moon wolves but faster, with bluish-gray fur that blended almost perfectly with the mist. Most were second-tier, with combat strength between 20 and 30.

Deep within the valley, a giant wolf, nearly ten feet long, lay on a rock. The wolf was entirely silver-white, with a golden stripe on its forehead and amber eyes, exuding an air of majesty.

[Combat Strength]: 45~55

Shen Lian's heart skipped a beat: "The Golden-Striped Wind Wolf King, a peak third-tier demonic beast, has a combat strength close to the sixth level of the Heavenly Realm."

What's more troublesome is that there are eight large wind wolves around the wolf king, each with a combat strength between 35 and 45, equivalent to the fourth level of heaven.

"A direct assault would be certain death," Shen Lian quickly concluded. "We must outsmart them."

He carefully observed the terrain and discovered a narrow crevice on the west side of the valley, only wide enough for one person to pass through. At the end of the crevice was a small platform, below which lay the wolf pack's gathering place.

"I've got it." Shen Lian's eyes lit up, and he quietly retreated.

After hearing Shen Lian's reconnaissance results, Chu Wen frowned and said, "Nine wind wolves at the fourth level or above, plus a wolf king approaching the sixth level, we are indeed no match for them."

"But we can divide and conquer them." Shen Lian drew a map on the ground. "The crack on the west side is the breakthrough point. Lin Feng and Brother Chu, you two are responsible for drawing away the wolf king and the eight guards. Junior Sister Chen, you set up traps at the entrance of the crack to block the pursuing wolf pack. I will take the opportunity to hunt down the ordinary wind wolves."

Lin Feng frowned: "Lure the wolf king away? How?"

Chu Wen took out several bamboo tubes from his backpack: "These are my specially made 'exploding tubes.' When lit, they will make a loud noise that lasts for half an hour. Wind wolves have very sensitive hearing and hate this kind of sound the most."

"Okay." Lin Feng nodded. "Chu Wen and I will each take three and lure the wolves away in two different directions."

Chen Yun said worriedly, "It's too dangerous. What if they catch up with us..."

"We have a speed advantage," Chu Wen said confidently. "Although the wind wolves are fast, the terrain is complex. We can use the trees and stone pillars to maneuver around them. As long as we can hold out for a quarter of an hour, Brother Shen should be able to hunt down enough wind wolves."

Shen Lian solemnly said, "After a quarter of an hour, no matter how many we kill, I will retreat. We will meet at the entrance of the rift. If things go wrong, we will retreat immediately and not linger in battle."

The four of them split up to prepare.

Chu Wen set up tripwires and traps at the entrance to the crevice, while Chen Yun prepared a large amount of rubble to create a rockfall barrier should the wolf pack pursue them.

Everything was ready; it was already noon.

"action!"

Lin Feng and Chu Wen set off first, climbing the mountain wall like nimble cats and moving towards both sides of the valley.

Shen Lian and Chen Yun slipped into the crevice and arrived at a small platform. Fifty feet below lay the pack of wind wolves.

The waiting time felt exceptionally long.

Half an hour later, a deafening explosion suddenly rang out on the east side of the valley.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three loud bangs rang out in succession, startling the wind wolves in the valley into raising their heads.

The wolf king rose from the rock, its amber eyes sweeping eastward, and let out an angry roar. The eight guard wolves immediately responded, rushing towards the source of the sound.

Just then, an explosion was heard from the west.

The wolf king hesitated for a moment, then sent half of his guards to the west, while he himself led the remaining four guards to the east to investigate.

"Now!"