Chapter 161 Tit for Tat

The valley where the ruins were located lay to the northwest, but its exact position on the map was extremely remote. By the time Shen Qingyun and his companions approached that region, more than half a day had already passed.

Curiously, the scores of certain teams on the leaderboard had completely stopped rising.

Yan Muge's team happened to be among them.

After drawing near to the area, the pace of Shen Qingyun’s group slowed down instead.

Gazing ahead, Shen Qingyun knitted his brows slightly. "Indeed, the ruins have been exposed."

Feng Chuxun and Zhan Yan looked forward, and sure enough, they spotted numerous figures gathered together, with even more teams converging from other directions.

"Let's go over."

Shen Qingyun spoke in a calm tone. Since a meeting was inevitable sooner or later, they might as well join forces early and fight for a voice in the matter.

Swish!

Upon hearing the sound of wind-cleaving noises, some of the teams already gathered in the area turned their heads, their eyes tinged with vigilance.

"Shen Qingyun?!"

Recognizing who had arrived, quite a few people blurted out his name, though the undertones in their cries varied widely.

Without stopping, Shen Qingyun glanced briefly at them and swept straight toward a specific group.

"You're here too," Shen Qingyun said, halting in front of He Ming.

"Hearing the rumors, we came to take a look."

He Ming chuckled. Catching sight of Zhan Yan behind Shen Qingyun, he waved with a smile, "Boss, you're here as well."

Zhan Yan looked at him and said, "What are you sticking your nose into this for? With your strength, going in against those guardians is basically courting death."

"It's fine, Boss, we've heard all about it," He Ming replied. "Everyone here knows how formidable the ruin guardians are, so we've decided to temporarily join forces and go in together—weal and woe alike."

Zhan Yan wanted to retort, wanting to tell him whether numbers were actually useful here. Yet, though his mouth opened, the words that finally came out were, "Suit yourselves!"

Faced with He Ming, he simply could not bring himself to admit that they had been routed and forced to flee in utter defeat.

"So, what are your current plans?"

Shen Qingyun swept his gaze across everyone present, noting that over fifty people had gathered. Considering this contest, the Violet Firmament Academy had fielded the fewest members, while the other two major academies had deployed forces directly twice the size!

Perhaps Ye Zhong believed in quality over quantity, which explained his indifference.

He Ming let out an "hmph" and looked toward someone nearby. "You're the one who brought this up. Why don't you explain it?"

Following He Ming's gaze, Shen Qingyun saw a young man in white robes. The man was staring fixedly at him, and whether it was an illusion or not, Shen Qingyun sensed a faint, lingering hostility from him.

"Brother Yan..."

The person beside the youth nudged his shoulder.

Mu Yan snapped out of his trance, gave a light cough, and said, "Not everyone has arrived yet. Once everyone is here, I'll explain it again."

No one raised any objections to Mu Yan's words, primarily because his strength commanded it. Since nobody else said anything, Shen Qingyun had no intention of sticking his neck out either. He simply followed them like someone out for a stroll, leisurely making his way toward the valley entrance.

Before long, seven streaks of rainbow light appeared in the northern sky. Piercing through the void, boundless spiritual energy diffused across the heavens and earth, causing the expressions of most people who witnessed them to shift slightly. Among the spiritual fluctuations emitted by these seven rays, three clearly surpassed the strength of the majority present.

Under the tense gazes of the crowd, the seven streaks of light descended and came to a halt before them.

As the seven figures materialized, Shen Qingyun raised an eyebrow. Among them, there were actually two whom he had crossed paths with once before.

Mu Yan took the initiative to step forward, a smile on his face. "You're back."

Yan Muge’s expression remained cold, whereas Mu Xue offered him a gentle, tender smile. "Brother Mu Yan."

Watching Mu Yan and Mu Xue exchange pleasantries, Yan Muge curled her lip and let her gaze wander casually, until it suddenly locked onto a specific individual.

"Shen Qingyun!"

Upon seeing Shen Qingyun, a fleeting look of awkwardness crossed Yan Muge's face, though she quickly masked it.

Shen Qingyun had spotted Yan Muge long ago, so the moment she called out his name, he had already raised his hand and waved at her.

"I didn't expect you to actually come and participate in the quota trial," Yan Muge said as she walked over, speaking with the familiarity of an old friend.

The onlookers felt a jolt in their hearts, especially the members of the Tingfeng Academy teams, for they knew Yan Muge all too well!

In Tingfeng Academy, Yan Muge held the moniker of the "Little Chili Pepper." With her phoenix-like spiritual manifestation bathed in flames, she possessed an arrogant disposition, exceptional popularity, and stunning beauty.

"If there's a chance, let's duel again. The loser has to hand over all their points to the winner," Yan Muge challenged Shen Qingyun.

"There's no need for a duel," Shen Qingyun replied. "You might as well just give me all your points right now!"

"Are you really that confident you can win?"

"Did you forget how you lost last time?" Shen Qingyun’s gaze swept unceremoniously over Yan Muge’s figure.

"You!" Yan Muge glared at him. This shameless wretch actually brought that up!

This entire exchange was caught by Mu Yan, who had been keeping his eyes on Yan Muge the whole time. At that moment, Mu Yan's body began to tremble slightly. Beside him, Mu Xue cast a curious look at Mu Yan, then glanced at the bickering pair, a thoughtful expression dawning on her face.

"Ahem, now that everyone is here, let me explain the situation regarding the ruins!"

Mu Yan said with a hollow smile.

Hearing his words, the scene immediately quieted down. Shen Qingyun and Yan Muge also ceased their bickering—though Shen Qingyun stopped only because Mu Yan spoke; she herself didn't really want to listen, maintaining that he could say his piece while she said hers without mutual interference.

Mu Yan continued, "Everyone has come here after hearing the rumors. What I want to tell you is that there genuinely is a ruin located in the valley ahead!"

"Our Tingfeng Academy team inadvertently stumbled into it, and the outposts within the ruins are countless—more than you could possibly imagine! Furthermore, every single one of them is a high-grade outpost!"

At Mu Yan's words, ripples stirred in Shen Qingyun's eyes. Although he had hypothesized that the ruins contained numerous high-grade outposts, he hadn't expected them *all* to be high-grade!

Mu Yan went on, "Since they are high-grade outposts, guardians are naturally indispensable. The guardians within these ruins are far more numerous than those outside, and their strength appears considerably more formidable."

Shen Qingyun cast a glance toward Zhan Yan. Seeing the inquiring look in Shen Qingyun's eyes, Zhan Yan nodded, confirming that what Mu Yan said was true.

"I didn't expect the news of the ruins to attract so many people. However, seizing the ruins is not something that can be accomplished simply by having sheer numbers."

As Mu Yan's voice trailed off, strange expressions surfaced on the faces of those present. This statement completely contradicted what he had said at the beginning. Yet, no one voiced any doubts; instead, they chose to remain silent and wait to see how things would unfold.

"Our Tingfeng Academy team is a relatively formidable force, consisting of two individuals at the late stage of the Spiritual Manifestation Realm and three at the mid stage. Yet, even with such a lineup, we failed to gain any advantage whatsoever against those guardians. On the contrary, we ended up covered in injuries and fled in a sorry state, only to be rescued when we ran into the rest of you."

Shen Qingyun lightly arched an eyebrow; this situation sounded remarkably similar to when he had first encountered Zhan Yan.

"That is why I said seizing the ruins cannot be achieved through numbers alone. Sure, we have many people, but the guardians are even more numerous! Without adequate strength, tagging along will only cause trouble while reaping undeserved benefits."

Hearing this, realization dawned on the crowd. It was clear who these words were targeting.

Mu Yan swept his gaze over the crowd and slowly stated, "Originally, I decided that only those at the late stage of the Spiritual Manifestation Realm should go. But since our numbers at that stage are too few, those at the mid stage may accompany us!"

With a single sentence, Shen Qingyun and Feng Chuxun were directly excluded. No one present was blind; anyone could tell at a glance that Shen Qingyun and Feng Chuxun were still at the initial stage of the Spiritual Manifestation Realm, being the only two at that level here. Mu Yan's declaration was unmistakably aimed at them.

"Does anyone here have any objections to what I've said?"

Most of the teams remained silent; this proposal had nothing to do with them and would not affect their harvest. However, certain people were naturally dissatisfied—namely, the Violet Firmament Academy group, and... Yan Muge.

"I have an objection!"

Three voices rang out simultaneously, their loud resonance causing the air in the space to freeze for a moment.

Mu Yan looked startled. "Muge, what objections do you have?"

In truth, two others had also voiced objections, but the moment Mu Yan saw that Yan Muge was among them, he completely ignored the other two.

Such behavior thoroughly displeased He Ming. Regardless of whether Mu Yan would pay him any mind, He Ming directly shouted, "What do you mean by this? Are those at the initial stage of the Spiritual Manifestation Realm completely unqualified?"

Mu Yan glanced sideways at him and sneered, "Whether those at the initial stage are qualified is obvious to everyone. Inside the ruins, even late-stage experts are forced to eat humble pie. Wouldn't bringing initial-stage cultivators along just be dragging everyone down? Not only would we have to look after them, but they'd contribute nothing and freeload points."

"You!" He Ming glared at Mu Yan.

Mu Yan said indifferently, "If you have objections, you are free to take your people and leave. Inside the ruins, we only need people who obey commands."

Having said that, Mu Yan turned his gaze back to Yan Muge, his tone shifting entirely to one contrasting sharply with how he had treated He Ming.

"Muge, do you have any objections?"

Yan Muge’s eyes turned slightly cold. "I remember anyone else can call me that, but you cannot call me Muge."

Mu Yan’s pupils constricted slightly.

Yan Muge continued, "My objection is the same as his."

Pointing at He Ming, Yan Muge said, "I can agree that initial-stage cultivators shouldn't enter, but do you even know who they are? They are ranked first on the leaderboard! Since they can surpass us and take first place, doesn't their strength warrant recognition?"

Mu Yan's handsome face twisted slightly, and he let out a forced, mirthless laugh. "There are many ways to rank first in points. Who says it has to depend on sheer strength? Their reputation—especially Shen Qingyun's—hasn't the way he acquires points been thoroughly spread around?"

"A fellow who only knows how to pick up scraps halfway through—just how much real strength can he possibly have?"

"Kid, what did you just say?"

Before Yan Muge could retort, an out-of-tune voice cut in.

The owner of that voice was none other than the Great Black Wolf. Ever since arriving here, it had behaved exceptionally quietly because there were far too many entities present that it couldn't afford to provoke, forcing it to put on an obedient act.

However, hearing this guy constantly target its boss at every turn, it could no longer hold back!

"Constantly putting down the initial stage of the Spiritual Manifestation Realm as weak—didn't you start out at the initial stage yourself? Or are you simply lacking a proper education, which is why such drivel comes out of your mouth?"

The Great Black Wolf bared its rows of gleaming white fangs. "As it happens, Lord Wolf has some free time, and I'm now at the late stage myself. Care for a lesson?"

As it spoke, the aura all over the Great Black Wolf shifted, its presence rising naturally as if water flowing into a channel.

"It's breaking through!" someone cried out in alarm.

Mu Yan stared at the Great Black Wolf, his expression turning somewhat solemn. "A demonic beast at the late stage of the Spiritual Manifestation Realm certainly has unquestionable strength. But if you think you're qualified to teach me a lesson, you're still far too lacking!"

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth converged, pouring into the Great Black Wolf's body. Once the breakthrough concluded, a beast soul pellet roughly half the size of a palm condensed between its brows.

Can you get a beast soul pellet like that too?

Shen Qingyun looked slightly startled.

The beast soul pellet slid down, and with a gulp, the Great Black Wolf swallowed it, its aura swelling by another notch.

The Great Black Wolf offered a disdainful sneer. "Kid, you wouldn't know this, but when Lord Wolf was only at the initial stage of the Spiritual Manifestation Realm, I could fight late-stage experts to a standstill and retreat completely unscathed after a battle."

Hearing this, everyone present shuddered internally, utterly shocked. To remain undefeated against a late-stage expert while only at the initial stage and still manage to escape safely—just how terrifying was that strength? Now that it had reached the late stage itself, could it fight someone in the King-Marquis Realm without losing?

Only Shen Qingyun knew whether the Great Black Wolf's words were true or false.

As for this fellow—it was amazing it could say such things with a straight face. Escaping unscathed from a late-stage expert was true, but as for the *method* used, well... that was hard to say!

Mu Yan's expression stiffened; clearly, he hadn't expected the Great Black Wolf to be such a tough nut to crack.

Mu Yan said stiffly, "I was only speaking the truth. Points belong to those with the ability to take them. Otherwise, once we emerge from the ruins, it will only invite endless hunts. Captain Shen, don't you agree with what I've said?"

Shen Qingyun stared at Mu Yan, a faint smile gracing his lips. "I think what you said is exceptionally correct."

"However... I also believe that even someone like you doesn't have the capability to snatch a single point from my hands."