Chapter 2802 — A Map for the Journey

True, each of them had a powerful sect at their back, but the trial was never a contest of backing. Once they returned to their sects they could look down on Wei Zhao all they liked, but here—who was willing to suffer a loss to his face?

Even the few cultivators who had earlier offended Yang Qiqi felt that everyone was now in danger. Yang Qiqi and Wei Zhao were plainly on familiar terms—did offending Yang Qiqi mean offending Wei Zhao as well?

Fortunately, after Wei Zhao waited for Yang Qiqi to finish eating, he pursued nothing further; he simply led the several of them out of the dining hall.

Of course, though most of the disciples present feared Wei Zhao in their hearts, they also looked down on him. In their eyes he was nothing but a loose cultivator—however strong he might be personally, he was still just one man. When the time came to face the ancient sects, would he not be as so much dross?

"Brother Lin, I truly admire you today! Zhang Naipao is such a formidable man, yet before you he dared not make the slightest trouble!" Li Ciba said with worship in his voice.

"Indeed—if we hadn't run into Brother Lin, we would likely have come off badly in this trial," Feng Shihua agreed with a nod.

"That's certain. This Zhang Naipao is definitely not someone to provoke. Just look how wretched that local tyrant was—a cultivator from the Western Regions, who came all this way, and before he could even enter the trial, he was beaten down the moment he arrived. Ai!" Ge Xian chimed in.

Seeing the whole crowd flattering Wei Zhao, Yang Qiqi could not help but purse her lips. Hmph, this fellow really is detestable—it seems my revenge is hopeless now... Forget it, how would I even take revenge? He has saved me so many times; if I repaid kindness with enmity again, there would be no justifying it at all. At this thought, Yang Qiqi sighed to herself.

"Enough of that. All of you, come to my room—there is something I need to tell you," Wei Zhao said with a wave of his hand. He did not care about all that flattery; his thoughts ran further ahead. On the hidden plane, Wei Zhao could be said to have already gained a firm footing, but on the ancient plane he was still far too weak and had yet to make his voice heard. His acquaintance with Feng Shihua and Li Ciba was an excellent opportunity, but for now the situation allowed only private friendship with these disciples of ancient sects. To make the sect or clan behind them regard him with even a modicum of respect would be rather difficult.

"Go... go to your room for what?" Yang Qiqi looked at Wei Zhao warily. She had been distracted by other thoughts and had not caught all of what Wei Zhao said; she assumed he meant only her, and so grew tense at once.

Wei Zhao stared at her, dumbfounded, and the others were equally baffled, not knowing what had suddenly set Yang Qiqi off.

"You are all coming to my room, naturally to discuss the matter of the trial. But if you are unwilling to come, then never mind," Wei Zhao said, glancing at Yang Qiqi.

"Ah—the trial! Then I'll go." Yang Qiqi flushed slightly. She had been lost in her own thoughts and had misheard, making a ridiculous fool of herself—so everyone was going after all!

Wei Zhao shook his head and paid her no further mind. Together the group came to his room, where he simply took from his pack the trial map he had long since prepared. These people were inclined to elect him their captain, and Wei Zhao for his part meant to win them over; the trial map was the finest gift for that purpose.

Luckily Wei Zhao had printed many copies, or there would not have been enough to go around.

Wei Zhao handed out one map to each of them, and everyone was bewildered.

"Leader, what is this thing?" Zhao Qilei asked, somewhat puzzled.

"This is the map for this trial. I obtained it in advance," Wei Zhao said.

"What?! The trial map?" Feng Shihua was astonished. He came from an ancient clan, yet even he had not obtained the map beforehand—and Wei Zhao, a loose cultivator of the mundane world, actually had one in hand?

Li Ciba was likewise startled; he too had no map, yet Wei Zhao had gotten one.

The most astonished, of course, was Ge Xian. He made his living selling information, yet he had failed to dig up the map for the Xuandan Sect trial, while Wei Zhao had obtained it—which left him somewhat ashamed. Just who was it that made a living at this trade?

Zhao Qilei, by contrast, was not much surprised. He knew Wei Zhao was a marvel, and over time he had simply grown used to it.

Yang Qiqi was the same; she had grown numb to Wei Zhao's prowess. As things stood, whether it was a trial or a trade fair, following Wei Zhao always brought some benefit.

"On this map there is a marked safe location. If anyone runs into danger during this trial, you can hide there first and wait for the others to regroup," Wei Zhao said.

"You mean, as long as we reach this place, we can pass this trial safely?" Feng Shihua asked in surprise.

"Of course. You can first gather the spirit herbs required by the trial and then hide here, or you can wait until I arrive and we gather the required herbs together. But even after I arrive, I may not be able to gather enough herbs for so many people," Wei Zhao said honestly. "This trial map merely adds one more safeguard for everyone's life—it truly cannot help all that much."

"That is already quite good!" Ge Xian said. "I know the difficulty of this trial. If I had not been stuck at the peak of the late Earth Rank for so long, hoping to try my luck for a Qi-Gathering Pill to break through to the Heaven Rank, I would not have come to this trial at all."

"A Heaven Rank broken through by Qi-Gathering Pill has its flaws, does it not?" Wei Zhao asked without betraying any emotion.

"That is true, but for loose cultivators like us, being able to advance to the Heaven Rank is already good enough. I know my own situation—if at my age I still have not broken through to the Heaven Rank, my hopes thereafter will be even slimmer," Ge Xian said.

Feng Shihua and Li Ciba both sighed in admiration; choosing Wei Zhao as their captain had been truly wise. Had they not attached themselves to Wei Zhao, he would never have given them this map. As for Yang Qiqi, she held the map and mused, a faint, elusive pleasure on her face, no one knowing what she was thinking.

After receiving the maps, they all returned to their rooms to rest. Nothing unusual happened for the rest of the day, until nightfall, when a voice sounded from the open ground outside the inn—not loud, yet so penetrating that every cultivator in the inn heard it clearly; even with the windows shut, it could be heard.