Chapter 3661 — The Rules of the Trial
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
After all, every herb the newcomers gathered during the trial had to be handed in. Without lavish rewards to make the prospect of victory visible, these newcomers would likely slack off and do the bare minimum, which would defeat the whole purpose.
Still, newcomers were newcomers. While lavish rewards were meant to fire their spirits, certain unpleasant truths had to be spelled out in advance to spare everyone a great deal of needless trouble.
The bald Elder swept a cool glance over the assembled newcomers and said at last, "Now that the rules are clear to you all, there are three things this old man must stress again, lest some fools among you get ideas they shouldn't."
"First, you may move only about the outer fringes of the back mountain. Do not attempt to touch any of the seals. This old man guarantees you will die most miserably."
"Second, you have only three days. If you have not returned to this spot by noon of the third day, you will likewise die most miserably."
"Third, the trial encourages competition. You may plunder one another, but you must absolutely not take a life. Should anyone truly cause a death, this old man will act himself and take a life for a life."
Three rules, and to break any one of them was to forfeit one's life. His killing intent was palpable.
Having said his piece, the bald Elder paid the newcomers no further mind, though his murderous air had left them somewhat dazed, and closed his eyes to rest. As for the two Elders beside him, they had not spoken a word from first to last. Their chief duty was to guard the back mountain; presiding over the newcomer trial at the Welcome Pavilion was merely a small side task to vary the routine.
"Very well! Everyone, go to your respective supervising senior brothers and collect the special baskets from the Back Mountain Hall. Settle yourselves and you may set out—no dawdling!" Hu Yunfeng seized the moment to take up the thread and issue his orders.
"Yes, sir!" All the newcomers answered in unison, every one of them raring to go, fists clenched and spirits high.
"Junior Brother Lin, you must be careful once you enter the back mountain. Dangers lurk on every side, and anything at all may happen during the trial—do not grow careless. Junior Brothers Xiao and Qiao as well." The long-suffering senior brother spoke these warnings even as he strapped the special baskets onto the three of them.
The bald Elder had warned them already: killing was strictly forbidden during the newcomer trial. Yet the back mountain was vast, and even its outer fringes were fraught with peril, and no one could say what might happen. If someone with malice in his heart truly wished a man dead, he need not strike the blow himself—a little quiet tampering was enough to do the deed.
Wei Zhao nodded along with Xiao Che and Qiao Hongcai. Though none of them had ever entered the back mountain, all three were at least Heaven-rank experts, and they possessed that much vigilance. To their eyes, this savage forest that breathed of an age beyond memory was a holy ground for cultivators, harboring countless rare treasures of heaven and earth—and at the same time a monstrous beast that devoured whom it chose, a place where the bones of no one knew how many fine cultivators lay buried.
Glancing back at the other newcomers gathered around Meng Jueming, the long-suffering senior brother lowered his voice and said to the three, "Just now I happened to overhear a few careless words from them. It seems they mean to join forces against you during the trial. If you can, I would advise that once you are inside the trial grounds, you first find a chance to regroup and move together—that way you can at least look out for one another."
"That..." The three exchanged a look, and their faces all showed signs of difficulty.