My Scales Can Make Equivalent Exchange
Chapter 136: Abrupt Change

Chapter 136: Chapter 136: Abrupt Change

Having settled everything, Wang Zijia waved his hand, put away the Concealment Array Plate, stepped out from the thicket in which he had hidden, and arrived at the foot of the mountain where the Ginseng Garden was located.

The mountain before him was the entire Ginseng Garden, which originally served as the spiritual field of a cultivating immortal family, but was now transformed into a medicine field for Foundation Building Spirit Objects.

Looking upwards, the mountain, which was shrouded in a column of green smoke, wasn’t huge. It had a height of just a few hundred meters, and the slope was gentle.

The entire mountain was a bit hazy and indistinct. One could only vaguely see that it had sparse vegetation and numerous medicine fields distributed across it, apparently planted with something.

Almost all of the First-Class Spirit Object Zones were sealed off by arrays. This was because when the mysterious changes occurred years ago, the arrays had mutated as well, turning into strange walls that isolated the Spiritual Light. Thus, each First-Class Spirit Object Zone was a separate area.

As Wang Zijia looked around, he noticed that many people were already waiting outside the air wall-like Spiritual Light Wall at the foot of the mountain. However, because the mountain was still enveloped in a green smoke column, no one had entered it yet. Everyone was just quietly waiting.

Compared to the resource points in the outer perimeter, the number of people here was rather fewer. As per his initial estimates, there were at most a few hundred.

But each of them was full of restrained energy, with a faint air of pressure filling the air. None of them seemed ordinary.

Moreover, students of the Three Sects made up the majority. The Three Sects had formed three groups. Wang Zijia was standing at the edge of the Wanyu Sect students group, while the remaining people had spontaneously gathered together, forming a chaotic fourth group.

Perhaps because the First-Class Spirit Objects had matured too early this time, everyone was still busy accumulating Blood Crystals and earning merits from cleaning up. They hadn’t had time to gather their fellow sect members to form alliances or such things.

As a result, the four groups were all spontaneously formed, maintaining an unwritten agreement that no party would rashly chase others away.

The center of each of the three sect groups contained ten to twenty disciples surrounded by everyone else, who were all enthusiastic to talk to them.

Obviously, these were the geniuses of each sect, and some of them were identified by their sects as candidates for Dao Seed training.

Wang Zijia paid attention to these people, as they were likely the main contenders for the spirit objects this time around.

He even recognized two of them. Of course, he recognized them, but they did not recognize him.

Lu Qianrou, admitted as a child when she was five years old, reached Four Methods Completion at the age of twenty-one and became an Advanced Pupil.

Now, at the age of twenty-nine, she was already a top-flight pupil with Nine Arts Great Success, waiting to condense her Dao foundation and make a breakthrough to become a Sacrificial Wine. She was a remarkable genius in their Talisman Court and a highly favored candidate in this comparison of talents.

Gu Xuefeng, a student of the Gu Family which is one of the top families of the Wanyu Sect. Possessing a top-grade spiritual root, Gu Xuefeng was an unparalleled sword repairer in the Dao Law Court. Achieving Five Techniques Great Success at the age of eighteen, he became an Advanced Pupil. Now, at the age of twenty-four, he was a top pupil with Nine Arts Great Success and his Dao foundation is in sight.

He was a recognized Dao Seed of the sect, and was ranked among the top people in the entire sect. Moreover, he reached the standard for a breakthrough to the Sacrificial Wine stage last year and has been suppressing his cultivation level ever since. It is likely that he desires to win the first place in the sect-wide competition held every ten years at the end of the year.

Among those from the Wanyu Sect who were present, these two were at the very top.

Gu Xuefeng especially, being a legitimate Dao Seed of the sect, was said to have once fought a Sacrificial Wine Realm Demon face-to-face on a Demon Extinguishing mission, showing true cross-realm combat prowess, thus making him a real unparalleled sword repairer.

Wang Zijia currently did not have much confidence that he could defeat him. Of course, if Five Ghosts Divine Power was complete and fully mastered, then there would be a chance in a battle to the death.

"What are your opinions regarding this cleanup mission?" As information surfaced in Wang Zijia’s mind, a bright pupil in the middle of the Wanyu Sect crowd started to speak.

"This cleanup is exceptionally strange. It’s been only ten days, yet the First-Class Spirit Objects have already matured. There have been no signs of mass murders of disciples, nor any extraordinarily strong people sweeping through vast areas exterminating demons. Everything seems awry."

"Isn’t it! I heard that a First-Class Spirit Object appeared in the outer area a few days ago!"

"For real? I thought it was a mere rumor!"

"A junior brother who I am familiar with told me. They say it was a disciple of our sect. Although I saw his image, I didn’t recognize him. I wonder if he disguised himself."

As the conversation reached this point, everyone instinctively looked around at each other, scanning their fellow sect members. Wang Zijia was currently disguised as an old man, so naturally, no one could recognize him.

"We can discuss this later. Right now, let’s talk about our strategy. The Medicine Garden matured too early; everyone hasn’t had the chance to meet yet."

"Just use whatever skills you’ve got. What other strategy could there be?"

"Not so! Look at those Daqian students across from us. They are accomplished scholars and have official positions, making it easier for them to act. They have already formed an impromptu alliance. It’s clear that they’re not just trying to compete for Blood Crystals and earn merits for the Spirit Objects."

"We’ll see when we reach the top of the mountain!"

"Right, speaking too early will be pointless. Who knows if we can even reach the top of the mountain? We might only be able to gather a few ginseng roots and come back."

"······"

Everyone was talking at once, causing quite a bit of noise, and nothing concrete was decided.

This was inevitable. After all, those who could and dared come here were all prideful. They were all considered a genius in their sect. How could they content to be underlings and play second fiddle to others?

If a spontaneous alliance could be formed with just a few words, it would be quite a surprise.

Wang Zijia stood on the edge of the crowd. Among the hundreds of pupils, he was very inconspicuous and had no intention of trying to say anything.

"Wham!"

Before everyone could agree, the blue smoke cloud enveloping the mountain suddenly spread out, producing a soft sound.

Everyone fell silent, then, not knowing who led the way, someone plunged headfirst into the hazy, cloudy mountain’s air wall.

The wall oscillated subtly, and the person disappeared into it.

Once the first person led the way, the rest followed immediately, and the hundreds of pupils began to rush into the mountain one after another.

Wang Zijia, too, slipped in among them and entered the misty mountain.

······

"Selling beast skin, only the best beast skin!"

"First Grade talismans on sale, all at 20% off!"

"······"

As Wang Zijia came back to his senses, he was completely alert with full readiness, but then his ears were filled with noisy sounds.

At the same time, the mana inside his body, which had been very active since he entered the Hundred Demon Bewitching Domain, became even more active, as if it were incredibly excited.

While he was preparing for battle, at a glance around the active crowd and bustling marketplace, Wang Zijia stood dumbfounded in his spot.

Facing the teeming crowd and busy market, Wang Zijia fell momentarily into a state of bewilderment.

In the core area of the Hundred Demon Bewitching Domain, due to extreme mutations, the array in many territories has also changed, becoming a kind of special protection for that area. Entering the Ginseng Garden indeed felt like entering a closed space.

But then······ the Ginseng Garden is supposed to be a patchwork of medicine fields!

The information recorded by the sect showed that those who entered the Ginseng Garden would be randomly allocated to a medicine field at the foot of the mountain. They would have to fight the ’people’ in each field, and if they won, they would proceed upwards until they reached the top.

What the hell is this marketplace?