C456 Qi Blood Crystal

As expected, the young man led Woo Zhengyang and the others to a small room, placing his number card on it. This time, instead of being pulled in, a light door opened in front of him.

"Go on in!" the young man gestured toward the light door.

The teenagers from various villages were clearly unfamiliar with such a portal and were quite apprehensive, with none daring to be the first to enter. The young man rolled his eyes, grabbed one of the teenagers, and tossed him through, saying, "Don't make me do this again, or I'll break an arm before throwing you in!"

This time, there was no choice but to go in. Whether it was yesterday's guide or today's new face, they both appeared to be in their twenties but had already reached the Inner Stage of martial arts mastery. Against such experts, resistance was futile, especially since they were trapped in the Azure Sun Martial Mansion. The young men passing by were all similarly skilled, making escape a dead end.

The light door allowed only one person through at a time, so everyone entered in an orderly fashion. Woo Zhengyang, carrying Rice on his back, went last. As the others began to enter, Woo Zhengyang's mind delved into the vast light curtain, quickly searching with his soul energy.

As Woo Zhengyang's turn approached, he composed himself, feeling confident. His earlier suspicions were confirmed: these portals were indeed connected to the central world of the light curtain. In one corner of the light curtain, Woo Zhengyang spotted the young entrants who had just stepped in. Alongside them were some disciples from the Azure Sun Martial Mansion. There was no time for a closer look as it was now Woo Zhengyang's turn.

"Are you the top contender this time?" asked the young man guarding the entrance, glancing at the little girl, Rice, on Woo Zhengyang's back.

"Yes, I am!" Woo Zhengyang replied.

The young man reached out, attempting to pinch Rice's cheek, but she skillfully dodged. Witnessing this, Woo Zhengyang braced himself for a potential confrontation, as the people here were unpredictable. However, the man simply chuckled and said, "What an interesting little girl. Go on in!"

Nodding, Woo Zhengyang carried Rice through the portal of the light curtain. As the pulling force enveloped them, they found themselves in another world. Woo Zhengyang and the others stood at the edge of a dense forest, where those who had entered earlier were also gathered. He realized this must be the world within the light curtain, akin to the Heavenly Martial Realm, but much larger and more tangible.

Here, finally, there was no more of the constant drizzle that seemed to last all year. Instead, a newly risen sun hung in what must be the eastern sky, and the long-missed blue sky and white clouds came into view.

For Woo Zhengyang, it was a long-awaited sight, but for the young people from the villages, it was a novelty they had never seen before. It was their first time realizing what a world without rain looked like, and it was truly refreshing.

As everyone was taking in this new and exciting world, the young man who had just led the group here also entered the area, heading toward a few other disciples from the Azure Sun Martial Mansion. Just as everyone was beginning to relax in this environment, their nerves tightened again.

When the young man led them here, he mentioned they could stay in the gravity room a bit longer, and nothing unexpected happened along the way. However, the pranks from the previous day had instilled a deep-seated fear of the Azure Sun Martial Mansion in everyone.

So, when the young man and the other disciples started whispering among themselves, everyone couldn't help but assume they were plotting another way to mess with them. Much to their surprise, though, the disciples didn't tease them. Instead, they brought out some food and encouraged everyone to eat and drink to their heart's content.

The spread of food was incredibly diverse, featuring a wide array of meats and vegetarian dishes, all meticulously prepared with rich ingredients. The flavors were far superior to anything from Great Leaf Village. Additionally, there were many exotic fruits that were both rare and delicious.

The young people from various villages were innocent at heart. Even though they were wary of the Azure Sun Martial Mansion, they didn't suspect any tampering with the food. To them, food was simply meant to be eaten. Woo Zhengyang was aware of some tricks, but he figured that with the mansion's power, there was no need for such elaborate schemes.

Still, Woo Zhengyang stayed cautious. He had Rice and Liu Dahu start with the fruits, ensuring everyone else was fine before moving on to the other dishes. The abundance of delicious food thrilled the ever-hungry Rice, who eagerly grabbed and ate with both hands.

Even though Woo Zhengyang wasn't particularly driven by a love of food, having experienced many delicacies before, he remained composed. As for the other village youths, they were excited but also anxious about what lay ahead, which dampened their enthusiasm for the feast.

Sensing their unease, the young man who had led them there reassured them, "Don't worry. You're here simply to get an opportunity to enhance your skills."

Afterward, seemingly out of nowhere, he produced a blood-red stone about the size of an egg and continued, "This is a Qi Blood Crystal, a kind of treasure, but neither you nor we can use it."

With that, the young man tossed the blood-red stone aside and pointed toward the dense forest not far away. "In that forest, there's a mine. Your task is to dig for these crystals. For every Qi Blood Crystal you find, you can exchange it for an hour in the gravity room. The light door you entered through will remain open, so just find me when you want to leave. If you're ready to start mining, head on in."

Realizing their task was mining, the group of young people finally breathed a sigh of relief. Many villages, especially the larger ones, have their own mines. Although the resources differ, the process is quite similar, so they were not unfamiliar with it.

Moreover, just one crystal can be exchanged for an hour in the gravity room, and those who have experienced the benefits are eager to try. Of course, everyone understood that these crystals wouldn't be easy to find. If they were, a single crystal wouldn't be worth so much.

Still, even if it takes a day, or even two or three days to find one, it's better than nothing. At the very least, mining here comes with food and drink, which is far better than being toyed with outside.

With a weight lifted off their shoulders, the boys from the village were full of energy, enjoying their food with great enthusiasm. However, Rice wasn't as cheerful while eating as before. Woo Zhengyang thought Rice was full, but Rice quietly confessed to Woo Zhengyang that he really wanted to eat the red stone the young man had just taken out. Woo Zhengyang was speechless; this little foodie seemed to have no limits, wanting to eat even a stone.

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