I am the Holy Poisoner, the Empress advised me to calm down

Just as the team was preparing to face this unexpected test, a clear and pleasant female voice suddenly came from the other side of the river: "Haha, you have arrived as promised. However... it will take a little wisdom to reach the other side."

Hearing this familiar voice, everyone simultaneously turned their gaze in the direction of its source. The woman in ancient clothing they had encountered before reappeared before them, but this time, her expression was no longer playful, but rather more mysterious. "So? Are you willing to accept my help now?" Her lips curled up in a faint smile.

"Hmph!" Shadow frowned. "You still love playing tricks on me. But now that we've come this far, we won't give up." She nodded to the team members and said, "Let's get started."

"Alright, alright~" the woman shrugged. "Then I won't bother you anymore. But remember, some things can't be solved by force alone... Well, now it all depends on your performance!"

As the voice faded in the wind, ripples suddenly appeared on the surface of the originally crystal clear river, and several exquisite bridges gradually emerged before everyone's eyes. However, every step on the seemingly simple road was full of obstacles.

"Hey, how come there is a bridge all of a sudden? Just now it was clearly... Oh, that's not the point!" Liu Tao said excitedly.

"It seems this young lady has left us a viable path," Zhao Yan pondered. "But this is obviously not a place that can be easily passed. Captain, what should we do?"

The shadow stared at the flickering lights for a moment, as if assessing something. "Follow the shortest path," she finally decided. "Keep a certain distance between each other so that we can react quickly in case of an emergency."

The team then began to act as instructed, and the crowd watching from outside were also captivated by this bizarre spectacle:

-"Oh my God, this is just like a scene from a movie!" a passerby exclaimed excitedly.

-"This group of people is really amazing. They can handle it so easily!" Another spectator exclaimed in amazement.

However, the good times didn't last long. Just when everyone thought things were going smoothly, a deep but threatening roar pierced the sky...

"What's going on?" Li Wen immediately became alert.

Immediately afterwards, countless strange-looking monsters emerged from all directions, their eyes filled with ferocity as they charged straight at the team. Seeing the situation becoming critical, Shadow raised his hands, condensed a ball of blue light, and hurled it fiercely—it instantly exploded, forming a powerful shield that temporarily blocked the attack.

"Everyone step back! Be careful not to get hurt!" she shouted.

For a moment, the field fell into a fierce battle, and the audience exclaimed:

-"Wow! It turns out they are so powerful!" someone exclaimed.

-"So handsome!" The young girl's eyes were shining with admiration and yearning.

Finally, after a desperate fight, the number of monsters gradually decreased until they completely disappeared. Just as everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief and celebrate their victory, the mysterious woman appeared again:

"Not bad, not bad. Being able to overcome the obstacles I set shows that you are indeed quite capable."

Faced with the other party's sudden praise, everyone was stunned and did not respond immediately.

-"But we know this is definitely not over, right?" Shadow asked, breaking the silence first.

-The woman nodded and smiled: "That's right, the truly important things are always waiting for you to discover ahead. But before that, I want to tell you a little secret: not all problems can be solved with courage alone~ Well, I wish you good luck! We'll see you soon~" After saying this, her figure slowly merged into the air and disappeared completely.

Watching the receding figures, everyone felt a mixture of comfort and anxiety about the challenges ahead. "No matter what, we must persevere!" Xiao Wang encouraged everyone, pumping his fist.

"Yes," Zhao Yan echoed, "I believe that as long as we unite, there will be no difficulties that cannot be overcome!"

Li Wen quickly added, "Besides, we've come such a long way, how could we give up so easily?"

With each other's gazes fixed firmly on their chests and unwavering resolve, the four companions readjusted their stance and forged ahead, ready for the unknown journey. Just as the team prepared to face a new challenge, a strange aroma suddenly filled the air. Shadow frowned, glancing around warily. Zhao Yan couldn't help but take a deep breath, wondering, "Where does this smell... come from?"

"Stop smelling it!" Li Wen covered his nose with his hands. "This might be another trap!"

Just then, the sound of crisp footsteps interrupted their conversation. A young man in a gorgeous robe slowly stepped into view. "Oh, my dear explorers," he said, his lips curled slightly, his gaze revealing an aura that should not be underestimated. "I am Renard Ferrens, the small lord of this area. I am glad to see that you were able to cross the bridge safely."

Liu Tao looked at the uninvited guest hesitantly: "Um... do you want to tell us something? Or do you need our help to solve some problems?" His intuition told him that the other party was not simple.

Renard smiled, but didn't answer the question directly. "Tell me, my brave friend, how many trials and tribulations have you weathered before pursuing the ultimate truth?" His tone was gentle, yet contained a hint of testing.

Phantom's eyes flickered, clearly realizing this wasn't just a casual chat. "I've been through so many trials," she replied calmly and firmly. "But as long as there's light in my heart, there's no difficulty I can't overcome."

"Hmph, that's a good attitude!" A voice from the crowd of onlookers in the distance said, "Young people nowadays are so confident. That's great!"

"Hey man, look at those people. They actually dared to contradict the big shot. It's unbelievable!" Another passerby whispered, his eyes full of curiosity and admiration.

Just as the atmosphere was tense, the entire earth suddenly shook violently, as if something terrifying was approaching...

Everyone immediately became alert to this unusual feeling. "Be careful, guys!" Zhao Yan said as he quickly drew his weapon from his waist. "Who knows what monster will pop up next!"