Where does that wicked woman get her conscience?

The Illusory Forest.

Several groups of people gathered together on a wide plain nearby.

The crowd consisted mostly of young men and women, who got along well with each other and bursts of laughter could be heard from time to time.

"I heard that Qianshan Academy was the site of a massive destruction a while ago, right? Apparently, some kind of monster escaped."

"Hey, they can't even keep an eye on a single demon beast. Is their lateness for the competition because of this? Are they busy dealing with the academy or something?"

"I'm wondering if they're not coming?"

"How could we not come? If we weren't coming, the teacher would definitely have notified us. Why would we stay here waiting with us?"

"Makes sense."

"I wonder if anyone was injured in that incident. If a few rookies had come, their academy, which has won the championship for several consecutive years, should have just given up."

"Ha ha ha ha."

……

Not far from the students who were laughing and joking, there were a few older people standing, muttering something and occasionally looking at the road in the distance.

One of the teachers, dressed in gray, looked up at the sun high in the sky and said, "We've been waiting for so long, why haven't they arrived yet? This has never happened before in any competition. If they weren't coming, they should have told us in advance!"

"Hmm... This is a competition jointly organized by several colleges, and I think they're completely disregarding us!" the gray-haired teacher said angrily.

"Why don't we just start the competition? It's already this late and we haven't seen a single person. They probably aren't coming."

The oldest teacher stroked his beard thoughtfully, glanced at the students basking in the scorching sun, then looked at the road in the distance, and finally nodded, pondering, "Yes, let's do it this way."

Just as the teacher finished speaking, several horse-drawn carriages slowly approached from the distance.

Upon hearing the sound, everyone turned to look.

The carriage stopped in front of everyone, and Teacher Fa, who had been sitting at the very front, got off the carriage first and bowed to the other teachers.

"I apologize, everyone. You've probably heard about what happened at the academy. Because of this, our departure was delayed, and we only arrived now after rushing around non-stop."

"Oh." The older teacher was quite good-natured. "Since you're here, let's begin."

"Hmph." The gray-haired teacher's face was gloomy. Upon hearing this, he waved his sleeve and walked to the side.

After the carriage stopped, Guan Xun and his group got off, while the others went to the animal cages at the back and each led out the monster they had chosen.

"Alright, the competition has already been delayed quite a bit. Now that everyone is here, let's not waste any more time." The older teacher stood at the front and gestured for everyone to be quiet.

"Many participants are probably taking part in this competition for the first time, so let's briefly explain the rules."

"The competition is mainly divided into team competitions and individual competitions. Let's talk about the team competitions first. In the team competitions, all six participants from your college will go into the Illusion Forest to find crystal cores. The college that obtains the most crystal cores will be the winner this year."

"As for the individual competition, it will be based on the number of crystal cores you obtain. The one who obtains the most is the one who makes the greatest contribution to the team. The top two in each academy will receive a reward of 3 gold coins."

"The competition will last for 15 days, or half a month. Several of us teachers will be waiting for you to return from the competition on the plains outside."

After the teacher finished speaking, he had someone lift the curtain of a carriage, and inside the carriage were many layers of green jade pieces.

"This is the communication jade slip. When you encounter danger in the forest, you can crush it! As long as you crush it, our teacher will know your location immediately and be able to go in and rescue you."

"However, those who are rescued will also be disqualified from the competition."

Guan Xun held the jade slip, touching it with some curiosity. A communication jade slip? This was the first time she had ever seen such a thing. In the past, they used spiritual power to transmit directions. She never expected that in a place outside the Heavenly Realm, they would use such a thing to transmit.

The jade slip was, after all, made of polished jade, and carried the smoothness and coolness of jade. What was different was that it contained a faint spiritual energy.

The reason it can transmit directions must be due to the effect of this spiritual energy.

After the jade slips were distributed, the teacher's expression gradually became serious: "The competition area is mainly the outer and middle outer perimeter of the Illusionary Falling Forest. Do not go to the inner perimeter or deeper!"

“It’s fraught with danger inside. Even if we crush the jade slip, we might not be able to rescue you once you’re inside.”

Did you all hear that?

The students nodded in agreement, and the teacher's solemn expression softened. He raised his hand and said, "Alright! The competition begins now! Go inside and find the crystal cores!"

As soon as the competition was announced to begin, all the students led their monsters into the Illusionary Forest.

Guan Xun touched the small green snake coiled around his wrist with his fingertips. Watching the people in front of him keep entering, he turned and headed towards the other side of the forest, where there were fewer people.

Just then, Ling Moyan approached from behind: "Junior Sister Guan Xun, shall we go together? I can protect you if we encounter any danger."

“Me...me too!” Qiu Chuan, who was standing next to him, also raised his hand timidly.

Guan Xun was speechless. Couldn't these two stay away from her a little longer...?

Zeng Qianxue naturally went with Lu Shenqu, while Ye Qingchi usually went with Ye An, but now that Ye An was not there, and since she had never gotten along well with the others, she had to go into the forest alone.

As Guan Xun walked, she suddenly felt a gaze following her from not far behind. She turned her head slightly and immediately met Ye Qingchi's deep gaze.

The expression conveyed a mix of inquiry, disdain, and vigilance, but mostly anger.

As expected of twins with Ye An, they are extremely similar except for their appearance and gender.

……

In the dense forest, scattered sunlight filters through the leaves, casting dappled patterns on the ground covered with tender green grass, giving the entire forest a slightly dreamlike appearance.

A giant cloud-scaled ape stood beside a large tree, looking down at the little white rabbit trembling at its feet.

The man in the black robe squatted down, stretched out his large hand wrapped in spiritual energy, and gently patted the little white rabbit's crown. An amber-colored crystal stone slowly rose from it.

The amber-colored crystalline stones are sharp and angular, no bigger than a thumb, and translucent, making them quite beautiful.

"We've only been here a few hours and we've already found a crystal core. How lucky!"

Ling Moyan kicked the little white rabbit that was standing there, and after seeing the rabbit dart into the grass in fright, he picked up the crystal core and proudly showed it off to Guan Xun.

Qiu Chuan, accompanied by the demon beast, kept searching their surroundings.

Guan Xun raised his head slightly, looking at the sunlight shining through the gaps in the trees, and thought to himself, "Chi Rong, you should be able to tell whether a demon beast has a crystal core or not."

The tone wasn't questioning, it was affirmative, as if the other person wasn't allowed to deny it.

Chi Rong snorted: "Master, you look down on me, is that even a question?"

After a pause, as if it had thought of something, it quickly continued, "Don't you have that snake that finds crystal cores? Don't make me do that kind of work! I, a dignified ancient divine beast, would never do such a thing!"

"Ah...so sleepy..."

After Chi Rong let out a long yawn, he fell silent, as if he had truly fallen asleep.

Guan Xun: ...