Surprisingly Enough(NOT), Common Sense Is Overpowered in Cliché Cultivation World

1.89 What do you mean solo levelling is not the only valid strat?

Xiao Fan had always known that he was not much of a planner.

That was fine. He could admit his own shortcomings. His strength lay in honest steel and unyielding grit. Usually, when Xiao Fan tried to orchestrate something, unforeseen consequences followed as naturally as thunder after lightning.

It was just that the consequences weren't usually this embarrassing.

Oh heavens, why had he agreed to this?

Why had he allowed his face to be painted black and white like a beaten panda before being slung over someone's shoulder like a sack of cheap grain?

"So, for the next few minutes, you need to act completely fainted, just as I showed you," Ning said, his voice a low whisper as they moved swiftly through the undergrowth.

"I know," Xiao Fan muttered through gritted teeth. "I know."

He truly did not understand what kind of bizarre life Ning had led to possess this specific skillset. Why was this man so deeply experienced in the art of playing dead? Why were his instructions so disturbingly meticulous? Why did he know exactly how a limp arm should dangle, the precise rhythm of shallow dying breaths, and just how much blood leaking from the corner of the mouth counted as "dramatic but not suspicious"?

"Corpses do not talk, Brother Xiao," Qiu Han whispered from beside him, his tone carrying far too much malicious amusement. "So please. Be a good corpse."

Xiao Fan's fist clenched.

Qiu Han was enjoying this. Far too much.

"I-I think you make a very convincing corpse, for what it is worth, Brother Xiao," Yi Shan offered meekly, patting his arm.

Xiao Fan wasn't sure why this girl was so determined to hitch her wagon to their chaotic train, but at least she was being sweet about it, unlike the two scheming bastards flanking her.

Besides, Yi Shan had done the heavy lifting on the disguise. With her Ten-Faced Mask, some herbal powder Ning had ground from local weeds, and a few carefully splattered stains of fresh beast blood, Xiao Fan now looked like a heavily injured disciple.

It made sense, at least, why Yi Shan was so confident in her strategy of hiding and avoiding direct conflict to reach the end.

"Tell me again," Xiao Fan hissed, adjusting his dead-weight posture, "why is Ning not the one being delivered as the bounty?"

"Quite simple, really," Ning explained calmly. "If it were me, there is a high chance they would use a long-range spell to test whether I was truly unconscious. Or poison. Or they would just shoot an arrow through my throat first to be safe."

"So they won't do that to me?"

"Nah." Ning waved a hand with a disturbing amount of confidence. "Because it's you, I am fairly sure the plan will work."

Xiao Fan did not know how to feel about that.

For someone who had spent his life being looked down on by his clan and peers, having another person believe in him so firmly should have been touching. Unfortunately, Ning did not believe in Xiao Fan's virtue or hard work. He believed in Xiao Fan's uncanny, supernatural ability to attract impossibly catastrophic situations and survive them through sheer, unreasonable luck.

"Anyway," Ning continued, shifting into the specifics. "Qiu Han wears the Ten-Faced Mask and disguises himself as one of the bounty hunters we knocked out earlier. Xiao Fan plays defeated. Yi Shan, stay near the back of the crowd and stabilize the mask's formation if the disguise starts to flicker. As for me, I will not appear openly. It would only cause more chaos if they saw another bounty to be had."

Xiao Fan glanced at him. "You're hiding?"

"Not how I would put it, but yes." Ning nodded.

With a subtle click, Qiu Han pressed the Ten-Faced Mask over his features. The pale, clay-like surface rippled, his elegant lines melting and reshaping into those of a rough-cut, scarred seventh-stage disciple.

Yi Shan inspected the result and nodded. "The spiritual aura isn't a perfect match, but if he acts rough enough it should pass under casual inspection."

Qiu Han's eyebrow twitched. "Act rough?"

"Like a bandit," Xiao Fan supplied, smirking. That was what Qiu Han got for enjoying this so much.

"It seems the disguise is working," Ning said. "Let's move."

Xiao Fan let out a heavy sigh, allowed his spine to go completely slack, and draped himself miserably over Qiu Han's shoulder.

If anyone who knew him ever witnessed this, his dignity would be permanently scarred. Fortunately, no one was watching.

"Still," Yi Shan murmured softly as they approached the tree line, "it is impressive that you guessed Lei Dong would block the route into the inner region, Brother Ning."

Xiao Fan quietly wanted to know the same thing.

Before drawing up this scheme, they had scouted the bottleneck of the Verdant Hunting Grounds. While the outer rim was a sprawling, chaotic expanse of wilderness, the terrain aggressively funneled inward toward the core, dense jungle giving way to treacherous rocky slopes and poisonous marshes.

In theory, dozens of paths led to the center. In practice, only a handful were safe enough for ordinary disciples to traverse without arriving exhausted before the real fight even started.

Lei Dong had seized the main passage: a natural canyon corridor flanked by towering rocky ridges. Wide enough to handle traffic, narrow enough to be held by a handful of coordinated cultivators.

Anyone who wanted through had to hand over half their points. Those who balked were immediately surrounded by Lei Dong's lackeys and pressured until they cracked.

Normally, exploitation this blatant would spark a minor riot. But Lei Dong had Luo Kei, a ninth-stage Qi Condensation cultivator, backed by two eighth-stage disciples and five at the seventh stage.

He had probably recruited more since the earlier trials began. Xiao Fan thought as some of the lackeys Lei Dong had arrived with had since been eliminated, and he had simply restocked.

"It wasn't a hard guess," Ning said with a shrug. "The trial funnels everyone toward one place. Camping that chokepoint and taxing whoever arrives is far more efficient than running around collecting points yourself."

"You seem to like that type of plan," Xiao Fan observed.

"It is quite efficient," Ning agreed, his voice carrying a note of genuine appreciation.

If Xiao Fan didn't know better, he would have thought Ning had considered an identical scheme, and that his only real obstacle had been not having Lei Dong's resources to pull it off.

An evil Ning. Xiao Fan turned the image over in his head for a moment, then stopped himself before he went too far down that road.

Ning halted at the edge of the dense canopy, his gaze settling on the rocky corridor in the distance. "All right. We move. Qiu Han, remember your lines. Xiao Fan, stay limp. Sister Yi Shan, blend into the crowd. I will support from behind."

"That sounds reassuring," Yi Shan said, smiling.

"I do have the high ground," Ning added.

Xiao Fan wasn't entirely sure why the high ground mattered here. But it was time to move, and frankly, he had learned to stop asking Ning to explain himself in advance.

He went limp.

...

Disgusting.

That was the single, recurring word echoing through Xiao Fan's mind as he hung upside down, his face bouncing against Qiu Han's shoulder blade.

You know when things go too well that the only adjective you can reach for is a negative one. Yeah. That was what was happening now.

It was disgusting because everything was unfolding exactly as Ning had mapped out in the dirt an hour ago.

"Haha! So you actually managed to bag the wild dog!" Luo Kei's boisterous laughter echoed through the canyon, dripping with smug satisfaction. "Good! Excellent! This is exactly what happens when a no-name trash refuses the generosity of Young Master Lei Dong."

Xiao Fan kept his eyes closed, despite the rush of anger at being called trash again.

Lei Dong stood dead-center in the passage, his hands clasped casually behind his back. Around him stood his circle of lackeys. Some looked smug; others looked vaguely uncomfortable, clearly having realized that standing behind a tyrant was safer than standing in his way.

Further back, other cultivators lingered, some pale-faced, having already paid the toll, others still hesitating, eyes darting desperately between Lei Dong's blockade and the deadly, beast-infested cliffs flanking the canyon. It was clear that the longer this dragged on, the more the advantage tilted in Lei Dong's favor.

Lei Dong's arrogant gaze drifted down to Xiao Fan's battered, bloodied form. A faint, condescending smile played at the corner of his lips.

"Not bad," the young master drawled. "A bit later than I expected, but acceptable. You have done well."

His eyes shifted to Qiu Han's disguised, scarred face.

Qiu Han had disguised himself as one of the earlier hunting disciples, and the disguise came out fiercer than the real thing. Channeling the persona of a crude, desperate cultivator, he split his lips into an ugly, gold-toothed grin. "Young Master Lei, I lost two good brothers pinning this little monster down. The brat fights like a rabid wolf. If we hadn't caught him slipping while he was recovering his qi, I'd be eliminated right alongside them."

Luo Kei laughed, stepping forward. "Luck is a merit in itself. Bring him over."

Qiu Han didn't move a single inch.

The air in the canyon instantly went static.

Lei Dong's eyes narrowed into sharp, dangerous slits. "What are you waiting for?"

Qiu Han shifted Xiao Fan's weight on his shoulder, his voice dropping into a rough growl. "Payment."

Luo Kei's laughter died on the spot. Lei Dong's eyebrow lifted slightly.

"Payment?"

"The bounty," Qiu Han said, stubborn and unhurried, perfectly channeling a greedy mercenary who knew exactly where the cards sat. "Five thousand spirit stones. You said anyone who delivers Xiao Fan gets the reward."

Lei Dong's expression stayed smooth, but Xiao Fan could feel the sudden icy spike of displeasure radiating off the young master.

Then Lei Dong spoke, his voice dripping with condescension. "You will receive your compensation after the trial concludes. My word is your guarantee."

Xiao Fan almost couldn't help but clap.

He actually said it. Word for word.

It was honestly terrifying how well Ning had read this guy.

Following the script perfectly, Qiu Han took half a step back, deliberately widening the gap between himself and Lei Dong's inner circle. "That wasn't the deal."

Luo Kei's face flushed dark, his hand snapping to the hilt of his saber. "What did you just say? You bag one piece of trash and suddenly your head swells this big?"

"I said that wasn't the deal," Qiu Han barked back, his voice rising, projecting deliberately across the entire canyon so every waiting disciple could hear. "You said five thousand spirit stones for the delivery of Xiao Fan. I have delivered him. Pay me."

Lei Dong raised his hand, stopping Luo Kei before he could charge. "There is no need for haste. You should know we are barred from accessing our storage bags inside the tower. I could not pay you even if I wished to. And believe me, I wish to."

"Young Master Lei's word is obviously worth mountains," Qiu Han said, his voice shifting into something shaky and cautious without fully losing its stubborn edge. "But forgive this small person for being small. If I hand Xiao Fan over now, what leverage do I have left? So, a compromise. Give me a storage bag as collateral. It's restricted inside the tower anyway, so I cannot access it either. You settle the spirit stones after we leave."

"You dare!" Luo Kei erupted, unleashing his ninth-stage qi cultivator's aura in a crushing wave of pressure. "How dare you make such a demand?"

Qiu Han took the practiced few steps back. "I kept my distance for exactly this reason, because I can still run. Young Master Lei Dong, surely you don't want me to bolt with your prize still over my shoulder. In the worst case, Xiao Fan qualifies for the next trial and his ranking sits above yours. I'm only asking for a restricted bag as security, or did you lie to everyone when you promised spirit stones to those who assisted you?"

Luo Kei's face went from red to purple.

Hanging limp, Xiao Fan felt a thrill of pure, silent satisfaction. He remembered Ning's exact breakdown of the psychological terrain: "Lei Dong cannot afford to back down. His entire blockade relies on the illusion of transactional order; people pay him because they believe he keeps his word on safe passage. If he publicly cheats or bullies the man who actually brought him his prize, his hired muscle will start wondering when they're next."

Lei Dong and his crew were strong, yes. But if he invited enough public outrage, even he would get jumped and made to pay.

After several long, agonizing breaths of silence, Lei Dong finally spoke. "Let no one say I do not keep my word. Luo Kei, throw them your storage bag."

Xiao Fan cheered internally. Perfect.

Don't back the beast into a corner with no exit. Give the young master a golden bridge to retreat across so he can preserve his precious face while still taking a massive loss. That bridge was not taking the storage bag of Lei Don, but his subordinates.

"B-but Young Master, " Luo Kei stiffened. His storage bag was worth more than five thousand spirit stones, but it went beyond that. He was a dignified ninth-stage qi cultivator being made to hand his personal bag to a mere seventh-stage nobody.

But under the absolute, crushing weight of Lei Dong's gaze, he had no choice. The contract he had signed left him no room for resistance.

With a stiff, trembling motion, Luo Kei ripped the silk storage bag from his sash and hurled it forward with pure venom.

Qiu Han snatched it out of the air in one fluid motion. He hefted the weight, checked the clan emblem embroidered on the side, and flashed a brilliant, ugly grin.

"Splendid. Young Master Lei is indeed a man of unparalleled virtue. Truly a paragon of the righteous path."

Lei Dong's voice came out like bare metal. "Hand him over. Now."

Qiu Han stepped forward, adjusting Xiao Fan's weight one last time.

Beneath the loose, limp disguise of unconsciousness, Xiao Fan's body coiled like a steel spring. His spiritual meridians hummed, qi quietly accelerating into a roaring torrent beneath his skin.

The fuse was lit.

One step. Two steps. Three steps.

Luo Kei stormed forward to receive the body, his face flushed with impatient rage, eager to end this humiliating farce. He reached out with both arms, guard completely dropped, all attention fixed on gripping the unconscious form of his prize.

Qiu Han leaned forward, tilting his shoulder, and hurled Xiao Fan directly into Luo Kei's chest.

Luo Kei's eyes widened in brief confusion. He caught the body out of pure reflex.

And the exact millisecond his hands closed around Xiao Fan's shoulders, Xiao Fan opened his eyes.

Luo Kei froze.

Xiao Fan smiled.

Tucked neatly inside Xiao Fan's cheek was a small, compressed bladder of crushed spicy beast sap, a vicious, volatile compound Ning had harvested from a bright red jungle vine.

Xiao Fan bit down and spat.

A concentrated, pressurized jet of boiling red sap sprayed directly into Luo Kei's wide, unprotected eyes and open mouth.

"A̶A̶A̶H̶H̶H̶!̶!̶ MY EYES! IT BURNS!!!" The scream tore through the canyon's silence like a blade.

Nobody had expected it. Not for one second had anyone considered that the unconscious Xiao Fan might wake up now, let alone have something like this waiting.

Xiao Fan's qi erupted like a volcano.

His right fist ignited with fierce spiritual energy and drove straight toward Luo Kei's exposed sternum.

But Luo Kei was no rookie. Even blinded and choking, he forcefully spread his spiritual sense and locked onto Xiao Fan's position. A harsh sonic attack gathered in his throat at the last possible moment.

"Scre-"

He only managed half the word.

An arrow appeared from nowhere and struck the ground beside him. A shrill lightning cry exploded through the canyon, shredding into Luo Kei's half-formed attack and shattering its rhythm.

Xiao Fan's fist landed.

[Heaven-Shattering Fist]

The sound of cracking bone rang out like a bell.

Luo Kei staggered backward, blind, choking on spicy sap, completely thrown into disarray. His ninth-stage cultivation was formidable, but strength had to be properly deployed. At this distance, with his senses ruined and his qi disrupted, he couldn't bring out even half of it.

"Now!" Qiu Han roared. "Everyone, this is your chance! Rush the inner region!"

The canyon exploded into chaos.

Independent disciples who had been waiting resentfully outside the passage seized the opening and charged forward. Lei Dong's followers scrambled to hold the line, but the formation had already cracked.

"How dare you play me!" Lei Dong's voice shook with rage. "You have eyes but cannot see Mount Tai!"

His aura erupted. "Stop them!"

His lackeys moved at once, some rushing toward Xiao Fan and Qiu Han to surround them before they could finish Luo Kei, others trying to hold the passage, a few breaking off to chase the independent disciples slipping past the blockade.

But the stage had already been set.

Xiao Fan accelerated toward Luo Kei.

Even after eating the Heaven-Shattering Fist head-on, Luo Kei hadn't triggered the tower's emergency teleportation. His cultivation was too high, his body-protection methods too solid. Given even a few breaths to recover, the ambush would unravel.

So Xiao Fan did not give him those breaths.

His eyes glowed faintly gold as he wove through the incoming attacks. A spear thrust came from the side, Xiao Fan twisted past it and drove his shoulder into the attacker's chest, sending him stumbling. Another disciple moved to strike Qiu Han from behind.

An arrow pierced the ground near that disciple's foot.

Lightning screamed.

The man's body locked up for an instant, and Qiu Han used that instant to slip away, his movement technique flashing as he slid clear of the encirclement.

"They still have an archer!" someone shouted.

Panic rippled through Lei Dong's people.

That was the terrifying thing.

Ning was not visible.

Nobody knew where he stood, where he aimed, or who he had chosen as his next target. His arrows did not always find bodies; sometimes they struck weapons, sometimes the ground, sometimes they shattered branches, released lightning, triggered frost, or broke a technique at the exact worst moment for the person using it.

Every time someone rushed Xiao Fan, an arrow appeared.

Every time someone moved to flank Qiu Han, lightning cried out.

Every time Luo Kei tried to gather his qi, a shot landed near him and fractured his rhythm.

Only now did Xiao Fan truly understand why Ning had insisted on staying behind.

In the competition arena, Ning's archery had been constrained; open ground was no place for it. But here, in a forested canyon, Ning's true danger revealed itself.

Ning didn't need to eliminate anyone. He only needed to strike at the opportune moment.

And his arrows always did.

Xiao Fan felt his blood heat.

With Ning covering the angles from the shadows, he could afford to be aggressive. He no longer had to defend every opening, only trust that the worst gaps would be sealed by an arrow before they became fatal.

A seventh-stage disciple stepped into his path.

Xiao Fan punched him aside.

Another grabbed for Luo Kei, trying to drag him back to safety.

An arrow pinned the man's sleeve to a nearby tree. Before he could tear free, Qiu Han flashed past and drove an elbow into his ribs, forcing him away.

Luo Kei roared blindly, clawing for his qi.

"You little-"

Xiao Fan was already there.

His fist struck Luo Kei's abdomen, then his shoulder, then his chest. Each blow landed heavily. Luo Kei tried to defend by spiritual sense alone, but the attacks were relentless, and the spicy sap still burned his eyes and throat, turning every breath into agony.

A final arrow descended from above.

This one didn't strike Luo Kei. It struck the stone behind his heel.

Ice spread instantly. Luo Kei's retreating foot slipped.

And Xiao Fan's fist was already waiting.

[Heaven-Shattering Fist]

All that was left to remember Luo Kei by was the white light that flashed through the canyon.

"You trash, now you've done it." Lei Dong's voice was stripped bare with fury. "I will skin you alive for this."

"You can try," Xiao Fan spat, his knuckles cracking as he raised his fists, his own qi rising to meet the young master's suffocating pressure.

They were less than ten paces apart, their auras grinding against each other with enough friction to split the stones beneath their feet. Lei Dong stepped forward, golden qi coiling around his palm into a lethal strike. Xiao Fan dug his heels into the dirt, prepared to risk everything on a direct collision-

Squeeeeak!

A bizarre, high-pitched, almost mocking sound rang off the rocky wall directly between them.

Both Lei Dong and Xiao Fan froze, their killing intent stuttering for a fraction of a second.

A small, ferret-like creature with sleek, iridescent blue fur and unnaturally long webbed silver feet was perched on a nearby boulder. It regarded the entire situation with apparent calm, then casually licked its paw.

The Slippery Ferret. The unique spiritual beast worth three hundred points.

For one suspended moment, the entire canyon held its breath. Three hundred points were enough to single-handedly overturn the rankings of the entire trial.

Lei Dong's golden palm strike vanished instantly. His eyes snapped from Xiao Fan to the blue streak of fur, and something in his face shifted completely.

"Forget the brat!" Lei Dong roared, his voice cracking with sudden, naked greed as he spun on his heel. "The Ferret! Form the net! Don't let it escape into the inner zone!"

"After it!" the remaining eighth-stage follower shouted, abandoning his position entirely as he lunged toward the boulder.

Squeak!

The Slippery Ferret let out a sharp, joyful chirp, its long silver feet blurring into a streak of light as it launched off the boulder and bolted straight into the dense undergrowth of the inner region.

"Move! Out of my way, trash!" Lei Dong screamed, his majestic golden aura now being deployed purely to blast aside the independent disciples blocking his path. He ignited his movement technique and transformed into a golden blur chasing a blue one into the thick canopy.

His remaining lackeys scrambled after him, shouting and cursing, abandoning the toll gate entirely.

Xiao Fan stood in the settling dust, fists still raised, blinking in absolute disbelief as the entire group vanished into the jungle within the span of three breaths.

"Are you kidding me?" he muttered to the empty air.

"Brother Xiao, what should we do?" Qiu Han appeared at his side, the storage bag still gripped firmly in his hand.

Xiao Fan stared toward the dark canopy of the inner region, where the distant sounds of crashing trees and Lei Dong's fading shouts still filtered through.

"I'm going after the ferret."

His points were already enough to qualify, but what could he say? Xiao Fan had a mean streak. The thought of snatching that prize right out from under Lei Dong's hands was simply too satisfying to pass up.

"I'll join you," Qiu Han said without hesitation.

"We're going after the ferret!" Xiao Fan called out loudly, knowing that wherever Ning was hiding in the tree line, he would have heard it.

Then the two of them accelerated, plunging into the canopy.

They had a ferret to catch.

...

For Wei Zhusang, this entire trial had been unbalanced as hell.

The Verdant Hunting Grounds sounded fair on the surface. Everyone entered the same forest. Everyone received the same medallion. Everyone hunted beasts, gathered points, and moved toward the center.

In reality, it had taken less than an hour for the trial to become a miniature version of the cultivation world outside.

Those with higher cultivation hunted faster. Those in groups survived longer. Those with backing gathered followers. Those who were alone became prey. And those who had both power and shamelessness, like Lei Dong, could simply occupy a key passage and demand payment from everyone weaker than him.

Wei Zhusang was only at the sixth stage of Qi Condensation.

Actually, that was not bad. Among disciples of his age, it could even be considered solid. But inside this trial, he was still part of the weaker side.

Against a seventh-stage cultivator, he could struggle for a while.

After all, not everyone was Xiao Fan, fighting across realms as though cultivation stages were polite suggestions.

The only solution was cooperation.

But cooperation was not simple either.

Finding people you could trust in a forest where points could be stolen was difficult. Even if you formed a group, other people could form larger groups. Once Lei Dong took control of the western passage into the inner region, even groups had been forced to lower their heads.

Many disciples had cursed him inwardly. Some had cursed him aloud once, then stopped after Luo Kei looked at them. Wei Zhusang himself had nearly stepped forward several times, but the situation had been too unfavorable.

But now Luo Kei had been eliminated.

Lei Dong’s blockade had collapsed.

Xiao Fan had chased after the Slippery Ferret, and Lei Dong had taken his remaining core followers after him. In the chaos, the stronger disciples, those at the eighth stage or the peak seventh stage, had already managed to rush into the inner region.

Within a few breaths, the once-crowded passage became strangely empty.

Only a few dozen disciples remained near the rocky corridor, looking at one another with uncertain expressions.

Then Wei Zhusang heard a familiar voice from the edge of the forest.

“And just like that, they are off.”

Ning emerged from between the trees, bow in hand.

At once, Wei Zhusang understood.

So Ning had been the archer holding back Lei Dong’s men.

That explained the arrows appearing from nowhere, the sudden interruptions, and the way every person who tried to rush Xiao Fan had been forced to hesitate.

Wei Zhusang still remembered the first time he had properly noticed Ning.

Back then, Ning had been a peripheral disciple with a mid-grade spiritual root and far too many resource problems. He had worked hard just to borrow spirit stones. His techniques were ordinary, his background unimpressive, and his future path seemed narrow unless he signed with a family or faction that could support him.

At that time, Wei Zhusang had thought Ning had the appearance of an excellent right-hand man.

Not in a condescending way, of course.

That was simply how things worked in this world.

Cultivation required resources. A disciple like Ning, who needed more time, more pills, more spirit stones, and more opportunities to reach Foundation Establishment, would eventually have to lean on someone. Wei Zhusang had even wondered whether Ning might become a useful ally under his future banner.

Then the outer sect competition happened.

Wei Zhusang had prepared carefully. He had studied Ning’s habits, his strategy, arranged his moves, and believed he had the initiative in his palm.

In the end, Ning used those very preparations to further his own plan.

After that, Ning became the apprentice of Ling Xin, a legendary alchemist with a reputation strange enough to make elders twitch. His rise had not been as explosive as Xiao Fan’s, but it was still a rise.

Wei Zhusang watched as Ning greeted Zhang Feng with something called a “dap,” which he still could not fully wrap his head around.

“So, Brother Ning,” Wei Zhusang finally asked, “do you want to join us in the hunt?”

Having an archer like Ning would be extremely useful.

“Um…” Ning paused.

Wei Zhusang thought Ning might refuse. Just by glancing at his medallion, it was obvious that Ning already had enough points to qualify. He did not need to take more risks.

“Is that a no?” Wei Zhusang asked.

“Nope.” Ning looked toward the remaining disciples near the passage, and a faint smile appeared on his face. “Instead, how about we go bigger?”

Wei Zhusang’s brow twitched.

Ning turned toward the others and clapped his hands.

“Excuse me, everyone.”

The remaining disciples looked over.

With the prestige Ning had gained from the first two trials, and with his hidden role in eliminating Luo Kei still fresh in everyone’s minds, no one ignored him.

Ning stepped onto a flat boulder and raised his voice.

“Let’s look at the facts. Individually, most of us are weaker than the eighth-stage elites, and we are definitely weaker than Lei Dong. If we don’t want to face another extortion scheme five minutes from now, we need to team up. If you march into the inner region alone, you are almost guaranteed to get robbed, eaten, trapped, poisoned, ambushed, or forced to pay a second toll by someone even more shameless than Lei Dong.”

The remaining disciples’ expressions instantly stiffened.

“That is not very inspiring,” someone muttered from the crowd.

Ning replied smoothly. “I’m stating the obvious.”

Wei Zhusang’s mouth twitched.

Classic Ning.

“But here is the flip side,” Ning continued, his tone shifting as he leaned forward. “The inner region has denser spiritual energy. Denser spiritual energy means stronger beasts. Stronger beasts mean a mountain of points. More points mean higher evaluations from the tower, and higher evaluations mean better rewards after we leave.”

Several disciples shifted their weight, their attention fully locked on him now.

“From what I’ve gathered, this trial can be cleared in two ways,” Ning said, holding up two fingers. “First, by possessing overwhelming individual strength, hunting alone, beating anyone who gets in your way, and walking to the center with your head held high.”

He paused.

“Unfortunately, most of us are not that person.”

A few disciples coughed awkwardly.

“Second, through coordination. I know we don’t fully trust each other. We are competitors. This trial practically encourages us to look at one another like walking storage bags. But are you really satisfied with barely scraping by? Are you satisfied with hunting two-point mice while the stronger disciples take all the good rewards?”

The crowd fell silent.

Ning pointed toward the inner region.

“The quality of the reward depends on the final evaluation. That means if we want better rewards, we need better results. And if we want better results without being eighth-stage qi cultivators, then we pool our strength, form a proper alliance, and rob the inner region blind.”

Several disciples’ eyes sharpened.

Rewards were a language everyone understood.

Ning’s smile widened.

“Think about it. Alone, you are a convenient point pouch. Together, you are a problem. Alone, you see a rare beast and pray it does not see you back. Together, you trap it, beat it, mark it, and divide the profit."

Ning raised his hand and continued, “We want rewards. We want to reach the center. And we do not want to be robbed like idiots. We want to advance."

The mood shifted.

The fear in the disciples’ eyes did not vanish, but it gained direction. Their gazes turned toward the inner passage, where denser spiritual energy shimmered.

One independent disciple frowned and stepped forward. “If we form a large group, how are the points divided?”

“We divide by contribution,” Ning answered without hesitation. “Those who scout receive a scouting share. Those who draw the aggro and take risks receive a risk share. Those who set traps or formations receive a similar share. Those who land the finishing blow receive the kill share. If a beast is too strong for a clean takedown, we mark it, suppress it, and split the points by the same rules.”

Another disciple raised his voice. “And what if someone gets greedy and tries to steal from the group?”

“Then everyone else beats him until he voluntarily reflects on his character.”

The answer came so quickly that a heavy silence fell over the canyon.

Ning spread his hands with a genial smile. “Look, the trial already encourages robbery. Pretending otherwise is a waste of time. The only way for weaker disciples to survive a predatory system is to make betrayal too expensive to afford. If one person betrays the alliance, everyone punishes him. If one person is targeted by an elite group, everyone nearby responds. If stronger factions try to bully us, we do not fight fair. We use traps, terrain, wild beasts, and overwhelming numbers.”

Ning’s voice grew sharper as he pointed down the open corridor.

“Lei Dong is busy chasing a Slippery Ferret. Xiao Fan is busy chasing Lei Dong. Half the most dangerous people in this trial are currently occupied. This is the best tactical window we are ever going to get. The inner region is open, and the rewards inside are valuable enough that a shared prize is still better than dying alone over a few two-point mice.”

That line struck home harder than the rest.

The hesitation in the disciples’ eyes faded, replaced by sharp, calculating hunger.

Wei Zhusang was surprised.

Even from this brief speech, he could see that Ning was different than before.

It was not that pronounced, but it was as if he was much freer, and that showed now in his behaviour.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

The Trial of Illusion had changed him.

That was not entirely surprising. Still, Wei Zhusang could not help but wonder what kind of nightmare Ning had faced inside to come out looking this relaxed.

Then he thought better of it.

Some questions in the cultivation world were better left unasked.

One young disciple gripped his weapon. “If we join, who leads?”

And just like that, the bait was taken.

Wei Zhusang understood immediately.

Ning must have planned this before. The remaining disciples were the ones who had not been strong enough to rush ahead alone, but also not weak enough to give up. What they lacked was just the initiative, which Ning handed.

At that moment, many eyes turned toward Ning.

Ning immediately stepped down from the rock.

“No.”

Zhang Feng blinked. “Brother Ning?”

“No,” Ning repeated firmly. “Do not look at me like that. I am not leading a group through the inner region.”

Someone asked, “Why not?”

“Because I am a stealth archer,” Ning said, his voice suddenly fiery. “And now is the time to revive the glory of the stealth archer.”

Zhang Feng leaned toward Wei Zhusang and whispered, “Brother Ning is being weird again.”

Wei Zhusang quietly agreed.

Ning ignored them and looked at the group.

“Those who want to be leaders can step up.”

Wei Zhusang immediately understood what was happening.

Despite everything, Ning always preferred to step back into the shadows after pushing events in the right direction. Just like his presence in the Mutual Aid Association back then, Wei Zhusang did not know whether Ning was lazy or simply too carefree.

Soon, after a short discussion, Wei Zhusang was elected leader.

There were two main reasons.

First, most of the remaining disciples were only at the seventh stage or below, and many lacked experience coordinating groups. Second, Wei Zhusang’s background was still quite impressive among those who were present.

“It seems Brother Wei is truly suited for this role,” Ning said, patting him on the shoulder.

Wei Zhusang looked at him. “You pushed this onto me.”

"It's just what everyone decided.”

Before Wei Zhusang could respond, Ning took out several bundles and placed them on a nearby stone.

“Anyway, I have some things to give you.”

The disciples gathered around at once.

Ning began pointing them out one by one.

“The sweet-scent paste lures common beasts and occasionally rare ones if they are nearby. Do not smear too much, or you will attract things you cannot handle. These ropes are treated with sticky sap, useful for trip lines."

Wei Zhusang picked up one of the ropes and inspected it. The craft was rough, but practical.

“When did you make these?”

“Since the trial began.”

Wei Zhusang understood immediately.

Ning was using these items to create cohesion.

A fragile alliance built only on words could easily break. But once people saw hope, received tools, formed roles, and had a practical plan, they began to feel like part of the same group.

Despite not wanting to become a leader, Ning’s social sense was still annoyingly sharp.

“Now, Brother Wei,” Ning said, stepping back, “please take the lead.”

Wei Zhusang looked at the gathered disciples.

Then he spoke. “Split into three squads. Scouts in front. Shield and close-combat disciples in the middle. Ranged and support disciples at the back. Do not chase rare beasts too far from the group. If something runs too easily, assume it is bait. If something looks harmless, assume it is poisonous."

Wei Zhusang continued, “If we meet stronger disciples, we do not scatter. We form up. If we cannot win, we retreat together. If we can win, we take their points. If anyone betrays the group, everyone else jumps his ass.”

The disciples nodded.

The alliance, which had been fragile only moments ago, suddenly felt much more solid.

Wei Zhusang then turned toward Ning, only to see that Ning was already being troubled by Jin Shu.

“Brother Ning,” Jin Shu said, patting the gray wolf beside her. “Let’s battle.”

Ning stared at her.

“Now?”

“Didn’t you say next time we met, we would battle?”

“I did not think we would meet again so soon.” Ning scratched his head. “Also, I do not have Fenghuang with me. How did you bring Hei Ya?”

Jin Shu blinked. “I chose him as my weapon.”

Ning froze.

“You can do that?”

“Of course,” Jin Shu said seriously. “As a beast tamer, my strongest weapons are my beasts.”

Ning just blinked at that.

Wei Zhusang found this strangely reassuring.

Despite everything, Ning could still be blindsided by some things.

Wei Zhusang raised his weapon. “From this moment on, we move together. We hunt together. We split rewards by contribution, punish betrayal as one, and reach the center as an alliance.”

The disciples’ eyes brightened.

Zhang Feng raised his spear high. “ For the Alliance!”

Several others followed.

“For the Alliance!”

Wei Zhusang’s voice grew firmer. "Okay, that's enough. Let's move before our shout attracts beasts."

Now, it's huntin' time.

...

Thanks for reading~

A/N: Had a worse fever than expected after the surgery. In hindsight, I should have expected it, but anyway feeling okayish now. Sorry, for the delay.