Imperial Scepter

Gao Changhe led the four teenagers to their destination and pointed to the valley in front of him.

"That's where the Black Pig stays, and it's also your training ground."

"Although you are still young, as cultivators, you should know the responsibilities and duties of cultivators. After you come of age, you will have to rely on your own efforts for cultivation and earn your own resources."

"The task I've assigned you this time comes with extremely generous rewards. I hope you'll make the most of this opportunity to earn Xuanjing."

"I've said all I need to say. I'll leave you here and then go about my business. Wait for me in this valley until sunset, and I'll come back to find you."

Before the children could even speak, Gao Changhe flicked his sleeves, took to the air, and flew straight into the distance.

Only four children remained.

Captain Gao Chun was the first to come to his senses, immediately stood up, and spoke decisively.

"Let's go and investigate that den of black boars."

……

The golden rays of the setting sun pierced through the pines on both sides of the valley, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

The air was filled with the smell of damp, decaying leaves, mixed with a strong earthy odor and a faint animal scent. The deeper we went into the valley, the clearer the smell became.

Gao Chun walked at the front; the twelve-year-old boy was tall and straight, with sharp eyes like an eagle.

Each step was taken on higher rocks, which allowed for a clear view of the path ahead and prevented one from sinking into the soft humus.

He stopped, raised his hand to signal the three people behind him to be quiet, and pointed to a wide valley diagonally in front of him: "It's over there, be careful to stay hidden."

The four men used the nearby boulder for cover and peered out.

In the clearing in the center of the valley, a robust black boar was resting on the ground.

Its entire body is dark brown, its mane is coarse and stiff like steel needles, and a shallow crystalline pattern on its forehead shimmers with a faint light.

Judging from its imposing aura alone, everyone knew it was a genuine second-grade mystic beast.

Beside her, seven piglets, each the size of a millstone, were frolicking around their mother.

The little black body rolled around, occasionally nudging its mother's belly with its wet nose, looking utterly adorable.

Yet no one dared to underestimate them in the slightest.

Black boars are naturally violent and possess explosive fighting power. When a mother is protecting her cubs, her attack power doubles.

"A second-grade adult black boar, plus seven piglets." Li Daoqiu's calm voice rang in my ears.

He squinted, his gaze fixed on the sow, carefully observing its breathing rate and posture.

"The mother beast's chest is rising and falling evenly, indicating she is in a light sleep and has not yet noticed our presence."

"The piglet's activity range is entirely within the mother's attack radius; at the slightest disturbance, it will immediately launch an attack."

Li Daoqiu turned to look at Gao Chun, his tone calm and steady.

"This second-grade Xuanbo looks tough to deal with. I suggest we capture the cubs alive first, and observe the mother for now before making a decision."

Wang Hu crossed his arms, stiffened his neck, and snorted, deliberately raising the volume.

He suddenly covered his mouth again, glancing warily at the black boar in the valley.

Seeing that they hadn't alerted the other party, they lowered their voices and said, "If we capture the piglets alive, the sow will definitely fight us to the death. In the end, we'll still have to confront her head-on."

"Moreover, seven cubs are only worth 350 Xuan Crystals, while a Grade 2 Xuan Pig can sell for 500! Now that we're here, there's no reason to let this big guy go."

As he spoke, he secretly glanced at the black pigs, afraid of disturbing them.

Seeing that Gao Chun and Li Daoqiu didn't respond, his tone became more uncertain, but he still insisted, "If the four of us join forces, we should... definitely be able to take it down, right?"

"Well... the method of taking action is up to you."

Gao Chengzhi leaned against the boulder, his hands tucked into his chest.

He was taking advantage of a moment of seclusion to secretly flip through the storybook rolled up in his arms. He had been interrupted on his journey, but was now engrossed in reading it.

Hearing Wang Hu's incessant chatter, he didn't even lift his eyelids, his tone carrying a hint of nonchalant arrogance: "So noisy, you're going to wake up the Xuan Pig."

"We're on a mission, not slacking off at home!" Gao Chun said sternly, his face hardening. "As a Xuan practitioner, you should have the basic qualities of one. I'm the team captain, and I'm ordering you to put away your storybook!"

Gao Chengzhi didn't dare to argue with his uncle, so he reluctantly put the storybook back in his pocket.

Gao Chun stopped paying attention to his unreliable nephew.

His gaze returned to the black boar in the valley, and his brain raced.

After a moment, he made a decision: "Daoqiu is right, a head-on confrontation is not advisable."

"The four of us are all lower-level Bronze Xuan practitioners, and we may not be able to defeat this second-grade Xuan boar, not to mention that there are seven cubs helping us."

"A mother beast is fiercely protective of her cubs; to catch them, you must first lure the mother away." He looked at Li Daoqiu, "Do you have a way to distract the mother beast for a while?"

"We'll consider whether to attack the mother after we capture the cubs alive."

Li Daoqiu pondered for a moment, then took out several first-grade water talismans from his pocket. These were protective items his father, Li Quan, had prepared for him in advance.

"This water talisman has a mild effect; throwing it into a herd of pigs will only scare them away. It won't harm the piglets, but it will enrage the sows."

"When the time comes, as long as someone shows up, the enraged sow will chase after it, and then we can lure it away."

"I possess a purple Dao Seed, making me fast. In the team's division of labor, I am the assassin, and my duty is to lure and wear down the beast." He spoke with certainty and sharp eyes. "The job of drawing away the mother beast is naturally mine."

Gao Chun was quite satisfied with the plan, but he was caught in a dilemma.

The task of luring away the sow was extremely dangerous. As a four-star bronze realm cultivator, his profound energy quality far surpassed that of the other three, making him the most suitable candidate.

But he is the captain, and he will have to lead Wang Hu and Gao Chengzhi to deal with the seven cubs later.

Those seven little creatures may seem harmless, but capturing them alive might not be as easy as luring the mother beast away.

"Don't worry about it." Li Daoqiu saw through his concerns and smiled slightly. "I'm the most suitable candidate. You're the captain, so you need to stay and coordinate the capture of the cubs."

"Whether we can earn Xuanjing on this mission depends entirely on these seven cubs."

"it is good."

Gao Chun no longer hesitated and solemnly instructed, "Daoqiu, I'm entrusting the task of luring away the mother beast to you. Be sure to be careful."

"What should we do with those seven piglets?" At this point, Wang Hu tentatively suggested, "Could we distract the sow and separate them as well?"

"It won't work, the cubs aren't that stupid." Gao Chun immediately rejected the idea.

"Dig a trap," Gao Chengzhi suddenly said from the side, his tone still lazy.

"Dig a hole here, stick some spikes at the bottom, and lure the cubs over. Once they fall in, we can easily capture them alive!"

Gao Chun's eyes lit up, and he secretly praised his nephew: his little nephew may look lazy, but he's quick-witted.

It seems that reading those storybooks all the time wasn't a waste of time.

"That's a good idea!" Wang Hu was the first to agree, secretly annoyed that he hadn't thought of it.

Li Daoqiu nodded in agreement: "This is the most effortless method."

"This tactic can also be used against the mother beast. Whether she lives or dies, as long as we capture this second-grade Xuanbo, we'll be guaranteed five hundred Xuan crystals."

Upon hearing this, the other three people's eyes lit up.

Yes, even the mother beast can be captured with a trap!

However, this requires two separate operations. The trap for the mother animal must be dug deeper to prevent her from breaking free and jumping out to harm people.

The four finalized their strategy: dig two traps, one for the seven cubs and the other for the mother beast.

First lure the mother beast away, then take the opportunity to lure the seven cubs into the trap and capture them;

Then try to lure the female animal into another trap, but be careful to control the timing so that they don't fall into the trap at the same time, lest something unexpected happens.

The two traps must be chosen in different locations so that they can be attacked separately, thus avoiding the worst risks.

They then discussed the details in detail: where to place the two traps, how to disguise them so as not to be detected, and what material the spikes should be made of so that they could securely trap the target without harming the pig...

The four became more and more engrossed in their conversation, their initial caution and wariness gradually fading away, and their eyes shining with excitement.

They added to each other's ideas one after another, sometimes arguing about the depth of the trap, sometimes pondering the path to temptation. Their vibrant energy and agile thinking were fully displayed in their hushed conversation.