Mist Lord

Song Village.

Staring at the bronze treasure chest in front of him, Song Jing was lost in thought, his mind wandering to what kind of treasure chest Xia Yuan had obtained—bronze or silver?

But it doesn't matter anymore.

He didn't intend to open the treasure chest; instead, he planned to present it as a gift to the alliance leader, Tang Ce.

Although the alliance leader hadn't hinted at anything from beginning to end, he couldn't be oblivious. They had given him so many slave soldiers, including third-tier archers and contract scrolls; he should reciprocate in kind.

Every gift comes with a hidden price tag.

The more you owe, the more at ease you will feel about what others ask for later.

Debts of gratitude are the hardest to repay.

As for being outshone by Xia Yuan again, Song Jing was able to remain calm. As long as Xia Yuan didn't draw a third-tier unit, he couldn't shake Song Jing's status as the sect's holy son.

Even if it is truly a Tier 3 territory, it is impossible for it to be taken over as a subordinate territory by the Alliance Leader, as the quota is already full.

Then what is there to worry about?

"Next time, I promise I won't let you steal the spotlight again!"

Despite his clear head, deep down, Song Jing was still somewhat unwilling to accept it.

This should have been his coronation moment, but it ended up as a complete mess.

.........

Song Jing was not the only one who was unwilling to accept this.

Looking at the devastated territory, despite achieving a commendable ninth place, Chen Wei's face showed no excitement or joy, only unbearable bitterness.

Only he himself knows the enormous price he paid behind the scenes for this ninth place.

It's even crueler than a contract of servitude!

That's fine, since it was his own choice, but why did Xia Yuan get first place?

He had already betrayed Xia Yuan once in his hometown, and now he had betrayed him again on the Misty Continent. If Xia Yuan were to perish sooner, perhaps his guilt would be lessened, offering some solace.

But Xia Yuan not only didn't die, he was still as dazzling as ever.

The blinding light seemed to transform into invisible flames, constantly scorching his filthy and ugly soul, leaving him nowhere to escape and nowhere to hide.

"Why don't you just die? You should have died a long time ago!!!"

Chen Wei's face was ferocious, as if he wanted to devour someone, which made people fear him.

.........

Yunyang City, Lieyang Tower.

In contrast to Chen Wei's impotent rage, Li Mingyu was already taking action.

As its name suggests, Lieyang Tower is not only a top-tier restaurant and entertainment venue in Yunyang City, but also the headquarters of the Lieyang faction in Yunyang City. Similar establishments include Suiye Pavilion and Liuyun Pavilion.

To suppress Xia Yuan, Li Mingyu went directly to the vice leader, Zhu Xiaotian, saying, "We absolutely cannot allow Xia Yuan to grow stronger, otherwise, I'll become a complete joke. What prestige will I have left then?"

"What do you want to do?"

Sitting in the main seat, Zhu Xiaotian had a square face and, although he was over forty, he exuded an imposing presence.

"I trouble the Vice Alliance Leader to spread the word that anyone who takes Xia Yuan under their wing will be making an enemy of the entire Lieyang faction." With Li Mingyu's current power, he can no longer control level 6 and 7 lords, so he can only ask the faction leaders to take action.

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Zhu Xiaotian frowned slightly. "If word gets out, people will think our faction is intolerant and deliberately suppressing a newcomer. Wouldn't that make us a laughingstock of the entire alliance? Besides, we haven't even determined what tier of unit Xia Yuan drew yet. Isn't this a bit too hasty?"

"It's actually quite simple to confirm; just start the sweep in advance."

Li Mingyu, of course, knew exactly what Zhu Xiaotian was worried about. The talk about reputation was just nonsense. How many dirty deeds had happened within the three major factions? Who could be cleaner than whom? They had no reputation to speak of at all.

What Zhu Xiaotian was really worried about was that if Xia Yuan drew a third-tier unit, it would inevitably alarm the alliance leader.

If factions rush to speak out, aren't they going against the alliance leader?

That would truly make the other two factions laugh their heads off.

"A sweep operation? That's a good idea. You handle the arrangements; I just want the results."

In this beginner trial, the top ten new lords will each receive a beginner sweep scroll. Opening the scroll will teleport them to a monster camp in the Misty Continent.

If more than half of the people agree, the sweep operation can be forcibly started, and at that time, it will be clear at a glance what tier of unit Xia Yuan will draw.

"Then let's arrange it for tomorrow."

Li Mingyu had actually planned this all along, so he was confident of success.

Of the top ten new lords this time, he can directly give orders to three: Xiao Xiong, Chen Wei, and Liu Qingyan. He only needs to win over three more to meet the target.

Choosing tomorrow is clearly a malicious act.

Firstly, it would allow for the fastest possible confirmation of the tier of troop Xia Yuan had drawn, preventing Xia Yuan from being targeted by someone else prematurely if the situation continued to escalate, leaving Zhu Xiaotian with no time to speak out.

Secondly, it's also to teach Xia Yuan a small lesson.

After today's fierce battle, Xiao Xiong and his men were able to quickly replenish their fallen troops with the help of the Great Lord. Xia Yuan, however, remained alone, surrounded only by a group of defeated soldiers. The sooner the sweeping operation began, the more disadvantageous it would be for Xia Yuan, allowing for a complete surprise attack.

We might even be able to take the opportunity to get rid of Xia Yuan.

Before meeting Zhu Xiaotian, Li Mingyu had already been secretly making arrangements. Now, with Zhu Xiaotian's endorsement, he could act even more recklessly, quickly coordinating with all parties to come up with a decisive plan.

This thorn must be removed as soon as possible!

.........

Mingguang Village.

Xia Yuan, wielding his newly acquired Blood Blade, was relentlessly finishing off the remaining mist monsters that weren't quite dead yet. After absorbing their blood essence, he didn't even need to refine it; he directly fed it to the Fire Beetles.

With sufficient replenishment of Qi and blood, the Fire Beetle can also advance to the next level ahead of schedule.

"Master, everything is settled!"

Satir arrived to report on the placement of the sword-and-shield dogs.

Although the battle progressed smoothly with little close combat, two Wandering Blade & Shield users were unfortunately killed in the final frenzy of the Mist Monster. Meanwhile, two more Wandering Blade & Shield users advanced to Warrior Blade & Shield users through this fierce battle.

It is clear that the intensity of this battle was not particularly high.

The extremely low casualty rate is one of the reasons why this novice trial was able to achieve an S+ rating.

"Thanks for your hard work!"

Xia Yuan took out a bag of Mist Sprout Crystals from his storage space and handed it over, saying, "You should also hurry up and consume the Mist Sprout Crystals to try to level up again and reach the peak of the third tier."

"Master, this is too much, it's not appropriate!"

Satir refused even more firmly this time. A full 150 Mist Sprout Crystals, accounting for at least 40% of this spoils, was something she truly felt unworthy of. Moreover, she had just recently consumed 75 Mist Sprout Crystals.

"There's no such thing as suitable or unsuitable. There might be a fierce battle tomorrow, and I need a stronger you, understand?"

The moment Xia Yuan got his hands on the sweeping roll, he realized that things were not simple and that he might become the target of someone's schemes.

He knew Li Mingyu's ways all too well; he never held a grudge. Now that he'd made such a big splash, Li Mingyu was definitely thinking about how to nip him in the bud.

The sweep operation is a perfect opportunity.

Of course, Xia Yuan could also choose not to fall for it, for example, by simply giving up this opportunity to sweep the area.

He does indeed have this plan.

If things become unmanageable, it's better to cut ties painfully than to lose one's life in vain.

Survival is the best policy.

The specific decision will depend on how things develop, but necessary preparations must be made in advance.

Mist bud crystals are certainly precious, but their value can only be realized when they are transformed into real combat power; otherwise, they are just a bunch of pretty pebbles.

He was also hoping that Satir would awaken her Elf King bloodline soon and advance to a fourth-tier Wind Whisperer. Originally, Satir deserved the greatest credit for this battle and should have been rewarded.

"We swear to defend our master to the death!"

The moment Satir received the Mist Sprout Crystal, she felt a heavy weight in her heart.