Chapter 74: The Perilous Blood Forest

  PS: The third watch is over, seeking recommendations!

  Ye Chen asked, "What level of strength does this bloodthirsty madman possess?" He didn't ask about his cultivation because for geniuses, sometimes cultivation doesn't represent anything. There are many cases where a mid-stage Condensing Reality realm can defeat a late-stage Condensing Reality realm. What's truly important is combat power.

  Yuan Xue Mei glanced at Wang Feng and explained: "Ye brother, I don't know if you've heard of the three major ladders of the younger generation in Tianfeng Country?"

  Ye Chen shook his head. Perhaps other disciples who often traveled the jianghu knew these things, but he had only recently become an inner disciple and didn't have a large network of relationships, so there were some things he wasn't aware of.

  "Then I'll tell you!" Yuan Xue Mei collected her thoughts and began to speak in a smooth, flowing manner.

  The geniuses of Tianfeng Nation, though not as numerous as those in other nations, are still quite a few. Generally speaking, the truly exceptional talents can be divided into three tiers.

  The first tier only had three people, namely Jade Prince of the Jade Valley, North Snow Prince of the North Snow Manor and Duanmu Prince of the Duanmu family. These three were leaders among the younger generation in Tianfeng Nation, qualified to be compared with top geniuses from other nations, and could participate in the Nan Zhudao's Hidden Dragon Ranking competition held once every three years, renowned throughout the land.

  There are no fewer people in the second tier, including 'Palm of Extinction' Liu Wuxiang, core disciple of Feicui Valley; 'Stone Man' Shi Potian; 'Overbearing Saber' Yu Yue and 'North Snow Fast Knife' Lin Qi, core disciples of Beishan Manor; 'Thunderbolt Hand' Ouyang Lie and 'Little Divine Leg' Ouyang Ming, core disciples of Ziyang Sect; our sect's Master Sister Erniang and Master Brother Erlang, 'Lotus Fairy' Qin Yulian and 'Rain Knight' Nangong Yun; as well as 'Dark Fragrance Sword' Zhu Mei and 'Cold Mountain Young Master' Luo Hanshan from Liuyun Sect. Of course, the more people there are, the greater the disparity between each individual may be, and it's possible that the strongest could easily defeat the weakest, but they have all been included in the second tier.

  The third step is not detailed, there are many people, all of whom are core disciples of various major sects, their cultivation is basically in the late stage of condensing reality, and they have the potential to become the backbone of Tianfeng Country.

  Ye Chen furrowed his brow, "Is the Bloodthirsty Madman a genius of the third tier?"

  "Hehe, that's not it. He is one of the strongest disciples under the three major steps, and if his cultivation wasn't a bit lower, entering the third step wouldn't be impossible." Yuan Xue Mei explained.

  After listening to so much, Ye Chen's mind drew a more detailed power division diagram, from high to low, in an orderly manner, unlike the original vague and confusing analysis of the sect disciples' strength levels.

  As for the opponent's mention of the Qianlong Ranking competition, he had already heard about it.

  Nan Zhuo Domain was the smallest domain in the True Spirit Continent, but this smallest domain was also many times larger than the world Ye Chen came from. It spanned millions of miles, with three major nations, ten medium-sized nations, and twenty-four small nations like Tian Feng Nation.

  The major nations' martial artists rarely interact with each other and are too far apart to thoroughly understand the level of martial artists in other countries.

  For this, the three major nations of the Southern Region joined forces and sixty years ago established a competition known as the Hidden Dragon Rankings.

  The Hidden Dragon Ranking competition is for young people, anyone under the age of twenty-four who has reached the mid-Condensing Reality stage can participate, held once every three years, with a quota of seventy-two people.

  To know that the entire Southern Domain has a population of hundreds of billions, and to be selected as one of the strongest seventy-two young masters from among them is truly an honor that would move anyone's heart. As Ye Chen knew, in the previous year's Hidden Dragon Ranking competition, which was held just one year ago, the Jadeite Young Master from the Jadeite Valley ranked sixty-eighth, while the North Snow Young Master from the North Snow Manor and the Duanmu Young Master from the Duanmu Family failed to make the list.

  Of course, this does not mean that the Jade Prince is necessarily stronger than the two of them. After all, sometimes bad luck can occur, and when encountering an opponent who restrains oneself, even a slightly higher cultivation level may be useless.

  Many thoughts flashed through his mind, Ye Chen nodded at Yuan Xue and said, "Thank you for telling me, I'll be careful myself."

  Wang Feng's expression was cold and detached as he said, "The Bloodthirsty Madman may not necessarily be without weaknesses. As long as we can find his weakness, we can defeat him at the smallest cost."

  Ye Chen smiled bitterly in his heart, the disciples of Beixue Manor were best at using weakness to overcome strength, finding the enemy's weak point and then striking fiercely, not giving the opponent a chance to turn over. Unfortunately, he was not a disciple of Beixue Manor, even if his soul force was strong, it would be difficult to make that kind of efficient weak point attack. In any case, how could such a powerful opponent like the Bloodthirsty Madman be defeated in one move?

  Ling Xiaoxue saw that several people were lingering there, showing no intention of leaving, and had to speak up to remind them: "Congratulations to the five of you, becoming tomorrow's medicine-picking team's temporary guards."

  "Easy to say!" Yuan Xue Mei replied with a smile.

  Ling Tian said, "I've already instructed someone to prepare rooms for the five of you. Dinner will be served in the main hall, and a servant will remind you when it's time. Additionally, the Blood Forest is extremely dangerous, so each of you should take precautions to protect yourselves. Tonight, focus on resting and conserving your energy."

  Ling's family head reminded him.

  Few dare to underestimate the Blood Forest, where many ferocious beasts reside. Fourth-level beasts are a common sight, and if one encounters a weaker one, it's still manageable. However, encountering a top-tier fourth-level beast would be a different story, even someone like the Jade Prince might not have the upper hand. In that case, they would likely fall and become fertilizer for the land.

  The sky quickly darkened, after dinner, several people returned to their rooms and closed the doors without going out.

  A night without words.

  The next morning.

  Five people followed the numerous medicinal teams and Ling family guards as they marched towards the Bloody Forest in the west of Blackstone City.

  ……

  In the silent forest, everyone walked quietly, with pairs of vigilant eyes constantly scanning the dark corners around them. Those with weapons gripped them tightly, while those without secretly mobilized their inner energy to cope with the dangers that could arise at any moment.

  "Ah!"

  Despite everyone's caution, death could not be avoided. A member of the Ling family guard turned green and fell to the ground, foaming at the mouth.

  Ling Xiaoxue furrowed her brow and hastily walked over.

  After a closer inspection, the crowd finally discovered that on the neck of the deceased Ling family guard member was crawling a large, bright green spider. It must have been hanging from a tree branch earlier and only silently dropped onto the person's neck as they passed by, poisoning them.

  "It's a Dark Green Poisonous Spider!" Ling Xiaoxue's face turned pale. This spider could only be considered a first-class demon beast, but the toxin inside its body was extremely potent and could instantly kill a cultivator in the Condensation Realm. It was often referred to as the "Messenger of Death" by cultivators who frequently ventured into the Bloody Forest, implying that those poisoned were beyond salvation.

  Ye Chen quietly took a deep breath of cold air. He had thought that the Bloody Forest wouldn't be more dangerous than the Silent Mountains, and since he could survive in the Silent Mountains, he should also be able to handle the Bloody Forest. However, he was wrong. The Bloody Forest wasn't just frightening because of its powerful demonic beasts; even the weak ones were unusually terrifying. If that spider had bitten him earlier, his life might have been in danger.