Chapter 66

As the Spring Festival approached, the festive atmosphere was thick.

The sky was a deep blue, and the sun shone brightly.

A group of young men poured out of Fengwu City, a total of one hundred, each forming teams and walking briskly forward.

"Wang Shenglei, do you dare to bet with me?" Wang Shenglei stared at Chen Zong, speaking in a deep voice, immediately drawing the attention of many around him.

"No bet." Chen Zong didn't even listen to the content of the bet and responded directly. The crowd was taken aback, and Wang Shenglei almost choked. Tang Junluo, Li Zhen Shi, and others couldn't help but laugh inwardly.

"Coward." The Wang family's offspring immediately mocked.

"What did you say? Who is the coward? You are just a defeated opponent. Chen Zong doesn't want to deal with you." The Chen family's offspring immediately countered.

"Chen Zong, let's bet on who can lead their family's team to reach the Seven Stars Martial Academy first." Wang Shenglei suppressed the noise and said coldly to Chen Zong, "If I lose, I'll give you fifty thousand white jade coins. If you lose, you give me fifty thousand white jade coins. Everyone here can be a witness."

The crowd gasped upon hearing this.

Fifty thousand white jade coins!

This amount was a huge sum for both Li Zhen Shi and Tang Junluo, and neither could easily come up with it.

"Fifty thousand white jade coins..." Chen Zong was also very surprised and his mind started to work.

At the moment, anything related to jade coins would make him think. If he could win Wang Shenglei and get those fifty thousand white jade coins, he would have a total of one hundred thousand white jade coins.

One hundred thousand white jade coins, although still a far cry from a million, was at least a glimmer of hope.

"Fine, the bet is on." Chen Zong thought for a moment and agreed directly.

As for losing, Chen Zong had also considered it, but to gain, one must take risks. The greater the gain, the greater the risk. Like those martial artists who enter the deep mountains to search for medicinal herbs, they might earn a lot of money, but they also put their lives on the line, and a single misstep could cost them their lives.

If he didn't want to lose, he had to do his best to win.

"Fine, don't deny it when the time comes." Wang Shenglei smiled coldly, waved his hand, and led the Wang family's offspring forward quickly.

"Let's go." Chen Zong also said, leading the Chen family's offspring forward.

Among the top hundred in this Fengwu Talent Battle, the offspring of the three major noble families and five major clans made up half, while the remaining half came from dozens of small forces in Fengwu City, and a few were independent martial artists.

Qin Xin had left Fengwu City the night before with a few who had reached the seventh level of the Blood Qi realm, returning to the Seven Stars Martial Academy. He had also said that the hundred qualified individuals must reach the Seven Stars Martial Academy within three days through their own efforts. This was a test, and only those who passed the test could truly become disciples of the Seven Stars Martial Academy.

There might be some dangers along the way, which needed to be resolved through their own efforts. If they were injured or died, the Seven Stars Martial Academy would not be responsible. If they exceeded the specified time, the Seven Stars Martial Academy would not accept them.

Rules were rules, and even if someone was dissatisfied, there was nothing they could do. Either go or don't go, it was that simple.

But since they had entered the top hundred through repeated battles and gained the qualification, they were naturally unwilling to give up. Moreover, according to their understanding, this was the case in previous years, and most could safely reach the Seven Stars Martial Academy within the specified time.

The Wang family's offspring and the Chen family's offspring made a bet, and although the offspring of other family forces did not make a bet, they all harbored competitive thoughts. Whoever arrived at the Seven Stars Martial Academy first would have a superior momentum.

The offspring of each family formed teams or joined forces, and the few independent martial artists also joined hands.

On the Chen family's side, including Chen Zong, there were five in total: Chen Zong, Chen Zhong, Chen Kaiyue, Chen Wenzhe, and Chen Zhi.

Among the five, Chen Zong had the lowest cultivation, but the other four were all at the sixth level of the Blood Qi realm. However, they all respected Chen Zong greatly, as his strength was not only the best in the Chen family, but also the first in the Fengwu City Talent Battle.

Chen Kaiyue, who had always wanted Chen Zong's precious iron sword and had been at odds with him, also sincerely apologized to Chen Zong.

As fellow Chen family offspring, there was no real enmity between them. Chen Kaiyue's sincere apology made Chen Zong naturally unwilling to be petty.

"Under normal circumstances, with our speed and the distance from Fengwu City to the Seven Stars Martial Academy, we can reach it within three days without any problem." Chen Wenzhe rubbed his nose and said. He had recently done various preparations and had a deep understanding of the route. He pulled out a roll of buffalo skin paper from his chest and opened it, revealing a hand-drawn simple map.

"Look, starting from Fengwu City, we need to pass through the Red Leaf Forest, Black Bee Mountain, White Swift River, and Running Horse Plain." Chen Wenzhe pointed to a forest symbol marked in red on the map: "According to my investigation, there are fierce beasts in the Red Leaf Forest, but no demonic beasts have been heard of. With our strength, we should be safe."

Everyone listened to Chen Wenzhe, and his gaze mainly fell on Chen Zong, as he was undoubtedly the leader among the five.

"Go on." Chen Zong nodded.

"Black Bee Mountain has many black bee nests. Ordinary black bees are nothing, but the black bee queen is a low-grade first-level demonic beast, which poses no threat to us. The problem is that black bees appear in groups of at least hundreds, and their stingers are toxic. Once stung, even a martial artist will feel numb all over and lose the ability to resist." Chen Wenzhe's tone was somewhat serious: "Therefore, it's best not to act rashly on Black Bee Mountain. If we encounter a black bee swarm, we should avoid it if possible."

"The White Swift River is a branch of the Dragon Concealment River. It is said to be very swift, but there is a period when it is relatively calm. We can cross the river safely during that time, but we must also be cautious, as there are demonic beasts in the White Swift River." Chen Wenzhe clearly put in a lot of effort: "Finally, the Running Horse Plain is a grassland with wild horses and demonic beasts. However, it is said that they are all first-level demonic beasts, and second-level demonic beasts rarely appear. If we are careful, we can pass safely. Finally, we will reach the Dragon Horn Peak of the Dragon Concealment Mountain, which is the location of the Seven Stars Martial Academy."

"You know this very well, kid." Chen Zhong patted Chen Wenzhe's shoulder and laughed.

"I'm used to preparing in advance." Chen Wenzhe smiled.

With Chen Wenzhe's explanation, everyone had a better understanding of the journey and felt more confident.

"Everyone, I accepted Wang Shenglei's bet, so I will do my best to win. If we win, the fifty thousand white jade coins will be divided equally among us, one ten thousand each." Chen Zong said: "Don't worry, if we lose, I will pay the fifty thousand white jade coins."

Brothers should be clear about accounts, and some things must be said clearly to avoid any lingering resentment.

"No, Chen Zong, this is a bet between you and Wang Shenglei. Whatever we win is yours." Chen Zhong quickly said, and Chen Kaiyue and Chen Wenzhe nodded in agreement. Chen Zhi's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something but didn't.

"This is indeed a bet between me and Wang Shenglei, but whether we can win or not depends not only on me but also on your support. Since we are all working together, the rewards should be shared." Chen Zong smiled. He wasn't without the thought of keeping the fifty thousand white jade coins for himself, as it was a huge sum, but he wasn't a greedy person. His father's teachings were always in his heart.

"Alright, let's not argue about this. Whether we can win is still unknown." Chen Zong continued: "What we need to do now is to hurry and reach the Seven Stars Martial Academy before the Wang family."

"Fine."

"Let's go."

Everyone listened and became highly motivated.

If they won, each of them would get ten thousand white jade coins, which was a huge sum for them, so they naturally wanted to do their best.

The five of them ran quickly, their speed comparable to that of fine horses. They all had reached the fifth or sixth level of the Blood Qi realm, with abundant stamina. As long as they didn't run at their maximum speed, they could maintain it for a long time before resting.

After running for about an hour, the outline of Fengwu City disappeared, and ahead, a fiery red expanse appeared, like a long wall of fire, very prominent in the sunlight.

"That's the Red Leaf Forest." Chen Wenzhe pointed to the fiery red ahead.

After a brief rest, they continued running, and the Red Leaf Forest came closer.

The Red Leaf Forest was entirely made up of red leaf trees, each at least five meters tall, with dense leaves in a fiery red color. Each leaf was palm-shaped and about the size of a palm, forming a vast expanse.

When the wind blew, it was like waves of fire, endless.

Looking at the sky,

"Let's try to pass through the Red Leaf Forest as soon as possible."

Everyone sat down to eat dry rations and replenish their energy, as Chen Zong said.

It was still afternoon, and there was some time before evening. If they passed through the Red Leaf Forest, they would rest at the foot of Black Bee Mountain and cross it at dawn.

Otherwise, entering Black Bee Mountain at night would be very disadvantageous. If they disturbed the black bee swarm, it would be a big problem.

Everyone had no objections to Chen Zong's suggestion. In this situation, even if Chen Zong suggested crossing Black Bee Mountain at night, they wouldn't directly oppose it.

The five of them quickly moved through the Red Leaf Forest, occasionally seeing fierce beasts like wolves and jackals. The beasts' instincts were good, and they sensed that these humans were not ordinary, so they didn't dare to approach, retreating immediately. Otherwise, they might become food for Chen Zong and the others.

The sun gradually turned red and set, and the sky grew dark. When the sun set, Chen Zong and his group had reached the edge of the Red Leaf Forest.

After the Red Leaf Forest, there was Black Bee Mountain, which looked very quiet under the twilight.

Besides the Chen family team, the offspring of other families also reached the end of the Red Leaf Forest and came to the foot of Black Bee Mountain.

"We will rest here tonight and set off at dawn." Chen Zong said.

"Fine." Chen Zhong and the others had no objections.

Wang Shenglei's team of Wang family offspring stopped not far from Chen Zong and the others. He looked up at the hundreds-of-meters-high Black Bee Mountain, his expression cold, deep in thought.

Suddenly, Wang Shenglei turned to the Wang family offspring who were about to set up camp: "Follow me."

"What?" A few Wang family offspring were taken aback.

"Follow me, we will cross Black Bee Mountain now." Wang Shenglei said.

"You're crazy, do you know that crossing Black Bee Mountain at night is more dangerous?" A Wang family offspring's face changed.

"A little danger, how can the offspring of the Wang family be afraid? Follow me, or you will be punished according to the family law." Wang Shenglei glared, angry.

The Wang family offspring's faces changed, and they had no choice but to follow Wang Shenglei, crossing Black Bee Mountain at night.