71: Chapter 71 The Big Fish Arrives

The entrance to the True Dragons Nest was located halfway up the slope of a massive mountain.

There, a formation exuding an ancient aura stood guard.

Its light shimmered and flowed, dazzling yet imposing, as if declaring to the world the extraordinary nature of this place.

Not far from the entrance, within a dense thicket of shrubs,

three sneaky figures were crouched, craning their necks and peering around, their entire demeanor screaming 'shady'.

They were none other than the recently formed 'Xing Dao Trio'.

Ning Yuan lowered his voice, speaking with grave seriousness. "Remember, when we make our move later, absolutely do not use your innate phenomena! Otherwise, this whole disguise is pointless, and we'll be recognized in a heartbeat."

Jiang Mingyue shot him a look that clearly said, "Do you think I'm an idiot?"

"We're not stupid."

Ling Wanhe, however, seemed hesitant. "But... if I don't use my phenomenon, I can only bring out about seventy or eighty percent of my strength at most. If we run into one of the top ten tough guys, we might be in trouble."

Ning Yuan, brimming with confidence, waved a dismissive hand.

"Don't worry, with me here, seventy or eighty percent is more than enough!"

Seeing his utterly confident expression, Ling Wanhe couldn't help but feel a flicker of curiosity and anticipation rise within her.

Just how many more tricks did this guy have up his sleeve?

The three of them stared intently in the direction of the entrance, not even daring to breathe heavily.

Suddenly!

Their eyes all lit up in unison!

They saw the shimmering curtain of the protective formation ripple violently.

Someone was coming out!

Ning Yuan immediately hissed in a low voice, "Second-in-command, you're up!"

Jiang Mingyue instinctively started to rise. "Me?"

But Ning Yuan pressed her back down, his gaze shifting to Ling Wanhe on the other side.

"It's you!"

"You're the newcomer, and the second-in-command of our group. This first shot has to be fired by you! Consider it your initiation rite!"

Ling Wanhe: "..."

*I'll endure this.*

She was beginning to understand Jiang Mingyue's feelings.

...

Xu Bufan's mood at that moment could only be described as ecstatic.

Humming an unknown tune, he swaggered out from the entrance of the True Dragons Nest with a gait that seemed to disown all relatives.

"Hahaha! Who would have thought, who would have thought! This time, I, Xu Bufan, actually managed to find a piece of the legendary seven star dragon jade inside!"

"With this treasure to aid my cultivation, reaching the Flying Heaven Realm is just around the corner!"

His heart swelled with fighting spirit, as if he could already see his dashing figure galloping freely across the boundless starry sky.

Right at that moment.

A breathtakingly beautiful Hundred Flower Clan maiden, clad in colorful attire with a pair of wings on her back, gracefully blocked his path.

Xu Bufan's gaze sharpened slightly, his guard rising.

But seeing that she was alone, and a delicate-looking girl at that, he relaxed a bit. A gentle, and in his own opinion, charming smile spread across his face.

"This classmate, you look a bit unfamiliar. May I ask why you are blocking Xu's path?"

The girl's expression was impassive, her voice as cold as ice.

"Robbery."

Xu Bufan was stunned for a moment, thinking he'd misheard.

"Huh?"

The girl repeated it again, her tone even more resolute.

"Robbery! Hand over all the treasures on you!"

Xu Bufan was so angry he laughed on the spot.

What kind of era was this, where any random nobody dared to come out and rob people?

Hadn't she bothered to find out what kind of reputation he, Xu Bufan, had in the Transcendent Academy?

The top expert ranked thirty-ninth—was that a joke to her?

He was just about to open his mouth and properly educate this ignorant junior sister who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth.

Suddenly!

*Thud!*

A dull, heavy thud exploded against the back of his head!

An irresistible wave of dizziness instantly swept through his entire body!

The world spun!

Darkness swam before his eyes!

Without even catching a glimpse of the person who had ambushed him, Xu Bufan's eyes rolled back, and he crumpled limply to the ground.

In the last second before he lost consciousness, only one thought, filled with bitter indignation, remained in his mind.

"Despicable! A sneak attack!"

Watching Xu Bufan fall stiffly to the ground,

Ning Yuan jumped out from behind him, still holding the thick, black club—thicker than an arm—he'd picked up from who-knows-where.

Hands on his hips, he laughed heartily at Ling Wanhe:

"Hahaha! Well done, Second! That was some perfect teamwork!"

Jiang Mingyue, watching from the side, looked utterly speechless and couldn't help butMake complaints,

"I say, Boss, he's only ranked thirty-ninth in the Transcendent Academy. Was it really necessary to resort to such a lowly method as a sneak attack? Couldn't we have just faced him head-on?"

But Ning Yuan wore an expression of utmost seriousness, refuting her with righteous conviction.

"Third, that's where you're wrong. This is called tactics! Tactics, understand? If we can end a fight with minimal cost, why bother wasting energy in a frontal assault? This is what you call—there is honor among thieves!"

The two girls were left with metaphorical black lines on their faces, unable to argue back.

Afterwards, the trio began the familiar routine of 'looting the corpse'.

Soon, a jade pendant emitting a seven-colored glow, with the faint silhouette of a dragon swimming inside, was found.

The seven star dragon jade!

Looking at this treasure, bright smiles spread across all three of their faces.

It really was good stuff!

This first job was off to a great start!

Besides this dragon jade, Xu Bufan's wristband also contained quite a few other rare spiritual materials and pills, amounting to a tidy little windfall.

Ning Yuan waved his hand grandly, sweeping everything into his possession.

"Old rules. I'll keep everything safe for now. We'll divide it all up together after we finish this operation. Any objections?"

Naturally, the two had no objections.

After all, this feeling of effortless gain and sitting down to split the spoils was just too damn satisfying!

They'd already tasted the sweetness right from the start. Who would possibly object?

Ling Wanhe looked at the unconscious Xu Bufan on the ground and asked, "Then... what about this guy? Just leave him here?"

Ning Yuan stroked his chin, thinking for a moment.

"Simple. Strip him... oh no, let's leave him his underwear. We're civilized people, after all. Then toss him into that grove over there, feed him some knockout drug, and let him sleep peacefully until the ruins are about to close before he wakes up."

Something as cruel as killing to silence him was unnecessary.

But if they let him out now and he woke up and started blabbing everywhere, comparing notes with other victims, the identity of their 'Xing Dao Trio' might be exposed.

So, letting him have a nice, long sleep here was undoubtedly the best choice.

Hearing this, the other two nodded in agreement.

Ning Yuan's plan, though a bit unscrupulous, was indeed effective.

With this first successful experience under their belts,

the trio's subsequent actions became even more proactive and skilled.

Over the next few days,

they were like three dedicated goalkeepers, stubbornly squatting guard at this entrance.

From time to time, a genius from the Transcendent Academy would emerge from within.

Those with the courage and strength to explore the True Dragons Nest were basically all formidable characters ranked within the top hundred.

Their personal wealth was naturally richer than the last.

Every time someone came out,

Ning Yuan would have Ling Wanhe, disguised as the Hundred Flower Clan maiden, go up first to chat and distract the target.

If the target wasn't very vigilant, they'd just knock them out with a single blow from the club—clean and efficient.

If the target was highly vigilant, it was even simpler.

The three of them would just swarm in together for a righteous gang-up!

No matter how strong you were, facing the combined assault of these three freaks, the only option was to obediently lie down.

Of course,

without exception, all their loot ended up in the trio's pockets.

In just a few short days, they had made an absolute killing!

Even Ling Wanhe's beautiful eyes began to sparkle with excited little stars, as if she had turned into a little demon obsessed with robbery.

This feeling was just too addictive!

On this particular day,

the formation's shimmering curtain at the entrance rippled violently once more.

An aura, far more powerful and ferocious than anyone before, faintly emanated from within!

Ning Yuan's eyes instantly lit up.

He stared intently at the burly youth stepping out from the light, his muscles seeming cast from steel, and hissed in a low voice:

"Everyone, get ready! The big fish is here!"