Chapter 28: A Momentous Event!

Starting today, Little Black had to manage his own meals for three days. It was New Year's Day; his parents had been invited out on vacation by friends. Tomorrow they would be celebrating a birthday, and the day after that it would be Little Black's own birthday—a series of important occasions.

—

At the foot of the Seventh Medicine Peak

Senior Brother Li sat cross-legged in the center of the training ground, surrounded by more than twenty registered disciples, sharing his insights and experiences on "self-refining medicine" at their earnest request.

Suddenly!

His expression shifted as the shrill sound of a distress rocket, symbolic of danger, faintly echoed from the distant horizon.

Instinctively, he turned his face toward the direction of the Blackwater Mountains.

In the muffled roar, the signal of a distress rocket blossomed, smearing a shocking layer of blood-red across the eastern sky.

Senior Brother Li sprang to his feet, startled.

He remembered that Xie Zhan and Jin Yu, those young girls, seemed to have led a team into the Blackwater Mountains earlier today.

"Hopefully, it's not them..."

Senior Brother Li took a deep breath, muttering to himself. His clenched palms gradually relaxed, but all he could do was pray that Xie Zhan, Jin Yu, and the others would not meet with disaster, for this was a situation in which he could offer no help.

Staring at the thick, lingering blood-red in the sky, Senior Brother Li felt a growing unease in his heart.

That thought had barely formed—

Another unsettling event occurred...

JU!!!

A second distress rocket shot high into the sky, its piercing sound now even sharper. Even most of the registered disciples, immersed in refining medicine, clearly sensed the chilling, ear-splitting urgency, rising to their feet.

"What happened?"

"What's going on?!"

Many among them had never entered the Blackwater Mountains and didn't know what the sound signified. Yet the clever ones could glean clues from Senior Brother Li's dark, grave expression.

"Distress rockets!"

"Could it be Xie Zhan and their group?"

"Two in a row...tsk, at this time, someone must have ventured toward the area of the two-star high-level magical beasts."

The disciples' speculation eased Senior Brother Li's tension somewhat: if it was only two-star high-level magical beasts, Xie Zhan's team shouldn't be in much danger.

Xie Zhan and Jin Yu had reached two-star, fifth rank; Xiang Nan and Shi Ya were at two-star, fourth rank; the other seven included five at two-star, first or second rank, and two at one-star, ninth rank.

A single two-star high-level magical beast posed no threat to their group!

But as the third, fourth, and then more and more distress rockets soared into the sky, Senior Brother Li began to tremble, his face suddenly pale. Staring at the blood-red east, his lips quivered, unable to utter a word...

"Li Hai!"

Mi Xue and Senior Sister Wang had emerged from their quarters, faces grave, calling out urgently across the training ground, addressing Senior Brother Li by name.

"How many distress rockets have been fired?"

"Ten...ten!" Senior Brother Li recovered quickly, but his trembling voice betrayed his inner turmoil.

A ten-person team—apart from Xie Zhan leading the Seventh Medicine Peak's group, who else could it be?

"All registered disciples, listen: from this moment on, no one is permitted to enter the Blackwater Mountains for independent training! Senior Brother Li, we're going!"

Mi Xue spoke with finality, and dashed toward the Blackwater Mountains.

Senior Sister Wang and Senior Brother Li followed close behind!

Xie Zhan's team was virtually the elite of the Seventh Medicine Peak's registered disciples. Four had the ability to challenge the strength of inner disciples; if lost in the Blackwater Mountains, this generation's fresh blood for the Seventh Medicine Peak would be gone!

"Mi Xue, don't worry, it might not be as bad as it seems. Maybe it's not their group..."

Senior Sister Wang looked at Mi Xue sympathetically, knowing that Mi Xue was more anxious for the disciples' safety than anyone else. The incident with Ding Yu Shan had already left her deeply grieved and self-reproachful... She herself had approved Xie Zhan's entry into the Blackwater Mountains. If it was Xie Zhan's group that fell victim, she would never forgive herself.

"It's them..."

Mi Xue's eyes appeared vacant, her tone bitter, her lips bitten until blood seeped out: "And the situation is likely worse than we anticipated... With the strength of Xie Zhan's team, encountering a two-star high-level magical beast wouldn't put them in danger! The only thing that could force them to fire distress rockets so desperately would be a three-star magical beast!"

"...Three-star?"

Senior Brother Li's face grew paler still; even Senior Sister Wang was visibly disturbed, her eyes wide with fear: "You mean..."

"A beast tide!" Mi Xue said bitterly.

—

As the trio rushed toward the Blackwater Mountains, another team had already charged full speed ahead.

"Damn it!"

"What are these registered disciples thinking?!"

"Stirring up trouble in the two-star high-level magical beast zone is one thing, but actually rushing deep into the Blackwater Mountains! Even we don't dare approach that place lightly!"

Six riders atop magical beasts cursed furiously.

They had entered the Blackwater Mountains as soon as the distress rockets were fired, following the red markers as they swiftly crossed the forbidden zone and vanished from the crystal board. Even if they survived, at any moment they could face complete annihilation.

"Blast it, these brats have gotten us killed! If Elder Xu finds out the elite registered disciples of the Seventh Medicine Peak all died behind the forbidden zone, he'll come after us for sure!"

"How could we be so unlucky? Two major incidents this round, and both are on our turf!"

Sang Long's face was grim, but he kept urging his beast forward: "Everyone, hurry up! Maybe we can still save a few!"

"Dream on." Karl groaned, "A three-star magical beast can smell humans from hundreds of meters away. Encounter one, and a couple spells will wipe everyone out!"

He wasn't wrong...

Three-star magical beasts represented mid-tier combat power, stronger even than three-star mages. If it were them, killing a dozen low-level mages would take only a spell or two.

"Not necessarily!" The rescue team leader's words lifted everyone's spirits.

"Don't forget, that boy is in the group... Xu Wen managed to defeat a two-star high-level magical beast alone and survived seven days in the Blackwater Mountains. He must have abilities we don't know about... Even if they face a three-star beast, I believe he can hold out for a while. With him buying time... Sang Long is right, we might still have a chance to save a few lives!"

As he finished speaking, the shrill distress rocket shattered the silence of the Blackwater Mountains...

"Quick!!"

With a command, the six magical beasts let out low roars and forced their speed higher!