''Around the central mountain, there are also many other mountains, and most of them are filled with priceless treasures.'' Yong Ru said in a tone filled with desire.
Shun Long felt that something was wrong as he asked
''If there are so many treasures around the central mountain, then why haven't they all been picked by the various sect Elders, or at the very least the disciples who were here at the previous 'sect examination tests'?''
Yong Ru shook his head as he said
''Your words are slightly wrong here brother Shun. Actually this involves a big secret that my grandfather told me.
My grandfather is an Elder in the 'Roaring wind pavilion' and in the past, he and some other Elders, followed the pavilion master inside the Demonic Mountain Region to pick these very treasures.
That day, a terrifying magic beast at the peak of rank 4 emerged from the central mountain and as it attacked them, barely half of their group managed to escape that day, while the rest of them perished.
Ever since that day, no one above the earth grade has stepped foot inside the Demonic Mountain Region, in fear of being attacked by this magic beast. That is why this region is now used as the examination ground by our sects.
As for the mountains around the central mountain with their priceless treasures? All of them are guarded by magic beasts who are at least in the middle of rank 3 if not higher, hence why no one has managed to obtain any treasures from them.
However, the qi coming from the central mountain is much thicker than the qi inside any of our 4 sects, and that's the reason why every sect believes that there is a huge secret inside the central mountain.
However, with a peak rank 4 magic beast standing guard...''
As Yong Ru finished speaking, he sighed as he thought of the many unobtainable treasures that they couldn't be able to get their hands on.
''However, there is also a bout of good fortune even for us. Every 30 years, the central mountain erupts with pure qi, that enriches the atmosphere in the Demonic Mountain Region. The closer you are to the central mountain during the eruption, the more benefits you would be able to obtain if you manage to absorb the pure qi.''
As Yong Ru finished speaking, Shun Long said
''And yet, the closer you are to the central mountain, the bigger the danger to meet a high-rank magic beast right?''
''That is why I asked brother Shun if you wanted to come with us. We can better protect each other until we find a place to hide near the central mountain, while we will wait for the qi eruption to start.''
Shun Long nodded his head at Yong Ru's words as he said
''Traveling together doesn't sound so bad. We can at least go together until we reach the perimeter of the central mountain''
Everyone in the group was excited to hear that Shun Long would be joining them, as they would now have another strong person to rely on.
''Haha, thank you brother Shun. With you in our team, it will be an even more enjoyable journey!''
Shun Long smiled, as he had already formed a favorable opinion of Yong Ru earlier, as he now asked
''Right, I have a question. Won't the sects care if a disciple somehow manages to find a priceless treasure near the central mountain?''
Yong Ru shook his head as he said
''How could they not care? Even if a disciple finds something precious, how are they going to hide it without a spatial ring? When we leave the Demonic Mountain Region, the Elders will check all the disciples for treasures, and they will of course offer to recompensate the disciples with sect points if they have found anything valuable.
In other words, if you find something precious, you won't have a chance to hide it from the eyes of the sect and you would be practically forced to exchange it for sect points.
Unless of course, a disciple has a spatial ring. Disciples at the early earth grade who have spatial rings, usually belong to the large families and the sects won't strain their position with those families if it's not for a good reason. However, if the treasure is important enough, then of course anything can happen.''
Shun Long smiled as he cupped his hands and thanked Yong Ru, however deep inside, he started detesting the 4 sects.
''So the disciples would be forced to risk their lives in the 'outer sect examination', and yet if they find something they would have to give it to the sect in exchange for sect points whether they like it or not? The sect would also make sure that the disciples would be searched in case they tried to hide something from them?''
As Shun Long thought of this, his opinion of the 'floating cloud sect' drastically dropped.
Since it was already night time, their group decided to camp here for the night before heading towards the central mountain in the morning.
Groupping around, Yong Ru started a small fire as they began to cook the 'blood wolves' meat.
''Senior brother, won't the magic beasts around us be attracted by the fire?'' The girl who had her robes torn earlier, had now changed in a new set as she asked Yong Ru nervously
Shun Long shook his head while Yong Ru smiled and answered
''When the blood wolves die their bodies emit a poisonous substance, and if another magic beast below the rank 3 consumes them, they will most likely die from this poison. However, by cooking the wolves meat, the poison is excreted along with the fat of the wolves, leaving behind the purest of their meat. Hence, no beast below the rank 2 would come close after smelling the blood of the 'blood wolves', so this could also be considered the best form of protection for us.''
Shun Long nodded his head at Yong Ru's explanation. He was impressed as pretty much everything he had said was correct. It seemed that Yong Ru was very well prepared for this sect exam.
''But senior brother, what if a rank 3 magic beast spots us?''
''Are rank 3 magic beasts that idle that they would be casually roaming outside their territories for no reason?''
Yong Ru asked in return, when suddenly, the excited voice of a man could be heard around 100 meters away from their group as it shouted
''Boss, we found some more prey!''