Chapter 102: Blue Meteor Shower

Peak!

Wei Jing watched on.

A large group of people stood on the edge of the basin, opening their minds and eyes to take in the unknown and mysterious sight before them. It was everyone's first time in this place. Most hadn't even heard of it before attending the Skyrain Meteorite Convention, and many hadn't even heard of the Insect Extremity Crystals. The cultivation world was simply too vast, and they were relatively too young; still immersed in their cultivation, they hadn't yet had enough time to learn about the vastness of the cultivation world.

According to the guidebook, the Moon Sea was a dangerous forbidden zone in the Western Extremity, fraught with unpredictable perils. Mother-Child Talismans would lose contact inside. The exact nature of the dangers wasn't detailed, but participants were warned not to enter. Influential sects had, prior to their disciples' arrival, used various means to investigate the Western Extremity. The general situation was much as the disciples found upon entering: desolate and uninhabitable. However, the Insect Extremity Crystals favored the Moon Sea, which was also the only non-desolate area in the Western Extremity, containing an ancient forest. But the Moon Sea was quite dangerous, considered a 'Ghostly Ground' in the cultivation world.

A 'Ghostly Ground' referred to mysterious, not-fully-explored areas that still existed in the cultivation world. Legends claimed they harbored various monsters and spirits. It was said that successive rulers had dispatched large forces to explore them, but many had mysteriously disappeared inside. Yet, some teams had entered, explored, and returned unharmed, reporting no danger other than a strange feeling and a tendency to get lost. In any case, with conflicting reports of danger and safety, the convention was correct in designating it a dangerous forbidden zone.

After experiencing the edge of the Ghostly Ground, Guan Wen checked the sky, took out his guidebook, and called together leaders from the more powerful sects. After discussion, they divided the team into eleven groups. Guan Wen himself led a group of nearly fifty people, specifically tasked with supporting the other groups. The other ten groups, each with nearly a hundred people, dispersed into the areas surrounding the Moon Sea to lie in wait and observe. Should they discover the predicted situation, they were to contact Guan Wen immediately using their Mother-Child Talismans. To this end, Guan Wen also revealed a pinecone-like metallic object in his palm—the magical artifact 'Wind Scales'—proving his ability to transport people for support at any time. This artifact made Shi Chun and Wu Jin both incredibly envious.

After the ten groups dispersed, the sky had darkened, the faint, hazy twilight seeming to portend something. Guan Wen said to the remaining people, "Staying here is too obvious. Let's find somewhere to hide." Everyone assented. Shi Chun and Wu Jin were indifferent; they didn't care whether they hid or not. The two weren't sure if they belonged to Guan Wen's group. They had simply stayed behind naturally, as the other ten groups had pre-arranged members, and when the group leaders called, their respective members followed. The two could only look around in confusion, watching group after group depart, thus finding themselves left behind. Fortunately, there was a familiar face: Chu Jing-tang, the blue-shirted, bearded man, was also in this group.

Just as this remaining group was about to seek another hiding place, someone suddenly pointed to the sky and exclaimed, "Look, meteors! Are those Insect Extremity Crystals?" Hearing this, everyone looked up in unison. In the half-darkened night sky, several brilliant meteors appeared. Unlike normal white-glowing meteors, these shone with a blue light. As everyone gazed, more blue meteors lit up the night sky, one after another, continuously, until they formed a dazzling spectacle of hundreds, then stopped increasing. The scene was breathtakingly beautiful, like a dream.

"A meteor shower! An Insect Extremity Crystal meteor shower!" someone exclaimed. Everyone followed them with envious eyes. They had heard of Insect Extremity Crystal meteor showers before arriving, and though they had been searching for the crystals for a long time since coming here, they had never witnessed the so-called meteor shower. They hadn't expected to see one so soon after arriving at the Moon Sea. A feeling of luck surged through everyone. Observing the direction of the meteor shower's descent, it seemed to be heading straight for the mysterious Moon Sea. Guan Wen, still gazing, muttered, "It seems the rumors are true. The Moon Sea truly holds a large quantity of Insect Extremity Crystals."

As they watched, they suddenly realized something was amiss: the meteor shower seemed to be heading towards *them*, filling everyone with immense anticipation. However, reality soon taught them a lesson. The meteor shower did not fulfill their wishes; it deviated from their expectations. They watched helplessly as hundreds of meteors plunged into the Moon Sea's mist. As they approached the Moon Sea, the meteors' blue light quickly receded. By the time they entered the mist, there was no radiance left. Listening intently, there was no sound of impact; they had silently blended into the mysterious land.

The crucial point was that the landing site of these hundreds of meteors seemed not far from their location, estimated to be no more than ten li away. For cultivators like them, this was truly close, merely a matter of a few bounds. Many sighed with regret. Though the distance was short, it was out of reach. How could they not feel a sense of pity?

Guan Wen's lips twitched, he hesitated, then a determined look flashed across his face. He spoke, "It's so close, what a pity to miss it! Who is willing to go collect them?" Everyone stared at him, their eyes filled with surprise and suspicion. What did he mean? Didn't he say they shouldn't enter the Moon Sea? Giving in so quickly, was he not up to the test?

Seeing no one respond, Shi Chun continued, "After the convention began, my Su Yuan Sect investigated the Moon Sea's conditions for attending disciples like yourselves. In truth, it's not as dangerous as the legends claim; no abnormal situations have been discovered." His words sounded better than a song, but still, no one responded. Everyone thought it would be strange if there were no danger; how could a safe place be designated a forbidden zone?

Shi Chun's gaze swept over the people before him, one by one, hoping for the desired response. He either wouldn't speak, or if he did, he wouldn't want to miss out. Over a hundred people had worked for more than a month, fighting and killing, collecting a total of just over eight thousand crystals. What did it mean to find hundreds in one go? If he could get hundreds of Insect Extremity Crystals right away, would Senior Sister Mu Lan be pleased? To leave hundreds of Insect Extremity Crystals there and not dare to take them—how would Senior Sister Mu Lan view him if she heard about it? Entering the Moon Sea to search might be dangerous, but weren't people also dying from fighting and plundering before?

As his gaze swept back and forth, it was suddenly obstructed by a tall figure in the crowd. He focused, then made up his mind, speaking out, "Youxia Mountain has just joined and has yet to achieve any merit. Brother Wang, Brother Gao, how about the two of you take the first credit in the Moon Sea?" Without waiting for the two stunned men to reply, he looked around at the others and asked, "What do you all think?"

"That's fine. It's certainly not right for them to have achieved no merit yet."

"Brother Guan has a point."

"Brother Wang, Brother Gao, don't let down everyone's good intentions!"

A chorus of agreement rose from the crowd. Eager to distance themselves from the matter, they eagerly pushed the responsibility onto the two newcomers. Some even imbued their words with strong undertones of threat. Youxia Mountain, after all, was a minor sect no one had ever heard of; it was not surprising that they felt it was easy to bully. The blue-shirted, bearded Chu Jing-tang grumbled quietly but didn't speak up. After all, he had just become familiar with Wu Jin, and it wasn't right to kick them while they were down.

As they spoke, everyone stepped aside, leaving the two men isolated. Xuan Zhou and Wu Jin, standing alone, were truly bewildered. Hadn't they said not to enter the Moon Sea? They had previously integrated smoothly into Sui Yan's group, even thinking these people were easy to deal with, and that Sui Yan, with his serene and graceful demeanor, was quite good. Now, it seemed, some of them were rather despicable! Was this bullying? They were even being threatened! The two finally understood why Youxia Mountain hadn't wanted to join.

Shi Chun again spoke vehemently, "Don't worry. If there's any danger, send out a distress signal, and we will rush to your aid immediately. That distance is just a matter of a few bounds at most!"

"Damn it, why don't *you* go then?!" Wu Jin immediately flared up, his large knife gripping in his hand, ready to unleash its power. Sui Yan, who had been contemplating nearby, reached out to Wu Jin's chest, making a blocking gesture, and spoke, "Everyone, do we really need to take these hundreds of Insect Extremity Crystals?"

"Do you think hundreds of pieces is a small number?" the crowd responded indignantly.

Shi Chun also said, "Hundreds is a lot. Our group, led by Guan Wen, has been busy for almost a month and a half, and currently, we've only gathered about eighty pieces."

Xuan Zhou nodded, "So, you're saying they must be taken?"

The crowd confirmed, "How could we joke about such a significant matter?"

Facing the unanimous confirmation, Xuan Zhou tapped Wu Jin's knife, signaling him to put it down, and then continued to ask the crowd, "Are you all certain you won't go back on your word?" His words made everyone feel inexplicably uneasy. But some words, once spoken, were like spilled water—they couldn't be taken back.

"Why would we go back on our word?"

"We won't go back on our word."

"What are you dawdling for? If you just find those Insect Extremity Crystals, it will be a great accomplishment!"

Shi Chun's eyes flickered, worried there was a hidden meaning behind Xuan Zhou's words. Seeing everyone's resolute attitude, Xuan Zhou nodded and said, "Alright then. These several hundred Insect Extremity Crystals, my Youxia Mountain will claim them!"

"Good..." Sui Yan's words had just left his mouth, and a group of people had just started to show fake smiles, when Xuan Zhou's two words 'But' immediately stifled them.

"But, just the two of us is truly too few. Brother Guan, we need a few assistants." The crowd paused, about to make excuses, when Xuan Zhou loudly suppressed them, saying, "There are three reasons why I need helpers. First, these hundreds of Insect Extremity Crystals fell from the sky, seemingly within a small area, but that might not be the case. With just the two of us, who knows how long it will take to find them?

"Second, if only the two of us go, things might get complicated. Our hearts are clear and open, but it's hard to prevent someone from judging a gentleman's heart with a villain's mind. What if the two of us go and find nothing, returning empty-handed? Would we be suspected of harboring resentment and deliberately slacking off? Therefore, we are not only asking for assistance but also requesting supervision ourselves!

"Third, why are you all here? Isn't it because you suspect that forces from other states have arrived? Hundreds of Insect Extremity Crystal meteors fell from the sky, so dazzlingly bright that anyone not blind could see them. Hundreds of them! We're unwilling to give them up, so how could others let them go? Will they take advantage of our small numbers and, after we've collected everything, seize them from us? Brother Guan, can you just sit by and watch hundreds of Insect Extremity Crystals be snatched away? If your hundreds of men hear of the loss, and hear it was due to Brother Guan's careless arrangements, how will you explain it to everyone later?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Chun's brows furrowed deeply, while the group who had just been kicking them while they were down exchanged awkward glances. Wu Jin's mouth slowly stretched into a grin behind his head, a grim smile on his face. He wanted to ask the group, "Do you think we'll come back and say we found nothing, or that someone snatched them?" Xuan Zhou then pointed to the crowd, "We don't need too many people. Among the forces of the various sects, I only need the leaders of each sect to come with me. The reason for specifically wanting the leaders is simple: if the subordinate disciples encounter danger, their leaders might not risk themselves; but if the leaders encounter danger and send a signal, the possibility of their sect's disciples rushing to aid them is much greater. I ask all you leaders, is what I'm saying correct? Of course, if the sect leaders are unwilling to take the risk and insist on having their disciples step in, then consider my words foolish."