There were several hills of varying heights on all four sides of the valley where the celestial energy
ginseng grew. And as far as the eye could see, there would be at least twenty hills standing around it.
News that the celestial energy ginseng was about to be fully ripe quickly spread to all the sects. As a
result, about half of the hills were already occupied by those drawn to this mystical plant. Each person
who had claimed a range set up camp and brought his people there to make that a temporary haven.
Every person there had the same objective: obtain the celestial energy ginseng. All the fighters on each
hill looked at it with full attention for fear that the moment they took their eyes off it, they would lose
their chance. It was now a waiting game for the time that it would ripen and open up. The fighters' eyes
glowed hot with passion and yearning as bright as the celestial energy ginseng condensing its ninth
aura.
It was an exciting thing to watch the ripening process of such a precious plant. The dazzling celestial
energy ginseng captured the fancy of every person present.
So when Austin arrived, there was no warm reception for him. Instead, many people were alert and
showed their disgust for him. The more the fighters, the more severe the competition, and the lesser
the opportunities. No one wanted to give way to another when fighting for something precious. Some
people even grumbled to show their loathing as they saw more and more people gathering around.
Everyone knew it would not be easy to defeat so many competitors to get that prized celestial energy
ginseng. The odds of winning were low. But as much as it was quite unrealistic, they couldn't help
being attracted by it and having a deep desire to earn it.
The best description of the condition was through the idiom, 'Bird dies in pursuit of food, and a man
dies in his greediness for wealth.' The value of the celestial energy ginseng was so high that it could
make any living soul on the Grand Desolation Mountain faint over it.
It went without saying that the news of the celestial energy ginseng would inevitably draw all fighters
from everywhere to come and fight for it with all their might.
Frankly speaking, except for vigilance and disgust, every man felt nothing towards each other. Seeing
Austin come and find his footing behind a big stone, the fighters who arrived ahead of him just glanced
at him coldly before pulling their gazes back to the celestial energy ginseng.
Deciding to use his spiritual sense, Austin studied all the fighters gathered in the area, and it hit him
what challenges he was faced with, which caused his mind to dim with disappointment.
Contrary to what he expected, there were at least five hundred fighters waiting around the valley
conscientiously. The number was so huge that the scene around the valley was indeed magnificent.
With so many fighters waiting for the ripening, what were the chances of success for each one? Austin
didn't hold out much hope now. It wasn't only the number of fighters that discouraged him, but the
remarkable strength of some fighters also weakened his resolve to go after the celestial energy
ginseng.
If he were to succeed, Austin should overpower all those mighty fighters, and that wasn't going to be
easy.
Among all the fighters that were waiting there, only a few came from level eight or nine of the Energy
Gathering Realm. However, there were as many as twenty fighters from the vital energy Earth Realm
lurking among them.
Looking around, Austin had spotted Marvin, who was with six other people, and Lara, as well as the
three remaining members of the Blood Wolf Team.
It wasn't difficult for Austin to recognize the members of the Blood Wolf Team since he had a good look
at them before as he was hiding up a tree while being hunted by Billy.
He recently killed two other members of the Blood Wolf Team who refused to back down in fighting him.
Aside from all these skilled people, Austin likewise noticed a man who occupied an entire hill by
himself. It was ironic that the man stood there alone while fighters crowded on all the other hills. He
looked mean and powerful, which was why no one dared approach him. At the moment, he stood
straight with his fingers twined behind his back. There was no expression on his face, but his eyes
stared sharply at the spot where the mystical ginseng was planted.
From experience, Austin assumed the man was from the medium stage of the Earth Realm.
With a sigh of distress, Austin realized he was in a crowd of so many mighty people. And with the
presence of such eminent fighters, the possibility of winning grew smaller.
Nonetheless, turning back and giving up was not his way of doing things. Just because they were
strong didn't necessarily mean they would earn the celestial energy ginseng. 'There might be hope
somewhere, ' he thought. So, Austin decided to stay and see where the situation would take him.
Given the circumstances, Austin was aware he was not the only person concocting a plan to succeed.
But win or not, he would like to see this to the end.
As his eyes swept the crowd, he saw there were quite a few fighters from level five or six of the Energy
Gathering Realm who were on the hills surrounding the valley. These people were relatively inferior in
strength, and all wished to win the celestial energy ginseng by luck in the time of chaos.
"Hey, do you also want to take part in the fight for that celestial energy ginseng?"
Fanny asked Austin absently after seeing his gloomy expression.
"Are you kidding me? If not for that, why else would I be here?"
He was beginning to sulk because after his careful evaluation of the competition, he realized that
compared to the other fighters, he didn't seem so exceptional.
Suddenly Fanny shrieked in terror, "Damn it!
Those bullies are here again." Quickly, she stepped behind Austin to keep herself from being seen.
A little shocked by Fanny's behavior, Austin looked ahead and saw a group of more than twenty people
walking in his direction. But as they neared the valley, they stopped. After scouring the premises
momentarily, they chose one of the smaller hills that remained unoccupied and settled down. Like
everyone else, they were there for the celestial energy ginseng and had no interest in Fanny.
A young man of sixteen, or perhaps seventeen, dressed in expensive luxurious clothes led this group.
His clothes were all purple and made of some pricey silky fabric that Austin had never tried on himself
before. On his sleeves were etched five-claw golden dragons playing with fireballs. In some way, this
was a manifestation of the man's superior social ranking. It was not only his clothes but also his
movements and demeanor that gave the impression that he was likely a descendant of royal bloodline.
Besides, the people around him looked very subservient, thus making it apparent that he was the one
in command, and they were all his men.
Without expectation, Austin recognized several of the men in the group, including the ones who chased
after and bullied Fanny, and was scared away by Austin before.
Fortunately for Fanny and himself, they were standing in a relatively solitary spot with half of their
bodies concealed by a huge stone, so it would not be easy for those men to catch sight of him.
Besides, after those men's arrival, their attention had been on the celestial energy ginseng in the
middle of the valley, so they hardly averted their sight from that.
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