Refusing Treasures

Slowly the ice covering Yan Peng's body melted away, but that did not change the fact that he had been defeated, as he instantly fell to the ground, unable to move.

Li Zhu and Buddy, on the other side of the rainforest, were circling around the large turtle shell, from which Yun Mei launched her skills without stop. The issue was that there was only one entrance to the shell, and if they were to enter through it, Yun Mei could easily strike them down.

As for Buddy, he could enter the shell through shadow lurk, but he was not strong enough to defeat Yun Mei by himself, since within the shell she had full control over the heavenly energy.

'We need to have a hidden attack!' realized Li Zhu, who understood that if they simply both charged in, without preparing attacks which Yun Mei was not aware of, then it would not end well for them.

At that moment, he recalled a skill that would work perfectly with the strategy that he was planning: Ghost Soul Arrow. This was, of course, Bo Ai's skill, and although Li Zhu could not use it, he was aware of how it functioned. If Yun Mei was not aware of the arrow, it would have a much greater effect on her, giving him an opportunity to defeat her once and for all.

Bo Ai was almost back, by now, since she had defeated Yan Peng with one single strike. The only issue was how to make sure that Yun Mei did not know of the Ghost Soul Arrow before it hit her. This was problematic, since from the shell, one could clearly see if Bo Ai was casting a skill.

Li Zhu came up with a strategy, though, as he retreated to inform Bo Ai about what he was planning. After a short talk, in which Bo AI only nodded her head, he charged back towards the turtle shell, before surprisingly sprinting towards the entrance.

Bo Ai was right behind him, but she stopped about fifty yards from the shell, where she got into fighting stance.

Buddy was also involved in the strategy, as he charged into the shell through the use of shadow lurk.

Just as Li Zhu was about to enter the shell, Yun Mei extended her arms towards him, preparing for a powerful strike.

It was as if Li Zhu was not aware of her intentions, though, as he kept charging forwards, with a determined expression.

'Just a bit more!' he told himself, while paying incredible attention at how much time had passed since he begun charging.

Bo Ai, hidden behind him, was now casting her Ghost Soul Arrow, aiming directly in front of her. She was about to release the strike, and all she hoped for was that Li Zhu was able to dodge the arrow in time.

Their plan was that while Yun Mei was distracted by Li Zhu, Bo Ai would release her Ghost Soul Arrow. Li Zhu would then duck under the strike, which Yun Mei would have no time to defend against.

The timing behind their actions needed to be precise, though, since if Li Zhu ducked too early, Yun Mei would see Bo Ai, and with her quick thinking, she would prepare herself for a soul attack. If he ducked too late, though, their whole strategy would be ruined, since he would end up being the one stunned, allowing Yun Mei to strike him at will.

Yun Mei did not know this, of course, as small sharks made of water came out of her hand, about to hit Li Zhu.

As for him, he knew that Bo Ai's arrow was not yet there, so he kept charging forwards, throwing a powerful punch towards the incoming attack.

'Almost there!' thought Li Zhu, just as Buddy appeared in the shell, behind Yun Mei. The little dog was very important in the plan, since he would be able to distract Yun Mei for that additional second which would make it impossible for her to notice the Ghost Soul Arrow in time.

The moment Yun Mei turned around to strike Buddy, Li Zhu threw himself to the floor, effectively dodging most of the sharks. A few flying sharks still found their way to him, but fortunately he was left with only light injuries.

Yun Mei Struck Buddy lightly, before turning around, since she assumed that Li Zhu was going to use her distraction to tackle her. As she turned around, her eyes looked for Li Zhu, but what they found was Bo Ai, staring at her with a smile.

Panic filled Yun Mei's eyes, but it was too late, as the invisible arrow struck her, Bo Ai's soul keeping her frozen place.

Li Zhu and Buddy took this opportunity to attack, as they both performed their most powerful strikes, from each side of Yun Mei.

There was no chance for Yun Mei to defend against these two attacks, and with no resistance she was thrown ten yards away, the turtle shell vanishing in mid air.

"We have defeated her!" exclaimed Li Zhu, overjoyed. Even though Blue had eaten one of their soul crystals to evolve, they now had five more, reaching the ten required to pass the trial, all on the first day.

"Yeah" replied Bo Ai, before walking towards the unconscious Yun Mei, and sliding a spirit ring off her finger.

"Are the soul crystals there?" asked Li Zhu, but he already knew the answer, since Yun Mei would not have trusted Yan Peng enough to allow him to carry the crystals.

What he was more curious about was the other items that were in the spirit ring, since as the heir of the Divine Water Clan, Yun Mei must have owned powerful treasures.

As if reading his mid, Bo Ai said, "She has a few spirit weapons and spirit pills, as well as a pill formula... how do we share these items?"

Although Li Zhu's eyes lit up after hearing this, in the end he shook his head, replying, "You can keep them... even though I do not care about offending the Divine Water Clan, for the Flaming Saber sect that I represent, I must not make an enemy out of them. You should be aware of the value pill formulas have to their clan, and even though they currently seem to have no intention of harming my fellow sect members, if they must protect the secrets of their alchemy, they will do anything."

For an alchemy clan such as the Divine Water Clan, pill formulas were their most precious belongings, since if they were leaked, other forces could make the spirit pills that used to be exclusively produced by them. Of course, the divine water clan also had a particular technique for producing pills, but they would still treat their formulas as treasures to protect at all costs.

Bo Ai looked surprised as she heard Li Zhu refusing her offer, since most cultivators would take any treasure they encountered, without considering the consequences. Still, she was determined to take a few items for herself, so she simply replied, "You're smarter than I thought... but I'm still taking this spirit ring!"

Li Zhu knew he could do nothing about this, so with a solemn expression, he said, "As long as your Myriad Soul Palace takes responsibility for your actions, I have no issues!"

With that, the two stopped talking, and after Blue returned from recovering after its fight, they all started moving yet again.

The sky slowly grew dark, though, and realizing that the day was nearing an end, Li Zhu and Bo Ai decided to set up camp, in a small cave within a canyon. Even as cultivators, they could not stop sleeping for five days in a row, at least if they wanted to be in fighting shape. Because of this, the two quickly decided a schedule in which one person guarded the other for a few hours before switching.

Since they had ten soul crystals on them, they were never safe, and enemy teams would see them as an irresistible target, possibly resulting in an attack in the middle of the night.

Fortunately, as long as the teams coming for them had any soul crystals, Li Zhu and Bo Ai would be able to see them on the map, making it much harder to surprise them, even at night.

Li Zhu was the first to sleep, and as he lay down in the cold cave, he thought, 'With the current pace, me and Bo Ai might really win good rewards at the end of this trial! Who will win the whole inheritance, though?"

Li Zhu was fully aware that after this trial, he and Bo Ai would have to face off, since only one person could win the inheritance. Knowing this, he wondered whether he could defeat her in a battle, but from the cold look on his face, it seemed as though even he did not know.