Bai Qi had decided to start going after 'Challenge Slates' in earnest, and so he did.

In less than four hours, he discovered and then surpassed six challenges. Except for the fifth challenge, an 'Equal Combat' one, the others were fairly easy, allowing him to finish them with no effort. Especially the one called 'Phantom Detection', which was by far the simplest one until now. Its objective had been to locate a concealed existence, but Bai Qi's senses caught on it right as he was transported into the illusionary world as it was nothing else than a flame wisp.

As for 'Combat', one would fight one's shadow. In Bai Qi's case, against a 4th level Sage with the same abilities as him.

Usually, such a challenge was one of the most difficult for cultivators, but there was a way to win smoothly. The shadow had the same abilities but counted with unlimited qi and soul power. So in place of using techniques, skills, and trump cards as most cultivators would do, the trick was to fight only in a physical way.

Such shadow's strategies were based on the memories the formation could read at the start. So if a cultivator was able to envision a counter to his usual fighting manner, he would win against the Shadow with ease. And opposed to a match of techniques and skills, such a way meant only a minimal expenditure of qi, thus neutralizing the only advantage of the formation-created clone.

Unsurprisingly, the best reward was exactly for the 'Equal Combat' challenge slate.

"What an excellent find!" Bai Qi even exclaimed as he opened the small box and found an Earth-grade 'Black Stabilization of the Realm' pill. A pill that would a cultivator stabilize a realm entirely, thus allowing one to make several successive breakthroughs in it without any dangers.

As for the other five challenges, he got three rare Spirit herbs, a piece of 'Beast Blood Cinnabar', and a bottle of qi restoring pills called 'Three currents of the River'. These pills were meant for non-elemental or water qi cultivators, so they had no use for Bai Qi. But what was definitively useful was the Cinnabar, as it was the main ingredient for the treasured Blood Ink, which could be used to draw either rune or formation talismans.

***

Although Bai Qi had not spent much qi on the challenges, he decided to take some time to meditate. Qi aside, the challenges impacted one's consciousness as well, as no cultivator would be able to enter and leave illusion worlds in sequence without being at least slightly affected.

But he had not even calmed his mind as his senses perceived the approach of a few presences. As he concentrated on these uninvited guests coming from two separate directions, Bai Qi's eyes slightly widened as he muttered "So when I stop looking for you, we all just cross paths?"

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"Stop" Mao Xun said while raising his arm, and the three young men dressed in the golden-colored robes of the Trade Hall immediately complied.

No one of the three even thought of asking Mao Xun the reason. Since the second day, the participants from the Mao household had been acting as a group. Always under the leadership and protection of their strongest one, Mao Xun. And even though they did not feel any need to do so, such were the orders of the Head. Not to mention that their results had been far better than expected thanks to it.

Indeed, Mao Xun was as intelligent as he was strong, and even if he had gotten the same information about the challenges as the others, he applied it better. With just a few glances he was able to determine the severity and type of challenge, even for the ones that had deliberately mystifying names. And being aware of the strength and weaknesses of his companions, he always chose the best candidate and suggested the best method.

Thus, even if one could think that the number of Slates they could complete in a group was lower than if they acted individually, it wasn't so. Each of the five followers had between 20 and 25 surpassed challenges by now, and that's taking into account that one or two of them always stayed near the 'Clearmind' lake.

As for Mao Xun, his current amount could impress anyone. He had successfully completed 82 slates. The highest known amount was 102, and considering the remaining four days, it wasn't a fantasy to say he would actually surpass that amount.

"I am sure that I sensed someone in front, but the presence disappeared before I could recognize or lock on it" After a few moments of silence, Mao Xun explained.

"What do we do?" Someone of the three asked in a low tone.

"I doubt that there would be anyone stupid enough as to attack us, but be on guard" Mao Xun decided before motioning for everyone to resume moving.

They had been using the northern area since the start, and there had been a few instances in which they met other participants. Being unaware of the incidents and having met no trouble, Mao Xun was not overly worried. Still, he decided to err on the side of caution, and so he slightly changed their path, intending to leave a few hundred feet between the place he felt the presence and their planned path.

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All the Ke clansmen had been equipped with concealing cloaks. And so even though Bai Qi had returned the one he took previously to its owner, he was now in possession of Ke Liuxian's one. Not that a dead man would need one after all.

The cloaks were a creation of the Ke clan, weaved from the grass that grew around the 'Afterlife Beacon Flowers', a type of Spirit herb that the Clan grew for one of their cultivation methods. Now that Bai Qi had the chance to closely examine one, he discovered that it was indeed a unique treasure. The few concealing formations were enough to hide a cultivator's presence from any similar cultivator farther than a quarter of a mile, while if a talisman was used correctly, the concealment would be perfect.

This correct usage, which Ke Xiang hadn't heeded before, a mistake that led to his capture, was to actually infuse the talisman into the cloak's formations. A process that was simplified thanks to the special pockets sewn along the formation lines.

Bai Qi had suspected something like that from the start, but it was then confirmed by Ke Xiulian. So as soon as he sensed several presences approaching, he immediately used the cloak.

And as he slowly tracked the overall directions of the two groups, he found that as one changed directions, the other one he sensed also did. Thus their paths would still converge even with Mao Xun's group changing their route.

"Hmm? Seems that I was indeed wrong about him being the owner of the Combat Painting" Bai Qi muttered while carefully beginning to move towards the new spot. He first planned to observe what would happen, only acting if the situation required it.

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"Stop" Mao Xun said while raising his arm again. And the three young men behind him stopped a second time.

This time it only took a single moment for Mao Xun to speak up, and his words were a warning followed by a command "I sense several Sage presences moving to intercept. Stand with your backs to that tree, take out weapons, consolidate auras!"

Even as the presences were rushing towards their position, Mao Xun was doubtful about their intentions. But what else but bad ones could make four Sages band and try to intercept a weaker group? With this thought, he had commanded them to prepare for battle.

His three fellow household members were in the Soul realm, not even on the peak of it. So Mao Xun did not hope for them to survive a prolonged conflict even against a single Sage. But the four approaching presences appeared to be weaker than him. So if the three could resist for a bit, he would be able to find a way to restrain the attackers and allow his household members to escape.

***

From the moment he sensed them and until the moment they entered his field of vision, barely a couple of breaths passed. But as his prepared words to make them desist from hostilities were about to escape his mouth, Mao Xun choked them down.

His supposed opponents had indeed a strength equivalent to a 4th level Sage, lower than his own, but they were not people!

In fact, they weren't even living beings.

*Growl*

A slightly unnatural growl came from the four bizarre beasts that emerged from the forest while flanking Mao Xun's group.

Each of them looked like a black wolf five feet tall and twice that in length. With very long claws, each of them at least three inches long, and an enormous maw filled with sharp fangs.

But if that could be attributed to the individual beast qualities, the fact that their bodies were formed of brush strokes, and that in place of saliva what dripped was ink certainly could be not.

"Ink Beasts?! Who?!" Mao Xun expanded his senses and aura to the utmost limits, trying to locate the summoner. But even he reached the mile mark, there was no sign of anyone or anything except for the beasts.

Communicating with the beasts would not work, but almost every summoner had some connection to their creatures, and so Mao Xun loudly declared his identity. But it was as if the creatures were acting on their own, or that the summoner was truly targeting their group. Or someone of the group, as the four beasts moved disregarding Mao Xun, bolting towards the three Soul realm cultivators.

*Swoosh*

"They are coming after us!" One of them, thin as a matchstick and with a shaved head yelled in panic while swinging his saber before the beasts even had crossed half of the distance.

"Calm down! Unite your auras and defend each other!" Aware that as soon as even one of the three ran any hope for them was lost, Mao Xun shouted while launching at the nearest ink wolf.

The beasts were fast, but they had to circle Mao Xun's position, thus giving him a chance to intercept at least two of them.

"Golden Destruction!" He roared, his fist coated with golden qi.

As the corkscrew-like punch connected with the rear leg of the beast, almost half of the wolf's body radiated with the transferred metal element qi.

*Splatter*

And a moment later, the entire beast exploded from inside, disintegrating in a shower of black ink.

Mao Xun did not even wait for the first drop to hit the ground, already moving towards the next beast.

"Golden Destruction!"

"Golden Giant's Palm!" Knowing that he could not reach another one physically, Mao Xun released a palm skill that made the image of a seven-fingered palm appear and fly towards another wolf.

Using every bit of his speed and ability, Mao Xun managed to destroy two more beasts before they had the opportunity to attack. But the fourth beast avoided such fate and got into attack distance. It jumped while wildly clawing at the three defending cultivators right away, and even though the tree tried to interpose weapons and aura, a shout of pain resounded.

"Ahhhh" The same one that had previously panicked failed to block the paw, and one of the claws left a long bloody line on his chest.

"Golden Flash" Mao Xun resorted to his movement technique and appeared next to the wounded while savagely kicking at the wolf.

*Thump*

Having forced the beast to retreat, he sent a golden qi-covered palm towards it.

*Splatter*

As if swatted by a true giant's hand, the wolf disappeared from existence with just a few drops of ink falling on the ground.

"Is Brother Zan alright?" The other two asked with concern as soon as the last wolf disappeared.

"Yes, it's not deep or dangerous, just a flesh wound. But he has been always unfit for combat, you know?" Mao Xun examined the now unconscious Mao Zan and gave his verdict.

In truth, Mao Zan wasn't even supposed to be sent here, with neither his character nor talent adequate for a martial path cultivator. But with the other seven selectable members of the Household away, he was permitted to participate, albeit as last moment and heavily discussed replacement. "It's our right to send six people, so even if he will not fight in the future, a stronger cultivation and at some free experience will serve him in the Hall as well" Such were the final words of the Head, and Mao Xun considered them proper. Indeed, they had six slots, so would it not be better used by one of their own than just given away?