Chapter 0528: Red Clay Province

When the dizzying teleportation ended, Li Luo opened his eyes and then opened them wider.

The sky before him was a dreary grayish-green. Dark, poisonous, green mist hung in the air, lending to the gloomy complexion of the land. From all around him came low whispers that played on his negative emotions.

Li Luo felt like he was back in the Umbra Cave.

"This is the Red Clay Province?" Jiang Qing'e's voice came from behind him. She was carefully studying their surroundings too.

The First Princess bent down and took a handful of soil. It was an earthy-red color. "Should be correct. The Red Clay Province produces a red ore that creates a special metal that attracts electricity when tempered. That is why thunder is often heard over the Red Clay Province, and also how the region got its name."

"So... what's the plan, Leader?" Li Luo grinned.

"Wow, it's a real honor to be called leader by the strongest One Star Hall student," the First Princess teased back as she pulled out her spirit mirror and activated it. A map beamed out of it, covered with many red dots.

This was a map of the Red Clay Province, and those red dots were the various cities within it.

"We're currently in the periphery of the western area," the First Princess said, pointing with a slender finger. "These hamlets are the places that we must pass, and you can see that the bigger light dots indicate bigger cities. The corruption will definitely be deeper there, and that's also where the Others should be stronger and greater in number. Of course, that's where we can get a lot of points.

"It seems to me that there are three tiers of points to obtain. Level one would be these isolated hamlets and towns on the periphery. The corruption is light, and they should be easy to cleanse. Once the cleansing dew is placed in the middle, we get 5,000 points.

"Level two would be the bigger cities. These are worth 20,000 points if we can place the cleansing dew successfully.

"Level three only includes a handful of cities... I count maybe a dozen or so at most throughout the Red Clay Province. Those are worth 50,000 points."

"A very familiar system," Li Luo observed dryly.

"Yes, it's exactly the same as what our school uses in the Umbra Cave. I guess it works, so they adopted it wholesale," Jiang Qing'e said. Li Luo remembered that the purification towers in the Umbra Cave had also been divided into three levels.

"As a side reminder, these points are not just used for the championship. School points are tied to it as well, which means we get to keep them after the competition and can redeem cultivation resources back at school," the First Princess told them in good humor.

"That's very generous!" Li Luo was now excited.

This was a huge amount of points. Even divided by three, it was a huge haul if they could just cleanse a few towns, far more than what they would get in the Umbra Cave. "That's because the mission is very dangerous," Jiang Qing'e reminded him mildly.

The First Princess nodded in agreement. "Also, the points aren't as important as winning the Holy Grail Meet. It's not even close in terms of the benefits. So our goal here is still to win the thing."

Both Li Luo and Jiang Qing'e agreed wholeheartedly. School points were the cherry on top, but they should not forget about the cake itself.

Eyes on the prize.

The school points were really a consolation prize for the squads that could not win.

"What about this one in the center? How many is that worth?" Li Luo pointed to a sinister, red dot in the middle. He knew it was their final destination, Russet Rock City.

"500,000."

Li Luo inhaled sharply. "That's too damn high, surely?"

That city alone was probably equal to all the level three cities added up together!

"500,000, but probably no one squad can take it all for themselves," Jiang Qing'e reminded him. Li Luo had to concur. All squads would converge on Russet Rock City eventually. As the final goal of the mixed-level competition, the corruption was thickest there. And if there were Heavenly Disaster-class Others there, one squad alone would not be enough.

There would have to be cooperation, and so the 500,000 points would have to be split.

"We might not be able to get it all, but if we could get just half, we'd be swimming in points," the First Princess said cheerfully.

"Well, well, well." Li Luo rubbed his hands. "Looks like we'll have to fight our guts out over there."

Jiang Qing'e and the First Princess glared at him. He sure talked big for a guy who wouldn't be doing the heavy lifting.

"Oh, and do you see this city?" The First Princess pointed to another big, red dot, which was outlined with a faint, yellow border.

"This level three city is a compulsory objective. You can take it as the primary mission that the organizers have set for us. If that city is not taken, we not only cannot get points, we will even be penalized a corresponding amount of points."

Li Luo's jaw dropped. "A negative point system?!"

The First Princess nodded. "If the organizers have demarcated it as such, then it must be a very important location."

"Perhaps a key point for the ward," Jiang Qing'e offered.

Li Luo shrugged. "Well, I'm the fly swatter here. Whatever my mistresses decide."

"Oh, what a good boy you are," the First Princess said mischievously, reaching out to tousle Li Luo's silver hair.

Li Luo hurriedly ducked away. "Be careful, Qing'e will be jealous."

"I'd hardly be jealous of a playboy like you," Jiang Qing'e said without missing a beat.

"Don't slander me," Li Luo protested. "I am Li Luo, the purest of waters, the clearest of crystals."

"Pfft." The First Princess watched the two banter. She had never seen this livelier side of Jiang Qing'e before in school. Only with Li Luo did her coolness seem to melt away a little.

Suddenly, the First Princess froze, turning in another direction.

"Something there."

Jiang Qing'e whirled to face the same direction as well.

Li Luo was slower, chasing them with all his might.

A few minutes later, they reached a high slope and were looking out at a small hamlet covered in dark-gray mist.

They could see that there was unnatural movement within the town.

They looked at each other, confirming their thoughts.

An Other cluster.