Chapter 286: Breaking the Deadlock!

Ling Feng pursed his lips, realizing that these seasoned sky-tier students were evidently aware of the whereabouts of the Sword Tower of Wind and Thunder, whereas he had only spotted a vast lake.

"

Hehe...

"

As if sensing Ling Feng's perplexity, Ye Nanfeng gestured towards the lake ahead and said with a wry smile, "Seems like you're quite uninformed. The Sword Tower of Wind and Thunder lies beneath this very lake. However, gaining entry to it means braving the monsters lurking within the depths of the waters."

"Monsters,

huh?

"

Pursing his lips, Ling Feng condensed the divine inscription of the Heavenly Dao in his right eye and activated the Boundless Vision. Indeed, within the lake, he spotted a multitude of demonic beasts. What was most staggering, some of these beasts exuded an aura equivalent to that of a demon lord!

Fifth-tier demonic beasts at the level of demon lords, which were comparable to experts in the Spiritual Element Realm for humans. If caught in their grasp underwater, it would be hard to survive.

"My strength is lacking. It's best to ask the three senior brothers from other academies to scout ahead."

A voice of exquisite softness rang out, capturing everyone's attention. Within the confines of Wenyuan Academy's camp stood a woman of striking beauty who was tall and slender, epitomizing the essence of a peerless beauty.

This woman was none other than Chu Bingyun, renowned as the foremost talent of Wenyuan Academy's inner sect.

Though appearing fragile on the surface, she was no ordinary individual and was capable of surpassing numerous geniuses from Wenyuan Academy.

Upon hearing Chu Bingyun's words, Jun Moxie and his companions couldn't help but faintly smirk.

If anyone dared to underestimate Chu Bingyun because she was a woman, they'd meet a gruesome fate!

She was from the Chu family of the Empire, the Enchantress Bingyun!

Her fame echoed throughout the empire, and was known by all.

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Being a few years older than Li Bufan, Chu Bingyun's reputation was even more well-known than that of the Little Sword God.

Naturally, within the empire, geniuses were aplenty. Be it the Enchantress, Chu Bingyun, or the Little Sword God, Li Bufan, none could overshadow the name of the Empire’s legend, Yan Jinghong!

The two words, Yan Jinghong, were the target of countless geniuses' aspirations, yet they could only gaze from afar.

"Miss Bingyun, there's no need for modesty," Li Yunlong of Hailan Academy shook his head, and then turned his gaze to Jun Moxie and Du Shaoling, smiling as he said, "I'm a junior with limited knowledge, so what suggestions do you two have?"

"

Hmph,

all this back and forth, but nobody's willing to be the first to dive in!" Du Shaoling folded his arms, sneering. "I'm not foolish enough to stick my neck out like that!"

Jun Moxie stayed silent, yet he remained rooted to the spot, showing no inclination to lead the way.

Ling Feng arched an eyebrow.

No one wants to end up at a disadvantage. Breaking this deadlock will be quite challenging.

At that moment, a student from Zhenlong Academy couldn't contain himself any longer and bellowed, "You pseudo-gentlemen! If you're scared to death, just admit it! I refuse to believe this nonsense. Hmph, I'll be the first to charge into the Sword Tower of Wind and Thunder!"

As he spoke, he brandished a treasured sword and aimed it towards the lake, ready to unleash an attack.

In a flicker of light, the reckless disciple from Zhenlong Academy coughed up a mouthful of blood and was hurled backward.

"If you wish to die, I won't stop you. Go find a place to meet your end on your own."

The one who took action was Du Shaoling from Zhenlong Academy. If that reckless individual provoked the monsters in the lake, the consequences would be unimaginable.

While he didn't mind facing death himself, Du Shaoling certainly didn't want to be dragged into it.

The disciple from Zhenlong Academy furrowed their brow and wiped away the blood from their mouth. "Senior Brother Du, I, Chen Boguang, will remember this grudge. Be cautious in all your endeavors, lest you meet your end outside."

Chen Boguang's family too wielded some power in the imperial capital, their status not beneath that of the Du family. Therefore, he felt confident and brave, even if he couldn't defeat Du Shaoling.

However, Du Shaoling didn't pay any mind. He raised an eyebrow, indifferent as he said, "Do whatever you like!"

Watching silently, everyone began to murmur quietly amongst themselves. It appeared that even within Zhenlong Academy, there were internal divisions.

However, this minor uproar was quickly dismissed by the group. The Sword Tower of Wind and Thunder presented a grand opportunity, a chance to get significantly lucky. Figuring out how to enter it became the top priority.

After prolonged silence, someone finally broke the silence. A student from Hailan Academy spoke up loudly, saying, "Senior brothers, we've been merely observing. Isn't it possible for the Sword Tower of Wind and Thunder to surface? Why don't we all pool our true qi together to relocate the malevolent water in the lake?"

"Indeed, that's a brilliant idea," someone chimed in with agreement.

"Are all the folks from Hailan Academy as clueless as this?" A student from Zhenlong Academy scoffed. "Moving a lake of this size—let's not even discuss whether you have enough true qi for it—do you really think the monsters inside will just sit back and let you shift their homes?"

"You!" The student from Hailan Academy was momentarily taken aback, realizing he had indeed been overly optimistic.

"

Hmph!

If my method won't work, do you have any better ideas?"

"

Hehe,

don't underestimate me. I do have a plan!"

The student from Zhenlong Academy's eyes gleamed cunningly as he smirked. "In my opinion, with your pig-headedness, there's little hope for you to come up with any clever ideas. Instead, why don’t we have someone go down and lure some monsters from the lake? We can focus our attacks on one or two of them each time they surface to swiftly eliminate them. From what I know, the monsters here are at most early-stage fifth-tier demonic beasts. With over thirty of us attacking together, we can definitely insta-kill them."

"Good idea!" A glint flickered in Du Shaoling's eyes as he nodded approvingly.

He then directed his gaze towards Chen Boguang and smirked, "Junior Brother Chen, you're injured and unable to fight at your full strength. I won't take advantage of you. How about this? You'll be the first to lure the monsters out. Everyone, pay attention! Except for me, Chu Bingyun, Senior Brother Li Yunlong, and Jun Moxie, all of you will take turns attracting the monsters. Any objections?"

With those words, Du Shaoling's gaze turned fierce. He then emanated a powerful aura that left some of the less experienced students struggling to catch their breath.

Though Du Shaoling acted like he was the top dog, his proposal did hold some merit.

At least Chu Bingyun, Li Yunlong, and Jun Moxie wouldn't have any objections.

With the silent agreement of these influential figures, the plan was essentially approved.

"Why should I go first?" Chen Boguang shouted. "Du Shaoling, who do you think you are to order me around?"

"Worthless! You're not even worthy of speaking to me. I'm stronger than you," Du Shaoling asserted proudly. "Of course, you can choose to leave now. I won't stop you."

"I-I'll go then!"

Chen Boguang was almost bent over by Du Shaoling's overwhelming presence before finally yielding.

Chen Boguang abandoning the Sword Tower of Wind and Thunder and returning home?

Hmph,

that was definitely out of the question!