Misty Mountain Villa

"According to our agreement, the gains from our exploration will be distributed based on contribution."

An Changqing looked at his teammates. "Everyone did their part in breaking the deadlock this time. The value of the token and the scroll is hard to estimate, so I will keep them for now. Once we return, we'll ask the academy to appraise them before discussing their ownership. As for these four essence stones, we'll take one each. How about it?"

His distribution was fair and reasonable, so no one objected. Chen Guan took the dark purple gemstone. It felt cool to the touch, and he could sense the pure spiritual energy within it. It was indeed a good item, useful whether for his own research into gray energy or for trading for resources.

"We shouldn't stay here long," An Changqing said, putting away the token and the scroll. "The commotion here might attract other things. We need to leave as soon as possible to avoid running into people with ulterior motives."

The four of them quickly left the perilous ancient tower. When Chen Guan stepped out of the tower doors and looked back at the towering structure, the dark purple glow in its middle section had completely vanished, leaving only a dilapidated facade.

Just as they were resting at a makeshift supply point in the camp and discussing their next move, three familiar figures walked over. They were the upperclassmen they had seen earlier on the Cloud-Piercing Shuttle: Li Yuqing, Huo Qixing, and another young man wearing a dark blue mage robe with a slightly effeminate aura.

"Yo, juniors, you guys are pretty fast." Li Yuqing still had her hearty demeanor, her ponytail swaying gently with her steps. Her gaze swept over the four of them. "Looks like your trip to the Ancient Tower Zone yielded a good harvest?"

An Changqing stood up and replied politely, "Senior Li, Senior Huo, just a modest harvest. And this is?"

He looked at the unfamiliar boy in the mage robe.

"Liu Xiao, second year."

The robed boy spoke up on his own volition, his voice calm. He toyed with a crystal-clear short staff in his hand, looking as though he majored in ice magic.

"An Changqing, first year. These are my teammates: Su Yuehe, Long Ao, and Chen Guan."

An Changqing introduced them simply. Once Liu Xiao stated his name, it rang a bell. Others might not be familiar with this name alone, but if you brought up Liu Feiyu, they would certainly know.

This was Liu Feiyu's second older brother, who had been abroad and returned specifically for Huaqing.

This was An Changqing's first time meeting him. It was said that this person was quite a maverick and rarely interacted with others at school.

Huo Qixing pushed up his glasses, his gaze sweeping over An Changqing and Long Ao before finally landing on Chen Guan, looking thoughtful. "The junior carrying the coffin... I remember you. That coffin of yours is quite heavy."

Chen Guan nodded slightly in acknowledgment without saying much.

Li Yuqing secretly kicked Huo Qixing, then smiled. "Since we ran into each other, it's fate. We're just about to head over to the Misty Villa to take a look. Word is there might be remnants of an ancient alchemy lab there. How about it, interested in coming along? More people means we can look out for each other."

"Misty Villa?" An Changqing pondered for a moment. He had heard of this place. Located on the southeast side of the Black Wind Ruins, it was a maze-like complex of ancient buildings. Its danger rating was similar to the Ancient Tower Zone, but the environment was more complex, and the fog would disorient people. Because there was nothing of high value, few people went there.

He looked at his teammates. Long Ao indicated he didn't mind; he was here for combat training anyway. Su Yuehe looked eager to try; she was very interested in ancient alchemy, so a trip there was fine by her. Chen Guan nodded slightly; to him, nothing compared to popularity points, so naturally, he had no objections.

"Since Senior is inviting us, we would be honored to join you," An Changqing made the decision. Cooperating with an elite upperclassman team would reduce their risks and allow them to gain experience. Besides, Li Yuqing and Huo Qixing didn't seem hard to get along with.

Furthermore, An Changqing was somewhat interested in Liu Xiao. No one from the Liu family was simple, not even Liu Feiyu, and this was an opportunity to learn a thing or two.

"Straightforward!" Li Yuqing clapped her hands. "Let's head out then. We can talk more on the way."

The two teams merged, and the group of seven left the camp, stepping once more into the ruins shrouded in grayish-black mist.

On the way, Li Yuqing briefly shared intel on the Misty Villa. It was originally the site of an ancient research institution. The architectural structure was complex, and its interior was filled with various residual alchemical traps and mechanisms.

The mist not only interfered with vision and spiritual perception but also contained hallucinogenic components.

Recently, the long-dormant alchemical equipment inside had been reactivated for unknown reasons.

"Our goal is mainly to collect alchemical materials or data. Of course, if we come across any valuable ancient artifacts, we won't pass them up either."

Li Yuqing said, "Liu Xiao is in charge of dealing with the hallucinations, Huo Qixing excels at disarming traps, and as for me, I'm responsible for fighting and clearing the way."

She patted the quaintly styled longsword hanging at her waist. As the only girl in their trio, she was actually the strongest combatant.

The reason she and Huo Qixing came here was actually due to Liu Xiao's commission. Liu Xiao had spent a considerable amount of points to hire them, and what he wanted was an alchemical blueprint that might exist inside.

An Changqing also outlined the general abilities of his team members. Although it was the first time the two teams collaborated, they were all elites and quickly formed a basic synergy.

As they went deeper, the surrounding scenery became desolate and ruined once again, but the density and intactness of the architectural ruins were noticeably higher than in the Ancient Tower Zone.

Broken stone houses, collapsed pillars, and rusted metal pipes could be seen everywhere. One could vaguely tell that this used to be a rather large complex.

The grayish-black mist in the air was gradually replaced by a pale blue fog.

This was the signature of the Misty Villa: the Hallucinogenic Blue Fog.

The fog not only obscured vision, but inhaling it would also cause slight dizziness. Those with weak mental fortitude might even experience hallucinations.

Of course, given Chen Guan's mental strength, he wouldn't fall prey to the hallucinations.

"Attention, we've entered the misty zone,"

Huo Qixing warned. The disc in his hand emitted faint beeping sounds. "There are multiple entities moving. They might be creatures in the fog, or residual defense mechanisms."

"Stay close, don't separate." Li Yuqing drew her longsword. The blade flowed with a faint cyan light, which slightly dispersed the surrounding fog.

The seven maintained a tight formation, slowly entering the building complex shrouded in the pale blue fog.

Visibility quickly dropped to less than ten meters. The surrounding ruins and broken walls were shadowy in the fog, almost impossible to see clearly.

A putrid smell permeated the air, exceptionally foul. Liu Xiao, a pampered young master who had never known hardship, was the first to feel uncomfortable, dry heaving twice.

After walking for about a hundred meters, a faint clicking sound suddenly came from the fog ahead.

"Stop!" Huo Qixing shouted in a low voice, the needle on his disc suddenly pointing to the front left.