"Brother Wu, will they really tell us?" Chang Kong asked nervously on the way.
In the Primary Spirit Master Division, using their names would earn them respect from many people. But here, in the Advanced Spirit Master Division, their names carried far less weight.
Wu Qi shook his head. "We'll just try to gather as much information as possible."
The upper ranks of Spirit Hall strictly forbade revealing details about Death Canyon to juniors. However, they did not forbid juniors from questioning one another.
In recent years, the only ones who had entered Death Canyon, survived, and were still in Spirit City were Hu Liena and her two companions.
Moreover, Bibi Dong had never strictly adhered to such restrictions. She had certainly shared quite a bit of information with them.
If they refused to speak, Wu Qi and Chang Kong would simply have to explore Death Canyon blindly at first. Once they figured things out, the mission could still proceed.
At worst, they would lose some time.
But if they could finish the training earlier, why delay?
Inside the Mimic Cultivation Arena,
Yan hovered constantly around Hu Liena, causing her visible annoyance.
"Yan, aren't you going to cultivate? Teacher will assign us another mission soon. If you mess it up, you know the consequences!"
Hu Liena's face was full of impatience.
Yan followed her like a shadow. Even during missions, he often found excuses to stay close to her.
Now that the mission had ended and they had returned to the academy, he was still sticking to her.
Hu Liena understood his feelings clearly. Unfortunately, she cared greatly about appearance, and Yan's looks were far from appealing to her.
Xie Yue stood nearby and helplessly pulled Yan back. "Focus on cultivation first. There will be plenty of time to interact with Nana later."
With her mood ruined, Hu Liena lost interest in training and turned to leave the arena.
If not for the life-and-death experiences she had shared with Yan, she would have long since forced him out of her sight.
"Nana, wait for me." Yan tried to follow.
Xie Yue held him back and sighed. "Becoming Her Holiness's disciple puts great pressure on her. Stop adding to it, will you?"
Outside the Mimic Cultivation Arena, once Yan's voice faded, Hu Liena felt the world become quieter.
She stretched lazily, only to notice from the corner of her eye someone approaching her.
Wu Qi was now nominally twelve years old. Thanks to his Spirit Elder cultivation, he appeared closer to sixteen or seventeen.
The unique temperament of the Azure Luan Spirit added an air of elegance to his already handsome features.
Hu Liena stared blankly. Aside from her brother, this was the first time she had seen such a striking young man. His distinctive aura drew her in.
Noticing her gaze, Wu Qi stepped forward and greeted her. "Excuse me, are you Senior Hu Liena?"
Hu Liena responded absently, then asked, "Junior, are you new students? I don't think I've seen you before."
Chang Kong added, "Senior Hu Liena, we have something to discuss with you. Would that be convenient?"
For Wu Qi's sake, Hu Liena did not refuse. Instead, she responded warmly, "I have some time, but not for too long. I still have training later."
With that, she followed Wu Qi toward a pavilion within the academy grounds.
At the entrance of the Mimic Cultivation Arena, Yan stepped out lazily. When he saw Hu Liena leaving with Wu Qi and the others, his expression darkened.
"Who the hell is that guy? He dares to take Nana away?"
He was furious.
He had just been pulled aside by Xie Yue for a lecture, and in the blink of an eye someone else had stepped in.
Enough was enough. Yan's face turned gloomy as he followed them.
Xie Yue let out a long sigh. "So much for today's training."
To prevent Yan from doing something foolish, he had no choice but to follow as well.
All three of them had been to Death Canyon, but Wu Qi deliberately chose to approach Hu Liena for a reason.
Xie Yue was steady and cautious. Given Wu Qi's affiliation with the Worship Hall, Xie Yue would likely remain guarded and say little.
As for Yan, he was impulsive and simple-minded. There was little point speaking seriously with him.
On the first day he became a disciple, Azure Luan Douluo had told him that talent without intelligence would never lead far in cultivation. With Yan's temperament, without Hu Liena and Xie Yue supporting him, he might have perished long ago during training.
Yet Yan remained unaware, believing himself capable of protecting Hu Liena.
Hu Liena herself had flaws, and in the future, she would play a part in Spirit Hall's downfall.
But at present, she had not yet lost herself in emotion. She was still someone worth discussing serious matters with.
In the pavilion, Wu Qi sat across from Hu Liena, while Chang Kong stood nearby.
Chang Kong had a knack for social situations. Although Wu Qi had not intended to involve him closely, his initiative made it natural to let him stay.
Wu Qi spoke directly. "Senior Hu Liena, we will soon enter Death Canyon for training. We've heard of the Golden Generation's achievements and came specifically to ask about the situation there."
Hu Liena was momentarily surprised.
If someone from the Pope's Hall were about to enter Death Canyon, she would have been informed beforehand.
Since there had been no such news, they clearly were not from the Pope's Hall.
Yet they knew about the Golden Generation nomination, meaning they were not ordinary either.
Because of Wu Qi's appearance and demeanor, she did not feel any dislike and instead asked, "Junior, would you mind introducing yourselves?"
Chang Kong grinned. "Senior, my grandfather is Fifteen Ton Douluo. And this is Wu Qi, disciple of Third Grandfather Azure Luan Douluo."
Hu Liena inwardly thought, just as expected.
Hu Liena thought to herself, just as expected.
She had long heard about the tension between the Pope's Hall and the Worship Hall.
As Bibi Dong's disciple, her position naturally aligned with the Pope's Hall.
However, they were all from the younger generation. There was no need and no desire to involve themselves in the disputes of their elders.
After a brief pause, she spoke.
"Regarding Death Canyon, you'd better discard all your current assumptions. It's not what you think."
"The true danger in Death Canyon does not come from Spirit Beasts or the environment, but from people."
"A thousand years ago, it was used as a place to exile criminals. Over time, many tribes formed inside. Within those tribes, any genius with innate spirit power above level seven would be pardoned and brought back to the continent."
"The people inside know that Spirit Hall sends young talents there for training. Those trainees are their primary hunting targets."
Lowering her voice slightly, she added, "The rule set by Spirit Hall is this: kill one trainee sent in for training, and you earn a pardon to return to the continent. So you must never reveal that you are there for training. Otherwise, you will face endless pursuit."
"That's all I can say. The rest depends on the specific mission you draw. Adapt accordingly."
Wu Qi was inwardly shaken.
What Hu Liena revealed was clearly high-level information. His earlier suspicions had been correct.
"Thank you, Senior. This is a small gift from Brother Wu and me."
Chang Kong grinned as he took out a small box from his storage spirit tool.
From a distance, Yan saw this scene and nearly exploded with anger.
If one said he was foolish, he at least understood what kind of gift might be inside a small box meant for a girl.
If one said he was not foolish, his behavior certainly suggested otherwise.
He stormed over furiously, shouting, "You two pretty boys, I'll fight you!"