Liu Xing descended the stairs and saw the outer sect gate standing wide open, unguarded. A fat disciple beside him jumped, and upon landing, contorted his body into a wheel. He rolled down the stairs like a runaway tire, taking an early lead in the race. Seeing this, he cycled his qi faster.

His mind briefly drifted to summoning his gun, but he restrained himself and focused on strategy. The fat disciple who had rolled through the gates was currently in the lead, creating the illusion that he could collect the most treasure and become an inner disciple. But Liu Xing knew better. This race was not a sprint for speed, but a marathon for treasure accumulation. Therefore, blindly rushing forward seemed to be the worst possible strategy. Still, he actually wants to lead in this race.

"First, I need to devise a general strategy," he murmured

The treasure that all the outer disciples were looking for was probably scattered all over the continent. However, he suspected that a significant portion of it could be found within the territory of the Purple Moon Sect, which was still a huge territory, since his sect was one of the five great sects that controlled the entire world.

He reasoned that most disciples would first look for the treasure closest to the sect and then gradually venture further. It was a logical "low-hanging fruit" approach. Therefore, he decided to use the opposite tactic. While the majority of people were flocking to the nearby areas to search for treasures nearby, he would take a different path. He would venture into the more distant, less contested regions first.

This strategy was sound, but inherently risky. He would inevitably pass by easily obtainable treasures along the way, effectively ceding them to others. But in the limited time available, he couldn't overthink the details.

He solidified his decision to follow this strategy. He also decided to disregard the listed herbs. Although the herbs were probably easier to obtain and required simple harvesting, their freshness was paramount. Delivering them to the sect in a timely manner would require him to shorten his race.

"Alright, the general strategy is formed," he muttered, nodding to himself.

Liu Xing suspected he might have overlooked or failed to consider other crucial factors. However, for the moment, this strategy was sufficient. If it proved flawed, he could adapt later.

He summoned his gun into his left hand and held his token in his right. Channeling qi into the token, he willed it to activate. A palm-sized screen materialized above it, displaying a table filled with the items disciples needed to collect. To his surprise, he noticed a small triangle at the top of the table, which he suspected was for sorting items. There was even a search box! "Amazing!"

At first, he entertained the idea that the interface designer might also be from Earth. The display bore a resemblance to a table found on the Internet. But he quickly dismissed the idea. While the possibility of other transmigrators existing in this world wasn't entirely out of the question, assuming the interface designers were from another world felt disrespectful. After all, it was merely a table with sorting and searching features. Such functionalities could be conceived by anyone, including a cultivator seeking a more convenient way to organize information.

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He experimented with the sort function when shouts and exclamations erupted behind him. Turning, he saw many disciples pointing skyward. Tilting his head up, he saw a man flying on a purple shield. The man had pale skin, long, pitch-black hair, and radiated a cold, dangerous aura.

"That's Yu Yongrui!" someone shouted. "Shit! So that purple shield can be used for flight!"

"How did he get that shield? Wasn't it protected by a barrier?"

Liu Xing observed Yu Yongrui from below. He wore the standard purple robe of a disciple, but over it, he sported a pitch-black coat trimmed with gold with a sword strapped to his back. He had heard Yu Yongrui was from a peasant family, but judging by his appearance, he could easily be mistaken for royalty.

An explosion echoed from behind. Turning again, he saw another figure launch into the sky. Fire wings erupted from his back, and the force of an explosion propelled him forward like a fighter jet. This man wore a serious expression, a golden medallion swinging around his neck as he attempted to overtake Yu Yongrui.

"That's Prince Shen Ye!"

"I'm also from the Phoenix Empire. The royal family is renowned for their Fire Wings!"

As Liu Xing considered his upcoming duel with Shen Ye, a cold breeze swept from behind. Recognizing the chilling air, he knew who was approaching. Looking around, he spotted Yan Yu not far away. She jumped gracefully into the sky, her robe and hair fluttering. As if in welcome, a layer of ice materialized in the air. Yan Yu landed upon it, standing like a proud goddess, her electric blue eyes shining. The ice sheet then moved horizontally through the air, as if Yan Yu were riding an ethereal elevator.

"Wow! That's Yan Yu! Just as beautiful as expected!" A male voice hollered lines like, "Marry me!" and "You can slap me!" phrases that sounded suspiciously like something Yuan Tao, the disciple with the notebook, would say.

Yu Yongrui, Shen Ye, and Yan Yu exchanged glances. And as if a competitive spark ignited between them, they all accelerated. Yan Yu briefly glanced at Liu Xing, as if curious about his reaction, before focusing on catching up to the other two leaders.

Witnessing the three figures soaring ahead, he felt his heartbeat quicken. Adrenaline surged through him, excitement coursing in his veins. They looked incredibly cool! He, too, desired to appear just as impressive.

He glanced at his left hand, at his black gun gleaming in the sunlight.

"Time to shine, buddy," he murmured. As he spoke, he cycled his qi in the familiar pattern. In less than a fraction of a second, the pattern completed, the technique was absorbed, and as if eager to showcase its power, his gun returned the technique almost instantaneously.

Suddenly, Liu Xing's body became enveloped in lightning. Disciples to his right and left widened their eyes in surprise. But before they could react, he kicked off the ground and leaped towards Yan Yu. In a fraction of a second, he landed directly above her. She tilted her head up, and their eyes met.

"Seems like you've already recovered," Liu Xing said, stepping onto Yan Yu's shoulder and launching himself towards Shen Ye.

Landing squarely on Shen Ye's back, Shen Ye twisted his head and growled, "You! How dare you land on me!"

Liu Xing grinned. "I just wanted to let you know our duel is postponed."

He kicked Shen Ye's back a bit harder than necessary, causing Shen Ye to wobble in the air. He then propelled himself straight towards Yu Yongrui. Yu Yongrui seemed like a dangerous individual. His eyes held a serious intensity, as if he would cut down anyone in his path to advance.

As Liu Xing approached, Yu Yongrui unsheathed his sword.

"Don't you dare step on me."

Their eyes locked. Liu Xing made no attempt to stop his momentum, since he still lacked a proper aerial maneuvering technique. As he came within striking distance of Yi Yongrui's sword, Yi Yongrui thrust his sword. The sword thrust was not a refined technique and was somewhat slow. Liu Xing quickly rotated his body and stepped onto the tip of the sword.

"Is that so? Alright then."

Liu Xing jumped from the tip of his sword, catching a glimpse of Yu Yongrui's widened eyes before soaring past him and into the open sky. As he flew, the wind whipped against his cheeks, and his black hair fluttered and a smile bloomed on his face.

"Let's race!" Liu Xing shouted.

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