As everything before his eyes dimmed and then brightened, Luo Xiu found himself in the middle of a desert.

Looking around, he saw endless yellow sand stretching to the horizon. The wind left traces in the sand that looked like frozen waves.

Luo Xiu could feel the rich Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth, confirming that he had truly entered the Lop Nor Secret Realm.

As thoughts swirled in his mind, he took a step forward but suddenly stopped. His nose had bumped into a soft, fragrant "wall."

"Uh... sorry about that."

Luo Xiu awkwardly touched his nose and took two steps back, looking at Lin Xiyue, who had already turned around. He had accidentally bumped into her back.

Lin Xiyue stared at the bespectacled, scholarly-looking man in front of her and shook her head slightly, indicating it was all right.

At that moment, Ye Ningxue suddenly darted over, positioning herself between Luo Xiu and Lin Xiyue. Her eyes were full of vigilance, even a hint of hostility, as she looked at Luo Xiu and said, "Stay away from my master's wife."

Now that her master's whereabouts were unknown, she had to watch his wife closely. She absolutely could not allow any other scumbag an opportunity to swoop in and steal her away.

Luo Xiu, naturally, had no idea what Ye Ningxue was thinking. He just gave an awkward laugh and wisely moved to one side.

Zhang Yi then jogged up to Lin Xiyue. "Captain, which way should we head now?"

For this competition, Lin Xiyue had been appointed captain of the Hua Country team by Lu Nianjiao herself, with Xu Qianqing as her vice-captain.

Lin Xiyue took the Rule Manual from a pocket of her combat uniform and swiftly flipped to the map page, then pulled out a compass to confirm their direction.

Xu Qianqing said, "According to the competition rules, we have to reach the oasis at the center of the Secret Realm while holding onto our competition badges to pass the first round."

"And during this process, we also have to seize competition badges from other teams, or prevent ours from being stolen."

Luo Xiu laughed. "Then let's go rob them. We'll just rob anyone we see along the way."

Hearing this, Xu Qianqing shot him a glare and continued, "Besides, this seemingly calm desert is full of hidden dangers."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the sand not far away began to roll like giant waves, sending a cloud of dust soaring into the sky.

Everyone stared intently, their eyes widening in shock.

A giant beast burst forth from the sand, letting out a monstrous, ear-piercing roar!

It was a giant scorpion with a human face, its body larger than a fully grown elephant!

"Damn, Vice-Captain Qianqing, talk about a jinx! You call it, it comes," Zhang Yi exclaimed, her body instantly radiating Spirit Light as she prepared to use her prized Mystic Yang Dao Art to protect her teammates.

Meanwhile, Su Shanyue quickly retreated to the back of the group, raising the Jade Flute she carried to her lips.

Xu Qianqing's expression turned grave. "I looked through some bestiaries when I was bored at home. That should be a Demon-faced Scorpion, a Demon Beast that only lives in Secret Realms. It can even kill Core Formation Realm cultivators, so everyone be careful!"

Hearing this, the women immediately tensed up. Facing such a terrifying Demon Beast, they couldn't afford to be careless.

However, they were stunned to see Luo Xiu calmly setting up his Kun-stewing Divine Cauldron.

Luo Xiu, of course, recognized the Demon-faced Scorpion and knew it was a great source of nourishment. Back in the Shanhai Territory, Dou Dou had caught one for him to eat.

Seeing this, the five women were all stunned.

"What are you doing?" Zhang Yi asked.

"What else? Getting ready to cook, of course," Luo Xiu replied, adjusting the glasses on his nose with a gentle, scholarly smile. "Such a high-quality ingredient. Watch how this doctor can turn it into a delicacy with the simplest cooking method."

Then, the women watched as he brazenly strode toward the terrifying Demon Scorpion, brandishing his Bronze Hoe.

After a series of piercing shrieks, Luo Xiu reappeared, dragging back the Demon-faced Scorpion he had beaten to death with the Bronze Hoe.

The women looked at him with peculiar expressions, silently admiring his nonchalance.

Zhang Yi swallowed hard and gave Luo Xiu a thumbs-up. "When people talk about a 'cultured scoundrel,' they must mean you, Doctor."

Luo Xiu smiled politely. "You flatter me."

Xu Qianqing wasn't surprised. This was Luo Xiu, after all—Luo the Great Martial Champion. She had long grown accustomed to Luo Wukui's bewildering, heaven-defying acts.

She teased, "Dr. Chen, you're proving to be quite the reliable substitute. We've only just arrived, and you're already busy gathering provisions for us."

Luo Xiu gave a faint smile. "Consider it an early celebration for Hua Country's victory. My treat tonight: Demon Scorpion meat."

Zhang Yi grimaced. "But this huge scorpion looks so disgusting, and it seems poisonous. Is it really edible?"

"Is it edible?" Luo Xiu chuckled. "Let me tell you, this is a delicacy rarely found anywhere in the world."

"And every part of this creature is a treasure. The venom from its poison sac can be saved to use against other teams; the inner core can be purified and absorbed. As for the meat, while not all of it is edible, there's enough to feed us for several days."

"More importantly, its meat helps with beauty and skincare."

The moment they heard "beauty and skincare," the women were all instantly tempted.

Zhang Yi urged him on impatiently, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get to it! I've been staying up late reading novels by Wind Lifts The Curtain, and I'm starting to get crow's feet! I definitely need a collagen boost."

It took Luo Xiu nearly an hour to process the Demon-faced Scorpion's corpse and salvage all the useful parts. In the process, he ended up covered in a foul stench, and none of the women wanted to get near him. Even Xu Qianqing, who knew his true identity, started to "shun" him.

"Come on, everyone, don't just stand there empty-handed. Each of you carry a little."

"Hey, you're the substitute, aren't you? Why should we have to carry anything?"

"Do you want to eat or not?"

"You're ruthless!"

Having gained so much right after entering, the women were in high spirits. After Lin Xiyue confirmed their direction with the compass, the group of six officially set off.

The journey was peaceful, aside from a few minor Demon Beasts they encountered, which Luo Xiu had no interest in hunting.

When night fell, the group entered a stretch of the Gobi desert.

Luo Xiu, with his wilderness survival experience, found a spot sheltered from the wind to set up camp and started a bonfire.

Xu Qianqing and Ye Ningxue were in charge of gathering firewood.

Zhang Yi, Su Shanyue, and Lin Xiyue were responsible for extracting and filtering the juice from Water Dragon Grass to cook the scorpion meat.

Luo Xiu squatted alone by the campfire, staring with eager anticipation at the Kun-stewing Divine Cauldron hanging over the flames. The moment he had put the scorpion meat inside, the Divine Cauldron had begun to emanate a mystical aura of the Tao, automatically stewing the meat. While preserving all of its original nutrients, it even refined a purer form of vital energy.

This Divine Cauldron really is a great treasure. I wonder how Dou Dou got so lucky.

"AH!"

Suddenly, Xu Qianqing's scream echoed from not far away in the Gobi.

Luo Xiu's heart sank. He glanced at Lin Xiyue and the others, who were busy with the juice. "You all stay here! I'll go check it out!"

Soon, Luo Xiu found Xu Qianqing. Her face was pale, and her delicate body was trembling as if she had suffered a great shock. Ye Ningxue, next to her, was surprisingly calm.

"What happened?"

With an impassive face, Ye Ningxue pointed ahead. "There are two bodies over there."

Luo Xiu walked over to look and frowned, nearly retching at the sight. The two corpses were in a horrific state, practically minced meat, with organs strewn everywhere. No wonder Xu Qianqing was so terrified. Having grown up in a peaceful environment, she had never even seen a pig being slaughtered, let alone a mangled corpse like this.

Ye Ningxue walked to Luo Xiu's side. "Their competition badges have been taken. This wasn't Demon Beasts. It was people."

Luo Xiu stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Judging by how fresh the bodies are, they must have died shortly before we set up camp."

Ye Ningxue said, "That means the killer might still be here in the Gobi, somewhere nearby."

Xu Qianqing's face was ashen. "I can't imagine which country's team is so cruel. Killing for competition badges is one thing, but to mangle the bodies like this..."

Luo Xiu glanced at her. "The Shi Wu Great Reef is called a competition, but in reality, it's a brutal reflection of the martial world: the strong devour the weak, and only power matters."

"So, you need to be mentally prepared. Think of this as a trial on the road to Hell."

Ye Ningxue's face was emotionless. "Makes sense."

Luo Xiu turned back toward the campsite. "Don't tell Xi Yue and the others for now. We don't want to cause a panic. Xiao Xue, you and I will take turns on watch tonight."

Soon, the three returned to the campsite.

Lin Xiyue asked worriedly, "Qianqing, what happened over there?"

Xu Qianqing forced a smile. "Oh, it was nothing. A venomous snake just popped out and gave me a scare."

Luo Xiu waved them over. "All right, the meat's ready. Time to eat."

The women turned and saw that Luo Xiu had already started, grabbing a piece of scorpion meat and gnawing on it.

His ravenous eating reminded Lin Xiyue of a certain man. It wasn't just similar; it was identical.

Zhang Yi rushed over, afraid Luo Xiu would eat everything. "I never thought a doctor would eat in such an unrefined way! Quick, give me a piece too!"

"Hello, friends from Hua Country. Mind if I try some of the scorpion meat in that pot?"

Just then, a playful voice sounded from nearby.

The group turned to see a tall, blond, blue-eyed young man from M Country approaching them. Behind him followed five other teammates—four men and two women.

At that moment, among the group behind the blond youth, a girl wearing glasses fixed her gaze on Luo Xiu's face, her brow slowly furrowing.

Chen Shuisheng? How is he here? How did he get out of the Tomb of Civilization?

This girl from M Country was, in fact, Xia Chan in disguise.

The blond youth leading the group had now walked up to them. He smiled politely and said in halting Hua Country language, "I'm Mark, captain of the M Country team."

"Friends from Hua Country, this Demon Scorpion meat looks quite good."

As he spoke, he let his gaze sweep over Lin Xiyue, Xu Qianqing, and the other women, his eyes burning with unconcealed lust. "But I doubt the flavor of this scorpion can compare to the taste of you beauties."

Hearing this, Lin Xiyue shot to her feet, pointing her sword at Mark, her eyes filled with killing intent.

"Scram if you don't want to die!"

As captain, she was naturally the first to step up and defend her teammates.

Mark laughed, eyeing the pink sword in her hand before his gaze dropped to her legs, which he stared at with appreciation.

"I swear, those are the sexiest legs I've ever seen. How about you spread them for me tonight?"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.