Chapter Sixteen: Surrounded and Trapped

The senior disciples could naturally tell that Lin Xiaobao had never cultivated before. At this moment, they had no intention of stopping him, instead pressing towards Hu Dequan, Unbrow, and the others with higher cultivation. They believed these individuals would bring them some surprises.

Easily slipping through the seniors’ defensive line, Lin Xiaobao hurried toward the Task Hall. Upon entering, he found the same young girl as before.

“You actually made it through?” The girl was truly surprised to see Lin Xiaobao without a single scratch. In recent days, a few new disciples had managed to break through, but they were always battered and bruised. Clearly, Lin Xiaobao was someone who hadn’t cultivated at all.

“You all know what happens at the foot of the mountain?” Lin Xiaobao was somewhat taken aback. As a formal disciple, did she really let those old outer disciples do as they pleased at the foot of the mountain without interference?

“The path of cultivation is one of struggle against heaven, against others. If everything is done for you, then no matter how high your level, you’ll never withstand the slightest hardship.” The girl put on an air of authority far beyond her years. After speaking, she muttered to herself, no wonder Grandpa always scolded her like this—turns out, lecturing others really did feel good.

“I’d like to exchange for these items.” Lin Xiaobao handed over the slip he’d written with the list of resources everyone needed to trade for.

“So much? That would require nearly six hundred contribution points!” The girl looked at Lin Xiaobao in astonishment. Not only was he a new outer disciple, even some senior ones would not have so many points to spend!

Lin Xiaobao’s lips curled into a slight smile as he handed over his Snowwind Token, which held seven hundred contribution points. “Is that enough?”

Examining it, the girl said, “I see, you must have joined forces to break through the defensive line, didn’t you?”

“Does it matter?” Lin Xiaobao didn’t consider himself a good person, but he still felt a twinge of discontent toward the Snowwind Pavilion.

“It seems these old disciples have finally met their match. Interesting…” The girl seemed not to hear his question, muttering to herself as she handed the slip and token to a nearby female disciple to prepare the materials.

“There’s so much—there’s no way you can carry it all by yourself!” The girl looked at Lin Xiaobao with concern.

Right, how could he have forgotten? These were resources for dozens of people. They had no help from the two old masters with arrays and pills; everything had to be finished products, not seeds. Piled up, it would be a huge heap. How was he going to transport it?

“How about this: I’ll give you a storage pouch. But you must promise me a favor in return. If I need your help in the future, you’ll have to repay me!” The girl looked slyly at him.

A storage pouch! Lin Xiaobao recalled an introduction in the Snowwind Primer—it supposedly contained a space array capable of shrinking objects and storing them inside.

Lin Xiaobao frowned. He knew that if he agreed too readily, she might not believe him, so he pretended to deliberate, saying, “I can only promise that as long as it doesn’t go against my conscience or the code of chivalry, I’ll do it!”

Meanwhile, he wondered why this girl was being so nice to him. Could she have taken a fancy to him? Thinking back, Lin Xiaobao had to admit that among this intake of new disciples, he was indeed the most handsome—at least in his own opinion.

Sure enough, the girl, seeing his determined and righteous expression, believed him wholeheartedly. “Alright, I’ll come to you when I need something!” She handed over a storage pouch.

Come find me? That’s easier said than done! Lin Xiaobao doubted she’d ever really need his help. Accepting the pouch, he saw that the resources had already been prepared. Following the girl’s instructions, he called out, “Collect!”

In a flash, the entire pile of assorted resources vanished into the storage pouch, leaving Lin Xiaobao marveling in awe. Such a miracle—this was his first time witnessing anything like it in any of his lives.

Checking the Snowwind Token, he saw he still had one hundred thirty-two contribution points left. Lin Xiaobao began to consider what else to exchange, though in truth, he was waiting for the two elders’ instructions.

Under their guidance, he exchanged everything for a Dragon Beard Ginseng seed, a Dreamback Herb seed, and two pieces of third-grade spirit jade, leaving the points depleted.

Glancing at the time, he realized the appointed hour was near. After bidding farewell to the girl, Lin Xiaobao hid the storage pouch close to his body and hurried down the mountain.

As he neared the foot, he pulled out a signal arrow he had prepared and shot it high into the sky, then stopped where he stood.

Hearing the sounds of scuffling below, Lin Xiaobao dashed out once more.

“Catch that kid! He must have plenty of good stuff on him!” The moment Lin Xiaobao showed himself, two senior disciples immediately locked onto him, abandoning their previous opponents to give chase.

Judging by their speed, Lin Xiaobao could tell their strength was at least on par with, if not superior to, Hu Dequan. Their speed was no less than his own. If caught, losing the resources would be one thing—but if his storage pouch was taken, Lin Xiaobao would be sick with regret.

“Elder Mo, Elder Wu, help me out here!” Luckily, with the two elders at his side, Lin Xiaobao wasn’t too worried.

“Don’t even think about it. Unless your life is in danger, we won’t intervene. That girl was right—flowers grown in a greenhouse can never thrive.” Elder Wu’s words dashed all of Lin Xiaobao’s hopes.

Noticing Lin Xiaobao was in danger, the Unbrowed youth threw a powerful punch, forcing his opponent back a step. With a quick flash, he slipped past and pursued one of Lin Xiaobao’s pursuers.

“Brother Wu, you handle that one—leave this one to me!” The girl moved like a dragon, slipping into the fray. Leaping into the air, she struck one of the senior disciples on the back with her palm.

The outer disciple was just about to catch Lin Xiaobao when a fierce wind struck from behind, forcing him to turn and meet the attack, giving Lin Xiaobao a brief respite. But from left and right, three more senior disciples were closing in. It was clear that in terms of skilled fighters, the new disciples were at a severe disadvantage.

Looking around, Lin Xiaobao realized with frustration that he couldn’t escape with his speed alone. His gaze settled on Hu Dequan, and seeing his position, Lin Xiaobao knew there was only one option—but…

With the senior disciples closing in from both sides, Lin Xiaobao understood that if he didn’t act now, he’d lose his chance. He quickly pulled out the storage pouch and shouted, “Hu Dequan, catch!”

At the same time, he flung the pouch towards Hu Dequan.

“A storage pouch—catch it!” someone shouted.

The pouch, trailing afterimages, shot toward Hu Dequan. Among the senior disciples, some sharp-eyed ones instantly recognized the treasure, their shouts cracking with excitement. A storage pouch was a luxury for any outer disciple, not to mention one containing all the resources Lin Xiaobao had just exchanged in the Task Hall.

In that instant, all the senior disciples abandoned their current opponents and rushed toward Hu Dequan, while the new disciples, sensing the gravity of the situation, threw themselves in the way. Though weaker, they had numbers on their side, blocking the seniors’ path with their own bodies.