My Five Bigshot Seniors: I am The Most Coddled Junior!-Chapter 116 - 68: Each Their Own Experience

Rong Ye gave Gu Qingqing a mysterious smile and stopped talking, leaving Gu Qingqing puzzled. Fortunately, she wasn’t the kind of person with an overly strong curiosity; she just noted it in her mind, planning to observe carefully later to see what signs might emerge between Zhuo Tingqiu and Yun Ran!

During the competition, Zhuo Tingqiu and Yun Ran tacitly did not use Spiritual Power. In the end, Yun Ran had the upper hand and won the duel.

"See, I told you, you’re no match for me, right?" Yun Ran said proudly while walking towards Gu Qingqing.

Zhuo Tingqiu glanced at Yun Ran, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes. He nodded and agreed, "You’re still the impressive one; I willingly admit defeat!"

It was rare to see Zhuo Tingqiu concede, and Yun Ran immediately beamed with joy, clearly very happy to have won against him.

When Yun Ran reached Gu Qingqing’s side, she boasted proudly, "Geng Geng, did you see? I beat Zhuo Tingqiu; I’m better than him!"

Gu Qingqing glanced at Zhuo Tingqiu, her expression somewhat complex. Yun Ran couldn’t see it, but couldn’t she? It was obvious Zhuo Tingqiu had deliberately lost to Yun Ran, and he acted convincingly so Yun Ran wouldn’t notice.

Out of Yun Ran’s sight, Zhuo Tingqiu shot Gu Qingqing a pleading look. Gu Qingqing went silent, recalling Rong Ye’s words just now, her eyes lighting up with a glimmer.

[Sister Ran, you’re really amazing!] She looked at Yun Ran, smiling and praising her.

Getting Gu Qingqing’s praise, Yun Ran was even happier, unable to contain her glee, though she tried to act humble, "Oh dear, I’m still far from being as impressive as you, Geng Geng."

[In my heart, Sister Ran, you’re the most amazing!] Gu Qingqing gave Yun Ran a thumbs up, gesturing.

An excited Yun Ran hugged Gu Qingqing tightly, ruffling Gu Qingqing’s hair vigorously. Then, under Si Lin’s dangerous gaze, she let go and chuckled awkwardly, "Haha, I was just, too excited!"

Gu Qingqing, nearly choked by Yun Ran, quickly stepped back, holding her head, her watery eyes glaring at Yun Ran, who smiled apologetically.

Jun Wu, nearby, helped Gu Qingqing fix her hair and the tassels on her head, then turned to glance at Yun Ran, his eyes carrying a warning that made Yun Ran break out in a cold sweat.

She turned away, wiping the sweat from her forehead, speechless at Jun Wu’s protectiveness, marveling at Jun Wu’s intimidating presence; a mere look made her feel afraid!

After a commotion, enough time had passed, and Si Lin arranged for night watches, allowing everyone to rest.

...

After separating from Yun Ran and the others, Jiang Yingshi followed the Wanqing Sect up the mountain. Once inside, everything went relatively smoothly. They followed the mountain path uphill, and after roughly half an hour, they encountered the first wave of attacks: a flock of fourth-tier kingfishers attacked them.

The cultivation levels of their group were all above the fourth tier, but given their limited numbers and the overwhelming number of kingfishers in the hundreds, each only palm-sized yet fast, biting people and flying off quickly, they had little way to deal with them initially.

At first, they grouped together, which only made it easier for the kingfishers to attack. Realizing this mistake, they immediately spread out, making it slightly better. Each faced around seven or eight kingfishers, struggling to cope.

Even so, many were bitten by the kingfishers.

After they finally resolved the kingfisher attack, everyone was exhausted.

"My god, what’s with this Secret Realm? Everything was fine just now; I thought we’d pass through smoothly. Who knew this was waiting for us?" Jiang Yingshi, sprawled on the ground, couldn’t help but grumble.

"This is the Immortal Secret Realm, after all, which naturally makes it different. We need to stay vigilant. It seems like the Secret Realm won’t let us reach halfway up the mountain easily; there might be more attacks later. Everyone needs to recuperate their Spiritual Power quickly, and those injured shouldn’t skimp on wound medicine, making sure to recover to peak condition as fast as possible." Guan Chenbo, looking at the kingfisher bodies on the ground, spoke with a calm tone.

His words made everyone’s face grow serious. Guan Chenbo held great respect among them, even more so than Jiang Yingshi, prompting everyone to begin healing their wounds and meditating, aiming for a speedy recovery.

After half an hour, Guan Chenbo felt his Spiritual Power replenished, his wounds almost healed. He stood up and tidied his clothes, glancing at the others, his eyes stopping briefly on Jiang Yingshi, a hint of dark thread passing through before quickly disappearing.

After waiting a while for the rest to recover, they set out again.

This time, they were far more cautious and vigilant, constantly observing their surroundings. When the second wave of kingfishers came, they promptly reacted, readying themselves.

This time, there were fifty more kingfishers than before, densely packed, making one’s skin crawl just looking at them.

Seeing these kingfishers, everyone looked at Guan Chenbo with admiration in their eyes, including Jiang Yingshi; none of them expected Guan Chenbo’s prediction to be spot on.

This time it took them two quarters of an hour to deal with all the kingfishers, after which they collapsed onto the ground again, without speaking, instead seizing the opportunity to meditate and restore their Spiritual Power.

Fortunately, the rich Spiritual Energy in the Secret Realm allowed them to recover their Spiritual Power within half an hour!

After recovering, they walked for another half an hour. After waiting for half a day with no movement, just as they began to relax, the sounds came again. This time the kingfishers reappeared, their numbers increasing from about one hundred and fifty to about two hundred. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

"What the hell? Why is it kingfishers again? I feel like I’m going to throw up just looking at them," Jiang Yingshi shouted in frustration, not caring about her image anymore.

"Me too, can’t the Secret Realm give us a different demon beast? We can’t even eat kingfisher meat, it’s just so unpleasant to look at," complained a junior sister beside Jiang Yingshi.

Although the others didn’t speak, they nodded in agreement. If the same kind of demon beast had to appear, at the very least it should be one they could eat, satisfying their appetite a little.

Of course, the Secret Realm ignored their preferences. This time it took them a bit longer than before. Having nearly killed two hundred kingfishers, they were very familiar with the kingfisher’s anatomy, and had figured out how to kill them quickly, so they were able to deal with them much faster.

When the last kingfisher was killed, everyone collapsed to the ground, not wanting to get up.

"Ugh, I really don’t want to kill kingfishers anymore. I feel like I’ll have a phobia of them for the rest of my life," Jiang Yingshi groaned, complaining mercilessly.

"I used to think kingfishers were pretty, but now I feel like I can’t even look directly at them anymore. Honestly, it’s just so overwhelming!" said the same junior sister, glancing at Jiang Yingshi and complaining as well.

The other people felt the same way, even Guan Chenbo pursed his lips, looking at the kingfishers with disgust in his eyes!

This time they took a full hour to rest and recover, and by then the sun was starting to set. They then faced the fourth wave of kingfishers, with the numbers doubling to three hundred, appearing like a dark cloud in the distance, creating a sense of oppression.

Jiang Yingshi and the others, faces serious, began hunting down the kingfishers one by one using the experience they had gained before.

...

Nalan Jin and Nalan Xin led the Nalan Family members up the mountain, even bringing Nalan Qing along. Leaving Nalan Qing at the base worried them, fearing she would run off. But if they had someone to watch her, it would be a waste for the person keeping watch. After all, this is the Secret Realm, and they might only have this one chance in their lifetime. If someone stayed to watch Nalan Qing, it would be downright cruel for them!

They walked a long distance, feeling their steps grow heavier, as if carrying something on their backs, to the point where they almost felt like they couldn’t lift their feet.

"Brother, I feel like I’m carrying a mountain on my back; I can hardly move," Nalan Xin said, wiping the sweat from her forehead and speaking to Nalan Jin beside her.

Nalan Jin wasn’t in much better shape than Nalan Xin, frowning as he walked, pondering what was going on in his mind.

The other members of the Nalan Family were no better off than Nalan Jin and his sister, each drenched in sweat, their clothes soaked through, their steps growing heavier. Every time they lifted a foot, it required all their strength, or they simply couldn’t lift it.

"Second young master, what’s happening to us? Have we encountered something strange?" Nalan Yi, next to Nalan Jin, asked.

"If I’m not mistaken, we’re inside a Gravity Array. It’s quite a mystical thing; anyone inside it feels like they’re carrying something heavy!" Nalan Jin, who loved to read as a child, had read various books, including one where he came across Gravity Arrays. He had marveled at the time, never expecting to encounter one himself.

Upon hearing Nalan Jin’s explanation, the others were surprised; it was the first time they had heard of a Gravity Array, finding it intriguing yet painful. The trek on this long mountain path, together with the struggle against the Gravity Array, made it seem impossible for them to reach even halfway up the mountain!

"What should we do now? Can this array be broken?" Nalan Xin asked, wiping off her sweat and looking at Nalan Jin expectantly.

"I don’t know," Nalan Jin shook his head, indicating he was powerless, "but I have a feeling this array doesn’t cover the entire mountain; maybe it’s just part of it. Let’s keep moving forward, and we might just get out of it soon!"

Although Nalan Jin wasn’t sure how to break the array, his words provided some comfort, making them believe, as he said, that they might soon be free, giving them the motivation to move forward!