Xiao Man looked at Fu Ning, while Fu Ning stared intently at Xi Wen. He had already planned that if Xiao Man and the others went to get the Dragon Spirit Bamboo, he would find a place to hide. Once Xiao Man and the others returned with the Dragon Spirit Bamboo, he would find a way to snatch it. Fighting was not allowed in the assessment area. Once he snatched it, he would enter the assessment area, thus ensuring his safety. As for what would happen after entering the city, he would think about it then.
"My lord, does obtaining the Dragon Spirit Bamboo count as passing the assessment?"
"Of course." The person on the city wall looked down arrogantly. "However, only ten people can enter Wuji City, and they must retrieve the Dragon Spirit Bamboo before sunset to be considered as having passed the assessment."
"How will you verify that the Dragon Spirit Bamboo we retrieve is qualified?" Xiao Man asked unhurriedly. She vaguely felt that someone in Wuji City was indeed ill, but it wasn't just the spirit marrow that could cure them. Wuji City likely didn't want people from the Land of No Return to enter Wuji City, which was why they posed such a difficult question.
"The part of the Dragon Spirit Bamboo containing spirit marrow is emerald green in color, like fine jade, and can be identified at a glance."
"If we retrieve the Dragon Spirit Bamboo, will you lords refuse to let us enter the city?"
"Insolent!" The man on the city wall berated. "Are you questioning Wuji City!"
"My lord misunderstands. After all, extracting the spirit marrow of the Dragon Spirit Bamboo is indeed a difficult task. Therefore, I must first confirm whether the assessment by Wuji City itself is difficult, or if you lords in the city are deliberately making things difficult."
"You lot, and you think we would deliberately make things difficult?" The man sneered. "Hurry up and go get the Dragon Spirit Bamboo. If you don't return within the allotted time, it will also be considered a failure."
Xiao Man smiled and said, "Thank you for the reminder, my lord. The Dragon Spirit Bamboo has already been retrieved."
"What?" The person at the city gate asked with some confusion. None of them had even left yet, so how could the Dragon Spirit Bamboo have been retrieved?
At this moment, everyone took out an object. It was emerald green all over, like fine jade, and under the sunlight, it emitted an alluring glow. The people on the city wall looked at each other, and saw disbelief in each other's eyes. In their opinion, retrieving even a piece would be good, but there were ten people below the city wall who had obtained the Dragon Spirit Bamboo!
Just then, Fu Ning suddenly attacked, rushing towards the man closest to him. He snatched the Dragon Spirit Bamboo from the man's hand and laughed loudly, "Haha, the Dragon Spirit Bamboo, I've got it too!"
This sudden turn of events amused the people on the city wall. Today's assessment was too boring, so boring that they wanted to know what Xiao Man and her group would do.
After all, they could see that these ten people were together, while the other person had broken in alone. Now that he had snatched the Dragon Spirit Bamboo from one of them, one of these ten people would be eliminated.
"Give it back to me!" The one whose Dragon Spirit Bamboo was snatched was Li Kun, the deputy of Zhou Yan. Li Kun immediately prepared to fight.
"According to Wuji City's regulations, once you enter the assessment area, you are not allowed to fight anymore."
"But he attacked and snatched my Dragon Spirit Bamboo!" Li Kun said anxiously. "He has already violated the rules."
The people on the city wall turned a blind eye. "Although he snatched the Dragon Spirit Bamboo, he did not touch you, so it is not considered a violation."
"This is clearly..."
"Li Kun," Xiao Man said, signaling him not to rush. Upon seeing this, Li Kun immediately quieted down.
Fu Ning immediately increased the distance between himself and the group. Both Xiao Man and Du Niangzi were skilled in using poison, so he had to stay away from them, otherwise, he would very likely be poisoned.
However, as soon as Fu Ning retreated three steps, he fell to the ground, frothing at the mouth.
The people on the city wall stared at this scene in shock. How had he suddenly fallen down?
Fu Ning quickly looked at the Dragon Spirit Bamboo in his hand. It was still as emerald green as jade, but the hand holding it had turned black. It had been poisoned!
"You... you poisoned the Dragon Spirit Bamboo!"
Xiao Man's expression was calm and indifferent. "Xiang Jian said you jumped off the cliff yourself, but everyone says you are not the kind of person with the courage to take your own life. This means that you jumped off the cliff because you were certain you would be rescued. And with your personality, how could you swallow your pride? You haven't appeared all this time, and I knew you were waiting for the assessment day."
"Despicable!"
"Thank you for the compliment." Xiao Man walked slowly towards Fu Ning, took the Dragon Spirit Bamboo from his hand, and threw it to Li Kun. "Hold on to what belongs to you."
"Thank you, Sect Master."
"Give me the antidote..." Fu Ning pleaded. He didn't want to die. Now that the people who could defeat him had left the Land of No Return, the Land of No Return would be his domain. He only had to wait three more years. As long as he was alive, he would be able to enter Wuji City smoothly after three years.
"I'm sorry, there isn't any," Xiao Man said with a smile. She had finally managed to unite the forces of the Land of No Return, so how could she leave someone like Fu Ning to continue to harm the Land of No Return? Fu Ning had to die.
Xiang Jian stepped forward. "Everyone, the Dragon Spirit Bamboo has been obtained. May we now enter the city?"
The people on the city wall whispered and discussed for a while, as if they had reached a decision. The tightly shut city gate slowly opened, and a group of people showed expressions of surprise. The gate of Wuji City, which they had longed for for many years, had finally opened.
Xiao Man's expression was calm as she walked at the end. Perhaps there were people in Wuji City who recognized her, or perhaps her enemies were hidden in the dark, waiting to deliver a fatal blow. However, she had to enter Wuji City. She wanted to find her family and friends, and she had to enter Wuji City first!
The people outside the city breathed a collective sigh of relief as they saw Xiao Man and the others successfully enter Wuji City. They were well-trained and turned to leave, as if they had only come to see Xiao Man and the others off. This made the people of Wuji City find it incredible. When did the people of the Land of No Return become so law-abiding?
"I am Fan Ting, the Captain of the Guard of Wuji City. Please register here, and then place the Dragon Spirit Bamboo into the ice box." Fan Ting's gaze landed accurately on Xiao Man. "Before you put it in, please detoxify the Dragon Spirit Bamboo."
Xiao Man walked forward slowly, signaling everyone to place the Dragon Spirit Bamboo into the ice box. Then, with a flick of her sleeve, she brushed past the ice box and went to the side to register her name and receive a通行牌 (pass token).
The pass token was a wooden plaque. Xiao Man looked at the wooden plaque in her hand, and then at the golden plaque hanging from Fan Ting's waist. A glint appeared in her eyes. It seemed that these plaques symbolized status, and the wooden plaque was likely the lowest form of identity.
"My lord, may I ask what this wooden plaque is used for?"
"The wooden plaque is a symbol of your identity. You can find work in Wuji City and contribute to Wuji City. When your contributions accumulate to a certain level, the wooden plaque can be upgraded to a bronze plaque."
"How many contributions are needed to upgrade to a bronze plaque?" Xiao Man inquired.
"One thousand points of contribution." Fan Ting's tone was rarely gentle towards Xiao Man. He could tell that this group of people considered Xiao Man their leader. The fact that she could bring peace to the Land of No Return and retrieve the Dragon Spirit Bamboo meant she had made an immense contribution.