Outside Illusory Wave Mountain, the first batch of twenty entrants had already assembled.
The major figures of the six great sects were in charge of operating the Illusory Wave Mountain's formation.
The formation of Illusory Wave Mountain opened, and a teleportation array resembling a rainbow bridge appeared before everyone.
"This is the teleportation gate of Illusory Wave Mountain. The jade slip in each of your hands was crafted specifically for this formation. Remember, you have a twenty-day limit. Once the time is up, the formation will automatically teleport you out. Keep this jade slip with you at all times. If you encounter any danger, use the jade slip to sense the nearest teleportation array. As long as you are near one, crush the jade slip and you can leave on your own. Inside Illusory Wave Mountain, there are numerous teleportation arrays. Any one of them — once you sense it, you can crush the jade slip and depart."
The jade slips distributed to everyone were essentially life-saving tools.
Inside Illusory Wave Mountain, there would naturally be all manner of threats beyond just Spiritual Medicine. If faced with an insurmountable danger, the best course of action was to leave on one's own.
Of course, while there were many teleportation arrays inside Illusory Wave Mountain, they were hardly everywhere. Finding a nearby one could be tricky — with bad luck, one might go several hours without encountering a single array.
As a result, every gathering at Illusory Wave Mountain claimed some lives. In unlucky years, the mortality rate could reach as high as one in four.
That meant out of sixty participants, as many as a dozen could die.
This first batch of twenty comprised the top ten from the Elder group and the top ten from the Genius group. Dan Qian Palace had secured a notable presence: in addition to the two elders, all four of their Genius group representatives were also prominently included.
Mu Gaoqi was participating in such a grand event for the first time and was clearly somewhat nervous. As he stepped onto the rainbow-bridge-like teleportation array, the usually talkative Mu Gaoqi was remarkably silent for once.
"Gaoqi, don't be nervous," Jiang Chen encouraged.
Mu Gaoqi managed a strained smile. "Brother Chen, be careful. The teleportation array will scatter us to different corners. I've heard that Illusory Wave Mountain is vast as an ocean with no discernible edges. I wonder if I'll run into you once we're inside?"
If he could find Jiang Chen, Mu Gaoqi would certainly want to team up with him.
Jiang Chen laughed. "If we do meet, that would be great. But Gaoqi, if you run into danger, don't try to be a hero. Find a teleportation array and get out — that's the best strategy."
For Mu Gaoqi, his cultivation level was undoubtedly among the lowest of all the participants. Among the ten spots in the Genius group, Mu Gaoqi's martial cultivation was unquestionably at the bottom.
If he happened upon reasonable people, things might be fine. But if he crossed paths with someone like Wei Qing, Mu Gaoqi could be in serious trouble.
However, the higher-ups of Dan Qian Palace had clearly intended to protect both Jiang Chen and Mu Gaoqi, giving each of them an Escape Talisman before departure.
The Escape Talisman could propel its user a hundred li in an instant. While that wasn't particularly far, it would at least allow one to escape from a danger zone immediately.
With that hundred li of distance, one would have a much better chance of locating a teleportation array and crushing the jade slip to leave.
"Attention! The teleportation formation is activating. Do not resist with your true essence. Otherwise, be warned — the formation will devour you!" A stern reminder echoed in everyone's ears.
Then came a deafening boom.
A seven-colored radiance flooded the void, enveloping the bodies of all twenty participants before transforming them into a streak of multicolored light that vanished into the emptiness.
Jiang Chen felt all his senses plunge into a hazy confusion, as though his entire body had suddenly reverted to a primal state — he could not see, could not hear, could not smell...
Everything felt like a return to primordial chaos.
Even attempting to move a single finger or toe felt like it required immense pressure, as though countless mountains were crushing his body, making movement nearly impossible.
This sensation lasted for a full quarter hour.
Suddenly, another booming sound echoed.
Then, Jiang Chen saw the seven-colored light before his eyes slowly fade away. Immediately after, his vision returned, his hearing restored, and his senses reopened to the world.
"Hm? Have I already entered Illusory Wave Mountain?"
Jiang Chen looked around. He was situated on a mountainside. The slope was lush and green, and along its edge grew a thicket of purple bamboo.
This purple bamboo forest, seen from a distance, was shrouded in a faint, ethereal mist, giving it a truly otherworldly, immortal-like ambiance.
Jiang Chen felt the slightly soft turf beneath his feet and breathed in the incredibly fresh air. He couldn't help but think that the spiritual energy here was astonishingly abundant, even surpassing that of the Danxia Valley Supreme Area within the Danqian Palace.
Jiang Chen activated his Heavenly Eye Divine Pupil and swept his gaze around, sensing no immediate danger for now.
His roving gaze eventually settled back on the purple bamboo.
"This purple bamboo is tall, straight, and brimming with spiritual energy. What's even rarer is its profound immortal charm. If I transplanted it to the Supreme Area, Miss Huang'er would surely be delighted."
While purple bamboo was rich in spiritual energy, within the martial world, it served more as an elegant ornament. People used it to craft Xiao flutes, Dizi flutes, and various other musical instruments.
Purple bamboo could also be used to make weapons, but as a weapon, its combat power was rather weak.
One could say it wasn't a species suited for battle, nor could it even be classified as a type of Spiritual Medicine.
A quarter hour later, the entire grove of purple bamboo had been uprooted and taken away by Jiang Chen.
If anyone else had witnessed Jiang Chen's actions, they would surely have ridiculed him, thinking the man was out of his mind. Clearly a useless thing, yet he wasted his precious time on it.
Having removed the purple bamboo forest, Jiang Chen didn't linger.
Time was precious. With a total of twenty days, Jiang Chen had no intention of returning empty-handed.