Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
Lu Jun's will soared infinitely, towering like a deity, surveying the dimension below. His vision rapidly narrowed, focusing on a graceful woman sprinting through the forest. Her face was veiled, a flowing long dress trailing behind, and occasionally a glimpse of her long, fair legs appeared.
This woman was none other than Asharuiya, her murmurs captured by True Name Foresight, feeding directly into his mind-lake.
Suddenly, the woman stopped, brows slightly furrowed. Something felt off.
Seeing this, Lu Jun quickly retracted his thoughts. Asharuiya possessed a Dark Angel Divine Soul; she might sense the intrusion if he lingered too long.
After several breaths, the mental images gradually faded, and he fell into deep thought. Apparently, his performance had triggered strong alarm among the United States, Greece, Canada, and France, compelling them to temporarily unite against the Nine Provinces Team.
It likely wasn't a pre-arranged alliance, just tacit cooperation among nations. Otherwise, he would have known before entering the Treasure Hunt dimension.
The plan was clear: deal with the Huaxia members first through cooperation, then compete individually afterward.
Unfortunately, Asharuiya inadvertent murmurs revealed this secret, a perfect demonstration of "misfortune from loose lips" and poor discretion.
Perhaps she had suffered too many losses at his hands and muttered out of frustration.
Lu Jun imagined that if the Huaxia Team succeeded in winning the championship, no one would dare touch their plates at the celebratory banquet if Asharuiya didn't attend.
Honestly, he was somewhat surprised. With the enemies aware and him in secret, without True Name Foresight, the Huaxia Team could have suffered a major setback.
He wasn't worried, though. Whether in light or shadow, even if all other national team members ambushed him, he had full confidence in handling everything.
However, his other nine teammates weren't so invincible. If they were ambushed and seriously injured, even total elimination would be acceptable, but any injury before the Grand Eight Finals would leave the team shorthanded.
After all, no matter how strong Lu Jun was, the start of the match required at least five members, right?
Moreover, to break into the top eight, the Huaxia Team's total treasure value must rank among the highest. If the other nine members obtained nothing, the pressure to advance would increase, and stagnant cultivation would mean their overall strength would lag as others improved.
"Heh! Many past competitions had overpowered teams — why target ours this year?"
Lu Jun pondered briefly, then sneered coldly. It was simply the rise of the East that shocked these traditional Western powers, their resentment at past subservience driving them to suppress him collectively.
Of course, Asharuiya's subtle manipulations had some effect as well. In the original timeline, she almost teamed up with the British Team to eliminate the Huaxia Team during the Grand Finals, dealing Mo Fan a serious blow.
"I want to see what you can do to me!"
Immediately, his gaze turned indifferent, his presence exuding dominance. Unseen energy rose around him as he silently activated Psychic Control·Shadow Intrusion, infiltrating the Pupil Eagles overhead, using them as stepping stones to spread through the psychic network, capturing one eagle after another.
Closing his eyes, Lu Jun gradually mapped the dimension in his mind. He adjusted his priority — no longer rushing to find treasures, but first locating the national team members.
Based on the marks he planted and the Pupil Eagles' feedback, the closest were Jiang Shaoxu and Nan Jue, a bit farther were Mo Fan, Mu Ningxue, Zhao Manyan, and Ai Jiangtu.
The latter four posed no concern — their strength could sustain them until he arrived. The first two were crucial, with lower cultivation and a support-oriented magic system.
The next moment, Lu Jun shifted his body and dashed in the chosen direction.
As the Treasure Hunt Tournament fully commenced, hundreds of Pupil Eagles worked in unison, relaying over a hundred segmented images to the outside world.
In the sky above the Grand Arena, flickering vortexes displayed the actions of national team members and the battles with treasure-guarding monster commanders in various locations.
For VIP viewing, national leaders had a convenient experience. By moving their thoughts through crystal spheres, the corresponding participant's screen would appear, allowing multitasking.
For ordinary broadcast platforms, it was less user-friendly. Each Pupil Eagle represented an independent channel. Managing over a hundred channels was cumbersome, often leaving viewers to focus on two or three images, following favorite contestants and frequently missing exciting moments — requiring post-event replays.
Even so, the Treasure Hunt remained the most thrilling phase of the Venice Tournament. It tested participants' overall strength — strategy, intellect, cultivation, diplomacy, and alliances.
"They're here! Let's see who can claim the top spot and obtain that most valuable battlefield treasure!"
Spectators shivered at the screens, and experts whispered among themselves.
In every Treasure Hunt, the organizers placed one supreme treasure, known as the Battlefield Treasure. Sometimes someone could acquire it; other times it would remain, circulating into the next or even the subsequent tournament.
For instance, the supreme treasure Thought Stone obtained by Mo Fan thirty-two years ago had been the Battlefield Treasure of the previous eight tournaments.
"Let me see… the Huaxia Team's Lu Jun…"
Curiosity ran high among countless netizens, including foreigners. Lu Jun's personal channel had the highest viewership, followed by Ayleen, Asharuiya, Mu Ningxue, and several other beauty-and-strength magic goddesses.
At this moment, within the independent dimension, over a hundred national team members began to clash and started their treasure-hunting journey.
Suddenly, Huaxia spectators exclaimed, "The US Team's Hannah and Ark, Italy's Angelo… what are they trying to do?!"
Across the numerous feeds, foreign participants spread out wildly, frantically searching for Huaxia members. Upon encountering a Huaxia mage, even with treasures nearby, they abandoned the loot and launched coordinated attacks on the Huaxia members.
"Damn it! What are these lunatics after?!"
Guan Yu cursed, activating Wind Track, Earthwave, and Shadow Retreat, alternating his three magic systems as he fled in disarray. Behind him, two members from the French and Italian teams pursued relentlessly.
After a hard struggle, he managed to shake off the two pursuers, thinking his luck had finally turned, only to encounter several German members attempting to negotiate.
Unexpectedly, Germany's core Destruction Mage, Reddy, laughed recklessly. Green flames engulfed him, unleashing a massive Heavenly Flame Funeral, scorching a continuous kilometer of forest.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Guan Yu was caught off guard, suffering heavy losses. As a speed-type assassin, he feared large-area magic outputs the most.
By the time he struggled out of the green inferno, his body was charred black, severely injured.
Yet Reddy remained unmoved, eyes flashing with killing intent. Raising his hands to the sky, Thunder and Lightning struck fiercely. Judging by the trend, he not only intended to force Guan Yu to use his Life-Saving Spatial Scroll, eliminating him, but also to deal a fatal blow and destroy his cultivation.
"We have no grievances, why attack me?!"
Staggering to the ground, Guan Yu showed desperation. His armor magic items and Earth-element defensive magic proved useless against Reddy, whose Soul Fire could penetrate defenses effortlessly.
Reddy sneered, "Blame Lu Jun if you must."
Meanwhile, in the volcanic region, Dongfang Lie was also in crisis. Among the ten Huaxia team members, Nan Rongni and Mu Tingying were removed from play, replaced by Dongfang Lie and Mu Ningxue.
Initially, Dongfang Lie was lucky to land in a volcano, directly obtaining a fire-element treasure — a strong start. However, shortly after leaving the region, he encountered someone, and their clash almost turned disastrous.
Whoooosh! Whoooosh! Whoooosh!
The British noble scion Zhelo stood arrogantly with his hands behind his back. Around him, violent azure winds swept, tornado after tornado extinguishing the Huaxia fire mage's spells. The process was casual, deliberate, and unhurried.
"Damn it!" Dongfang Lie roared. "Spare those who can be spared. When our captain learns of this, we'll repay in kind."
For additional chapters
Versatile mage {40 chapters}
Douluo Dalu:This Soul Master is to Weird {30 Chapters}
Patreon. Com/ALLISWELL123