As Li Zhi and Li Ge finished discussing their plan, a series of thunderous sounds soon echoed from not too far away, inspiring awe.
With the onset of these sounds, a string of golden lights immediately appeared above everyone's heads. The previously noisy crowd began to quieten.
Then, a colossal golden dragon, pulling an extremely luxurious carriage, appeared before everyone.
The carriage behind the dragon was immense, resembling a three-story building. Its body was carved with countless intricate and complex patterns. At this moment, these patterns shimmered with a radiant glow, flashing incessantly.
It was evident that this was no ordinary object, but had reached the legendary immortal-grade level.
Upon witnessing these things, Su Xi's understanding of the Great Xuan Empire's strength deepened, and much became clear to her.
After all, such things were not casually produced by anyone.
Furthermore, even if they were produced, they could not be used as mere carriages.
As the giant dragon stopped, a man in resplendent attire descended from the carriage.
His hair was streaked with white, and his entire face exuded an aura of old age, yet every movement he made carried the pressure of a sovereign.
With just a glance, Su Xi felt an urge to kneel in submission. If not for the timely provision of a solution by her supercomputer, she would have already fallen to her knees.
However, the others beside Su Xi lacked such a capability and all knelt on the ground.
Sensing the old man's immense power before her, Su Xi understood his identity.
This person was the Emperor of the Great Xuan Empire, Li Qiouze.
Although Su Xi could resist Li Qiouze's imposing aura, she could not act ostentatiously and thus also knelt on the ground to pay her respects.
Disrespecting the Emperor could lead to beheading.
Even with her abilities, she knew she absolutely could not be presumptuous in this situation.
Li Qiouze ascended a pre-erected high platform, slowly raised his hand, and said in a calm tone, "Everyone, please rise!"
Upon hearing Li Qiouze's voice, everyone felt the pressure on them vanish and rose from the ground.
After standing up, Su Xi's gaze fell upon another person.
That person, clad in a black robe, stood not far from Li Qiouze. They appeared to have no presence, yet Su Xi knew very well that anyone standing so close to Li Qiouze must have an extraordinary identity.
After all, even princes like Li Zhi could only stand below the platform, not even qualifying to ascend it. This person's ability to stand beside Li Qiouze indicated an unfathomably noble status.
Although the person's face showed little emotion, an aura of nobility and grandeur was evident.
Such an aura, emanating from mere gestures, could not be cultivated overnight. The only explanation was that this person's status was also extremely high, and very likely the legendary and most mysterious Imperial Advisor of the Great Xuan Empire.
Li Qiouze spoke from the high platform, outlining the rules for entering the secret realm and offering some words of encouragement, before officially announcing the commencement of the competition.
Wei Anzhi, who had been standing behind Li Qiouze, nodded after he finished speaking. He clasped his hands together and cast a spell towards the sky.
As this spell was cast, a rift appeared directly above the high platform, emitting waves of light. Fluctuations continuously emanated from within the rift.
Simultaneously, a powerful attraction emerged from the ripples, causing many people to lose their footing under the immense pressure.
"Everyone enter. Seven days from now, regardless of the outcome, this secret realm will close. If anyone fails to emerge, they will remain within forever."
After speaking, Su Xi suddenly felt a dark green token appear in her hand.
This token was plain and unremarkable, without the slightest fluctuation. It seemed like something casually placed in a two-yuan shop.
However, seeing that everyone had one, and that their colors differed, Su Xi knew this was no common item. It was likely the pass to enter the secret realm, and also a tool to help tally their gains within.
Seeing that everyone was ready, Li Zhi hurriedly led his entourage towards the high platform.
The sooner they entered, the sooner they might gain something.
As Su Xi had just observed Li Qiouze finish speaking, she noticed a visible exhaustion in his eyes.
Clearly, his condition was more severe than rumored. "Burning the candle at both ends" might have been an apt description.
The situation was far more serious than rumored.
While Su Xi was observing Li Qiouze, she was suddenly noticed by the Imperial Advisor behind him.
Just as Su Xi expected to be accused of insolence, she suddenly saw the Imperial Advisor smiling at her.
That smile did not reach his eyes, and the way he smiled sent shivers down Su Xi's spine, making her instinctively shudder. To avoid any further complications, she hastened her steps.
She feared that a single misstep might draw unwanted attention, leading to unforeseen trouble.
Watching Su Xi's reaction, the Imperial Advisor's smile widened slightly.
"Imperial Advisor, what troubles you?" Li Qiouze looked at the Imperial Advisor with confusion.
"I merely saw an interesting little friend," the Imperial Advisor replied simply, without elaborating further.
Li Qiouze smiled and did not press for details.
In his current state, he should learn to let go. Other minor matters were of no concern to him.
"Do you think my son can achieve the top spot?" Li Qiouze suddenly asked, turning to the Imperial Advisor.
Upon hearing Li Qiouze's inquiry, the Imperial Advisor smiled and responded, "Each of Your Majesty's sons is a dragon among men. Whoever achieves first place would be normal. I will wholeheartedly assist them in their great endeavor."
Li Qiouze smiled at the Imperial Advisor's impeccable response and did not pursue the matter further.
Having lived for millennia, he naturally understood the Imperial Advisor's thoughts and knew the nature of his sons. Though they possessed some abilities, none were exceptionally formidable.
A life of luxury and comfort since childhood had likely corrupted their souls, leaving them without goals to strive for.
Moreover, the Great Xuan Empire was not without its enemies; other powers were lurking nearby, ready to devour them at any moment.
The demise of a nation was one thing, but it would lead to the human race enduring suffering worse than death.
Witnessing the scene before him, Li Qiouze could only sigh in resignation.
In any case, he would surely be dead by then. The remaining matters would no longer concern him.
Upon entering the secret realm, Su Xi discovered that everyone around her, except those with her, had vanished.
Li Zhi smiled at this sight. "Now that only we are here, let's get to work quickly. The sooner we hunt more demonic beasts, the better our results will be."
The competition was based on the level and quantity of demonic beasts hunted, but higher-level beasts were significantly more difficult to slay.
Therefore, for safety's sake, accumulating quantity was of paramount importance.
Li Zhi had failed to react promptly last year, solely pursuing high-level demonic beasts, resulting in less than ideal performance.
This year, he had resolved to win by quantity.
Only by increasing their points early could they have a chance to achieve good results.
Naturally, everyone had no objections to Li Zhi's arrangements and immediately began their actions.
Slaying these low-level demonic beasts was effortless for them.
After a period of hunting, all the low-level demonic beasts in the vicinity were converted into points, which were integrated into Li Zhi's jade pendant.
However, as Su Xi watched the meager points on Li Zhi's jade pendant increase little by little, a vein appeared on her forehead. These efforts, even if they worked themselves to death, might not yield significant results.
Because, for the sake of fairness, everyone's progress could be seen by others via their jade pendants. Su Xi observed that despite the large number of prey they had hunted, their current score was not ideal.
Everyone's mana was finite; if it were depleted so readily, achieving good results would be extremely difficult.
Therefore, Su Xi looked at Li Zhi and said, "Your Highness, there is something I wish to discuss with you."
"What is it?" Li Zhi looked at Su Xi, awaiting her explanation.
Due to Su Xi's capabilities, he no longer dismissed her and instead harbored some expectation.
If Su Xi could provide him with something useful, their results might improve significantly. He had also realized his current performance was not ideal and was looking for a good solution.
Su Xi glanced around and said, "Our current approach is too haphazard; we need to be more targeted."
"Targeted?" Li Zhi stroked his nose, intrigued. "How can we achieve that?"
He had also considered many options but had not found a good method.
Su Xi smiled and said, "Our own results are not good, but there are others whose abilities are quite decent. Therefore, as long as we find them, we can..."
She did not finish her sentence, but the situation was already quite clear.
After all, these actions were permissible within the rules.
Time was short and could not be wasted.
Only by implementing Su Xi's plan early could they achieve good results sooner.
Otherwise, once the weaker contenders were eliminated, it would be even more difficult for them to advance.
They had hunted for a day and a night, yet their score was still at the bottom among the ten princes. Therefore, rather than wasting more time, it would be better to find someone to act upon.
Upon hearing Su Xi's words, Li Zhi showed hesitation.
It was not that he was reluctant to act against his brothers, but rather he felt that acting too early would lead to less than ideal final results.
After all, having participated in this competition, certain rules were known to everyone.