Three bewildered gazes simultaneously shot towards Zhou Huai.

Ye Xi blinked, her small face filled with confusion.

Yuan Kai's massive metal helmet tilted slightly, seemingly also expressing doubt.

Shen Fuhai even stopped his upside-down posture, jumped down from the tree, and looked at him, panting.

“Student Gandalf, you... you weren’t just...”

He wanted to say “daydreaming,” but felt it would be impolite, so he swallowed the words.

Since earlier, this mysterious Mage had been standing still.

He looked as if he had given up thinking and was ready to slack off.

But because the other party was a formidable person who could burn down a forest with a wave of his hand, none of the three dared to say much.

As a result, this daydreaming contestant suddenly announced that he had found the key to breaking the formation.

How could this not shock people?

Zhou Huai met their gazes, his expression calm.

“The formation’s core is not in the trees, nor in the grass.”

He pointed to the ground beneath his feet.

“It’s in the stones.”

“Search carefully; the stones with red triangular symbols on them are the formation’s core.”

At these words, the three were even more bewildered.

Not only did he know the core was a stone, but he even knew the pattern on the stone clearly?

Could this guy have opened his Heavenly Eye?

But with his terrifying strength displayed, no one dared to question him.

The three exchanged glances and immediately took action.

They no longer focused on the surrounding trees but lowered their heads and began to search the ground carefully.

A moment later.

“Oh?”

Ye Xi let out a soft cry.

She picked up a small stone from the root of a clump of ferns.

“Look, is it this one?”

Yuan Kai and Shen Fuhai immediately gathered around.

Zhou Huai also cast his gaze.

The stone was only the size of a pigeon’s egg, greyish-white all over, and unremarkable.

If not for a deliberate search, it would be easily overlooked.

And on the surface of the stone, a simple red triangle drawn with red pigment was clearly visible.

“It really is!” Shen Fuhai’s breathing quickened a bit.

From Yuan Kai’s metal helmet came a muffled exclamation of awe.

“My heavens, he found this too?”

Ye Xi held the stone, looked at Zhou Huai, her clear eyes full of curiosity and inquiry.

“What should we do next?”

Shen Fuhai was one step ahead in answering.

“According to conventional methods of breaking formations, as long as you crush it, the confinement formation should disappear.”

Ye Xi nodded at his words.

She placed the small stone in her fair palm, and her slender fingers slowly closed.

“Crack.”

A soft sound.

The stone shattered in response, turning into a handful of fine powder that slipped through her fingers.

The moment the powder hit the ground.

The surrounding air suddenly rippled violently like water.

The jungle before their eyes began to twist and blur, as if seen through frosted glass.

Countless phantom trees overlapped and then rapidly dissipated.

A fresh breeze blew, dispelling the last of the illusions.

The world before them suddenly opened up.

The originally dense jungle became much sparser.

In the distance, the outline of a towering mountain peak could even be vaguely seen.

The confinement formation was broken.

The three looked at Gandalf with completely changed eyes.

It was a complex gaze mixed with awe, curiosity, and even a hint of fear.

How did this man know all this?

He even described the pattern perfectly.

It felt as if someone had handed him the standard answer beforehand.

Of course, everyone present was intelligent.

No one would be foolish enough to voice their doubts. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Ye Xi walked up to Gandalf, tilted her small face, and spoke with a hint of caution in her tone.

“Big shot, next... where do we go?”

Shen Fuhai and Yuan Kai also stood silently to the side, waiting for Gandalf to speak.

Imperceptibly, this mysterious Mage had become the absolute core of this team.

Zhou Huai thought for a moment.

“Stay put for now.”

“I need to think a bit more.”

After he finished speaking, the three saw that this big shot once again closed his eyes, entering that mysterious, profound state of daydreaming.

...

Inside the bedroom.

Zhou Huai suddenly opened his eyes.

His consciousness returned to his main body.

On the TV screen before him, host Wei Zheng’s voice was still loud.

“Got it!”

He suddenly raised his voice, a look of surprise on his face.

“Ladies and gentlemen! We’ve just received news that a team has successfully broken through the outer confinement formation!”

Female host Lin Xi immediately cooperated by /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ asking, “Oh? Which team is so impressive? Let’s quickly take a look!”

As she spoke, the island map on the screen rapidly changed.

The camera quickly zoomed in from a green light spot in the lower-left corner of the map.

Finally, it switched to an overhead view above Gandalf’s four-person team.

Wei Zheng looked at the screen, a smile of approval on his face.

“It’s the team from Dongning Province! I never expected them to be the first to Breakthrough the confinement formation, successfully giving Dongning Province the lead!”

Lin Xi also smiled and echoed, “It seems the candidates from Dongning Province this year are not to be underestimated.”

“Oh?”

She suddenly let out a questioning sound.

“Brother Wei, look, why are they standing still?”

“Shouldn’t they be seizing the time now to create a score gap with other teams?”

Wei Zheng pondered for a moment and offered his guess.

“Perhaps breaking the formation just now consumed too much energy, and they need a short rest.”

“After all, sharpening the axe doesn’t delay the chopping of wood.”

Seeing this, Zhou Huai had firmly memorized his team’s approximate location on the island.

He closed his eyes, and his consciousness once again sank into Gandalf’s body.

...

In the jungle.

Ye Xi and the other two indeed did not move haphazardly, but faithfully stood guard around him, vigilant of their surroundings.

Zhou Huai slowly opened his eyes.

“Follow me.”

He uttered three words, without further explanation, and walked directly in one direction.

Ye Xi and the other two followed immediately without any hesitation.

After the incredible scene just now, they had completely accepted reality.

What they needed to do now was to cling tightly to this big shot’s leg.

Meanwhile, in the live broadcast room.

Female host Lin Xi discovered a new problem.

“Brother Wei, I noticed that the Dongning Province team seems to only have four people.”

“Where is their fifth team member?”

“Could it be... that he got lost right at the start?”

Wei Zheng heard this, also looked closely at the screen, then shook his head.

“That’s not necessarily the case.”

“It could also be a special tactic of their small team.”

“In previous National Examinations, similar strategies have appeared. Actively sending out one team member to act alone to avoid being wiped out by other teams, thereby preserving points.”

“Sometimes, this tactic can indeed produce unexpected results.”

As the two were analyzing.

Wei Zheng suddenly “hmmph’d,” his brows slightly furrowed.

“Something’s not right.”

“The direction the Dongning Province team is moving... they are not heading towards the depths of the island.”

“You know, the closer to the center, the higher the Rank and density of exotic beasts, which is the best place to accumulate points.”

He stared intently at the map on the screen.

“Wait! Their direction... it looks like they are about to encounter another provincial team!”

“Although the other party has not yet escaped the confinement formation, as long as the Dongning Province team steps into their range, the two sides will meet!”

“Ladies and gentlemen! Are we about to witness the first team confrontation of this National Examination?!”

Lin Xi’s face also showed a nervous expression.

“But Dongning Province only has four people, and the other side is a full five-person team. If they fight, they might suffer a great loss!”

Before she finished speaking.

The live broadcast camera had already switched to the encounter scene.

In the picture, the Dongning Province team led by Gandalf, and another team wearing unified yellow uniforms, crashed into each other head-on.

That team was the Jinchuan Province representative team from the west.

The five people from Jinchuan Province were first stunned when they saw Gandalf’s four-person team.

They hadn’t figured out why someone could walk into their confinement formation from the outside.

But then, they reacted.

No matter how he got in, points delivered to their doorstep should not be refused!

“Prepare for battle!”

The captain of Jinchuan Province roared, and the five instantly spread out, various skill lights beginning to condense in their hands.

However, in the next second.

The ferocity on their faces froze.

The man leading them, wearing a magnificent star moon magic robe, merely casually raised the staff in his hand.

“Thud! Thud! Thud!”

The five people from Jinchuan Province felt an irresistible terrifying force descend from the sky, pressing them down until their legs gave way, and they all knelt on the ground.

Immediately after, the ground beneath their feet became like a swamp, swallowing their bodies inch by inch.

No matter how they struggled, it was futile.

Fear instantly gripped their hearts.

They looked up and saw a scene that would be unforgettable for the rest of their lives.

Five giant meteorites, burning with eerie green flames, tore through the sky.

And whistled down.

Boom—!

Five beams of white light shot up into the sky.

The Jinchuan Province representative team was annihilated.