Because of Arcadia Cup, most yers logged in the game were watching the matches in the za of the four major towns. The probability that those shadows belonged to ordinary yers was pretty low.


    Besides, it''s not like they could afford not to check the oasis, no matter whether those shadows belonged to team Mozu or ordinary yers. This was a race against time. They couldn''t afford to dilly-dally and second guess everything.


    With that, Rowan flew toward the oasis.


    As they got closer, Luo Jin could finally make out the identity of the shadows—at least, one of them.


    "I can see their captain," Luo Jin said, referring to Yuan Long.


    After he said that, he quickly raised one of his gun and pointed it the enemy team''s captain. But before he could pull the trigger, Yuan Long suddenly disappeared. Not exactly disappear, like vanishing into thin air, but disappearing into the surrounding vegetation.


    "I lost him," Luo Jin said, clicking his tongue.


    "That''s fine. We''ll just let this dragon to go on a rampage since he''d been wanting to burn things since earlier," Bai Ze said.


    As soon as he said that, Rowan surged forward with even greater speed. Once they reached the top of the oasis, he unleashed a torrent of fire, scorching everything below.


    ----------


    While the three were busy setting everything aze, the rest of the team finally reached their destination. Thanks to Lhoris'' guidance, they arrived much faster than they would have on their own.


    With Su Yuqi illuminating the path with her magic, they could see their surroundings clearly despite the unnatural darkness. This allowed them to quickly spot the towering trees, far taller than the usual ones in the forest. In the clearing ahead, a gnarled oak tree stood prominently, its twisted branches looming ominously in the pervasive gloom of the Forest of Darkness.


    Luo Yan got off Shen Ji Yun''s back as thetter turned to his humanoid form.


    "Is this the ce you''re looking for?" Lhoris asked.


    "Yes. Thank you, Lhoris," Luo Yan said in a grateful tone.


    "No worries. I''m just d I could help."


    "Everyone, let''s look for the clue," Shen Ji Yun instructed.


    As soon as Shen Ji Yun said that, everyone got to work, except for Lhoris, since this was literally not his responsibility at all. Everyone surrounded the oak tree and started looking for the clue.


    Su Yuqi and Dusk, who could both fly, searched in the branches while Luo Yan, Shen Ji Yun, and Eclipse searched on the ground.


    "Master, I found an opening here!" Eclipse shouted.


    Everyone rushed over to Eclipse when they heard his shout. The opening he pointed out was a small gap between the gnarled roots, barelyrge enough for a child to crawl through. As they observed the hole, they each turned, one by one, to look at a particr person.


    Su Yuqi felt a muscle twitch in her face. Even though no one said a word, she could tell they were all silently asking her to crawl through that hole to look for the clue. Though she was tempted to say that she''d rather cut down the tree instead of doing that, she knew that doing so might risk destroying the clue. If ever it was really inside.


    So, in the end, there was really only one response she could give.


    "Fine, I''ll do it. Just turn around and don''t watch me," she muttered, resignation and annoyance clear in her voice.


    Everyone quickly turned around. With a sigh, Su Yuqi began crawling into the hole. A small ball of light floated in her hand, casting a soft glow that illuminated the inside of the tree trunk. As the light spread, she spotted a piece of an envelope nailed to the wood, bearing the unmistakable sigil of the Arcadia Cup.


    She sighed in relief at the sight. At least crawling into this cramped space hadn''t been in vain.


    Su Yuqi retrieved the envelope and carefully made her way back out.


    "I have it."


    When they heard her speak, they quickly turned around, saw the envelope in her hand, and immediately surrounded her.


    "Please, open it, Sister Yuqi," Luo Yan urged.


    Su Yuqi opened the envelope and took out the paper inside. The clue to their next checkpoint was written there.


    [Descend into the realm where the sun''s warmth fades and twilight reigns eternal. Beneath the shimmering veil of the azure depths, where the stars have fallen and made their home, lies a city forgotten by time. And seek the towering sentinel that stands amidst the ruins.]


    As soon as they finished reading, a notification shed before them:


    [Team Yunyue has found the clue for the second checkpoint!]


    Before any of them could react, a second notification appeared.


    [Team Mozu has found the clue for the second checkpoint!]


    ----------


    Bai Ze blinked in surprise as he read the second notification. He hadn''t even had a chance to feel happy about their team finding the clue for the second checkpoint, and now he''s being told that team Mozu had found theirs too? So, what exactly had they been burning just now?


    "We''ve been had."


    He turned to his cousin. "What do you mean?"


    "The shadows we saw earlier were clearly decoys. Team Mozu set them up to distract us, so we''d waste time here while they had free rein to search for their clue," Luo Jin exined, frustration evident on his face. He wasn''t sure if it was a skill or an item they used, but he was sure they did something along those lines. "What I can''t figure out is how they knew we''d pass through here."


    Bai Ze felt as if he''d been struck by lightning when he heard that. But he had to admit, Luo Jin had a point. In fact, that''s likely exactly what happened. If so, then Team Mozu had truly outyed them.


    "Since there''s been no notification revealing Team Mozu''s clue, it looks like we won''t be getting any more hints about the clues that they''ve got," Luo Jin added. "So, how are we supposed to follow them now?"


    Yes. How exactly?