"But whether you can handle it depends on yourselves. And there's one thing I must tell you: from now on, we are all one family. And the most taboo thing among family members is to stab each other in the back."
"So, no matter what you obtain after entering the central area, I hope you will utilize it well, share it, and resolve your issues peacefully, rather than ambushing each other to hoard treasures."
Ye Ningze emphasized this crucial point. After all, to become a collective, the first prerequisite is to not hold grudges against each other. If even this cannot be achieved, how can they establish a foothold in the Sun Base?
One must know that the Sun Base is fraught with danger. Any carelessness or oversight could bring about fatal consequences for oneself, others, and one's teammates.
At the same time, Ye Ningze did not wish to see any short-sighted individuals within his team.
After all, Ye Ningze had already driven away the oppression of the Feng and Wu families, two major clans.
From then on, the treasures within the secret realm were theirs to obtain according to their own fortune.
If, even then, they still needed to snatch treasures from their teammates, Ye Ningze felt that such individuals were not worthy of being in his team.
No matter how high their strength, they would merely be a facade.
One must understand that in a team, the true measure of strength is not individual cultivation, but whether the entire team can work together in unity to overcome difficulties.
If even this cannot be achieved, Ye Ningze would absolutely not allow such individuals to join his team. Such people would only become the black sheep.
After Ye Ningze finished speaking, everyone present was deep in thought, and some began to respond to Ye Ningze's words.
"I don't care about others, but if someone like that crosses my path, Zhao Er Lengzi, don't blame me for not holding back."
After saying this, the fellow deliberately brandished his large saber, indicating that he would not tolerate such individuals and would not give them a chance to explain.
He would simply lop off their heads with a single strike, thereby demonstrating his loyalty to the entire faction and association.
Ye Ningze did not yet have many people; there were only fifty to sixty present, but they were a mixed bag, with all sorts of individuals.
Therefore, Ye Ningze planned to recruit more people and then select the best from the bunch for team optimization.
Ye Ningze could retain those with insufficient strength but unwavering loyalty to the organization.
However, those with great strength but disloyal to the organization would absolutely not be kept. Thus, although the fellow who spoke earlier might have been somewhat crude in his words and his strength was far from impressive,
if he truly acted as he said, Ye Ningze would definitely make him the envy of everyone.
Ye Ningze looked at Zhao Er Lengzi before him and nodded, saying:
"Everyone must understand a principle: only by uniting and cooperating can we survive here. Any behavior that might fracture the organization will lead to us reaping what we sow."
Everyone present nodded in unison. Their next task was to wait for the central part of the secret realm to open.
To be honest, they were quite curious about the central part of the secret realm.
After all, they had already gained such immense benefits from the outside, so what kind of benefits could they obtain within the secret realm? Even they themselves were filled with hope.
After all, everyone wished to become stronger and everyone wished for continuous good fortune.
Yet, behind this good fortune lay immense danger and a steep price, much like the darkness before them.
The central part of the secret realm finally opened, but what greeted them were thick masses of black fog.
Within this pitch-black fog, the challenges they faced were far greater than they had imagined.
They walked step by step through the black fog, shoulder to shoulder, back to back. All they could do now was stick together.
Only in this way could they ward off their inner fear and the monsters that were about to attack them in the darkness.
Because their vision was extremely limited in the black fog, they could only move forward slowly with their backs against each other, forming a precise formation.
Hoping to bolster each other's confidence and fend off the monsters, Liu Qichao, feeling some apprehension, said to Ye Ningze:
"Sir, if this continues, I fear their spirits will not be able to withstand the pressure and will break down."
Ye Ningze actually understood what Liu Qichao meant.
When humans are in darkness for an extended period, their greatest enemy to contend with is themselves.
Because in the darkness, everything about humans becomes extremely unstable. Therefore, if someone were to attack them at this time,
they would inevitably fall into utter chaos, leading to a chain reaction that could plunge them into a completely passive situation.
Thus, Liu Qichao believed that the strongest, most potent, and most terrifying enemy in the darkness stemmed from one's own fear.
Therefore, he hoped that Ye Ningze would step forward to boost morale and reassure everyone, so they would not feel afraid in the darkness.
So Ye Ningze spoke to everyone around him:
"Do not be afraid, do not panic. What we seek is just ahead, only a step away."
Ye Ningze knew that the best stimulant was the desire for success, especially when success was only a step away.
These individuals would then surge forward, taking everything into their own hands. And at this moment, they could truly be considered warriors.
Of course, this alone was likely not enough. Ye Ningze urged them to quicken their pace.
But just then, the accident finally happened. A piercing scream suddenly erupted from behind Ye Ningze.
Everyone's hearts lurched. They naturally could not turn back to look, nor could they offer any support to the victim.
One must know that in such darkness, if they ran around, bad things would happen immediately.
Therefore, unable to provide support, they could not ascertain what had happened behind them.
Everyone held their breath, quietly awaiting what would happen next.
But what they received were successive screams and their own increasingly uneasy hearts.
Ye Ningze knew that this could not continue, as he could clearly feel the morale of these people beginning to crumble.