Chapter 78

The mountain path where Zhang Yunlu stood was extremely steep.

Fighting those people here, even a slight misstep could send you tumbling off a high cliff.

“This spawn point is terrible!” Chi Jiu Yu complained.

Within the secret realm, you can only use Qi Refining ninth-layer cultivation; even the method of controlling objects is unusable—falling means certain death.

“Actually, it’s not that bad.” Xu Xing glanced over, “You can look at other places.”

Immediately, the screen’s image shifted, revealing the valley floor.

Countless monsters crouched on the ground, their blade-like arms stacked together, shimmering with cold light; from above, they looked like countless silver worms writhing.

Monsters on both sides slowly crawled outward along the nearly vertical cliff walls.

The scene sent a chill down Chi Jiu Yu’s spine.

“This place shouldn’t let anyone fall in, right?”

“That depends on their luck.”

Trial participants appear within a certain range centered on Jianfeng, but their positions are completely random—neither Xu Xing nor Huo interfered.

“Tsk tsk!” Chi Jiu Yu looked up again at the floating screen.

If some unlucky bastard landed here, he’d be in for hell! Looking at it this way, Xiao Yunlu’s ‘spawn point’ is actually pretty good.

…

…

Meanwhile, in a hidden corner of Xuanjian City, a secret little inn.

Yang Lin and Han Yun stood by the window, both looking grim.

Ever since Zhang Yunlu’s realm was announced, they had sensed something was off.

What the hell, it’s just a trial—why does it have to turn into a public execution? So conspicuous, clearly targeting them! “Yang Lin, practitioner of Taishang Dao Sect, Nascent Soul peak.”

“Han Yun, practitioner of Taishang Dao Sect, Nascent Soul peak.”

Sure enough, it came.

“You’re Nascent Soul peak?!”

Their voices overlapped almost perfectly, and their gazes grew complex.

That old fox Han Shixiong really knows how to hide—he claimed he was only mid-Nascent Soul, but he’s clearly nearing Soul Transformation. This was what Yang Lin thought.

Yang Shidi is a real master of hiding—he’s already at peak, yet pretended to be early-stage! This was what Han Yun thought.

Damn! Why the hell did I draw the unlucky lot and get assigned to the Ancient Cultivator Response Division?!

The bastards in the sect must’ve cheated!

This was their shared thought.

Soon, beams of light descended—not onto the little inn where they stood, but onto opposite ends of Xuanjian City.

As for the two inside the inn, Han Yun turned into a burning paper doll and burned to ash, just as he had yesterday; Yang Lin dissolved directly into a wisp of clear qi.

These two—again—weren’t their true bodies.

These two again are not their true bodies.

Inside the secret realm.

Beneath a knife-sharp peak, light flickered, and Xiao Fan stepped out.

Beneath a cliff-like mountain peak, light flickered, and Xiao Fan stepped out.

The sound of blades slicing air—sharpness already at his face.

Xiao Fan’s pupils contracted; without hesitation, he rolled sideways.

Then he sprang up swiftly.

He stamped his foot and retreated rapidly.

Only then did he see what had attacked him.

A monster—a creature seemingly born for combat.

Its body was silver-gray, slender, with two sharp horns on its head; its arms resembled blades, marked with eerie purple patterns, and its pair of violet eyes glowed with chilling light, sending shivers down the spine.

Is this the trial’s opponent? Xiao Fan halted his retreat, drew his sword, and charged toward the monster.

Ding! Ding! Ding! In an instant, countless crisp metallic clashes rang out as his blade struck the monster’s blade-arms, spraying bright sparks.

The battle, which he expected to end quickly, turned out unexpectedly. The monster swung its arms like waves, relentless and surging.

Thrust, slash, sweep, parry, entangle—its movements were precise and disciplined.

The relentless barrage of rapid strikes made Xiao Fan feel as if he were dueling a swordsman wielding twin blades.

What the hell—this monster knows sword techniques!

His caution deepened, his swordplay shifted toward defense, while the monster’s assault grew fiercer.

After half a minute, Xiao Fan finally discerned the pattern, seized an opening, and drove his blade straight through its brow.

The monster trembled slightly, then collapsed backward.

Good—it wasn’t too resilient.

Zzzzz~ A sudden change: the purple patterns on the monster’s arms vanished, then shrank rapidly, turning in an instant into a plant with sword-shaped leaves.

This… is Tongxuan Grass? Though he’d dropped out of school, he was still a proper high school student—he wouldn’t fail to recognize this.

The monster’s true form was Tongxuan Grass! Xiao Fan stepped forward to pick it up, but the moment his fingertip touched the leaf, familiar golden text appeared before his eyes.

The monster’s true form was Tongxuan Grass! Xiao Fan stepped forward to pick it up, but as his fingertip touched the leaf, familiar golden characters appeared before his eyes once more.

【Realm: Qi Refining ninth layer (unadjusted)】

Simultaneously, a familiar sense of comfort surged through him.

This… was the same feeling he’d experienced when using the “Mu Ling Yang Wu Jing” to strengthen his spiritual nature—and the amount of spiritual energy gained was nearly dozens of times greater than from that rat! These Tongxuan Grass monsters had spiritual energy.

Does this mean I don’t have to kill them—can I just directly seize their spiritual energy? Master Huo… could he really be from the Cang Clan?

Sssss~ A few tiny pebbles tumbled down.

Huh? He looked up—and his scalp went numb.

Dozens of Tongxuan Grass monsters clung to the cliff wall like lizards, their faint glowing gazes fixed intently on him.

Without hesitation, Xiao Fan turned and ran.

The instant he turned, a piece of information appeared in his mind.

In the instant he turned, a message appeared in his mind.

Between two peaks, in an extremely narrow space.

Lin Qiu Xian held in one hand an arm he’d just torn from a Tongxuan Grass monster—the bone fused to the blade served as a perfect hilt.

In his other hand, he held a Tongxuan Grass missing one leaf.

No choice—he’d been locked in the Si Lu Tang prison before being teleported in, and had no weapons.

He had no choice—he’d been locked in the Office of Discipline’s dungeon before being teleported in, and truly had no weapon.

【Realm: Nascent Soul mid-stage (suppressed to Qi Refining ninth layer)】

“So that’s how it is.” Lin Qiu Xian closed his eyes and sensed.

Since entering this trial space, he’d felt his mind surging with insight, inspiration unceasing.

Many long-standing cultivation problems resolved themselves; every sword strike brought new realizations.

Lin Qiu Xian stepped out from between the two peaks and gazed into the distance—there stood a solitary sword peak, bound by chains.

The trial required all participants to reach the central sword peak.

If they encountered other trialists, both would be dragged into a peculiar space to fight until one died.

The victor would then be restored to full strength.

All external means—powerful magic treasures, talismans, elixirs—would be rendered useless.

Of course, you could choose not to go—but the revived Tongxuan Grass monsters would grow ever more numerous, forcing you toward the central sword peak.

When only one of the five hundred trialists remained, the third trial ended.

As for rewards, none were mentioned.

A cruel rule…

It doesn’t quite match the previous master’s usual style.

He frowned slightly.

Wait—this feels more and more like the secret realm the Void-Return Elder’s task described.

Please collect, please follow! (End of chapter)

Please collect and follow!! (End of chapter)