Chapter 87: Trapped at the Spawn Point!

A senior cultivator nearby was furious, "This is truly preposterous! If not for the accident thirty years ago that caused our Nanzhou Xuanbing Sect to lose many core elites, we wouldn't be mocked and ridiculed by the people of Central Province every time the Jin Tai Dao Discussion is held."

"Thirty years ago? What major event happened in Nanzhou?" A few young cultivators hurriedly surrounded him, asking incessantly.

The senior cultivator's face filled with indignation as he briefly recounted the past events, cursing the Demon Cultivators to the high heavens, and the other cultivators chimed in one after another.

Ruan Xing lowered her eyes; according to the progress of a normal cultivator, a cultivator who reached Foundation Establishment thirty years ago would, with some effort, just be at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage by now.

But what the sect lacked was not just this batch of dead Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivators, but also the fact that not a single genius had entered the sect in these thirty years.

For example, Fu Qinghong, who ate with her yesterday—although he didn't know the situation of other Inner Sect Disciples, he knew about himself and his Senior Sister. He was picked up by his master and brought up the mountain at age three; at that time, his Senior Sister was thirteen and had just begun Spirit Refining. He began Spirit Refining at twelve, and now at seventeen, he is already at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage, and his Senior Sister is also at the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

Such extraordinary Personal Disciples had not been seen in Nanzhou for thirty years.

Ruan Xing looked at the two Elders in mid-air; so, even with the talent she and Xie Huai displayed, the Elders remained indifferent. Did they truly think the two of them harbored ulterior motives, or did they have selfish intentions of their own?

But that was fine; she didn't need a master anyway. Possessing the Simulator, as long as she had Spirit Stones, her cultivation speed was as fast as riding a rocket—too unreasonable. Having a master would instead be a hindrance.

After watching for a while longer, it was finally Ruan Xing's turn to enter the arena.

The cultivator opposite her looked inexplicably nervous and cautious when he saw the expression on her face. Ruan Xing took a closer look and saw that the cultivator was wearing shoes brushed with tung oil, and she couldn't help but be amused.

Was there any need to act as if facing a great enemy? She was very weak.

Ruan Xing casually formed a seal, "Five Directions Movement, Water."

A water dragon gushed out. The opposing cultivator hurriedly activated a Dharma Artifact to summon a gust of wind to blow the water away. Mist filled the space around them, and their clothes were soaked by the vapor. The cultivator dared not be careless; he extended his Divine Sense to confirm Ruan Xing's position, intending to launch an attack.

At this moment, another water dragon appeared in mid-air. The cultivator looked up, and just as he was about to dodge, a sword tip pressed against his waist. He froze for a moment, and the water dragon in mid-air lost its momentum and landed on his head.

"You were too focused on that small Magic Art. Let's stop here; I won't hurt you," Ruan Xing said with a smile, though she thought to herself that if he continued to resist, she would activate the Sword Tassel and pierce his kidney.

The Five Directions Movement was merely a cheap and effective Lesser Five Elements Art from the Treasure Pavilion; it might have some lethality against the Qi Refining stage, but it was insufficient for the Foundation Establishment stage.

The cultivator slumped, "I have lost."

Actually, he didn't need to worry so much. With his Foundation Establishment Early-stage cultivation and no special trump cards, Ruan Xing certainly wouldn't waste a Thunder Fire Talisman on him. It was just that compared to the injuries of other cultivators, being burned to charcoal was indeed too miserable, so he couldn't help but be afraid.

Waiting for her name to jump to the second-to-last line on the water screen, Ruan Xing jumped off the platform.

Having won this first match, she already had one foot in the top thirty, because the other thirty people who lost still needed to go through a losers' bracket competition to decide the ten people who would participate in tomorrow's second round.

This was also the reason Ruan Xing didn't hurt him; how heartless it would be to let someone participate in the afternoon's competition while injured.

She was truly too kind.

And for tomorrow's competition, Ruan Xing only needed to win one match and lose one to steadily enter the top thirty. If she won two matches, she would need to fight a third and fourth to decide the top three.

She knew she didn't have the confidence to fight her way through to get the first-place Breakthrough Pill, and there would be a fierce battle to fight after entering the Secret Realm, so it was best not to consume too much energy in the competition.

Ruan Xing pondered; today's competition hadn't arranged any high intensity for her, so presumably, Xu Sixi wouldn't need to arrange it for her tomorrow either. She should be able to pass the line steadily. Returning tonight, she could prepare for a Simulation.

She had just sold a Foundation Establishment Pill, so her funds were sufficient; it was the perfect time for a Simulation. If she could make a fortune in the Secret Realm through the Simulation, she could just concede both matches tomorrow and not get involved with Xie Huai.

She thought happily, having no heart to watch the remaining matches, and hurried back to her residence to prepare for the Simulation.

【Simulation in progress】

Seven years old, you participated in the sect's Jin Tai Dao Discussion and successfully reached the top thirty, obtaining the qualification to enter the Golden Terrace Secret Realm.

After entering the Secret Realm, you immediately rode your Flying Sword and dashed toward the west. Two days later, you found a Cave Heart Spirit Grass in a valley, but the spirit grass was guarded by a Monster Beast. You fought the Monster Beast for half a day and narrowly won after being severely injured, forcing you to heal on the spot.

On the third day, Xu Xi and his junior brothers found you, and you died.

【Simulation ended】

Ruan Xing looked at the first line with some surprise. She was seven? When? She didn't know the original owner's birthday. When she was in the mortal world, no one mentioned it; she guessed it was because commoner families didn't have so many customs, and she was a girl Ruan Fu didn't value, so she didn't have a birthday.

But... yesterday was the New Year, so the Simulator measured age based on the date of the New Year each year?

Another piece of useless trivia added.

She shook her head and continued reading the remaining few lines, then chose a random item and obtained a Healing Pill.

That seemed okay... a bottle of Healing Pills could sell for fifteen Spirit Stones. A bottle had six pills, so one pill was worth about 2.5 Spirit Stones.

She recovered a quarter of her capital. It was a pity she didn't randomize the Cave Heart Spirit Grass; she was quite curious about what that thing looked like. Back in the Hanshan Secret Realm, Wang Zhi had used that thing to trick her.

Putting the Healing Pill into a porcelain bottle, Ruan Xing began to think about how to survive this ordeal with Xu Sixi.

Could the Monster Beast guarding the Cave Heart Spirit Grass be utilized?

Ruan Xing began a Simulation attempt. A moment later, a bloody little finger appeared in her hand. Ruan Xing felt a bit of disgust and wanted to destroy the thing, but she suddenly paused.

That Foundation Establishment stage Monster Beast's strength was slightly lower than hers, so dealing with Xu Sixi was naturally like dealing with paper; he fell into a disadvantage after a few moves. She hid on the side and took the opportunity to launch a sneak attack, which was how she injured Xu Sixi and sliced off his little finger, which the Simulator rewarded her as a random item.

She had Xu Sixi's flesh and blood; although she didn't know his birth date, was it possible to use the Curse Technique from the "Nether Ghost Record"?

The book didn't say that those with profound cultivation could be immune to this technique; it only said that the curse effect was determined by the cultivation of the caster and the target.

Although Xu Sixi's cultivation was higher than hers, as long as she could affect him and weaken his strength, it wouldn't be a waste of effort.

This was a Heaven-grade technique; should she try it? Ruan Xing opened the text simulation.

【Simulation in progress】

Seven years old, you participated in the sect's Jin Tai Dao Discussion and successfully reached the top thirty, obtaining the qualification to enter the Golden Terrace Secret Realm.

After entering the Secret Realm, you used the Curse Technique to curse Xu Xi, then immediately rode your Flying Sword and dashed toward the west. Two days later, you found a Cave Heart Spirit Grass in a valley, but the spirit grass was guarded by a Monster Beast. You hid on the side and waited patiently.

On the third day, Xu Xi and his junior brothers tracked you to this location and began fighting the Monster Beast. Xu Xi looked like he wasn't in a good state; he didn't participate in the battle. You found an opportunity, suddenly launched a sneak attack on Xu Xi, and sliced off half of Xu Xi's palm with your sword before he activated a Dharma Artifact to block. The others had already killed the Monster Beast and came to help, and you died.

【Simulation ended】 This time, Ruan Xing chose memory.

After carefully observing the memory, Ruan Xing concluded that the Curse Technique was indeed useful. Xu Sixi's state had declined significantly, and his dodging speed had slowed down, which allowed Ruan Xing to go from slicing off a finger to half a palm.

It was a pity that the Monster Beast wasn't very capable; it died after holding on for only a few seconds.

She needed to find a different Monster Beast. A Foundation Establishment Late Stage Monster Beast would probably barely suffice; if there was a Golden Core Stage Monster Beast, that would be even better.

However, the Golden Terrace Secret Realm only allowed Foundation Establishment cultivators to enter. Could there be a Golden Core Stage Monster Beast inside? Ruan Xing didn't know, but she could only try. This time, she didn't stop at the Cave Heart Spirit Grass but continued to move toward the west.

Foundation Establishment cultivators didn't need to eat, drink, or sleep; when tired, they just popped a Spirit Returning Pill. She almost didn't stop for a single moment. For seven full days, Ruan Xing didn't encounter a suitable Foundation Establishment Late Stage or Golden Core Stage Monster Beast, nor was she caught up to by Xu Sixi.

But, she couldn't just keep running for her life like this, right? Why enter the Secret Realm then? To waste points?

While continuing forward, Ruan Xing began to collect material items worth more than ten Spirit Stones.

During this time, she even encountered Spirit Wood containing Spirit Qi, chopped down two pieces, and stuffed them into her Storage Bag. If it weren't for the lack of space in the Storage Bag, Ruan Xing would have wanted to pack up all the trees in the entire forest.

Although this Spirit Wood is not particularly high in value, it is abundant; once split, the material from a single tree can produce hundreds of wooden talismans, and talismans made from the wood heart have even better effects, while the trimmed edges and corners can be used to make wooden boxes for storing Spirit Herbs, which is also quite profitable.

On the eighth day, Ruan Xing was flying in the sky when her Spiritual Power suddenly went out of control, and both she and her Flying Sword fell down unexpectedly.

Fortunately, she was tough-skinned after reaching Foundation Establishment, so falling from a height of several dozen meters resulted in nothing more than superficial wounds.

She hurriedly and vigilantly looked around; had she just been attacked by some person or Monster Beast? Why did her Spiritual Power go out of control? She clenched her palm, feeling her Spiritual Power flowing through her Meridians, and there was actually a sense of disconnection, as if between two worlds.

It was not an attack by someone, but rather... the space was unstable.

This was very similar to the Space-Time Turbulence she encountered when the Hanshan Secret Realm collapsed previously.

You damn Xie Huai, do you really collapse everywhere you go? The surrounding scenery appeared distorted in her eyes; some images looked like 3D transitioning into 2D textures, yet when she touched them, they had a real tactile sensation. She blinked, taking a long time to adapt.

This was different from a hallucination; it was... a bug in the Secret Realm Space code.

She didn't know how Xie Huai managed to do it.

But this was not the problem she needed to investigate right now; she took out her Sect Jade Token and tentatively tried to exit the Secret Realm, only to find that the token had no reaction.

She sighed and tossed the token aside.

After being hunted down several times, she already knew that Xu Sixi found her every time because of the Sect Jade Token on her, but she still had to rely on the token to leave the Secret Realm and could not lose it.

Even if she could hide the token somewhere, when Xu Sixi chased her down and took it, it wouldn't be able to do anything to her; although she couldn't leave the Secret Realm, it didn't matter, because this was a Simulation.

It was just that her goal was not merely to gain some benefits in the Secret Realm.

She circled around with the opponent; since Xu Sixi wanted to kill her, she would just simulate a few more times to find a way to make the person who died be Xu Sixi.

Ruan Xing carefully mounted her Flying Sword, and after confirming that her Spiritual Power was temporarily fine, she continued to fly west.

This Secret Realm appeared boundless; if it were in reality, one could traverse the entire Nanzhou in half a month.

Before long, Ruan Xing's token lit up again, displaying a message from the team leader.

For this trip to the Golden Terrace Secret Realm, the nominal team leader was a Cultivator from Central Province, Fu Qinghong's senior sister Fu Yu; both of them followed their master's surname.

Although the Nanzhou Cultivators were the hosts, there were more people from Central Province after all, and there was no Cultivator in Nanzhou with enough strength and prestige to convince the crowd, so they could only lose the title of team leader.

The team leader's token could contact Sect disciples without adding them as friends; Fu Yu sent a mass message stating that Space-Time Turbulence had suddenly appeared in the Secret Realm, affecting the stability of the Teleportation Array, and that the Sect elders outside had now temporarily maintained the Teleportation Array, telling all Cultivators to hurry out during this time.

Although Ruan Xing felt something was wrong, remaining in the Secret Realm was useless; she hadn't encountered any new turning points in the west for eight days, so it was better to go out and see the situation, then try a different direction in the next Simulation.

This time, using the token to exit the Secret Realm was successful.

It was just that the environment outside was somewhat unfamiliar.

Strange, didn't they enter the Golden Terrace Secret Realm through the Teleportation Array at the back of the Sect?

The disciples who came out were all bewildered, looking around; just as they were confused, a disciple said in horror, "Senior Brother!"

Ruan Xing looked in the direction of the sound; that disciple was holding a corpse on the ground in great grief, the bloodstains on the corpse were very fresh, and its eyes were wide open in terror, as if it had died no more than a quarter of an hour ago.

"Everyone is here."

A hoarse voice suddenly entered everyone's ears; an old man wearing a grey robe stood there as if he had no presence at all. Before he spoke, no one had noticed there was an outsider here who wasn't wearing Sect robes! Ruan Xing looked at the other party in surprise.

This grey-robed old man seems to be a Demon Cultivator...

The old man laughed "ga-ga" twice, waved his hand lightly, and magic power surged, black mist swirling and erupting from his palm; Ruan Xing didn't even have time to run before she lost consciousness.

Simulation ended.

Ruan Xing chose to keep the memory and hurriedly flipped to the end to check.

The old man was indeed a Demon Cultivator.

Ruan Xing could not see through his cultivation, but it was at least above Golden Core.

Damn, such a powerful Demon Cultivator, actually camping the spawn point! No class at all.

Ruan Xing cursed the other party a few times, continued to flip through the memory, and discovered a strange thing.

The old man said, "Everyone is here."

But among those Cultivators who came out, she identified them frame by frame through her memory and did not see Fu Qinghong, Fu Yu, or Xie Huai.

Why did they end up in a different place as soon as they left the Secret Realm? Was the message Fu Yu sent really sent by her? If so, didn't she also betray the Sect? Thanks to Yi Tang Wei Ming_ for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to book friend 20200614164131662 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Lin Qing You Zi Cha for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Lin Qing You Zi Cha for the tip~(End of chapter)