Chapter 41: White Steed Through the Gap

The next morning, the several squads that were tailing them at the east and west gates of Qu Creek still remained there, and by almost noon they still had not seen them leave the city.

And senior brother Hao and junior brother Wang, who had bet on Jiang Yu, never expected that the sect's message would say Jiang Yu's team passed the test, ordering the few of them to withdraw.

After a long while, junior brother Wang caught on and laughed heartily: "Senior brother Hao, bring the hundred spirit stones."

"Jiang Yu's group didn't encounter any ambush combat, so I don't count it as a loss."

"No, the wager didn't stipulate that an ambush must occur; in any case she didn't use the sword‑qi talisman."

Hahaha, poor Che Xuan and Huo Jiu, they ran for nothing.

"Doesn't count, doesn't count."

"It must count; we'll find a witness."

While the two brothers argued over the wager, Jiang Yu's side had already completed the handover in the mission hall, and her squad had all passed.

As expected, this sect test was assessing their ability to adapt on the fly and finish the mission safely and swiftly.

Unexpectedly, as teammates discussed regrouping next time, the assigning steward uncle said: "Your next mission is tomorrow, each of you will undertake it alone."

The group was stunned; Jiang Yu was the first to ask, "Uncle Steward, is it inside the sect or outside?"

"Outside."

"May I decline this mission?"

"Jiang Yu!" Xia Bing warned from beside, and the teammates quickly urged her to retract her remark.

The steward uncle stared at Jiang Yu for three breaths, "Are you sure? Give me a reason to cross you out."

"I'm sure. My cultivation is low and I've just been injured; forcing myself would bring loss to the sect." Jiang Yu was initially unsure, but seeing his tone, she answered firmly and affirmatively.

The steward uncle nodded slightly: "You have passed the third test."

The teammates wore puzzled expressions—could it really be like this?

Ye Lian and a few others quickly offered: "I also…"

The steward uncle cut them off: "Only the first proposer has exemption rights."

"Jiang Yu, how did you think of that? Aren't you afraid of disqualification?" Ye Lian and the senior sister beside her, one on each side, held Jiang Yu.

She hunched her shoulders, slipped down, and smoothly ducked behind Xia Bing, "I call this acting within my limits; the Library's greatest function is to guard and continue the inheritance.

Those who guard well hide beneath the Nine Heavens; frequent outings are not its purpose."

Senior brother Fan and three others spoke in unison: "Sister Jiang, speak in plain language."

"The test doesn't follow conventional rules." Jiang Yu's mind drifted; she knew the sect was fully aware of her squad's accidental injury.

Sending someone out alone under such circumstances is obviously unreasonable.

The Grand Void Sect is a sect with a legacy of ten thousand years; under normal circumstances it would not disregard a disciple's life, and the steward uncle's questioning is also unreasonable.

Xia Bing shook her head: "That's too bold; if you get eliminated, see if you can still smile."

Jiang Yu recalled the spirit stones; during the handover, those twenty thousand were a private advance I gave you.

"I'll repay you with merit points, Uncle." Jiang Yu didn't want to use Jiang Tu's mid‑grade spirit stones; she could at least earn back merit points.

"Disperse. If there are further mission notices, you won't need to join them this year, Jiang Yu." The steward uncle, irritated by their chatter, said.

"Great, I'll seclude myself until the end of the year." In the first half of the year she was either on a mission or on the way to one; Jiang Yu needed to focus on cultivation.

"Great, if you can skip the Transmission Hall's talisman lectures for half a year, my pressure will be halved.

We've all graduated a year ago, yet you still insist on attending classes; every time Uncle Shifu of the Talisman Peak criticizes our drawn talismans, he says: 'Practice more if you're weak, or learn from Jiang Yu and go to the Transmission Hall more often.'"

"Everyone's asking who Jiang Yu is, planning to challenge you in talisman drawing," a senior sister teased her.

"Senior sister, my foundation is weak; a clumsy bird flies more," Jiang Yu modestly replied.

This drew a chorus of "tch‑tch" from the seniors.

A few people chatted and laughed, emerging from this isolated compartment, just meeting another team of sect members returning from a mission.

Among the eight on the other side, six were wrapped in bandages and walking unsteadily, causing everyone to fall silent at once.

Had they not returned via the teleportation array, they likely would have encountered a cultivation calamity or another sect ambush.

The group exchanged a knowing glance, said nothing, and each went off to handle their own messages and affairs.

Jiang Yu took Xia Bing to the Inner Peak's Inner Affairs Hall to mark merit points, then to the Dining Hall to purchase various ingredients and seasonings, before finally returning to their residence at Fu Qu Peak.

After a short while, they lifted all seals and, together with the little turtle Jiang Tu, examined the Tai Ji Jade Token.

"It is identical to the one Jiang Bai holds—inscription, aura, material—no difference at all.

But when my spirit sense probes it, it's merely an ordinary storage space.

Moreover, even my true form cannot enter."

"All I see is a storage space; there's no dense spiritual energy inside." Jiang Yu, unwilling to give up, probed further with her spirit sense.

She then asked it: "Speaking of which, when I first entered the Fish Token's space, I couldn't stay long.

Why can you remain inside indefinitely? The water jar I retrieved was just an ordinary object.

And that thin paper introducing the hidden realm—its characters have vanished; did you write it yourself?"

"I am a dragon turtle, naturally possessing a tiny spatial talent, so of course I can stay inside.

As for the Fish Token's spiritual energy, it mainly comes from Jiang Bai's prized Water Spirit Pearl.

However, the Fish Token itself contains spiritual energy; could it be that I merely touched it casually and happened upon something special?" Little turtle Jiang Tu began to doubt himself.

Jiang Yu withdrew her spirit sense: "The space is large enough; you bought it with spirit stones, keep it yourself.

When you meet Jiang Bai later, show him what's going on.

You evaded answering the paper's question; it seems you wrote it."

"It's true I wrote it, but I copied it from the wall of the Tai Ji Dian in the hidden realm.

Moreover, that one I gave you is likely a treasure, understand? I never even let Jiang Bai glance at it.

Advance your Foundation Establishment quickly, and you'll be able to recognize the master and unlock its function." Jiang Tu spoke confidently, without any hint of insecurity.

"Good." Jiang Yu said as she did, immediately hung up the closed-door sign, and began a half-year seclusion, not stepping outside.

Every day she cultivated, practiced sword, drew talismans; the talismans she recently learned had a low success rate, so she settled down to practice more.

Occasionally, while farming in her space, the spiritual mountains and forests inside allowed her to practice body techniques and sword-flight.

Um, that's right—late-stage Qi Refining allows initial sword flight, but spiritual power is limited, so the flight time is short.

She also burned incense to time herself; compared to fleeing for her life, the Seven Stars Step is far faster and more convenient.

As the saying goes, "A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"; Jiang Yu's focus remained on practicing the Seven Stars Step, after all, it comes with the Primordial Stellar Arts, and it has been proven effective in practice.

Time flies like a white colt passing a gap; in the blink of an eye another spring has arrived.

Fifteen-year-old Jiang Yu was sitting in meditation, attempting to break through; up close her face looked even more fair, tender, and round.

The little turtle Jiang Tu saw that she showed signs of breaking into the ninth layer of Qi Refining today, so he silently put away the message talisman outside the door and did not call to wake her.

And Lu Ruochan, who had not seen any reply from the message talisman for a long time, hurriedly found Lin Yuan, "Junior Brother Lin, this time the three-year major exam has been moved up; Jiang Yu has not replied to messages, and when we went to find her the gate was tightly shut."

Missing this opportunity, if we want to enter the inner gate we'll have to wait another three years; let's go together to knock on the gate.