It seemed those two groups were shouting something like “This is going too far, let’s charge!” as they rushed forward, but Zhang Huaiyu’s high-firepower technique forcibly blasted them back.
Even those who managed to dodge the exploding sword shadows in time were still driven back by Bai Qiushui and the others blocking the outer perimeter.
“This technique is so powerful. Why didn’t you use it earlier when fighting the Cold Water Flood Dragon?”
Shucao flew to Zhang Huaiyu’s side and asked as she watched the technique display its full might.
Hearing Shucao’s words, Zhang Huaiyu gave an awkward laugh and scratched the back of her head.
“Ah, well… I originally wanted to keep it as a trump card, but then that damn flood dragon suddenly ambushed me. Don’t be fooled by how powerful it looks—the spiritual power requirement is extremely high. After the cold poison invaded my body, my spiritual power circulation became sluggish, and I simply couldn’t use it at all, haha.”
“Ah…”
After a short while, under Zhang Huaiyu’s intimidation, the cultivators from the Taimiao Sect and Lingxu Sect finally could not hold on any longer.
They had no choice but to crush their respective jade tokens and left the secret realm with unsightly expressions.
“Sister Shucao! Senior Sister Zhang!”
After seeing those people all leave, Bai Qiushui excitedly ran over to Shucao and Zhang Huaiyu’s side, her eyes seeming to sparkle as she spoke.
“Senior Sister Zhang’s technique is so strong! After trapping them, those exploding sword shadows were truly amazing—every time one appeared, it blew someone up!”
“Aiya, it’s nothing much. Once you slowly cultivate to the late stage of Qi Refining, you can also learn our Tianqing Sect’s signature sword techniques. Purely in terms of attack power, this skill of ours can be considered unique among the three sects. Learning it is definitely not a loss!”
While Zhang Huaiyu proudly introduced the technique to Bai Qiushui, Bai Qiushui also looked at Shucao and said.
“Sister Shucao’s move just now was also terrifyingly strong. That peak Qi Refining old man didn’t even have time to react before he was directly blasted away. So amazing!”
Beside them, Zhang Huaiyu also recalled that punch from earlier and could not help thinking.
She must be someone from some other force who dropped from Foundation Establishment down to Qi Refining just to bully lower-level cultivators.
Which Qi Refining cultivator could block a punch of that speed? At least I definitely couldn’t.
Shucao also spoke to Bai Qiushui.
“This is all power I obtained through hard work and sweat in cultivation. As long as you also cultivate diligently, Qiushui, you will definitely be able to become as strong as me.”
Suddenly, An Qianhua’s slightly mischievous voice rang out in the mind of Shucao, who was still conversing with Bai Qiushui.
“It seems you’ve already gotten used to being called ‘Sister,’ hehehe.”
“I—I haven’t! It’s just… being called that now isn’t only limited to that, okay?!”
“Alright, alright. It’s just a form of address for someone of an older generation anyway. Being called either one is pretty much the same, isn’t it?”
Just as An Qianhua was still bickering with Shucao, Shucao suddenly remembered something else.
That Mu Ya was still lying somewhere unknown!
After realizing this, she led everyone over to the place where Mu Ya had been blasted away and landed.
When Shucao arrived, she discovered faint green light rising from his body. That green spiritual power was slowly repairing his injuries.
“Is this some kind of technique?”
Shucao said in confusion upon seeing this.
Beside her, Zhang Huaiyu answered.
“It looks like it should be an effect of the cultivation method he practices. It allows his spiritual power to possess the ability to accelerate self-healing. After all, wood-attribute and water-attribute methods are especially suited for healing. That said, this guy was also someone who wanted to make a move against you, right? Fellow Daoist, how do you plan to deal with him?”
Shucao looked at the unconscious Mu Ya before her, a slightly complicated expression appearing in her eyes.
“Just wanting to survive, is it?”
Shucao thought of the words Mu Ya had spoken earlier, but she also recalled the fact that he had revealed the locations of other loose cultivators to the Lingxu Sect cultivators for the sake of his own pursuits.
“After all, cultivation is already quite difficult for loose cultivators, let alone reaching Foundation Establishment.”
Zhang Huaiyu said slowly.
“In reality, the vast majority of cultivation resources are controlled by clans, sects, or dynasties. What loose cultivators can obtain is only the portion that leaks out from those forces. And even for that portion, they still have to compete with other loose cultivators. So for them to reach Foundation Establishment is still far too difficult.”
“Is that so.”
Shucao sighed and thought in her heart.
Is this kind of cultivation world really the right way?
Although she felt that this was wrong, after these days of contact with the cultivation world, she more or less understood what the cultivation world was like.
“It would be nice if everyone could enjoy cultivation resources.”
Shucao did not speak it aloud, because she knew that under such a large environment, words like these could only be empty fantasies spoken casually.
“If you want to change a world like this, you can only become the strongest person yourself, so that you can stand at the peak of the pyramid and lead the change.”
An Qianhua’s words rang out in Shucao’s mind, startling her for a moment.
“The strongest, huh… that’s still quite far away.”
“It’s fine. With me, a former strongest magical girl, here, helping you grow into the strongest magical girl is definitely no problem.”
Shucao smiled, then said to Zhang Huaiyu beside her.
“Take half of the materials he has collected, then leave him here.”
“Just like that? I thought you were going to drive him out of the secret realm or something.”
“I’m not that heartless. With him injured like this and half his materials taken away, it can be considered that he has paid a price. Those loose cultivators who left the secret realm because of him probably won’t have too many objections either.”
Shucao picked up Mu Ya’s storage pouch, took out half of the materials inside that carried the aura of the secret realm, then placed the storage pouch back on Mu Ya’s body.
These materials naturally entered Shucao’s waist pouch as well.
“Y-you’re also connected to people from a sect?”
Suddenly, a voice rang out beside Shucao’s ear.
Turning her head, she saw Jin Xuan looking at her with a face full of surprise.
“What? You’re still here? I thought you had already found a chance to run away.”
“How could this young master of the Jin Family just casually run away?!”
“Then why didn’t you say a single word earlier? I thought you had disappeared.”
Jin Xuan shifted his gaze and said.
“Uh… about that… I really couldn’t find a chance to speak…”
At this moment, Zhang Huaiyu beside them also spoke.
“Fellow Daoist Shucao, is this person an acquaintance of yours?”
“Not really familiar.”
“Hey, at least I helped you out a bit!”
“Sigh, to put it bluntly, you were just meddling. Do you really think that without you I wouldn’t have been able to deal with those people? As long as I wanted to, they wouldn’t even be able to catch up to me. On the contrary, because you brought that group of Lingxu Sect people over, we had to expend extra effort dealing with them. Besides, didn’t I also help you drive away the people blocking you? We’re already even.”
Listening to Shucao’s words, Jin Xuan felt temporarily speechless and completely did not know how to refute her.
Seeing Jin Xuan’s appearance of being unable to say a single word, Zhang Huaiyu hurriedly smiled and said.
“Ahem! I am Zhang Huaiyu of the Tianqing Sect. Currently I am in a cooperative relationship with Fellow Daoist Shucao. May I ask for your name?”
Seeing Zhang Huaiyu toss the topic to him, Jin Xuan immediately answered.
“Me? I am Jin Xuan, the second young master of the Jin Family of Dragon City. Greetings, Fellow Daoist Zhang.”
“So it is the second young master of the Jin Family, one of the Four Great Families of Dragon City. I have long admired you.”
The moment he heard someone recognize the background of his family, Jin Xuan suddenly became happy and said.
“That’s right, it is that Jin Family. I didn’t expect someone here would know of it. Fellow Daoist is truly knowledgeable!”
“I once traveled to Dragon City together with my master. At that time, my master told me that Dragon City has Four Great Cultivation Families, and that the clan heads of all of them are Golden Core stage experts. Two hundred years ago, the clan heads of the Four Great Families together sealed a flood dragon that was about to transform into a true dragon—equivalent to late Golden Core stage—inside the Juekong Sea beside Dragon City. It was precisely because of this matter that Dragon City received the name ‘Dragon City,’ and I have admired the Four Great Families for a long time because of it.”
“Fellow Daoist flatters me. If Fellow Daoist is interested, when you have the chance to visit Dragon City one day, you may come to my residence for a chat. At that time I will tell Fellow Daoist more about our family.”
Looking at Jin Xuan proudly speaking about his family, Shucao could not help complaining inwardly.
So his background is that impressive. But still getting chased and beaten by those people is quite embarrassing. At the very least, he should be able to outrun them when fleeing.
“Perhaps he isn’t valued much within his family. Otherwise, with the strength of his family, why would they still need him to come to a place like this to collect materials?”
After hearing An Qianhua’s guess, Shucao felt it made a lot of sense, so she did not criticize Jin Xuan’s strength too much.
A while later, Jin Xuan bid farewell to Shucao and the others.
After all, going to Tianling Mountain would be completely useless for him, so he chose to finish collecting the remaining materials he needed and then leave the secret realm.
Shucao and the others continued advancing toward Tianling Mountain.
Several figures streaked across the sky, flying at full speed toward Tianling Mountain.
After a period of full-speed flight, Shucao and the others arrived in front of a grand hall at the foot of Tianling Mountain.
“Is this the place where one enters the trials?”
“That’s right.”
Shucao looked at this grand hall that was both ancient and slightly ornate, a trace of surprise appearing in her eyes.
She thought that even though the Taiqing Sect had been destroyed for so long, this grand hall was still completely intact—truly miraculous.
Noticing Shucao’s expression, Zhang Huaiyu explained to her.
“This grand hall is protected by the large array used for the trials. It has always remained intact precisely because of the array.”
“I see.”
While the two were speaking, a group of people wearing cyan daoist robes inside the grand hall noticed Zhang Huaiyu entering and waved toward her, calling her over.
“Senior Sister Zhang!”
The leading man saw Zhang Huaiyu and the others walking over and immediately called out to her.
“You’re finally here. Quite a few people from the three sects arrived quite late. We even wondered if something had happened to you all.”
“Aiya, who do you think I am? What could possibly cause something to happen to me? Look, didn’t I arrive without any problems?”
She actually dares to say that! She almost got beaten out of the secret realm by that Cold Water Flood Dragon earlier!
Hearing An Qianhua’s complaint, Shucao responded.
“This is probably the strong side that a senior needs to display in front of juniors.”
While Shucao and An Qianhua were secretly complaining inside the Heart Realm, that person continued speaking with Zhang Huaiyu.
“Senior Sister Zhang, the two peak Qi Refining disciples from the other two sects haven’t been seen arriving. Do you know anything?”
“Hehe, they can no longer come! This brings us to the story of how I suddenly charged out while they were fighting each other—the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind—and threw them all out of the secret realm.”
Zhang Huaiyu told that disciple about everything that had happened earlier.
Then that disciple looked toward Shucao and said.
“This must be the Fellow Daoist Shucao that Senior Sister mentioned. I am Ling Tiancheng, also a peak Qi Refining cultivator. Together with Senior Sister Zhang, I lead the people of the Tianqing Sect into the secret realm for exploration. Once again, I thank Fellow Daoist for the help given to Senior Sister and the others.”
After briefly responding to Ling Tiancheng’s greeting, Shucao asked Zhang Huaiyu.
“Fellow Daoist Zhang, what should we do now?”
“The large array will automatically activate after a short while. At that time we will be teleported by the array to the place where the trials are conducted. Fellow Daoist Shucao, you only need to pass the first round of trials.”
“Then during the second round of trials, you will be free to explore the entirety of Tianling Mountain except for the mountain peak. Of course, if Fellow Daoist is unable to pass the first round of trials, we will compensate Fellow Daoist with corresponding spiritual materials afterward.”
After hearing Zhang Huaiyu’s words, Shucao had no further questions and rested for a while to the side.
A while later, when the sun within the secret realm shone directly upon Tianling Mountain, lines of inscriptions suddenly appeared on the ground of the grand hall.
A large array that enveloped the entire grand hall activated at this moment.
And everyone inside the grand hall also understood one thing.
The trials had begun!