Qi Yu tossed the longsword in his hand, feeling quite pleased with himself for not using his own weapon.

The Sword of Compassion is good, but it also has its downsides. Its downside is that it is too good and highly recognizable, which always attracts the covetous eyes of others.

She cannot yet guarantee that she can defeat all those who covet the Sword of Compassion.

It's better to keep a low profile.

The weapons provided by the Flying Star Sect should also be made by the sect's weapon refiners. They are better than ordinary swords sold outside and are fine for everyday use.

The secret realm will open in an hour. The Flying Star Sect gave them ample time to consider and also made it easier for them to form a team.

People started asking about forming a team in twos and threes, but Qi Yu's "five spiritual roots" incident was so eye-catching that no one inquired about it for a long time.

Qi Yu found a clean corner to sit down and idly wiped his longsword with his sleeve when a pair of clean white boots suddenly appeared in front of him.

She looked up, somewhat surprised.

The man was dressed in a white robe, had a small mole on the corner of his mouth, and a long, green-furred beast sat on his shoulder.

It was the one who had made eye contact with her at the bottom of the Heavenly Ladder that day, also a cultivator from the Spirit Academy.

"My name is Ren Pingsheng, a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator with a wood elemental root. Miss Yu, have you found any partners to participate in the trial with?"

...Are single-elemental roots so common now?

I've seen at least ten of them today...

Qi Yu stood up, embarrassed, and clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Young Master Ren, my strength is insufficient, so I will not delay you any longer."

Ren Pingsheng said, "It can't be considered a delay. Hasn't the young lady already reached the Foundation Establishment stage? To be able to reach the Foundation Establishment stage with the aptitude of five spiritual roots, the young lady must be no ordinary person."

Qi Yu smiled, wanting to refuse again, but was interrupted by a female voice.

"Not an ordinary person?" An Rong'er walked over and sneered, "A mere five-elemental root cultivator, yet he has already reached the Foundation Establishment stage. He must have been eating pills like they were food to accumulate spiritual power to the Foundation Establishment stage, right?"

She looked at Ren Pingsheng and said, “I’m giving you a piece of advice. Just relying on pills to accumulate spiritual power is far from what you can achieve by truly cultivating to the Foundation Establishment stage. Instead of teaming up with her, you should team up with me. Although I’m only at the first level of Qi Refining, I have dual spiritual roots of water and earth.”

Ren Pingsheng looked somewhat embarrassed and remained silent.

Qi Yu shrugged and said, "So what if it's a Foundation Establishment built up with pills? It's still better than cultivating for months without any progress and still being stuck at the first level of Qi Refining, right?"

"You!" An Rong'er was furious and wanted to draw her sword to stab Qi Yu, but Ren Pingsheng stopped her.

“Miss, after thinking about it, I think our personalities might not be compatible. Let’s not team up.”

An Rong'er glared angrily at Ren Pingsheng, then stomped her feet and walked away.

"Damn these five spiritual roots, disgusting five spiritual roots, why is it always these five spiritual roots that ruin my plans!"

Qi Yu smiled faintly, raising the corners of her mouth slightly.

An Rong'er, is it possible that this "damned," "disgusting," and always troublesome Five Elemental Roots is the same person?

With An Rong'er's intelligence, she probably couldn't have guessed it.

Ren Pingsheng sighed and looked at Qi Yu, saying, "If Miss Yu is unwilling to form a team, I will not bother you any longer."

Qi Yu watched his retreating figure and scratched his head.

The little green beast on Ren Pingsheng's shoulder suddenly turned its head and winked at her.

Qi Yu: "?" Is she that popular with animals? She's already flirting with me on our second meeting?

However, the green-haired monster was really not to her aesthetic liking, so Qi Yu coldly turned her gaze away.

The green-furred little beast: "..." The sound of a heart breaking.

Ren Pingsheng sensed something, touched the little beast on his shoulder, whispered a few words, and the green-furred beast perked up again.

Almost an hour had passed. About a hundred cultivators had left with the pills, leaving five hundred cultivators behind, who had already formed their own teams and were waiting for the secret realm to open.

Everyone looked somewhat apprehensive, wondering what kind of monsters might be lurking in the secret realm.

The Red Lotus Fairy looked at them, her slender fingers lightly brushing her red lips, and smiled, "Alright, now that you've decided to participate, there's no need to be afraid anymore."

Venerable Canglang also said, "Don't worry, the Flying Star Sect won't let you lose your lives."

Venerable Canglang spoke words of reassurance with a fierce expression, which made the people waiting to enter the secret realm even more panicked.

The Venerable Zhishou, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.

“Your every move in the secret realm will be projected to all the elders of the Flying Star Sect by the projection stone. At that time, in addition to the points for the number of monsters you hunt, your behavior in the secret realm will also be an important basis for us to decide whether to accept you as a disciple.”

"In short, it depends on whether you have made a good impression on the elders."

Everyone nodded.

Venerable Zhichou held a communication jade talisman in each hand, seemingly making contact with someone. After a moment, he looked up and said, "The secret realm is about to open. We will use teleportation talismans to send you all in. Are you ready?"

The crowd answered in unison, "Ready!"

Venerable Zhichou flicked a talisman from his sleeve, which flew into the air and covered the crowd waiting for the test in the square.

The next instant, the talisman emitted a white light, enveloping everyone and teleporting them to another space.

The white light faded, and the scene before my eyes had changed.

The group entered the assessment dungeon.

Contrary to their expectations of a fierce battle upon entering, they found themselves beneath a towering tree, surrounded by birdsong and fragrant flowers, a tranquil scene reminiscent of a fairy tale.

Qi Yu squinted and noticed several black, somewhat conspicuous stones placed on the branches above her head.

That must be... a projection stone.

It's like being under surveillance.

The hundreds of people who entered the secret realm quickly distanced themselves from the others, leaving her alone under the tree.

Qi Yu looked around listlessly for a while, somewhat slacking off.

Those who rank in the top four-fifths of the points are considered to have passed the assessment. In terms of the number of people, we only need to ensure that her points rank is in the top four hundred.

This is so simple!

Although the number of single-spiritual-root individuals encountered today was somewhat excessive, overall, three- or four-spiritual-root individuals were more common. Individuals with dual-spiritual-roots like An Rong'er were considered quite formidable.

Of course, Qi Yu's "five spiritual roots" are considered extremely rare here.

After all, even if someone with five spiritual roots passes through numerous trials, they might only end up as an ordinary outer disciple, with the title of "Flying Star Sect disciple" just to sound better.

Her requirements weren't high; she just needed food and lodging. If she could get some subsidies like spirit stones or medicinal herbs, that would be even better!

Qi Yu stroked his chin, looking at the towering tree that looked quite old.

I wonder how this secret realm was created. Did the tree grow naturally, or can the owner of the secret realm control the flow of time within it?

Qi Yu touched the tree trunk and suddenly stopped.

She slowly raised her head and touched the long sword tucked at her waist.