Chapter 6 Illusion Trial

Since that day, everyone in the sect has known Su Yunyu's attitude.

Even if his disciple is a cripple with severed meridians, he will still protect him.

Upon learning this, Xiao Qingran was so enraged he nearly ground his teeth to powder. He slammed his fist against the tree, seething with anger. Just then, his underling offered a suggestion:

"So what if the Immortal Venerable cares? He's just a useless piece of trash with broken meridians. How can he compare to you, Young Master?"

Hearing this, Xiao Qingran's expression softened somewhat. He patted his clothes, shook off non-existent dust, and curled his lips in a mocking smile:

“You’re right. With his meridians so severed, he’s practically a cripple.”

Sooner or later, Xiao Shuying will be rejected.

With his exceptional talent, he would eventually catch Su Yunyu's eye.

Thinking of this, Xiao Qingran was in high spirits and generously gave the pills she had received to her younger brother, chatting and laughing as she went:

"Let's go to the swordplay hall."

Tianxuan Sect is a sword-cultivating sect. All newly initiated disciples can obtain a sword by passing the examination in the Sword Arts Hall.

In this secret realm assessment, the highest grade sword is Earth-grade. Heaven and Earth are black and yellow, with Heaven being the highest. Earth-grade is obviously not low, but very few people can obtain it.

Nevertheless, as the first weapon for beginners, this secret realm assessment still filled the new disciples with anticipation and excitement.

Inside the Swordsmanship Hall, a group of disciples stood properly and quietly, whispering among themselves as the elders had not yet arrived.

As soon as Xiao Qingran entered the hall, she spotted Xiao Shuying in the first row. He was wearing the inner sect's robes, with a striking lotus pattern.

The person who was once insignificant in the Xiao family has now transformed into someone envied by millions. Such a change is beyond Xiao Qingran's comprehension.

He walked over without looking at anyone else, glanced at his half-brother, patted him on the shoulder, and smiled, but his eyes were cold.

"You have no cultivation, so you shouldn't try to show off."

After saying this, he walked away without even looking at Xiao Shuying's reaction, his demeanor casual and his attitude arrogant, a display of the arrogance cultivated in the Xiao family.

When his underlings saw Xiao Shuying, they remembered bumping into him yesterday, shrank back guiltily, and followed closely behind.

"..." Xiao Shuying raised her hand and dusted off the shoulder that Xiao Qingran had patted. Her face was expressionless, but she was extremely disgusted.

Upon seeing that person, I thought to myself, "Just as I expected."

In his first life, Xiao Qingran and his many followers were mostly targeting him, and he never expected it to be the same now.

but……

Xiao Shuying lowered her eyes to look at the token at her waist.

It looks the same as usual, yet it's also different.

At this moment, the lotus flower on this jade pendant is shining with a faint glow.

Xiao Shuying held her breath for a moment, waiting for the person inside the jade tablet to react.

Today's assessment was coming up, and Su Yunyu was worried that he had no cultivation, so she used a portion of her mind to possess the jade tablet in order to deal with any unforeseen needs.

Coincidentally, he must have seen everything Xiao Qingran did just now.

However, Xiao Qingran's words and actions were quite wise, and she wouldn't give anyone any ammunition against her.

But... will Su Yunyu intervene?

Xiao Shuying waited quietly for a moment and found that the jade pendant was like an inanimate object.

Ah, that makes sense. In the first life, Xiao Qingran admired Su Yunyu, but Su Yunyu's attitude was ambiguous.

Now, perhaps these two have fallen for each other again, just like before.

The thought that these two might conspire together again made Xiao Shuying even more determined not to let Su Yunyu have an easy time, so she simply used a telepathic token to ask:

"Master, my brother seems to be a little..."

His words were vague and ambiguous, and he acted timidly.

Xiao Shuying didn't even know when she had become like this. She probably learned from Su Yunyu; he pretended, and she pretended too.

Let's see who can outdo whom in pretending.

The jade pendant swayed gently, then emitted a faint, ethereal sound:

"……What"

Seemingly hesitant, the two words were even more ambiguous than Xiao Shuying.

"..."

Ha, just putting on an act.

Just as Xiao Shuying was about to speak again, the elder walked in.

So, all the words I wanted to say about Xiao Qingran could ultimately be summed up in just two words:

"fine."

At that moment, Su Yunyu, who was inside the jade tablet, used her divine sense to look at Xiao Shuying and asked the system curiously:

"He looks so sullen."

System: [It's probably because he lacks cultivation. Quickly repair his meridians, and the child will become more cheerful.]

Su Yunyu found this reasonable and quickly put her doubts aside, excitedly asking the system to show her another episode of Tom and Jerry.

This cultivation world has no cell phones, no games, nothing at all. He was incredibly bored. When he learned that the system could be used as a TV, he had just pestered it to play several episodes of Tom and Jerry.

Since the elder was still talking, he decided to watch one last episode!

"In all our sect's trials, the test has never been about cultivation level, but rather whether you can conquer the sword spirit. Therefore, everyone, please do your utmost to obtain your first weapon upon joining the sect..."

After the white-bearded elder finished speaking, he waved his hand, and white light appeared everywhere until it engulfed the entire Swordsmanship Hall. In the blink of an eye, the scene before us was completely different.

The disciples who were just beside her were all gone. Xiao Shuying looked around and saw only darkness. There was only one road in front of her, and she could clearly see a sword lying on the road.

Having finally escaped the cat-and-mouse game, Su Yunyu glanced around and, with his limited experience, began to mislead the younger generation:

"Let's go take a look."

We can't not go forward; there's only one road around us.

Xiao Shuying didn't think Su Yunyu could set up any trap to kill him in the secret realm, so she simply walked over and wanted to take the sword.

But halfway there, a raging fire broke out beneath their feet. The fire scorched every inch of their skin, causing no real damage, but it robbed them of every breath they could have.

Standing in the raging fire, Xiao Shuying felt as if his whole body was about to melt away like a candle. What was worse, the connection between him and the jade pendant was severed.

With a path in front of her and behind her, Xiao Shuying glanced at the sword not far away, no longer hesitated, and stepped over the flames, moving forward step by step.

As the distance drew ever closer, ever closer, finally, he stretched out his hand with all his might, but his fingertips, just as they were about to touch the sword—

The flames are gone, but the road remains the same. Looking around, it seems we have returned to the very beginning.

Xiao Shuying looked around and realized that there was only the path in front of him to take, so he walked towards the sword.

This time, once again, halfway through the journey, the road suddenly burst into flames. This time, the fire was even more intense than before, and with each breath, the vision became increasingly blurred.

Fire was everywhere, so he could only keep walking forward, reaching out to grab the sword, but each time he touched it, he returned to where he started.

What exactly is going on with this assessment...?

Xiao Shuying wiped the thin layer of sweat from her forehead. The flames were gone, but the scorching heat in the air still lingered.

He was quite certain that there was no other way but to go forward.

Looking at the sword again, it seemed to become clearer and clearer with each of the first two touches.

Xiao Shuying could even see the beautiful deep gold of the sword hilt and the gleaming cold light of the blade.

That was a low-grade sword.

Since he had no cultivation, the sword in the secret realm that could willingly recognize him as its master was the most suitable weapon.

Moreover, this sword is of excellent quality, and he is determined to obtain it today.

The third time, Xiao Shuying walked this dark road.

The surrounding darkness was like a bell being shrouded in darkness, cramped and oppressive.

Halfway there, the fire was still raging.

It was even more intense than the last time.

Xiao Shuying no longer hesitated, and quickly stepped forward, wanting to touch the sword that was faintly glowing in the flames—

The scene vanished once more, and I returned to the starting point.

The sword, however, became even clearer.

As long as the path isn't wrong, starting over a thousand times isn't a big deal.

Xiao Shuying stepped onto it once more, and once again encountered the burning flames.

Each time it became more intense, each time more ferocious.

I've lost count of how many times I've touched the hilt of the sword, and how many times I've returned to the same spot.

In short, this time, Xiao Shuying felt that the flames had reached the limit he could withstand. His vision began to darken and his body went limp.

Staggering to the spot where the sword had been fired, he tried to touch it, but collapsed completely. His eyelids felt incredibly heavy, so heavy that he wished he could just drift off to sleep.

No, he can't just collapse like this.

If he fails this assessment, his situation will become even more difficult.

Even though it was only a few steps away, Xiao Shuying looked at the sword and felt it was as far away as the ends of the earth.

He was breathing heavily, his ears were ringing, and there was a metallic taste of blood in his mouth.

Just before he was about to faint, the jade pendant at his waist trembled softly, carrying a faint sound that seemed to be right next to him:

"Sparse shadows—"

The plains reflect the moon's image, and the vast sea shines with its light.

The next moment, a white, ghostly shadow floated out of the jade tablet and lay down in front of Xiao Shuying. It was like a wisp of mist, blurry everywhere, but Xiao Shuying could see its face clearly.

It must be admitted that Su Yunyu possessed a more striking beauty, especially when she was in a daze.

Like an ethereal immortal, about to ascend to heaven in the next moment.

His already fair skin became even more fragile, like crystal, after he was distracted.

Xiao Shuying felt his consciousness slowly slipping away, but he stubbornly held his breath and squinted as he watched Su Yunyu channel spiritual energy into him.

The burning sensation throughout his body was soothed by the icy spiritual energy, and he saw the sword that was just a step away suddenly float right in front of him.

"The sword spirit has recognized you as its master."

Su Yunyu reassured him, saying that seeing Xiao Shuying's extraordinary dedication and his constant rebirth from the ashes, starting anew time and time again, the sword naturally recognized his character.

Now that the sword is so close at hand, its brilliance is even more evident.

The sword hilt is decorated with intricate dragon scale patterns, and the blade gleams coldly against the iron, reflecting light and shadow with exquisite detail.

As if still in a dream, Xiao Shuying reached out his hand until he touched the hilt of the sword and felt the tangible sensation at his fingertips. Only then did he feel a strange sense of intimacy welling up in his heart.

The sword spirit recognizes its master without hesitation.

He finally grasped the sword in his palm.

Before he completely lost consciousness, he saw Su Yunyu's eyes, which were as clear as autumn water and as misty as morning.

It's a little different from my first life, but I can't quite put my finger on it.

For some reason, Xiao Shuying thought that he was extremely exhausted at this moment, and if he wanted to kill him, then now was the best time.

He actually preferred to confront Su Yunyu's open murderous intent.

Instead of pretending to be real like this.

So, come and kill him...

A note from the author:

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Thank you so much for your comments and nutrient solution, everyone! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]