The monkey pressed hard on a protrusion on the rock wall, and the rock wall creaked and moved, revealing a passage that could be passed by one person.

There's actually a cave here. If it weren't for the monkey leading the way, Jian Ning probably wouldn't have discovered the secret behind this platform, and would have continued down the cliff.

The monkey grinned, picked up the bamboo basket, and led the way inside.

Jian Ning quickly followed. After she entered, the cave door closed automatically. The passageway was inlaid with countless glowing stones.

It emits faint, scattered light, so although the passage is not sunny, it is not dark and you can see things clearly.

The passage is long and winds downwards, and the stone walls on both sides are not flat. It looks like a naturally formed passage with some artificial elements.

It took us a good half hour to walk out of the passage. It was a fairly large platform, with the surging river flowing below.

A steel cable is anchored to the cliff face on the platform, and there is a village on the other side.

Yes, it's like those ancient tribes, with houses built of thatch and bamboo, and you can see people carrying buckets to fetch water from the river. As the sun sets, wisps of smoke rise from the chimneys, creating a peaceful and beautiful scene, like a painting.

"Is this where you live?" Jian Ning turned around and asked the ape.

It grinned, waved at Jian Ning, then leaped up, grabbed the steel cable, and quickly moved its hands alternately to the other side.

Jian Ning followed its example and crossed the steel cable without using her sword. The situation here was still unclear, so it was better to keep a low profile.

They quickly reached the other side. Instead of leading her to the village, the monkey took her to a bamboo hut in a tree. As soon as the door opened, Jian Ning was startled.

The man sitting in front of the bed in the room looked exactly like Xiao Lingfeng.

He was dressed as a scholar in ancient costume, with a pot of tea and a book in hand. Jian Ning looked very calm, but she appeared much older than her age.

They looked to be in their fifties. If the two of them stood together, they would look like a father and son, or twin brothers. The relationship was a bit complicated.

"You've arrived. Da Bai said he found you on the cliff. Can you tell me how you got here?" The man's voice was indistinguishable from Xiao Lingfeng's.

"I'd like to ask first, is this world virtual? Am I dreaming? Or does it actually exist?"

Hearing Jian Ning's words, the man smiled slightly: "What is reality? What is illusion?"

"Never mind, I won't ask anymore. Can you tell me your name?"

Jian Ning felt that she was probably in a dream world, and everything here was a figment of her imagination. Otherwise, how could such a person appear? Even reincarnation wouldn't make sense.

"My surname is Xiao, and my given name is Wuyu. It means there are no fish in the water." The man gently shook the folding fan in his hand, his tone very calm.

"Xiao Wuyu? Do you know Xiao Lingfeng?" Jian Ning then asked.

"Never heard of you. Are you a friend of the young lady?" The man frowned, thought for a moment, and shook his head in reply.

"Yes, where is this?" Jian Ning didn't stand on ceremony and sat down on the tatami opposite him, picking up the teapot and pouring herself a cup of water.

"This place has no name. If you insist on giving it a name, you can call it Wucun (No Village). In fact, no outsiders have come here for many years."

Xiao Wuyu put down the book in his hand, picked up his teacup and gestured for her to sit down and have a long talk with her.

Jian Ning decided not to rush anymore. Since they had come this far, there must be a reason. She might as well listen to what clues this person had for passing the level.

So he picked up the teacup and took a sip. The aroma permeated his heart and lungs. His mind cleared, and his spiritual energy began to circulate actively throughout his body. Unbeknownst to him, he had broken through a minor realm.

He was momentarily stunned; this was actually water brewed from snow mountain spiritual tea, which had a significant effect on enhancing one's spiritual power.

Back in the world of cultivation, a single leaf of this tea was extremely rare, but here it's as common as ordinary tea.

"Is it not delightful to have friends coming from afar? Only the great white bird can leap freely over those high mountains."

For thousands of years, no one has been able to reach the top of that mountain.

"May I ask where you come from, young lady, and where you are going?" Xiao Wuyu put down his teacup and asked again, seemingly very curious about where she came from.

"I was just suddenly thrown here. If you ask me how I got in, I came down from that cliff with its strong winds. I thought there might be some treasure at the bottom of the cliff, so I wanted to explore it."

I never expected to encounter this monkey. It ate my roast duck and then led me here. Actually, I have a question: judging from your skills, you should be quite strong. How come you've never been outside before?

"Among the people here, only I know kung fu; the rest are just ordinary people."

"I am disabled and have difficulty moving around. I've been surviving for so many years, trapped here and unable to get out. So I really want to know what the outside world is like now!"

Xiao Wuyu's words startled Jian Ning. Looking at his face, which was exactly like Xiao Lingfeng's, she couldn't help but wonder what kind of disability he had. Wait, he'd been sitting on the couch ever since they entered the room. Could it be that he had difficulty moving around?

Seeing Jian Ning's gaze move to his legs, Xiao Wuyu gave a helpless, bitter smile.

"You're right, both my legs have been broken off at the knees, and I'm a cripple now."

"It's thanks to Da Bai's constant companionship that I'm able to survive in this world." Xiao Wuyu said this casually, as if he were talking about someone else's affairs.

"Did you build that cave that leads down from the mountain? Are there other paths leading to the outside world?" Jian Ning was truly full of questions.

"There is no way out unless you go back down to the bottom of the cliff. It's an endless swamp where even fallen leaves sink, making it impossible to pass."

Xiao Wuyu's words sent a chill down Jian Ning's spine.

However, she didn't believe this was a dead end, after all, she knew in her heart that this was just a test.

People have made it here before, and there's no reason why they would leave no trace. How these people ended up here is a big question.

"Then how did you get in? You weren't born here, were you?" Jian Ning felt that there were quite a few suspicious things about Xiao Wuyu. Putting everything else aside, just based on his appearance, which was similar to Xiao Lingfeng's, he couldn't be an ordinary person.