Chapter 68 Simulated Secret Realm Trial (Part 1)...
At seven o'clock in the morning, a number of cultivators had already gathered at the foot of the western sub-peak of the Qingfeng Sect, but the number was about half that of the cultivators who came to the cultivation competition on the first day.
“Some sects have already left,” Tianxuan explained.
Today, since she didn't need to be a judge and only needed to stay nearby to rescue any disciples in danger, Tianxuan didn't go with Yuheng. Instead, she and Li Chang'an found a cliff to stay on.
From this cliff, you can get a perfect view of the foot of the West Sub-Peak.
"Can we leave first?" Li Chang'an asked.
"Well, they're all from small sects, so they can't get better rankings. Their disciples' cultivation levels are also relatively low, generally below the mid-stage of Qi Refining. Knowing that the simulated secret realm trial is dangerous, they didn't want their disciples to take risks, so they simply left early."
"Although opportunities for training are rare, for small sects, disciples represent the sect's inheritance and are therefore more important."
Those who remain to participate in the simulated secret realm trial, apart from the disciples of those major sects, are all cultivators at or above the mid-stage of Qi Refining.
"Oh." Li Chang'an nodded.
At the foot of West Sub-Peak, the assembled disciples stepped forward and received a token engraved with a teleportation talisman.
"Entering the West Peak Forest means you have officially entered the simulated secret realm. If anyone wants to give up midway, they can inject spiritual power into this token and be teleported back," Xie Xuan said solemnly.
"I wish you all good luck."
After Xie Xuan finished speaking, he channeled his spiritual energy into a stone behind him that was engraved with the character "西" (Xi).
A loud rumble came from the dense forest in front of them, and the two outermost trees moved to the sides, revealing the dark, bottomless entrance to the forest behind them.
Most of the monks were still observing and thinking about proceeding cautiously.
A rogue cultivator was the first to walk towards the entrance. He glanced at the sect disciples out of the corner of his eye and saw that none of them had moved. The rogue cultivator laughed and said, "It's not a real secret realm, what's there to be afraid of?"
Sect disciples: ...
They weren't afraid; they just wanted to be told by the elders to go in.
The deputy sect leader of the Liantian Sect coughed lightly, turned to the disciples and said, "Go."
"Yes." The disciples clasped their fists in greeting and stepped into the dense forest.
Seeing this, disciples from other sects also went inside.
The dense forest is dark, and the trees that appear ordinary from the outside seem to tower into the clouds once you step inside, their thick canopies seemingly blocking out the sky.
Zhao Yuqing looked up at the sky, then looked down again.
"Senior brother, there's a formation here," he whispered to his senior brother beside him.
Another junior sister approached the two, her voice unease: "Could it be some kind of strange formation? Could there be danger?"
The senior brother shook his head and said, "The Jade Balance Star Lord has definitely checked it, don't worry."
"These past few days, the first and second floors of the Qingfeng Sect's library have been open to the public. I saw some of the Qingfeng Sect's history there. These four secondary peaks used to be home to spirit beasts. These formations were used to prevent people from trespassing and to prevent the spirit beasts from escaping."
The junior female student nodded: "That's good."
As the three were talking, they noticed that fog was gradually rising in the dense forest.
The dense forest was dark, but the fog was very obvious and was getting thicker and thicker, making it impossible to see the backs of the fellow disciples ahead.
No! It's not that I can't see clearly, it's that there's no one in front of me!
Zhao Yuqing realized what was happening and grabbed her senior and junior brothers and sisters with both hands: "Senior brother, junior sister, this fog is strange, we've gotten separated from the others!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the two senior and junior brothers and sisters stopped and looked around.
Indeed, not only could they not see their fellow disciples, but they could not even see any disciples from other sects.
But this place is very close to the entrance of the dense forest, less than fifty meters away. Wouldn't disciples from other sects and independent cultivators pass through here when entering the dense forest?
The three looked at each other in bewilderment.
"This is bad..." the senior brother said, "This simulated secret realm trial is really dangerous."
Zhao Yuqing nodded and took out two ribbons from her storage bag: "Senior brother and junior sister, we're not sure what dangers lie ahead, let's team up."
The two senior and junior brothers both nodded.
The three tied ribbons around their necks and continued walking forward.
Outside the dense forest, the sect elders watched what was happening inside through the "Ten Thousand Mountains and Rivers Map".
After entering the dense forest, the disciples walked about twenty meters and thought they were still moving forward, but in fact they had unknowingly turned a corner, circled a tree, and become separated from the main group of the sect.
This is the chaotic star formation in the dense forest of the West Sub-Peak. The trees are the "stars" in the formation. Only by finding the "Big Dipper" which is the eye of the formation can you get out of the dense forest.
But this fog isn't part of the formation.
In the dark, dense forest, tiny creatures, no bigger than the palm of a hand, lay in ambush under the trees in various corners, peeking out their small canopies as if observing the passing monks.
It was the fungus spirits that created that mist.
For cultivators at the Qi Refining stage, the fog will disorient them and cause dizziness if they stay in it for too long. Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, in addition to experiencing the same symptoms as Qi Refining stage cultivators, will also suffer from hallucinations when surrounded by fog.
A cultivator who appeared to be in his forties clutched his chest and patted the cultivator in front of him: "Senior sister, I feel like there's something wrong with this fog."
The senior sister's cultivation was higher than his. She had been circulating her spiritual energy and walking ahead to scout the way, so she was less affected by the fog at this moment.
She frowned upon hearing this: "Something is wrong. Although our cultivation level isn't high, we are still cultivators, and we can see normally at night, but we can't see anything in this fog."
The cultivator in his forties raised his hand and pressed his temples: "Not only that, I also feel a little dizzy and nauseous."
Feeling dizzy and nauseous?
The senior female student pondered for a moment, then looked around: "Could this be miasma? Or is it poisonous?"
She took out two pills from her storage bag, one for herself and one for the cultivator in his forties: "These are detoxification pills, see if they work."
The two quickly swallowed the detoxifying pills. A moment later, the cultivator in his forties grabbed his senior sister's clothes and said, "I feel much better, senior sister, but could you help me cut down that tree next to us? It's too noisy."
Senior sister: ? Where's the tree over there?
...That's it!
*
In the afternoon, many cultivators poured spiritual energy into their tokens, abandoned the trial, and appeared outside the entrance to the dense forest.
Their cultivation level was only at the Qi Refining stage. As soon as they appeared outside the dense forest, they started vomiting, talking nonsense, and gesticulating wildly.
The Qingfeng Sect disciples who were standing by quickly stepped forward and fed them some cabbage soup.
The cabbage was provided by Li Chang'an. Although this soup cannot directly neutralize the poison in the mushroom spirits' spiritual power, it can alleviate discomfort in the human body.
The fungus spirits didn't intentionally poison the cultivators. The cultivators would be fine after leaving the misty area for a while, and after drinking the cabbage soup, they would recover in just a few minutes.
The monks sat by a tree not far away and discussed the situation in the dense forest.
“That fog is strange. It’s not miasma. Our sect’s Detoxification Pill can cure the poison of miasma, but it can’t cure the poison in the fog.”
"I feel like the symptoms are a bit like mushroom poisoning. My body feels like it has turned into boiled noodles, and I can even see some small mushrooms gathering together and talking."
“I…I actually saw my deceased parents. If I hadn’t been feeling really unwell, I wouldn’t have wanted to come out.”
The one who said this was a cultivator who had recently established his foundation.
The Qi Refining cultivator standing nearby was puzzled: "I'm not hallucinating, so why do you, with your higher cultivation levels, experience more severe symptoms?"
The cultivators immediately fell silent.
One of the cultivators pondered for a while and said, "After all, it's just a simulated secret realm trial. We can't really let someone die in there by accident, can we?"
The surrounding monks nodded in agreement.
...
That night, someone finally found the "Big Dipper" among the chaotic stars and emerged from the dense forest.
Zhao Yuqing and his fellow disciples were three of those who emerged from this group.
To the east of the dense forest lies an ordinary grove of trees, and to the west, a lake.
"Shall we rest here for a bit?" Zhao Yuqing suggested.
His fellow students all nodded.
The three of them untied the ribbons from their arms and walked to the lakeside. The junior sister washed her face, turned to look at Zhao Yuqing, and said, "If it weren't for the cabbage that senior brother brought to replenish our spiritual energy, we probably wouldn't have been able to get out of the dense forest."
The cabbage that Zhao Yuqing brought was a premium variety.
Half a month after the start of the cultivation competition, Li Chang'an sold another batch of vegetables, including spirit rice and spirit-grade vegetables.
Zhao Yuqing's parents, who lived far away in Xiadu, managed to snag some more for him and sent them over.
Zhao Yuqing had been keeping the spirit rice and vegetables in her storage bag, but because she lived in the disciple quarters assigned by the Qingfeng Sect, she never had the chance to cook them.
Today in the dense forest, they quickly sensed that something was wrong with the fog and hurriedly used their spiritual power to protect themselves. When their spiritual power was almost insufficient, Zhao Yuqing took out a spiritual-grade cabbage, tore off a leaf and shared it with her senior and junior brothers and sisters to replenish their spiritual power. Finally, they persevered and reached the exit of the dense forest.
Looking at the cabbage that had shrunk by more than half its original size, Zhao Yuqing sighed sadly, "Sigh, there's only this much left."
The junior sister stepped forward, looking apologetic, and said embarrassedly, "I'm sorry, senior brother, I ate too much."
Her cultivation level was low, only at the second stage of Qi Refining, so she ate the most cabbage.
Secondly, there was Zhao Yuqing's senior brother, who was only at the third level of Qi Refining, but he also ate quite a lot of cabbage.
"It's alright." Zhao Yuqing quickly waved her hand. "I don't blame you. After all, I couldn't just watch you run out of spiritual energy. Besides, we're all from the same sect, so helping each other is only right."
The senior brother asked, "Was that cabbage you bought from Li Chang'an?"
Zhao Yuqing was surprised: "Ah, senior brother, how did you know?"
The senior brother smiled and said, "It's not hard to guess. His dishes are very popular online. I saw many people say that they can improve their physical discomfort, so I guessed that they must have spiritual energy."
"After eating the cabbage you gave me today, I'm sure of it."
That's a high-grade spiritual cabbage, rich in spiritual energy, more than enough to replenish the spiritual power of cultivators in the Qi Refining stage.
After saying that, the senior brother smiled sheepishly and said, "Tell me next time he's selling vegetables, and I'll help you snatch some. If you manage to get any, it's yours."
Zhao Yuqing didn't stand on ceremony, nodded and smiled: "Okay, thank you, senior brother."
The three rested by the lake for a while and decided to spend the night there.
Even after midnight, the bright moon still hangs high in the sky.
Li Chang'an arrived in the dense forest, where one hundred and twenty mushroom spirits had already gathered together.
"Did you have fun?" Li Chang'an squatted down and asked.
"Gurgle~"
The fungal spirits answered.
The tone of her voice suggests she is happy.
Li Chang'an smiled.
After considering sponsoring this simulated secret realm trial, he asked the spirits.
The fungus spirits and tea spirits were very happy; in their eyes, this was a fun game between humans.
Mandrill readily agreed after Xie Ku Ling promised "all-you-can-eat shrimp and crab after the event."
Li Chang'an opened the two cat carriers and said, "Let's go, let's go. You've had a hard day. Go home and rest."
If the mushrooms squeeze together, they can fit in two cat bags.
A few cats, not wanting to squeeze into the cat carrier, climbed up Li Chang'an's body and sat on his head and shoulders.
Li Chang'an chuckled, picked up the cat carrier, and went to find the mandrill and the tea spirit.
“These days, the cultivators’ aptitude isn’t very good. It’s been a whole day and no one has even reached the East Sub-Peak where I am,” Tea Spirit shrugged and sighed.
"Isn't that great?" the mandrill said with a grin.
Its "work post" is not on the West Sub-peak; I haven't seen anyone there all day.
Tea essence sighed again.
He felt bad that he hadn't managed to prank anyone.
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Author's Note: Li Chang'an is taking a break in the next chapter and won't be appearing. The main characters will be the Tea Spirit and his test of humanity, so please purchase only if needed! [Hugs][Pat Head]
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