Chapter 69 Simulated Secret Realm Trial (Part 2) Tea Essence...
It was a quiet night.
Most cultivators chose to find a place to meditate, cultivate, and replenish their spiritual energy; no one chose to venture out at night.
As dawn broke, the cultivators hidden in the corners of the forest began to continue their trials.
Zhao Yuqing and the other two also left the lake and stepped into the woods to the east.
They slept well that night, and in the morning Zhao Yuqing even cooked some spirit-grade cabbage and spirit rice to make porridge for her senior brothers and sisters, so all three of them were in good spirits.
After walking through the ordinary grove of trees, we came to a high slope.
The junior sister turned her head and glanced at the dense forest, then suddenly exclaimed, "Huh? Yesterday it seemed like such a large forest, but now it doesn't look that big at all."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuqing and her senior brother turned around and stood on a high point, where they could see the entire dense forest.
Yesterday, I felt like I couldn't find my way out of this place, but now I can see the whole thing at a glance, and I can even see the figures of the elders at the entrance.
Now that the fog has lifted, the golden sunlight has gilded the leaves with a golden film, and the entire dense forest is peaceful and serene.
The three of them smiled at each other and continued climbing.
*
The route the monks received was to traverse the four secondary peaks in the west, north, east, and south in sequence.
There are no spirits or monsters on the North Sub-Peak, but the Xie family ancestors left an array on it to change the terrain. When the cultivators walked across a mountain wall, the wall suddenly broke apart, revealing a cave with a bottomless black pool inside.
There was another formation in the black pool, and water arrows gathered and attacked them.
These water arrows are different from those of the Spirit Void Fish; they have actual lethality.
Because the pool contains the scales of the spirit beast Black Dragon, which carry its spiritual power, it dislikes people approaching its territory and thus incites the pool water to launch an attack.
It wasn't until the third day of the simulated secret realm trial that anyone reached the East Sub-Peak.
Five cultivators arrived at an open forest. One of them, a white-clad female cultivator who looked to be in her thirties or forties, helped another injured female cultivator lean against a large rock.
The injured female cultivator had her entire left chest pierced through, blood staining half of her clothes, and her face was deathly pale.
She looked at a male cultivator in blue robes ahead with a pained expression.
The blue-robed male cultivator looked reluctant and knelt down to transfer some spiritual energy to the female cultivator.
He withdrew his hand after only a little while, and said apologetically, "Xiao Xuan, I'm sorry, my spiritual power was exhausted when I was dealing with those water arrows."
The female cultivator was taken aback, her voice weak: "Really?"
The man in blue looked apologetic, his eyes earnest: "Why would I lie to you?"
The female cultivator remained silent, her expression somewhat bewildered.
The male cultivator in blue was the female cultivator's Daoist partner. The two looked to be only in their thirties, but in reality, they were over eighty years old and had just reached the Foundation Establishment stage.
They had been married for over forty years; how could she possibly doubt the man beside her?
"What's going on?" a voice came from not far away.
The five of them quickly looked over and saw a cultivator wearing the Linglan Sect uniform.
This cultivator looked to be only in his thirties or forties, yet he had no wounds on his body and was not as disheveled as they were.
A hint of apprehension flashed across the blue-clad male cultivator's eyes.
None of them spoke, but the Linglan Sect cultivator slowly walked over.
Upon seeing the injured female cultivator leaning against a large rock, the cultivator was startled and wanted to step forward: "Your injuries are quite severe, I can heal you..."
The blue-robed male cultivator reached out and stopped him, saying, "Fellow Daoist, you are a disciple of the Linglan Sect, right? Why are there no other Linglan Sect members with you?"
The Linglan Sect cultivator blinked and said seriously, "The trial is so dangerous that they have naturally forfeited."
"Really?" The blue-robed male cultivator still didn't believe it. "Fellow Daoist, you came from the Black Pool, right? And you're completely unharmed?"
All five of them were injured to varying degrees.
The Linglan Sect cultivator chuckled, glanced at the blue-robed male cultivator, and said, "Because my cultivation is higher than yours."
"you!"
The Linglan Sect cultivator looked at the female cultivator behind him and said with concern, "This female cultivator is seriously injured. If she doesn't receive timely treatment, she might die."
He frowned and sighed, "Sigh, you're stopping me from asking so many questions because you don't want me to save your companion?"
“Yes.” The white-robed female cultivator’s tone hardened, and her gaze towards the blue-robed male cultivator became somewhat fierce: “Cheng Fan, this cultivator has already said he can save Xiao Xuan, why aren’t you in a hurry at all, instead you keep stopping him and questioning him?!”
"If it weren't for your mistake, Xiao Xuan's teleportation token wouldn't have fallen into the black pool, preventing her from leaving and making it impossible for the people of the Cultivation Alliance to realize that she was seriously injured!"
"I..." The blue-robed male cultivator's heart tightened, and when he met the injured female cultivator's gaze, he was suddenly startled.
The Linglan Sect cultivator ignored him, walked straight over, squatted down in front of the injured female cultivator, and raised his hand to heal her wounds.
A green light appeared in her palm, accompanied by a faint aroma of tea. The wound that pierced through the heart of the injured female cultivator gradually healed, and her skin was completely intact, showing no signs of injury.
The injured female cultivator's complexion improved significantly, regaining its color.
She looked at the Linglan Sect cultivator, scrutinizing him closely, and saw pure goodwill in his eyes.
She murmured, "Thank you."
The Linglan Sect cultivator smiled slightly, "You're welcome."
The blue-robed male cultivator quickly stepped forward and explained, "Xiao Xuan, I was just worried that these Linglan Sect disciples had ill intentions and might try to harm us."
They had encountered this before; disciples from two rival sects met outside the dense forest and started fighting, even to the point of killing each other.
If it weren't for the timely arrival of the Cultivation Alliance members to take them away, one of them would probably be dead.
The blue-robed male cultivator spoke with increasing self-righteousness: "I'm just worried..."
The injured female cultivator raised her head, tears welling in her eyes, and interrupted him: "You worry about everything, but you don't worry about whether I will die."
The blue-robed male cultivator frowned: "I'm doing this for everyone's sake. If this person attacks us, you won't be the only one who gets hurt. Besides, the Cultivation Alliance is always supervising us during the trial. If you're really in mortal danger, they'll naturally come and take you away."
The Linglan Sect cultivator glanced at the two and quickly said, "Wait a moment. If I really wanted to attack you, I would have done so when you arrived and were caught off guard."
He is a good "person" who doesn't hurt others.
The injured female cultivator gave a self-deprecating laugh: "Yes. It's just that in your eyes, I'm not that important."
Having survived the Black Pool ordeal, the five of them had almost exhausted their spiritual energy and physical strength. If the Linglan Sect cultivators truly had malicious intentions, they would have already made their move.
The blue-robed male cultivator clenched his fists, glared angrily at the Linglan Sect cultivator, but had nothing to say.
Then, he looked at the injured female cultivator with some displeasure: "Xiao Xuan, don't be willful."
He didn't understand. He was clearly thinking of his teammates, so why couldn't she understand him?
The injured female cultivator turned her head away and didn't speak, clearly still angry.
The blue-robed male cultivator stared at the injured female cultivator, and the atmosphere between them suddenly became somewhat tense.
The female cultivator in white was somewhat embarrassed. She got up and led the Linglan Sect cultivators to a tree to the side.
She clasped her hands in a gesture of respect and said, "Thank you, fellow Daoist, for saving my friend."
The Linglan Sect cultivator waved his hand and laughed, "It's alright, we're all cultivators, we help each other out."
The female cultivator in white smiled and nodded.
She turned around and saw that the blue-robed male cultivator and the injured female cultivator were still in the same state as before, neither of them speaking, and they were giving each other the cold shoulder.
The female cultivator in white sighed.
*
After resting for an hour, the group of five, along with the "Linglan Sect" cultivator, continued their ascent up the mountain.
Within minutes, the six of them saw a spirit tea tree.
The spiritual tea tree is quite old, very tall, with a thick trunk, a round crown, and glossy green leaves. More importantly, it exudes a rich spiritual aura.
The blue-robed male cultivator exclaimed in surprise, "This dilapidated Qingfeng Sect actually has such spiritual plants rich in spiritual energy!"
Another male cultivator sneered, "This Qingfeng Sect, I really don't know whether to call them arrogant or stupid, actually leaving this spirit tea tree here without even hiding it."
The blue-robed male cultivator smiled and said, "The secret realms of the past weren't just dangerous; they also offered various opportunities. Perhaps the Qingfeng Sect wanted to perfectly recreate it, and bringing out this spirit tea tree would also demonstrate their strength."
"Look!" The injured female cultivator pointed to the tree canopy. "Those tea leaves are glowing."
The group looked in the direction she was pointing and indeed saw many tea leaves emitting a faint golden light.
The blue-robed male cultivator's eyes lit up: "Those tea leaves must be of good quality."
As he spoke, he rose into the air and arrived at the glowing tea leaves, extending his hand.
However, the tea leaves withered and decayed the moment he touched them.
"What's going on?!" the blue-robed male cultivator exclaimed in surprise.
At this moment, the Linglan Sect cultivator who had been silent for a while spoke up: "Fellow Daoist, are you a cultivator with a golden spiritual root?"
The blue-robed male cultivator nodded. "I have both metal and earth spiritual roots."
The Linglan Sect cultivator stroked his chin, looking thoughtful: "I've read in some books that the picking of immortal plants is based on the five elements' mutual restraint. This tea tree belongs to the wood element, and metal restrains wood. Fellow Daoist has a metal spiritual root, so naturally you cannot pick it."
Of the five people present, besides the male cultivator in blue, the female cultivator in white also possessed a golden spiritual root, making it impossible for her to harvest the fruit.
The other two male cultivators were delighted and said, "We don't have a golden spiritual root."
After saying that, the two flew up to the treetop and reached out to pluck a small, glowing tea leaf.
The tea leaves are fine; they haven't withered.
A male cultivator immediately absorbed the spiritual energy from the glowing tea leaves and exclaimed excitedly, "This spiritual energy is so rich! Just one leaf has replenished some of the spiritual energy I just consumed!"
They had almost exhausted their spiritual energy at the Black Pool, and it wasn't something that an hour of meditation could fully restore.
This is definitely a great product!
The two male cultivators quickly picked a lot and put them into their storage bags.
Seeing how fast they were moving, and worried that the spirit tea leaves would be picked all, the injured female cultivator quickly flew up to the treetop and began picking.
The Linglan Sect cultivator smiled and flew to the top of the spirit tea tree to pick tea leaves.
Within minutes, the four of them had plucked all the glowing tea leaves from the tall spirit tea tree.
The cultivators of the "Linglan Sect" were highly skilled, and even though they were the last to climb the tree, they picked the most.
He happily placed the glowing tea leaves into his storage bag, then smiled and asked the white-robed female cultivator standing beside him:
"You didn't get any spirit tea leaves, how about I give you some?"
The white-robed female cultivator decisively shook her head: "No need, I have a golden spiritual root and am not destined for this spiritual tea."
The Linglan Sect disciple nodded with a smile and said, "Alright."
The two male cultivators also found a place to meditate, absorbing the spiritual energy from the tea leaves to replenish their spiritual power.
"It's getting late, let's rest here," the injured female cultivator suggested.
Nighttime is always fraught with danger, especially since they had just obtained the spirit tea leaves. If they continued on their way before their spiritual energy was fully restored, they would be utterly powerless if other cultivators tried to seize their spiritual treasures.
The female cultivator in white nodded and sat down to the side.
The injured female cultivator then looked at the disciple from the "Linglan Sect": "Fellow Daoist, would you like to come with us?"
The Linglan Sect disciple naturally agreed: "I have no objection."
The injured female cultivator smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.
The crowd gathered around the tall spirit tea tree, some meditating and resting, others closing their eyes to relax.
As night deepened, the moon disappeared behind the clouds.
The woods were very quiet; not a single insect chirp or bird call could be heard.
In the darkness, someone opened their eyes and silently rose by circulating their spiritual energy.
"Thud—" The sound of a sharp sword piercing flesh rang out.
The moon emerged from the clouds, and the white-robed female cultivator suddenly opened her eyes. With the help of the moonlight and the cultivator's night vision, she could see the scene before her with perfect clarity.
Her friend—the injured female cultivator—held a sword, the blade piercing the heart of the "Linglan Sect" disciple.
The Linglan Sect disciple stared wide-eyed at the person before him, seemingly never expecting that the person he had saved would take advantage of his rest and lack of vigilance to attack him.
"Xiao Xuan! What are you doing!" The white-robed female cultivator quickly got up and stepped forward.
The next second, two figures grabbed her from the left and right, preventing her from going forward.
"Mo Lingran! Don't ruin our plans!" one of the male cultivators hissed.
The white-robed female cultivator's arms were restrained, and her spiritual power had not yet fully recovered. However, the two fellow disciples beside her used spiritual tea leaves to restore all their spiritual power, making it easy for them to suppress her.
Unable to move, she watched as the injured female cultivator in front of her sheathed her sword and then used her spiritual power to strike the crown of the "Linglan Sect" disciple with her palm.
The body of the Linglan Sect disciple collapsed, his eyes wide open in death.
The next second, the blue-robed male cultivator stepped forward and snatched the storage bag from the waist of the "Linglan Sect" disciple.
"Hmph." He snorted smugly.
"So what if we pick a lot? We're the ones who benefit."
"You..." The white-robed female cultivator stared in astonishment, then suddenly began to struggle, channeling all her spiritual energy: "Are you all insane?! The Alliance forbade killing!"
The blue-robed male cultivator walked up to her: "With so many people participating in the trial, can the Alliance members and elders manage them all?"
“Look,” the blue-robed man pointed to the corpse of the Linglan Sect disciple, “he’s dead. Have the Alliance people come out? Have the Linglan Sect elders arrived?”
The two male cultivators who had restrained the white-robed female cultivator also each struck her back with a palm.
The white-clad female cultivator lay on the ground, glaring resentfully at the three male cultivators, then looking in bewilderment at the silent, injured female cultivator beside her.
She coughed up blood and said, "Xiao Xuan, he saved you..."
How could you kill the person who saved you with your own hands?!
The injured female cultivator trembled, her voice trembling with sobs: "But Cheng Fan didn't have any spirit tea leaves, and that person picked most of them. We didn't get many!"
The white-clad female cultivator looked disappointed.
It wasn't the first day she met her, but it was also the first day she truly got to know her.
"Mo Lingran." The blue-robed male cultivator sneered, "Although we are from the same sect, your current reaction makes me worry that you will report us to the Alliance later."
“So,” he raised his hand, channeling his spiritual energy, “I’m sorry.”
As the palm struck down, the white-robed female cultivator closed her eyes in despair.
However, a faint aroma of tea wafted through the air.
The corpse of the Linglan Sect disciple lying on the ground slowly stood up, looked at the scene in front of him, and smiled slightly.
"He...he...he..." The injured female cultivator stammered incoherently, her legs giving way as she sat down on the ground.
The three male cultivators also looked at the "Linglan Sect" disciple in horror.
"Sigh," the disciple sighed, "you've failed this trial."
The four stared wide-eyed, before they could say anything, a bright green light suddenly appeared before their eyes. They felt dizzy and collapsed to the ground in the next instant.
The female cultivator in white only had time to catch a glimpse of green light before she too fainted amidst the aroma of tea.
When I opened my eyes again, it was broad daylight.
The four fellow disciples had completely forgotten what happened last night, and some were even mentally unstable with splitting headaches. They were taken away directly by the people from the Cultivation Alliance.
The white-robed female cultivator remained lying on the ground, watching this scene with a complex expression. When she moved to get up, she found something extra in her hand.
She quickly looked over and found that it was a small handful of dried tea leaves, exuding a refreshing tea aroma.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Tea Essence: What a coincidence!
And, the tea spirit said that "the picking of immortal plants follows the principle of the five elements' mutual restraint," which seems to be a bit of a veiled criticism [laughing and crying with face covered], but nobody noticed, and everyone was still calling it "spiritual tea, spiritual tea" one after another.
Tea essence is depressed
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