Chapter 70, the Simulated Secret Realm Trial (Part 2), has ended...
The trials at the East Sub-Peak eliminated many people.
The moment the cultivators stepped into the area where the tea essence resided, they entered his illusion.
The sect elders were unable to see the specific details of the tea essence trial, and those who failed the trial came out with their heads hanging low, none of them speaking.
Some elders went up to ask the cultivators, only to find that some had forgotten what happened during the trial on the East Sub-Peak, while others remembered but were unwilling to mention it.
An elder asked Xie Kuling, who simply said, "It's a good thing for them not to remember things that would harm a disciple's moral character."
What kind of things can be considered to harm one's moral compass?
That would definitely make the disciples feel guilty, and might even cause them to develop inner demons.
The elders who went to ask fell silent for a moment.
When their own disciple did something wrong, they didn't know what to say.
It seems that we'll need to focus on educating these disciples who have lost their memory when we get back.
Those who passed the trial received a small handful of spirit tea leaves as a gift from the tea spirit.
The tea leaves are rich in spiritual energy, which can be used to refine pills, and can also be absorbed to replenish spiritual energy and increase cultivation.
They carefully put it away and continued on their way.
*
The cultivators went through several more formations, such as the Falling Rock Formation and the Maze Formation. These formations also contained items left behind by the spirit beasts that Qingfeng Sect used to raise, making them dangerous. Some disciples were unable to overcome the challenges and ran out of spirit tea leaves to replenish their spiritual energy, so they chose to give up the trial.
On the last day of the simulated secret realm trial, only thirty-seven cultivators remained on the mountain.
The mandrill guards the south secondary peak, in a grove of trees halfway up the mountain.
Eleven cultivators arrived first. They met outside and looked at the dark entrance to the forest ahead. Someone suggested, "Why don't we go in together?"
The experience of the previous three mountains had left them somewhat exhausted. In their decades or even centuries of cultivation, they had never encountered so many dangerous situations.
Therefore, as soon as this person made the suggestion, the others quickly nodded in agreement.
Even a few lone cultivators readily agreed.
The eleven people cautiously entered the woods, constantly watching their step, as the previous formations that altered the terrain had caused them to suddenly fall, making them difficult to defend against.
After walking in the woods for a while, the monks suddenly heard a tiger's roar.
"Are there tigers on Qingfeng Sect's mountain?" someone couldn't help but ask.
"You are all cultivators, why would you be afraid of an ordinary tiger?"
"What if this... isn't an ordinary tiger?"
The group fell silent.
Having experienced those formations before, they couldn't help but wonder if the Qingfeng Sect had once raised a tiger-like spirit beast. Perhaps the beast's fur and bones were still there, waiting to be used to strike them with its remaining spiritual power when they passed by.
They slowed their pace and observed their surroundings more cautiously.
A rogue cultivator at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment twitched his ears, as if he had noticed some sound coming from a corner of the woods.
He quickly turned his head and saw a giant tiger pouncing towards him.
"Damn! Everyone guessed right!" The rogue cultivator dodged, drew his sword from his waist, and thrust it towards the giant tiger.
However, before the sword tip could even touch the giant tiger, its figure vanished instantly, only to pounce again from the other side the next second.
This time, a cultivator was unable to dodge in time and was grabbed on the shoulder by the giant tiger's claw, resulting in a bloody scratch.
All the cultivators were taken aback.
This giant tiger looked like a blur, but it could actually cause real damage!
The cultivators were now on high alert, taking out all sorts of magical artifacts and treasures to fight the giant tiger.
No one noticed that atop a tree stood a small, monkey-like creature with a blue face and black fur.
It was a mandrill.
The mountain demon's cultivation level was only slightly lower than that of the tea spirit and the Xuan Tang tree, but it was still at the Nascent Soul stage. The giant tiger it conjured was also highly skilled, and these cultivators, who were at most at the fifth level of Foundation Establishment, were no match for it.
Within minutes, all the cultivators in the woods were injured.
Some people had wounds so deep that bone was visible, and their faces were as white as paper; they could die at any moment.
The cultivator alliance staff who were guarding the area nearby quickly flew over and took the cultivator away.
The other cultivators felt a pang of anxiety seeing the somber expressions on the faces of the alliance members.
Upon seeing this, the mandrill raised its hand and scratched its head.
Oh no, I think I went too far.
The mandrill hesitated for a moment, then raised its hand and put away the giant tiger.
The cultivators in the woods were all stunned as they watched the giant tiger's figure disappear.
How did the giant tiger disappear?
They looked at each other, but dared not lower their guard. After leaving the original spot, they found a cave, sat together, and meditated to recover.
The disciple, who was from the same sect as the seriously injured cultivator, trembled and hesitated before taking out his token.
His fellow disciples, seeing this, were somewhat surprised: "You're about to reach the finish line, are you going to give up?"
The disciple's eyes welled up with tears as he looked up at his fellow disciple: "But, but it was too dangerous. Just now, Liu Jia..."
This giant tiger was the most dangerous trial they had ever faced.
They could generally handle the spiritual energy inherent in the items left behind by the previous spirit beasts, but this giant tiger seemed to leave them only able to take hits.
At this moment, all ten cultivators were at least at the Foundation Establishment Stage 3.
In the Cangxuan Realm, where spiritual energy is scarce, they are all among the best, but when faced with that giant tiger, they are powerless to resist, like tiny insects.
They dared not imagine that if that giant tiger could unleash its oppressive power, they would all be forced to lie on the ground, helplessly waiting to die.
"No, don't be afraid, Liu Jia won't die." His fellow disciple reached out and held his hand. "Don't forget, there are elders, staff from the Cultivation Alliance, and even Lord Yuheng and Lord Tianxuan around. They won't let us die."
The fellow disciple paused for a moment, then said, "At most, it'll just hurt a little."
The monk gave a wry smile.
He's just afraid of pain.
But looking at the token he was clutching tightly in his hand, the cultivator took a deep breath and put it away.
Oh well, this is a rare opportunity, and I won't die, so what's there to be afraid of?
Only abstain when absolutely necessary.
After resting for a while, the group saw two more groups of people passing by.
The two groups of people came in from different directions in the woods and did not encounter the giant tiger.
Hearing their seniors talk about the battle with the giant tiger, and seeing the various injuries on their bodies, the group of people looked somewhat flustered.
A rogue cultivator, bandaging himself, glanced at them and said, "What's the panic? The Qingfeng Sect won't let us really die here."
An injured disciple of the Lian Tian Sect said, "The giant tiger has already retreated, and we don't know if it will come back. If you all want to pass this trial, you should leave here as soon as possible."
The two groups looked at each other, hesitating whether they really wanted to leave.
The white-clad female cultivator, Mo Lingran, was among the group that followed. She frowned and said, "That giant tiger is in this forest. If we leave, which way can we make sure we don't encounter it?"
"Or rather, since that giant tiger is part of the trial, why do you all think it will spare us alone?"
A group of people widened their eyes, feeling that what she said made a lot of sense.
Along the way, they briefly exchanged their experiences and found that even though they went in different directions, they still encountered the exact same trial challenges.
Therefore, the giant tiger in this forest is definitely something they can't avoid.
Mo Lingran added, "I just used my spiritual power to sense that there are only us people nearby."
"Why don't we unite? More people means more hope. We can also discuss whether there are any countermeasures."
The crowd fell silent; no one spoke.
The cultivators who had previously fought the giant tiger watched them with great interest, wanting to see what choice they would make.
A moment later, a disciple of the Liantian Sect glanced at his injured fellow disciple, stepped forward and said, "As a cultivator of the Liantian Sect, there is absolutely no reason for me to abandon my fellow disciple. I will stay and stay with you."
He started it, and several Lian Tian Sect disciples behind him quickly nodded in agreement: "Yes, we'll stay."
Among the injured cultivators were also people from other sects.
Seeing the Lian Tian Sect's actions, the disciples from other sects also stepped forward to express their determination not to abandon their fellow disciples.
The group of independent cultivators found the scene amusing, but none of them said they wanted to leave.
And so, the group stayed behind, standing guard at the cave entrance so that the injured cultivators could rest and recuperate safely inside.
Zhao Yuqing and his fellow disciples were also among this group of people, and they had the lowest cultivation levels among all the cultivators present.
Seeing that the injured seniors all looked like they were about to run out of spiritual energy, Zhao Yuqing hesitated for a moment, but still took out the last spiritual-grade Chinese cabbage and spiritual-grade bok choy from her storage bag, as well as a small handful of spiritual tea leaves given by the tea essence.
"Seniors, please eat something to replenish your spiritual energy. Only when your spiritual energy is fully restored can we hope to get out of here together."
His fellow disciples also took out spirit tea leaves from their storage bags.
The ten injured men were all taken aback.
They stared at the three of them in surprise, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside them.
After a long while, one of the rogue cultivators chuckled and said, "I have my own tea leaves; I don't need you three juniors' help."
As soon as he finished speaking, the injured cultivators around him smiled and said, "Yes, we have some too."
Zhao Yuqing's junior sister pursed her lips and said, "But it definitely won't be enough, will it?"
Or perhaps they've already used it up, otherwise their spiritual power wouldn't still be so weak and not fully recovered.
The injured monks also fell silent.
Junior Sister Zhao Yuqing was right.
In order to get through the formation, this group of people had used up the spiritual tea leaves they had obtained, and now they either had none left or very few.
Zhao Yuqing smiled and stepped forward to put down the spirit-grade cabbage, spirit-grade bok choy, and spirit tea leaves in her hand: "I'll leave the things here, seniors, please accept them."
His junior sister and senior brother also stepped forward and put down the spirit tea leaves.
The injured Lian Tian Sect cultivator looked at the items in front of him and said, "We all know how to obtain spirit tea leaves, but this cabbage and bok choy..."
He had already sensed the rich spiritual energy emanating from the spiritual-grade Chinese cabbage and spiritual-grade bok choy.
Zhao Yuqing thought for a moment and explained, "Actually, I bought this at Li Chang'an's Immortal Mountain Farm before. It's a spiritual-grade vegetable, and it's more expensive, 98 yuan per catty."
Given the current popularity of Li Chang'an's vegetables, cultivators will eventually find out that spiritual vegetables are rich in spiritual energy, so there's no point in him hiding it.
Those around were shocked when they heard this.
"Li Chang'an sold it?"
"Only ninety-eight yuan per jin?"
Spiritual vegetables rich in spiritual energy sell for 98 yuan per catty, which is not expensive at all, but rather very cheap!
Zhao Yuqing nodded: "Yes."
The monks fell silent.
The elders watching from outside also fell silent.
How should I put it? At first, I thought Li Chang'an was just fooling around by wanting to farm in Xuanling Immortal Mountain. But when I found out that he was farming to worship the mountain god, I just let him be, since we couldn't beat him anyway.
Now, Li Chang'an has cultivated spiritual vegetables rich in spiritual energy, which can replenish spiritual power and perhaps even increase cultivation level...
My face hurts so much.
With everyone's thoughts in turmoil, the injured Lian Tian Sect disciple coughed lightly and changed the subject: "You seem to have quite a lot of spirit tea leaves left."
Zhao Yuqing explained, "These past few days we've been replenishing our spiritual energy by eating Chinese cabbage and bok choy; we haven't touched the spirit tea leaves."
He scratched his head: "The spiritual energy in the tea leaves is more than that in cabbage or bok choy. We originally wanted to save it for last."
Zhao Yuqing's junior sister said, "The three of us have low cultivation levels, so we'll need the protection of the seniors later."
The injured men chuckled upon hearing this.
Knowing that the other cultivators were too embarrassed to accept the gifts, the disciple from the Liantian Sect took some of the spirit tea that Zhao Yuqing had given him: "Then thank you very much, junior brother. Please don't stand on ceremony, everyone. Just take good care of our Liantian Sect's junior disciples later."
His words prompted the initially hesitant cultivators to begin their own activities.
Each person was given a few pieces of cabbage and bok choy, and even eating them raw allowed them to absorb a considerable amount of spiritual energy, gradually filling their dantian with spiritual power.
While the remaining cultivators rested there, the mountain demon held up his phone and sent a message to Li Chang'an asking what to do later.
Li Chang'an and Tianxuan were nearby.
He pondered for a moment, then replied, "They'll be working together from now on. Let's wait until they can hold out for about an hour before we call it a day."
Seeing that Li Chang'an didn't say it had gone too far, the mandrill felt relieved.
...
After resting, the monks headed together toward the center of the forest.
Zhao Yuqing and her three senior brothers and sisters had low cultivation levels and were surrounded by other Foundation Establishment stage cultivators.
Not long after they left, they heard a tiger's roar, and the giant tiger reappeared!
The cultivators lined up to meet the enemy, and various spells, sword lights, and the shadow of a giant tiger flashed in the forest.
The time it takes for an incense stick to burn quickly passed.
All the cultivators were injured. Mo Lingran, the female cultivator in white, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and, together with several other rogue cultivators beside her, channeled their spiritual energy and flew towards the giant tiger.
However, just as the figures of the group were about to collide with the giant tiger, the giant tiger turned into specks of light and disappeared.
The group landed on the ground and looked around warily.
After all, the injured cultivators had said that the same thing had happened just now; the giant tiger had suddenly disappeared for some unknown reason.
However, as the group remained on edge, a voice came from deep within the woods: "You can leave now."
The monks were taken aback.
“This…” The cultivators helped each other up and looked at each other.
"Can we really go now?"
The voice became somewhat urgent, saying, "Hurry up and go, you've passed the test."
"You passed the test?"
"Yes, we passed!"
A thunderous cheer erupted from the woods.
"Great, we passed!"
"No more beatings! We can go to the finish line now!"
The monks chatted merrily in the woods, and the pain from their injuries seemed less intense in their joy of passing the test.
They bandaged their wounds and continued walking.
The journey that followed was short; after passing through the forest, we arrived at the training ground on the South Sub-Peak, where the simulated secret realm trial came to an end.
A total of 36 people successfully passed the trial.
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