A substantial reward
At this moment, none of the people at the cave entrance knew of Ruan Qingyu's life-or-death crisis. Even Mo Wen, who was skilled in divination using the Qiankun hexagram, only knew that the journey was fraught with danger, but that survival would be the only outcome.
Yunyin, who had been patiently waiting in the corner, was becoming somewhat impatient. His ears twitched, and his gaze swept over Xuanjia beside him.
The man remained engrossed in his observation, clearly still monitoring them. Mo Wen, however, focused intently on his meditation after the man's arrival, giving them no glance whatsoever.
Yunyin's anxiety did not stem from himself, but from the fact that the originally peaceful aura within the consciousness contract was gradually weakening.
Even if it suddenly becomes stronger, it will immediately become weaker. It even appears and disappears intermittently. If it weren't for knowing that the contract was still in effect, Yun Yin would probably have rushed into the cave immediately.
It's fine to dismantle the Xuan Tian Sect's formation, but Ruan Qingyu absolutely cannot be harmed. Thinking this, Yun Yin's claws slid across the ground, instantly creating a considerable amount of sparks.
Even Mo Wen, who had been as still as a well, twitched slightly with his eyes closed.
On the sea, the tornado had a clear target, hurtling towards Ruan Qingyu. The surrounding seawater was swept straight into the sky, and it was no longer going to rain.
Instead, it was like a waterfall cascading over Ruan Qingyu's head, relentlessly crashing down on her.
Was this special challenge really not deliberately placed in a water-filled area because she was skilled with fire? Ruan Qingyu thought to herself, feeling somewhat helpless, but she still quickly began to think about how to break out of the current situation.
However, before she could come up with a proper solution, the first waterspout created by the giant turtle was already hurtling towards her, and the thunderous sound of the Wutongqin seemed to be suppressed by the massive storm.
The only sounds were faint rumbles of thunder amidst the wind and rain. But at that moment, these rumbles only served to accentuate the storm.
The spiritual energy that had been rapidly replenished through her cultivation technique was now quietly diminishing. Ruan Qingyu tried her best to envelop her entire body in spiritual energy, but she was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage after all.
The only option left was to find a way to kill the giant tortoise. However, she hadn't expected that the giant tortoise's second tactic would be completely different from the first.
It seems this special level is indeed not an easy one. If she were to rely solely on her cultivation level and techniques to force her way through, she would probably be worn down by this endless cycle of restarts.
The most urgent task was to break free from the tornado that was pressing down on her. With that thought, Ruan Qingyu reached out and wiped the rain off her face.
She also put away the Wutongqin (a type of zither). Previously, she had intended to use the zither to gain combat experience, but now, clearing the level was her priority.
At this moment, the giant tortoise beneath her feet seemed to have restrained her due to the waterspout and storm it had created, and no longer thought about how to shake her off. Instead, it chose to expose her to the storm, hoping that she would give up on her own.
As the 'ground' beneath her feet stabilized, red flames flashed in Ruan Qingyu's eyes. The Phoenix Divine Fire, which had previously hovered only between the Wutong Zither and the sound waves, was now released directly from Ruan Qingyu's hands.
From the size of a tiny flame, it gradually transformed into a gigantic fireball. Slowly, a pair of wings sprouted from within the fireball, and the wings unfurled.
As Ruan Qingyu continuously activated the Phoenix Divine Fire, the spiritual energy within her body was drained away at an ever-increasing rate. In return, a phoenix cry rang out, and a dazzling phoenix flew out from the fire.
It circled around Ruan Qingyu once, as if it had come to life, and after a moment of intimacy with her, it swept away the rainwater from her body.
At this moment, Ruan Qingyu felt her depleted spiritual energy return to her body as the phoenix approached. Her previously damp hair and face also became dry and comfortable again under the warm flames.
Ruan Qingyu's gaze followed the phoenix as it flew out, her eyes fixed on the rising phoenix as she said, "Go, break through this place."
And the phoenix lived up to her expectations, its cries gradually halting the waterspout that had been relentlessly ramming into Ruan Qingyu, making it difficult for it to get any closer.
Along with this area of the sea, the storm that had just struck near Ruan Qingyu gradually subsided until it stopped.
Looking at the sea that had finally returned to calm and the azure sky above, Ruan Qingyu clenched her fists. The most crucial moment had arrived; she could sense the phoenix's consciousness soaring into the distance.
Ruan Qingyu and the phoenix locked eyes, clearly seeing its target. High in the sky, the clouds gradually dispersed, revealing an eye that resembled a human eye at its very center.
It emitted a faint blue light, and within this blue halo, power continuously fell into the sea. At the same time, even more power fell onto the giant sea turtle, which Ruan Qingyu saw merge with the blue light.
Her body, which had been severely injured by the Phoenix Divine Fire, was recovering at a visible speed. Clearly, Ruan Qingyu had indeed injured the giant tortoise during the battle.
However, if this eye-like thing is not destroyed, she will never be able to destroy this giant turtle, and she will never be able to escape this sea.
Ruan Qingyu frowned and met the eyes. The phoenix raised its head slightly, and with a melodious cry, a fireball flew towards the eyes.
After one move, the phoenix simply opened its mouth and spewed flames continuously at the eye until the eye cracked open from the center.
The giant tortoise, which had mostly recovered and was about to attack Ruan Qingyu again, stopped once more. Like a puppet that had lost its core, it was lifeless.
High in the sky, the consciousness of Phoenix and Ruan Qingyu merged into one. The Phoenix Divine Fire shone even brighter, surpassing the sunlight over this sea area.
What awaited Ruan Qingyu was the gradual depletion of her spiritual energy, causing her to almost collapse to her knees. The phoenix in the sky flapped its wings, seemingly trying to retract its movement.
But after a momentary lapse in consciousness, Ruan Qingyu forced herself to continue attacking that eye. Below, a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of Ruan Qingyu's mouth.
This is the consequence of completely overdrawing spiritual power and causing the Phoenix Divine Fire to bloom.
This was a risky move, but Ruan Qingyu knew she had made the right gamble, through the phoenix's eyes. She watched as the single eye in the sky was gradually melted by divine fire, finally dissipating into the clouds.
With the sea breeze, the fragments of light from the one-eyed creature gradually drifted down onto Ruan Qingyu. Her previously exhausted body gradually regained its strength, while the phoenix formed from divine fire in the sky had vanished the moment it shattered the one-eyed creature.
As her consciousness returned to her body, Ruan Qingyu coughed violently. It took her a while to realize that the wounds she had sustained from fighting the giant tortoise and being tornadoed by the storm had all returned to normal.
Ruan Qingyu was momentarily stunned, but quickly stood up. The next moment, the surrounding environment changed again.
In the blink of an eye, Ruan Qingyu found herself back at the place where she had agreed to attempt the special challenge.
"Am I back?" Ruan Qingyu was somewhat dazed, and instinctively reached out and grabbed at something in front of her. The spiritual energy within her body was even more active than before she entered the trial.
Her thoughts gradually returned, her expression a mix of joy and sorrow, finally settling on happiness. She had initially thought that forcibly exhausting her spiritual energy to break the deadlock would damage her meridians.
However, after her consciousness had just returned from its initial state, she was not only unharmed, but her control over spiritual energy had become even more refined, a stark contrast to Ruan Qingyu, who was initially somewhat unfamiliar with the Phoenix Divine Fire.
Feeling the lingering throbbing in her heart, she finally realized that she was the phoenix. Before, she had mostly regarded the phoenix divine fire as a high-level spiritual object, a powerful means to deal with enemies.
After this ordeal, and through merging with the consciousness of the Phoenix Divine Flame, she realized that it was originally hers. She no longer needed to be bound by any particular techniques to use the Phoenix Divine Flame.
Engraved within his bloodline was the direction of the Phoenix Ancestral Land. The red light flashed, seemingly reacting to Ruan Qingyu's recent change in state of mind.
While Ruan Qingyu was somewhat stunned, a familiar voice came from the cave again: "Congratulations to disciple Ruan Qingyu for passing the special test. The reward for this test is 1,000 contribution points, 1,000 high-grade spirit stones, a bottle of healing pills, three times the chance to copy the cultivation techniques in the library, three disciple tokens, and a Qianjue Illusionary Realm artifact."
As the words fell, a yellow halo slowly appeared before Ruan Qingyu's eyes. Instinctively, Ruan Qingyu reached out and caught the handful of yellow light.
When the yellow halo dissipated, what fell into Ruan Qingyu's eyes was a storage bag and three tokens.
Looking at the unfamiliar token, Ruan Qingyu guessed that this was the token for a registered disciple. As for the other items, she guessed they were all put into her storage bag. She hadn't expected the rewards for this special level to be so generous; a smile crept onto Ruan Qingyu's face.
After thinking for a moment, Ruan Qingyu did not directly check the contents of the storage bag, but instead put them into her bracelet first.
Seemingly noticing Ruan Qingyu's actions, she was teleported away the next moment.
When her eyes lit up, the first thing Ruan Qingyu felt was a wave of heat hitting her face. Looking closer, she realized that Yun Yin had pounced on her.
The black leopard was taller than her when it stood up. It usually walked on all fours, so it was hard to tell its size. But now, with Yun Yin perched on her shoulder, Ruan Qingyu felt as if the black leopard weighed a ton.
Fortunately, Yun Yin only paused for a breath before sliding off her. He then stopped at Ruan Qingyu's feet, but in his mind he said, "You've been inside for three days, and these two elders outside have been waiting for three days."
Yun Yin's voice contained both joy at seeing Ruan Qingyu and obvious impatience with the two of them. Ruan Qingyu was somewhat surprised, as Yun Yin usually ignored outsiders completely, and it was rare for him to show such impatience when alone with them.
"Ruan Qingyu, congratulations on successfully passing this special intermediate level." Mo Wen's fondness for Ruan Qingyu was very obvious, and his smile was even more affectionate than when he was with other disciples.
Such promising talents should naturally be properly appeased by the sect. It would be a bad thing if they went astray and ran off to other sects.
Xuan Jia glanced at Yun Yin before focusing his attention on Ruan Qingyu. This disciple was indeed quite good, exactly as Mo Wen had described.
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