Trial Realm
Ruan Qingyu was unaware that her practiced actions were seen by others as a symbol of absolute confidence and strength.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Lü Liangke thought that she was unwilling. He was about to say something more when he suddenly heard her speak.
“We all come from the Ruan family, so it’s natural for us to help each other. If we live nearby in the future, you’re welcome to come and discuss things together.” Ruan Qingyu had some misunderstandings about Lü Liangke in her previous life, but now she felt that Lü Liangke was very straightforward and could be trusted for the time being.
Upon hearing this, Lü Liangke was overjoyed. Then, however, he felt a little awkward, not expecting that after pondering all the way, he would get the answer so quickly.
"If you need anything in the future, you can come to me. More people always mean more solutions," Lü Liangke added after hesitating for a while.
Ruan Qingyu simply smiled faintly at this.
The reason was that after the many Ruan family disciples gathered outside the spirit boat, they were gently transported outside by the spirit boat with a stream of spiritual energy.
Looking up again, she saw the Xuan Tian Sect mountain, which was extremely familiar to Ruan Qingyu. However, the guiding elder who should have come in her previous life was nowhere to be seen.
Seeing this, Ruan Qingyu hesitated for a moment before looking at Zhang Zitao, who was waiting for the message talisman at the front. He had been standing there casually, but his expression changed drastically after receiving the message talisman.
It was clear that the content was very serious; perhaps it was a new requirement from the sect? Ruan Qingyu secretly speculated, feeling somewhat bewildered by this situation, which was so different from her previous life.
Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Xuan Tian Sect, a group of junior and intermediate elders were talking. This was because the quality of the disciples entering the sect this year seemed to be higher than in previous years.
"Why are you looking so gloomy? Wasn't it you who made the calculations? If there were one more person, we could have done a new selection?" A mid-level elder looked at Elder Mo Wen, who had a full head of white hair but a very young face, standing beside him.
Although Elder Mo Wen's cultivation was only at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, his progress was slow due to his exceptional divination skills and his cultivation of the Dao of Cause and Effect.
However, in this Dingzhou region, no cultivator dared to underestimate him. This was because, even a casual calculation with his fingers, though not comparable to the Heavenly Dao, could still reveal many mysteries.
"I'm so upset. I clearly calculated that we wouldn't need to re-select this year. How did this new variable suddenly appear, and I can't even figure out whether it's good or bad?" Mo Wen scratched his head with one hand and grabbed his beard with the other, looking utterly miserable.
Upon hearing this, Elder Tianshui, standing next to Mo Wen, glanced at him and said, "You're worrying unnecessarily. I think you've confused yourself with your divination. You previously said that since one person was missing, we should proceed as before, but the sect would face a life-or-death crisis. Now that the divination has changed, doesn't that mean the life-or-death crisis has also changed?"
Immediately, the other elders nodded in agreement. Their faces showed a mixture of disbelief and unwavering conviction. Only after Mo Wen's divination revealed the change did the elders finally relax.
After all, they had cultivated in the Xuantian Sect for many years, and if something happened to the sect, they, as elders, would not be able to escape responsibility.
"Hurry up and go guide the new disciples so we can open the testing realm. Otherwise, if we delay any longer, these disciples might think we've abandoned them," said an elder who was always soft-hearted.
Upon hearing this, an elder who disagreed immediately retorted, "Why should we hurry? Although there have been changes, these disciples are just juniors who have just begun to cultivate Qi. Waiting a little longer is also a test."
"You old fool, all you do is argue with me. If you keep putting on airs like this, I bet you won't have a single apprentice this year."
The elders chattered animatedly, creating quite a lively atmosphere. However, the five senior elders at the very top, responsible for the sect's major affairs, remained silent throughout.
If Ruan Qingyu were present, she would have recognized immediately that Elder Chen Tian, whose cultivation was only at the late Golden Core stage among the senior elders, was the one who had kidnapped her in her previous life.
*
At the Xuan Tian Sect's Cloud Platform, the Ruan family disciples watched as more and more unfamiliar young men and women were brought down by various spirit boats, and roughly guessed that these were mortal disciples from other continents besides Dingzhou and Yuzhou.
This cultivation world is divided into Dingzhou, Yuzhou, Luzhou, and Yuanzhou. All four continents have cultivation sects, but almost half of the top sects are located in Dingzhou, simply because Dingzhou has the largest area.
Besides the top sect Xuantian Sect, Dingzhou also has three other top sects: Wanfa Sect, Qingyun Manor, and Yushou Sect.
Of the five major sects, the only one not located in Dingzhou is the Divine Snow Kingdom, situated in the far northernmost snowy plains of the cultivation world. It is the only top-tier sect that takes a nation as its foundation, with the position of the nation's ruler passed down through bloodlines from generation to generation.
Ruan Qingyu and Lü Liangke stood in the far corner, silently watching the increasing number of disciples, while the Xuantian Sect's cloud platform became increasingly noisy.
Everything seemed different. Normally, the senior brothers and sisters would have already come to scold these new disciples for being noisy, but this time they all had cold expressions and looked like they had something on their minds.
Could it be that the circumstances of this entry have changed? Ruan Qingyu pondered to herself, when suddenly she heard Yun Yin's voice reappear in her sea of consciousness.
"Don't worry, at most the initiation ceremony will be slightly different. Based on your current aptitude and cultivation level, it's a sure thing." Yun Yin's lazy voice rang out. Just now, he had scanned the surrounding area with his divine sense. Apart from the disciples within the sect, almost all the other new disciples were in the Qi Refining stage.
Apart from an oddball like the Ruan family, most people are at the second or third level of Qi Refining. The rest depends on talent and fortune.
Ruan Qingyu knew all this; even if she hadn't before, she had come to understand some things through her own experiences. But hearing Yun Yin say these words suddenly made her feel much more at ease.
In the blink of an eye, many figures suddenly appeared on the previously empty horizon. Upon seeing the dark red and black-red robes, Ruan Qingyu's clenched fists trembled uncontrollably.
Yun Yin quickly sensed something was wrong. Not only was Ruan Qingyu's heart pounding violently, but the dantian where the Soul Core was located was also churning violently, indicating that the main body's emotions were not at peace.
"Calm down!" Although she didn't know what Ruan Qingyu had seen that caused such a change in her, if she continued like this, it would be a minor matter if she were discovered, but a major matter if she fell into demonic possession.
Yun Yin's reminder was not a simple transmission of sound, but rather a direct and resounding statement made through the contract between the two, resonating deeply within Ruan Qingyu's soul.
In an instant, Ruan Qingyu, whose eyes were already somewhat red, was awakened. As she exhaled a breath of stale air, Ruan Qingyu felt that her state of mind seemed to have changed slightly.
"Thank you." Ruan Qingyu said sincerely in her mind. It was impossible for her to quickly abandon the past, so she could only try to ignore it.
She never expected that the hatred she had suppressed would be immediately ignited upon seeing Chen Tian's appearance, almost driving her to madness.
Yunyin didn't say anything to distract her, only flicking its tail at Ruan Qingyu's chest. Ruan Qingyu naturally noticed this little action, but instead of finding it annoying, she thought it was rather cute.
Mo Wen put away his natal magic weapon, the Qiankun Gua, which had been floating in his palm. His sharp gaze swept over the disciples below, but he still couldn't spot the person related to destiny.
Behind him, Chen Tian's eyes gleamed with a sharp light and a hint of covetousness. This year's batch of disciples had far more disciples with fire spirit roots than in previous years.
At that time, he can find an excuse to take in more people. He has reached a bottleneck now, and if he cannot break through it as soon as possible, he will miss the opportunity to break through to the Nascent Soul stage in the future.
Thinking this, Chen Tian first looked at the four senior elders beside him: "Although there are changes to this year's testing ceremony, it's not good to delay any longer. Why don't we start now?"
Immediately, all the elders nodded in agreement. Then, Elder Yu Yang, who was standing in the center, took the lead in exerting his power, and the surrounding spiritual energy was like a whirlwind.
A tornado quickly swept up on the cloud platform, carrying the newly initiated disciples to the other side of the platform.
Then, he led a group of elders and disciples on duty to stand on the cloud platform, looking solemnly at the mortal disciples whose eyes were full of expectation.
"This year, my Xuantian Sect does not wish to use the second round of testing as the entry ceremony. Instead, we will adopt the mode of exploring secret realms to allow all disciples to break through their limits and unite with fellow Daoists." As Yu Yang's voice fell, several water mirrors appeared on the surrounding sky.
Each water mirror reflects a different scene: deserts, oceans, mountains, and snowfields. These scenes are incredibly lifelike, and occasionally, strange beasts appear.
Clearly, this was a real secret realm, not some illusion or a small space created by an array. However, the disciples still didn't understand, and they all looked at each other with puzzled expressions.
Only Ruan Qingyu frowned. A group of Qi Refining stage disciples entered the secret realm? How could the Xuan Tian Sect have changed so much? In the past, they would accept people after testing their aptitude and spiritual roots in the first two rounds.
Why such a grand spectacle this year? Could it be that her and Yunyin's rebirth has caused many changes? Thinking of this, Ruan Qingyu's face immediately darkened.
If there are too many changes, then she will have to think more about her previous plans to seize the initiative and then take the lives of Chen Tian, Zhang Zitao and the others.
Elder Yu Yang continued, "These five secret realms are small secret realms where my Xuantian Sect has been cultivating spiritual herbs for many years. There are also many training grounds in more distant places. Now, once you enter, as long as you can persevere for seven days, you will pass the test."
As he spoke, Yu Yang's palm flashed with spiritual light, instantly transforming into dozens of rays of light. These rays swiftly descended upon the locations of the newly initiated disciples, and Ruan Qingyu subconsciously reached out to catch the points of light.
When the soft light faded, my gaze fell on my palm and I realized it was a jade pendant. The pendant was engraved with the character "玄" (Xuan).
"This jade token is the identity token of a new disciple. If you cannot persevere in the secret realm, crush the jade token to be considered as giving up. I hope that all disciples can persevere."
As Yu Yang finished speaking, another elder beside him slowly nodded. With his hands placed in front of his chest, his fingertips moved like phantoms, casting a net of light that shimmered with a hazy green glow towards the disciples on the cloud platform.
Enveloping everyone within it, a moment later accompanied by numerous fragmented sounds, the cloud platform was now empty, with only the disciples from the Xuantian Sect left to guide them.
Looking again at the water mirror in the sky, the figures of many newly initiated disciples had already appeared.
When Ruan Qingyu opened her eyes again, she found herself standing in an unfamiliar forest. She looked around warily, but only saw a few birds startled and flying away.
He breathed a sigh of relief. He had never heard of any such thing as a secret realm for training in his previous life. Thinking of this, he was also glad that his current cultivation level was still high enough to protect himself.
But how should she spend these seven days? As a Qi Refining cultivator, she must hunt for food, otherwise the spiritual energy will not be enough to satisfy her hunger.
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