Seeing An Zhengzheng's calm expression, Zhou Xu couldn't help but ask, "You already guessed that we wouldn't last much longer, didn't you?"
The dry branches crackled and popped as flames exploded.
An Zhengzheng said, "...At least we passed the first hurdle."
In fact, she knew she wouldn't go far after she got off the lake.
Zhou Xu remained silent.
Feeling cold all over, he tried to circulate his internal energy to dry his still damp clothes completely, but found that he could not cast spells.
An Zhengzheng shook her head and added dry branches to the firewood: "Don't struggle anymore, the sun has already set."
The nighttime tests physical strength and skill; magic cannot be used, so only weapons such as swords and knives can be used. This is to prevent one from being unable to defeat even ordinary people when one goes to experience the human world in the future.
The tests of the Ruthless Path are truly harsh and terrifying.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xu's expression turned grim: "Are we going to be trapped here?"
An Zhengzheng didn't reply to him.
Now we can only wait for natural selection.
As long as the senior brothers obtain the Tianshan Snow Lotus, the Tianshan Snow Lotus will detect the absence of An Zhengzheng and Zhou Xu in the vicinity and eject them from the magic circle.
Zhou Xu glanced around at the bonfire that had been set up and the medicine dripping from his collar...
He pursed his lips, his throat bobbing up and down. After a long while, he said, "...You took care of me? Thank you."
An Zhengzheng hummed in agreement and continued to close her eyes to rest, as she couldn't use any magic right now.
Seeing this, Zhou Xu didn't bother her anymore.
In the firelight, An Zhengzheng's face swayed with the light and shadow, and the girl's shadow was reflected in the snow-covered landscape.
Zhou Xu's heart was pounding.
He immediately sat down and recited the incantation in his mind. It must be a lingering effect of the Love Fox, which he still hasn't gotten rid of!
Zhou Xu moved a little further away from An Zhengzheng and chanted scriptures frantically with his back turned.
Then everything went black, and he collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.
An Zhengzheng sensed something was wrong, opened her eyes, and saw that Zhou Xu had fainted.
No way?! Is this a fever caused by the magic circle's ice and snow?
In the world of cultivation, people can actually catch a cold and get a fever?!
I never expected this assessment formation to be so rigorous, completely replicating everything one would experience during a human tribulation.
To die here is to truly die.
If Zhou Xu's sword hadn't been so powerful that it caused the magic array to collapse, they wouldn't have strayed off the map.
While cursing, An Zhengzheng helped Zhou Xu take off his still-damp clothes, intending to take them to the fire to dry.
Zhou Xu was delirious with fever, and in his hazy state, he saw An Zhengzheng tearing off his clothes.
His face flushed red, and he stammered, "No, you and I, we're doing..."
An Zhengzheng ignored him again and continued digging.
No? If he kept wearing these wet clothes, he would definitely freeze to death on the snow mountain. He had no choice but to agree.
"Hopefully we can hold on." An Zhengzheng couldn't estimate the time either. "But there aren't many dead branches left."
It's estimated that when Master Wushang was repairing the magic array, he didn't expect anyone to deviate from the map.
"Why are you slashing around with that Crimson Flame Sword like that..." An Zhengzheng cursed as she fed him the herbal medicine.
Now that she can't use magic and the medicine is cold, An Zhengzheng is helpless.
The medicine from the celestial realm took effect quickly, and Zhou Xu's fever subsided. In his dazed state, he sensed An Zhengzheng bustling around taking care of him.
The herbal decoction suppressed Zhou Xu's fever symptoms.
He gradually regained consciousness, but was still weak. He looked at his naked upper body, still covered by An Zhengzheng's coat, and his eyes flickered.
Night fell, the dry branches burned out, the flames dwindled, and they were about to go out.
An Zhengzheng gritted her teeth and said, "It's over."
The last bit of warmth is gone. If the senior brothers don't get the Tianshan Snow Lotus by then, they will freeze to death here tonight.
The cold wind seemed to become even more biting at this moment, and the flames only lasted for a short while before Zhou Xu could no longer hold on.
His fire elemental constitution was completely overwhelmed by the blizzard, and now frost has begun to form all over his body.
This was the first time in Zhou Xu's life that he had come so close to death.
An Zhengzheng slapped his face hard: "Don't sleep! Can you hear me? You can't sleep!"
He was trembling all over: "An Zhengzheng..."
He was unable to speak anymore.
Seeing a life about to be lost in front of her, An Zhengzheng didn't hesitate and decisively took his hand to warm it.
But simply warming his hands wasn't enough; Zhou Xu was still somewhat confused.
An Zhengzheng had no choice but to move closer to him and cover them from head to toe with her clothes.
The warmth from his breath condensed inside his clothes, and Zhou Xu felt much better; he could even sense a warm feeling around him.
He struggled to pull An Zhengzheng into his arms.
An Zhengzheng was completely dumbfounded.
She even suspected that Zhou Xu was being a scoundrel.
But the next second, the icy touch on Zhou Xu's body froze An Zhengzheng.
Just how much is this fire elemental root constitution suppressed by the cold?
An Zhengzheng was also afraid that Zhou Xu would freeze to death if she left, so she had no choice but to let him hug her.
"This shouldn't be happening," An Zhengzheng realized something was wrong.
More than six hours have passed, but the magic array still hasn't appeared.
Perhaps it was the medicinal scent and warmth emanating from An Zhengzheng that eased Zhou Xu's condition, and his stress response was significantly reduced.
He opened his eyes and immediately smelled the fragrance emanating from An Zhengzheng.
I was shocked.
But the next second, before he could make a move, a voice suddenly came from the sky.
"Nonsense!" It was the old man's voice.
Soon, everything in front of them shattered, and the two of them woke up from the illusion.
It turned out that they had indeed rolled down the mountain, but landed on the snow. Everything they had just experienced was an illusion.
An old man nearby was scolding the little dream-eating beast: "What are you doing? They've been eliminated. You should have sent them out, how could you use magic on them?!"
An Zhengzheng climbed out of the snow. Her clothes were exactly the same as before she fell off the cliff.
Everything An Zhengzheng just did, from waking up and picking up dry branches to worrying that Zhou Xu would freeze to death, was all an illusion.
She said, "How could it take so long? My fellow disciples haven't even gotten the Tianshan Snow Lotus yet."
"Thank goodness, I almost thought I was going to freeze to death here." Having survived the ordeal, she turned to look at Zhou Xu.
Zhou Xu didn't dare to look at her at all.
An Zhengzheng thought he was just as inexplicable as before.
"Gentlemen, your senior brothers have already gone to the third stage. You two have been eliminated. I will now escort you out of the magic array."
The old man smiled kindly. He was a thousand-year-old demon beast who had voluntarily entered the magic array after being subdued by the Ruthless Ancestor.
He usually lives within the magic array. When it's time for the disciples' assessment, the sect master of the Ruthless Path will come in to communicate with him and instruct him to organize other demonic beasts to test the disciples as instructed.
An Zhengzheng asked him, "Sir, what just happened was..."
"This child is mischievous and has casually practiced some magic. It's the first time he's seen someone use magic on him," the old man said kindly. "I hope you don't mind."
After saying that, he took out another talisman and stuck it on An Zhengzheng's forehead.
A golden light flashed, and An Zhengzheng emerged from the magic array, the jade slip reappearing on his body.
This year's annual performance review was a complete failure.
She lowered her head and took out the jade slip. Based on her performance within the magic array, True Person Wushang provided her with a reading list in real time.
An Zhengzheng is a woman of action. After crossing out the book on the Purification Technique from her reading list, she flew on her sword to the Book Hall to find the cultivation method.
As Zhou Xu emerged from the magic circle, he gazed thoughtfully at An Zhengzheng's retreating figure.
In the illusion, An Zhengzheng's body fragrance mixed with the scent of medicine seemed to still linger around his nose.
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