In the trial cave, Lin Shuang lay down, reading her manuscript.
She occasionally glanced at the movements on her left and right.
There shouldn’t be any problems, right?
The Rail Transit Cultivation Method she gave them was the first draft she wrote nine years ago.
Compared to the current seventh draft, it was much simpler.
For example, there was also the Magnetic Levitation Train Cultivation Method, which allowed spiritual energy to become magnetic, floating above the meridians, reducing friction with the meridians and accelerating circulation.
She hadn’t given them these newly added methods.
She was afraid that if the difficulty was too high, they wouldn’t learn it in a short time, and it might damage their meridians and dantians.
Right now, she was only accelerating their cultivation several times; it shouldn’t be too difficult, right?
After giving them the methods for fast cultivation, Lin Shuang felt a little uneasy.
After all, the first little sister who lived with her left not long after.
Could it be that Little Junior Sister was scared away by the frequent three-day mini-exams and five-day major exams that she had back then?
When Zhao Keran comes later, she won’t dare to pressure this little junior sister anymore.
Ah, the exam-oriented education system is harmful.
“Uh, if you guys find these methods difficult, then forget it, take it slowly.”
Thinking this, Lin Shuang consoled Meng Zi and Huang Fuyuan on both sides while holding her nose.
Both of them shivered.
Lin Shuang felt that she had reminded them and then comfortably lay back down.
Meng Zi held the paper and took a deep breath.
He felt embarrassed to try a cultivation method meant for Qi Refining disciples.
But what’s face compared to the spiritual stones needed for passing?
The problem was, that he had thrown many warning tokens in the past, asking that junior sister surnamed Zhao from the outer sect to stay away from Lin Shuang, who was not ambitious!
Moreover, he had promised Xiao Bai to stand up for him.
Now, what should he do?
Is it possible that, for the sake of spiritual stones, he’s breaking his own words?
But if he doesn’t follow the instructions on this paper, doesn’t that mean he’s admitting that what she said is too difficult for him?
Meng Zi stared wide-eyed, finding himself in a dilemma over a mere 300-level trial.
He turned to see how Senior Brother Huang Fuyuan was handling it.
But as soon as he glanced over, he saw Senior Brother Huang Fuyuan smiling, activating a fire-based cultivation technique exactly as she had instructed.
Then, he swallowed three bottles of pills with a crisp gulp.
After three bottles, Huang Fu Yuan’s face turned red, and the light shield shattered.
He forced his breakthrough by taking the pills!
Meng Zi:!
They’ve both completed it, and he’s the only one left?
Meng Zi’s scalp went numb in an instant, and he had no choice but to look at the paper in his hand.
1. Burn fat, the higher the heart rate?
He didn’t quite understand; did it mean a faster heartbeat?
Meng Zi looked left and right and noticed that Huang Fuyuan had closed his eyes, and Lin Shuang had already fallen asleep.
He immediately stood up and, within the light array, began to practice the Forty-Two Stances of the Great Sword!
Jumping and leaping…
Afterward, he moved on to high temperatures. He looked around and realized that, without having learned any fire-based techniques, he could only quickly retrieve a wooden barrel from his mustard seed bag.
“What is Junior Brother Meng doing?”
The trio watching the 349th-level projection were stunned.
Especially the Senior Brother who sent the message to Xu Rui, saying that the Outer Sect’s Lin Shuang was abnormal. Now he felt his face getting hot and a little painful.
In the projection, Meng Zi was cultivating his spiritual qi in the light array, practicing his sword technique frantically.
He also prepared a large wooden bucket of suspicious hot water and jumped in with his clothes on.
He… was bathing openly in the Zhenchuan Trial Ground!
Compared to the silent breakthroughs and now… the crazy Outer Sect female disciples who were sleeping, it was hard to imagine!
“Um, does Meng Junior Brother know that the more people watch the projection, the more rewards the assessed disciples can get?”
“…”
The Senior Brother who was a year older covered his forehead. “Is he crazy about spiritual stones?”
Only Xiao Bai remained silent, his eyelashes trembling, and his hand holding the projection stone was shaking.
“Heart rate, high temperature…”
“That’s right, it’s the Fastest Learning…”
“What?”
“He… is about to break through…”
“Huh?!”
Just as they spoke, in the projection stone, Meng Zi was soaking in the wooden barrel, his face contorted in pain.
But the spiritual energy gathered above his head formed a vortex!
Like a whirlpool that sucked water, it seemed eager to rush into his body, creating a small whirlwind of Qi!
The trio of Xiao Bai watched in astonishment.
“What kind of speed in attracting spiritual energy is this!?”
“Didn’t Senior Brother Meng just reach the third level of the Foundation Establishment stage?”
Both members of their team had reached the pinnacle of the fourth level of Qi Refining, and Xiao Bai had reached the fifth level, but they had never experienced a Qi vortex like this in their cultivation.
“Could it be that he’s using a medicinal bath???”
The skeptical senior brother was stupefied.
Only Xiao Bai gritted his teeth and looked up.
No.
Taking a bath was just the prelude, the real secret technique was the Rail Transit Method, but unfortunately, he couldn’t learn it!
Meng Zi, who was in the projection, was still unaware that their 300-level trial was being watched by disciples spending spiritual stones. Otherwise, he would probably be ecstatic.
He was currently immersed in his cultivation.
The hot water and sword techniques made his blood boil and accelerated its circulation.
And the Rail Transit…
He had tried four times, and on the fifth attempt, he finally succeeded in getting the Ren Meridian to run at full speed.
At the speed of running two small cycles in one go, it almost made his Dantian take off on the spot!
He had never felt this fast before!
Excited, he suddenly froze.
The Bird Learns to Fly chapter she gave him… actually works.
Meng Zi jolted, his neck covered in goosebumps.
In a moment of contemplation, the Qi vortex suddenly dispersed.
He blinked in confusion.
【Foundation Manifestation Peak at level three → Level four.】
【Trial successful.】
The Qi shield shattered in an instant.
Meng Zi:!
So fast?
Hearing the sound, Lin Shuang, still half-asleep on her marching bed, opened her eyes and saw Huang Fuyuan sitting cross-legged at the entrance of the trial chamber, having already completed the assessment.
It seemed like he succeeded.
Lin Shuang breathed a sigh of relief; that was pretty quick.
She then turned her gaze to another trial shield, where she saw Meng Zi, looking both astonished and not quite satisfied, still soaking in the hot water tub.
Lin Shuang smiled. “It seems like you’ve figured it out.”
Bathing Meng Zi:!
A blush spread from the corner of his eyes to behind his ears.
He quickly lowered his head and covered his soaked clothes.
Attempting to conceal his embarrassment.
“I was already close to a breakthrough…”
Meng Zi turned away and clenched his teeth.
He took a deep breath and quickly jumped out of the tub.
“I… owe you one.”
Lin Shuang nodded with a smile and folded up her camp bed, placing it back into her mustard seed bag.
Meng Zi secretly watched her with a mix of curiosity and inner turmoil.
Why did she have such a fast cultivation method, yet she’s been at the Qi Refining stage for years?
For the first time, Meng Zi felt lost.
Xiao Bai, what’s the secret you kept about leaving the outer sect? What was it?
Is it really because she isn’t diligent in her cultivation?
Meng Zi was puzzled.
“Junior Sister Lin, thanks a lot for this.” Huang Fuyuan, with a pale face, also expressed his gratitude to Lin Shuang.
Lin Shuang waved her hand.
“No big deal, what I brought out was just the initial draft from nine years ago.”
“???”
“…”
Huang Fuyuan, Meng Zi, and Lin Shuang were left speechless for a moment. But in the next instant, a five-colored ray of light shot into their disciple badges.
[Huang Fuyuan, Meng Zi, and Lin Shuang have passed the 349th trial of Zhenchuan!]
” Seated alone in the mountains, my shadow becomes three: Time taken, 102 days.”
“Currently ranked first in this level, congratulations to the three of you. You can go to the Resting Courtyard to check your rewards.”
The red leaderboard fluttered again and appeared before everyone’s eyes.
There was a moment of excitement, and in the chamber of the 349th level where Lin Shuang and the others were, the beast’s head on the door twisted momentarily.
— Lin Shuang, Meng Zi, Huang Fuyuan.
— Currently the fastest disciples!
Their names were carved onto the bronze nails, stroke by stroke, as if branded!
At the same time, on the right chest of their Clearwater Sect robes, a ripple-like pattern slowly appeared.
A beast’s head faintly emerged, with “349” written on its forehead.
Lin Shuang’s heart surged for a moment.
She stood tall and proud, feeling greatly honored.
Beside her, Huang Fuyuan squinted his phoenix eyes as he gazed at the bronze nails, his expression somewhat peculiar.
Meng Zhi’s lips twitched.
“Fastest disciple in the trial? Come on, let’s go to the Resting Courtyard to see the rewards for this level.”
The hot bath was worth it!
But after taking a couple of steps, he looked at Lin Shuang and took a deep breath. “Well… how about I trade my Swift Desk with you, the one for rapid cultivation?”
Lin Shuang immediately made a bitter face.
“No, thanks.”
Meng Zi:!
He gritted his teeth, realizing that a cultivation secret like this, which would benefit his future cultivation, was worth at least tens of thousands of spirit stones.
“In that case, you can have my Gathering Desk. I’ve also ordered a third-tier Confinement Seal Chair from an inner sect senior sister, and… that’s for you too!”
Inner sect senior sister?
…
Lin Shuang’s eyelids twitched.
This unique aesthetic—stepping on two desks and adding a chair—she couldn’t handle it.
She waved her hand and quickened her pace.
“No need, the VIP content comes after the third draft.”
“???”
[Zhenchuan Trial, Main Participants of the 349th Level — Huang Fuyuan, Meng Zi, Lin Shuang!]
“Congratulations to the three disciples!”
The message of the change in leadership on the red leaderboard was seen by many inner sect disciples.
“So fast! The previous group took half a year, and they’ve shortened it by eighty days!”
“Huang Fuyuan and Meng Zi, this is unexpected.”
“Huh, who’s this Lin Shuang?”
Many inner sect disciples were puzzled.
However, Lin Shuang, who was the center of attention, was completely unaware of it.
In between each Pomodoro, she had set a five-minute break.
At this moment, she was leisurely looking around, seemingly fascinated by everything.
Meng Zi, in front of the comprehension stone wall on the 349th level, activated a surge of spiritual qi.
The stone wall, which was originally covered in moss, slowly opened, revealing a space beyond the trial chamber.
Inside, there was a large platform with a desk about three times the size of a person in the middle. Around it were several round tables and chairs, enough to accommodate hundreds of people.
To the left were twelve transmission light pillars, like ‘elevators,’ leading to different floor levels of the trial.
To the right was a self-service treasure rack with elixirs and spiritual treasures.
A woman in pink Daoist robes, with cat-like eyes, was holding an abacus and standing behind the central jade carving table.
The moment she saw Lin Shuang and the others appear, her cat-like eyes brightened.
Especially when her gaze fell on Lin Shuang, who seemed curious about everything, she smiled even more. “This sister looks unfamiliar; is it your first time in Zhenchuan?”
“Do you want to replenish your elixirs and have some spiritual tea for a short rest?”
It was a five-minute break before the next Pomodoro session.
Lin Shuang looked around. “Is this the Resting Courtyard in Zhenchuan’s trial?”
Earlier, during the announcement of the red leaderboard, it was mentioned that they should come here to receive their rewards.
“Yes, that’s right, sister.”
The woman with cat-like eyes smiled warmly and walked out from behind the table, guiding Lin Shuang to sit at a nearby stone table.
“Hey!” Meng Zi wanted to speak up to stop her, but he was a step too late.
Lin Shuang had already been seated by the woman at the tea table.
Meng Zi’s mouth twitched.
Huang Fu Yuan’s face also showed a trace of helplessness.
Lin Shuang looked at them suspiciously, but in an instant, a red tray with three jade tokens was placed in front of her.
The cat-eyed woman’s gaze, upon seeing Lin Shuang’s outer sect badge at her waist, caused her pupils to dilate.
And then, her gaze grew even hotter.
“Sister, you don’t have an inner sect cave-dwelling, right? By passing the 349th level of Zhenchuan, you now have the qualifications to purchase or rent a cave-dwelling within the inner sect, numbered 300 and below.”
In an instant, a jade plaque that could be flipped through displayed images of cave dwellings, their geographical locations, and the scenery around the entrances in front of Lin Shuang.
“Take a look; these are all beautiful places with abundant spiritual energy.”
Lin Shuang was momentarily stunned. When she looked up, she noticed the three characters embroidered on the woman’s pink Daoist robe — “Sales Office.”
She couldn’t help but twitch her eyebrows.
So, what Senior Brother Xu Rui said was true; inner sect cave dwellings needed to be resolved by oneself.
This led to the emergence of the Clearwater Sect’s real estate industry?!
Sales pitches for cave dwellings had infiltrated the trials.
Huang Fuyuan clenched his fists against his pale lips. “Cough.”
His bright phoenix eyes, which glowed in the bright light, swept across the table. “The higher you go in Zhenchuan, the better the conditions for choosing a cave-dwelling…”
Meng Zi, who desperately needed money, couldn’t help but press his temples. “Auntie, this 300th cave dwelling has the lowest spiritual energy, and it still costs thirty thousand spirit stones a year. Don’t cheat us!”
“Aren’t newcomers considered human?”
The woman in pink robes had a pale forehead. She suddenly burst out a vein and laughed awkwardly. “Low spiritual energy is not a problem; we provide a yearly Gathering Array that boosts your cultivation speed for the entire year. You don’t need to worry.”
Lin Shuang sighed; was this like stacking mobile data packages?
She had two minutes left of her break, so she glanced at a few pages of cave dwellings.
Each jade slip contained a hundred cave-dwelling options.
As inner-sect disciples advanced in strength, they would move out from lower-tier cave dwellings, and outer-sect disciples would move in.
Indeed, the real estate business was thriving here.
“Uh, is this 300th number the best cave dwelling available in here?”
But when Lin Shuang took a look at the map, she furrowed her brows.
Cave dwelling number 300 was located at the foot of a mountain, and it was a three-hour journey from the inner sect’s largest Transmission Hall — “Ning yuan Low Stage, Flying on the Sword, One and a Half Hours.”
A one-way journey took three hours!
Lin Shuang was dumbfounded.
This was at least beyond the sixth ring!
Oh, it’s one more ring than the fifth ring~~~
Lin Shuang put on a pained expression. “Um, do you have any cave dwellings within a stick of incense’s distance from the Transmission Hall, Scripture Pavilion, Steward’s Office, or the canteen?”
The woman in pink robes cast a complex look at her.
The three jade tokens were promptly withdrawn.
Lin Shuang:?
The woman in pink robes chuckled. “Keep climbing another five hundred levels in Zhenchuan!”
Huang Fuyuan lightly laughed, and Meng Zi also breathed a sigh of relief.
“Not everyone can reach the higher levels of the inner sect in Zhenchuan. Even if you want a good cave-dwelling, you have to have the ability to obtain it.”
“Sister, I’ll be waiting for you to come back.”
The woman in pink robes stood up and left with the tray holding the jade tokens.
“Enough with the sales pitch,” Meng Zi turned around with his sword on his shoulder, “let’s go and claim the rewards for this level. Then we’ll proceed to the next challenge.”
The woman in pink robes grunted and turned back to the jade counter.
Lin Shuang touched her nose. “Isn’t it impolite to call her ‘auntie’ while refusing to buy?”
Meng Zi chuckled.
Huang Fuyuan smiled. “The Inner Sect Real Estate Office is run by senior brothers and sisters who retired from the sect due to injuries. They are no longer involved in sect affairs and now work as regular people within the sect. That’s why they don’t like being called ‘senior brother’ or ‘senior sister’; they might even get angry. The youngest of them is over two hundred years old.”
Lin Shuang:?
She inadvertently looked back at the fair-skinned woman in pink, but she couldn’t tell that she was over two hundred years old at all.
Unexpectedly, their crystal-clear eyes met again.
“Oh, sister, are you interested in beauty-enhancing pills? How about I give you one as a gift when you buy a cave-dwelling?”
Lin Shuang:!
She fled in haste.
She followed Huang Fuyuan and Meng Zi, leaving the special tea table for house hunting, and arrived at a red-striped stone monument next to a Transmission Pillar.
Their disciple badges on their waists created ripples in an instant, forming water-like patterns on the stone monument.
[Level 349 Cave Dwelling Reward Settlement: 349 Contributions have been distributed.]
Rows of water ripples condensed into words.
[Additional Rewards for the Fastest Clearing of Levels —]
Pap pap pap, the stone monument spat out a long string of game clearance coupons as if it were in a game arcade.
They flew rapidly towards the three of them.
Lin Shuang was momentarily stunned, but she had already touched three pieces of withered leaves.
— 5000 Spirit Stones, redeemable for the purchase or rental of cave dwellings numbered 1-300 (Exclusive discount for level owners);
— 1000 Spirit Stones, for living expenses such as inner sect spiritual energy fees, dust removal fees, and fasting elixir fees (not available for those without a residence);
— 500 Spirit Stones, for the purchase of any first-tier spiritual treasures or other items in Zhenchuan.
Lin Shuang gritted her teeth.
Wasn’t this like a certain e-commerce platform’s red envelopes? And they even specified what categories of products you could use them for.
A row of words had already formed on the stone monument.
[Numbered Cave Dwellings 1-300: Available at the Sales Office]
[Spiritual Energy Fees, Dust Removal Fees, and Other Living Expenses: Can be paid and deducted from your personally rented or purchased cave dwelling (Not available for those without a residence)]
Lin Shuang pressed her head. Wasn’t this like gas, water, and electricity bills? One fee for one household?
[First-tier Spiritual Treasures and Others Available in Zhenchuan: Activate the catalog by approaching the stone monument with your disciple badge.]
Lin Shuang tried to put hers on, but Meng Zi was one step ahead.
[Meng Zi, Highest Level Reached This Year: Level 349; Level Owner of 349.]
[First-tier Spiritual Treasures and All Others Unlocked.]
In an instant, the entire list appeared in front of them.
The elixirs were all first-tier, nothing special.
But the list of other first-tier items was quite unique.
《The First Volume of the Handwritten Notes of the 132nd Generation Headmaster of the Clearwater Sect (with a free signature)》 100 spirit stones
《The Unspoken Rules of the Inner Sect Administration》 – 120 Spirit Stones
《Criteria for Choosing a Dao Companion》 – 200 Spirit Stones
《How to Pursue Female Immortals》 – 300 Spirit Stones
Lin Shuang’s eyes widened. The “Other” category turned out to be motivational literature.
Meng Zi shook his head, clearly uninterested in spending his money on this.
Huang Fuyuan, holding a hand warmer, also seemed uninterested.
But Lin Shuang’s eyes stopped at the very end of the list.
—《Shao Ke Guides You in Crafting Talismans, Volume 1》
“Beep, Xiao Ai has detected sensitive words. Shao Ke is marked as an important figure in Xiao Ai’s database.”
“Excerpt from his profile: Shao Ke created a fifth-level time reversal talisman at the age of 301, stepping into the realm of a sixth-level talisman master. He has been in seclusion for twenty-six years and has left behind twelve volumes of ‘Guides You in Crafting Talismans.'”
The voice prompt of the AI assistant in Lin Shuang’s earphones sounded.
“Many talisman masters speculate that the method for creating the time reversal talisman is recorded in the twelfth volume. However, Shao Ke’s disciples have limited the distribution of this set of essays, and there are only ten sets in the entire Four Realms. Therefore, twenty years ago, the price of ‘Guides You in Crafting Talismans’ skyrocketed to over one billion Spirit Stones after the tenth volume. Most people have no chance to see it, and because collectors tried to preserve the value of the complete set, the table of contents of Shao Ke’s works has never been circulated in the market. There is no exact information on which volume contains the time reversal method.”
“The known whereabouts of the ten limited edition sets are as follows: sixteen years ago, the Mountain and Sea Sect purchased a set for ten billion Spirit Stones at an auction; eight years ago, the Clearwater Sect bought a set for approximately two-six billion Spirit Stones at a talisman exhibition…”
Lin Shuang’s eyes flickered. The AI assistant’s prompts were all based on her previous research at the Outer Sect’s library and listening to Clearwater Sect’s news today.
Her original plan was to enter the Inner Sect ten years later and become a direct disciple of the Sect Master or an important elder, hoping to obtain a comprehensive view of this priceless talisman-making method.
But she didn’t expect it—Zhenchuan had it!
She looked at the stone monument in front of her with a playful gleam in her eyes.
Level 349 in Zhenchuan, where you could exchange for the first volume of “Shao Ke Guides You in Crafting Talismans.”
Would the twelfth volume be available too? At which level would it be?
If she was lucky, maybe the time reversal talisman was in the tenth or eleventh volume.
Lin Shuang took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart.
This was not the time for excitement.
“Can we check the entire list of what’s available in Zhenchuan?”
“Disciples at level 300 don’t have that privilege.”
Huang Fuyuan shook his head.
Lin Shuang felt a pang of regret.
“Let’s go. We’ll proceed to the next challenge. We can’t see cave dwellings below level 500.”
Meng Zi was getting excited; the higher they went, the more Spirit Stones they could earn!
Huang Fuyuan smiled but didn’t say anything, just nodding in agreement.
Lin Shuang felt a bit disappointed but followed them. Huang Fu Yuan’s index finger lightly touched the stone monument.
【Disciples who have cleared level 349 can unlock up to level 500.】
【Currently available: Level 349 to Level 848.】
【Note: If you fail a trial, you will be set back by 300 levels. Please choose carefully. 】
“Directly to the 848th floor?”
Lin Shuang and Meng Zi’s eyes flickered, and they said in unison.
Huang Fuyuan’s brow twitched slightly.
At another counter, three disciples were standing. One slightly chubby disciple handed over his disciple’s waist badge.
“I want the 300th-floor cave dwelling.”
“Chen Sheng Junior Brother, you are just like your senior brothers and senior sisters. Every time you make a breakthrough, you want to keep a cave dwelling as a memento,” exclaimed the disciples around.
Chen Sheng smiled and gestured with his plump and agile hand. “If I hadn’t just received the rewards for clearing level 349, I wouldn’t have dared to.”
The faces of the disciples around suddenly turned strange, and even the pink-robed woman behind the counter looked at him with a complicated expression.
Chen Sheng laughed, “I just checked, and the reward for clearing the level as an owner is 5,000 Spirit Stones. Renting the 300th-floor cave dwelling costs only 30,000 for a year. If you calculate it this way, this cave dwelling is practically a gift to me for the first two months.”
The pink-robed woman showed a look of satisfaction, thinking that a clever disciple had finally arrived.
But in an instant, they all became embarrassed.
She swept the jade slip over Chen Sheng’s disciple’s waist badge and sighed.
【Chen Sheng: Qualified to buy a house on the 300th floor!】
【Chen Sheng: Second in clearing level 349.】
【Judgment: No. 1-300 transaction discount unavailable.】
【Full payment transaction, 30,000 Spirit Stones!】
Chen Sheng: “What? Wait a minute—”
His face changed, “I won’t rent it! Cancel, cancel the transaction…”
The pink-robed woman’s temples throbbed visibly, three veins popping out.
“Rascal! Once a sale is made at this counter, there are no refunds!”
“What?!?”
Chen Sheng was devastated.
Who on earth had snatched his level owner status?
“Sitting in the top seat? It seems like it’s Meng Zi, and someone named Lin Shuang?”
“Lin Shuang? I’ve never heard of her.”
“Well, didn’t any of you check the leaderboard? Level owner Lin Shuang… seems to be at the Qi Refining stage…”
Chen Sheng was stunned.
***
“Ah, if only I had let Junior Brother Meng do the floor selection; I wouldn’t have made that mistake.”
Huang Fuyuan walked out of the teleportation pillar, sighing.
Meng Zi also felt regretful.
They were supposed to go to level 848, but because Huang Fuyuan made a cough and selected the teleportation plate wrong, they ended up on level 841.
Luckily, the difference wasn’t significant.
“Never mind, it’s just seven levels, let’s go with the flow,” said Meng Zi, carrying his sword, and marched ahead cheerfully.
Lin Shuang nodded.
Precision was essential, but so was a good mood.
As she stepped out of the towering teleportation pillar, she had exactly five minutes for a break, which she timed perfectly to the last second.
Perfect.
She was in a good mood.
But just as she walked out of the teleportation array, ready to inspect the trial cave dwelling on this level, sword energy suddenly soared half an inch in front of her feet.
Three figures swiftly appeared, blocking her only path.
“Are you Lin Shuang?”
The leader released a sword strike.
“Chen Sheng, Wu Xing, Qian Wanjun, challenging the level owner of floor 349!”
“If we win, you will go to the Resting Hall and change the name of the level owner!”
Meng Zi’s expression changed.
Huang Fuyuan raised an eyebrow.
Lin Shuang looked up and saw that the leader was slightly chubby and had an indignant expression.
It seemed like she had taken something precious from him.
“Chen Sheng, don’t go too far. It’s just the 300th floor of Zhenchuan. Do you really need to challenge us?” Meng Zi was displeased and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
“What’s wrong with challenging you? One of you relies on stacking pills, and the other—”
Chen Sheng, the leader, was about to explode, especially when he looked back at Huang Fuyuan and Lin Shuang.
“The guy in blue, and the Qi Refining stage!”
“An Outer Sect disciple at the third level of Qi Refining came to Zhenchuan for a trial. Breaking through the first level of Qi Refining naturally took less time than my breakthrough to the first level of Foundation Establishment!”
“Using tricks and sly tactics, you broke my trial record. Chen Sheng won’t stand for it and has come to challenge you! What’s wrong with that?”
She had caused him to lose the price difference for buying a house!
Chen Sheng, the slightly chubby one, erupted with the aura of the second level of Foundation Establishment.
Meng Zi was furious and about to step forward.
However, he was stopped by another disciple who formed hand seals with both hands. “Meng Junior Brother, your opponent is me. Formation, activate!”
In an instant, Meng Zi disappeared on the spot.
The sound of Meng Zi cursing loudly echoed from the distant clouds.
“Damn it, you bastard! Lin Shuang, take out the Teleportation Table I gave you and run!”
“Huang Fuyuan, I’ll come to rescue you after dealing with this guy. Take a pill first…”
Lin Shuang and Huang Fuyuan simultaneously looked up, revealing a deeply grateful expression.
“Huang Fuyuan, please go ahead,” said the third disciple in white, who had a furnace. “Let’s have an alchemy competition.”
Huang Fuyuan smiled and nodded.
The two of them then moved back to the rest cave.
Alchemy competitions were indeed civilized and safe.
Amid her contemplation, Lin Shuang’s hair in front of her forehead was nearly cut off by a sword that suddenly appeared.
“Outer Sect female disciple, if you surrender now and agree to change the name of the level owner to mine, I’ll let you go.”
Chubby Chen Sheng spoke in a low voice.
“I have no grievances or enmities with you. I didn’t intend to take advantage of the weak, but you’ve violated the rules, and I must correct it!”
“Violated the rules?”
Lin Shuang raised her eyebrows.
“Oh.”
She saw that the tall-eyed Chen Sheng was about to speak again and quickly extended her hand to stop him.
“You don’t need to explain anymore. Explaining is a waste of time.”
Who needed an explanation?
“Isn’t it you who needs to explain the violation of the rules?”
Chen Sheng was furious.
Lin Shuang extended her hand towards him, raised her index finger, and gestured, “Come on.”
Chen Sheng was taken aback and chuckled, “Alright, alright. I’m at the peak of the second level of Foundation Establishment. Please enlighten me!”
Lin Shuang didn’t say anything, and at that moment, there was a faint sound in her ear.
[Ding, Xiao Ai reminds you that the next tomato clock is for entertainment book reading.]
Lin Shuang nodded slightly and retrieved the latest volume of her book from her bag. She flipped to the page with the bookmark made of dried spirit leaves.
Then, she leaned her slender and fair neck down to read.
But halfway through, there was a click, and a sensation emanated from her shoulder and neck.
Lin Shuang frowned.
In the meditation cave where she had been sitting cross-legged and later lying down, her posture had been too monotonous.
Some muscles had become tense.
“Lin Shuang! Are you provoking me?”
“You better go and read your book outside the sect!”
Chen Sheng was unable to contain his anger and swung his sword again.
Lin Shuang looked at the sword energy in front of her and took three steps back.
“Xiao Ai, adjust the schedule. My right shoulder is sore.”
Chen Sheng: “?”
[Xiao Ai is here to assist you. The entertainment book has been adjusted to enjoy a shoulder and back massage for the duration of an incense stick.]
Lin Shuang made a sound of agreement and faced the fierce sword energy in front of her.
She lightly stepped forward.
Towards the astonished Chen Sheng, she smiled faintly.
“Senior Brother, I’ll trouble you with this.”
“?”
With her hand, she pointed to her right shoulder and drew her fingers from the trapezius muscle to the right side of her back.
“It’s sore all over here.”
“!”
“…”
The four Outer Sect disciples flying on their swords to Zhenchuan stared blankly at Lin Shuang’s image on the projection, not knowing what she was talking about.
What was Lin Shuang saying?
“Senior Sister, what is Junior Sister Lin doing?” Chen Sixin, the third-ranked disciple of the Outer Sect, was puzzled. “Is she provoking the senior brothers of the Inner Sect?”
She had also been assigned by their Master to go to Zhenchuan and help out.
It wasn’t until she was on her way that she learned about Lin Shuang’s famous deeds.
Xu Rui held his forehead and wanted to stop her from asking questions, but he was a step too late.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Keran, who admired Lin Shuang and was looking at her image in the projection, couldn’t wait to speak up.
“I know, I know! It’s the Fastest Way to Learn Leisure Reading!”
“Resting is for better performance. Peak performance includes but is not limited to having a good mood and good physical condition. Therefore, methods such as massage, foot therapy, aromatherapy, and sauna are all excellent means of rest that can promote both mood and physical condition.”
“Sister, it seems that you’ve been reading for too long, and your neck is sore. You need a massage.”
“!!”
“…”
The three figures riding their swords were silent.
Xu Rui pressed his temples and looked at the image of the Inner Sect disciple Chen Sheng on the projection. He didn’t know whether to be worried or relieved.
But in the projection, the battle between them triggered a moment of intense action and dramatic changes, with leaves falling like rain.
“Lin Shuang, are you mocking me?”
Chen Sheng was furious, and his Foundation Establishment-level sword energy directly pierced her.
The sword energy stabbed her right shoulder, enough to shatter her shoulder bones!
But what was seen was Lin Shuang, ten steps away, with a faint smile on her face. She didn’t evade the sword’s energy at all. Instead, she took out earplugs from her bag.
Casually placing them in both ears, in an instant, a light and brisk tune played.
“Oh, I’m sorry, the sound accidentally played outside. Let me adjust it.”
Chen Sheng: “…?”
With a click, while she was talking, the sword energy penetrated her shoulder.
She shivered.
Chen Sheng raised an eyebrow, took half a step forward, and then stopped.
He didn’t want to seriously harm his fellow sect members.
Coming at her right shoulder, it shouldn’t threaten her life or her fundamental cultivation, right?
But he didn’t hear any cries of pain. Did she faint right away?
He furrowed his brow but heard a sigh coming from the faint mist created by the sword’s energy.
“Senior Brother, can you move a bit to the left?”
“???”
The sword energy dissipated, and Lin Shuang turned her head and stood there, looking at her right shoulder.
She took a piece of yellow paper from her bag and stuck it three inches to the right of the trapezius muscle on her neck.
Her eyes were full of anticipation as she looked at Chen Sheng.
“It’s right here. Senior Brother, please don’t miss it.”
“Otherwise… it would be quite inconvenient for me.”
How… how could this be?
Chen Sheng stared in disbelief, pinched his fingers, and sent six consecutive full-force sword energies.
Six consecutive sword lights instantly enveloped her in her green robe.
The sword shadows and spiritual energy swirled and slowly dissipated. Chen Sheng’s eyebrows twitched as he looked at the spot where Lin Shuang was standing.
Soon, his face was filled with astonishment and fear!
Lin Shuang had walked step by step from the mist that gradually condensed in the valley to stand in front of him.
She lowered her head, her expression satisfied and relaxed.
“Senior Brother, yes, just like this. Please continue.”
Chen Sheng kept retreating.
How… how could this be?
Her entire body was filled with Qi Refining Stage-level strength…
Chen Sheng couldn’t believe it, but his gaze suddenly froze.
Her entire body was filled with Qi Refining Stage-level strength, but at this moment, her right shoulder was emanating the aura of the third level of Foundation Establishment!
“You… you… you’re not at the Qi Cultivation Stage!”
[Xiao Ai reminded that the dantian in the body has concentrated in the right shoulder – right back.]
[Two-thirds of an incense stick remains.]
Lin Shuang immediately looked at Chen Sheng, who was bewildered.
“Shh.”
“There’s not much time left for Senior Brother to perform the therapy for me. Please hurry.”
“???”
Silence.
A deathly silence.
On the 2751st floor of Zhenchuan, the three-member team of Bai Yu, staring at the current projection stone, was stunned.
“Chen Sheng is just one step away from reaching the third level of Foundation Establishment.”
But in the projection, he was attacking Outer Sect disciple Lin Shuang like a madman.
He attacked, but Lin Shuang remained unyielding.
He attacked again, and Lin Shuang still stood firm.
…
With another strike, Chen Sheng fell.
After depleting all his Foundation Establishment spiritual energy in half an incense stick’s time due to his extreme frustration, he fell to the ground, and his sword slipped from his hand, dropping to the ground.
“Chen Sheng… this is so embarrassing!”
“Who is she anyway?”
“She must be at least at the third level of Foundation Establishment!”
“Is she deliberately wearing the attire of an Outer Sect disciple? Is she an Inner Sect disciple?”
Two fellow senior brothers stared at the projection stone, their voices filled with shock and countless speculations.
Bai Yu, who was furthest from the projection stone and sitting alone on the edge of a cliff on the 501st floor, bit his lip, his eyes flickering.
Lin Shuang.
Finally, someone was as shocked as he was.
Finally, someone was going to be constantly shocked like him in the future and then feel inferior.
Bai Yu looked at the projection of Chen Sheng with clear sympathy but also a hint of relief.
“He should be glad he’s only at the second level of Foundation Establishment.”
“What?” His fellow senior brother turned around, puzzled.
Bai Yu didn’t answer and just shook his head.
He could see at a glance that Chen Sheng’s full-force attacks couldn’t hit the sore spots and muscle knots that had built up in her body. Not to mention, helping her relax tense muscles.
Long-term therapy would definitely not choose someone like Chen Sheng, who was only at the second level of Foundation Establishment.
Just this one incense stick’s time.
“Hold on a little longer. It will be over soon.”
“…”
Bai Yu crossed his legs and said, “Senior Brother, I’m going to cultivate.”
The fear of being chased and never able to catch up with her had wrapped around him again.
***
Chen Sheng, who had fled in disgrace, and his escaping junior disciple met on the 501st-floor cliff.
When they saw each other’s sorry states, they both shuddered.
“You lost?”
“You lost too?”
“?! How is that possible? You went up against the severely ill Huangfu Yuan for so many years?”
“?! How is that possible? You went up against an Outer Sect Qi Refining Stage female disciple?”
“!”
“…”
The two blurted out, then turned pale.
This senior brother, although his cultivation was not weak, his sword technique was simply not suitable for therapy.
It didn’t have any effect on the blockages in her muscles and bones.
Lin Shuang patted her gray robe that had been shaken by the sword’s energy.
Coming face to face with Huangfu Yuan, who was coming out of the resting cave, gracefully wiping his long fingers, Lin Shuang and Huangfu Yuan both froze.
Huangfu Yuan, who had been chronically ill for many years, had no combat power and was no match for an Outer Sect Qi Refining Stage disciple.
Lin Shuang, touching her right shoulder, was momentarily stunned.
“Huangfu Senior Brother, you won?”
“Lin Junior Sister, did you win?”
They spoke in unison.
Both of them let their eyes wander over the neat and undamaged clothes of the other person before raising their heads.
At the same time, they showed a complex expression as if they had discovered a secret.
“Cough, Junior Sister Lin… I was able to win by comparing alchemy with my opponent.”
Lin Shuang squinted her eyes.
There was not a trace of an alchemical fire aura on him.
“Senior Brother, isn’t it quite a coincidence? I also…”
Huangfu Yuan coughed and fell silent.
“Junior Sister Lin, you also know alchemy.”
“No, quite a coincidence, I also won by chance. Senior Brother Chen Sheng had something urgent and left before the incense stick was finished.”
“…”
Huangfu Yuan’s phoenix eyes flashed with a trace of light, and he swept over the scene where the Foundation Establishment sword energy had swept through after Lin Shuang, then walked past her.
Heh heh.
Low-level Qi Refining disciple Lin Shuang and the powerless Huangfu Yuan exchanged glances and then separated with an unspoken understanding.
They both lowered their heads, revealing a subtle expression of mutual understanding.
“Lin Shuang! Senior Brother Huangfu!”
Meng Zi shouted and rushed out of the illusion formation in a fiery hurry.
“I’m coming!”
The low-level Qi Refining Stage disciple Lin Shuang’s eyelashes trembled.
The powerless Huangfu Yuan’s body shuddered.
Author’s Note:
Lin Shuang: I didn’t believe him from the sixth sense.
Huangfu Yuan: I didn’t even believe her with my five senses.
[Zhao Sect Leader’s Note 22]: …Poor Senior Brother Meng.
—Zhou Xuanwu’s Comment: You’re on the same level as me, Little Junior Sister. Forget about Second Brother.
—Zhao Keran: …
