"What kind of trial is it?" Su Xuan asked again.

"You don't know?" Su Pei, the Sect Leader of the Yu Xian Sect, was somewhat surprised. The trials they initiated were known to just about everyone within a thousand-mile radius.

"I don't know," Su Xuan shook his head. "I haven't been out on my own for long, so there are many things I don't understand."

"It's better that you don't," Su Pei also shook her head. "Your cultivation has already surpassed the Heaven Severing Realm, so you are not eligible to participate in this trial. Therefore, please leave."

"Is there really no room for discussion?" Su Xuan had no intention of making this trip for nothing.

Besides, how did she see through the cultivation level he had deliberately suppressed? If he had to guess, there was only one possibility: this woman, who looked to be in her twenties, was far more advanced in her cultivation than him. He was like a transparent man in front of her, with no secrets to speak of. And he didn't believe she was really in her twenties. You couldn't judge the women of this mountainous world by their appearance. For all he knew, she could be fifty or sixty.

"Hm." Su Pei returned the letter of introduction from Xie Cheng to Su Xuan. However, not wanting to make him lose face completely, she said, "We set the trial's eligibility to be below the Longevity Realm for a reason. The location is... peculiar. Longevity Realm Experts could encounter trouble there; some have even died in the past. If you weren't a Longevity Realm cultivator, I would not have refused you."

"Alright then." Since she had put it that way, Su Xuan didn't press the matter further and took his leave.

Third Elder said the closest place to find a Blood Immortal Vine recently was the Yu Xian Sect. That means there must be others farther away. I'll have to search in more distant locations now. But before I do, I should see Third Elder again and ask about a few other places. If one place doesn't work out, I'll just go to the next.

「A few minutes later.」

Su Xuan walked out of the Yu Xian Sect's mountain gates. Just as he was about to mount his white horse and take to the skies, someone called out to him from about a dozen meters away.

"Brother Liu, long time no see! How have you been?"

Although the person had the wrong name, his face was wreathed in smiles as he waved enthusiastically. The man was luxuriously dressed, not looking like someone from a minor sect.

CLIP-CLOP, CLIP-CLOP.

Su Xuan rode his white horse over to the man and asked, "Brother, have you mistaken me for someone else? My surname isn't Liu."

"No mistake, no mistake," the man said with a smile, then suddenly lowered his voice. "You came to the Yu Xian Sect for the Blood Immortal Vine, right? I have a way for you to get it! Please, come this way."

Seemingly certain that Su Xuan would follow, the man walked off the mountain road and into a dense forest on his own.

A scalper?

Su Xuan smiled with interest and followed the man into the forest.

"Brother, let's cut to the chase," the man said as soon as he saw Su Xuan follow him. "The Yu Xian Sect's Valley of Thousand Snakes trial starts tomorrow. All registered cultivators will enter the valley then. If you want to get the Blood Immortal Vine, you have to participate. And I have a way for you to join."

"What way?" Su Xuan asked.

"Before I tell you, you have to agree to a trade," the man said, his eyes resting on Su Xuan's white horse. "Give me this horse."

"And you think I'll make that trade?"

"You probably will," the man smiled. "Almost everyone who comes to the Yu Xian Sect for the Blood Immortal Vine is seeking it for alchemy to save a life. The Blood Immortal Vine is a life-saving Spirit Grass! Can you deny that's what you're here for? Compared to saving a life, a horse isn't so precious, is it?"

"Why do you want my horse?" Su Xuan asked.

"That's easy to explain." The man flicked a fallen leaf off his shoulder with a grin. "My cousin and I were passing by the mountain gate when she took a fancy to your horse. She wants it. Simple as that."

"Then what's your method for getting me into the trial?" Su Xuan also smiled. "As far as I know, Longevity Realm Experts are not qualified to participate."

"Haha, brother, don't joke around," the man suddenly burst into laughter. "You, a Longevity Realm Expert? From what I see, your cultivation is only at the mid-stage of the Heaven Severing Realm! You're even a little weaker than me. The reason you can't join the trial must be that all the spots are full. I heard they filled up three days ago!"

His perception was a far cry from Su Pei's; he could only see the realm Su Xuan had deliberately suppressed his cultivation to. He figured Su Xuan was just bluffing about being a Longevity Realm Expert to save face. After all, judging by Su Xuan's dejected look, he had clearly been kicked out by the Yu Xian Sect.

"And my method is this!" The man took out an object. "Take this trial qualification token, and you can participate without any issues!"

"But I don't want to trade my horse for it," Su Xuan shook his head.

PFFT!

Hearing Su Xuan say this, the white horse standing beside him snorted, as if sighing in relief.

"Is a horse more important than a human life?" the man pressed.

"I mean, how about I buy your token with Xuan tickets?" Su Xuan stated his purpose.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm not broke." The man, completely unaware of Su Xuan's financial situation, casually pulled out a wad of Xuan tickets and waved them. "See? I can easily pull out a few thousand Xuan tickets!"

WHISH!

Su Xuan also took out a stack of Xuan tickets. "See? I can casually pull out several hundred thousand."

"Uh..." The man stared at Su Xuan, his eyes narrowing to slits. "Brother, which sect are you from? Or which family?"

"Neither," Su Xuan shook his head.

"Then where did your Xuan tickets come from?" the man asked, puzzled.

"I came by them unexpectedly," Su Xuan said cryptically.

"What kind of unexpected way?" the man pressed.

"That's not something you need to know, is it?" Su Xuan shrugged.

"Did anyone come here with you?" the man asked again.

"No," Su Xuan shrugged. "I'm alone."

"Perfect." The man's expression suddenly turned sinister. He flicked his hand, releasing a cloud of grey-black smoke as he spoke in an eerie voice, "Now, your Xuan tickets and your white horse are mine. And you have never seen me. You are very, very tired. You want to go home and rest. Go on, go!"

The man's voice seemed filled with a power that could seize one's very soul.

Su Xuan's eyes involuntarily glazed over as he handed the hundreds of thousands in Xuan tickets to the man. At the same time, his feet began to move on their own, carrying him down the mountain.

"What an idiot!" the man sneered at Su Xuan's retreating back.

He then reached out to take the reins of Su Xuan's white horse. It was at that moment that something startling happened...

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.