"Golden Needle Piercing the Meridians!"

"It can help me briefly enter the Longevity Realm!"

"Once I'm in the Longevity Realm, that kid will be no match for me!"

Wu Ba stared at the golden needle with a vicious expression. He hated Su Xuan, who had defeated him in a single blow!

"But, Wu Ba," Zhu Hongyun, who also hated Su Xuan, said with a blink, "your cultivation is at Heaven Severing Late Stage Perfection. Logically, you should be invincible within the Heaven Severing Realm. How could that kid send you flying with one palm strike?"

"I'm guessing…" Zhu Hongyun answered his own question, "that kid might be a Longevity Realm Expert who can suppress his cultivation to the Heaven Severing Realm. That's why you couldn't beat him!"

"That's not possible!" Wu Ba shook his head. "If that kid is here, he must be participating in tomorrow's trial. If he were in the Longevity Realm, do you think Su Pei would give him a qualification for the trial? And who could possibly deceive Su Pei's eyes? Back in the day, Ancestor Meng used the Spiritual Illumination Divine Eye to see through all things. Su Pei has surely learned it too!"

"Does that mean he's also at Heaven Severing Late Stage Perfection, just a level of perfection even more formidable than yours?" Zhu Hongyun frowned.

"That's the only explanation," Wu Ba said.

"But I still feel like something isn't right."

Zhu Hongyun fell into deep thought.

Did Su Xuan take a photo of me just to demand compensation? Or was it to shut me up, to stop me from voicing my suspicion that he's in the Longevity Realm? To stop me from telling someone like Su Pei?

"I must kill him tomorrow!" Zhu Hongyun suddenly declared viciously.

He certainly didn't dare to speak about Su Xuan's true cultivation; otherwise, his own reputation would be utterly ruined.

"Kill him!" Wu Ba echoed.

Besides, no one would suspect a thing if they killed Su Xuan during the trial. After all, killing for treasure was permitted!

「The next day.」

A sonorous bell tolled, echoing throughout the Yu Xian Sect. All those who came to participate in the trial gathered in an open space on the sect's rear mountain. High in the sky, the sun shone warmly, its light clear and bright.

"Brother Ji, do you know an old story about the Valley of Thousand Snakes?" Min Chun, the man sharing a room with Su Xuan, stood beside him and whispered, "Before Ancestor Meng came to the Yu Xian Sect, there was a bottomless sinkhole in the Valley of Thousand Snakes. Legend says that strange things from underground would crawl out to harm people. It was Ancestor Meng who used some marvelous method to fill the sinkhole, and everything has been peaceful since!"

"Oh? What method was that?"

Since the trial hadn't started yet, Su Xuan began chatting with Min Chun. He had also learned about the young man's background. Min Chun came from a small sect called the Thousand Blades Gang, where he was a hall master. He was participating in the trial on his sect leader's orders, hoping to find several treasures to strengthen his sect.

"Manure!" Min Chun said mysteriously. "Ancestor Meng used a spell to control countless paper sculptures and filled the sinkhole with the Yu Xian Sect's aged manure!"

"Oh?"

"Manure is great stuff; it can suppress yin and evil energies. Even the most malevolent of spirits are terrified of it!"

"This Ancestor Meng really was an interesting person."

"Wasn't he? And as handsome as you, too!"

While the two were chatting, everyone suddenly fell silent, their heads turning in unison toward one direction.

A beautiful figure approached from that direction and stepped onto a high platform. The morning breeze billowed her robes, making her look like a celestial fairy. The newcomer was none other than Su Pei.

"Fellow Daoists!" Su Pei stood high above, her clear voice washing over the crowd awaiting the trial. "You should all be aware of the rules for this trial by now. Whoever obtains the most Blood Immortal Vines will be the winner. The victor will not only keep all the Blood Immortal Vines they find but will also receive a reward—a peerless treasure left behind by Ancestor Meng: the Golden Body Mystic Armor!"

The words had barely left her lips when the trialists began to gasp in excitement.

Not only could the Blood Immortal Vines be sold for a sky-high price, but the treasure left by Ancestor Meng was absolutely priceless!

It was said that Ancestor Meng once wore this very armor to single-handedly fight ten Great Perfection Longevity Realm Ancestors and emerged without a single scratch.

The Yu Xian Sect was actually willing to offer such a treasure?

This was an unbelievably generous reward!

Only Su Xuan's expression remained calm, as if he had no interest in the armor. Back in the world below, he had also unexpectedly acquired a piece of protective armor that could resist external attacks. Now that he had reached the Longevity Realm, the armor's power had grown with him. It might not be any weaker than Ancestor Meng's treasure.

What he cared about were the Blood Immortal Vines.

Once he got them and had the Third Elder refine them into medicinal pills, he could return to the world below and live his peaceful life without any worries.

This time, I must not place in the rankings...

Su Xuan thought to himself, keeping his head down to maintain a low profile and avoid being noticed by Su Pei. If anyone else knew what he was thinking, they would be torn between laughter and tears.

"Alright, I won't waste any more of your time. I now declare the trial to begin. Everyone, please take care of yourselves!"

After speaking, Su Pei shifted her gaze in a certain direction.

It was a cave that faced all the trialists.

An old man with a white beard and hair sat cross-legged before it. Seeing Su Pei's gaze land on him, he nodded in acknowledgment. Then, his hands formed a seal as he chanted under his breath and pressed his palms to the ground.

HUM!

A mystical sound spread out.

The cave behind him suddenly blazed with light, as if a high-powered xenon lamp had been switched on inside.

Then, the people at the front began to file into the cave. The blinding light immediately swallowed them.

"Brother Ji, once we're inside the cave, we'll be in the Valley of Thousand Snakes. The first thing we need to do isn't to hunt for treasure, but to regroup!" Min Chun said to Su Xuan, his voice a mix of nerves and excitement as their turn to enter approached. "We can make our plans after we've gathered!"

"Got it." Su Xuan replied, stepping into the white light of the cave with Min Chun. His cousin, Ji Sisi, never let go of his arm, terrified of getting separated.

"Uncle Wu, it's all up to you now!" Zhu Hongyun of the Zhu Family said before he and his old attendant stepped into the cave as well.

After the last person had entered, the light in the cave abruptly vanished. The white-bearded old man sat at the entrance, his eyes closed in meditation, seemingly falling asleep.

Watching the empty field, Su Pei sighed for reasons she couldn't explain, then turned and departed.

That year, she wasn't yet the Sect Leader. That young man had also participated in the trial in the Valley of Thousand Snakes. Who would have known he would later become Ancestor Meng, a figure who would shake the entire upper world?

HUM! HUM! HUM!

After stepping into the cave's white light, Su Xuan felt a wave of dizziness and disorientation. Ji Sisi, who had been by his side, was gone. He was alone, feeling as if he were traversing a long river of time. This was his first time personally experiencing such a Taoist formation since arriving in the upper world; it was truly filled with mystery.

A moment later, his feet sank slightly as they touched solid ground.

He focused his gaze and looked around, finding himself in a lush, shady valley. Numerous poisonous snakes with frightening patterns were coiled around tree trunks...

This was the Valley of Thousand Snakes.

He instantly understood why Min Chun had insisted their first task was to regroup. The formation had apparently scattered everyone randomly, leaving each person completely alone.

Su Xuan took a deep breath. He could feel a dense aura of danger all around him.

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