I remember last time I didn’t walk this long.

 

While Yu Xian, disguised as Bai Ke, stood in front of the square of Hengtian Hall feigning ignorance and silently griping, the real Bai Ke had already been brought to the entrance of the Sanqing Pool by Huo Junxiao.

Though the Sanqing Pool had formidable restrictions that made forced entry almost impossible, it wasn't completely unguarded. However, dealing with the sentinels was a trivial task for Junxiao, barely more than a flick of the wrist.

In the blink of an eye, the Hengtian Sect disciples guarding the pool were unconscious on the ground. Junxiao moved swiftly, pressing several points on their foreheads, chests, and backs before giving a forceful pat. The disciples then stood up stiffly again, as if puppets on strings, and returned to their posts with swords in hand, completely motionless.

As they had discussed before, Yu Xian, disguised as Bai Ke, would join Lin Jie in participating in the trial, and creating a distraction and draw Hengtian Sect's attention, while hopefully eliminating the sect's wicked creatures. Meanwhile, Junxiao would guard Bai Ke as he used the power of the "Ice Soul" within the Sanqing Pool to extract the Seven Star Pill.

Bai Zixu had been left in the safest place, the secret realm, but just in case, Fat Aunt and the other three were left to protect him in order to avoid any unforeseen accident.

“I’m not sure if I still have permission to enter,” Bai Ke said nervously, glancing at the entrance to the Sanqing Pool.

Junxiao nodded and said "hmm", obviously he had already thought of this.

In fact, they had already considered this matter when planning the operation. After all, the final restriction of the Sanqing Pool wasn’t set by the Hengtian Sect’s leaders but bore all the marks of Wu Nan's handiwork— his junior brother known for powerful and complex formations.

After Wu Nan had passed through the aftermath of the Nanhua turmoil, he, despite his madness, managed to sense the threat of the "Ice Soul," which had been temporarily subdued by Bai Lingchen. In his unstable state, Wu Nan had created a sealed boundary to confine the Ice Soul's menace and prevent further chaos.

The Hengtian Sect had simply exploited this, incorporating the sealed region into its domain for its own use ever since.

In short, no matter what, this made Junxiao’s task of breaking the barrier anything but straightforward.

Prior to this, Jun Xiao and Yu Xian had tested the method and gained some insight into how to break the barrier. However, it was still somewhat risky, which is why Yu Xian needed to remain vigilant and adapt as needed on his side.

When Junxiao raised his hand to dispel the restriction, even Bai Ke couldn’t help feeling anxious.

Junxiao’s hands traced intricate patterns in the air with his two palms, fingers moving rapidly as runes shimmered around him and then convoluted with his arms, merging with his skin. With a sudden sharp look, he grabbed his own wrist with his left hand and, using the joined fingers of his right, drew symbols mid-air in front of the apparently empty gate of the Sanqing Pool.

Each stroke summoned violent gusts, cutting against Bai Ke’s face and whipping Junxiao’s black robes. The powerful air blades etched marks in the void, creating a series of interconnected runes that balanced strength and grace, resembling dragons and phoenixes in a dance.

When the last stroke was complete, Junxiao shouted, “Open!” The air under the gate rippled as if water discturbed by pebbles tossed into it, spreading out in concentric waves.

Junxiao relaxed, then gently took Bai Ke's hand and stepped through the rippling barrier together.

Bai Ke felt his nerves settle only after they crossed through the restriction.

“Why are your palms sweaty?” Junxiao teased, giving his hand a squeeze.

Bai Ke: "..." Of course, his palms were sweaty—who wouldn’t be in such a tense situation?

It wasn't so noticeable until Junxiao squeezed it—Bai Ke's hand felt as thin as bone. Junxiao frowned and raised Bai Ke's hand for inspection. "You've become so thin. Once the Seven Star Pill is out, I need to make sure you recover properly!"

Bai Ke retorted, "Why don't you ever have so many opinions when it matters? " Can we respect the tense pre-battle atmosphere here?

Junxiao offered a light smile. "I was worried you'd be afraid. Just trying to lighten the mood."

Bai Ke's lips twitched. "Pain doesn't scare me—death does, maybe. But with you here, I doubt I'll die, so... what is there to fear?"

Junxiao met his gaze deeply, squeezing his fingers a bit tighter, then responded with gravity, "Well… I won’t let you die."

With that, he led Bai Ke forward.

The scene beyond the Sanqing Pool's gate was just as Bai Ke remembered. Inside, the view contrasted sharply with the exterior. A mountain path emerged after just a few steps, flanked by steep cliff walls, forming a narrow path that grew increasingly slender until only one person could pass at a time. Junxiao moved ahead of Bai Ke, half-turned, still holding Bai Ke’s hand tightly as they advanced.

Previously, Bai Ke had a luminous orb provided by the Hengtian Sect. This time, Yu Xian had swiped a similar item when retrieving the entry token to Wangtian Cliff from the Hengtian Sect's head.

As they progressed deeper, the darkness in the Sanqing Pool thickened until it became pitch black. Junxiao took out the luminous pearl, lighting up a small patch of ground before them, and led Bai Ke step by step.

After some time, Bai Ke frowned and tugged on Junxiao's hand.

“What is it?” Junxiao instinctively tightened his hold and glanced back, concerned something was amiss.

“I feel like something isn’t right,” Bai Ke said hesitantly.

“Not right?” Junxiao echoed, puzzled.

Bai Ke nodded. “I remember last time I didn’t walk this long.”

Junxiao considered his words, looked into the inky darkness ahead, and shook the pearl for more light but saw no change. He frowned and reassured, “Don’t overthink it. We can't turn back now; just keep moving forward. I'm here.”

Bai Ke let out an "Mm" and resumed walking behind him.

While the two proceeded cautiously in the dark, back at the Hengtian Sect place, the various sects had finished their pleasantries and entered the main hall with their disciples. The sect leaders and elders took their seats, waiting for the Hengtian Sect's leader to present the much-anticipated elixir.

After entering the hall, the new disciples stood behind their respective elders rather than assembling in neat ranks like on the square. Lin Jie had already slipped over to stand beside Meng Xi and the disguised Yu Xian as Bai Ke.

Yu Xian remained on high alert, observing developments closely and calculating Bai Ke and Junxiao's progress. He figured they should be at the point of breaking the restriction and braced for any unexpected commotion Junxiao might cause.

However, even when the Hengtian Sect leader unveiled a purple-gold wooden box and displayed the pill inside to the gathered sects, and then passed around the pill recipe handwritten by the legendary medicine ghost, no commotion arose.

So, Yu Xian subtly signaled to Lin Jie, implying: Junxiao and Bai Ke have most likely entered the Sanqing Pool successfully.

This made Lin Jie suddenly tense.

Meng Xi couldn’t help but mutter through clenched teeth, “Why are you trembling, Ah Jie?”

Lin Jie coughed and said, “First time participating in a trial tournament, I'm nervous.”

Meng Xi replied, “... Are there even people who participate twice?”

Lin Jie: “…”

Compared to this group’s banter, the atmosphere inside the hall was far more solemn.

Initially, many sects doubted the Hengtian Sect’s claims about the pill, suspecting it was a pretense for some ulterior motive.

However, when the Hengtian Sect leader presented the pill recipe authored by the famed medicine ghost, their reactions changed dramatically. Among the assembled leaders and elders were those who had seen the medicine ghost 's handwriting before and recognized its strange, distinctive style. Just by looking at the script and sensing the subtle flow of spiritual energy emanating from it, they knew it was genuine.

The Hengtian leader put away the pill recipe and the purple-gold box, then addressed the gathered sect leaders with a respectful gesture and a smile. “Our sect was fortunate enough to obtain this recipe, and after a hundred years, we have managed to refine this pill. According to the medicine ghost, this pill, once consumed, can double one’s cultivation and greatly enhance spiritual power. However—”

He paused, scanning the room. “I’m sure many of you share my doubts. The idea that a single pill could double one's cultivation is hard to believe. Furthermore, even if such effects are true, there could still be side effects. This is why our sect has been cautious and has yet to attempt using it. Although Hengtian Sect has expertise in alchemy, many present also excel in this field, such as Elder Hongyi of Qingyun Sect, Elder Tianhe of Taichu Sect, and Sect Master Xie of Shaoyang Sect…”

The mentioned guests returned the gesture of respect. The Shaoyang Sect’s master, a striking man who appeared to be in his early thirties, spoke up. “Your words are too kind, Sect Master. It seems that today’s gathering is meant for all of us to verify the efficacy of this pill that the  medicine ghost described?”

“Indeed,” the Hengtian Sect leader nodded with a smile, adding, “But there’s no rush to evaluate the pill. We can wait until after the trial tournament concludes. Moreover, our sect has refined more than one of these pills. We are willing to offer one as a prize to the sect whose disciple claims victory in the tournament. What do you think?”

The various sect leaders exchanged glances, then applauded and agreed, “Excellent!”

Yu Xian, standing in the back, twitched his lips, thinking, These old foxes, their words are so sickeningly sweet it’s nauseating.

Meanwhile, inside the Sanqing Pool, after about a quarter of an hour, Junxiao and Bai Ke’s path finally opened up. But instead of the expected glowing “Ice Soul,” what lay before them was an expanse of dense forest.

 

Translator : DarNan