Are you trying to pretend you’re back in your early teens to look younger?

 

"Who is it?!" Bai Ke was startled.

Junxiao slightly squinted, held his breath, and released his spiritual sense to make a quick sweep. Then he opened his eyes and said, "It seems our guess was correct. The ones entering are disciples from various sects."

Bai Ke furrowed his brow. "So, Hengtian Sect really has decided to target these people's lives? But hasn’t the sect leader and elders of Hengtian Sect thought about the consequences? If disciples from other sects are killed at the trial event, won’t the other sects just let it go? Has Hengtian Sect’s power really become so dominant?"

"What if it's only offending sects they can afford to offend?" Junxiao replied.

"What do you mean by that?" Bai Ke turned to Junxiao with some confusion. "Offend what they can afford to offend? Are you saying that some of the Three Sects and Six Factions have weakened so much that they can’t stir up any trouble? I’ve heard Lin Jie mention that there are indeed two or three sects whose numbers have dwindled to the point where they’re practically no different from minor rogue sects, just holding on to their old titles... But how can they be sure..."

Before Bai Ke could finish, he suddenly realized — Junxiao had mentioned that everything in this forest was arranged for the cultivators entering to follow a specific path set by Hengtian Sect. If Hengtian Sect arranged different paths for different sects, although the overall routes might not differ much, they could set fatal obstacles on some sects’ paths while others would have the usual, safe routes. This would allow them to selectively sacrifice certain people. Furthermore, if someone were caught by the tree vines, not only would there be no corpses left, but the person would likely be reduced to ashes in moments—truly a method to completely erase evidence!

Junxiao spoke again, confirming his thoughts: "The entrances to the forest are different for each sect."

Bai Ke fell silent for a moment before expressionlessly saying, "So, we just happened to step onto one of the paths where Hengtian Sect planted the landmines, right?"

Junxiao glanced at him, then nodded. "Although they’ve always been confident that no one could make it through the Sanqing Pool, it’s still necessary to take a few precautions. Anyone coming in from the Sanqing Pool, if their cultivation is insufficient, will be drained by the tree vines shortly after entering the forest, leaving nothing but bones. As for those who can resist the vines..."

Before Junxiao could finish, Bai Ke interjected, "Those who can resist the vines will definitely face more trouble down the line, right?"

Junxiao nodded.

"We can’t worry about that right now. Solving one problem at a time. Anyway, we need to find an exit from this forest, and any path we take is a search. Might as well go find Lin Jie and the others first, at least warn them," Bai Ke said.

"Alright." Junxiao naturally agreed. Warning them wouldn't take too much time. Plus, with Yu Xian around, if he learned of the situation, it would be good to have some precautions, and maybe even help save a few unlucky disciples along the way.

When Junxiao released his spiritual sense earlier, he had noticed the positions of Lin Jie and the others, so he led Bai Ke as they flew toward the eastern part of the forest.

"Ancestor... ahem, Xiao Bai." Lin Jie almost revealed Yu Xian's true identity, but quickly stopped, since there were other Hengtian Sect disciples around.

According to the rules of the trial events over the years, the sects would draw lots. In front of Wanchao Valley, there was a trial platform with four doors—Blue Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise—that led to four different directions within Wanchao Valley. Each sect would enter through one of these four doors, based on the lot they drew. After that, it was a test of skill. They could form alliances or split into smaller teams to search for the exit in the vast and dangerous forest, with the first team to emerge being the winner.

At this point, Lin Jie, Yu Xian, and the others had already listened to a series of polite words, some true and some false, between the sects. After the sect leaders had drawn their lots, they all entered Wan Chao Valley through the Vermilion Bird door and ventured into the boundless forest.

This year, the two sects that drew lots to enter alongside them were Changling and Xuanwei. These two sects had already fallen into decline, with limited disciples. The new disciples they brought to the trial were fewer than a quarter of Hengtian Sect’s.

However, it seemed that the disciples of these two sects had a good relationship with each other, though whether it was because of shared misfortune or for some other reason was unclear.

On the other hand, Hengtian Sect obviously didn’t think highly of them and had no intention of helping them along the way. In fact, at the first fork in the path after entering the forest, Hengtian Sect’s disciples had already split into different groups.

This was something that happened every time. Although all the disciples were participating in the trial for the first time, many had heard senior brothers and sisters mention common situations that arose during the trials. Divisions among sects was one of them.

Like many other sects, the relationships among Hengtian Sect's disciples weren’t particularly deep. Most disciples only had a couple of good friends from the same year. There was very limited interaction between others. More disciples preferred to interact with their senior brothers and sisters, as having one or two senior mentors could help them avoid some detours in their cultivation. Generous seniors might not only offer occasional advice, but even take disciples they felt an affinity with to study together.

Over the years, this had led to a group mentality under different elders. Except for a few individuals, most disciples formed close bonds with those from the same elder's line. Over time, this created different factions, competing against each other, and this pattern carried over into the trial events.

Thus, every time the trial event occurred, Hengtian Sect’s disciples would quickly split into several teams after entering Wanchao Valley, with very few teams having disciples from different elders. The first team to find the exit would bring much honor to their elder's face, which had almost become an unwritten tradition.

This time, it was no different.

Soon, the nearly fifty Hengtian Sect disciples split into seven smaller teams. However, Hengtian Sect only had five elders, and the sect leader hadn’t taken any new disciples in nearly ten years... So, two extra teams were formed. One came from Hong Jun Elder’s faction, and the other from Hong Xian Elder’s faction, though the latter team was quite peculiar—it only had three members:

Yu Xian, disguised as Bai Ke, Lin Jie, and Meng Xi who followed them.

Lin Jie muttered, “Why did they look at us like we’re clueless when they chose that path?”

Meng Xi hesitantly replied, “Maybe because we are…”

Lin Jie blinked, only for Meng Xi to point at each of them, one by one, saying, “Three... total... rookies.”

Lin Jie winced. He nearly forgot that Yu Xian was disguised as Bai Ke, which made their group as looking for death based on their apparent strength !

But Lin Jie, trying to maintain an air of wisdom, shook his finger at Meng Xi, then pointed at the group walking ahead. “Don’t overlook them.”

The group he indicated as ‘them’ was the disciples from the Xuanwei and Changling sects. These two sects likely had no expectation of taking the lead, as neither had produced a victor in over a century. So, they were walking harmoniously, intending more on gaining experience than winning, following the same path as Yu Xian’s team for now, at least until the next fork.

“I heard from a senior brother that the forest in Wanchao Valley usually starts with multiple paths to disperse the entrants, but then the paths start to merge,” Lin Jie said.

Meng Xi nodded. “If we hit another fork and they take a different path, our group will be even smaller.”

“No, it won’t.” Yu Xian, playing the part of Bai Ke, had been deliberately silent until now, then calmly said, “I sent out a simple spiritual scan just now. The area around us appears harmless, which means the barriers are either hidden underground or originate from above. Of the paths those Hengtian disciples took, two will eventually merge with ours.”

Meng Xi’s eyes widened in amazement. “A spiritual scan? The layout here in Wanchao Valley normally blocks normal disciples releasing their spiritual consciousness, and flight is restricted. Bai Ke, you’re incredible!”

Yu Xian blinked, then gave a cough. “I only managed a brief scan of the nearby area. Any further is beyond me.”

Due to Bai Ke’s lack of sun exposure, he was naturally pale, and under the forest’s greenish light, he looked even paler. Meng Xi noticed, mistook it for fatigue, and patted him on the shoulder. “Thank you for your hard work. Please adjust your breathing quickly, you’re looking pale.”

As they talked, two disciples in Hengtian Sect robes but with unfamiliar faces stepped out from behind a nearby tree and joined their group.

Lin Jie hesitated. “You are…?”

Meng Xi also looked baffled, not recognizing the newcomers.

The Xuanwei and Changling disciples, unfamiliar with the Hengtian Sect, merely glanced over and continued walking.

Only Yu Xian, disguised as Bai Ke, looked at the taller of the two strangers, a youth with sharp features, and muttered, “Why the disguise? Got tired of your usual grown-up self? Are you trying to pretend you’re back in your early teens to look younger? And this sullen one here…” He glanced at the cold-looking, slender youth beside him, and said with emotion. “It’s been ages since I saw him as a teenager, and I could hardly remember him. You remember his look pretty well.”

“The forest’s filling up with people. This form is more convenient,” the taller youth replied. “We came to remind you to be cautious of Hengtian Sect’s traps.”

 

Translator : DarNan