The two hurried over.
Wen Shuangbai took the blueprint handed to her by her senior sister, and the moment it touched her fingers, a familiar sensation arose.
The texture of this paper was identical to the two puzzle pieces she had obtained in Star Moon Valley.
Upon closer inspection, the content on the paper turned out to be an unfinished map.
Realizing something, Wen Shuangbai’s eyes brightened as she retrieved the fully assembled map from her storage ring, her voice tinged with excitement: "Friends, this treasure map is meant for the Divine Mirage Valley!"
Back then, she had racked her brains trying to figure out the purpose of this terrain map—who knew it would be the key clue for the next round of trials?
Li Zhuohua’s eager gaze fixed on the circled markings on the treasure map, and she couldn’t wait another moment: "Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!"
Wen Shuangbai, who could only distinguish left and right but not cardinal directions, tossed the map to Shen Hefeng: "Second Brother Shen, lead the way."
"You really think this is a treasure map?" Shen Hefeng fumbled to catch it while trying to orient himself. "What treasure could possibly be in this godforsaken place? In my humble opinion—"
"In my opinion, you should just shut up," Wen Shuangbai cut him off fiercely, her tone menacing. "Hurry up and guide us!"
After berating Shen Hefeng, Wen Shuangbai energetically joined Zhuohua in scavenging the insect-riddled corpses and armor strewn nearby, stuffing everything indiscriminately into their storage rings.
Yep, they weren’t picky—any trash was worth taking.
Nearby, Lu Jiayao, who had just finished vomiting bugs, was waiting for Xie Ziyin’s diagnosis.
But then, he noticed Xie Ziyin’s usually cold expression soften, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips.
He smiled… he actually smiled!
Lu Jiayao was terrified, his face instantly paling as he asked nervously, "Ziyin, c-can I survive this?"
"You can," Xie Ziyin replied, withdrawing his gaze from Wen Shuangbai’s departing figure. In a rare good mood, he spoke kindly to his junior brother: "The number of bugs inside you isn’t too high. Vomit two or three more times, and you’ll be clean."
"R-really?"
But after spending so much time together, Lu Jiayao had learned Xie Ziyin’s habits—the more severe the illness, the gentler his demeanor…
Horrified, Lu Jiayao blurted out, "Ziyin, don’t hide the truth from me! Just tell me straight—how bad is it?"
If he was going to die, he wanted to know the full extent!
Xie Ziyin: "…"
The smile vanished, replaced by his usual aloofness as he tactfully suggested, "Rather than worrying about the bugs, you should be more concerned about your brain."
To his surprise, Lu Jiayao exhaled in relief and grinned. "Oh, that’s fine then! I’m relieved!"
Xie Ziyin: "…"
Nearby, Yin Xuan, who had been pretending to nap while eavesdropping: "…"
—
The light of the Starstone seemed tailor-made to repel all the sinister creatures lurking in the Divine Mirage Valley.
For the next stretch of their journey, with the Starstone paving the way, the six encountered no dangers. There was no need for rest, so they pressed forward without pause.
Occasionally, they stopped to gather Divine Mirage Grass when they spotted some.
On this day, Lu Jiayao—the lucky one—stumbled upon another hidden patch of Divine Mirage Grass.
Indeed, ever since Shen Hefeng admitted he didn’t dare venture into the underworld of the Divine Mirage Valley to search for the grass, their team’s supply had been entirely discovered by Lu Jiayao.
The first time, he had been vomiting residual insect eggs, and Shen Hefeng, disgusted, told him to do it farther away. So he did—only to look up afterward and spot the Divine Mirage Grass swaying atop a distant dune!
The winds in the Divine Mirage Valley grew fiercer the higher one went, making sword flight impossible. So, they adapted, switching from flying to sand-surfing—which was just as fast.
The second time, Lu Jiayao had been gliding on his spirit flute when he lost focus, tumbling down the dune and rolling far away. His teammates, fearing he’d been bitten by sandworms again, rushed after him—only to find, lo and behold, more Divine Mirage Grass!
Honestly, you had to admire his luck.
Wen Shuangbai couldn’t help but marvel, "Third Earth, your luck is incredible."
"Ah, it’s nothing," Lu Jiayao replied modestly. "I’ve had even better luck before. I never told you guys, but originally, I wasn’t even qualified to enter Qingling Mountain."
Wen Shuangbai blinked. "Huh? Then how did you get in?"
As one of the Seven Great Sects, Qingling Mountain had strict entry requirements for disciples.
"Well, the year I went for the selection, the few music cultivators ahead of me all dropped out for various reasons—so I got in by default!" Lu Jiayao still felt pleased recalling it, though he rarely mentioned it because bragging usually earned him a beating. Later, surrounded by such talented teammates, he felt even more embarrassed to admit he hadn’t even met the standards back then.
But now he’d come to terms with it—luck was a form of strength too!
"Tsk tsk. As the saying goes, heaven envies the gifted," Shen Hefeng mused, circling Lu Jiayao with an air of aged wisdom. "Truly, the proverb holds."
Lu Jiayao: "…I know you’re insulting me!"
"Oh? You’ve grown sharper," Shen Hefeng laughed heartily.
Ignoring the bickering, Wen Shuangbai approached Xie Ziyin, who was gathering grass. "How many have we collected so far?"
Xie Ziyin: "Fifty-six."
Wen Shuangbai nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad—we’re already past the halfway mark."
But the moment she finished speaking, the Mystic Heaven Mirrors on their persons vibrated.
Before she could even pull hers out, Lu Jiayao gasped in shock: "Heavens! The Jade Rhinoceros Valley team has already completed their mission and left the Sacred Tower!"
Wen Shuangbai: "???"
Well, it seemed there was always someone luckier.
—
On the other side of the Divine Mirage Valley, within the Purple Flame Realm’s territory, Di Yanran lowered her Mystic Heaven Mirror and whispered to Di Qi beside her, "Elder Brother, Jade Rhinoceros Valley has already succeeded."
"Good, I know," Di Qi replied with a gentle smile, retracting his bloodstained hand. "It seems the Divine Evolution Temple will be eliminated this round."
As he spoke, droplets of blood from his palm seeped into the black sand beneath. Di Qi closed his eyes, concentrating.
Moments later, a diviner from the Purple Flame Realm hurried over, bowing respectfully. "Senior Brother, I’ve found the Divine Mirage Grass! It’s to the northwest."
"Mm, good." Di Qi’s face was slightly pale as he opened his eyes—but his gaze was fixed southwest. He took a step forward, smiling faintly. "Then let’s go."
The diviner hesitated. "Senior Brother, you’re heading southwest—"
"Shh." Di Yanran turned, her voice soft but firm. "Wherever Elder Brother says we go, we go."
Di Qi reached out and affectionately ruffled her hair.
—
Three days later, the six arrived at their destination according to the map.
The endpoint marked on the map turned out to be a snow-capped mountain.
Under the cold sun, the peak shimmered with an ethereal glow, veiled in mist—a sight of sacred beauty.
"Nine deaths, one life," Shen Hefeng declared after casting his divination, shaking his head theatrically. "Pitiful, truly pitiful. Your days of ease are over."
Wen Shuangbai gazed at the towering snow-capped mountain before her, its imposing presence pressing down like a weight. Yet, upon hearing the details, she felt a flicker of delight. "At least there's a chance of survival—good, it's climbable."
Somehow, she sensed that five hundred years ago, the Qingrong elders had left behind maps, starstones, and other artifacts in Star Moon Valley precisely so their descendants would come here—to this mountain deep within the mystical gorge—to accomplish something.
No risk, no reward—how else would we obtain the sacred stones?
Wen Shuangbai was determined to uncover what lay at the summit.
Half of their seven-day limit had already passed. Time was running out.
Without lingering at the mountain’s entrance, the six of them bundled up in thick winter gear and set off.
The moment they stepped onto the snowy terrain, the temperature plummeted. A bone-chilling cold, sharp enough to pierce spiritual marrow, lashed at them with the howling wind and snow.
It was hard to believe that even Wen Shuangbai, a cultivator at the Transcendence Realm, could be reduced to chattering teeth by this unnatural frost.
This mountain is no ordinary place—nor is this cold.
Their heavy clothing alone was useless against the biting freeze. The six quickly channeled their cultivation, circulating spiritual energy to ward off the cold.
Snowflakes drifted down, growing heavier until soon, their lashes were frosted with delicate crystals.
The world around them blurred into an endless white. The ground beneath was slick and treacherous, forcing them to tread with extreme caution.
After roughly two hours of climbing, the slope ahead gradually leveled—but so did the sun, dipping low on the horizon.
Dusk was approaching. Night would fall soon.
Wen Shuangbai, having activated the Radiant Spirit Heart Technique, felt much better. But glancing at her companions—their faces flushed red from the cold, their movements sluggish—she spoke up. "We need to find shelter for the night."
If they encountered anything in the darkness of the mountain, their chances of survival would be slim.
"Shuangbai, look—there’s a cabin!" Lu Jiayao suddenly exclaimed, teeth chattering as she pointed toward a small wooden structure barely visible through the swirling snow.
Lu Jiayao was thrilled, but the other five exchanged wary glances.
Wen Shuangbai muttered, "A pillow delivered just as we’re about to doze off?"
She wasn’t buying it.
Xie Ziyin mused, "Feels like a trap."
"Could be a haunted house," Shen Hefeng added. "Walk the night long enough, and you’ll meet a ghost."
Li Zhuohua shrugged. "So what’s the plan? Go around or check it out?"
Yin Xuan, ever pragmatic, reminded them, "...But it is shelter."
He’d slept in coffins before. A ghost house hardly fazed him.
The others nodded. The senior brother’s logic was sound.
Normally, they’d avoid potential danger—wise men didn’t linger beneath crumbling walls. But this was a trial. Encounters like these were likely scoring opportunities—places where sacred stones might appear.
Xie Ziyin volunteered, "I’ll scout ahead."
His unique movement technique, Nine Infants’ Phantom Steps, ensured he could outrun even ghosts if needed.
Watching him vanish into the snowstorm, Wen Shuangbai felt an inexplicable unease. After a moment’s thought, she called out, "I’m coming with you!"
Li Zhuohua, too restless to wait, turned to Yin Xuan. "You protect these two. I’ll guard your junior sister and her future husband."
Yin Xuan glanced at the two shivering juniors huddled beside him for warmth and nodded. "Understood. Thank you."
With that, Li Zhuohua hurried after them.
The trio didn’t approach recklessly. Instead, they circled wide, moving stealthily toward the cabin’s rear before activating invisibility talismans to creep closer.
To remain visible to each other while concealed, they held hands.
Suddenly, Wen Shuangbai—sandwiched between the two—frowned and tugged at their grips, signaling a halt.
Her gaze fixed ahead.
The ground around the cabin was blanketed in thick snow, but she could faintly detect the presence of a formation.
One misstep, and their invisibility would shatter—exposing them to both visibility and the formation’s attacks.
A formation like this… Could the cabin’s occupant really be another cultivator?
From Divine Evolution Temple? The Violet Flame Realm? Or perhaps one of those bounty hunters from the spirit ships, unaffiliated with the seven major sects?
Uncertain whether the occupant was friend or foe, Wen Shuangbai kept hold of her companions’ hands, skirting the formation’s perimeter until they found an angle to peer inside.
Through the gaps in the wooden walls, they glimpsed a modest kitchen. A fire burned within, its flickering light casting dancing shadows. The faint crackle of burning wood filled the air.
A cast-iron pot hung over the flames, filled with melting snow—now halfway to water.
But aside from that…
The cabin was empty.
