As the competition drew near, with Lu Jiayao serving as a mediating presence, the three of them knew when to stop and took the opportunity to step back.
Shen Hefeng lifted his chin, curled his lips, and let out a loud snort before turning to leave.
He stormed off with an imposing air, though his steps were deliberately slow—as if waiting for someone to call him back.
Lu Jiayao glanced at Wen Shuangbai, then at Xie Ziyin. Seeing that neither of them showed any intention to intervene, he had no choice but to step in himself. He hurried after Shen Hefeng, grabbing his arm and coaxing him with a string of soothing words.
Wen Shuangbai still held her Fire-Plume Whip in hand. The crimson lash, soft as feathers, was crafted from the plumage of Fire-Plume Birds.
Such feathers were rare and thus exceedingly valuable—but that didn’t matter. This was a competition piece, and the materials were provided by the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion. It wasn’t her money being spent.
She flicked the whip idly, its tail dancing through the air, brushing against Xie Ziyin’s robes more than once.
Xie Ziyin lifted an eyelid lazily. "If you don’t know how to use it, don’t bother."
Wen Shuangbai smirked, her tone laced with implication. "Oh, how could I ever compare to you, Xie the Medicinal Cultivator? After all, isn’t the title of ‘Xuantian’s Strongest’ yours alone?"
His alone, my foot! He actually dared to add her on an alt account! And then had the nerve to haggle with her!
No wonder he’d wished for her to take first place—of course, if she won, that meant he won too!
Was this man’s heart molded from the sludge of a sewer? Disgusting.
Xie Ziyin: "..."
He fell silent, not expecting her to see through him so quickly.
"Oh, that was my junior brother," he replied with perfect calm, raising his hand to inspect his storage ring. This supporting female lead isn’t as brainless as the intern claimed. "This storage ring was his gift to me. What, did you make it?"
Wen Shuangbai: "............"
She was utterly speechless. When she’d read the novel, how had she missed just how shameless this scumbag was?
In the few moments they exchanged words, the doors of the main hall above suddenly swung open. The clamoring crowd around them instantly hushed.
Wen Shuangbai looked up.
The Qingling Mountain main hall stood loftily above, suspended by array formations at the peak of the mountains. From below, the grand hall was wreathed in swirling mist, resembling a sacred kingdom in the clouds.
Five figures materialized out of thin air, gazing down at them from on high.
The distance was too great for Wen Shuangbai to make out their features, but she guessed they were likely the sect leader and the masters of the four pavilions.
The disciples didn’t dare act out, standing as quiet as mice, waiting for the esteemed figures to speak.
Time ticked by. The five figures exchanged glances, none willing to be the first to break the silence.
The higher-ups remained wordless, so those below naturally didn’t dare utter a sound either.
After a long while, following an unspoken battle of wills, the figure in the center chuckled lightly. With a wave of his gilded sleeve, an enormous bronze disk appeared above the crowd.
The bronze disk blotted out the sky, hovering directly over their heads. Wen Shuangbai barely had time to examine it before, without warning, the disk suddenly bared its fangs—a tremendous suction force engulfed them, hurling all the disciples straight into the Taihua Mountain Secret Realm.
Of course, in the process, dozens of disciples who had smuggled forbidden items into the exam were swallowed by the bronze disk, only to be spat back out in disgust, clattering to the ground like discarded trash.
The crowd below thinned by ninety percent in an instant. The central figure smiled in satisfaction before finally parting his crimson lips to elegantly declare, "The second round of Qingling Mountain’s competition begins."
---
Wen Shuangbai felt as though she’d been tossed into a washing machine. After roughly three dizzying spins, the world around her blurred—and then everything changed.
The sky above was a pristine blue. The wind howled in her ears as she plummeted uncontrollably through the air.
She twisted mid-fall, managing to flip herself over—only for her eyelids to twitch violently at the sight below.
A vast lake stretched beneath her, its surface patrolled by a creature resembling a crocodile—except it was several times larger, its gaping maw lined with jagged fangs, drool dripping as it eagerly awaited its airborne meal.
Holy shit!
Her instincts screamed in alarm. Without time to think, she caught sight of a nearby grove of water pines. Her Fire-Plume Whip lashed out, coiling tightly around the straightest trunk she could find, halting her descent abruptly.
Shen Hefeng reacted just as swiftly. His Soul-Devouring Banner shot forth, its long pole jabbing into the crocodile’s back. Using it as leverage, he swung himself toward a patch of marshland nearby.
Xie Ziyin and Lu Jiayao weren’t so lucky. Neither had high enough cultivation to cast flight spells, nor did they possess any immediate means of defense. They could only continue their helpless freefall.
One a healer, the other a musician—both were the fragile supports of any team, the ones who needed protection. Yin Xuan, ever reliable in critical moments, immediately summoned his sword and shot forward, poised to catch the two midair.
Lu Jiayao, always a beat slow, finally noticed the beast below. His scream tore through the sky like thunder, his voice booming: "AAAAAHHHH HELP!!! WAAAAHHH BIG BROTHER SAVE MEEEE—!!!"
The sheer force of his panic-induced shove sent Yin Xuan flying backward, his rescue attempt thwarted.
Xie Ziyin, watching his lifeline drift away: "..."
Yin Xuan, now helplessly airborne in the wrong direction: "..."
Wen Shuangbai, clinging to her pine tree for dear life: "..."
Shen Hefeng, who had just dragged himself out of the swamp: "..."
For the first time in his life, Shen Hefeng began to doubt his divination skills.
Just how had Lu Jiayao’s involvement turned the fortune from disastrous to moderately bad?
...
On the third floor of Qingling Mountain’s main hall, an illusion crystal orb hovered midair, surrounded by elders leisurely snacking on melon seeds as they chatted.
The disciples had been scattered across various locations in the Taihua Mountain Secret Realm, the orb’s surface divided into countless miniature scenes.
One sharp-eyed elder suddenly squinted, pointing at a particular section. "Hm? What’s going on with this group? Why did they run into a Toothed Crocodile right after entering?"
Another leaned in, puzzled. "That shouldn’t be possible. There’s supposed to be a protection period—they shouldn’t face any real danger on the first day."
A seasoned elder chuckled knowingly. "Not necessarily. The heavens aren’t kind to the unlucky."
Since the disciples carried guide talismans that could teleport them to safety in emergencies, none of the elders were worried. One even remarked cheerfully, "These two are probably about to be ejected. I don’t recall any disciples being eliminated this quickly in previous years. Standards really are slipping..."
Before he could finish, someone cut in: "They’re still in."
On the screen, Xie Ziyin and Lu Jiayao were seconds away from landing in the crocodile’s jaws. Just as the beast snapped its mouth shut, a cauldron materialized out of nowhere—inflating like a balloon, bigger and bigger, until it completely jammed the crocodile’s maw.
The creature’s fangs sank deep into the cauldron, leaving it unable to swallow or spit the obstruction out. It writhed in agony, its tail thrashing against the water’s surface, sending ripples in every direction.
Meanwhile, Yin Xuan steadied himself midair. With a kick to his sword, he commanded, "Go."
The slender silver blade shot forth like lightning, slipping between the gaps of the fangs and cauldron before ruthlessly shredding the crocodile’s innards to ribbons.
The foul stench of blood gradually darkened the surface of the lake as Wen Shuangbai leaped onto the grassy shore. The fire-feather whip in her hand suddenly elongated several times, thinning into a rope-like strand, dragging the giant-toothed crocodile—along with the alchemy cauldron she had crafted and the two people inside it—back onto land.
The elders in the main hall fell into collective silence.
"...Isn’t that just a seventh-grade alchemy cauldron? How did the giant-toothed crocodile fail to bite through it?"
A elder from the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion took a closer look and chuckled, "There are over fifty reinforcement arrays and talismanic engravings carved onto it. No wonder it didn’t break."
"It even has a resizing array—it can shrink to the size of a fist or expand as large as a vat."
"Wait, is this something a seventh-grade cauldron should even have?"
Of course, it wasn’t something a seventh-grade alchemy cauldron should normally possess.
By the lakeside, Xie Ziyin inspected the cauldron, noting the deep tooth marks left by the crocodile. Though the dents were severe, the cauldron remained intact and fully functional.
Relieved, he stored it away in his spatial ring.
Wen Shuangbai watched Xie Ziyin’s every move, her gaze lingering on the spatial ring on his finger, her emotions tangled.
Had she known these things were for him, she wouldn’t have been so generous in adding all those extra features.
Then again, it was precisely those additions that had saved their team from losing two members the moment they entered the secret realm.
A healer’s role was crucial in any team.
Fine. She’d consider it an act of charity.
Shaking off her thoughts, Wen Shuangbai turned her attention to the massive crocodile, scrutinizing it from head to tail, calculating its worth.
After all, their ranking in the competition was determined by the total value of the rare treasures they retrieved from Mount Taihua.
In other words, the Taihua Secret Realm was essentially a hunting ground maintained by Qingling Mountain.
The demonic beasts and medicinal herbs within were all resources for the sect’s operations. Outside of competitions, senior disciples would often enter to hunt beasts or gather materials.
The sect would purchase anything valuable, compensating disciples based on its worth.
So even if they didn’t win the competition, as long as they brought back enough loot, they could still earn a decent sum.
"This is a seventh-grade high-tier giant-toothed crocodile." The eldest senior brother, who had been working odd jobs since childhood to support his master and two junior sisters, recognized it instantly. With practiced ease, he extracted a seventh-grade demon core and, after a moment’s hesitation, offered it to Wen Shuangbai.
She didn’t take it. After some thought, she said, "You keep the demon core, senior brother. I’ll take the materials useful for artifact forging." She jerked her chin toward Xie Ziyin, not even bothering to say his name. "You handle the alchemy-related items. Shen Hefeng can take the rest."
Though Taihua was Qingling Mountain’s hunting ground, it was still fraught with danger. Splitting their gains was the safest approach.
Xie Ziyin understood the reasoning, but he couldn’t help studying Wen Shuangbai with a thoughtful frown.
He had joined her team partly to observe her, to find her weaknesses.
Yet, she didn’t quite match the profile he’d constructed of her.
Nearby, Lu Jiayao stood facing a tree, deep in self-reproach.
Had Xie Ziyin not dragged him into the cauldron earlier, he’d already be inside the crocodile’s stomach.
Knowing how poorly he’d acted, he had immediately apologized upon emerging.
But when Wen Shuangbai didn’t assign him a role, he couldn’t resist turning around, stammering, "W-what about me?"
Three pairs of eyes, sharp as blades, locked onto him. If looks could kill, he’d have died a thousand times over.
Lu Jiayao instinctively turned to the eldest senior brother for help.
The senior brother merely smiled gently, took three steps back, leaned against a tree, and closed his eyes peacefully—clearly refusing to intervene.
Left with no choice, Lu Jiayao covered his mouth and resumed his penitent stance.
Once the demon core was extracted, Wen Shuangbai stepped forward with a grin, plucking the crocodile’s teeth and skinning it meticulously before storing the materials in her spatial ring.
These were excellent forging ingredients.
Of course, she knew the sect rarely purchased demon beast carcasses—processing them into usable materials required too much effort, making it unprofitable. Most cultivators and sects preferred demon cores.
But Wen Shuangbai didn’t mind. If the sect wouldn’t take them, she’d keep them for herself.
She’d even collected garbage before—why would she balk at this?
After claiming most of the valuable parts, only the crocodile’s flesh and organs remained.
Shen Hefeng, who hadn’t eaten since morning, was starving. Remembering something, he asked Xie Ziyin, "Is this edible?"
Some demon beasts were safe to eat, others weren’t. Only a healer would know for sure.
Wen Shuangbai suggested, "How about roasting it?"
The moment those words left their mouths, the eldest senior brother’s eyes snapped open, his usually dull gaze suddenly alight with enthusiasm. His voice lifted with excitement. "I’m excellent at roasting."
Xie Ziyin: "?"
Xie Ziyin studied the three eager gluttons before him, then smirked, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. "It is."
Wen Shuangbai and Shen Hefeng immediately began preparing the meat with cleansing spells.
The eldest senior brother had already leaped onto a tree branch, scouting for the best firewood.
Only then did Xie Ziyin leisurely add, "The catch is—this might be your last meal."
Giant-toothed crocodile meat was poisonous.
The three: "..."
Yin Xuan slumped against the tree, closing his eyes again in despair.
Wen Shuangbai pouted and walked away.
Shen Hefeng, equally disappointed, went to cast divinations for their next path.
Xie Ziyin finally approached the remains. After a moment’s thought, he decided not to waste them—his spatial ring had plenty of space anyway—and stored the meat away.
The elders, who had been watching their every move, were baffled. "?"
