Aside from the tasks involving chickens, pigs, dogs, and fish, the remaining three options were all related to harvesting rice—the only difference being the location of the fields, and of course, the amount of Sacred Stones offered.
Among the seven tasks, the one with the highest reward—thirteen Sacred Stones per person per day—was unsurprisingly claimed by the Purple Flame Realm of Dizhou, with no one daring to challenge them. The Netherworld’s Sky Nether Witch Sect and the Starzhou’s Divine Derivation Temple took the remaining two rice-harvesting tasks.
The Qianyuan Sect of Yongzhou quickly chose fish farming.
[Impressive! The Purple Flame Realm is truly the Purple Flame Realm!]
[The Sky Nether Witch Sect and the Divine Derivation Temple didn’t even try to compete—are they already admitting defeat?]
[Seems like the Purple Flame Realm will take first place in the Mystic Heaven Tournament again. How boring.]
[Not necessarily! The Sky Nether Witch Sect came prepared this time—their leader is their young master, a master of puppet witchcraft. Even Di Qi might not be able to defeat him!]
[It’s only the first round. The three major sects won’t reveal their trump cards so soon.]
[Oh please, I can believe the Sky Nether Witch Sect is holding back, but the Divine Derivation Temple is just weak now.]
[I still remember the glory days when the Divine Derivation Temple snatched first place from the Purple Flame Realm. But ever since the Purple Flame Realm reclaimed the Sacred Tower from them over a decade ago, the temple’s reputation has plummeted. They’re even weaker than the Sky Nether Witch Sect now…]
With only pig-feeding left unassigned, and the Seven Great Sects down to just the Ten Thousand Saints Palace yet to choose, the village chief turned to them, about to speak.
Lu Ying held Yu Xiaoxiao’s hand, who looked worried, and fearlessly met the chief’s gaze. "Chief, we also want to harvest rice. We’d like to challenge—" His lips curled coldly as he glanced at the Divine Derivation Temple’s group, "—the Divine Derivation Temple for their spot!"
The chief let out a long "Oh," delighted. "Each of you sends one person to fight. The winner takes the task."
Wen Shuangbai stood among the crowd, watching Lu Ying face off against the Divine Derivation Temple’s disciple. She nudged Xie Ziyin with her elbow. "Who do you think will win?"
Xie Ziyin glanced at her. "Is there a prize for guessing right?"
Wen Shuangbai: "No."
Xie Ziyin lost interest. "Then I won’t guess."
Wen Shuangbai: "..."
Though the competition’s content had diverged completely from the book, the strength levels remained similar.
With the Divine Wood Talisman in hand, Lu Ying swiftly knocked the temple’s monk off the stage in a single move!
[Wow! Who is this guy? So handsome!]
[Lu Ying, young master of the Lu family in Qingzhou! My heart belongs to him—noble lineage, powerful, and devilishly handsome.]
[Qingzhou… Shouldn’t he be a disciple of Qingling Mountain? Why did he join the Ten Thousand Saints Palace?]
[I heard this year’s Qingling Mountain trials were rigged. The headmaster favored his own daughter, Li Zhuohua, and pushed out Lu Ying, Bai Lijue, and Yu Xiaoxiao.]
[Tsk tsk, what was Qingling Mountain thinking? Kicking out such talented disciples for those useless ones? Are they aiming for last place?]
[Hey, don’t spout nonsense! Lu Ying and the others lost fair and square to Wen Shuangbai’s group! They just couldn’t accept defeat and betrayed their sect to join another—shameless!]
[Oh, what talent? The talent to feed chickens?]
[HAHAHAHA, their skills are only good for feeding chickens, LOL!]
[People seek higher grounds, water flows downward. Isn’t it natural for them to join the Ten Thousand Saints Palace?]
On the Mystic Heaven Mirror, countless voices sided with Lu Ying. Senior Sister Jin, a frequent patron of Wen Shuangbai’s, was furious and angrily typed: [It’s only the beginning! Wen Shuangbai’s group hasn’t even made their move yet. Why the rush? Planning to reincarnate early?]
The Ten Thousand Saints Palace successfully secured a rice-harvesting spot. The Divine Derivation Temple’s Fat Monk dusted himself off and scrambled up, chanting, "Amitabha. Chief, this humble monk would like to challenge the Qianyuan Sect for their fish-farming task."
...
Watching the fights, Li Zhuohua grew restless, her sword, Flowing Rainbow, humming with battle intent.
She turned to Wen Shuangbai, eyes blazing. "Junior Sister, should we challenge someone too?"
Wen Shuangbai thought for a moment, then shook her head.
Past experiences had proven Shen Hefeng’s divinations accurate.
Coupled with Lu Jiayao’s bizarre luck, Wen Shuangbai suspected the chickens held some secret.
Before coming, the sect master had also mentioned that aside from the ghostly bounties, hidden tasks could yield Sacred Stones.
Li Zhuohua reluctantly relented. "Fine."
Another day without a fight.
[I thought Qingling Mountain, with Li Zhuohua, wouldn’t rank last. But now I’m not so sure. As the strongest sword cultivator in the team, why is she listening to an artifact cultivator?]
[Don’t you think Qingling Mountain seems to revolve around that pair—an artifact cultivator and a healer? Aren’t they supposed to be the weakest, needing protection?]
[Who the hell are you calling weak?! Healers never did anything to you! Hope you never need one when you’re injured or sick!]
[What’s wrong with artifact cultivators? A skilled one can kill you without you even noticing!]
The Mystic Heaven Mirror erupted into chaos. Meanwhile, in Tianjia Village, the results were settled—the Qianyuan Sect, the weakest, ended up with pig-feeding, their faces dark with displeasure.
Lu Jiayao, ever the social butterfly with boundless affection, rushed to console them. "Bro, it’s fine! Your task pays more than our chicken-feeding..."
"Scram!" A Qianyuan disciple shoved him to the ground. "Who’s your bro? You think you’re worthy?"
Lu Jiayao sat there, stunned, unable to believe such malice existed.
The Divine Derivation Temple monks passed by, murmuring sympathetically. Just as they reached to help him up—
Lu Jiayao suddenly shrieked, scrambling to catch up with Wen Shuangbai’s group. "Wait! Don’t leave me behind!!"
Hearing him, Wen Shuangbai’s group quickened their pace.
Lu Jiayao: "Hey, slow down! Don’t abandon me, I’m scared!"
The monks: "??"
Finally, the Fat Monk chuckled. "Amitabha. Quite the carefree soul."
[??]
[Is this how Qingling Mountain treats their teammate?]
[They seem to have terrible teamwork… In the Mystic Heaven Tournament, coordination is crucial. Qingling Mountain is doomed.]
---
A villager working under the chief led Wen Shuangbai’s group to the chicken coop.
His face was eerie, his smile unsettling. "There are thirty chicks. I’ll count them again in seven days. Lose one, and you’ll be fined fifty Sacred Stones."
Wen Shuangbai and the others: "?"
Feeding chickens earned them one Sacred Stone per person per day. After seven days, their six-member team would only have forty-two Sacred Stones total.
Lose one chick, and they’d be in the negatives.
According to the Sacred Tower’s rules, if their Sacred Stones fell below zero, the ghosts would devour them alive—instant elimination.
So this was the trap waiting for them.
The villager left after delivering his message.
Wen Shuangbai looked at the fluffy little yellow chicks scattered all over the ground and said to Xie Ziyin, "Give them a thorough health check."
Xie Ziyin: "?"
What, did he look like a veterinarian to her?
As the chicks scurried about chaotically, Lu Jiayao volunteered, taking out his flute and playing a warm, soothing melody.
Miraculously, the little yellow chicks seemed to hear the call of a mother hen, fluttering their tiny wings and obediently lining up in a row.
Lu Jiayao proudly declared, "See? I told you I’m great at raising chicks!"
Everyone else: "..."
[...]
[??]
[...So sound cultivators can be used like this?]
[We’ve only ever heard of sound cultivators killing with music, not lulling chicks to order with it.]
The chicks were indeed important.
In the scene, Xie Ziyin didn’t say anything else, resignedly giving the lined-up chicks their check-ups.
Soon, the results were in: "They’re all healthy."
Wen Shuangbai sighed in relief.
The little yellow chicks had just hatched not long ago, each one lively and adorable, already pecking at insects on their own without needing Wen Shuangbai and the others to feed them.
For now, it seemed their only task was to keep the chicks safe.
Wen Shuangbai walked around the chicken coop but found no hidden secrets about the chicks, and Shen Hefeng’s divinations gave no further hints.
The chicken-rearing task offered the fewest Sacred Stones. If they just sat around, they’d likely end up in last place and be eliminated in the first round.
So, Wen Shuangbai said to Senior Sister Zhuohua and the others, "Xie Ziyin, Shen Hefeng, and I will go explore the village. You guys take care of the chicks."
The seven major sects had been separated, and the cultivators of the Mystic Heaven Continent had each made their own choices.
Those who stayed behind to guard Qingling Mountain were mostly natives of Qingzhou, who now clicked their tongues in disapproval.
[Don’t wander off!]
[One’s a healer, one’s an artifact cultivator, and one’s a diviner—what are they thinking, splitting up like this?!]
[Not just splitting up, they’re going off alone too! Are they trying to get themselves killed?!]
Wen Shuangbai, of course, didn’t know about these complaints—and even if she did, she wouldn’t care.
In her view, Senior Sister Zhuohua, the senior brother, and Lu Jiayao were best suited to guard the chick base, while the three of them, being kind-hearted, were perfect for triggering side quests.
Wen Shuangbai strolled along the village’s bluestone paths, memorizing landmarks while keeping an eye out for anything unusual.
Suddenly, fierce barking erupted from an alleyway: "Woof! Woof! Woof!"
The sound still seemed distant, but in the blink of an eye, a large black dog charged out at terrifying speed, lunging straight for her!
[Oh no, I knew something bad would happen!]
[It’s only the first day, and someone from Qingling Mountain’s already about to be eliminated…]
Wen Shuangbai reacted swiftly, leaning back to dodge as the fiery-red Flaming Plume Whip at her waist unfurled like a vine, wrapping tightly around the black dog and pinning it down.
[Huh? She’s not dead?]
[That was insanely fast! This artifact cultivator’s got skills.]
[Wait, is that… the Flaming Plume Whip? I thought it was just a belt earlier.]
Wen Shuangbai looked at the dog, still struggling and barking furiously at her.
Its mouth was stained with fresh blood, as if it had just eaten something.
One of its eyes was normal, but the other was eerily unnatural—exactly like the eyes of the village chief and the other villagers.
Half-dog, half-ghost?
"Hurry, it’s here!" A group of people rushed out from the alley.
The man at the front clutched his bleeding arm, his face pale.
They were from the Jade Rhinoceros Valley.
Spotting Wen Shuangbai, the man paused. "Are you alright?"
Wen Shuangbai shook her head, then raised an eyebrow at their disheveled state. "What happened to you all?"
A timid girl being shielded by the group spoke up, "We didn’t realize the dog was dangerous at first. It bit our senior brother and ran off before we could stop it."
In the original novel, the competition’s focus was on the love triangle between Yu Xiaoxiao, Di Qi, and Lu Ying, with little mention of the other sects.
Jade Rhinoceros Valley barely had any presence in the story.
But at first glance, Wen Shuangbai had a decent impression of them, so she kept the Flaming Plume Whip in place as the Jade Rhinoceros Valley disciples secured the dog with a newly crafted leash. She casually suggested, "Your artifact cultivator could make a muzzle too. That’ll stop it from biting people."
The black dog barked angrily at her: "Woof!"
The artifact cultivator from Jade Rhinoceros Valley brightened at the idea, quickly thanking her. "That’s a great idea! Thank you, miss!"
Only after they had the dog fully restrained did Wen Shuangbai retract her whip.
The black dog kept thrashing, its viciousness undiminished.
As the one-armed senior brother struggled to hold it, the little girl suddenly pulled out an incredibly pure fox tail from who-knows-where and fed it to the dog through the muzzle’s opening.
The dog gobbled it up with happy whimpers, quickly turning docile and wagging its tail at the girl like a loyal pet: "Woof woof~"
Wen Shuangbai: "?"
What just happened?
The little girl took out three more fox tails and handed them to Wen Shuangbai. "Sister, the dog only seems to eat cultivator flesh. Um… do your chicks need to eat too?"
No, their chicks foraged for bugs on their own.
But when something was handed to her so earnestly, how could she refuse? That’d just be rude.
"Thank you." Wen Shuangbai accepted them and stored them in her spatial ring, then studied the girl. "You are…?"
The girl grinned, revealing sharp little teeth. "Sister, I’m a demon cultivator. You can call me Xiaoli. I can grow tails endlessly—if your chicks run out, just come find me for more!"
Wen Shuangbai immediately agreed. "Got it."
Ah, right.
The Jade Rhinoceros Valley in Yunzhou was known for its demon cultivators. That monkey from the Taihua Mountain Secret Realm could also regrow limbs endlessly.
Though that monkey hadn’t yet taken human form, Lu Jiayao had mentioned it was being raised by Elder Qian, who called it a promising candidate for the next Mystic Heaven Grand Competition.
