Ah, still alive.
A living turtle shell couldn't be used—the divination tools of fortune-tellers were always made from the shells of turtles that had died of natural causes.
Shen Hefeng let go with a look of regret, then grinned and asked the Elder Turtle, "Do you have any dead turtle shells for sale?"
The Elder Turtle smiled amiably. "We do. But the cheapest shell in Jade Rhinoceros Valley costs at least five hundred thousand spirit stones. Young one, would you like to buy one?"
Shen Hefeng immediately stopped grinning. "No, no! This old man's current turtle shell works just fine—no need to replace it!"
With that, he and Li Zhuohua hurried off toward Elder Cao Xing and the medical pavilion elder, who were rushing over from a distance.
Lu Jiayao didn’t follow. Instead, he crouched down and examined the massive turtle shell, curious. "Elder, why is your turtle son so heavy?"
"Ah, this?" The Elder Turtle lifted his turtle son, channeling spiritual energy from his hands to cover the shell. Then he gave it a firm shake, sending all the demons and people inside tumbling out.
For a moment, the air was filled with groans of "Ow!"
Lu Jiayao stared at the dazed little demons and bald monks sprawled on the ground and suddenly understood. "No wonder it was so heavy—there were eleven people crammed inside!"
The Elder Turtle let go.
With a loud thud, the turtle landed hard on its back, its four newly emerged legs flailing helplessly, unable to right itself.
Watching the Elder Turtle stroll away without a care, Lu Jiayao couldn’t bear it and reached out to flip the turtle back over.
The Jade Rhinoceros Valley turtle disciple nearly cried. "Sniff... th-thank you."
"No problem!" Lu Jiayao, ever the helpful soul, quickly assisted the others in getting up as well.
Wen Shuangbai, who had just finished embracing the Sacred Tower, noticed the commotion and moved to help—after all, these were Jade Rhinoceros Valley’s wealthy patrons!
But then, the remaining three teams emerged from the Sacred Tower one after another.
Leading the way were the black-robed figures of the Heavenly Net Sect, their faces obscured by hoods. They strode swiftly past, ignoring everyone, and soon disappeared down the mountain.
Next came the people from the Violet Flame Realm.
Di Qi took the lead, with Di Yanran on his right and—surprisingly—Yu Xiaoxiao and Lu Ying on his left?
Anyone who didn’t know better might think those two disciples of the Ten Thousand Saints Palace were also from the Violet Flame Realm.
Wen Shuangbai raised an eyebrow.
As expected, no matter which sect the female lead joined, she quickly grew closer to the male lead.
The Violet Flame Realm group noticed her standing nearby.
Di Qi paused and greeted her with refined elegance, smiling faintly. "Congratulations, Miss Wen, on breaking the formation."
By the rules of the Tian Family Village trial, the round only ended when the ghostly village chief was slain.
But Wen Shuangbai’s team had barely finished dismantling the formation when they were ejected from the Sacred Tower mere seconds later.
That could only mean one thing: another sect had swiftly killed the chief within those seconds.
Given the faint smiles on the Violet Flame disciples’ faces, it was obvious who that sect was.
Wen Shuangbai returned a thin smile. "Congratulations to you for ending the trial."
Before the Violet Flame Realm could respond, Lu Ying sneered, his eyes venomous. "Burning bridges, cutting ropes—Qingling Mountain truly has exemplary conduct." His voice dripped with barely restrained fury by the end.
"Just average, really," Wen Shuangbai said modestly. "We learned from the best—oh wait, I mean the Ten Thousand Saints Palace. Or was it the Violet Flame Realm?"
The surviving Violet Flame disciples: "?"
How could she mix them up? The names weren’t even close!
Wen Shuangbai sighed. "Ah, you’re standing so close, I almost forgot you’re from different sects." Then she turned to Lu Ying, feigning genuine curiosity. "Wait—are you planning to switch sects again and join the Violet Flame Realm this time?"
The Violet Flame disciples (except Di Qi) frowned, instinctively eyeing Lu Ying and Yu Xiaoxiao.
They certainly didn’t want those Ten Thousand Saints Palace defectors.
In the Mystic Heaven Continent, switching sects once was already frowned upon. Switching twice? Only the most shameless opportunists would do that!
Yu Xiaoxiao bit her lip, wanting to retort, but after a glance at Di Qi, she stayed silent.
Lu Ying, however, was furious. He drew his Divine Wood Talisman, ready to strike, but Di Qi stopped him.
Di Qi said calmly, "Inside the Sacred Tower, there are no restrictions for the sake of ranking. But now, within the borders of the Di Province, I must ask Brother Lu to abide by the laws of Mystic Heaven."
Yu Xiaoxiao tugged at Lu Ying’s sleeve. "Brother Lu..."
Lu Ying had no choice but to suppress his anger, though his expression remained dark.
Wen Shuangbai shrugged, exchanged a nod with the smiling Di Yanran, and walked away.
Xie Ziyin had already been taken away by the medical pavilion elder for treatment.
The remaining five Qingling Mountain disciples chatted briefly with the little demon cultivators from Jade Rhinoceros Valley, returned the Golden Silk Carpet to them, and then followed Elder Cao Xing back to their lodgings.
On the way, Elder Cao said to Wen Shuangbai and Yin Xuan, "By the way, since this trial round lasted nearly a month, Wen Xin couldn’t wait any longer. She left with Elder Liu and Elder Ye to return to Qingling Mountain. She asked me to pass the message along."
The Sacred Tower trials consisted of five rounds, each lasting at least seven days—though the maximum duration was unpredictable.
It all depended on how quickly the participating disciples found a way to clear the stage. Otherwise, they could be trapped indefinitely.
Rumor had it that the longest trial once lasted seven years.
Wen Shuangbai took out her Mystic Heaven Mirror.
The moment she left the Sacred Tower, the mirror reconnected to the Mystic Heaven network, and her notifications exploded.
Some were congratulations from Qingling Mountain disciples she’d previously added, while others were countless friend requests from strangers across Mystic Heaven.
She didn’t need to guess—this was the fame from the Sacred Tower trials at work!
Tsk. Not only did the trials pay well, but they also helped her become a celebrity in the cultivation world?
Celebrities could make a fortune selling merchandise.
As she pondered how to monetize this sudden fame, she pulled up her junior sister’s contact and exchanged a few messages. Reassured that Wen Xin was safe and cultivating diligently back at the sect, she relaxed.
---
The accommodations arranged by the Violet Flame Realm for participating sects weren’t bad.
Though not within Violet Flame territory, the lodgings were conveniently close, maintaining a delicate balance—neither too near nor too far—between the seven major sects.
Qingling Mountain’s courtyard was divided into inner and outer sections.
The accompanying elders stayed in the outer ring, serving as guards.
The inner ring had eight rooms arranged in an oval, with disciples’ rooms facing each other—three on each side, while Pavilion Master Xu and Elder Cao Xing occupied the remaining two.
The entire courtyard was shielded by a formation that blocked all spying and eavesdropping.
The master of this formation? None other than Pavilion Master Xu, who was currently lounging in his room, engrossed in a novel.
The true authority figure, of course, was Elder Cao Xing, specially dispatched by the Enforcement Hall.
Elder Cao led the five disciples into his room.
Though called a room, it was more of a reception hall. The place where he actually slept was the bedroom adjacent to the hall.
By the time the group arrived, Xie Ziyin was sipping tea.
Lu Jiayao hurried over and asked with concern, "Brother Ziyin, how are your eyes now?"
Xie Ziyin replied, "Already healed."
A minor issue—even without the Medical Pavilion’s elder, he could have treated it himself.
He took another sip of the fragrant tea, his peripheral gaze drifting toward the green-robed woman who had just entered.
Even Lu Jiayao knew to ask about his eyes.
Yet this fellow transmigrator kept her head down the whole time, engrossed in the Mystic Heaven Mirror, giggling like a cat that got the cream. She plopped down beside him, sniffed the air, glanced at the tea in his hand, then at her own empty table, and said, "Where’d you get the tea? Pour me a cup too."
Xie Ziyin: "Seriously?"
He tilted his chin toward the head seat. "Over there. Help yourself."
Lu Jiayao followed his gaze and spotted a porcelain jar of tea leaves on the main table. Eagerly, he offered, "Let me brew some for everyone!"
Wen Shuangbai grinned. "Thanks, Jiayao!"
She shot Xie Ziyin a look and clicked her tongue. "See? This is why Jiayao’s the best."
Xie Ziyin scoffed.
Lu Jiayao brewed tea for the rest, even delivering each cup personally—except for Yin Xuan, who fetched his own. Yin Xuan cradled the cup delicately, inhaled the aroma twice, took a tentative sip, then another, his eyes lighting up with quiet delight.
Elder Cao, who had just stepped in after chatting outside with the Medical Pavilion elder, twitched at the sight. "…"
Whose home was this, really? His, or these disciples’?
They had zero sense of boundaries—did they even know the meaning of "politeness"?
He’d only been delayed for a moment! And now his prized Lingfeng tea, his personal stash, was being guzzled down?!
Lu Jiayao spotted Elder Cao and beamed. "Elder Cao, would you like a cup too?"
Elder Cao: "??"
He stressed, "That’s my tea."
Yin Xuan turned to him, offering rare praise. "Elder, this tea is exceptional. Truly delightful."
Elder Cao: "…………"
Lu Jiayao cheerfully repeated, "So, a cup for you?"
Elder Cao sighed. "…Fine. One cup."
After brewing it, Lu Jiayao handed it over. Elder Cao took his seat at the head table and immediately stashed the remaining tea leaves into his storage ring.
He swore never to leave them out again.
Once the tea was finished, Elder Cao inquired about the number of Sacred Stones Wen Shuangbai and the others had collected before getting to the main agenda.
"The sect’s rule is this: The Sacred Stones you’ve obtained can only be exchanged for spirit stones after the final round of the competition. Until then, aside from the Sect Leader, the four Pavilion Masters, Elder Qian, and myself, you must not disclose the amount to anyone else."
"Additionally, the raw spirit stones, talismans, and spirit herbs you acquired in the Sacred Tower can only be used within the tower. Outside, they’re prohibited—no trading, no selling."
At this, Wen Shuangbai finally looked up from her Mystic Heaven Mirror.
The Mystic Heaven Competition never revealed each sect’s Sacred Stone count until the fifth and final round, forcing sects to speculate until then.
While disciples could bring only limited supplies into the Sacred Tower, anything obtained inside could be taken out freely.
The sect’s restrictions made sense to her.
Essentially, until the competition ended, these Sacred Stones and raw spirit stones were like locked funds—visible but untouchable.
A bit like a fixed deposit at a bank.
"But," Elder Cao continued officiously, "as compensation and reward, the sect will convert your Sacred Stones into spirit stones after each minor round. Think of it as the sect advancing you the payment. After the competition, you can exchange your Sacred Stones again with the Violet Flame Realm and keep whatever you gained in the tower. The sect won’t interfere. Well? Do you agree?"
Wen Shuangbai’s breath hitched. "?!!!"
Wait, did she hear that right?
This meant… double pay? They’d get spirit stones from the sect now, then later from the Violet Flame Realm too?
Since when did such perks exist?!
She immediately raised her hand. "I agree!!"
Xie Ziyin glanced at her before adding, "No objections here."
Yin Xuan, now wide awake, tilted his head and hummed in approval.
Lu Jiayao was so thrilled he could only nod vigorously.
Shen Hefeng nodded too but couldn’t resist muttering, "Since when did our stingy Qingling Mountain become so generous?"
Li Zhuohua echoed the skepticism. "Elder Qian, the ultimate miser, actually approved this?"
Elder Cao: "…"
True, Elder Qian was frugal—but he was also a shrewd accountant. If Qingling Mountain secured first place, gaining control of the Sacred Tower and its spirit mountain mining rights, the benefits would far outweigh the cost.
From his storage ring, Elder Cao withdrew a mountain of glittering spirit stones, piling them in the center of the hall. "The sect rounded it up for you. Here—1,320,000 spirit stones in total. Divide them among yourselves."
The group: "!!"
