After each person received their share of 220,000 spirit stones,
Wen Shuangbai affectionately kissed the storage ring on her fingertip, thinking Qingling Mountain was quite a decent former employer. The sect leader, pavilion masters, and elders were all reasonable people, and the annoying ones like Lu Ying and Bai Lijue had already left.
After weighing her thoughts for a moment, she decided to share what Senior Tian Sang had told her in the Tian Family Village instance with everyone.
"Zhuoguang City?" Elder Cao hesitated after receiving confirmation from Wen Shuangbai and shook his head. "I've never heard of such a place. Let me ask Pavilion Master Xu—"
"I know!" Lu Jiayao jumped in, cutting him off. His eyes swept over the group in disbelief. "How have none of you heard of it?"
The assembled experts—each a top scholar in their respective fields—shook their heads.
Lu Jiayao exclaimed, "You’ve never read any supernatural tales?!"
Xie Ziyin replied flatly, "No."
Yin Xuan shook his head gently. "Not my preference."
Shen Hefeng lounged with his legs crossed. "Boring as hell."
Li Zhuohua looked grave. "Words make me dizzy!"
Wen Shuangbai pondered and asked, "Wait—do you get paid for reading them?"
Lu Jiayao: "..."
He suddenly felt the weight of his mission. Taking a sip of tea to clear his throat, he began, "Zhuoguang City is a famous ghost town!"
"It was once a prosperous city five hundred years ago, located at the intersection of Qingzhou, the Imperial Province, and Youzhou. But one day, rogue cultivators started mysteriously disappearing there."
Lowering his voice like a seasoned storyteller, Lu Jiayao continued, "Soon, more and more cultivators vanished. The major sects only realized something was wrong when their own disciples disappeared after passing through Zhuoguang City. They sent teams of elders and disciples to investigate, but anyone who entered the city never returned. Eventually, no one dared to set foot near Zhuoguang City again."
"After the emergence of the Sacred Tower, the entire city was uprooted and sealed inside it." Lu Jiayao sighed. "To this day, no one knows what truly happened there, leaving it an unsolved mystery. Many writers have spun supernatural tales about it, and those books sell like crazy."
Wen Shuangbai seized the key point: "So Zhuoguang City is inside the Sacred Tower?"
Lu Jiayao: "Exactly."
Wen Shuangbai fell into thought.
If it was inside the Sacred Tower, she couldn’t seek it out—she’d have to wait for the tower itself to open the Zhuoguang City instance.
Could it be that Senior Tian Sang’s request for help was actually a subtle way of giving her a "hint"?
Elder Cao said, "I’ll ask Pavilion Master Xu. If there’s any news about Zhuoguang City, I’ll let you all know."
"You have a month’s break between each round of trials," Elder Cao continued, glancing at the darkening sky and speeding up his instructions. "But you only get five days of rest. After that, the sect has arranged training for you."
Pausing, he specifically looked at Yin Xuan, who was dozing in the corner. "Meals are provided. Dinner starts in the rear hall in fifteen minutes."
Fifteen minutes?
That was practically now!
Yin Xuan immediately sprang to his feet and headed for the door, the other five quickly following suit.
If you’re not eager for food, something’s wrong with you!
Elder Cao’s eye twitched as he called after them, "Wait! One more thing! Take these Memory Pearls—they contain footage of other sects’ first-round trials. Review them when you have time!"
"Sure, sure," they replied dismissively, grabbing the pearls and bolting.
Elder Cao: "..."
Fine. He’d go eat too.
...
After dinner, the six went their separate ways.
Wen Shuangbai sat by her window, cultivating the Yaoling Heart Technique while watching the Memory Pearl, the sound of frantic scratching accompanying her.
She skimmed through most of it, focusing on the scene where the bridge collapsed.
The underground palace in Tian Family Village had restrictions preventing flight, which was why she and her team had destroyed the bridge—just to buy time.
She’d never expected it to completely stall the other sects, allowing them to leisurely mine the spirit stones and break the formation undisturbed.
She’d wondered about it at the time but hadn’t dwelled on it.
Now, watching the footage, she understood.
The answer was simple: "One monk carries water, two monks share the load, three monks have no water to drink."
After Lu Ying’s earlier sabotage with the Divine Wood Stakes, which cost the Ten Thousand Saints Palace several teammates, the three major sects hesitated at the broken bridge. Each waited for the others to act first, unwilling to reveal their hand.
By the time they finished posturing, the ghost horde arrived and smartly guarded the bridgehead.
With the formation unbroken and the ghosts unkillable, the sects had no choice but to retreat into their spatial artifacts.
By the time Wen Shuangbai’s team dismantled the Yin-Yang Deception Formation, the Violet Flame Realm struck decisively, killing the ghost village chief effortlessly.
Wen Shuangbai admitted that even with all six Qingling Mountain members working together, they’d need strategy and luck to achieve the same—let alone with such ease.
The Violet Flame Realm’s overall strength far surpassed Qingling Mountain’s. Even the Heavenly Net Sect outclassed them.
In the first round, both major sects had been holding back, testing each other.
They saw each other as rivals, not Qingling Mountain.
The footage made that clear.
The Mystic Heaven Mirror on her desk had been vibrating incessantly. Only after finishing the Memory Pearl did she check it.
Lu Jiayao, who’d gone socializing after dinner, had spammed their "Fortune Squad" group chat.
[Lu Jiayao: Anyone wanna explore the night market?]
[Lu Jiayao: I’m at the imperial capital’s night market now—so much fun stuff! All kinds of artifacts and materials! Just ran into the Jade Rhinoceros Valley folks!]
That was two hours ago. No one had replied.
Half an hour later:
[Lu Jiayao: OMG, Shen Hefeng’s out here scamming people!]
[Lu Jiayao: Zhuohua’s here too! She bought a ton of stuff at the sword shop!]
Li Zhuohua instantly responded: [I have. Money now.]
[Lu Jiayao: Shuangbai, Ziyin, Senior Yin—you three not coming?]
The senior brother was definitely asleep—he never checked the Mystic Heaven Mirror.
Xie Ziyin’s whereabouts were unknown, but why should she care?
Wen Shuangbai glanced at the four-hundred-coin brush beside her, which had obsessively carved the word "skin" over every inch of the desk.
Rubbing her temples, she grabbed the brush’s bristles. "Fine, fine! I’ll buy you skin! Stop carving!"
The brush twisted excitedly into a spiral, thrilled: Writing really works! Knowledge changes fate!
Wen Shuangbai went to call for her senior brother and asked him outside his door if he wanted to go to the capital’s night market.
She had thought he might not agree, but in less than seven seconds, the door silently opened, and the silver-haired man drifted out. "I’ll go."
Then Wen Shuangbai brought her senior brother along to knock on Xie Ziyin’s door.
Inside, Xie Ziyin, who had just finished tidying up, happened to be standing right behind the door.
Hearing the knock, he withdrew his hand from the door and lowered his gaze with a faint smile, patiently waiting for ten seconds before opening it. His expression returned to its usual calm as he asked, "What is it?"
"Just returning your paper and brushes," Wen Shuangbai said with a smile. "One set of brushes and ink, twenty-nine sheets of paper—did I remember correctly?"
She had owed him these after accidentally causing his house to be struck by lightning, and she hadn’t had the chance to repay him until now.
Realizing something, Xie Ziyin pressed his lips together, not wanting to say a word.
Wen Shuangbai didn’t care whether he spoke or not. Without hesitation, she shoved the complimentary writing set—ink, brushes, and paper—that every room was equipped with into his hands. "Count them. There are fifty sheets here—I even gave you twenty-one extra!"
Xie Ziyin held the stack of paper and brushes, silent for a moment before lifting his eyes. "Should I praise your generosity?"
"No need," Wen Shuangbai grinned shamelessly. "I’m already generous—why bother with praise?"
Xie Ziyin: "..."
Yin Xuan gently interrupted, "Junior Sister, we should go."
"Right, let’s go!" Wen Shuangbai decisively turned and left with her senior brother, heading for the capital’s night market.
Xie Ziyin: "?"
—
At the third quarter of the Hai hour (around 9:45 PM), the capital’s night market was still bustling, with crowds of people coming and going.
The siblings had different interests, so they soon split up to explore on their own.
Wen Shuangbai was focused on finding a "skin" for Four Hundred (her talisman-carving brush).
Truthfully, she hadn’t decided what kind of covering to give it.
Back in Tianjia Village, circumstances had forced her hand, but in the real world, she couldn’t just find a dead pig or something to wrap around Four Hundred, could she?
Ordinary pigskin would rot and stink.
Spirit pigs were too expensive—absolutely out of the question.
Wen Shuangbai was a little frustrated as she wandered from one end of the night market to the other—until she accidentally spotted a small stall.
"Don’t miss out! Lifelike grass-woven spirit rabbits, spirit birds, spirit mantises… going cheap!"
Oh?
Wen Shuangbai walked over.
The stall was covered in grass-woven animals, not much different from the straw toys she’d seen in modern streets.
One of the grass-woven spirit birds was even being used as a demonstration, tirelessly flying in circles around the stall.
On the way here, she’d seen a cultivator holding a child’s hand—the child had been carrying one of these.
Wen Shuangbai reached out to touch it.
A single touch told her it was woven from spirit grass, with a simple spiritual array inside.
Perfect.
Her eyes instantly brightened. "Boss, how much?"
The vendor said, "Fifty spirit stones for one, a hundred for three! Want to take three?"
Wen Shuangbai smiled. "No need, just one is enough. Can I get thirty-one?"
Vendor: "…………"
After some haggling, Wen Shuangbai finally bought a grass-woven goose for thirty-three spirit stones.
The goose had been Four Hundred’s own choice—it had taken one look and fallen in love, its pig bristles drifting over stubbornly, refusing to leave.
All because it thought the goose’s long neck resembled its own!
—
After paying, Wen Shuangbai stood nearby, hanging the grass-woven goose on her Fire Feather Whip.
As she adjusted it, a flash of white cloth passed in her peripheral vision, stopping at a nearby stall selling roasted rabbit legs.
She quietly looked up.
A man with a wooden hairpin stood in front of the food stall. "Give me one."
Vendor: "Right away! What flavor, sir? Spicy or garlic?"
Xie Ziyin: "Spicy."
Wen Shuangbai stared at him, then at the sign that read: Premium Spirit Rabbit Legs—99 each, no haggling, hagglers scram!
She couldn’t believe it.
He was being this extravagant tonight?!
Noticing her intense gaze, Xie Ziyin slowly turned his head. "What, you want some too?"
Wen Shuangbai glanced at the sign again and firmly shook her head. "No."
Xie Ziyin raised a brow. "Really?"
She averted her eyes and made to leave. "Mm."
Xie Ziyin watched her take one step, two steps, three steps away—then smiled faintly. "Not even if I’m treating?"
Whoosh! Wen Shuangbai instantly reappeared at his side, arms brushing against his, as if afraid he’d change his mind. She quickly told the vendor, "Boss, I’ll have spicy too! Put it on his tab!"
The vendor beamed. "Right away!"
Then she turned to Xie Ziyin, eyes sparkling like stars, and praised with utmost sincerity, "You’re so kind!"
So this was how a wealthy fellow countryman behaved! Next time she went shopping, she’d definitely invite him.
Xie Ziyin: "Tch."
For a moment, both of them were in high spirits—until, less than ten seconds later, someone else suddenly appeared on Xie Ziyin’s other side.
Xie Ziyin turned his head with a blank expression.
Yin Xuan stood there silently, looking at Xie Ziyin with an elegant smile. Softly, he said, "I’d like some too, Brother-in-law. You’re so kind."
Xie Ziyin: "…?"
Then, as if ghosts had descended, the rest of their teammates somehow caught the scent and gathered around.
Shen Hefeng: "Brother Ziyin, you’re a great man! Fortune will smile upon you!"
Lu Jiayao: "Ziyin, you’re the best!"
Li Zhuohua gave a thumbs-up. "Junior Brother Xie, you’re the man."
"…" Xie Ziyin said coldly, "Are you all dogs?"
Shen Hefeng: "Woof!"
Xie Ziyin: "…"
In the end, Xie Ziyin bought six legs.
