"At the end of the month, the first trial will begin."
"The difficulty of the trial varies for martial cultivators of each realm."
"A word of warning: the mortality rate for the first trial is exceedingly high. So no matter what realm you are in, raise your combat strength as fast as you can. A month will pass very quickly."
"Those with seven springs or more, follow me."
Among those with seven springs or more, there were only seven people.
Specifically, two with seven springs—Li Weiyi and Yao Yin—four with eight springs, and one with nine springs.
Yin Twenty-Four led them to the opposite bank of the river valley. As they walked across the grass that gave off a blue glow, dew from the blades soaked through their shoes.
In the distance rose numerous low hills...
In this subterranean space, even low hills naturally seemed towering.
"Right now, the most important thing for you is without a doubt tempering the trace veins in your bodies. Blood Tree Grove Cliff is best suited for tempering red trace veins, so you two who have opened seven springs will stay here!"
Evidently, Yin Twenty-Four had already probed their cultivation when they boarded the boat. She pointed toward Yao Yin and Li Weiyi.
Li Qing looked surprised as he turned his gaze to Li Weiyi.
He had witnessed the battle beside the Sui River with his own eyes and had always thought Li Weiyi had opened eight springs. He could not imagine that a mere mortal with seven springs could achieve such terrifying combat feats, and he secretly suspected that an expert from the Earth Wolf King's Army had sealed Li Weiyi's eighth spring to bolster his survivability in the Hidden Gate.
No matter. Seven springs or eight made no difference; he would simply find an opportunity to eliminate him.
Yao Yin's brows knit together. "Can I refuse to stay in the same place as him?"
"You can. In that case, you will stay with the eight- and nine-spring cultivators," Yin Twenty-Four replied.
"Never mind!"
Yao Yin chose to compromise.
The grace period forbidding infighting lasted only a month. Who knew what the rules would be after that month passed?
Li Weiyi asked, "Is there anywhere that helps temper golden trace veins?"
Yao Yin glared at Li Weiyi as if looking at a fool, then took the lead in walking into the blood tree grove.
Yin Twenty-Four, whose face had remained mostly expressionless, rolled her eyes as well. Tossing out, "Try opening nine springs first before talking about that," she led the remaining five toward the Silver Beach River Valley, which helped temper silver trace veins.
Li Weiyi felt he had asked so sincerely—why had he earned so many eye rolls?
He had to temper golden trace veins.
Otherwise, when he encountered cultivators with entirely silver veins in the future, what advantage would he have?
Someone like Cang Li, Lizhou's foremost youth of the current generation, almost certainly possessed a full hundred silver veins.
Sighing, he walked into the blood tree grove.
This was a small patch of woods, barely a few feet taller than a man, but the trees were clearly mutated vegetation whose leaves radiated a faint blood-red glow. Their trunks and branches were also remarkably hard, just like pig iron.
The cave dwellings were chiseled into the cliff face deep within the blood tree grove. There were five entrances in total, all equipped with stone doors and array glyphs.
Yao Yin stood outside one cave entrance, watching him as though guarding against a thief.
Li Weiyi naturally would not invite trouble upon himself and deliberately chose the one furthest from her.
Merely closing the stone door caused the ten array glyphs on it to light up automatically.
After tidying up the cave dwelling, Li Weiyi entered the Buddha relic's blood mud space. "Coffin Master, I've entered the Hidden Gate."
He then recounted everything that had transpired from start to finish.
Having heard him out, Spirit Tablet Master spoke first: "Evidently, Mount Coffin and the Earth Wolf King's Army have joined hands, and a traitor has emerged among the upper echelons of the Jiuli Clan. In all likelihood, other factions are involved behind the scenes as well. What worries them most is undoubtedly the Jiuli Hidden Gate, which is why they want to ascertain the Hidden Gate's strength before taking action."
Li Weiyi said, "From what I've seen, the Jiuli Hidden Gate's strength exceeds imagination. If Mount Coffin and the Earth Wolf King's Army miscalculate, I'm afraid they will suffer a grievous loss. But that hinges on Li Qing not sending word out to give them advance warning. Because I heard Dragon Gate, one of the ten-million estates, is also involved—that cannot be taken lightly."
"Then eliminate him," Coffin Master's voice rang out.
Li Weiyi asked, "Should we adopt our original plan now and go straight to Yin Jun?"
The original plan was, of course, to leverage Coffin Master's identity to gain the absolute trust of the Jiuli Hidden Gate. Then, by virtue of his identity as an insect tamer commanding seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors, he could directly become the Divine Hidden One of this sexagenary cycle.
Li Weiyi was in such a rush not because he wanted to complete the mission within a month to claim the Trickling Brook reward prepared by Shi Liuyu, but because this was the simplest and most direct path—he could use the Hidden Gate's hand to get rid of Li Qing and weed out the traitor.
After thinking for a long while, Coffin Master said, "Weiyi, do you have confidence in yourself? That is, to contend for the position of Divine Hidden One by your own strength?"
Li Weiyi smiled. "To be honest, after hearing Yin Twenty-Four's explanation earlier, I really do want to give it my all and make a push."
"I have already written the letter. It carries my aura and that of the Nine Emperors Streamer, the handwriting is mine, and it bears the chief's secret mark. You decide for yourself whether to hand it over to the Hidden Gate right now."
A slit opened in the stone coffin's lid, and a letter was extended outward.
Paper and brush had long since been sent inside by Li Weiyi.
Taking the letter, Li Weiyi asked, "What is Coffin Master worried about?"
Coffin Master replied, "It is the grade of the Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors. It exceeded my estimates by too much, and I worry that exposing them too early might lead to trouble. If they were seven marquis-grade bugs, you could expose them freely and tell them without reservation—no one in the Hidden Gate would covet them, and they would magnanimously confer upon you the title of Divine Hidden One for this generation.
"But these are seven emperor-grade beasts!"
Master Jar's voice came from beneath the ground: "Never mind them—even in my peak state, I'd be tempted enough to kill to seize them. No... not just kill. Slaughtering whole cities, unleashing a bloodbath—I wouldn't hesitate."
Master Jar's ashes had long since been buried in the blood mud.
Coffin Master added, "Don't be overly frightened, either. After all, you have my letter. I stated in it that I will return in ten years and that you are my successor. Those words alone will be enough to deter them, so the risk is actually not great."
Li Weiyi considered it carefully and said, "How about this: I'll make a push on my own first. If I truly face mortal danger, this letter will still serve as my life-saving talisman.
"Immortal Burial Town underwent a cataclysmic change, and an incredible opportunity emerged; that will surely tie down Mount Coffin, the Earth Wolf King's Army, and the others, so there shouldn't be major trouble for a few months. As long as word of the Hidden Gate isn't leaked, they won't dare act rashly either.
"Four months—if I can't become the Divine Hidden One within four months, we will use the original plan."
From underground, Master Jar asked, "In such a hurry? Why must it be four months?"
Li Weiyi smiled wryly. "Because Shi Liuyu planted a Six Desires Rune in me. If I don't go see him within four months, I'll be... finished!"
"Let me see," Spirit Tablet Master said.
Li Weiyi walked up to the spirit tablet and pulled open his collar, exposing his firmly muscled chest.
Wisps of spiritual light seeped from the tablet, congealing into a hand of light that pressed against his chest.
Ever since arriving on Shaoyang Star and absorbing its power, Spirit Tablet Master's remnant soul had grown noticeably stronger.
Whoosh! Whoosh...
Seven taps in quick succession.
A complex green rune surfaced right in the center of Li Weiyi's chest.
Spirit Tablet Master drew back her hand. "It truly is the Six Desires Rune. This is rather troublesome!"
"Can it be dispelled?" Li Weiyi asked.
"It can," Spirit Tablet Master said. "However... although the glyphs of every Six Desires Rune are identical, the order of strokes differs. Only by finding the correct order can it be unraveled."
Li Weiyi gave a bitter smile, knowing he would still have to seek out Shi Liuyu in the end. There were simply too many strokes, resulting in permutations and combinations numbering far more than ten thousand.
"We could test them one by one. With my attainment in talismanic arts, I could work it out within a hundred tries at most," Spirit Tablet Master said.
Before Li Weiyi could rejoice, she added, "However, you would first need two or three female confidantes by your side, because each time you fail, you will suffer severe backlash from the Six Desires Rune."
"Never mind, tracking down Shi Liuyu is more reliable," Li Weiyi refused decisively.
He had no desire to end up like Shi Liuyu, withered to skin and bones from the backlash.
As long as he became the Divine Hidden One, he could leverage the power of the Hidden Gate to capture Shi Liuyu, leaving no fear that the man wouldn't submit.
Besides, where was he supposed to find two or three female confidantes?
Right now, he didn't even have one.
Even if he did, it would be a miracle if they agreed.
...
Stepping out of the blood mud space, Li Weiyi gave the letter in his hand a squeeze, wrapped it immediately in oiled paper, and hid it safely next to his skin.
To charge for the Divine Hidden One position within four months, he had to open his ninth spring within that window and defeat the three figures depicted on the telekinesis mural. As for comprehending the God of Jiuli's martial intent, that was far too ethereal; he hadn't even entertained the thought.
At least, he wouldn't consider it before becoming the Divine Hidden One—he couldn't afford to squander the time.
"My greatest advantage right now is that I don't need to spend massive amounts of time tempering trace veins, so my breakthroughs will definitely be faster than other seven-spring cultivators.
"Furthermore, the dharma qi here is dense, rivaling the Dao Domain.
"I also need to practice several more moves of the Chan Sect's Twelve Loose Hands to achieve Heavenly Dao Dharma Convergence as soon as possible. That way, my combat strength will be even stronger at the same realm. For the third move, I'll practice the Heaven-Overturning Hand Seal!"
Inside the bug canister, the seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors began revolting again.
Li Weiyi had no choice but to release them and slice off a jin of cistanche to feed them.
Though intensely disdainful of such common medicinal herbs, the seven ravenous moth emperors still pounced forward swiftly to gnaw upon it.
"The Hidden Gate must have plenty of precious herbs; this place clearly abounds in resources."
Li Weiyi's eyes lit up. Disengaging the array, he dashed out of his cave dwelling.
Just as he stepped out of the blood tree grove, he spotted Yin Twenty-Four returning from the Silver Beach River Valley. Li Weiyi hurried up to her. After thinking twice—she was younger than him, so he couldn't very well call her "elder sister"—he said, "Lady Twenty-Four, do you have any more precious herbs? I... seem to be hungry!"
"Trying to get familiar won't work. Just call me Yin Twenty-Four."
Standing with her back to the blood river, Yin Twenty-Four was only sixteen, yet carried herself with crisp, gallant vigor. Keeping a straight face, she said, "How could there be so many precious herbs? If you're hungry, you can go to the medicinal cuisine kitchen over by the Telekinesis Stone Wall. Beast blood medicinal cuisine is provided daily. Beast blood medicinal cuisine can temper your physical body and make you stronger, but the ingredients are mostly ordinary medicinal herbs and aged herbs. A whole cauldron only has one or two stalks of precious herbs added."
Li Weiyi felt a tinge of disappointment, then quickly asked, "I'm an insect tamer. Can I bring the bugs I raise to eat the medicinal cuisine too?"
"You're an insect tamer too?"
Yin Twenty-Four looked at him with newfound regard. "Those who cultivate both dharma-martial arts and telekinesis are rare. What realm is your telekinesis?"
"I'm still nurturing the Square-Inch Flamelet, but I should reach the stage of Square-Inch Blaze soon," Li Weiyi said.
Yin Twenty-Four felt played. Originally, she had harbored some expectations, thinking Li Weiyi might have a chance of becoming Yin Twenty-Six. After all, this place was called Jiuli Insect Valley, where insect tamers held a natural advantage.
Yet his telekinesis was so feeble.
Or rather, practically nonexistent.
"You can bring your bugs to eat the medicinal cuisine."
Tossing out those words, Yin Twenty-Four prepared to leave. Suddenly recalling something, she paused and said, "If you want precious herbs, strive to pass the first trial a month from now. You'll have chances to gather them during the trial. Those who pass will also be rewarded with precious herb medicinal cuisine."
"Why roll her eyes at me again?"
Li Weiyi felt he was truly sincere, exceptionally polite, and very humble.
Still, the thought of being able to freeload meals for his seven Phoenix-Winged Moth Emperors immediately cast all displeasure to the back of his mind.
"Mm... looks like I need to step up cultivating spiritual light too, and reach the realm of Square-Inch Blaze as soon as possible. Otherwise, it will be hard to even command those seven little fellows. Besides, underground is the world of insects; the stronger my telekinesis, the greater my advantage."
Clenching his fists, Li Weiyi returned gleefully to his cave dwelling, grabbed the bug canister, and headed straight for the medicinal cuisine kitchen.
...
A month flew by.
Peaceful, serene, carefree, like an earthly paradise—that was Li Weiyi's evaluation of his past month at the Hidden Gate.
Sitting cross-legged in the blood tree grove, he secretly utilized the spatial power of the Buddha relic to continuously draw the blood-colored luster radiating from the leaves into his forehead.
Ten days ago, he had broken through.
The flamelet of spiritual light in his Yintang spirit realm had expanded into a spiritual light blaze.
With his telekinetic realm having advanced, his mastery over the Buddha relic's spatial power had grown stronger, allowing him to control it with great precision within a three-zhang radius. Thus, he dared to boldly absorb the blood light in the blood tree grove.
In a mere ten days, the spiritual light blaze in his Yintang spirit realm had grown to the size of a ripe red jujube.
Perhaps because he had absorbed the blood light, his spiritual light blaze was tinged with red.
Sensing Yao Yin stepping out of her cave dwelling, Li Weiyi immediately ceased channeling the Buddha relic, tucked the Daozu Taiji Fish into his collar, straightened his robes, and hurriedly left the blood tree grove.
In the beginning, he hadn't departed as swiftly as he did now, remaining seated in the dense woods instead...
That had caused no small misunderstanding.
"Him again!"
Yao Yin was thoroughly exasperated. That fellow was always skulking about in the blood tree grove; heaven only knew what he was up to!
Previously, he had at least put on a show of sitting cross-legged on the ground, pretending to cultivate telekinesis.
Now, it had come to this: the instant she stepped out of her cave, he would scramble away in a fluster.
Naturally, from Li Weiyi's perspective, he did not feel he was skulking or flustered in the slightest; each time, he conducted himself with calm composure.
"No, I must break through to eight springs as soon as possible. I can't keep living alone with him at Blood Tree Grove Cliff. The one-month protection period is about to end. If he's scheming something..."
Yao Yin knew Li Weiyi was eccentric. Despite clearly having seven springs of cultivation, his strength was formidable.
Most critically, he had targeted her from early on.
During this time, Yao Yin had dressed far more conservatively, even donning a veil and keeping to herself as much as possible.
Li Weiyi arrived at the medicinal cuisine kitchen a step ahead of Yao Yin.
Yao Yin chose a seat furthest from Li Weiyi. Her gaze was not only frosty but tinged with disgust, as if being under the same roof with Li Weiyi made her entire body itch with discomfort.
The other youths of their cohort arrived one after another.
Rarely did they gather in such full attendance.
The first trial was about to begin, and the upcoming meal would be the last one for many among them.
Chapter 78