The Third Trial

"I took a look around just now. He wasn't the only half-immortal who came—there are also several unfamiliar Tribulation Transcendence stage cultivators disguised as mortals who infiltrated the trials. They should be in league together." "There are several Tribulation Transcendence cultivators as well?" Lu Yang asked in surprise. People of that level dared to barge into the Dao Seeking Sect? Had they grown tired of living? Mistaking his reaction for concern over the sect's safety, Eldest Senior Sister comforted him, "There's no need to worry. Our sect has Tribulation Transcendence cultivators as well, plenty enough to deal with them. With me in the sect, life has been too peaceful, which easily breeds complacency. This happens to be a good chance to let them stretch their limbs. "You can head back and continue organizing the trials. With me here, nothing will go wrong." "Understood." Bearing Eldest Senior Sister's imperial decree, Lu Yang returned to the bamboo grove to continue overseeing the trial. "Senior River Spirit, long time no see," Lu Yang greeted politely. It had been four months since they last met. The river spirit gave a cold snort, refusing to pay any mind to Lu Yang. He still remembered vividly what Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou had done during the entrance trial three years ago. Seeing that the river spirit didn't care for his company, Lu Yang sidled up to Meng Jingzhou and asked in a low voice, "How is the second trial coming along?" Meng Jingzhou rolled his eyes. Gu Junye's trial was already finished by the time Lu Yang showed up. Could he have arrived any later? Meng Jingzhou had made up his mind: when he got married and sent out invitations, he would invite everyone except Lu Yang, and only after the wedding night was over would he send Lu Yang an invitation the next day! He would definitely have his revenge! "Gu Junye teamed up with the two founding masters and that kid with the Immortal Physique. They've already passed the second trial." Lu Yang nodded. This was within expectations. "The others aren't progressing so quickly. By the looks of it, it won't be over in less than half a day or a full day." For the vast majority of people, an inner demon was an extraordinarily difficult hurdle to overcome. The inner demon Gu Junye and his companions faced only required fighting and killing; whether they could pass or not, the outcome showed quickly. The others did not have inner demons that could be resolved through force. Take Zhou Xing'er's inner demon, which Lu Yang was currently observing. Zhou Xing'er's mother favored sons over daughters and believed a woman must subordinate herself entirely to her husband. Originally, she had hoped to give birth to two boys, but unexpectedly, her second child turned out to be a girl. Because of this, she frequently verbally abused Zhou Xing'er, calling her a money-losing wretch. Over time, Zhou Xing'er grew timid, submissive, and afraid to resist. Although Zhou Xing'er later used the help of her storage ring to earn a great deal of money for the household, her standing within the family never improved. When Mother Zhou learned that Zhou Xing'er qualified to join the Dao Seeking Sect, she mocked her all the more, believing Zhou Xing'er was indulging in delusional pipe dreams. Zhou Xing'er's relatives treated her with mostly cold sneers and cynicism as well. After finding out she had a storage ring, they even tried to take it from her under the pretext that she was too young to keep valuable items safe. Naturally, Zhou Xing'er refused, which only made her relatives' treatment of her grow even nastier. It wasn't that Zhou Xing'er had never resisted; she had repeatedly proposed severing ties with the family. But every time, Mother Zhou insisted that they were flesh and blood, bringing up the debt of raising her and asking how familial bonds could be cut just like that. Left with no other recourse, Zhou Xing'er rose up in desperate rebellion: she set off alone for the Imperial City to assassinate Emperor Xia. The assassination failed, resulting in the extermination of nine generations of her kin. Inner demon broken. Coming to her senses, Zhou Xing'er stretched lazily. "That's what you get for refusing to sever ties with me. At long last, you're all dead." She certainly could have chosen to cultivate in peace at the Dao Seeking Sect, but she always felt uneasy as long as that family lived; she couldn't even cultivate comfortably. Now that they had all died once in the illusion, her Dao heart was finally clear and unburdened. Lu Yang: "..." He pretended not to have seen Zhou Xing'er and turned his head to look at Zhuang Ping beside her, feeling a touch of schadenfreude.