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“Mm,” Meng Qi nodded immediately, not even dwelling on the implied meaning of Yun Qingyan’s words. How Xue Chengxuan was as a person wasn’t of particular concern to her. Besides, as the person himself had just mentioned, he was the eldest son of the Feng Alliance’s Xue Clan, and the responsibilities he shouldered were undoubtedly different from those of a wandering cultivator like herself.
Seeing her reaction, Yun Qingyan gave a small smile and turned his gaze back towards the base of the mountain. “What would you do now?” he asked.
“Well…” Meng Qi thought for a moment before responding, “I can’t think of a better approach right now, but I believe we need to first gauge the strength of our opponents.” She paused, then added, “The opposing camp far outnumbers us, and we also have two medical cultivators here, which reduce our combat strength even further. A direct assault would definitely be disadvantageous. But…” She remembered the mysterious voices and the three challenges she faced after entering Ten Absolutes Mountain and continued, “I always feel there’s something strange about this Ten Absolutes Mountain.”
“How so?” Yun Qingyan inquired.
“It just feels different from what I imagined,” Meng Qi said frankly—she never hid anything from Yun Qingyan. “From the moment I entered Ten Absolutes Mountain, I always thought that we would have to climb it. No one knows exactly what happens here, but there have always been rumors that those who reach the summit of Ten Absolutes Mountain would receive tremendous rewards, and Spirit Severing cultivators might even advance directly to the Void Comprehending stage, leapfrogging their cultivation.”
This was also Meng Qi’s purpose for coming here. Her cultivation was progressing too slowly; if the rumors were true and she could advance to the next major stage after leaving Ten Absolutes Mountain, that would naturally be the best outcome for her.
“Maybe the word ‘mountain’ makes us think of climbing, so we assume the challenge is about climbing as high as possible. But now it seems…” Meng Qi slightly furrowed her brows, honestly sharing her thoughts, “It seems a bit different from my expectations.”
“Yan Xuan, with his Qi Condensation strength, was also able to pass the three challenges. And every time, what seems like a fair challenge at first always leads to something else afterward. Like the earlier Drunken Dragon Grass or the current battle,” Meng Qi continued, “And there’re also those mysterious voices… it feels like they’re not testing our cultivation, but something else.”
“Continue,” Yun Qingyan nodded slightly, indicating for Meng Qi to go on.
“Sovereign Qingyan.” Meng Qi suddenly remembered. She tiptoed closer to Yun Qingyan, whispering into his ear, “I got a Karmic Fire Red Lotus.”
Perhaps because she was a medical cultivator, Meng Qi always had this faint, slightly bitter yet refreshing medicinal fragrance around her, which Yun Qingyan found quite pleasant. The warmth breathed into his ear made his heart stir slightly, and he turned to look at the whisperer. The girl in the blue robe was quite a bit shorter than him; even standing on her tiptoes, she just barely reached near his ear.
“Hmm…” Yun Qingyan placed his hand on top of Meng Qi’s head, her soft hair brushing against his palm, “I understand.”
Meng Qi was gently pushed back down to stand flat on the ground, but the wide palm remained on top of her head. She had no choice but to tilt her head to look at Yun Qingyan, whispering again, “This should be a pretty good reward from Ten Absolutes Mountain, right?”
“Yes,” he affirmed.
“So I have a feeling that things may not be as simple as they appear on the surface. This time, dividing us into two camps seems designed to make us fight each other mercilessly. But…” Meng Qi hesitated, “If medicines, weapons, and other items work the same here as outside the Ten Absolutes Mountain, what about offensive spells? Do those who died in this battle truly get sent away from the mountain, only losing their eligibility to continue, or…” Meng Qi asked two questions in one breath.
Yun Qingyan did not answer her immediately but pondered for a moment before saying, “Go on.”
“If we kill the members of the Earthly Camp and they actually really died… once we leave the mountain, all memory of what transpired here will vanish, leaving the truth behind those deaths concealed. But the cultivators sent here are all the best talent, the future hopes of the leading sects of Three Thousand Worlds. Would those sects, whose disciples have died here, really act as if nothing happened?”
Yun Qingyan’s lips curved slightly, forming a cold smile, “Of course, they won’t. Suspicion will arise, and once doubt is planted between sects that already have strained relationships, new conflicts will emerge. In a decade or so, two sects might well be in a situation where they cannot coexist peacefully.” He paused slightly, his tone indifferent, “As for what the truth actually is, it would no longer matter.” He looked at Meng Qi, “Is that what you mean?”
“Um,” Meng Qi nodded shyly. She meant that, though not as directly as Yun Qingyan put it. She just vaguely felt that the tests of Ten Absolutes Mountain were not as simple as they looked. The earlier incident with the Drunken Dragon Grass seemed to incite them to fight amongst themselves, and the current battle clearly ordered them to kill each other.
Standing on her vantage point, Meng Qi gazed upon the city of the Earthly Camp, her mind filled with thoughts. Even the rules announced by the female voice fostered mistrust within the camp—cultivators from the Heavenly Camp could go to Earthly Camp, and those from Earthly Camp could come to Heavenly Camp… Because of these rules, anyone could potentially harbor ulterior motives, making it hard to fully trust even your teammates.
Meng Qi, who was used to being alone, usually never thought much about these things, but she wasn’t completely ignorant either. Now, however, she truly wanted to pass the test of Ten Absolutes Mountain and become stronger as quickly as possible, so she couldn’t ignore her doubts.
“What are you talking about?” a voice suddenly rang out behind them.
Meng Qi turned around to see a man in a dark blue robe striding towards them. “Sect Leader Ling,” she quickly bowed in greeting.
“No need to be so formal, Xiao Meng Qi,” Ling Ji waved his hand, standing beside her and looking towards the small city of the Earthly Camp.
“Are you worried?” he asked.
“A bit,” Meng Qi replied.
“Don’t be afraid,” Ling Ji raised his hand, hesitated for a moment, but still placed it on Meng Qi’s shoulder, “As long as I’m here, no one can hurt you.”
“Thank you, Sect Leader Ling,” Meng Qi said politely.
“Actually…” Ling Ji looked at her graceful face, her black hair simply tied up, secured with a black jade hairpin. “Actually, you don’t have to be so formal with me. I… I knew your mother… you could call me uncle.” He swallowed hard, his voice a bit hoarse.
Meng Qi: “…” She didn’t even know who her mother was; was Ling Ji sure he hadn’t mistaken her for someone else?!
“Just call me Uncle Ling,” said Ling Ji. “There’s no need to keep calling me sect leader; it feels so formal.”
“…” Meng Qi wasn’t sure how to respond. To begin with, she had only met Ling Ji a handful of times and they weren’t exactly familiar with each other. Deep down, she actually had a vague guess as to why he treated her this way. Ling Ji’s attitude was too obvious; especially back when they were in Jingyue City, where he so confidently stated that she must possess incredible talent in swordsmanship.
But a guess was just that — a guess. Meng Qi had no intention of doing anything. Whether in the Three Thousand Worlds, the Demon Realm, or the Devil Realm, cultivators inherently remained detached from emotions. It was not uncommon to find Dao couples who formed the bond only to aid each other’s cultivation. They would not spend much time together, nor would they bother to have children. Even when cultivators had children, it didn’t necessarily lead to loving parent-child relationships. A more likely scenario was one parent would seclude themselves for cultivation, and by the time they finished, decades might have passed, with the children and parents barely recognizing each other.
“Well… Sect Leader Ling,” Meng Qi hesitated for a moment.
“Uncle Ling,” Ling Ji insisted. “It’s just an address, no need for formalities.”
Meng Qi: “…”
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