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“Greetings, Senior.” Meng Qi bowed respectfully.
“What is it?” The girl in red wrinkled her nose and huffed, her voice pleasant but with a hint of annoyance, seemingly upset that Meng Qi wasn’t falling into her trap.
“Please enlighten us about the first test,” Meng Qi asked calmly and politely, neither humble nor arrogant.
“I knew you were an interesting little girl,” the girl in red chuckled softly. Swinging her feet gently, she looked at Meng Qi, “I’ve never seen a girl like you.”
Hearing her laugh, Li Che was sure this was indeed the woman who had been whispering in his ear, nearly driving him to collapse.
As the girl spoke, she turned to look at Meng Qi. Her side profile was already stunning, but her full face was breathtakingly beautiful. Especially her eyes, as bright as the stars in the night sky, yet clear and mysterious, like a misty mountain lake.
Li Che, not daring to offend her, immediately averted his eyes and looked down at the grass below him.
But Meng Qi was different. She looked up and locked eyes with the girl, who grinned mischievously, her eyes sparkling, “It’s not impossible to tell you, but…” The girl extended her snow-white hand, gently cupping her chin, and smiled at Meng Qi, “You have to tell me why you aren’t affected by me. Say, little girl, do you really have nothing to fear?”
“No, I am afraid too,” Meng Qi replied in a calm tone, just as she had when comforting Li Che earlier.
“Hmph,” the girl snorted softly, “Afraid, huh…” She made a funny face at Meng Qi, “Only that silly guy would believe you.”
“I think I did a good job guessing your inner mind, but why aren’t you affected at all?” The girl looked at Meng Qi with great interest.
Meng Qi thought for a moment, “You weren’t wrong, Senior.”
The girl wrinkled her nose at Meng Qi again, “Then why don’t you show even a ripple of fear?”
“Because I’ve been through things that were more terrifying—things that scared me more,” Meng Qi smiled, “After that, nothing else scares me.”
“Tch…” The girl jumped up, “That explanation is as good as nothing. More terrifying, more frightening things? Could it be a near-death experience?” She counted on her fingers, “That shouldn’t be right. You went through your tribulation smoothly and never suffered serious injuries, plus you’re a medical cultivator…”
“Oh, well, forget it,” she waved her hand, “I like you, and so does Xiao Yan. Let’s consider your answer correct.”
“Thank you, Senior,” Meng Qi bowed respectfully.
“You’ve seen it already,” the girl in red clapped her hands. She pointed to the creel beside them, “Stardust Stone.”
“Are they really Stardust Stone?!” Li Che instantly forgot everything else and turned his head to look at the creek.
“Yeah, yeah,” the girl nodded repeatedly, “Stardust Stone, Nether River, and Netherworld Thorn… you weren’t wrong.” She smiled brightly, “For greenhorns, you two are quite good.”
Li Che blushed and also bowed, “Thank you, Senior.”
“Thank me what?” The girl chuckled, “I haven’t finished yet.” She continued, “The water of the Nether River, though flows constantly, can freeze everything. It freezes wherever it touches—flesh, meridians, aura—and will cause unbearable pain. Believe me, you wouldn’t want to experience it.”
“As for the Netherworld Thorn… you got part of it right. Combining the Netherworld Thorn with the Stardust Stone can indeed reshape the inner core. But…” As she spoke, she waved her hand, and a pair of gloves as thin as cicada wings appeared in her pale, slender palm, “Tsk tsk tsk…” She looked at the gloves and shook her head with a sigh, “Trying to pick the Netherworld Thorn with this flimsy thing? You must thank your luck that you hadn’t acted impulsively earlier. One touch and you would have said goodbye to this world.”
Meng Qi: “…”
Li Che: “…”
“The Netherworld Thorn indeed has tiny, super thin thorns on its back,” the girl said with a smile, “These thorns can pierce through anything. Even if you used a medical knife to pick the Netherworld Thorn, the tiny thorns would enter your skin in an instant. And…” She shook a finger cheerfully, “Not ten breaths, but three breaths. In three breaths, it can kill a Comprehending Perfection cultivator. Only a Great Ascension has a chance to pick the Netherworld Thorn and survive.”
Li Che gasped. The Netherworld Thorn had been thought to be extinct and was something they had only heard about in legends and seen in books.
“Alright, as for the other flowers and plants, you probably won’t need them,” the girl said. “You two did quite well, immediately identifying the things needed to pass the first trial.” She waved her hand, and suddenly another person appeared on the grass.
“Yan Xuan!” Li Che exclaimed.
“Yan Xuan,” Meng Qi’s tone was a bit calmer. She had already anticipated what the girl in red would ask them to do when she showed them the Stardust Stone and Netherworld Thorn.
“Don’t worry, we are not bullies,” the girl said with a bright smile, her gaze shifting charmingly. “Since you are both medical cultivators, the first test will be related to your profession.” She pointed to Yan Xuan, “He is also your teammate, right? His inner elixir is damaged. Since you have the Netherworld Thorn and Stardust Stone here, heal his injuries.”
“When his inner core is restored, you will have passed the first test,” she chuckled. “You have three days. If you haven’t healed him in three days, you will fail the first test and remain in the Seven Emotions Array forever. None of you will be able to leave.”
She paused, her gaze resting on Meng Qi, and added, “Xiao Yan likes you so much, and it’s also rare to find someone who could understand that girl. I’ll help you a bit more.” The girl in red continued with a smile, “The Seven Emotions Array requires seven people to enter, but it doesn’t mean seven must leave. To break the array, you need to pass seven tests. Even if only one person remains, it’s considered passing the Seven Emotions Array. At that time…” She smiled sweetly. “You will be one step away from the peak of the Ten Absolutes Mountain.”
“Boy,” she addressed Li Che next; her eyes shining brightly with a meaningful gaze, a slight blush on her cheeks, “Remember what you said earlier?”
“Good luck,” With a light chuckle, she, along with the boulder she sat on, disappeared. The plain returned to its tranquil state, with only the wind and the creek’s gentle flow.
Meng Qi and Li Che looked at each other.
“She…” Li Che frowned, “Does she mean…”
“Let’s check on Yan Xuan first,” Meng Qi said, walking towards Yan Xuan.
“Meng Qi.” Li Che remained where he was. “We both know what’s wrong with Yan Xuan. Now that we have the Netherworld Thorn and Stardust Stone, we can heal him. The only difficulty is with the Stardust Stone and Netherworld Thorn.”
He smiled slightly. “The senior made it clear, as long as I go to pick…”
“Li Che,” Meng Qi turned to him, “Do you really believe everything she said?”
“Huh?” Li Che was puzzled. “But didn’t you say this is a trial and they are supervising it?”
“That’s true,” Meng Qi nodded, “But since we entered the Ten Absolutes Mountain, most of the things they said to us are lies.”
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