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Beneath the unadorned ancient bronze gate, there were only members of the Wang family left, plus Liu Qingyin. She stood alone, holding her sword, her gaze cold as she looked into the pitch-black void where the glow of the white jade platform shimmered in the distance.
From such a great distance, only two silhouettes could be vaguely seen. Before Qin Yunxi left, he had instructed her that if he did not return, she should follow her instincts, move forward, and slowly handle the Wang family members. Ultimately, she would secure the Huang Chuan legacy along with the priceless treasure, the True Illusion Mirror. In the event she needed to escape danger, the mirror would grant her an additional layer of powerful protection, ensuring no one could ever harm her.
Qin Yunxi left in a hurry and didn’t explain much.
Liu Qingyin’s rational mind was largely convinced, but emotionally, she still couldn’t bring herself to believe him. Her feelings were tangled and convoluted—she didn’t want Qin Yunxi to be Wei Liang, because she had no love for him.
The one she loved was still that Wei Liang, and only that Wei Liang.
While Liu Qingyin was lost in her thoughts, on the distant white jade platform, Lin Jiu began to make her crossing. She took her first step and walked steadily, neither fast nor slow.
After the time it takes to burn an incense stick, her figure finally came into view on the other side. Onlookers watched as she manipulated her aura to create shapes in front of her. The shapes were unusual, but they vaguely resembled the wooden walkways mountain dwellers built along cliff edges. However, there was nothing beneath her feet except for the void and bottomless abyss. Spiritual aura formed supports on either side, suspended in the air like a suspension bridge with no steps.
Lin Jiu’s steps were steady as she walked step by step, treading through the void along with the wiggling spiritual aura support.
Wang Weizhi was leaning against the gate, arms crossed. As Lin Jiu crossed the halfway point, he raised an eyebrow slightly, a flicker of interest sparking in his charming eyes as he glanced between her and the shapes she was forming with her aura.
‘Three more steps… two… one…!!’
“Phew!” Lin Jiu let out a long sigh as her feet finally touched the solid surface of the bronze platform. The reason she had been in such a hurry to form her Golden Core was precisely for this first trial. When she first considered entering the Huang Chuan Secret Realm, she had carefully analyzed whether she could pass all the trials, and quickly discovered a major hurdle right at the very first one.
It was very difficult for an ordinary person to successfully trick their subconscious mind into believing that an empty space actually had a path. Frankly speaking, her chance was very close to zero. That’s why her only option was to create some conditions to deceive herself.
For example, telling herself that she was crossing a glass bridge. She used aura to create a convincing support structure on the sides, then imagined the emptiness beneath her feet as tempered glass. Relying on her body’s memory of crossing glass bridges from her previous life, she was able to step into the void with a calm state of mind.
Fortunately, she made it through.
Qin Yunxi followed behind her, his gaze flickering slightly, though his face remained expressionless.
“How did she get across?” Wang Yanzhi’s expression was ugly.
“Stop worrying about what others are doing,” her companion said, irritated. “The road ahead is bound to be dangerous; you should focus on yourself.”
Wang Yanzhi was livid. “Yang Zhao! Don’t think I haven’t noticed—you’ve been secretly watching that woman all along! So what, now that she’s crossed, it makes me look bad, and you admire her even more, is that it? Yang Zhao, don’t forget your place! If it weren’t for you marrying into the Wang family, where would a wandering cultivator1 nobody like you be today? Or what, now that you’ve established your footing, you think you have grown powerful, is it? You want to imitate those men and take concubines, don’t you?!”
Yang Zhao glanced around, looking extremely embarrassed: “Yanzhi, don’t be ridiculous!”
But Wang Yanzhi only grew angrier. “She’s just a woman playing tricks, yet you scold me for her? She could have crossed earlier but deliberately stayed behind, doing all these pointless things just to show off! Tell me, just tell me—what’s the use of all this nonsense she’s doing, huh? Don’t you all agree? This woman is just deliberately wasting our time!”
She didn’t lower her voice, and the people standing under the bronze gate couldn’t pretend they hadn’t heard.
The oldest-looking cultivator cleared his throat, “Yanzhi, there’s no need to fuss over a young girl. What’s important now is to prepare for the second trial.”
Wang Yanzhi pursed her lips and stood aside angrily.
Among the remaining members of the Wang family, some couldn’t contain their curiosity and secretly stole a look at Lin Jiu, wondering what kind of trick she had just shown them. What was the purpose of making those strange shapes, anyway? The pride of these Nascent Soul cultivators prevented them from speaking to a mere Golden Core, but they still couldn’t help but pay some attention to Lin Jiu.
Of everyone present, Liu Qingyin and Qin Yunxi were the most bewildered. Qin Yunxi, in particular, had been following closely behind Lin Jiu, yet had no clue how she had managed to make the crossing.
When he met Liu Qingyin’s questioning gaze, he could only smile bitterly and gave a slight shake of the head.
Even if the world turned upside down, neither he nor Liu Qingyin would ever believe that Lin Jiu had passed simply by sheer determination. So, how did she do it?
Lin Jiu was aware that the others were secretly speculating about her, which amused her a little and made her a bit proud—so what if they were Nascent Soul cultivators or Great Sword Immortals? They had probably never seen a glass bridge!
She put on a look of deep composure, then tilted her head to observe the gate in front of her. Passing through this gate would bring them to the second trial of Huang Chuan Secret Realm.
The novel glossed over the details of the second trial because it was too straightforward and mindless. After passing through the gate, everyone would be transported to a beach where sea monsters would continuously emerge from the ocean. All they had to do was kill a hundred sea monsters to collect a hundred cores, which would then open a gate to the third trial.
For Liu Qingyin, this was the easiest and least noteworthy trial. But for Lin Jiu, whose combat ability was far from standard, having to deal with a hundred sea monsters with strength levels ranging from the Golden Core to the Nascent Soul equivalent was a bit of a headache.
As she contemplated the idea of finding a partner to form a temporary team, the bronze gate began to open gradually.
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