Jiao Xiu slowly rose and lifted a hand to put away his fishing rod. On closer inspection, the hook hanging in the lake was nothing more than a straight length of line.
Fishing with a straight hook?
As he stood, the stifling pressure that had frozen the air around them slowly dissipated.
Liu Sui was freed at once, delight spreading across her face. She knew you had passed the ancestor's trial.
Smiling, you stepped forward, quietly scooped a plump fish from Azure Sea Lake, and gently placed it in Jiao Xiu's basket.
Only two or three small fish had lain scattered inside. The basket looked livelier now.
Jiao Xiu saw this and smiled knowingly.
He raised a hand and gave it a casual wave. Heaven and earth shifted in an instant, and the scenery around them changed.
A fresh breeze swept across the lake.
Gu Xing felt spiritual light flow around him and wind rise beneath his feet, without the slightest jolt. Liu Sui, Jiao Ji, and Jiao Qi were gently wrapped in warm Fire Virtue Immortal Power and carried across the blue waves in an instant.
The scene had changed!
They now stood on an isolated island in Azure Sea Lake.
The island was small, thick with ancient pines whose gnarled branches reached over the water. Pine needles glimmered faintly, while winding bluestone paths crisscrossed the island.
Clear as a mirror, the surrounding lake stretched into misty distance, making the island seem set apart from the world, untouched by its clamor.
Jiao Xiu stood with his hands behind his back on a bluestone terrace at the island's heart. His gaze passed over the three before him, his expression calm, with none of the chilling pressure he had shown during the trial.
You looked into the distance. More than a