Trial Microcosm

"It's Gu Xuantian! The one by the flood dragon is Gu Xuantian!"

"The one beside him is Su Xinyue, right? The Su family's Heaven's Pride."

"And this one—he's Heaven-grade Aptitude too, but I think I heard someone say he came from the mortal world before."

"God, why do they have spirit beast mounts?"

"What nonsense? They have Masters, that's why."

Lu Qing remained composed.

He had endured two hard years of travel to get here. Seeing such scenes now, he could only call them small matters. At most, he sighed that those with backing and influence truly were different.

"Lu Qing, you're here."

After that group passed, Li Jiuming spotted him as well and called out in surprise.

"Brother Li, these are?"

Lu Qing looked at the people behind Li Jiuming: one man and two women.

"Hehe, Lu Qing, these are the new friends I told you about."

Li Jiuming chuckled, then introduced both sides.

"A pleasure, a pleasure."

After they exchanged names, the young man called Lin Zixuan spoke. "Brother Lu, do you know Bai Yunqing?"

Li Jiuming's expression abruptly changed. "Lin Zixuan, what nonsense are you talking about?"

Before Lu Qing could speak—

"I merely wanted to ask. Why is Brother Li reacting so strongly?"

Lu Qing said, "I don't know."

"The assessment has begun. I won't chat any longer."

After saying that, Lu Qing turned and left.

Li Jiuming's face turned green, then white. He looked coldly at Lin Zixuan. "Hmph. Why are you in such a hurry? My fellow sect friend only focuses on cultivation. He won't agree to you."

After he spoke, only Lin Zixuan and the two girls beside him remained.

"What was that? What sort of people are they? Brother Lin, let's go."

"Exactly. They don't know what's good for them. Why bother trying to recruit them?"

Lin Zixuan looked somewhat regretful. "They're still two people with Superior Aptitude. Bringing them under our wing would bring considerable benefits. But if they refuse, there are naturally others."

After Lu Qing left, he paid no mind to what happened behind him.

To him, this could only be considered unpleasant. He was not angry enough to take offense. He had already clearly heard that Lin Zixuan had someone behind him as well, and it was impossible for Li Jiuming at his side not to know.

Rather than scheming and contending with them, he preferred to crush people through strength.

"Brother Lu, I'm truly sorry. I really didn't expect him to say something like that."

Who was Bai Yunqing? Even in the Outer Academy, people had heard of him. The crucial figure was Yan Langyu behind him.

Li Jiuming caught up, his voice full of apology.

"Oh, I know." Lu Qing nodded without saying anything else.

Li Jiuming looked embarrassed.

He knew that the little goodwill between himself and Brother Lu had already been worn away.

At that moment, an Elder in purple robes appeared.

"For this Entry Trial Tournament, the location opened will be a Trial Micro-Realm."

"The assessment will use a points system. Of the items you obtain within, thirty percent must be handed over to the Dao Academy, while seventy percent will remain yours..."

The rules were not lengthy.

"Doesn't that mean the more precious the item, the more points it earns?"

"There are demon beasts inside as well. There are not many, but I have already separated out a portion of the Spirit Sword Art. It is most suitable for use as an ordinary means of attack."

Lu Qing understood why hunting demon beasts was not the main objective.

The main reason was that only one month had passed. It was impossible for every disciple with medium- or low-grade aptitude to have entered the Qi Nourishment Realm.

Lu Qing sensed that most of those around him were at the peak of the Meridian Opening Realm, or hovering at the First Layer of the Qi Nourishment Realm.

The exceptional ones were the group leading the way ahead.

"It was an arena before, but now it has been changed to a Trial Micro-Realm. It is probably to give us a greater chance to show what we can do."

Lu Qing pondered.

Just then, an enormous water gate appeared before them, with surging waters pouring down from the heavens.

"Enter. The Trial Micro-Realm will close in seven days."

After the purple-robed Elder tossed out those words, the water gate opened, and a powerful force of attraction sucked everyone inside.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Qing saw that the imposing mounts of those Heaven's Pride were all left behind.

"So they can't enter."

At that moment, his mind buzzed.

An ominous situation appeared.

Lu Qing focused his gaze.

[Greatly Ominous Hexagram: After landing, travel southwest. Encounter a fifth-grade spirit herb. Pick it, then be killed by a Foundation Establishment guardian demon beast. Greatly ominous.]

[Ominous Hexagram: After landing, travel northeast. Encounter a miasma swamp. Foundation ruined. Ominous.]

[Calming Hexagram: After landing, immediately travel north. No danger. Calming.]

Lu Qing did not hesitate. Hesitating for even one second would mean he did not value his own life.

After landing, he saw no one else. A trace of chill swept over him.

Frowning, he raised his head toward the sky. Two suns hung in the firmament, yet their sunlight gave no warmth.

The fleeting chill Lu Qing had just felt had come from above his head.

"This Trial Micro-Realm..."

Lu Qing recalled what the Jade Slip had said. This was a newly acquired Trial Micro-Realm. The dangers within had not been cleared away by the senior disciples before them. What exactly lay inside depended on what they themselves uncovered.

The Foundation Establishment demon beast in the Ominous Hexagram was a dimensional strike against disciples like them.

But before those Elders, it likely did not seem like any problem. As long as they did not pick the herb, no one would die.

Those who were greedy and overestimated themselves died; that was only natural.

Lu Qing merely glanced at the sky before swiftly heading north.

He had landed in a patch of grass. On one side lay a gloomy forest, and on the other ran a small stream.

North. His mind stirred slightly. Fortunately, cultivating the Profound Heaven Origin Scripture had greatly tempered his mind. Now that all his senses had improved, he would not mistake the northern direction.

He immediately chose to leave.

Not a single word in the Calming Hexagram could be overlooked.

Behind him, the grass by the stream swayed gently in the wind. A triangular head emerged amid dark green leaves, hideous and terrifying, while the sunlight grew ever colder.

Lu Qing did not know what had happened after he left that place.

But the Calming Hexagram had shown no error.

Only after the forests and stream on both sides had vanished behind him—

Did Lu Qing's mind suddenly clear. This meant the Calming Hexagram had been completed.

At that moment, a thought stirred in him.

He found that no ominous situation appeared.

"Does that mean that this time, even if I turn back, I won't encounter danger?"

He turned around and found that the gloomy forest and small stream behind him were no longer in sight.

Hiss.

He threw the thought aside.

"Of the four directions, choose west."

Lu Qing looked around at where he now stood. The wilderness stretched wide and vast, as though choosing any direction would be fine.

Since he had entered, he naturally hoped to gain something.

Leaving everything else aside, even if he ranked near the bottom in this tournament, he would still receive Spirit Stone rewards.

Lu Qing even suspected that the Dao Academy truly was willing to spend resources in raising its disciples like this.

Lu Qing instinctively circulated his cultivation method. This simplest layer of concealing one's aura could not fool some high-realm cultivators, but it still had its uses.

Lu Qing was now at Qi Nourishment, Third Layer. So long as he did not encounter those monstrous talents from the Inner Sect, he felt he would not end up at the bottom.