Trial Secrets

"You...!"

Seeing the sword light bearing down, the Youth in Silk Scarf's face changed instantly. Ignoring his bleeding wound, he urgently channeled all his true essence, concentrating it at his chest.

At this critical moment of life and death, a Turtle Pattern Shield rose from his chest. The shield was struck by the sword light, and a long, narrow crack appeared on it in an instant.

But it was enough to block this fatal strike.

"Oh? So you still have a hidden card?" Su Shi'er raised an eyebrow, subtly widening the distance between them while continuing to channel the White Mist Sword in his hand.

Since it had come to a fight to the death, he would see it through to the end.

The Youth in Silk Scarf lay on the ground, terrified out of his wits at the sight, his soul fleeing in panic.

His arm had been severed, leaving many of his techniques impossible to execute in the moment. This Turtle Pattern Shield was his last line of defense.

But the Turtle Pattern Shield was, after all, only a mid-grade magic tool; it couldn't hold out much longer.

Seeing the sword light approach again, the Youth in Silk Scarf hurriedly shouted, "Don't strike yet! I know the secret behind this Newcomer Trial. Kill me, and you'll regret it for sure!"

"Newcomer Trial?"

Hearing that word, Su Shi'er was momentarily stunned.

Hesitating for a moment, he looked at the other and slashed out three swift sword strikes. Three beams of sword light fell, severing the youth's hand and foot tendons respectively.

"Ah..." The Youth in Silk Scarf collapsed to the ground, his face twisted in pain.

But as soon as he opened his mouth, Su Shi'er cut him off.

"Speak. If your information doesn't satisfy me, the next sword will take your life."

Su Shi'er held the White Mist Sword aloft, killing intent blazing in his eyes. A handful of attack and defense talismans were also clutched in his hand, ready to be thrown at any moment.

"Fine, I'll talk, but you have to let me leave alive," the Youth in Silk Scarf said through gritted teeth.

Seeing how decisively Su Shi'er acted, he knew he had run into a ruthless man.

If his limbs were still intact, he might have had a chance to strike back, but now the odds were slim!

At this moment, he only begged to escape with his life.

"No problem!" Su Shi'er agreed without hesitation.

"Uh..." The Youth in Silk Scarf hesitated. Su Shi'er's quick agreement only made him more uneasy.

But he also knew he had no room to choose now.

Taking a deep breath, he rapidly channeled his true essence to his wounds to stabilize them, and spoke quickly, "Do you know why this year's Newcomer Trial allows the servant disciples who failed the assessment in previous years to participate as well?"

Hmm? The servant disciples who failed the assessment in previous years can also participate?

Su Shi'er furrowed his brow. Of course, he didn't know that.

But just this piece of information made him aware of the danger.

After all, those servant disciples who had failed the assessment in previous years had been cultivating for years. Even if their cultivation wasn't high, their strength definitely wouldn't be weak.

No matter what the trial's content was, if conflict broke out between new and old disciples, the newcomers would surely be the ones to suffer.

Suppressing this doubt in his mind, Su Shi'er said sternly, "I'm not interested in answering your questions. You'd better get to the point, or I can't guarantee your injuries will hold out long enough for you to leave alive!"

The Youth in Silk Scarf glared hatefully at Su Shi'er and continued, "The reason for this rule is that ten years ago, when the Peak Master of Tianyin Peak was studying an Ancient Teleportation Array, he accidentally located an Ancient Forbidden Zone."

"That Forbidden Zone is filled with dense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and abundant Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, including many herbs that have grown for centuries or millennia."

"To explore this Ancient Forbidden Zone, the sect changed the rules for the Newcomer Trial."

Su Shi'er listened intently, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the other, wary of any tricks.

Hearing this, he frowned and said flatly, "An Ancient Forbidden Zone? Full of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures? If such a place really existed, would the sect let people like us go?"

He bluntly voiced his doubts about this story.

Though he had been focused on bitter cultivation these past few years, he had also sought out many books to read.

He couldn't claim vast experience, but he had basic common sense.

Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures—any cultivator would covet them.

"It's not a matter of whether the sect is willing. That Ancient Forbidden Zone is filled with ancient formations. The more powerful the cultivator who enters, the greater the pressure they face. Several elders within the sect were severely injured by barging in recklessly."

"Only Qi Refiners at Qi Refining Stage Six or below can move freely inside without being affected."

"With a place like this, if word got out, it would inevitably draw the greed of other sects. So the sect decided to let all the servant disciples who had previously failed and whose cultivation was below Qi Refining Stage Six participate."

The Youth in Silk Scarf lay on the ground, speaking with a bitter smile.

He had joined the sect much earlier than Su Shi'er and was a disciple of Tianhua Peak, so he knew far more information than Su Shi'er.

Hearing all this, Su Shi'er outwardly remained noncommittal, but inwardly he was mostly convinced.

And in his view, the sect letting those servant disciples join together likely had two intentions.

One was to have more cannon fodder—lab rats, really—to explore such an unknown place. The other was the true purpose of the trial.

And this also meant that this Newcomer Trial would be unprecedentedly brutal. No matter how many Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures there were, no one would ever think they had enough. When the time came, all sorts of conflicts were bound to break out.

From what he knew, the miscellaneous duty disciples within the Yun Ge Sect were no simpletons. These disciples mainly came from two groups: one was people like them, taken in at a young age who chose to stay as miscellaneous duty disciples after failing the trial. The other was Rogue Cultivators entering the sect—these people already had some cultivation base, their past experiences were varied, and there were especially many ruthless individuals among them.

"Is that all you wanted to say?" Su Shi'er said indifferently after the other finished speaking.

"Of course not. According to news passed back by an elder from our Tianhua Peak, there is a Spiritual Plant Garden within that Ancient Forbidden Zone. Growing in that garden is a Hundred-Year Vermillion Fruit Tree that sprouts for two hundred years, blooms for two hundred years, and bears fruit for two hundred years."

"Swallowing just one of those Hundred-Year Vermillion Fruits can increase one's cultivation by over ten years."

"With your strength, being able to defeat me like this is proof enough of your ability. And I have the map to that Spiritual Plant Garden. For this Newcomer Trial, we can absolutely join forces to find that Hundred-Year Vermillion Fruit Tree."

The Youth in Silk Scarf spoke, suppressing his hatred for Su Shi'er as he extended the invitation.

"Where's the map?" Su Shi'er stared at him and asked immediately.

He wasn't completely ignorant about Vermillion Fruits. Some miscellaneous records he'd read before had relevant introductions.

A Hundred-Year Vermillion Fruit—swallowing one could indeed increase cultivation by over ten years!

His Mixed Spiritual Roots made cultivation especially difficult. Naturally, he was particularly tempted by a spiritual medicine that could boost his cultivation.

"The map is at my residence. Once the Newcomer Trial begins, I'll bring the map and meet up with you. That Spiritual Plant Garden—neither you nor I can seize it alone. To get those Vermillion Fruits, we have to join forces!" Seeing that Su Shi'er was clearly tempted, the Youth in Silk Scarf hurriedly continued his persuasion.

"Fine. How will we split the spoils?" Su Shi'er nodded and said.

"Sixty-forty. You get sixty, I get forty!" Hearing this, the Youth in Silk Scarf finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He knew very well that if he wanted to truly survive, he had to move Su Shi'er. Reaching a cooperation was the best way.

Though his injuries were now severe—broken arms and legs—as long as he could get a Restoration Pill, they could all be healed.

And once his injuries recovered, the situation then would be a different story altogether.

"No problem. You can go!" Su Shi'er nodded and said indifferently.

As he spoke, he put away the White Mist Sword, carrying it on his back. With both hands clasped behind him, he appeared on the surface to be drawn in by the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, while in his mind, he was recalling the Object Manipulation Technique he had seen before.

Seeing this, the Youth in Silk Scarf's hanging heart finally settled completely. "Good. I'll remember this favor."

With that, he struggled to prop himself up, about to take out an escape talisman and leave.

But the moment he turned around—

A "puchi" sound.

A broken sword fragment struck him square in the chest.

The Youth in Silk Scarf's breath caught. He twisted his head to look at Su Shi'er, seeing that Su Shi'er hadn't moved from his spot and the flying sword behind him was still there.

Lowering his head, he only then noticed that, at some point, one of the fragments from his own shattered sword on the ground had landed right beside him.

He looked up again, his eyes filled with unwillingness and resentment.

"You... you tricked me!"