Gradual Returns

"Martial Brother Lu! You look nervous! Looks like you already know you're bound to lose this wager, huh?" Fu Boren, the Peak Master of Tianhua Peak, cast a teasing smile at Lu Mingshi.

"Lose? You old bastard, no one's even come out yet. What are you gloating about?!" Lu Mingshi rolled his eyes and glared at Fu Boren irritably.

Just as Fu Boren had said, he was exceptionally nervous.

The harvest this time was tied to the wager between him and Tianhua Peak.

Losing the Cold Jade would be a minor matter. The crucial point was that if they lost even this, Luofu Peak would lose all face.

Fu Boren wore a smile and was about to speak when an elder suddenly shouted, "Someone's coming out!"

The moment the elder's voice fell, light flared atop the Ancient Teleportation Array.

The light flashed, and thirty-five figures appeared in the middle of the array.

Each of them looked calm and composed. As soon as they emerged, they gathered together—they were clearly a group. Most of them were injured, their clothes covered in dust, torn open and stained with blood. It was obvious they had fought a bloody battle.

After coming out, the thirty-five people swiftly swept their eyes around them. Their gazes then landed on the Grand Elder of Tianshu Peak. They hurried over, bowed respectfully to the Grand Elder, and then stood behind him without saying a word.

The Grand Elder gently stroked his beard and nodded slightly at the group. The corners of his mouth lifted, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.

Tianshu Peak had sent in thirty-five people, and thirty-five had returned.

The Peak Masters and elders of the other peaks twitched their eyelids and exchanged glances, all of them startled.

Immediately afterward, light continued to flare atop the Teleportation Array. Disciples from the various peaks appeared on the array one after another.

Only a few of these disciples had acted alone; most had come in groups of three or five. All of them bore injuries to some degree. Some were seriously wounded, with arms and legs even severed, their condition utterly tragic.

Their expressions also varied. Some grinned so happily they could barely close their mouths, some hung their heads in dejection with faces full of despair, while others wore expressions of relief, clearly rejoicing at their good fortune.

After emerging, these people each sought out the location of their respective peaks and quickly returned.

The Peak Masters and elders of the various peaks remained

expressionless, showing no emotional reaction whatsoever to the appearance of these disciples.

An hour later, more than half of the disciples from each peak had returned.

Only Luofu Peak was an exception.

Behind Lu Mingshi, only five odd-job disciples had appeared. Every one of the five wore a sorrowful expression, their hearts uneasy. Clearly, their harvest had been mediocre.

Seeing this scene, Fu Boren immediately laughed. "Martial Brother Lu, if I remember correctly, your Luofu Peak had over a hundred disciples participating in the trial, right?"

"How come only this handful has returned so far? Is this Newcomer Trial really that difficult? If you ask me, your Luofu Peak might as well stop participating in the next Newcomer Trial."

Looking at the number of people who had returned to the other peaks, then at the pitiful few behind him, Lu Mingshi's wrinkled old face had long since been knotted into a ball.

Yet when he heard Fu Boren's words, he still snorted and shot back without the slightest courtesy, "Hmph! Everyone hasn't come out yet. What are you in such a hurry for?!"

"Martial Brother, you really need to fix that habit of keeping up a brave front like a dead duck! Given the situation now, even if everyone comes out, I'm afraid your Luofu Peak won't have many people left, will it?!" Fu Boren said with a smile, his gaze sweeping across the array as he searched for something.

Lu Mingshi's expression darkened, and he was about to continue speaking.

At that moment, more than ten beams of light flared atop the array.

Lu Mingshi hurriedly looked over, his face tense with anticipation. But when he saw the figures that emerged, his expression instantly collapsed.

More than ten exhausted figures, led by a disciple dressed entirely in red, walked dejectedly toward where the Tianhua Peak group stood.

Ye Liangchuan held the Purple Lightning Sword and walked at the very front. His face was even more anxious and uneasy.

When Fu Boren saw that Ye Liangchuan and the others had returned alive, joy first flashed across his face. But immediately afterward, he noticed that their expressions were off, and his heart gave a sudden jolt.

Could something have happened?

He was just about to call Ye Liangchuan over to ask when Lu Mingshi's voice rang out beside his ear again.

"Fu Boren, you actually let your disciple bring a low-grade Spirit Artifact into the trial?!" Staring at the low-grade Spirit Artifact in Ye Liangchuan's hand, Lu Mingshi had no time to observe the expressions of the others.

As soon as he spoke, the people in charge of the various peaks also turned their gazes toward Fu Boren, clear surprise flashing in their eyes.

Bringing such a treasure into the trial was hardly any different from cheating.

Hearing the voice, Fu Boren had no time to ask about the details. Seeing that the Purple Lightning Sword was unharmed, he temporarily set aside the doubts in his heart.

Turning to Lu Mingshi, Fu Boren immediately said with a beaming smile, "Martial Brother, the trial rules never said you couldn't bring a Spiritual Artifact! It's still not too late to admit defeat now. That way, you won't lose so terribly later and end up with no face left!"

"Bah! So what if you brought a Spiritual Artifact? Do you really think you've already won? Anyone who didn't know better would think your disciple had brought an immortal artifact!"

Lu Mingshi's face grew even uglier. He watched the Teleportation Array from the corner of his eye with even greater tension, yet he refused to back down verbally.

As he spoke, two more beams of light flashed across the array, and two handsome figures—a man and a woman—appeared.

Both wore expressions of lingering shock. Their bodies were covered in wounds, and even the violet and azure Precious Swords they had originally carried on their backs had vanished. Clearly, they too had endured a fierce battle.

After emerging, the two looked toward Lu Mingshi and quickly walked toward where Luofu Peak stood.

Seeing them, Lu Mingshi clearly let out a sigh of relief, his suspended heart finally settling back down.

"How's the situation?" Only after Han Yu and Xiao Yue returned did he ask.

Han Yu was covered in dust and grime. He opened his mouth, but said nothing.

"It's not very optimistic." Xiao Yue smiled bitterly and shook her head.

"It's fine. Being able to return alive is better than anything! You've worked hard."

Lu Mingshi's expression stiffened, and his mood sank even further. But he immediately forced himself to rally, raised his hand, and patted the two on the shoulders, giving them a few words of encouragement.

Not far away, Fu Boren's smile grew even broader.

"Martial Brother, judging by this, your Luofu Peak's harvest isn't looking very good. Are you sure you still want to continue this wager?" Fu Boren grinned and said with a smile.

"Hmph! Look at you gloating. The final moment hasn't arrived yet! Are you in such a hurry to reincarnate?" Lu Mingshi rolled his eyes and retorted irritably.

He no longer held out much hope in his heart, but even in defeat, he would not lose his dignity.

There was absolutely no way he would admit defeat and cower like that.

Time passed bit by bit.

Fewer and fewer disciples appeared on the array.

At the location of Tianyin Peak, two beautiful female elders exchanged a glance, faint worry unconsciously surfacing between their brows.

Quite a few female disciples had already emerged behind them. In terms of survival rate, they ranked second only to Tianshu Peak.

But Peak Master Shen Miaoyin had yet to come out. How could they not be worried?

Just as the two of them were growing restless with anxiety, several more beams of light flashed across the array.

Among them, two graceful figures appeared, instantly drawing numerous gazes.

One of these two was the female cultivator surnamed Chu, Chu Hongyue. The other was Shen Miaoyin, who had crossed paths with Su Shi'er.

After emerging, the two quickly swept their eyes around them. Then, their expressions unchanged, they each walked toward Tianyin Peak and Luoyan Peak.

Seeing Shen Miaoyin appear, the elder leading Tianyin Peak's group also visibly relaxed.

She immediately went forward, grabbed Shen Miaoyin by the arm, and began asking her concerned questions.

This scene fell into the eyes of the people in charge of the other peaks, leaving them even more puzzled.

Although Shen Miaoyin was the Peak Master of Tianyin Peak, she rarely showed herself. Moreover, whenever she appeared, she concealed her figure with a treasure called Huan Sha Zhang.

Therefore, despite being fellow disciples who had worked together for many years, none of them recognized her. They had no idea that the breathtakingly beautiful woman before them was the Peak Master of Tianyin Peak whom they knew.