"What did that bastard say, Qing Yizi?"
"He most likely really doesn't want to enter the inner hall. But will your spirit beast really work, Fellow Daoist Man? I heard Wan Tianming brought out a Golden Silk Silkworm."
"You needn't worry about that. As long as that bastard stays out of my sight."
As the formation activated, the cultivators stepped into it one after another.
"The next trial is the Ice-and-Fire Path. Will you take the Ice Path or the Lava Fire Path?" Lu Shang asked.
"Given the cultivation technique I practice, there isn't much difference between the two."
Hearing this, Lu Shang took out an Azure Pearl and presented it to Zi Ling.
"This is a magical treasure I found in Ji Yin's Storage Bag. It wards off cold and fire. Even if we choose the same passage, we might not meet after being teleported inside, so you still need to be careful."
Once Zi Ling accepted the magical treasure, Lu Shang led her toward the formation.
Only after all the cultivators had entered did the two Star Palace elders slowly leave.
"When did that girl Zi Ling find herself a lofty branch to perch on-a Nascent Soul cultivator? No wonder she reached Core Formation at her age," Grand Elder Jin Kui said, looking at the formation.
"Yes, yes. And judging by appearances, they've probably known each other for a long time. Perhaps the previous sect master knew him," the other cultivator beside him immediately chimed in.
"What do you mean, yes? How could a mere early Core Formation cultivator know a Nascent Soul cultivator? This man looks so young that he probably only formed his nascent soul recently. She most likely latched onto him herself."
Grand Elder Jin Kui spoke in an utterly flat voice, but his tone