"Brother Tang, you came through!" Chu Song had not heard their conversation. He had only seen Tang Yao beating Chi Wang one-sidedly with fire, and watching it had been immensely satisfying.
On the rankings, Tang Yao's name leaped into second place, inheriting half the points of the eliminated Chi Wang.
Just then, the Vermilion Bird's voice rang out. "There's another woman in this secret realm. Want to go?"
"Shall we?" Tang Yao asked.
"Let's go!" Chu Song nodded.
The two hit it off once again and followed the Vermilion Bird's directions all the way to the Fire Plasma Plain, where magma occasionally bubbled and burst within the fissures.
Across the endless plain, a breeze blew, bringing a blast of scorching heat against their faces!
There were fewer Demon Beasts here, with only two or three in sight, but their strength could not be underestimated.
In the distance, a lovely figure was being driven toward the edge of a cliff by a Demon Beast, retreating step by step. Below the cliff lay scalding magma...
The Demon Beast suddenly aimed at the woman's abdomen and lunged with all its might!
Bang-
Li Fire instantly appeared between the Demon Beast and the woman.
The Demon Beast let out a piercing shriek. The Li Fire burned away its front claws, and it hastily backed away and fled in a sorry state.
The Vermilion Bird's voice rang out as well: this was the last wisp of fire. With his abilities currently restricted, he could only use it once a day, with no more than three wisps each time!
The rescued woman looked up into the air. When she saw that it was Tang Yao, her breath caught. Her lips parted, but she never made a sound.
Tang Yao saw her too.
It was Jiang He.
A flash of hostility crossed Chu Song's brow, and his face darkened. Had they known it was her, they would not have come to save her.
"Not crushing your identity token? Are these points more important than your life?" Tang Yao asked with a smile.
Jiang He's eyes were filled with stubbornness. She clenched her fists without a word. She had to stand out to earn Jiang Yueyan's attention and the resources provided by the Jiang family!
They stared at one another in silence for a long while.
Tang Yao spoke first. "All right, let's head back. Don't forget those two hundred high-grade Spirit Stones."
Though puzzled, Chu Song did not ask Tang Yao why. He quietly added, "If you forget, we'll go collect them from your brother."
"Shall we go?"
Tang Yao hummed in agreement and nodded.
Then the two crushed their identity tokens one after the other, their bodies gradually dissolving into particles.
Just then, a Demon Beast emerged from behind a rock and approached Jiang He. She gritted her teeth and crushed her identity token too.
The three were teleported out of the secret realm in succession and sent to the main peak's square, where they had stood before entering.
After a flash of white light, the three appeared before everyone. Circles of light beneath their feet displayed their points, and countless disciples crowded around them.
At the very back of the crowd, Tang Yao spotted Chi Wang...
His white-jade face looked sinister as he stared at her.
Sect Master Duan stood on the raised platform, his eyes gleaming with excitement, as though he could see the Profound Heaven Sect's bright future. Behind him stood the expressionless Jiang Yueyan.
"All disciples have left the secret realm. The third trial in the secret realm is over!"
There had been a mishap in this secret realm trial. For some reason, the recording stones had failed to show the scenes inside clearly. Fortunately, all the disciples were safe, and the top three's high scores were unprecedented.
"According to the overall rankings, first place goes to Chu Xiaohua!" Elder Ling announced loudly.
In an instant, everyone's eyes focused on Chu Song, sparkling with admiration. Some even began whispering.
"Senior Sister Xiaohua is tall, beautiful, and so strong. She's practically my goddess..."
"Exactly. She deserves first place."
Chu Song was embarrassed. Though he had expected this, he still could not help lamenting inwardly.
I've taken this too far...
"Come, Xiaohua, come up here," Elder Ling said excitedly.
Under everyone's gaze, Chu Song leaped onto the platform and stood beside Jiang Yueyan, looking at his expressionless face.
Chu Song inwardly rolled his eyes.
To the disciples, the two standing together made a handsome man and beautiful woman, a sight they could not tear their eyes from.
Then Elder Ling continued announcing, "Second place, Tang Xiaocao! Third place, Chi Wang!"
"The Flowers and Grass team scored big this time! First and second! Who can top that!"
"What's so great about the Flowers and Grass team? I heard Chi Wang was protecting Xiaohua's identity token throughout this secret realm trial. The Chi-Hua team is the most badass!"
Chi Wang: "..."
Hearing this, Chi Wang slowly turned his head, the hostility on his face yet to fade. He narrowed his eyes, seemingly searching for whoever had said that.
As Chi Wang's knife-sharp gaze swept over them, everyone in that area instantly fell silent.
"See? The Chi-Hua ship just got torn apart by one of the people in it!" the Flowers and Grass supporters whispered.
Amid the discussion, Tang Yao and Chi Wang also stepped onto the platform. Elder Ling nodded in satisfaction. These were all the Profound Heaven Sect's hopes for the future!
"These three are our Profound Heaven Sect's newest direct disciples. All direct disciple positions are now filled!"
Enthusiastic applause erupted below the platform. They had all witnessed the strength of the three standing above. Their top-three placements were earned through strength!
Only one figure gazed up at the platform in resentment. However unwilling Jiang He was to accept it, the facts were before her, and there was nothing she could do. She only stared at her elder brother.
It seemed... the distance between them was growing ever greater.
They had clearly played together as children, yet he probably no longer remembered her. After all, she was only one of the many children from the branch families.
"Fourth through twentieth place will become inner disciples!" Elder Ling looked over them with satisfaction as well. Had the top three not been so absurdly strong this time, fourth and fifth place would have had a fairly good chance of becoming direct disciples.
"Everyone else will become outer disciples! Don't slack off, either. Those who perform well and pass the assessments later can still enter the inner sect!"
"All your accommodations will be reassigned according to your inner or outer disciple status, and your new disciple robes will be placed in your rooms!"
"This new disciple trial is now concluded! All disciples, leave in an orderly fashion!"
Just as Tang Yao was about to leave too, Sect Master Duan stopped her. "The direct disciples' residences are on the main peak. There's no need to leave so soon. Let Yueyan show you around."
Jiang Yueyan was somewhat unwilling, but he still nodded. He looked at Chu Song and Chi Wang and asked coldly, "What about you two? Coming along?"
Sect Master Duan looked at his fine eldest disciple with satisfaction. Though he could be proud and arrogant at times, he was good overall. This was just the opportunity to have these new direct disciples blunt his edge.
To let him know that, when it came to talent, there was always a heaven beyond heaven.
Chi Wang would not pass up a chance to spend time with Jiang Yueyan, so he naturally agreed.
And Chu Song, uneasy about leaving Tang Yao with Chi Wang, nodded without another word.
Jiang Yueyan took them to the Mission Pavilion, the sparring grounds, the library pavilion, the elders' pavilion, and the Spirit Veins, touring almost the entire main peak and explaining everything carefully at each stop.
What these places were used for, and how they helped with cultivation.
When they reached the Spirit Veins, Tang Yao could not help marveling. As expected of a wealthy major sect, they had so many Spirit Veins it was as though they cost nothing!
Along the way, Chi Wang repeatedly tried to approach Jiang Yueyan, but Tang Yao deftly intercepted him every time. Remembering the terrifying flames in Tang Yao's hands, Chi Wang held back and gave up.
At last, they arrived at everyone's residences.
Tang Yao had made up her mind: wherever Chi Wang lived, she would choose a place there!
She was determined to be his neighbor. She would watch Chi Wang like a hawk...
And find an opportunity to pry out his purpose for coming here.
Naturally, Chi Wang chose a residence closest to Jiang Yueyan. It was surrounded by cold pools, though this was actually unfavorable for the cultivation of someone with a Fire Spirit Root like Chi Wang.
Once Chi Wang had finished choosing, Tang Yao immediately picked a residence opposite Jiang Yueyan's without a second thought!
This residence brimmed with greenery and immortal herbs, with a plot of farmland out front. It was excellent for someone with a Wood Spirit Root.
Only Chu Song remained. His expression stiffened, and after a moment of silence, he voiced a soul-searching question.
"Seriously? You three are all clustering together?"
Were they excluding him?
Looking around, even the nearest remaining residence was two li away!
Jiang Yueyan spoke unhappily. "You're here to cultivate, not play. Look farther ahead. I remember there's a place suitable for a Lightning Spirit Root, though it's farther away."
Chu Song said helplessly, "Yes, Eldest Senior Brother."