In a state of awe, Old Li led three hundred strong young men who had emerged from the thatched hut and addressed Lin Shuang, saying, “Immortal.”
“We are at your service, but spring is coming soon, and we cannot delay the farming.”
“These three hundred skilled hands in the fields—if they are severely injured, it will affect next year’s food supply for our Li family.”
“Therefore, once the number of injured exceeds ten percent, I can only call them back to safety. Please, Immortal, understand our situation.”
Old Li’s words implied a new rule.
If casualties exceed ten percent, the three hundred warriors from Li Village will withdraw completely.
They will no longer assist them.
Lin Shuang nodded repeatedly.
Important question noted.
Beside her, Meng Zi was truly amazed, “This actually works.”
He voiced the question everyone had.
Lin Shuang smiled.
It’s just like a math word problem—all the information given is usually useful. Examiners don’t randomly write extra sentences in the question—do they have nothing better to do?
The moment she arrived, she had her doubts.
If only the daughter of the Li family had been taken, why were there five thatched huts at the scene, and why was the ancestral shrine also involved?
Every sentence in the question has an 80% chance of being related to the solution, while the other 20% might be misleading information provided by the question setter.
Asking doesn’t cost anything.
Sure enough, her guess was correct.
[Defenders of Li Village: 303 people. Invaders from Wang Village: 6 people.]
[……What the heck.]
[Has anyone who’s passed this level before spoken up? Are Dao Dong and the others doomed?]
But not long after, ripples appeared on the water.
[Because this involves a challenge battle: if the two sides’ forces are too mismatched, the battle cannot proceed, so additional adjustments are made.]
[The Wang family, three generations strong, were about to set off with Dao Dong, Dao Xi, and Dao Bei when they encountered 297 bandits. The two groups hit it off and prepared to attack Li Village together!]
[Forces comparison: 303 people vs. 303 people.]
[!]
[Battle adjustment: Lin Shuang, Meng Zi, and Huangpu Yuan each receive 300 spirit stones as compensation.]
[The villagers of Li Village, familiar with each other and caring, have their combat effectiveness increased by 10%.]
[The bandits from Wang Village, from all over the country and distrustful of each other, have their combat effectiveness reduced by 10%.]
[If the villagers’ casualties reach 10%, Li Village will withdraw from the battle. At that time, the bandits will take advantage of their injuries to break into the thatched huts and rob them, also withdrawing from the battle.]
[If the bandits’ casualties exceed 10%, because they are from all over the country and bold to the point of recklessness, they will ignore each other’s losses and continue fighting until their casualties exceed 50%, at which point they will scatter and flee.]
[Wow.]
[One side cannot afford to lose thirty people, while the other can lose up to one hundred and fifty. What a difference…]
[As expected, Zhenchuan’s warning wasn’t fake. Triggering the three hundred villagers isn’t necessarily a good thing.]
[…strange, yet reasonable…]
[Heh. I thought they were help.]
Everyone expressed pessimism.
Only Lin Shuang wasn’t discouraged at all. Instead, she showed enthusiasm and said cheerfully, “Great!”
“In this way, all the information in the question is laid out. I’m about to start solving it.”
[!!]
[“???”]
Meng Zi, who only knew how to charge forward, and Huangpu Yuan, who only wanted to watch from the sidelines, looked at her simultaneously.
Isn’t it enough to just engage in battle?
[The 300-second protection period for the weak has ended.]
[Group 235, Dao Dong, Dao Xi, and Dao Bei have arrived.]
[The battle begins!]
Meng Zi was alert, his hand on his sword, shielding Lin Shuang and Huangpu Yuan.
Looking west toward the wheat field in front of the thatched hut, he said, “Uncle Li, where is your daughter? Lead us to her.”
[Old Li chuckled, saying he was already seventy-eight years old this year.]
[If you call him young, he will happily prepare to give you three extra spirit stones later.]
[?]
[……]
[Ha ha, this is just how the puppet trials are.]
Meng Zi’s disciple badge received a message from Zhenchuan, and he was stunned, but soon his face lit up with joy.
Three spirit stones are money too.
Lin Shuang and Huangpu Yuan wore strange expressions.
Especially Lin Shuang, who had just addressed him as “Old Grandpa” repeatedly.
Indeed, she really didn’t understand etiquette.
“Fangfang, look what treasures your dad has brought you!”
Old Li was delighted. Having found three immortals to help him, it seemed all his burdens had vanished. He immediately led Lin Shuang and the three others into the innermost thatched hut he had just emerged from.
“They are the immortals who will protect you!”
A Chinese rural dog, entirely yellowish-brown, seemed to catch its master’s scent before it even entered the house.
It ran out enthusiastically, wagging its tail around Old Li’s feet.
“Woof—”
“Oh, good girl, have you finished eating the bones I gave you?”
Old Li squatted down, hugging the dog and nuzzling its head.
“?”
“??”
“…”
Lin Shuang and the other two were variously stunned.
“Woof woof—”
Meng Zi was walking in front but almost slipped with surprise.
Huangpu Yuan’s eyelid twitched as he watched Old Li, who was still trying to get close to and pet the yellow dog.
“So… this is your daughter Fangfang??”
“Yes, she’s one and a half years old now, just the right age to find a husband. That old Wang family’s son is fat, ugly, and has lice, and all the dogs within eighteen miles are disgusted by him, yet he dares to want to be with my little girl Fangfang?”
“Hmph!”
“…”
Meng Zi took a step back.
Girl, tonight, will you come with me?
Lin Shuang was both amused and helpless. Who named this layer of Zhenchuan anyway? They had talent.
[I came here to watch the projection and have held back from speaking until now just for this moment!]
[Ha ha, seeing their three stunned expressions is just like me back then.]
[Everything is arranged. Only if Fangfang is a dog will it not affect the balance of power between the Wang and Li families.]
[! That makes sense!]
[My senior brother’s words are spot on. Fangfang has zero combat power and zero eloquence, so she doesn’t influence the outcome of the disciples’ trial!]
“Oh, my old wife passed away long ago, and my three daughters got married forty years ago.”
Old Li answered Meng Zi’s confusion while wiping his eyes.
“Now they each have their own families and are too busy to come visit me. Only little Fang stays by my side. If anything ever happened to little Fang, this old man wouldn’t be able to live anymore.”
“Don’t worry, Immortal. Little Fang is very well-behaved; she won’t run off. As long as the immortals guard this thatched hut and don’t let the Wang family in, everything will be fine.”
Huangpu Yuan’s expression was strange, “Then where is the ancestral shrine of the Li family?”
“Oh, speaking of the ancestral shrine—”
Old Li immediately made a big circular motion in front of the three of them.
Meng Zi’s eyebrow twitched.
What does that mean?
Huangpu Yuan looked thoughtful.
Lin Shuang’s expression was serious—every prop has its purpose.
She turned to look outside the thatched hut, at the vast wheat field, and beyond the wheat field, what she had thought was the end of the game map—a towering mountain.
As everyone knows, RPG game maps always have an edge.
When reaching the map’s edge, the player-controlled character can no longer move forward; there is no more path, and the mountains are merely background decoration.
But the old man pointed directly to the mountain she thought was the edge of the map.
“The ancestral shrine of the Li family is located on that mountain.”
“Don’t worry, as long as the immortals guard that mountain, everything will be fine.”
Most people know that a mountain that seems close to the eye is actually very far to walk to.
Lin Shuang remained silent, drying up her thoughts.
Meng Zi, using the same wording as the old man, pinched his brow, while Huangpu Yuan gave a dry laugh.
Don’t worry, as long as the immortals guard this thatched hut.
Don’t worry, as long as the immortals guard that mountain.
But the two places are miles apart!
A Foundation Formation cultivator would need half a day to fly there on a sword!
If one place is attacked, the other might not be able to send reinforcements in time.
“Then where is the Wang family’s village?”
Huangpu Yuan looked at the yellow dog chewing on a bone on the ground, which completely ignored him, his phoenix eyes flickering.
“The Wang family bunch is on the other side of that mountain to the west, about two and a half to three days’ journey,” Old Li replied.
Meng Zi understood, “The enemy will reach the ancestral shrine first, then attack the thatched hut to steal the dog.”
The disciples should focus on defending the ancestral shrine, the first checkpoint.
But Lin Shuang, a master of efficiency and scheduling, felt particularly uncomfortable with vague terms like ‘about two and a half to three days.’
Was it two and a half days or three days?
Her obsessive-compulsive disorder flared up.
“Grandpa Li, do you have a detailed map of the area around Wang Village and Li Village?” Lin Shuang asked.
[? I never asked before; I just waited at the ancestral shrine for the Wang family to come.]
[“She’s weak, only at Qi Condensation, so being cautious is normal.”]
[“Anybody at Foundation Formation stage fifth layer could confidently defend here without needing a map.”]
But as the words floated by, Old Li suddenly patted his sleeve.
From his tattered sleeve, which swelled at the slightest breeze, he quickly pulled out a sand table about the size of two tables!
[!]
[…?]
[……….]
[The Hidden Wind Sleeve?!]
No one expected that Old Li would be like water in a sponge—every time you squeezed, more would come out.
“I… Uncle Li, could you please just explain everything at once?” Meng Zi’s temple throbbed.
Huangpu Yuan was silent.
They both gathered around to look at the geomantic sand table the elder placed before Lin Shuang.
The sand table Old Li pulled out was clearly a spiritual treasure.
It accurately recreated the positions of the fields and thatched huts before them. Lin Shuang found she could even project her spiritual sense into this tiny sand table.
The landscapes of mountains and forests appeared before her as if in 5D. With a slight movement of her spiritual sense, she could quickly see the small paths on the other side of the mountain, vividly realistic.
If one flew a sword through the miniature sand table, one could hear the simulated sounds of a small village’s water and rustling leaves, and even feel the fragrance of flowers and plants blowing toward them.
“This is a third-tier magical artifact—the Shrinked Landscape Sand Table.”
Huangpu Yuan, as the manager of Rongbaozhai, was well-versed and recognized it at a glance.
Impressive.
Lin Shuang marveled, but after seeing the full map, she was somewhat stunned.
River……….Teleportation Array
River………..[Fangfang]
River……………Wheat Field
River…………[Ancestral Shrine]
River…………..Wang Village Road
[Wang Family]……..Wheat Field
Meng Zi cried out in shock, “What’s behind the doghouse of Fangfang? A teleportation array??”
“Can the Wang family teleport directly behind Fangfang’s doghouse!?”
He was stunned.
The ancestral shrine was never the first checkpoint, the first line of defense.
As long as the Wang family wasn’t born with a hole in their heads, Fangfang was the first target closest to the Wang family!
Teleporting to the back of Fangfang’s doghouse, those guarding the ancestral shrine would have no idea their base was being attacked from behind!
He looked at Old Li, almost wanting to spit blood.
Old Li instinctively patted his head.
“You forgot again?” Meng Zi was speechless.
[……]
[? Thirty years ago, I camped at the ancestral shrine, and everything was fine. The Wang family came straight from the front of the shrine.]
[Hey, I can’t help but speak up. Don’t mislead your fellow disciples!
I failed this layer forty years ago precisely because I believed the old man’s words. My two senior female classmates and I camped at the ancestral shrine mountain for three days before being kicked out of this layer, failing the trial.
The Wang family… they actually teleported directly behind the thatched hut!
The Wang family puppets were all thieves who practiced the Tortoise Hiding Technique. They stole Fangfang and left!
At first, my senior female classmates and I couldn’t figure out why we failed. Later, unwilling to accept defeat, I charged into that level again on the same day. The old man there just wept and said he suddenly remembered—there was a hidden rear exit dug inside the inner chamber of the thatched hut, leading straight to the ancient teleportation array at the doorstep of the Wang family!
(Note: “不服” is translated as “unwilling to accept defeat” to convey the competitive frustration. “Teleportation array” is used as a fantasy gaming term. The exclamation mark preserves the dramatic tone.)
I still remember it vividly today!]
[…… I can see you’re excited, but I must remind you that each character you post in this projection costs five spirit stones.]
[……]
[But I’m different! I really guarded the ancestral shrine and passed this level! The three generations of the Wang family were indeed skilled in stealth but didn’t have strong offensive techniques.]
[Is there a junior brother here who suggests taking Fangfang to the ancestral shrine, so there’s no need for debate?]
[Senior upstairs, you must have failed many times in the Puppet Trial, right?
Earlier, the old man said, as long as the immortals guard the thatched hut and ancestral shrine, everything will be fine. So the rule for this level is that Fangfang cannot leave the thatched hut, or she will panic and cause chaos. Hehe, both the ancestral shrine and Fangfang need to be protected.]
[……]
Senior brothers and sisters watching the projection argued endlessly.
The difficulty increase every thousand layers in Zhenchuan is very significant.
For high-level disciples, watching projections of layers a thousand levels below them is no longer useful.
But they still like to watch.
Because seeing junior brothers and sisters fall into the same difficulties, pits, and traps they once encountered, showing the same confusion, bewilderment, and frustration, makes them feel that the pain they endured at higher levels is somewhat alleviated.
Of course, there are also some senior brothers and sisters who are cultivation experts focused on breaking through each level.
They like to observe and discuss the details of each level’s test while watching.
Although it may not be useful for higher levels, there is a kind of joy in ‘research’.
[The number of viewers for this level’s projection is 391.]
[12,635 characters have been posted, and the winner’s projection spirit stone income has accumulated to 19,802.]
Before Dao Dong and Dao Xi officially engaged Lin Shuang and the three others in battle, the number of posted characters in this realm had already rapidly accumulated.
The spirit stone commission for the winner continued to accumulate and climb higher.
Zhao Keran, watching the projection, covered her mouth.
She took a step back.
“So that’s how my senior sister told me how to earn inner sect spirit stones early on.”
The pink-robed junior master: “…”
[Could it be that the rules of Zhenchuan have always been changing?]
Someone asked a question.
In the projection, Old Li, in response to Meng Zi’s accusation about the teleportation array, shyly smiled.
“This teleportation array isn’t usable every day either.”
“Back then, the immortal left instructions that it must not be used on stormy, rainy, or thunderous days.”
He led them to the backyard doghole of the thatched hut, revealing a millstone-like teleportation array hidden under dry straw, and chuckled.
“Every year, there are about a hundred days when the wind by the river here is unusually strong, with continuous gales. The teleportation array’s spiritual energy is heavily depleted and cannot be used, so the Wang family can only cross over from the mountain where our shrine is located.”
Meng Zi was suddenly enlightened. The disciples watching the projection also gained great insight. The enemies in this trial actually selected their attack routes according to the day!
“Today the breeze is gentle over the river; the formation array can be used,” Lin Shuang glanced at the 5D sand table.
Huangpu Yuan squatted down, his phoenix eyes gazing at the formation patterns on the stone mill, “This is an outdated transmission formation discarded fifty years ago.”
“It takes thirty days to store spiritual energy, two days for the formation patterns to fully light up each time it’s activated, and each transmission can transport no more than one hundred people. The prompt just now mentioned that they encountered three hundred bandits on the way, so at most one hundred can be transported here—and that won’t happen until two days later.”
“And just now, Elder Li said it takes two and a half to three days to travel from the Wang family to the ancestral shrine.”
Huangpu Yuan stood up, taking out a cloth to wipe his hands, “We’ll defend this place first. After dealing with the enemies arriving through the transmission array, we’ll head to the ancestral shrine.”
It only takes half a day to travel from Lijiacun to the ancestral hall.
Lin Shuang gave him a thumbs-up, “No wonder you’re the boss.”
“You actually understand some math.”
“This is a simple arithmetic problem.”
“All the numerical information present here is just meant to confuse the question.”
“Given: it takes two days from Villain A’s location to Xiaofang’s transmission array B, and two and a half to three days from Villain A’s location to the ancestral shrine C. The distance between B and C is half a day’s journey.”
“Problem 1: If Xiaoming splits his forces into two groups—one group of 100 people first transmits to B, and the other group of 200 people goes to C first, then rushes to B to reunite with the first group—how long will it take in total?”
“Answer: three days to three and a half days!”
“In other words, if we defend Xiaofang’s back entrance and fail to deal with the 100 enemies arriving through the transmission array by the third day,”
“the 200-person group attacking the ancestral shrine might arrive at Xiaofang’s front gate and reunite with the 100 people!”
“Then, when we arrive, we’ll be caught in a pincer attack from both sides by 300 enemies!”
“Xiaofang and the ancestral shrine might both fall!”
“Problem 2: Within how many days must we defeat the enemies arriving through the transmission array and rush to the ancestral shrine in order to stop the 200 people from destroying it?”
“Answer: the time it takes for them to destroy the ancestral shrine is about half a day.”
“Because the journey from A to B to C takes two and a half days, and from A to C directly takes two and a half to three days.”
“To stop them, we only have a window of time from an instant to half a day.”
“In other words,” Lin Shuang’s eyes sparkled, “if we have the strength, we can defeat the enemies at the transmission array within half a day, then rush straight to the ancestral shrine and deal with the other group too!”
“She can even create a Tier-3 Swift Travel Talisman on the spot… uh, I mean, a Swift Travel Talisman to shorten the time it takes to reach the ancestral shrine.”
“There’s a certain chance we can arrive in time to defend both locations.”
“But if we spend more than half a day fighting the enemies here, the ancestral shrine will definitely be destroyed. Even if we rush there afterward, we’ll be exhausted from using Swift Travel, which would be worse than resting our spiritual energy at the thatched cottage and waiting for the enemies to come.”
“So no matter what, as long as we fully defend Xiaofang on the second day, we can at least achieve a draw in this round.”
“In the Fastest Learning Strategy Chapter, winning gives one point, a draw gives zero, and losing gives minus one. When your enemy is stronger than you, you wouldn’t only be thinking about winning, right?”
Meng Zi, holding his blade, had an objection, “What if Dao Dong doesn’t split his forces and just sends all 300 people directly to the ancestral shrine?”
“He won’t do that. He’s at the third stage of Condensing Yuan, challenging me who is at the Transforming Qi stage, which shows he’s a profit-driven person. With a transmission array leading to the back of Xiaofang, he must be overjoyed and will definitely use it.”
Meng Zi: “…”
Huangpu Yuan: “…”
[…]
[I actually have no rebuttal?]
Zhao Kran, outside the projection formation, was filled with excitement and couldn’t contain himself, “Fastest Learning Strategy Chapter!”
The pink-robed elder perked up his ears.
Zhao Kran took a deep breath.
—”To fight against an enemy, you must first see them clearly, knowing their habits and personalities they themselves haven’t even realized. Every piece of information is useful.”
—”All of this will be reflected in the techniques they use to attack you.”
“Ah, Elder, I’m going to wipe the treasure shelves over there,” Zhao Kran wore an expression that seemed to say, “The answer was told to me by the senior apprentice, but I won’t tell you.”
The pink-robed elder’s brow twitched, he snorted, and turned to sell his cave dwelling!
Who cares to listen!
Inside the projection.
Lin Shuang smiled at Huangpu Yuan and Meng Zi.
“We’ve already completed all the answers to this application problem.”
“…”
“…………”
[…]
[Did you all understand?]
[…]
The projection text instantly decreased.
At this moment, everyone noticed that the current layer of the projection suddenly split into two parts.
After the scene with the three people Lin Shuang, another scene appeared on the left.
Three people wearing identical crowns engraved with the character “Dao” appeared in a wheat field similar to the previous one, with thatched huts.
Dao Dong, Dao Xi, and Dao Bei, challenging the trio Lin Shuang in Group 235.
“Old Master Wang, you want us to split our forces, one group following you to retrieve the dog, and another group going to destroy the ancestral shrine?”
Dao Dong smiled. At the fourth peak stage of Condensing Yuan, the fan in his hand was engraved with the character “East.”
He looked at his two juniors at the third stage of Condensing Yuan, one holding a sword engraved with “West,” the other a knife engraved with “North.”
“This problem is even simpler than we thought, and now 300 bandits are joining us.”
“We’ve all understood. Let’s set off, old Wang!”
[?]
[Compared to the understanding on the right, the understanding on the left seems a bit… rough.]
[It’s like the blind men touching an elephant.]
[You’re given another chance. Think carefully, East, West, and North! You haven’t understood anything at all!]
Among the three, Dao Dong had the highest cultivation and was the eldest. After some contemplation, he made a decision.
“My formation techniques can counter Meng Zi. Even if he has Huangpu Yuan or Lin Shuang helping him, I won’t be worried.”
“No matter how they divide their forces between the two locations, we won’t fear them.”
“Little Xi and Little Bei, you two will follow Old Master Wang’s instructions and lead 200 people to the ancestral shrine at the mountain temple.”
“As for me, I’ll lead 100 people through the transmission array to the dog hole. Once we arrive, it’ll only take twelve breaths for me to use the Star-Shift technique and retrieve the dog.”
[!]
[Lin Shuang even anticipated that the one coming through the transmission array would be you, Dao Dong!]
[Sigh…]
“Alright, senior apprentice!”
“Okay!”
[Please Group 235 allocate the bandit forces: how many people will take the transmission array?]
Dao Dong hesitated for a moment.
Zhenchuan rarely asked questions directly; usually, the choices made would affect the subsequent events.
At this moment, he felt uncertain again and turned to the indignant grandfather and grandson from the Wang family, “Old Master Wang, what do you think?”
“Of course, take as many as possible!” The old master of the Wang family blew his mustache in anger, “I must bring that Xiaofang back for my beloved son!”
“The dowry has already been paid; there can be no failure! The ancestral shrine is just a side objective!”
Dao Dong smiled, “I understand. The transmission array can only take up to a hundred people.”
He raised his hand and input the number one hundred into the air with spiritual energy.
[Oh! Originally, it was a sure win… if the 300 people didn’t split up, and all 300 went together, Dao Dong’s cultivation level completely outmatches Meng Zi’s side. Both the ancestral shrine and the dog would be captured without any doubt. Why split into two groups at all!]
[Dao Dong, use a bit of your brain! I don’t understand this move—it’s like weakening yourself… giving Meng Zi free spirit stones?]
[Everything is going exactly as she predicted.]
[Unfortunately, we are currently viewing from the elders’ perspective. Within the trial, Dao Dong lacks information and has been misled by the two different objectives presented by the puppets.]
[Ah, how frustrating!]
[Don’t worry, everyone. The puppet helper is just an illusion… Dao Dong is at the fourth stage of Condensing Yuan. No matter how many opponents there are, if he simply sets up a formation on the spot and kills one-tenth of the villagers, causing casualties beyond the maximum tolerance during the busy farming season in Lijiacun, all 300 Lijia puppets will vanish instantly. Meng Zi’s advantage will be gone completely. What is there to fear!]
[Oh! That makes sense! I forgot about this!]
[Indeed, if one’s strength is insufficient, even triggering the hidden 300 Lijia warriors would be useless.]
[Like I always say, ten years from now, when my junior apprentice sister enters the inner sect, she should join my team.]
The Lin Shuang, who was being worried about by everyone and even had plans for a return ten years later to Zhenchuan, now faced the 300 warriors and raised a new question.
“What cultivation techniques are you all good at?”
[!]
[?!]
On the 1,700th floor, few disciples ever thought to ask such a question!
But since the Wang family grandfather and grandson, who were trying to steal the dog, were skilled in stealth techniques for thievery, why couldn’t the other puppets have specialized techniques?
“Oh, we just learned a bit randomly.”
“Yeah, we’re just farmers who met a few immortals on the road and learned a little cultivation by chance.”
Lin Shuang’s eyes lit up, as if she had found a second method to solve the problem.
“We are also the immortals you speak of. How about we teach you some techniques?”
[???]
“We can teach them? That’s impossible!” Meng Zi, holding his blade, looked disbelieving.
However, Huangpu Yuan beside him merely smiled lightly, looking at the young man closest to him, “If during the upcoming fight, you get injured, would you be willing to take a pill? Can we treat you?”
“Of course!” The young man holding a hoe looked at him in shock, “Why wouldn’t you take medicine if you’re injured? Would the immortals just let us die?”
The young man next to him also looked strangely at Huangpu Yuan, “Of course, we hope the immortals will save us if we’re injured. Who wants to die anyway!”
It was as if he had asked a very unreasonable question.
“If there aren’t enough pills, even bandages would work. There’s also a barefoot doctor in the village.”
Everyone answered in turn.
The projection momentarily held its breath.
These puppets were too real!
The disciples in the trial felt as if they were outside Zhenchuan… they could give pills to the puppets, bandage their wounds—so why not teach them techniques to make them stronger and fight the enemies themselves!?
No one spoke in the projection anymore; it was all silence.
It was as if whoever spoke first would expose the fact that for years in Zhenchuan, they hadn’t realized such a simple thing!
In the rest cave dwelling.
The pink-robed junior master, who was paying attention to this trial, was introducing the cave dwelling to the disciples.
At this moment, he almost forgot his prepared speech.
“Have you ever taught techniques to the puppets?”
“Of course… not. These techniques were hard-earned, and even the lowest-grade earth-tier technique in the inner sect requires a lot of spirit stones!”
“But this isn’t teaching others, it’s teaching the puppets in the formation!”
“…Hmm, this?”
The disciples flipping through the cave dwelling items murmured among themselves.
The pink-robed woman listened to this conversation, unable to hide the storm in her eyes.
For years, trial disciples had never thought in this direction.
Everyone had a protective mindset toward their treasures, hoarding them jealously.
Many disciples who reached the Condensing Yuan stage had been secluded cultivators within the Qingshui Sect for years, long convinced that immortals were fundamentally distinct beings.
Encountering an ordinary old man in Zhenchuan by chance, they would never consider seeking help from common folk, thus inadvertently activating the 300 hidden warriors in the village—both Transforming Qi and Condensing Yuan cultivators.
And even if they did trigger it, when these 300 warriors stood before them, the inner sect disciples wouldn’t think to teach them techniques.
Ordinary disciples were often reluctant to share their precious techniques with fellow apprentices, let alone wooden puppets in the formation!
More importantly, when disciples entered Zhenchuan, they had long held a preconceived notion—
Zhenchuan’s trial was a disciple evaluation created by the elders!
Everything inside Zhenchuan was fake.
It was all meant to test the disciples’ abilities.
They never thought to approach it with normal, realistic thinking.
What if they faced a real life-or-death crisis?
The pink-robed woman fell silent.
No one in the projection spoke either.
But no one left; everyone silently watched to see if Lin Shuang and the others teaching techniques to the puppets would actually work.
“I have a technique called《Return, Oh Return, Sword》.”
In the projection, Lin Shuang smiled at the 300 puppets.
In this layer, the Wang family needed to cross mountains, a one-way journey of two and a half days.
The formation array also required two days for transmission.
Why wasn’t the setting for this dungeon one day, half a day, or even immediate?
Wasn’t this an important clue left by the question designer?
Lin Shuang thought for a long time and decided it was worth a try.
“Follow me, first layer: Return, Oh Return, two acres of Dantian fields cannot be found…”
She smiled, taking out the blackboard she used to teach apprentices from her jade pouch, writing each word on the board.
Then, she pointed at the board, teaching all 300 young men to recite.
All the disciples in the projection could hear it too.
“Follow me, first layer: Didi Bada, Didi Bada Didi…”
[…]
[At such a serious moment, don’t make me laugh, Zhenchuan Mountain Hall!]
[You’re killing me with laughter! What do you gain from this, Zhenchuan?!]
[Next time, just mute your junior apprentice’s voice directly, Zhenchuan Mountain Hall! Don’t randomly add your own sound effects! I’d really appreciate it!]
As everyone was lightening the mood, the next moment, they, like Meng Zi in the projection, were stunned.
[Lijiacun, sunset and sunrise, one day has passed.]
[? So fast!]
[The day before yesterday, Lin Shuang spent the entire night teaching everyone to recite《Return, Oh Return, Sword》, word by word, explaining the essence of the technique, and even organizing everyone to practice in class.]
The 300 young men of Lijiacun were deeply moved; the immortal maiden was so approachable in teaching them!
The 300 young men of Lijiacun have awakened their comprehension!
[Initial comprehension level: Ding-Lower.]
[After being moved by the careful guidance of the immortal maiden, their comprehension improved to Bing-Middle.]
[According to the early morning sword technique lessons of the elders of Qingshui Sect through the generations, about half of the disciples with Bing-Middle comprehension can learn the first two layers of the earth-tier sword technique on the first day, and about one in ten can learn the first layer.]
[On the morning of the second day, thirty of the 300 young men suddenly relaxed their brows, having grasped the first layer of《Return, Oh Return, Sword》. Fifteen of them had great epiphanies, their faces filled with joy, having entered the second layer.]
[The remaining more than 200 were completely confused, not understanding what Lin Xianzi was talking about at all. They felt very guilty, sighing.]
[! Shocking!]
[……!?]
Meng Zi: “!Holy grass!”
Huangpu Yuan’s pupils turned pitch black. With one hand, he disdainfully pulled out his pill cauldron, which he felt was now dirty, along with the first-tier cultivation manual “Toxic Barrier Pill” that hadn’t even warmed up yet.
He smiled at the 200 confused young men, “How about I teach you pill refining?”
[The remaining more than 200 young men were deeply moved and felt guilty: I’m so stupid, not understanding the sword technique, yet the immortal still hasn’t given up on me. Do I still have the qualification to continue seeking the Dao?]
[Deeply moved, they were especially diligent in their studies, temporarily raising their comprehension of pill refining to Yi-Lower.]
Alas, how rare are those born with innate talent in this world? Very few indeed. Most must endure arduous cultivation and gain insights through hardships along the way.
Then, another group of more than sixty people learned how to concoct the first-tier Poison Barrier Pill.
[…]
[……!]
Meng Zi took a step back, his eyes red with fury. “The rest of you, follow me to learn the sword techniques!”
[…]
[……]
[East, West, North, take care on your way.]
[Sigh…]
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