The ancestral hall of the Li family village was nothing particularly special. Like most ancestral halls, it housed ancestral tablets. But at this moment, Huangpu Yuan and Lin Shuang had been separately invited inside by Elder Li.
“Ladies first?” Huangpu Yuan politely offered.
Lin Shuang didn’t step back. She nodded gratefully toward him, her voice softening with a slight nasal tone, “Thank you, Senior Brother, for letting me go first…”
Huangpu Yuan was momentarily stunned.
Was there really a need for her to be this grateful?
He had offered to let her go first, but wouldn’t the one who entered first face more danger?
But Lin Shuang gave him a sweet smile of gratitude and quickly stepped into the ancestral hall, clearly in a hurry.
She had completed all her tasks for the day, and now it was time for personal rest.
Balancing work and relaxation was the key to long-term sustainability.
No way was she going to endure another extended session with Zhenchuan—it was just too unbearable. She quickly entered the ancestral hall.
Inside the inner chamber of the ancestral hall, Elder Li was already waiting with his hands clasped behind his back.
Before him was a table with paper and ink, and a mysterious black metal spirit-testing stone.
As soon as Lin Shuang saw the setup, she felt anxious.
It looked like this would drag on for a while.
Elder Li gave a warm smile.
“Just three questions, sit down and pick up the spirit-testing stone.”
Lin Shuang’s eye twitched slightly.
“Elder Li, you should know that if one speaks against their true feelings, their spiritual energy will fluctuate, and the spirit-testing stone will reveal traces of that.”
Elder Li narrowed his eyes.
Lin Shuang raised an eyebrow and quickly took a seat.
To Elder Li’s surprise, she rolled up her sleeves, grabbed the spirit-testing stone with her right hand, and said, “Alright, let’s get started. Hurry up!”
“…” Elder Li hesitated for half a moment before saying, “Hold the spirit-testing stone and fully activate your dantian. Now flip the paper on the table and answer the questions.”
Lin Shuang nodded and turned her focus inward to her dantian.
She frowned slightly. Her seventh and eighth dantians were already depleted from the trial. As soon as she passed the test, she had switched to the ninth dantian, allowing the seventh and eighth to rest early.
Now, she immediately activated her ninth dantian at full capacity.
She flipped the paper, and the water-like ripples on it deepened.
[Question One: How much of your true strength did you use just now? Did you give your all?]
[Question Two: Among the following types of enemies, which would you subdue first?
1. The enemy closest to you
2. The weakest enemy, easiest to subdue
3. The one who provokes you, no matter how far away
4. The one obstructing your goal, even if not dangerous
5. Other, please specify]
[Question Three: Just now, how significant was your performance in front of the ancestral hall to the overall outcome?
1. Better than Meng Zi
2. Between Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan
3. Not as important as them]
Lin Shuang scanned the questions quickly.
These were almost instinctive answers—everything had just happened for real, and her body already had a natural memory of it.
She wrote rapidly.
The spirit-testing stone in her hand remained consistently bright—indicating her at the peak of Qi Condensation Stage Three.
“Alright, you can go out and call in Huangpu.”
“Okay, sure.”
As Lin Shuang stepped out, she paused.
“Elder Li, I stayed a bit longer answering your questions than Senior Brother Meng Zi. Please remember to give me extra compensation for the hundred breaths I spent waiting.”
She wasn’t going to let these wooden puppets get away with it!
Elder Li’s figure froze for a moment, almost as if he had rolled his eyes.
“Senior Brother Huangpu, it’s your turn now.”
Lin Shuang stepped out of the ancestral hall’s threshold and immediately called out to Huangpu Yuan, who was coughing outside, asking a villager for a chair to sit on.
“Senior Brother, I asked Elder Li for extra compensation for the time lost. You’d better ask too.”
She was already thinking that there would likely be more puppet checkpoints hidden in the layers of Zhenchuan.
If each puppet required extra questioning and waiting, how much time would she lose?
She couldn’t afford that.
If Meng Zi answered, she had to wait. If Huangpu Yuan answered, she had to wait too.
Ugh, this would never end.
She had to make sure these puppets understood: time was worth more than gold.
“Alright, Senior Sister.” Huangpu Yuan gave her a subtle glance.
Then, holding a handwarmer and wrapped in a fluffy white and golden fox fur collar, he stepped into the ancestral hall.
Not long after, he saw the questions and his expression shifted subtly.
But soon he smiled and answered them.
“What did Elder Li call you two for? What were you talking about?”
Meng Zi, leaning on his sword, couldn’t help but ask Lin Shuang.
Why hadn’t he been asked?
Was he being discriminated against by Elder Li?
[Same here, I want to know too.]
[Don’t understand why this part of the ancestral hall isn’t projected. What’s the secret?]
[Probably related to their cultivation techniques? Just a guess.]
“Hmm…” Lin Shuang thought for a moment.
“If I were to retell it, it’d take more than thirty breaths. Why not ask Senior Brother Huangpu instead?”
“…”
Meng Zi gave her a deep look and then turned away with a “Hmph.”
“I don’t care to know anyway!”
[…]
Huangpu Yuan soon walked out with a smile.
But Elder Li was still inside the ancestral hall.
In a resting cave dwelling, a pink-robed woman stared at the two answer sheets, her expression gradually darkening.
Zhao Keran curiously leaned over to read them.
[Question One—
Lin Shuang: Hmm, how much of my strength did I use just now… This tomato-timed defensive training, I gave it my all. I’m very satisfied with myself.
Huangpu Yuan: I gave it my all. I haven’t done this much alchemy in the past year. As for how much of my strength… when it comes to alchemy, it’s all of it.
As for the final strike, compared to when my body was fully healed, it was less than a tenth. Sigh, what a pity, this broken body of mine…]
The pink-robed woman’s temple throbbed visibly.
[Question Two: Which type of enemy would you subdue first?
Lin Shuang: If there’s no life-threatening danger, definitely the fourth type—the one disrupting my plans.
Huangpu Yuan: I choose ‘other.’ Specifically, for example, someone who damaged the drawings on my Three-Winged Spirit Chicken Cauldron?]
[Question Three:
Lin Shuang: Among the three of us… I’d definitely rank myself first. I said I gave it my all. Giving it my all means a perfect score.
Huangpu Yuan: My role was definitely the weakest, not as good as them. But considering my condition, I’d give myself the highest evaluation.]
Their answers were different, yet oddly similar.
After reading them, Zhao Keran had a strange, subtle feeling.
—Senior Sister and Senior Brother Huangpu seemed so alike.
Was it because of the strange confidence subtly revealed between the lines?
“Bang—”
The jade table in front of the pink-robed woman instantly turned to dust.
“They’re both shameless!”
Zhao Keran: “…”
The pink-robed woman took a deep breath.
“Lin Shuang is your senior sister, and she’s eccentric, so that’s fine. But this Huangpu Yuan… hah, his cauldron really did break.”
Zhao Keran was momentarily stunned.
Was it true that he had used his divine consciousness to kill ten bandits just because someone damaged the painting on his cauldron?
She had thought it was a joke.
“Hehe.”
The pink-robed woman shook her head.
The more absurd it seemed, the more likely it was true.
She shot out a divine sigil from her fingers.
Then, the projection array finally rippled with water-like patterns.
[Lin Shuang: Foundation Building disciple.]
[Attentive and skilled in deciphering the Li family village’s rules, she triggered the hidden item of the Li family village—the 300 youths!]
[She wasn’t the first immortal to arrive here, but she was the first willing to patiently teach them cultivation techniques.
Could this be a divine blessing from the heavens? Did the heavens hear their prayers?
—This was what the Li family villagers thought.
Lin Shuang gained reverence and prestige in the Li family village. Elder Li decided to give Lin Shuang 2000 spirit stones as travel compensation.]
[Lin Shuang’s in-depth, detailed, and vivid sword technique instruction left a deep impression on the 300 youths who had just embarked on the path of cultivation.
Are immortals always this patient?
In the future, when they go out to teach others, will they be able to do the same?
—Lin Shuang sparked reflections among the young cultivators.
Every action has its destined consequence, yet human effort can defy fate!
The horizons of the 300 young cultivators were thus broadened. It became clear that hoarding knowledge would never lead to long-term success.
For the prosperity of the human cultivator lineage, it must be passed down through generations without interruption!
The value of the “Return Sword Technique” was 5,200 spirit stones. The youths pooled together and offered 2,800 spirit stones as tuition fees.
At the same time, Elder Li of the Li family village, grateful for Lin Shuang’s teachings to the village’s youth, gave her an additional 500 spirit stones as travel compensation.]
[Battle Rewards:
First round, Lin Shuang didn’t move, but she learned the Five-Step Chain Killing Formation on the spot.
This spirit of continuous self-improvement moved the Li family village. Elder Li reached into Fangfang’s doghouse and took out another 500 spirit stones as a tribute to the immortal.
Second round, Lin Shuang moved around the battlefield and played a key role—]
The water-like pattern paused here.
Then Elder Li stepped out of the ancestral hall with a smile, holding up the fourth large red silk-wrapped bundle behind his back!
Looking at Lin Shuang and Huangpu Yuan, he smiled,
“Esteemed Immortals, this is a special gift from this old man to you both.”
Meng Zi opened his mouth.
The water pattern shifted to a new line.
[Lin Shuang and Huangpu Yuan cooperated to severely wound Dao Xi of Foundation Building Stage Three and killed 18 bandits, ranging from Qi Condensation Peak to Foundation Building Stage One.]
[Elder Li believes that in this battle, the two of you were evenly matched and worked in perfect harmony. An additional reward of 2,000 spirit stones is given to Lin Shuang and Huangpu Yuan to distribute as they see fit!]
[Layer 1720, reward settlement completed.]
[Lin Shuang, Huangpu Yuan, and Meng Zi triggered the hidden treasure—the 300 wooden puppets and the miniature sand tray—and passed with an A-grade evaluation.]
[They received the highest spirit stone tribute from the “Little Fang” incident in the Li family village and temporarily became the layer’s leaders!]
The water patterns dissipated in an instant, morphing into golden beast heads that flew towards the chests of Lin Shuang, Huangpu Yuan, and Meng Zi’s robes!
The fourth beast head, with the number 1720 on its forehead!
Three beast heads lined up.
This one started a new row on their robes!
[…!]
[Respect.]
Lin Shuang was just about to leave when, suddenly, Dao Dong, Dao Xi, and Dao Bei appeared in the wheat field ahead.
They looked pale, their steps unsteady, but after initial treatment, they were no longer in serious condition.
Meng Zi had so much to say, but in the end, he looked at Lin Shuang and Huangpu Yuan and condensed it into one sentence.
“I’ll settle scores with you two later.”
“Now, let’s draw for the cultivation technique book. Who’s going? Let me check my luck today—looks pretty good.”
With spirit stones in hand, he wanted to go draw first!
Meng Zi radiated eagerness.
Huangpu Yuan slightly lifted his eyelids, holding the handwarmer, unmoving.
Lin Shuang had already closed her eyes, lying on a nearby chair, waving her hand.
Don’t bother me. All her tomato timers for today were done.
“…”
Meng Zi coughed lightly, his face slightly red.
“Then I’ll go?”
The three from East, West, and North gritted their teeth, glaring at Meng Zi, then angrily at Lin Shuang.
“Why do you also know the Five-Step Chain Killing Formation?”
Lin Shuang helplessly opened her eyes, then closed them again quickly.
“Do you know what brain development training is?”
“What?!”
Lin Shuang sighed.
With persistent brain development training, human beings’ ability to memorize images can rapidly improve.
Modern people could do this—how much more so for her, who had spent ten years cultivating in this world, nurturing 108 divine consciousnesses—equivalent to 108 brains!
For years, she had almost daily reviewed, studied, and practiced talismans.
How could she not remember a third-tier formation pattern?
These three seemed to be questioning her learning ability.
Lin Shuang looked at Dao Dong.
“I suggest you don’t insult me casually, or I’ll get angry.”
Dao Dong: “…?!”
“How could you have learned it at that moment!” Dao Dong gasped.
“I only perfected my Five-Step Formation after entering Zhenchuan this time—”
Lin Shuang wearily opened her eyes.
Her defensive barrier had collided with sword qi several times just now, and she was truly exhausted.
Not only had she consumed her seventh and eighth dantians, but her 108 divine consciousnesses had been operating at high speed the entire time…
Calculating the angle and intensity of the sword qi, adjusting her own barrier. At the same time, recalling and executing two newly learned techniques.
Plus, the opponent had insisted on drawing a formation right in front of her, practically forcing her to learn it… this continuous ‘defensive’ Five-Step Formation that made the opponent lose blood five times—You hit me? You’ll slowly lose blood. Even rapid memorization was extremely mentally draining.
“How did I learn it? Hmm, that’s VIP content—I can’t tell you. I’m tired, going to take a nap. Don’t wake me up.”
“!”
Lin Shuang pulled out a folding bed from her spatial pouch, dove under the quilt, snuggled into her little cotton blanket, and closed her eyes to sleep.
“Meng Senior Brother, when you leave this layer later, can you move me to my junior sister Zhao Keran’s side?”
“I’ll give you fifty spirit stones.”
“???”
“!”
Meng Zi almost drew his sword.
“Am I your apprentice—wait, fifty? Fine, I’ll take you. Senior Brother Huangpu, what about you? Are you tired? Since you’re male, I’ll charge you seventy-five spirit stones?”
Huangpu Yuan: “…”
As Meng Zi spoke, he had already walked up to Dao Xi and, while he wasn’t looking, patted him on the back.
“Let me borrow your cultivation technique book, thanks.”
Huangpu Yuan narrowed his phoenix eyes.
“The most valuable thing on the three of you is likely the formation manual. Dao Dong probably obtained an ancient formation technique during the Zhenchuan trial, which he used to perfect his Five-Step Formation.”
At those words, Dao Dong’s body slightly stiffened.
Dao Xi held his breath, his expression rigid.
Meng Zi nodded, looked down at the scroll in his hand, and chuckled.
He raised the scroll high toward Huangpu Yuan.
It was exactly the “Chuanhe Eight Formation,”
“I’ve never been wrong when it comes to spirit stones. One sniff, and I know what’s most valuable.”
Meng Zi grinned happily, Huangpu Yuan smiled, and Lin Shuang lay there.
Dao Xi and the others felt hopeless.
“Next time, don’t act so tense like you’re carrying a treasure, Senior Brother Dao Xi.” Meng Zi bowed to him.
“Thanks again this time.”
Thousands of layers above, they were handing out heads, treasures, and rewards!
Dao Xi and the others swayed unsteadily.
[Hateful! So this is the money-hungry disciple, Meng Zi, who even low Foundation Building cultivators refuse to associate with, like a locust plague!?]
[? Senior Brother seems quite excited. Aren’t you one of the ‘Middle, Hair, White’ from the Dao Mountains?]
[… Indeed, the other senior brothers from the Dao Mountains’ Ten Princes are also watching this projection.]
[Calm down. Senior Brother ‘Middle, Hair, White,’ disciples above layer 3000 of Zhenchuan cannot challenge disciples below layer 3000.]
[Sigh, running into the 300 wooden puppets and then the locust Meng Zi—East, West, and North really had bad luck.]
[…]
The projection completely faded into darkness.
Meng Zi, now fully loaded with treasures, had already left the trial level and returned to the resting cave dwelling.
As soon as he entered the hall, he wore a wary expression, clearly carrying valuable items.
With his left hand, he pushed a bamboo chair on which sat Huangpu Yuan, coughing gently, his legs covered with a thick white fur blanket.
On his right shoulder, he carried a soft couch where Lin Shuang lay sleeping, covered with a pink satin quilt.
A large sword was tucked under his arm.
As a sword cultivator, his hands were incredibly steady.
When Lin Shuang was placed beside Zhao Keran, she hadn’t felt even the slightest jolt and still hadn’t woken up.
Huangpu Yuan was quite satisfied.
“Big sister, I’ll check out room 1700,” Meng Zi grinned at the pink-robed woman behind the counter.
“…”
The pink-robed woman looked at the three of them like they were troublemakers, her hands visibly trembling.
Zhao Keran quickly stepped forward to ease the tension. “Let me assist you.”
She looked anxious, fearing Meng Zi might quarrel with the senior apprentice.
That would affect her shift ending time, and she might not be able to have dinner with the senior apprentice.
Zhao Keran took the jade slip introducing the inner sect’s room 1700 from the pink-robed woman and hurriedly placed it in front of Meng Zi.
Unlike the previous jade slips that only contained plain text, the room 1700 slip displayed a vivid ‘model’ map.
It could rotate 360 degrees, allowing a view of every room inside the cave dwelling, even simulating the surrounding spiritual energy environment.
“The inner sect cafeteria is right beside room 1700, just a short walk away,” Zhao Keran said, clearly influenced by Lin Shuang.
She had mastered the selling point of convenient transportation.
“If you don’t want to go out, the cafeteria offers a Taoist page delivery service for an extra ten spirit stones. It only takes a dozen breaths to deliver the meal to your door.”
Lin Shuang immediately opened her eyes on the soft couch and turned her gaze toward this cave dwelling.
Triggered by a sensitive keyword, she had woken up.
While appetite-suppressing pills could fill the stomach, they did nothing to heal one’s mood. Without sugar, over time, one’s mental state could easily become depressed.
She really needed to go to the cafeteria to eat well.
This delivery service wasn’t even available in the outer sect.
“This sounds pretty good,” Meng Zi was somewhat tempted. “Ten spirit stones for a delivery. If I charge everyone five spirit stones, won’t everyone ask me to deliver meals?”
Zhao Keran: “…”
Lin Shuang: “…”
Huangpu Yuan: “…”
Meng Zi calculated with his fingers, thinking this cave dwelling was much better than the previous ones. “I’m close to the cafeteria. Three meals a day. If I deliver meals to a hundred people each meal by sword flight, that’s…”
Zhao Keran’s eyes turned into swirls. “A lot of spirit stones.”
Meng Zi was so delighted he slapped his thigh. “Thirty days would be 45,000 spirit stones. The annual rent for this cave dwelling is 200,000.”
Delivering meals for five months would equal a free year of residence!
Lin Shuang’s lips twitched, and Huangpu Yuan pressed his forehead.
This person, they didn’t know him.
Huangpu Yuan reluctantly glanced at the cave dwelling. “This place is indeed… passable. But compared to Rongbao Studio, the spiritual energy is still insufficient, and there’s no immortal crane mount.”
Hearing this, Meng Zi hesitated again. “What my senior brother said is also true. 200,000 is also money. I need to be careful. If I don’t stay here, I can still deliver meals. Then, junior sister Zhao, I’ll think about it some more.”
Zhao Keran finally understood the pink-robed senior’s pain.
It was fine to look without buying or renting.
But every time she thought it was about to be sold, it wasn’t. It was just too hard.
“Okay then, welcome to come see other cave dwellings next time, senior brother.”
But as she was about to put away the jade slip, Lin Shuang pressed her hand.
Zhao Keran was surprised and looked back. She saw Lin Shuang sitting on the soft couch, wearing an outer robe and covered with a brocade quilt, already looking alert and interested.
“Senior sister, you’re awake? Do you want to rent this place?”
She immediately understood. Her senior sister was very tempted, after all, three meals a day versus going to the Transmission Hall at most once.
Being close to the cafeteria was more tempting to her senior sister than being close to the Transmission Hall.
Her senior sister had been in the outer sect for ten years; she must have a considerable deposit.
“How much spirit stones would it cost after the discount for my senior sister?” Zhao Keran perked up instantly.
But thinking that she would also live with her senior sister in the future, she looked at room 1700 and felt… a complex emotion she couldn’t describe.
There was indeed no immortal crane mount, and it was indeed inconvenient to go to the Management Hall.
That was not conducive to her senior sister’s time management.
Her senior sister deserved better.
Zhao Keran hesitated, but Lin Shuang spoke up. “How close is it to Zhenchuan?”
Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan were taken aback.
“I still need to stay in Zhenchuan for at least seven or eight days. Going back and forth between the outer sect and Zhenchuan every day would be very time-consuming.”
Lin Shuang had reached the time when school ended and was beginning to worry about going home.
Zhenchuan was at the west gate of Qing Shui Sect, far from the wooden house No. 99 in the outer sect at the east gate.
She didn’t want to run back and forth.
“Is there a model room in the inner sect? Around room 1700?”
Zhao Keran was puzzled.
The pink-robed woman passed by and, upon hearing this, rolled her eyes. “You’re not talking about a sample cave dwelling with a similar environment and spiritual energy configuration, right? Taking one out as an example for disciples to view on-site?”
Huangpu Yuan thought for a moment. “It’s like the magical artifacts displayed at the Rongbao Studio counter.”
Lin Shuang gave a thumbs-up. “No wonder you’re the ace salesperson of the sales office and the manager of Rongbao Studio!”
“…”
“You’re dreaming!” The pink-robed woman raised her willow eyebrows. “There’s no model room! Even if there was, it’s only for disciples to visit, you think you can stay there!?”
Lin Shuang nodded vigorously. “Exactly, let me stay there.”
Pink-robed woman: “?”
“I can promote the inner sect cave dwelling among the 20,000 outer sect disciples. Senior brother Meng can promote it in the inner sect and the patrol team. Senior brother Huangpu can promote it at Rongbao Studio.”
“We can even offer a few days’ rent for free. Isn’t this a four-birds-with-one-stone situation for the inner sect sales office? They’ll make a killing.”
“With such a great opportunity, I’m sure the sales office won’t miss it, right?”
Pink-robed woman: “!”
Make a killing off your ancestor!
How did Li Daowei end up teaching such a shameless disciple in the outer sect!
And what she said was… actually quite reasonable.
The woman in pink took a deep breath and glanced at the growing number of Ningyuan disciples lingering on this resting floor.
Previously, most disciples didn’t come here to rest, rushing to the next level of trials.
But now more and more people had heard that Lin Shuang, an outer sect disciple, and Huangpu Yuan, a patient, had continuously obtained the endorsement of four layer masters and even defeated the third disciple of Daoshan…
They all came to see for themselves.
Lin Shuang, Huangpu Yuan, and Meng Zi—these three had now become one of the most discussed low-level Ningyuan trios beneath the 3,000 layers of Zhenchuan!
The pink-robed woman inhaled deeply.
A jade key flew out like a bullet, “Get out!”
Lin Shuang caught the 1700 cave dwelling spirit key that flew out, sat on the soft couch, and quickly left with Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan.
Meng Zi carried the soft couch and the wheelchair—or rather, the bamboo chair—and quickly took them away.
Afraid the pink-robed woman might regret it!
In an instant, the three disappeared from the Zhenchuan rest floor.
Only Lin Shuang’s distant voice remained, “Little junior sister, after you finish your shift, don’t take a detour back to the outer sect. I’ll leave the door open for you at 1700!”
Zhao Keran was moved, and the pink-robed woman’s chest heaved.
“Three hundred spirit stones per day will be deducted from their three accounts.”
“!”
*
At the rest cave dwelling on the 6,000th layer.
Disciples with fish-scale patterns on their foreheads, along with Bai Yu and others, all focused on the projection of the 700th layer.
“I came here” lines of text comments floated by.
Taking the first character for reading.
They immediately frowned.
— There are elders monitoring the doll room.
— Starting today, gather information on everyone who entered the doll room.
— Also, I have exposed some of my strength to lure out the snake.
— Strengthen vigilance.
“Go!”
“Notify all the clans!”
*
After exiting Zhenchuan, the three of them directly entered from the west gate of Qing Shui Sect.
Inside this main gate was the inner sect area.
Since Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan were with her, the gatekeeper disciple today didn’t inspect Lin Shuang too much.
Mainly, the gatekeeper disciple was also confused.
Meng Zi was carrying two people.
One lying down seemed half-paralyzed. The one sitting also seemed half-paralyzed.
Out of fellow disciple camaraderie, the gatekeeper disciple didn’t want to ask these ‘suspected cripples’ to get down for inspection.
Meng Zi took the opportunity to carry them in quickly.
In an instant, several mountains and rivers appeared before Lin Shuang’s eyes.
The nearest cave dwelling was at the foot of a mountain, just a dozen steps away from the west gate.
It was one of the more than a hundred cave dwellings they had previously viewed—sixth ring, no, at least seventh ring.
Lin Shuang lay there watching.
On the same mountain, there were many cave dwellings from the foot to the peak.
The cave dwellings at the foot had the smallest numbers, those on the mountainside slightly larger, and those at the peak were the largest on the mountain.
It could be seen that in this cultivation world, everyone could fly with a sword, which was equivalent to every mountain having an elevator.
Everyone liked the peaks, with good scenery and convenient access, so these were the most expensive.
There were also differences between mountains; some were slender and had few cave dwellings.
Others were majestic and broad, with as many as four or five cave dwellings at the same height on the same cross-section.
But now, as they passed by, most cave dwellings had their stone doors tightly closed, with no disciples coming or going.
“They’re all in Zhenchuan trials.”
Those like Lin Shuang who had already retired so early were rare.
Meng Chuan moved quickly, carrying their couch and chair. About half a watch later, they saw a floating mountain surrounded by open space, somewhat resembling the rest cave dwelling.
On the mountain was a two-story pavilion. Through the ancient-style windows, one could vaguely see tea tables and meditation cushions.
Outside the pavilion hung a sign marked with the character ‘Cui’ (Cuisine).
At this moment, the aroma of food drifted over.
“This is the inner sect cafeteria.”
Meng Zi didn’t stop, simply mentioning it in passing.
This sentence was mainly for Lin Shuang, who was from the outer sect.
Around the cafeteria, there were six high mountains surrounding it.
Room 1700 was on one of these mountains, at the mountainside.
Lin Shuang was carried by Meng Zi flying on his sword, looking up curiously.
[Lingshui Mountain—Cave Dwelling 1700]
A spacious cave had been carved into the rugged rock wall, large enough to allow five adult men to walk side by side.
The sound of flowing water came from the mountaintop, like a waterfall.
Lin Shuang couldn’t help but look up and saw the jade plaque for cave dwelling 1799 at the mountaintop.
1799 was obviously better than 1700, with mountains and water.
“Cave dwellings above 1500 usually have spiritual springs,” Huangpu Yuan said, sitting on the bamboo chair with a large fox fur shawl of snowy white draped over his shoulders.
He seemed unable to withstand the wind caused by Meng Zi’s rapid movement, lightly coughing twice.
“The price of cave dwellings is greatly related to the size and quality of the spiritual springs.”
Lin Shuang nodded understandingly.
Below 3000, they were primarily residences for mid to low-level Ningyuan disciples.
That’s why the cafeteria was so close to room 1700. High-level disciples mostly no longer had worldly desires.
In truth, the cafeteria was just making spirit stone money from low-level disciples.
“The inner sect’s Transmission Hall, Management Office, and the meditation hall Jing Si Lou were all between cave dwellings 5000 to 6000.”
The annual rent for these cave dwellings exceeded a million spirit stones, primarily occupied by high-level Ningyuan disciples.
The Management Office and other places were closer to the core disciples of the sect.
They also received more sect tasks.
Further inward were the cave dwellings numbered 6000 to 9000 on the sixth thousand layer of Zhenchuan.
These disciples of the Shilian Sect, who were at the Shilian level, often secluded themselves and didn’t bother with mundane affairs.
“These disciples have long been fewer than 3000, and from 6000 to 9000 cave dwellings, most were empty.”
Truly, some were suffering from drought while others were drowning in floods.
Meng Zi shook his head.
But Lin Shuang listened with pleasure.
The entire sect’s inner sect map perfectly suited her time management needs.
But she was only happy for a moment before her face turned pained again. So, she needed to find a place in the inner sect that was close to the cafeteria, the management office, and the Transmission Hall—it was impossible…
“Junior sister, you could buy a teleportation talisman,” Huangpu Yuan smiled.
Lin Shuang’s eyes lit up.
As Meng Zi was about to land at 1700, she stopped him. “I’ll just go to the cafeteria to buy dinner. I won’t go out of the cave dwelling afterward.”
“…”
Truly, every opportunity was a double-edged sword.
“Lin Shuang, is this the name you gave yourself?” Meng Zi asked seriously.
“…”
*
Cave dwelling 1700 had four bedrooms and two living rooms.
Huangpu Yuan usually lived at Rongbao Studio, but he didn’t mind having a cave dwelling to stay in.
He and Meng Zi each chose a south-facing room.
Lin Shuang occupied the central bedroom, which was conveniently located near both living rooms (for cultivation and for receiving guests).
She placed the dinner she bought from the cafeteria on a warming talisman and then lay down.
At the entrance of the cave dwelling, where she could see the sunset, she lay on the soft couch without moving.
Meng Zi was immersed in touching every corner of the room, stepping on every part of the room.
In this cave dwelling worth 200,000 spirit stones per year, he left behind countless marks.
“Lin Shuang, Senior Brother Huangpu.”
After finishing his tour, he finally came out holding an expensive spirit tea cup from the cave dwelling.
Blocking the sunset’s glow on Lin Shuang’s dazed face.
“One day.”
“You two should… be honest now.”
Meng Zi put down the tea cup, narrowing his peach-blossom eyes as he looked at them.
On Lin Shuang’s left was Huangpu Yuan, whom he had moved entirely to her soft couch.
Huangpu Yuan reluctantly opened his eyes.
“If you want to go further up Zhenchuan, you’d better tell me the truth now.”
Meng Zi put down the tea cup, his peach-blossom eyes narrowing.
“What exactly are your… cultivation levels?”
Huangpu Yuan’s pupils, illuminated by the sunset, momentarily overflowed with blood-red.
Meng Zi looked up at the sky, letting out a long sigh.
“You can fool others, but don’t think you can fool me, Meng Zi, whose nose is sharper than a dog’s.”
Huangpu Yuan’s pupils constricted.
“No one is going to take away even a single spirit stone from me, Meng Zi.”
“And you two took so many red envelopes in Li Village! Hundreds, even thousands more spirit stones than me—a fourth-stage Ningyuan cultivator. Are you Foundation Building? Just starting out in Ningyuan? How is that even possible!”
Meng Zi gestured with his hands, getting more and more angry.
Huangpu Yuan’s eyes quickly lost their redness, his pale face showing a strange expression.
“Junior brother Meng, are you suspecting us of falsely reporting our cultivation levels just because we received more spirit stones?”
“Then what else could it be?!” Meng Zi said angrily, lowering his head and glaring at the two of them.
Huangpu Yuan: “…”
His hand beneath the snowy blanket slowly relaxed.
“You two, one at the Qi Transformation stage and the other at the early stage of Core Formation, actually think you can wrest spirit stones from me?!”
Huangpu Yuan slowly rested his slender neck on the cushion of the bamboo chair again.
“Then there’s nothing to worry about.”
“??”
Meng Zi slapped the table. “How can you say there’s nothing to worry about?!”
“Each level we ascend in Zhenchuan becomes increasingly dangerous. Haven’t you noticed?”
“There were at least twenty puppets from Li Village at the early Core Formation stage.”
“What about the trials ahead? We could face serious injuries or even life-or-death situations…”
Meng Zi took a deep breath. “I love spirit stones, yes. But I must survive first to earn even more.”
Huangpu Yuan narrowed his phoenix eyes.
“If you insist on keeping silent, then we’ll part ways here and now! I’ll challenge all two thousand levels alone!”
“Tomorrow, I definitely won’t bring you two with me anymore!”
Meng Zi’s words were firm and resolute.
“There were over a dozen bandits from Li Village, and then Dao Xi… Senior Huangpu, Shuang Lin, think carefully before speaking to me again.”
Meng Zi wasn’t foolish.
The higher they climbed, the more obstacles they would encounter as a trio.
And the more of their strength would be exposed.
Huangpu Yuan helplessly cast a sound-dampening seal.
“Junior, Shuang Lin, actually I—”
Meng Zi perked up his ears.
Lin Shuang gazed at the sky.
But a single ‘ding’ sound occurred.
[Shuang Lin has been called five times. Automatic reply triggered.]
[Hello, Shuang Lin is currently in ‘Air Mode’.]
“???”
Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan both froze in their actions simultaneously, slowly turning their heads.
Had they been talking for so long?
She hadn’t spoken at all and clearly hadn’t been listening?
They turned around and saw the woman lying on the couch nearby, gazing at the sky and the night mountain view.
It seemed she had something in her ears, and her eyes looked blankly amused, as if she couldn’t see them waving their hands in front of her.
[Shuang Lin has applied a one-way mirror talisman and cast a sound-dampening seal. Right now, she cannot see or hear you.]
“???”
“???”
[If you have any questions during Shuang Lin’s ‘Air Mode’, Xiao Ai’s automatic response will be here to serve you.]
“…”
“Shuang Lin!” Meng Zi shouted loudly. “Get up and clarify your cultivation level!”
He yelled, and Huangpu Yuan frowned.
But Lin Shuang seemed completely unaware, continuing to smile at the sky.
Indeed, she appeared neither to hear nor see them.
“…”
[Ding! Detected keyword ‘cultivation level’. Would you like to query 1. Shuang Lin’s cultivation level, 2. Zhao Keran’s cultivation level…?]
“One! One! One!” Meng Zi hurriedly interrupted.
[Shuang Lin’s cultivation level has been retrieved. The latest record is from today’s diary—after exiting the Zhenchuan Trial, ‘I should now be equivalent to’… Ding! The following content is VIP only…]
“…”
Meng Zi pressed his forehead. He had never been this irritable before, not even for a hundred spirit stones.
“Zhenchuan is full of danger. Fine, fine, you two act like this, so from now on, whatever happens to you is none of my concern!”
[Ding! Detected keywords ‘danger’, ‘death’. Related to the ‘cultivation level’ question. Are you one of Shuang Lin’s life-and-death companions?]
Meng Zi was taken aback, and Huangpu Yuan couldn’t help but look at the radiant Shuang Lin smiling behind the one-way mirror talisman.
“…”
“What do you mean, life-and-death companions…” Meng Zi was speechless.
He felt goosebumps rising.
[Qi scanning verification in progress… Not life-and-death companion Level I hiking buddy Zhou Xuanwu, not life-and-death companion Level I fitness buddy Xiao Qi.]
“…”
“…”
Both Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan wore expressions of relief mixed with complexity.
But why did a fleeting sense of disappointment cross their minds?
[Ding! Detected life-and-death companion Level II, Zhenchuan’s Meng Zi, and life-and-death companion Level II, Zhenchuan’s Huangpu Yuan.]
Meng Zi and Huangpu Yuan’s expressions changed simultaneously.
The slight disappointment they hadn’t had time to contemplate vanished suddenly.
She considered them her life-and-death… senior brothers?
—He had scolded her often before.
—He had frequently made her take the blame.
Both of them couldn’t help but show a moment of inner conflict and shame in their eyes.
[Level II answer as follows: Playing the exclusive response recording for you. Below is Shuang Lin’s genuine voice.]
“Two senior brothers, when you hear this recording, you’re likely facing a life-or-death crisis in Zhenchuan and unable to find or awaken me—”
Huangpu Yuan: “…”
Meng Zi: “…”
“As for my cultivation level, listen well: In life-or-death moments, you may regard me as—”
The voice paused for half a moment before continuing.
“—ninety-seven twin Qi Transformation stage peak cultivators, united as one, forming an attack and defense power ninety-seven times stronger—Shuang Lin.”
“?”
“!”
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