“Impossible! Even the treasures of Earth Immortals can be fake?” As she made a circle and returned, the words on the stone tablet had vanished from her sight. In the dark space, the figure in the black robe couldn't help but say, “Has he lived for so long without ever experiencing the flavors of love and kinship?”
“Ah, Ruowei.” After wandering around the trial area and having no results, Bai Qiuran walked back, staring blankly at the trial stone tablet glowing blue. On one side, Tang Ruowei and Li Jinyao, along with the secretly watching figure in the black robe, all gazed at this scene in astonishment. Tang Ruowei suppressed her urge to approach for a better look, brushing past Zuo Yanfei and moving forward. Mist swirled around her, revealing the frail figure of the Emperor of Shangxuan, lying on a sickbed, giving his final instructions.
“Ah, Ruowei.” Upon hearing this, Bai Qiuran's face darkened. “What nonsense is this rebellious disciple spouting? Regardless, I still have my esteemed master who is both a mentor and a father to me!” Unable to help herself, she walked to the bedside, eager to hear the Emperor’s last words.
“Oh, that... Because my master, usually a tough and funny character, suddenly revealing such a dramatic, tearful scene, is just a bit nauseating; I involuntarily felt like betraying my master.”
“My child, you have grown up. You can lead this country now, and I believe you will guide it to greater heights.” As she spoke, far outside the Wisdom Immortal Cave, Ji Lingyun suddenly sneezed, causing pain to radiate from the wounds inflicted by Bai Qiuran. She winced in agony, baring her teeth.
Li Jinyao, Tang Ruowei, and the black-robed person watching from the shadows were also taken aback by this spectacle. Tang Ruowei felt a bit nervous, but after swallowing hard, she chose to press onward.
Li Jinyao advised, “Besides, with the Sword Ancestor watching over us, there shouldn’t be any danger. Those who cultivate should detach from worldly ties. I see that Ruowei you are only twenty-four this year; your family should still be alive and well, and you likely come from a noble family. Seizing this opportunity to mend the cracks in your heart seems a good choice.”
“Let’s give it a try, it’s a fine way to refine your heart and mind.”
“Enough with the nonsense!”
“How could there be no response?” After wandering around the trial area and getting nowhere, Bai Qiuran came back again, staring blankly at the blue glowing trial stone tablet.
“Go see your loved ones.” Li Jinyao looked at the extinguished inscription and said, “This trial is essentially meant to awaken the pain you feel when loved ones depart. That is to say, as long as other emotions drown out this sorrow within you, the trial holds little difficulty.”
“However, it’s thanks to my master that I can pass this trial; I owe it to her capabilities.”
“Master, I’m going now.” The black-robed figure couldn’t help but utter, “Has he lived so long without tasting the feelings of family and love?”
Tang Ruowei, knowing full well that this Zuo Yanfei was a fake, felt a pang of sorrow at witnessing the tragic sight of her friend. “But the Grand Ancestor has ascended; if we must equate those Earth Immortals with him, then he is a Celestial Immortal.”
Despite feeling somewhat tense, she took a deep breath and chose to advance.
After a moment of hesitation, she asked Bai Qiuran, “But why did you kick Sect Leader Ji?”
“Let’s see.”
“Why did it go out?”
“Oh, that’s because my master often portrays herself as a tough woman and a joker, but suddenly showing such emotional turmoil, like something out of a novel, made me feel a little sick. I unintentionally thought of betraying her.”
Tang Ruowei hesitated as she glanced toward Bai Qiuran. The clever Li Jinyao could hardly understand either.
Bai Qiuran slammed the stone tablet, shouting to the heavens, “What’s the matter? Don’t you have a warranty on this Earth Immortal product?”
Amid laughter, the scene twisted into something straight out of a battle. Bai Qiuran found herself at a devastated battlefield, surrounded by countless corpses among demons and humans, cold spiritual essence floating in the air.
Walking for a while, the mist parted, and she suddenly saw herself on a battlefield.
“Compared to Sister Li, my comprehension is undoubtedly lacking. I don’t have the solitude that my master does.”
“Is that so?”
“Can’t I break this stupid illusion?”
“This is a complete farce! What exactly am I witnessing here?”
The Emperor of Shangxuan, feeble and pale, coughed twice and continued to grasp his younger brother's hand. “The only thing I worry about is my sister who ascended to cultivate. They say the methods of the Qinming Sword Sect are peerless; has she grown taller? Is she more beautiful? Has she found a husband? How profound are the methods of the Qinming Sword Sect? How far has her cultivation advanced? Ruowei... has her chest grown?”
Alas, the gruesome imagery before her made her heart splinter. Tang Ruowei held back a sob, realizing that this was indeed a tragic scene too close to the future she was destined to face.
As all uncertainties clouded her mind, Li Jinyao suggested to Tang Ruowei, “And with the Sword Ancestor here to oversee, there should be no danger. It’s time to embrace this chance to heal your heart’s wounds.”
“Enough! This trial is nothing but a ruse.” Tang Ruowei exclaimed before turning away, hurrying back into the trial area, feeling the mist thickening around her, keeping her warm for the moment.
Just as the air filled with tension, she felt the oppressive weight of disappointment wash over her.
The illusions of family members appeared before her, making it painfully clear the fragility of the bonds she had left behind, drawing on her heart’s deepest sorrows.