The medicinal kitchen was located to the east of the purple forest, quite spacious, with over a dozen stone tables and chairs neatly arranged.
Medicinal cuisine!
It was made by boiling the blood of exotic beasts with dozens of precious medicinal herbs. Naturally, one couldn’t expect it to taste good—it was merely edible. But after just a month of consuming it, everyone’s physical strength and endurance had noticeably improved.
Their energy was brimming, and the power within their bodies seemed inexhaustible. For the past month, Yao Yin had been secluded in her cave, practicing the foundational martial art she had chosen, the "Heavenly Wind Palm Technique." She slept no more than two hours a day.
The force of her palm strikes reverberated through the cliffs, making it impossible for Li Weiyi to sleep. He had no choice but to join her in this relentless training. The process of practicing martial techniques and breathing exercises also served to temper the meridians within their bodies.
It was thanks to the medicinal cuisine that Yao Yin could push her body to such extremes, unlocking its potential without fear of collapse. When one person strives, it sets the pace for everyone else.
Li Qing and the four martial practitioners who had opened eight springs were also training fiercely in the Silver Beach Valley, practicing the foundational martial arts they had chosen. Across the valley, the younger, lower-level martial practitioners were doing the same. Hard work is merely the most basic requirement for success.
Everyone was fighting not just for success, but for their very lives. ... Today’s medicinal cuisine was particularly special. As it simmered, it emitted an intoxicating aroma.
The copper cauldron bubbled incessantly, releasing a multicolored mist of medicinal energy that illuminated the stone room. Even before tasting it, everyone knew that today’s cauldron must have been filled with rare and precious herbs. The young tiger-like mutant who practiced the "Thirty-Six Heavenly Demon Axes" and had opened eight springs noticed everyone’s gazes fixed on the cauldron.
He chuckled, "Are you all looking forward to it? The Hidden Sect is quite humane. Knowing this is your last meal, they’ve prepared a higher-quality medicinal feast to send you off."
In just a month, he had mastered the first axe of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Demon Axes, achieving harmony with the Heavenly Dao. Several silver meridians had been tempered within his body, filling him with confidence. A year from now, he couldn’t imagine how much stronger he would become.
A young mutant child who had opened five springs spoke in a childish voice, "The higher your cultivation, the greater the danger in the trials. It’s hard to say whose last meal this really is." Everyone seated here was a mortal enemy.
There was no need for false courtesy or politeness. ... When the radiant light from the cauldron reached its peak, the old man in charge of the medicinal cuisine instructed everyone to serve themselves. The medicinal cuisine wasn’t rationed.
As long as you didn’t take it away or waste it, you could eat as much as you wanted. Naturally, the larger mutants had an advantage. After all, mutants of the same level were stronger than ordinary humans.
Following the usual routine, Li Weiyi first served a basin to the seven Phoenix Wing Moth Emperors. The basin he used wasn’t any smaller than those used by the mutant martial practitioners. For the past month, the seven Phoenix Wing Moth Emperors had been eating their fill, practically living in the medicinal kitchen.
Their bodies had grown noticeably larger. But according to his spirit master, they needed to grow to two inches in length before their combat power could rival that of a Five Seas Realm martial practitioner. Right now, they were only about an inch and a half long.
Three figures in black robes walked along the stone path beneath the psychic stone wall, arriving at the training square outside the medicinal kitchen. They gazed at the group still eating their last meal.
"Hidden Twenty-Four, I heard this batch is of high quality. Who do you think will survive to the end?"
Hidden Twenty-Three was a bear-like mutant, his body far larger and more powerful than that of an ordinary mutant, blessed with innate strength. Hidden Twenty-Four replied indifferently, "There are two who stand out. One is Li Qing, a mortal with ninety meridians opened at the Nine Springs level.
He just arrived at the Hidden Sect but was able to withstand a strike from Hidden Ninety-One."
"The other is Yao Yin, the granddaughter of the Medicine Li Tribe’s chieftain. She possesses a Pure Immortal Body. Both are strong contenders."
Not all members of the Hidden Sect remained in seclusion. Once their cultivation reached a certain level, many were sent out into the world. Some traveled the land, striving to forge new identities.
Others infiltrated enemy factions, their own tribes, or even the Lingxiao Palace... Though most Hidden Sect members remained silent, there were still those tasked with gathering information. Thus, the Nine Li Hidden Sect’s knowledge of the outside world was no less than that of the Nine Li Academy.
Hidden Twenty-Three was surprised.
"A Pure Immortal Body, and the granddaughter of a chieftain, yet she was sent to the Hidden Sect?"
"I heard her body has some issues. She came here seeking a chance at survival," Hidden Twenty-Four explained.
Hidden Twenty-Five, a youth even younger than Hidden Twenty-Four, added, "I heard Hidden Five sent back some news related to this group. Besides Li Qing, he specifically mentioned Li Weiyi. Have you heard about this?"
Hidden Twenty-Three shook his head. Hidden Twenty-Four’s eyes showed a trace of doubt. Hidden Five had been silent for years.
For him to suddenly send back news about someone, that person must be extraordinary. It seemed they had underestimated Li Weiyi before.
Seven Springs?
A bug controller? After finishing the medicinal cuisine, the twenty-six youths gathered in the square. Hidden Twenty-Three’s voice boomed like thunder, "I am Hidden Twenty-Three.
I arrived here only three years before you. I have some bad news for you all: starting now, the protection period is over."
"You can use any means necessary to eliminate your competitors, making it easier for you to survive until the end."
"But there’s one ironclad rule: you cannot, in any way, target competitors weaker than yourself."
The tiger-like mutant who had opened eight springs asked, "So, does that mean we can only fight those of the same level, or lower-level practitioners can challenge higher-level ones? But if a lower-level practitioner dares to provoke me, can I kill them?"
"Of course," Hidden Twenty-Three replied.
Li Qing scanned the crowd, his tone threatening, "Then I’ll advise you all not to come seeking death. My sword is faster than it was a month ago, and it’s thirsty for blood." Hidden Twenty-Three continued, "Here’s another piece of bad news: the trial officially begins now.
Those who have opened nine springs and eight springs, follow me." Hidden Twenty-Five added, "Those below seven springs, follow me." After everyone had left, Hidden Twenty-Four looked at the remaining Li Weiyi and Yao Yin.
"Let’s go."
The three groups boarded boats by the blood river, heading to different trial grounds. They boarded a flat-bottomed boat over ten meters long, drifting downstream. All three were of a taciturn nature.
Hidden Twenty-Four stood at the bow, his back straight and tall, though his frame was slender and lean, not betraying his status as a Five Seas Realm expert. Yao Yin sat at the stern, her head bowed in deep thought. Her skin was so pale it seemed to glow, her beauty like a painting.
Li Weiyi sat in the center of the boat. He noticed that this boat was made by joining two smaller boats together with chains. After traveling several dozen miles, Yao Yin couldn’t help but ask, "Am I to undergo the trial with him?"
"Those of the same level naturally go to the same trial ground. The trial ground for Seven Springs martial practitioners is the gathering area of the Soldier-Level Fierce Insect, the Winged White Spider," Hidden Twenty-Four explained.
Yao Yin’s expression grew serious. The protection period had ended. In this trial, the Winged White Spiders might not be the most dangerous threat.
The boat entered a narrow tributary of the underground river, only a few meters wide. With no glowing plants to light the way, the surroundings grew dark. Li Weiyi’s brow lit up, emitting particles of spiritual light that faintly illuminated the darkness.
"We’re almost there."
Hidden Twenty-Four glanced at Li Weiyi.
"A word of advice: once we enter the cave, try not to use spiritual light. Rely on your senses. If you wake a large number of Winged White Spiders, you two might not make it out alive."
Li Weiyi was a man who listened to advice. The light on his brow dimmed. Even without light, given his current cultivation, he could still see the figures of the two women within a few meters.
Yao Yin, in particular, stood out in the darkness, her skin almost luminous. Li Weiyi asked, "What do we need to do to pass the trial?"
"It’s just the first trial. You don’t need to do anything. Just safely navigate this boat through the spider cave. Generally, if the boat drifts downstream, you’ll exit the cave in three days. I’ll be waiting for you at the exit," Hidden Twenty-Four said.
Could it really be that simple? Entering the territory of fierce insects, yet hoping not to disturb them—how was that possible? Hidden Twenty-Four walked over to Li Weiyi and unfastened the chain connecting the two boats.
He added, "Oh, and the spider silk in the cave is a treasure. You can collect some if you want. If you gather enough, you can exchange it for precious herbs."
"I’ll leave you here. Good luck."
Hidden Twenty-Four released a wave of spiritual energy, enveloping the small boat beneath him, and began rowing back upstream. Li Weiyi and Yao Yin, now on a boat half the size, only a few meters long, continued drifting downstream with the blood river’s current. The surroundings were pitch black, eerily quiet, with only the sound of flowing water.
The underground river passage grew even lower. The two had to lie flat to pass through. Li Weiyi could hear Yao Yin’s heartbeat quickening.
He whispered, "I know you have some misunderstandings about me. But I suggest we don’t turn on each other during this trial. If we damage the boat, we’ll both die here."
Yao Yin replied, "That’s exactly what I was thinking! No matter what your intentions are, survival is more important. We’re competitors, but why not outlast the others first?"
"Also, don’t be greedy. Trying to collect spider silk will only make it easier to disturb the Winged White Spiders. Let’s just focus on getting through the cave safely."
"Agreed."
Just as Li Weiyi nodded, he noticed something. His nose twitched.
"It smells so good... this scent is tempting me to take a risk..."
Yao Yin gritted her teeth, furious with him. She thought Li Weiyi was deliberately teasing her with his words. She did have a natural, unique body fragrance, which was undoubtedly amplified in the dark, desolate cave.
"It’s the scent of medicinal herbs. There’s a precious herb nearby."
Li Weiyi suddenly sat up. The previously low cave had opened up. About thirty feet above them, a crimson medicinal herb was growing.
"It’s turned crimson, meaning it’s a five-hundred-year-old Cistanche."
Li Weiyi channeled his spiritual energy to his ears, eyes, and nose, enhancing his senses to their peak. Detecting no signs of fierce insects nearby, he leaped into the air. Yao Yin, who had also sat up, felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment, realizing she had misunderstood him.
But her guilt quickly vanished, replaced by shock. Thirty feet was an impossible height for someone at the Spring Surge Realm to reach directly. Yet the man before her, with spiritual energy surging beneath his feet, seemed to walk on air, as if stepping on invisible stairs.
His movement technique was far beyond what a Spring Surge Realm practitioner should be capable of. Over the past month, Li Weiyi had mastered three Heavenly Dao techniques, one of which was the "Yellow Dragon Ascends to Heaven." Taking nine steps in mid-air, he finally grasped the crimson Cistanche.
It felt slightly warm to the touch. After pulling it from the crevice in the cliff, Li Weiyi’s body began to plummet. Even with the Yellow Dragon Ascends to Heaven at Heavenly Dao harmony, reaching thirty feet was his limit.
His spiritual energy had dissipated, and he couldn’t control his descent. Yao Yin, alarmed, quickly executed the Heavenly Wind Palm Technique. With a gentle push, she sent a gust of wind to cushion Li Weiyi’s fall.
"Whoosh!"
Li Weiyi used the momentum to glide back onto the boat, holding the nearly hundred-pound crimson Cistanche. He smiled, "Thanks!"
"I was just saving myself! Who knows if the noise from your fall would have woken a swarm of Winged White Spiders?"
Yao Yin’s face was icy, filled with resentment.
"Didn’t we agree earlier? Don’t be greedy. Getting through the cave safely is the priority."
"This isn’t greed!"
Li Weiyi corrected her, "This is a hundred pounds of five-hundred-year-old Cistanche, worth nearly a billion. Cistanche boosts yang and enriches blood. Eating all of this would significantly enhance my physical body."
Worth nearly a billion—even Yao Yin, the granddaughter of a chieftain, was slightly stunned. Li Weiyi had to take the risk. With this Cistanche, he could soon grow his seven Phoenix Wing Moth Emperors to two inches in length.
"You helped a little just now. I’ll give you two pounds when we’re done," Li Weiyi said generously, not wanting to owe her a favor.
"Keep it for yourself!"
Yao Yin sat back down, her expression worried.
"The medicinal scent might attract the Winged White Spiders. I suggest you throw it away. Greed can be deadly. I don’t want to suffer because of you."
(End of Chapter)