Chapter Twelve: Disdain for Lord Lin

“I am Ji Qingyou, not one of those fickle-hearted petty people. No matter how great my future achievements may be, they are all thanks to today’s master,” Ji Qingyou said with a faint smile, her gaze casually sweeping over Lin Qingxuan.

“Besides, I want to remind certain people: never forget your roots.”

Lin Qingxuan’s expression turned extremely unpleasant.

“Fine, but don’t regret it later,” the Heavenly Sword Sovereign said coldly, then slowly withdrew his gaze.

In this world, there was nothing the Sword Sovereign could not obtain. Rather than waiting for power to rise in the future, it was better to destroy it now.

“As a princess facing a glorious future, yet clinging to such laughable loyalty—it’s truly foolish!”

“Her talent for cultivation is wasted on someone so lacking ambition!”

“Master, I want to apprentice under you as well. Do you think I’m worthy?”

“Look at that Lin Jun, acting as if he’s about to die after just a few days! What a disgrace!”

“He deserves to be expelled from the sect!”

“With him here, I can’t stay another day in the Great Dao Sect!”

“Woof woof woof!”

Ye Zhetian felt the wave of hostility toward his master from all directions. His eyes flashed fiercely as he let out a roar.

“Junior Brother, don’t stoop to the level of these unprincipled villains. Remember, as cultivators, virtue is the foundation—this is what separates humans from beasts.”

“...”

Ji Qingyou’s indifferent gaze swept over the group of furious petty people, as if looking at a bunch of clowns.

In this world, there were always those who thought they understood better than others.

Ye Zhetian pondered quietly for a moment.

“Master, shall we go?”

Ji Qingyou led Ye Zhetian to Lin Jun, respectfully bowing before him. Their respectful demeanor left the onlookers incredulous.

Wasn’t it said that the princess only apprenticed under Lin Jun to toy with him?

What was going on?

“Go ahead. The second trial, safety first,” Lin Jun nodded lightly. Although the ancient trial realm was important to others, to him, who possessed a system, it was nothing special.

If it weren’t for the divine demon stones, he wouldn’t even bother sending his disciples. Some of the rewards inside were less valuable than a random item he could produce with a hundredfold return.

Truly insignificant.

---

“Stop pretending to be a big shot. It’s not like your Ten Thousand Laws Peak owns a heavenly-grade magical artifact,” Lin Qingxuan sneered. No one knew better than him how impoverished Ten Thousand Laws Peak really was.

He was deeply grateful for having left that peak years ago.

Lin Jun was so poor now that all he could do was talk big without offering anything real.

“Yes, Master,” Ji Qingyou and Ye Zhetian didn’t even glance at him. After bowing respectfully, they joined the vast army heading toward the ancient trial realm.

After they entered, Lin Jun encountered a dilemma.

Although he was one of the seven peak masters, his seat on the peak master’s throne was high above, and now he found it difficult to ascend.

Seeing him hesitate and circle beneath the throne several times without sitting, Ouyang Shan, the Herb Peak Master, immediately showed disdain.

“Junior Brother, why doesn’t the proud Ten Thousand Laws Peak Master come up to sit? Is your seat uncomfortable?”

“Hahaha, maybe the air is fresher down there. Look at Junior Brother’s graying hair—probably practicing some special technique.”

“Junior Brother, I just forged a binding immortal rope. Want me to pull you up?”

“Hahaha...”

Laughter erupted among the crowd, and the Heavenly Sword Sovereign smiled faintly.

Under his control, the seven peak masters’ thrones rose slightly higher.

In his heart, he never took Lin Jun seriously—a mere cripple, dying soon, and even if he had a disciple at the Golden Core stage, so what?

It wouldn’t change anything substantial.

Staring up at the ever-rising peak master’s throne, Lin Jun sighed in resignation. After some thought, he decided to give up the humiliation and instead sat down on a nearby hill.

From this vantage point, he could clearly observe everything happening in the ancient trial realm.

His avoidance drew scorn from many disciples, including some former disciples who had left Ten Thousand Laws Peak.

“A peak master sitting on a hill like that, isn’t it disgraceful? Doesn’t he look like a country bumpkin?”

“Though I left Ten Thousand Laws Peak long ago, it’s still embarrassing to see this…”

“No wonder the sect master targets him everywhere. Having such a waste in the Great Dao Sect is truly shameful!”

---

Amid the disciples’ laughter at Lin Jun, more and more joined the trial army.

Seated on the hill, Lin Jun watched the “trial footage” being broadcast. He secretly hoped.

As a peak master, he knew the ancient secret realm called the Nest of Ten Thousand Insects was a special place within the Great Dao Sect. The Tai Xuan Chronicles recorded that it had existed since the sect’s founding, though no one knew how it came to be, as if it existed in another dimension.

Initially, the Nest of Ten Thousand Insects was fraught with dangers and crises. After countless years of exploration by the sect, the nest was divided into two parts: the Outer Domain and the Inner Domain.

The Outer Domain had been explored and filtered, leaving only a few special ferocious insects, each possessing unique spiritual energy. When slain, this energy could be absorbed directly by disciples and converted into cultivation power.

However, this opportunity was only available once.

This was why the Nest of Ten Thousand Insects was jokingly called the “Newcomers’ Ladder.”

Here, new disciples had the greatest chance to surpass senior disciples! Moreover, through fighting and absorbing these ferocious insects, disciples’ talents and hidden abilities—only revealed in battle—would be fully exposed.

After all, in the vast cultivation world, stories often arose of disciples with hidden talents overlooked by their sects, who later rose to prominence, leaving the sects filled with regret.

The Nest of Ten Thousand Insects served as a secret test for these hidden talents, completely preventing such heart-wrenching mishaps.

Yet, although much of the ancient realm was controlled, dangers remained. Besides the Inner Domain forbidden zone, known as a death trap, even the Outer Domain—though managed by the sect—was full of unpredictable risks.

Take killing insects, for example. These surviving ancient ferocious insects were far from ordinary bugs; they could be called ferocious beasts. Their varied sizes gave them elusive speed.

If one encountered a naturally venomous and cunningly camouflaged poisonous insect, it was even more terrifying than a ferocious beast!

Few disciples returned alive.

This was the Great Dao Sect’s first lesson for new disciples.

The secret realm offered explosive growth in cultivation power but also revealed the ruthless reality of the cultivation world.

After each trial, a few disciples would soar to great heights.

But more often, many would perish and become nourishment for the Nest of Ten Thousand Insects...

Thus, opening the Nest of Ten Thousand Insects was both an opportunity and a risk, not to be taken lightly.

Within the Great Dao Sect, many senior disciples boasted they were preparing to make a grand showing at the next opening.

Yet none ever went.

Only reckless newcomers and those with absolute confidence in their strength dared to venture in.