Chapter Thirteen: Going Too Far

Meanwhile, high above, within the mirage-like projection of the secret realm, the scene of countless disciples entering had fully materialized.

Among them crawled innumerable fierce and grotesque ancient spiritual insects, moving slowly across the ground. Their presence was undeniably formidable—some bore deadly venom and radiated a savage, primal aura.

As the disciples ventured deeper, they began fierce battles against these venomous creatures. Though no sound could be heard here, the peril of the combat was clearly visible.

In this struggle, some disciples succeeded in slaying the ancient spiritual insects, instantly boosting their cultivation. Yet others, due to momentary carelessness, became the insects’ prey.

Among all the disciples undergoing the trial, two stood out prominently: Ji Qingyou and Ye Zhetian.

Or rather, one person and one dog.

Previously, Ji Qingyou had cultivated the supreme emperor-level technique he provided and had just broken through to the Golden Core stage. Among this group of trial disciples, she was truly an unrivaled existence.

Though Ye Zhetian’s cultivation was not as strong—only at the early Foundation Establishment stage—he had awakened the bloodline of a three-headed hellhound. Moreover, his attacks were delivered by biting, giving him an unexpectedly wider attack range than Ji Qingyou. In the entire outer realm of the trial, his cultivation was rising at an astonishing pace.

In just a short while, he had slain countless spiritual insects, his cultivation soaring from early to mid Foundation Establishment stage, and still rapidly ascending—undisputed first in the outer realm trial!

Ji Qingyou closely followed in second place.

The reason Ji Qingyou ranked second was that she was subtly suppressing Lin Qingxuan, who held third place.

Behind them, Lin Qingxuan strained to surpass them, unwilling to trail behind and gather dust. Yet Ji Qingyou’s Golden Core strength firmly repressed him, making breakthrough impossible no matter how hard he tried, to the point of infuriating him.

He was beaten by a dog!

This scene caused a tremendous stir among the nearby disciples.

“Did I see that right? Master Lin’s dog, who he only recently took in, is actually suppressing Senior Brother Lin Qingxuan?”

“Unbelievable! This dog has Foundation Establishment mid-stage strength in the blink of an eye?”

“Have you noticed? Ji Qingyou’s cultivation seems to have already formed a Core! So the Core formation aura that came from the direction of the Ten Thousand Laws Peak yesterday was real after all?”

“Master Lin must have gone all out this time. Could it be that he emptied the Ten Thousand Laws Peak just to give these two disciples such a huge leap forward?”

Watching Ye Zhetian and Ji Qingyou display their formidable power on screen, while casually gathering some “black-and-white stones,” Lin Jun, seated atop a mountain, smiled quietly.

Yet standing on the peak lord’s throne in the void, the other peak lords looked grim as they observed the scene from the trial.

Although a few promising disciples had awakened hidden constitutions in this trial, all the glory was stolen by Lin Jun’s dog.

It must be known that the outer realm of the trial contained not only outer sect disciples but also disciples from each peak.

Now, everyone was being suppressed by a single dog—it was a blatant slap in the face!

The sect leader, Tianjian Zun, cast a cold, dissatisfied gaze upon Lin Qingxuan, who was being firmly suppressed within the trial secret realm.

Several hours passed in an instant.

The disciples continued to slaughter countless spiritual insects, venturing deeper into the secret realm.

The previously rare “black-and-white stones” became ubiquitous here, sometimes piled in heaps.

At this moment, the little black dog Ye Zhetian had bitten to death countless fierce insects. His cultivation had fully advanced to the Foundation Establishment stage’s completion, only a step away from Core Formation!

Ji Qingyou’s cultivation, however, remained at the early Golden Core stage, unchanged.

This was because she was deliberately suppressing her realm to consolidate her technique, and at the same time, had ample leisure to gather “black-and-white stones” for her master.

The most unfortunate was Lin Qingxuan.

Though he had entered the trial at the Foundation Establishment completion stage and awakened the Immaculate Sword Body, theoretically securing first place, he encountered the anomaly Ji Qingyou, who had broken through to Golden Core early, causing him to be suppressed throughout.

He killed very few fierce insects and was locked down by Ji Qingyou, unable to move, causing his rank to plummet to fifth, surpassed by other ordinary disciples.

Worse still, having failed to slay enough spiritual insects, his cultivation made no progress amidst this great opportunity!

“Ji Qingyou, I will never let you off!” Lin Qingxuan gritted his teeth, face grimy and furious, longing to tear Ji Qingyou apart.

But she was always one step ahead, supremely suppressing him. Under such absolute domination, he was no match for her.

Unless he used his special sword technique—but he did not wish to die.

As the trial neared its conclusion, the leaderboard in the air showed Ye Zhetian and Ji Qingyou at the top with kill counts of 150,000 and 100,000 respectively, while Lin Qingxuan’s eyes showed despair.

Suddenly, within the secret realm, the sect leader Tianjian Zun’s booming voice echoed, wielding immense spiritual power to violently alter the ancient secret realm.

“I, as sect leader, hereby decide to raise the trial’s difficulty to the Golden Core stage! The inner domain is now open! All disciples confident in their strength may explore!”

“Considering the dangers and opportunities coexist in the inner domain, including unexplored areas, this trial will now grant sect contribution points as rewards.”

“Any disciple who contributes to exploring unknown lands within the inner domain shall receive sect contribution points and be rewarded with a profound treasure!”

As his mighty voice fell, a vast and ancient ruin world deep within the secret trial realm was revealed, radiating an aura of primordial antiquity.

Boom!

Accompanied by this earth-shaking scene and the sect leader’s powerful proclamation, the trial realm outside erupted in excitement among the outer sect and peak disciples.

“An opportunity! A once-in-a-millennium unparalleled chance!”

“The inner domain of the ancient trial realm has actually opened! I’ve researched—this is the old site of the Ancient Saint Sect’s Three Pure Ones Sect!”

“The Ancient Saint Sect’s Three Pure Ones Sect vanished overnight in the past, yet their enormous sect site remains intact! Within it lie countless ancient treasures and spiritual medicines!”

“The Three Pure Ones Sect! The legendary sect of saints from ancient times!”

“A chance! An earth-shattering opportunity! To meet such a fate would be a life without regrets!”

“Brothers, charge!! Nobles and officials—are they born or made?!”

“Don’t celebrate too soon! Legend says the Ancient Saint Sect’s Three Pure Ones Sect’s people didn’t just vanish overnight—they all perished overnight! There may be countless ancient spirits lurking inside, so be cautious!”

“The fate of heaven and earth is unsettled; we all may become dark horses!”

Lin Qingxuan appeared excited. His master had not informed him of this arrangement, but he sensed that the sect leader’s decision to open the inner domain might be related to him.

It was likely meant to grant him a grand opportunity to catch up with Ji Qingyou, who had broken through to Golden Core, bringing glory to the sect.

He vowed firmly in his heart not to disappoint his master’s great expectations—to break through to the Golden Core stage within this trial!

He felt deeply moved.

...

Meanwhile, amid the swirling changes within the ancient secret realm, outside it, another scene unfolded.

Several disciples radiating Golden Core energy suddenly appeared before the peak lords. After deeply bowing to their respective peak lords, they entered the ancient secret realm from different directions, heading straight toward the newly opened inner domain.

Observing these Golden Core true disciples continuously entering, the white-haired Lin Jun furrowed his brow.

A bad premonition stirred within him.

His two apprentices, fighting to maintain first place, had just entered the secret realm’s inner domain as well.