Lin Xian'er, Xiao Wuya

Upon hearing Wang Jianqiang's transmitted message, Ye Qingxue fell silent for a long while.

She had always considered herself bold—otherwise, she wouldn’t have dared to kill fellow sect members.

Yet Wang Jianqiang was even bolder.

No, perhaps "mad" was a better word.

The disciples who could enter the secret realm were all elite outer sect members of their respective sects, the future backbone of their factions.

Losing a few might not sting enough for the sects to investigate.

But if all of them were killed, the losses would be devastating.

By then, it wouldn’t just be the supervising elders outside the secret realm—

The leaders of the four major powers would likely go berserk!

Snapping back to reality, her faint voice reached Wang Jianqiang’s ears. "The supervising elders are stationed outside the secret realm. The methods of Core Formation cultivators are beyond our comprehension."

"We might not be able to cover our tracks."

"Is that so?" A flicker of regret crossed Wang Jianqiang’s face. "Then forget it."

With that, he glanced at the remaining two, who were eyeing him warily.

"Let’s kill these two as well."

Ye Qingxue didn’t respond with another message. Instead, two streaks of condensed spiritual energy shot forth, piercing through the duo’s skulls the moment Wang Jianqiang finished speaking.

Wang Jianqiang instructed Wang Yuyao to collect the meditation cushions while he took four storage pouches for himself. His gaze then shifted to the third raised platform.

Moments later,

the third cushion was easily secured, along with six more storage pouches.

"Next, we enter the herb garden," Wang Jianqiang said, glancing at Wang Yuyao.

Understanding his intent, Wang Yuyao took out all three cushions, placed them beneath their feet, and sat cross-legged on one.

Wang Jianqiang settled onto another, while Ye Qingxue materialized and occupied the third.

The trio extended their spiritual senses, connecting with the stone stele.

The cushions beneath them erupted with a radiant glow.

In the next instant, all three—along with the cushions—vanished without a trace.

...

Within an ancient bronze hall,

a flash of light heralded the simultaneous appearance of three figures.

"Is this the herb garden?" Wang Jianqiang scanned the surroundings, momentarily stunned.

Wang Yuyao also turned to Ye Qingxue in confusion.

This place didn’t look like it could grow spirit herbs at all.

"This is likely a transit station," Ye Qingxue mused after a moment of observation.

"A transit station?"

"Correct." She nodded, gesturing around. "See these doors?"

Wang Jianqiang and Wang Yuyao nodded.

They had already noticed the nine doors evenly spaced along the hall’s walls.

Strangely,

though the hall was well-lit, the spaces beyond the doors were pitch-black, revealing nothing of what lay behind them.

"Entering these doors leads to trial spaces. Passing the trials will teleport us into the herb garden," Ye Qingxue explained.

Wang Jianqiang nodded thoughtfully.

"In that case, let’s proceed."

With that, he casually chose a door and stepped through.

Wang Yuyao and Ye Qingxue followed—

but the moment they crossed the threshold, an irresistible force shoved them back.

"What’s going on?" Wang Yuyao exclaimed, turning to Ye Qingxue.

Frowning, Ye Qingxue’s expression suddenly darkened as realization struck. "Damn it, I forgot something."

"What?" Wang Yuyao pressed, eyes locked onto her.

"Each door can only admit three people per trial cycle, and the difficulty is set based on the first entrant."

"What?!"

Upon hearing Ye Qingxue's words, Wang Yuyao's expression changed drastically.

This meant that two individuals had already entered the portal before Senior Brother Wang, and neither had yet passed the trial!

If that were the case, wouldn’t Senior Brother Wang end up taking the trial alongside those two?

If both were merely at the Qi Refining stage, it might not be so bad—but what if one of them was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, especially the first to enter?

Wouldn’t that mean Senior Brother Wang would have to face a trial of Foundation Establishment-level difficulty?!

...

After stepping through the portal,

Wang Jianqiang felt his vision darken. When his sight returned, he found himself in an unfamiliar space.

Noticing that Wang Yuyao and Ye Qingxue were nowhere to be seen, he frowned.

"What’s going on?"

"Where are Yuyao and Little Xue?"

"Were we separated, or did they fail to enter?"

Just then, the scent of blood drifted toward him.

Wang Jianqiang immediately snapped to attention and moved forward.

Moments later, several enormous corpses came into view.

They were the remains of four massive birds, each over a hundred feet tall.

Their bodies were riddled with deep, bone-exposing wounds.

"Hmm, these injuries don’t seem to be from spirit beast infighting. They look more like… the work of a cultivator!"

Wang Jianqiang’s eyes flashed. "Could someone have entered here before me?"

After a brief pause, he continued forward.

The moment he entered this space, the trial’s objective had already imprinted itself in his mind:

Reach the core of this realm.

There, a teleportation array would take him directly to the herb garden.

His current path led precisely in that direction.

As he journeyed onward,

he encountered over a dozen spirit beast corpses, all seemingly slain by the person who had entered before him.

This realization sent a chill down his spine—yet also filled him with relief.

What unsettled him was the sheer strength of this unknown individual.

Among the fallen beasts were several particularly terrifying ones.

Even in death, their lingering aura made his heart race with dread.

The oppressive sensation reminded him of Ye Qingxue after her breakthrough.

To have slain multiple beasts of such power, this person’s prowess was beyond question.

No doubt they were a top-tier genius from some major sect, and like Ye Qingxue, had already achieved Foundation Establishment.

The silver lining, however, was clear:

Thanks to this person’s overwhelming strength in clearing the path of all threats,

Wang Jianqiang had been able to travel this far unharmed.

Had he encountered those Foundation Establishment-level spirit beasts himself, he’d have been in for a world of suffering.

...

Two days later,

a violent surge of battle energy erupted from ahead.

"Is that person fighting a spirit beast?"

Wang Jianqiang tensed and halted his advance.

The one who had entered first was at the Foundation Establishment stage.

Uncertain of their identity, recklessly approaching would only put him at risk.

Only after the battle’s tremors faded did he summon a Wooden Sword Array, wrapping it tightly around his body like armor.

Once certain his presence was completely concealed, he cautiously crept toward the source of the disturbance.

Soon, amidst a thicket of weeds,

Wang Jianqiang gently parted the overgrowth—revealing a scene of carnage.

A shattered battlefield lay before him, dominated by the corpse of a massive spirit beast.

The lingering aura radiating from the corpse served as a stark reminder: this had once been a Foundation Establishment-level beast.

As Wang Jianqiang studied the remains, a male voice suddenly spoke out.

"We've already slain seven Foundation Establishment spirit beasts back to back. This trial is truly brutal."

Wang Jianqiang glanced toward a corner of the battlefield, where two figures—one male, one female—immediately caught his eye.

The man was strikingly handsome, standing out with an air of unrivaled distinction.

The woman possessed peerless beauty, her slender frame and ethereal grace making her seem almost otherworldly.

The moment he saw them, two names flashed through Wang Jianqiang's mind:

Lin Xian'er!

Xiao Wuya!