Chapter 26:Twenty-sixth Trial

On the day the Sky Ravine Trial began, Canglan Sect’s main peak plaza buzzed with excitement.

Disciples from each peak gathered, their cultivations ranging from late Qi Refining to peak Foundation Building, all brimming with enthusiasm.

Several massive cloud boats hovered in the air, ready to transport them to the Wind Eye Secret Realm.

Chu Yi, clad in sleek battle attire with a sword strapped to his back, stood at the forefront of Jinghong Peak’s contingent, drawing many eyes.

At peak mid-Foundation Building, he was a standout among the trial participants, a favored contender for the top spot.

Not far behind him, Qing Wan stood alone, starkly out of place.

She wore her usual plain green robe, her frame slighter and frailer than most disciples around her.

Her cultivation was a meager Qi Refining sixth layer—a small step up from her recent grueling training, achieved by exhausting all the resources Shu Yue had secretly provided.

Compared to the surrounding disciples, most at least Qi Refining eighth or ninth layer, if not Foundation Building, she was woefully lacking.

The crowd’s gazes carried curiosity and unabashed whispers.

“Qi Refining sixth layer? She dares enter the Sky Ravine Trial?”

“Is Jinghong Peak so desperate? How could Elder Luyue let such a disciple disgrace them?”

“Probably just a sword-serving attendant, tagging along to drag others down.”

“Look at her—she looks like a gust could knock her over. Isn’t she just asking to die?”

Among Yaochi Immortal Sect’s disciples, Liu Qingxu glanced at the solitary Qing Wan, her lips curling in undisguised scorn. In a deliberately audible tone, she said to a companion, “An ant dreaming of climbing the heavens—laughably overreaching.”

Chu Yi, hearing the murmurs, glanced back at Qing Wan, his expression conflicted.

He opened his mouth but only said, “Stay close to me. Don’t act alone.”

Qing Wan seemed deaf to the chatter and oblivious to Chu Yi.

Head slightly lowered, her gaze fixed on her worn shoe tips, her hands hung naturally by her sides, though her fingers curled faintly.

Her face was taut, lips pressed into a pale line, all emotions buried deep beneath an icy calm.

Only she knew that, beneath her wide sleeves, her fingers tightly clutched a cold, hard object—a talisman she’d found that morning at the ravine’s entrance.

Unlike any attack or defense talisman she’d seen, its intricate, ancient runes pulsed with subtle spatial fluctuations and… a faint, unmistakable cold sword intent.

A minor teleportation talisman.

A high-grade spirit talisman, capable of instant escape in a critical moment!

It couldn’t have appeared by chance.

Its source was obvious.

In that moment, staring at the talisman, her heart ached and soured, her breath catching.

Why?

A slap followed by a sweet?

If she was being sent to die, why bother leaving her this lifeline?

Was it pity? Charity? Or… a fleeting, insignificant trace of… reluctance?

She nearly threw the talisman to the ground!

But in the end, she bit her lip, gripped it tightly, and tucked it away.

She didn’t need charity.

Nor that wavering, cheap reluctance.

This “favor,” she’d remember.

On the high platform, elders from each peak stood in attendance.

Shu Yue, in white robes, cold and solitary, stood among the other profound-aura elders.

Her calm gaze swept the plaza below, pausing briefly on Jinghong Peak’s group, on that frail, lonely figure, before shifting away as if it were a casual glance.

‘She must have taken the talisman… but with her temperament, will she refuse to use it out of spite?’

‘…No matter. The path is her choice.’

She forced her heart to harden.

This was the best approach she could devise—removing Qing Wan from the storm’s center while giving her a chance to grow. As for danger… the path of cultivation was always against the heavens.

Nearby, the jovial Elder Yuheng fanned himself, leaning in with a teasing whisper. “Tch, Junior Sister Luyue, your Jinghong Peak truly… embraces all talents, doesn’t it?

Sending a Qi Refining sixth layer to the Sky Ravine Trial—such a ‘tempering’ spirit! I’m impressed, truly.”

Shu Yue didn’t blink, her voice icy. “If Senior Brother Yuheng has any useless disciples, they’re welcome to temper themselves too.”

Yuheng choked, giving a faint smile, his eyes gleaming with deeper amusement, but he said no more.

Elder Qingxu began announcing the trial’s rules, his gentle voice carrying across the plaza. “…The Wind Eye Secret Realm’s entrance is unstable, shifting each time. Its terrain is complex, filled with beasts and treacherous spatial rifts… The trial lasts one month, ranked by the quantity and quality of wind crystal stones collected. But disciples must aid one another, not fight maliciously. Safety comes first…”

With his command, disciples began boarding the cloud boats.

Qing Wan trailed at the end, stepping onto the deck.

Just before entering the cabin, she glanced back at the high platform.

Across the vast distance and crowd, her gaze locked precisely onto those cold eyes.

Shu Yue hadn’t expected the sudden look. Their eyes met, and she instinctively wanted to look away but held her ground, her face expressionless, as if staring at a stranger.

Qing Wan’s heart felt pierced by that icy gaze, a sharp pain flaring. She turned away swiftly, not lingering a second longer, her frail back rigid with resolve as she stepped into the cabin’s shadows.

‘Good… let it be.’

The cloud boats roared, piercing the clouds, speeding toward the distant horizon.

The crowd dispersed.

Shu Yue stood alone, gazing where the boats vanished, unmoving for a long time.

‘…Come back alive.’

At the Wind Eye Secret Realm’s entrance, a massive cyan vortex spun, connecting heaven and earth, radiating heart-pounding spatial fluctuations.

Under the elders’ protection, disciples entered the vortex one by one.

Chu Yi took a deep breath, turning to Qing Wan with a final, “Hold onto me,” before leaping in.

Qing Wan followed.

A dizzying whirl engulfed her.

Biting her lip, she fought to stay conscious, circulating her meager spiritual energy to shield herself.

After an unknown time, her feet found solid ground, the disorienting force vanishing.

She stumbled but steadied herself, finding herself in a strange, dimly lit world.

The sky was a murky cyan, howling winds kicking up sand and stones, wailing like wolves.

Jagged rocks and twisted, dead trees surrounded her, the air thick with danger.

And she was alone.

The random spatial transfer had separated her from Chu Yi.

Good.

Qing Wan inhaled the gritty, cold air, forcing herself to calm.

She scanned her surroundings warily, gripping her iron sword tightly.

The true trial had begun.

No allies, no retreat.

Only herself and this sword.

She chose a canyon where the winds seemed weaker and moved forward cautiously.

Her senses were on high alert, catching every subtle shift in the wind.

Not far in, a low growl came from behind a rock, followed by a foul gust!

Three calf-sized “Wind Howl Wolves,” their fur like steel needles and fangs bared, lunged at her, their green eyes locked on the lone “prey”!

Late Qi Refining beasts—and three at once!

The old Qing Wan might have been doomed.

But now, her eyes were only cold.

Her days in the ravine had faced not just harsh conditions but occasional low-tier beasts drawn by spiritual energy.

She’d seen blood before.

Gripping her sword, she poured her nascent sword intent into the blade!

Instead of retreating, she advanced, sidestepping the first wolf, twisting her wrist, and thrusting her sword!

The move was clean, ruthless, aimed straight for the throat!

Splurch!

Blood sprayed!

The wolf, unprepared for this weak-looking human’s daring and precise strike, had its throat pierced, collapsing with a whimper!

The other two, enraged by their companion’s death, attacked more ferociously!

Qing Wan moved nimbly, dodging in the gale. The Silent Heart Sword Art honed not just intent but control and efficiency in extreme conditions.

Her sword struck with precision, aiming for speed and minimal effort!

Swish! Swish!

Two sharp sword flashes!

One wolf was blinded, howling and crashing wildly, while the other was lured into a rocky area, where she used the terrain to pierce its softer belly!

The fight ended quickly.

Qing Wan panted slightly, staring at the three wolf corpses, her sword hand steady as stone.

Her sleeve was torn by a claw, her arm scratched, but she felt nothing.

Crouching, she skillfully carved out the wolves’ valuable cores and pelts, storing them.

Standing, she looked deeper into the secret realm.

Qi Refining sixth layer, alone—so what?

She gripped her sword and stepped toward the h

owling depths of the secret realm.

Her trial had just begun.

And her transformation was unstoppable.