"An Tong, seal everyone's memories of the third trial," said Yun Jin.
She didn't want Duan Yiwei to know she had seen those scenes. Otherwise, it might alert the snake by scaring the grass. As for the others, it was just to cover her tracks, preventing Duan Yiwei from realizing she had singled him out.
An Tong responded with ease. For him, this was a trivial task.
To Yun Jin's relief, aside from the Qingxiao Pavilion disciples, most Holy Land cultivators still chose to eliminate the demon race. A few hesitated, but none acted as deranged as Qingxiao Pavilion.
This outcome was better than Yun Jin had expected.
On the Heart Testing Ladder.
Duan Yiwei stumbled slightly, his mind still reeling. He desperately tried to recall if he had done anything inappropriate. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember a thing.
The memories of that trial had been sealed.
That only made Duan Yiwei more uneasy.
The group emerged from the Heart Testing Ladder almost at the same time.
Duan Yiwei didn't care about the others. He immediately asked the other Qingxiao Pavilion members about their experiences.
Once everyone confirmed that they had no memory of the third trial either, he finally relaxed a little. It seemed it wasn't targeted solely at him—perhaps it was just how the third trial worked.
Up ahead, Yun Jin stood smiling. "Welcome, everyone, to the end of the Heart Testing Ladder."
Duan Yiwei's expression shifted. He couldn't help but ask, "Why did you arrive before us?"
Yun Jin raised a brow. "This is the Wushuang Sect. As the host, isn't it perfectly natural for me to arrive ahead of you? Now, each of you may approach the Heart Testing to view your evaluation."
Jin Yu was the most curious and rushed forward.
The Heart Testing displayed a single line:
"Pure-hearted and full of passion. In future journeys, be sure to travel with companions."
The disciples of the Kunlun Sword Sect burst into laughter. Although outsiders often stereotyped sword cultivators, Jin Yu seemed to embody every one of those clichés.
Still, the Heart Testing Mirror's assessment was surprisingly fitting.
"What a useless mirror," Jin Yu muttered, stepping aside in mild frustration.
Fortunately, the other Kunlun Sword Sect disciples proved that sword cultivators weren't all brawn and no brain. Two even received evaluations praising their wisdom.
The pair walked past Jin Yu repeatedly with smug pride, leaving him thoroughly exasperated.
Ye Liuqin and Cheng Su also received their evaluations.
Hers read: "Acts with foresight."
And: "Graceful in every move."
The two pondered over their results, unable to tell if they were good or bad.
Finally, it was the Qingxiao Pavilion group's turn.
For some reason, all five of them appeared tense.
Duan Yiwei said, "This stupid mirror is meaningless. No need to look. Let's move to the next trial."
The other disciples nodded in agreement.
Though they had no memory of the third trial, they remembered the first two clearly. They knew exactly what those two had done.
There was no way they had the courage to look at their own evaluations now.
Yun Jin smiled but didn't push the matter. "Since the senior brothers and sisters of Qingxiao Pavilion would rather not check their evaluations, then so be it. Let's proceed to the next area."
Just like that, she let it go.
Duan Yiwei felt a flicker of doubt and suspicion.
What medicine was Yun Jin hiding in her gourd?
His expression kept shifting.
The Heart Testing Ladder was a treasure of the Wushuang Sect.
Yun Jin claimed to be the master of Wushuang Sect. She had also exited the ladder ahead of them. Was it possible... she had seen what happened during the trial?
A wave of unease surged in Duan Yiwei's chest.
The first two trials weren't the issue.
But what about that third trial, the one they had no memory of?
What exactly had Yun Jin seen?
This couldn't go on.
She had to be eliminated.
Duan Yiwei's hand clenched into a tight fist. He had a strong premonition. If he didn't get rid of Yun Jin soon, it would spell disaster.
Yun Jin showed no sign of noticing Duan Yiwei's hostility. She led the group forward.
Before long, a grand, imposing gate appeared in front of them.
On the gate, the three characters for "Wushuang Sect" gleamed brilliantly.
"Tsk, tsk. The master even moved the gate here," came the voice of the Tian Po Sword in Yun Jin's mind. "Young Master, this gate is a spirit treasure—its name is the Dao-Comprehension Gate. The characters 'Wushuang Sect' were personally written by the first sect master. Legend has it that those three words contain the secret to invincibility. Over the years, Wushuang Sect disciples have often tried to comprehend the mystery before the gate, but none have succeeded. The elders suspect the legend may just be a legend."
A secret to invincibility hidden in three characters?
Yun Jin looked up.
This extra-dimensional space also had a sun that rose and set like the real world.
As she tilted her head, the sunlight dazzled her eyes for a moment.
The three characters of "Wushuang Sect" glowed with golden light.
And beneath that glow, Yun Jin seemed to catch a fleeting glimpse of... something.
But it was too vague to make out.
She narrowed her eyes.
There really was something hidden in those three characters.
Maybe the rumors weren't just rumors.
But what was it? Was her cultivation too low? Or was her comprehension not enough?
"System," Yun Jin gave a command. "Scan the plaque."
The system began to operate.
Yun Jin braced herself, expecting the system to report some frightening Emotional Value cost.
But after a moment, the system replied:
[Host's cultivation is too low. Scan unavailable.]
Completely unavailable?
Until now, even things beyond her cultivation level could usually be scanned for a cost in Emotional Value.
But this time, there wasn't even an option.
Yun Jin blinked, stunned. Then she asked, "What cultivation is required to scan it?"
[Minimum required: Tribulation stage.]
Yun Jin gasped.
What in the world was this plaque?
Just scanning it required a minimum cultivation of the Tribulation stage?
She had only just entered the Nascent Soul stage. That was still a long way off. No wonder the Wushuang Sect had once stood unrivaled. Their foundation was astonishing. It made sense they didn't need to compete for Luck.
But that was the old Wushuang Sect.
The current Wushuang Sect was broke.
Which meant she had to fight for everything.
Muttering to herself, Yun Jin stepped through the massive gate first.
Seeing her take the lead, the others followed one by one.
The gate was magnificent, awe-inspiring, and filled with grandeur. It raised everyone's expectations for what the Wushuang Sect looked like.
But only a few steps later, they all froze.
What greeted them was... a few simple stone houses.
If they stood alone, the houses wouldn't seem out of place.
But compared to the majestic gate outside...
It was like two completely different worlds.
These stone houses were way too shabby.
In Yun Jin's mind, the Tian Po Sword cleared its throat awkwardly. "Young Master, the master set all this up alone. Having stone houses is already pretty good."
Yun Jin didn't mind. She stepped forward to take a closer look.
In front of one stone house stood a small, crude sign.
The calligraphy, however, was powerful and elegant, full of character.
The sign read: Treasure Pavilion.
Everyone's lips twitched.
This?
Treasure Pavilion?
Were they sure these humble stone huts held any real treasures?