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Everyone frowned at the trial's objective. That they—the Qing Clan's greatest young geniuses—would risk their lives for mere mortals was…
Qing Tanwei asked directly, a trace of perplexity in her eyes.
"Young Master—are these children special in some way? Perhaps children of powerful figures? Otherwise, I don't understand why we must risk our lives to save them. I don't mean to sound cruel—but I truly don't wish to die for simple mortals…"
The others nodded. Though Qing Tanwei's words might sound harsh, they were truthful. None of them wished to become righteous heroes. They sought immortality. Though none aimed to become heartless villains either, saving strangers certainly wasn't part of their plans.
Only Qing Xuanling showed little emotion beyond regarding the Young Master with curiosity.
The Young Master smiled faintly at their genuinely confused expressions. "Do you all feel the same? Don't worry—I don't disagree with Young Miss Tanwei. In fact, your lives are worth thousands of times more than those mortals'."
Only then did Qing Xuanling's teammates relax. It was well known the Young Master possessed a kind heart—especially toward mortals. None wished to earn his disapproval for a comment.
Qing Rannuan nodded. "Sister Tanwei is correct. Unless these mortals possess something special, sending us to rescue them seems misguided. I don't mean to be arrogant—but objectively speaking, we're currently among the clan's most important assets. It would be disastrous if some of us died."
She spoke with complete sincerity. Since youth, she'd possessed remarkable clarity in seeing things as they were. From the clan's perspective, she believed this trial was undoubtedly inappropriate.
The Young Master nodded calmly—unsurprised by Qing Rannuan's words. He slowly scanned the others' faces, all nodding in agreement with Qing Rannuan's view.
He felt no disappointment. This was what he'd expected. But when his gaze finally settled on Qing Xuanling, he was slightly surprised. She appeared expressionless—neither agreeing nor disagreeing with Qing Rannuan.
Noticing his attention, Qing Xuanling cleared her throat under her companions' surprised gazes.
"I don't wish to contradict my teammates—but I don't believe this trial is unnecessary." Qing Xuanling offered an apologetic smile to the others. "Though the trial's ultimate goal is saving those children, we're not limited to only that. We can seize the opportunity to plunder items from the clandestine auction."
"But above all—I want to save those children. It may be dangerous—but I believe it's worthwhile. I don't want to imagine the conditions those children endure in the hands of cultivators participating in such auctions…"
Qing Xuanling's brow furrowed. She still vividly recalled what happened in that mortal village—how Zi Moyan used that demonic technique transforming children into puppets who remained conscious, forced to suffer the agony of devouring their own relatives.
Though it sounded foolish after repeating it so often—she truly didn't wish to become a hero or saint. But was she truly supposed to remain indifferent at the possibility of so many children suffering similar torment?
In her view, subjecting children to such things simply defied heaven's will.
Everyone regarded Qing Xuanling with surprise. After a month of knowing one another, each had formed an idea of the others' personalities. If asked to describe Qing Xuanling in one word, all would say: Extreme.
A person willing to endure hell itself merely to grow stronger. None expected such words from someone like her.
The Young Master was especially surprised—though he concealed it well.
'What a strange girl. Both brutal and kind. Normally, people willing to harm themselves so severely merely for strength tend to be psychopaths or dangerously mentally unstable in society—but this girl seems to possess a moral compass superior to most in this barbaric cultivation world…'
The Young Master had thoroughly investigated Qing Xuanling—he was aware of her personality quirks and personal evaluations figures like Qing Huan held about her.
Thus, though he knew Qing Xuanling's personality leaned toward kindness due to her limited contact with cultivators in her life—he hadn't believed she'd truly be willing to risk her life for mere mortal children.
'There must be something I missed.' The Young Master sighed imperceptibly—but felt quite pleased inwardly. 'If a figure destined to become so important to the clan is this kind-hearted… changing the clan's mentality will be far easier in the future…'
However, Qing Xuanling herself didn't consider herself particularly kind.
'Truthfully, this is merely reinventing myself for failing to save that girl and her brother. More than kindness—it's simply that I can't bear facing a similar situation again and being as powerless as before… Yes—merely proving I'm better than before.'
She'd truly despise herself if she couldn't save a group of mortal children. Moreover, her words about plundering the clandestine auction weren't empty. In her view, the gains they might obtain would sufficiently compensate for the danger of rescuing the children.
The Young Master nearly burst into laughter upon sensing Qing Xuanling's tsundere thoughts merely by looking into her eyes. She was quite transparent. But he quickly composed himself and addressed the other youths—whose brows were furrowed after hearing Qing Xuanling's words.
"Children—I don't want you to think you're bad people or that your personalities align more with the emotionless path. It's natural to hesitate when your own lives are at stake. Your lives aren't cheap to the clan. On the contrary—I'm more concerned about Xuanling's willingness…"
He chuckled dryly before continuing.
"Not wanting to do this is natural. No one in the clan would agree. Even the elders strongly opposed giving you this trial. It was painful convincing them!"
Everyone except Qing Hanlin couldn't help but release a small sigh of relief. They'd begun feeling a bitter sensation in their chests from Qing Xuanling's words and the Young Master's nearly imperceptible satisfaction.
All deeply admired the Young Master—almost as an idol. Thus, seeing him agree with Qing Xuanling made them wonder if they were the strange ones. Perhaps even somewhat despicable.
Now more relaxed, all partially accepted they'd undertake this mission. Just as Qing Xuanling said—they also had the possibility of gaining profits from the clandestine auction. Now they grew curious about something else.
Qing Huayan—the youngest and least reluctant about saving the children—tilted her head and asked, "Why did you go to such lengths to have us undertake this trial? Is it truly worth enduring such difficulties for mere mortals? After all—they rarely live beyond sixty years. I don't believe dying now versus later makes much difference."
Qing Xuanling grew thoughtful. Qing Huayan's question was quite difficult to answer. Though she was willing to risk herself to save those children, she didn't know if it was worth it. She wasn't doing it because it was worthwhile—she was doing it because she wanted to.
The tear-streaked face of that girl being cruelly devoured by her younger brother remained vivid in her mind. In her view, such scenes shouldn't exist in this world. But that didn't answer Qing Huayan's question.
Was it worthwhile for cultivators like them to risk their lives for strangers who wouldn't live long anyway?
She, at least, couldn't answer that question. So she couldn't help but regard the Young Master curiously.
"Worthwhile?" He chuckled softly, his eyes curving into crescents. "This might sound strange to you—but I believe every life is inherently valuable. What we do may increase or decrease our value—but at least at the moment of birth, we are already valuable."
"This value has nothing to do with whether someone cultivates or not—it's about how we positively or negatively affect others' lives. A mortal possesses the possibility of positively affecting others' lives. So if you ask me to answer your question, Huayan—I'd say yes. It is worthwhile saving those children's lives. Perhaps they'll show us remarkable change—or perhaps not. But that possibility alone is valuable in itself."
The Young Master's words caused everyone's expressions to shift slightly. They'd never heard thoughts similar to the Young Master's from any other cultivator. Though somewhat idealistic—they also made profound sense.
Stories of great cultivators born from simple mortals, or powerful figures saved by mortals, weren't unknown in this world. Thinking this way—mortals undoubtedly possessed certain value.
"This trial—beyond testing how well you move among people—is also for you to see more of the world." The Young Master sighed. "People like us, living within immortal clans or sects, don't know how those at the world's lowest rungs truly live."
"I'm not asking you to become saints wishing to save everyone—that would be disastrous." The Young Master smiled. "What I want with this trial is for you to witness what others—who laugh and cry just like you—experience simply because those in power cannot see their true value."
"Thus—with luck—after completing this trial, if you ever have the opportunity to save people who still possess certain value in the future… save them. Regardless of whether they're mortals or not—as long as it doesn't endanger your lives."
All wore thoughtful expressions. The Young Master's thoughts differed greatly from what they usually heard from cultivators. After all—it was common knowledge that cultivation was a solitary, selfish path.
The Young Master's words contradicted the cultivation world's common sense. Yet simultaneously—they were attractive thoughts to these youths… After all, they were still children. Still at the age where doing good deeds appealed to them.
Qing Xuanling especially contemplated the Young Master's perspective seriously. These were things she'd never considered before—but they resonated deeply within her. She'd never looked down on mortals to begin with—so she easily accepted the Young Master's thoughts.
'A person's value is determined by the positive or negative change they create in others… Yes—in that sense, those two mortal children possessed great value. They changed me considerably.'
She hadn't forgotten that the first conviction she'd held since birth was forged because of those two children. The change they produced in her was by no means small.
The Young Master felt satisfaction seeing the contemplative looks on everyone's faces and continued explaining the trial's details.
"Beyond saving those mortal children—part of the trial is locating the clandestine auction, which will be held in six nights. It's an event protected by the Ink Sword Sect—so be cautious. Those bastards have already revealed their true faces—they won't hesitate to attack you if they discover you're from the Qing Clan."
With that said, the Young Master dismissed them all. How they'd carry out the mission depended entirely on them.
As they exited the auditorium, Qing Xunwei suddenly approached Qing Xuanling.
"Why do you seem so willing to save mortals? They're inferior humans—logically speaking." Qing Xunwei's expressionless face appeared genuinely curious despite her sharp words. "I hold nothing against mortals—but humans lacking even the capacity to cultivate don't seem valuable enough to save."
Qing Xuanling and Qing Wentian frowned. Both came from the clan's mortal zone—they'd lived alongside mortals for years. Though Qing Wentian doubted whether saving a few mortals was worthwhile given their group's immense value to the clan, he didn't look down on mortals.
Let alone Qing Xuanling. Having never lived much among clan mortal members, she still held vivid memories of mortals who'd cared for her in childhood. The kindest people she remembered were mortals.
She instinctively wanted to harshly rebuke Qing Xunwei's unpleasant words—but upon seeing her eyes—devoid of disdain yet filled with genuine curiosity—she realized something.
'She doesn't look down on them intentionally—she merely spoke her sincere thoughts. Nor is she entirely wrong. Compared to us—mortals might indeed seem inferior humans—but…'
Qing Xuanling shrugged.
"It's not that I'm especially willing—it's simply something I want to do. And if I want to do something—no matter how difficult—I'll accomplish it somehow." She paused, considering her words, then continued. "As for why I want to do it… Well—I suppose it's because mortals don't feel so different from us. They can laugh, cry, and do many other things. Above all—I dislike the idea of a child being tortured. If it's something I can prevent—I will."
The rest of the team wore thoughtful expressions upon hearing Qing Xuanling's words.
Qing Huayan regarded Qing Xuanling with slight surprise. "You're kinder than you appear, Ninth Sister. For someone so extreme—I never imagined you'd be someone who thinks so much about unknown children's wellbeing."
Qing Xuanling smiled wryly. Since their group had undergone individual training sessions to gauge each other's strength, the others could no longer view Qing Xuanling the same way. She was simply too bloodthirsty.
None imagined someone like her would worry about children…
The slight dissatisfaction in the others' hearts vanished. Earlier, they'd believed Qing Xuanling had merely said those things to curry favor with the Young Master—but now they saw she truly believed everything she'd said.
"Well—thinking about it… it is unpleasant imagining a group of children locked in a cell with tear-filled eyes while we do nothing!" Qing Muyu laughed. "Thinking this way—my reluctance completely disappeared."
Qing Huayan's eyes gleamed cunningly. "Besides—as the Young Master said—since we're saving those mortals anyway, we should consider what good we might gain! Ninth Sister's idea isn't bad—we can steal several items from the clandestine auction!"
"Sixth Sister—what are you saying?!" Qing Wentian suddenly adopted a dignified expression. "We're merely confiscating suspicious items! Most items at clandestine auctions must be illegal—endangering public safety! We're performing a good deed by confiscating them!"
Everyone laughed heartily. Their earlier reluctance toward the trial had completely vanished. Qing Xuanling felt much better for it. She would've felt quite uncomfortable if her recent "friends" continued resisting the idea of saving mortals.
She'd witnessed how some cultivators treated mortals—and she truly didn't wish to be friends with such people. Qing Chu was a clear example.
"But how will we find the clandestine auction?" Qing Xuanling suddenly asked. "I think it's quite obvious—but I don't believe finding something clandestine will be very simple…"
Everyone fell silent at this…
Qing Xixi—one of the twins who normally remained quiet—suddenly spoke. "Can't we simply go to the city's eastern district and investigate? The auction is protected by the Ink Sword Sect—so we should be able to discover its location by investigating their territory."
Qing Xuanling's eyes lit up. Ziyu City was divided into three territories controlled by the city's three supreme powers: the Qing Clan, Mo Clan, and Ink Sword Sect. And as Qing Xixi said—they should be able to discover something by investigating the Ink Sword Sect's zone.
Qing Muyu slung an arm around Qing Xixi's neck with a smile. "I knew that little head of yours was quite clever! Everyone—let's go! We have work to do!"
The group exited the city—slightly excited. Most of them—if not nearly all except Qing Xuanling and Qing Wentian—had never ventured into the city alone!
It was natural they'd be excited!
Qing Xuanling observed the excitement on their faces and wondered slightly how this mission would turn out…