For the next ten days or so, the various sects finally arrived at the Wan Ku Ridge. After an overnight discussion amongst the major factions, they decided to commence operations to clear the demonic beasts from the caverns within the ridge.

Inside the massive main tent of the Azure Elixir Sect’s encampment, dozens of cultivators, dressed in the sect’s white, blue, and green robes, were seated or standing. The atmosphere within the entire pavilion was grim, utterly silent.

Occupying the central seat at the head of the main tent was naturally the Azure Elixir Sect’s Master, Wu Ruiyang. His expression was solemn, revealing no trace of emotion. Flanking him on either side sat two Vice-Masters and several white-robed Elders; these individuals either had their eyes closed or were calmly sipping tea, wearing faint smiles.

Standing below them were over thirty green-robed disciples, their faces etched with apprehension and confusion. These green-robed disciples generally possessed modest cultivation levels; a few were even stuck at the seventh layer of the Qi Refining stage. Their weapons were somewhat subpar, mostly low-grade spiritual artifacts, and most of them appeared somewhat down-on-their-luck, seemingly lacking in personal wealth.

Also present were seven blue-robed core disciples, carrying a distinct air of arrogance, looking around with ease and self-possession.

These seven blue-robed disciples were the true crème de la crème among the Qi Refining disciples participating in this cavern trial for the Azure Elixir Sect—the core of the core. This group included Wu Ruiyang’s third son, Wu Hao; Vice-Master Xu’s second son, Xu Feng; and the Great Elder Yan’s fifth daughter, Yan Xuan. Any single one of them was capable of commanding the attention and presence of the ordinary disciples of the Azure Elixir Sect.

These favored disciples were not merely nurtured from birth; their development began even before they left the womb, involving the use of spiritual elixirs for prenatal conditioning. As long as they possessed spiritual roots—even the faintest potential—by the time they were born, before they could even fully understand anything, they already possessed cultivation approaching the first layer of the Qi Refining stage. Subsequently, supported by medicinal herbs and elixirs, they would consume one or two pills every few days, absorbing their essence slowly. Although their spiritual roots were merely average, not significantly superior to others, the speed of their cultivation advancement reached astonishing heights. Reaching the ninth layer of the Qi Refining stage by their twenties or early thirties was practically effortless. If their spiritual roots were slightly better, they could reach the ninth layer before they were even teenagers, still quite immature, with one foot already poised on the threshold of the Foundation Establishment stage.

Such expensive cultivation, sparing no cost, consumed vast quantities of spiritual herbs and materials, enough to bankrupt a mid-sized immortal cultivation family.

However, for the high-ranking officials of the Azure Elixir Sect—the Sect Master, Vice-Masters, and the powerful Great Elders—cultivating a few Qi Refining ninth-layer cultivators using spiritual resources was a routine affair. The medicinal gardens within the sect’s mountain gate could grow spirit herbs, and each of these high-ranking members possessed a substantial plot of prime medicinal land. It would be a waste not to utilize it; growing herbs for a few decades yielded an abundance of spiritual flora. After reserving what they needed for their own advancement, the remainder was more than enough to distribute to these offspring.

Ye Qin stood towards the rear among the group of over thirty green-robed disciples, his brow deeply furrowed, head slightly bowed, lost in intense contemplation.

He was genuinely puzzled and unable to comprehend the situation. He had remained within the encampment these past few days without incident. But today, for some unknown reason, a green-robed attendant disciple had rushed over to summon him personally by the Sect Master’s order. As for the purpose, he had no idea, nor did the attendant disciple himself seem to know.

A sudden summons was highly peculiar.

This immediately put Ye Qin on high alert.

Even before registering for this cavern trial, Ye Qin had developed some vague contingency plans for self-preservation.

The Azure Elixir Sect had about six to seven hundred high-level Qi Refining disciples participating in the cavern trial. Blending in among this crowd, staying cautious, avoiding glory-seeking, and maintaining an extremely low profile, he figured his chances of survival were relatively good; the risk of losing his life in the trial wasn't excessively high. Furthermore, on the way here, he had managed to seize the Profound Yin Sword from Zhao Qiankun, acquiring a vital artifact that could save his life at a crucial moment. This bolstered Ye Qin’s confidence in his ability to protect himself.

Upon arriving at the encampment and seeing large clusters of green-robed and blue-robed disciples anxiously awaiting the cavern trial, he felt even more secure. With so many people, as long as he played it safe and didn’t act foolishly, death wouldn't easily find him amidst the chaos. His plan was simply to enter the cavern with the crowd, seek opportunities to gather spirit stones, and nothing more.

But the Sect Master’s sudden summons caught Ye Qin completely off guard. Logically, for an insignificant and nameless green-robed disciple like him, lost among six or seven hundred trial participants, there was virtually no chance of ever entering the Sect Master’s sight.

Yet, this bizarre event had actually transpired.

When he first received the news, Ye Qin even had a brief, chilling thought: perhaps there was a mishap during the elimination of Zhao Qiankun, and someone had discovered it and reported it to the Sect Master? Or perhaps it related to Senior Uncle Zhao’s baseless suspicion of him three years prior, which had never truly dissipated. However, these possibilities seemed slim. If the matter concerned those issues, they would likely have dispatched a Senior Uncle directly to apprehend him, not simply sent a green-robed disciple to summon him.

Beyond those reasons, Ye Qin truly could not conceive of any other justification for the Master of the Azure Elixir Sect—one of the seven major immortal cultivation sects—to summon him.

Ye Qin entered the great tent burdened by a multitude of doubts.

When he discovered that dozens of other green-robed disciples had been summoned along with him, he felt a slight easing of tension. Gathering so many people clearly wasn't targeting him alone; it was likely for some unified purpose or a specific operation.

Upon closer inspection of the green-robed disciples, all appearing shabby, lacking spiritual artifacts, they represented the weakest cohort among those participating in the cavern trial. It was obvious that most of these disciples originated from rogue cultivation backgrounds, struggling within the sect, possessing little wealth, and naturally having slow cultivation progress after joining the sect.

Ye Qin’s expression immediately soured; his heart chilled considerably, sensing an ominous turn of events. What could the Sect Master possibly intend by suddenly gathering this smallest batch of the weakest disciples? The lowest-ranking disciples usually served only a few pitiful purposes—cannon fodder, bait, or assigned inconsequential chores. This was the most common deployment, applicable in both the common martial world and the cultivation sects.

However, before Ye Qin could settle on this grim conclusion, he soon saw the children of the Sect Master, Vice-Masters, and Great Elders, the blue-robed core disciples, filing into the tent as well, apparently meant to operate alongside these weakest green-robed members.

These handful of blue-robed core disciples certainly weren't being sent to die as cannon fodder or bait; they were undoubtedly meant to achieve something substantial to qualify for Foundation Establishment Pills. If they failed to produce results, the green-robed disciples would never accept them.

This left Ye Qin utterly bewildered, unable to decipher the intentions of the Sect Master and the various Senior Uncles. What exactly did they intend for this small contingent to accomplish?

Wu Ruiyang swept his gaze over the assembled blue and green-robed disciples. The few blue-robed disciples were offspring of the higher-ups, fiercely loyal to the sect, the best-trained elites. As for the green-robed disciples, despite their apprehension and astonishment, they stood silently, aligned neatly, maintaining strict order.

He couldn't help but nod slightly in satisfaction. At the very least, they were fit for deployment in executing a mission.

Sect Master Wu glanced towards the two Vice-Masters and several Elders; they all returned approving nods to the Sect Master, indicating their satisfaction and that the plan was viable.

Seeing that his martial brothers concurred, Sect Master Wu cleared his throat softly and announced, "All of you are outstanding elite disciples of the Azure Elixir Sect, participating in this Wan Ku Ridge cavern trial for the foundation of our sect for the next several hundred years. The dangers inherent in this cavern trial are self-evident."

Ye Qin muttered inwardly, Isn't this clearly talking nonsense? When did this group ever become the elite of the Azure Elixir Sect? The Sect Master probably hasn't even seen any single one of us before.

He dared not let his mind wander, listening intently to every word the Sect Master spoke, analyzing the hidden meanings within.

Sect Master Wu, following standard procedure, smoothly delivered a lengthy platitude, elaborating extensively on the profound significance of this cavern trial, before finally arriving at the true objective:

"The mine tunnels of Wan Ku Ridge were left behind thousands of years ago and have been occupied by demonic beasts for millennia. Currently, almost all immortal cultivation sects are completely ignorant of the conditions inside. Before dispatching large numbers of disciples into the mine to purge the beasts, small scout teams must first infiltrate the caverns to assess the situation."

"You people have been meticulously selected as the vanguard by this Sect Master and the Elders. You will enter the caverns first to survey the distribution of the demonic beasts and map out the internal conditions of the tunnels. The most crucial task is to locate the scroll titled Topographical Map of the Wan Ku Ridge Mine Paths. Thousands of years ago, over thirty immortal cultivation sects were mining spirit stones here, and every sect kept specialized topographical maps for mining convenience. Such maps were typically carried by the mine supervisors. They would painstakingly chart every new tunnel dug by the miners onto the map. Because the beast tide arrived too suddenly and without warning, these mine supervisors all perished within the caverns without exception. These map scrolls hold immense value; finding them is the only way to understand precisely what transpired over these thousands of years."

"There are approximately thirty or more such map scrolls."

"The caverns are too restricted to send all participating disciples in at once. We can only dispatch this select group, our sect's finest elites, to venture into the caverns at great risk to investigate the situation and then return to report to our Senior Uncles."

"Naturally, the sect will never forget your willingness to venture into these caverns and make such a sacrifice. As compensation, the rewards will be substantial. Anyone participating in this operation will receive ten high-grade Qi Refining pills. Upon successfully mapping the cavern conditions, each person will be rewarded with one mid-grade spiritual artifact."

Sect Master Wu finished speaking in a measured tone.

"And should you locate the schematics, one Foundation Establishment Pill will absolutely be guaranteed."

The scores of green-robed disciples, who had lowered their heads in dejection at being chosen for the scout mission, suddenly lifted their heads, their eyes blazing with excitement. The Foundation Establishment Pill—wasn't that the very reason they participated in this cavern trial? With a Foundation Establishment Pill, even if they had only a one-in-ten or one-in-a-hundred chance of breaking through to Foundation Establishment, they could instantly ascend to become core disciples, wiping away years or decades of obscurity within the sect, gaining treatment they dared not even dream of before. They would gladly die for it.

The other seven blue-robed disciples, upon hearing Sect Master Wu’s words, showed no reaction, merely sneering coldly. (To be continued. For future developments, please log on to www**, more chapters available, support the author, support genuine reading!) First published