Xuan led Ye Qin, Shen Bao, and two other outer disciples—four in total—to a small tent within the camp to make final preparations. She was not old, perhaps around seventeen, a year younger than Ye Qin, and carried an air of haughtiness typical of someone from the sect's elite, barely sparing the four outer disciples a second glance.

Yet, she handled matters with crisp efficiency, immediately instructing the four to lay out their weapons, gear, and any personal belongings for her inspection. This was also a way to gauge each person’s actual strength. The success or failure of this cave exploration mission directly determined the allocation of the Foundation Establishment Pills, a matter of great importance to her, so she dared not be careless.

Yan kept a close watch on Shen Bao.

Since Yan Xuan had designated him to take the vanguard, Shen Bao had worn a miserable expression, completely lacking spirit. “Here, Senior Sister Yan, this is everything I possess. One low-grade spirit saber, a Demon-Binding Rope, five low-grade spirit stones, and a small stack of talismans. Nothing else.” He showed the contents of his storage pouch briefly, then quickly stuffed them back.

Yan Xuan paid him no mind and turned to the other two outer disciples.

These two outer disciples had been notably silent from start to finish. They introduced themselves.

One was named Yun Zi, at the eighth level of the Qi Refining stage, a youth around thirty years old. His speech was exceedingly polite, cautious, and deferential, showing no arrogance.

The other was named Kong, at the ninth level of the Qi Refining stage, a gaunt old man of fifty-something, his hair grizzled white, who failed to state his given name. Whenever Yan Xuan asked a question, he would answer vaguely and hesitantly, dragging out his responses in a manner that was quite irritating.

After a few brief inquiries, Yan Xuan lost interest in them.

However, those simple questions made it clear why this Elder Kong was participating in this bloody and brutal cave trial.

Disciples of the Azure Pill Sect usually do not remain within the sect indefinitely. If they have no hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage before the age of sixty, and they do not hold any clerical positions within the sect, they are typically sent away—expelled from the sect proper.

Elder Kong was now fifty-something. He had spent a full two or three decades in the sect with virtually no status, firmly marking him as someone due for the cull. This trial in the Ten Thousand Withered Ridge cave was effectively his last chance.

If he failed to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill this time, he would have to seek out territory in another nation to take root, expanding the bloodline and heritage of the Azure Pill Sect. Disciples who left the sect this way, if their descendants managed to inherit even a sliver of the Azure Pill Sect’s true teachings, could find it easier to rejoin the sect later.

Both of these men were well-prepared. Each carried three or four low-to-mid-grade spiritual artifacts, a small stack of talismans, and over ten spirit stones were standard necessities. For high-level cultivators like them, who had milled around the sect for so long, possessing several decent mid-grade or higher spiritual artifacts was normal; not having them would be the anomaly.

Ye Qin was the last to present his items.

After some thought, he produced a mid-grade spiritual artifact, the Flame Saber, and a set of mid-grade defensive spiritual artifacts, the Fine Steel Shield. Although he had seized these from Zhao Qiankun, they were common market wares, used by many, so no one would suspect their origin. In addition, he had over ten low-grade talismans and seven or eight low-grade spirit stones.

Ye Qin estimated that he would certainly need to use these items once inside the cave, so there was no point in concealing them; they largely matched his current perceived strength.

As for the Flame Thorn Seeds, Frost Thorn Seeds, the low-grade magic tool Black Yin Sword, the high-grade spiritual artifact Bat King Wings, and the Flame Fruit Wine—Ye Qin kept these hidden. They were his trump cards, reserved for unforeseen emergencies.

These were what would truly keep him alive during the cave trial.

Moreover, Ye Qin was certain that Shen Bao, Zhang Yunzi, and Elder Kong had also kept personal secrets, unwilling to reveal their true killing moves for show.

As for Yan Xuan, she never intended to show her own possessions to the four outer disciples. She was the captain; as long as she knew what she had, that was enough. The outer disciples, who were essentially cannon fodder, did not need to know more.

Soon, the morning passed, the various squads had exchanged information, and preparations were complete.

At noon, Sect Leader Wu and several Martial Uncles and Martial Brothers at the Foundation Establishment stage finally emerged from the main camp tent. They summoned the seven squads departing first for the cave trial in the Ten Thousand Withered Ridge, along with the veiled young woman in white—a total of over forty disciples.

The initial departure would be personally led by Sect Leader Wu.

Wu Ruiyang patted the storage pouch at his waist, from which flew out a magic tool no larger than his palm—a small fan, which hovered in mid-air.

“Rise—!”

The Sect Leader pointed at the small fan and swept his hand toward the sky with a fierce shout.

The palm-sized fan shot upward, expanding rapidly against the wind. In an instant, it grew to a size of ten zhang in diameter, spinning in the sky, casting a vast shadow, and stirring up a powerful gale.

The giant fan appeared to be made of a material as pure and white as jade, shining brilliantly. The fan surface was adorned with numerous inscribed patterns and runes, depicting swirling mist and rolling clouds. These clouds suddenly morphed into lush green mountains and clear waters, then shifted in the blink of an eye to soaring rare birds and galloping spirit beasts tearing at each other.

Finally, they condensed into streams of vortexes before vanishing. All the changes on the painting captivated the gaze of every observer, as if the scene were a celestial paradise, compelling one to look closer.

The hundreds of outer disciples gathered nearby stared, slack-jawed. Many inner disciples who recognized the treasure gasped in hushed tones, “The Wind and Cloud Flowing Color Fan, a high-grade magic tool!” “That is the Sect Leader’s most potent magic artifact!”

“Onward! Follow me to the Ten Thousand Withered Ridge!”

At some unknown moment, Sect Leader Wu stood against the wind atop the very tip of the giant fan, his white robes billowing, exuding an unparalleled majesty and detachment. He coldly commanded the disciples below, jolting the stunned outer disciples back to reality.

All participating trial disciples swiftly leaped onto the Wind and Cloud Fan.

Ye Qin’s gaze was gradually drawn into the vortex of the Wind and Cloud Flowing Color Fan. He suddenly bit his lip so hard that a few drops of blood appeared. Only then did he startle awake, breaking free from the trance, only to realize he was drenched in a cold sweat.

The power of this magic artifact was too immense. In his initial shock, his spirit had been inadvertently ensnared.

Ye Qin dared not look again, thinking internally, Even if I used my Yin Sword and poured in my full spiritual power, it would, at most, expand to a little over a foot, perhaps two feet at most. The gap in power between me and Sect Leader Wu is immeasurable.

Normally, the size of a magic artifact was a symbol of its power. The larger the artifact, the more materials consumed, the more spiritual power required to wield it, and consequently, the more terrifying its resulting might.

A magical fan over ten zhang long like that one, a single swing could likely crush him, a ninth-level Qi Refining cultivator, into a pulp of meat.

Beneath his shock, Ye Qin felt for the first time the terrifying might of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

He was beginning to understand why so many cultivators in Immortal Fate City were driven mad, risking their lives to traverse the Spirit Mist Canyon just to find a way into a cultivation sect. It wasn't just for longevity; it was for that kind of strength that inspired awe. Any single Foundation Establishment cultivator was a figure worthy of profound reverence in Immortal Fate City.

For a moment, Qin sank into deep contemplation.

Since joining the Azure Pill Sect, he had focused solely on cultivation, seeking only to extend his lifespan, wishing not to die after living only eighty-odd years. His participation in this cave trial was motivated by the need to break through the bottleneck to Foundation Establishment quickly, lest he die obscurely at the ninth layer of the Sitting in Oblivion Scripture.

He had barely ever considered wealth, power, or women.

His desire had always been small and simple—merely to live.

It was for this minuscule desire that he had traveled from the backwater wilderness to Xiu County City for a bite of food, joining the Medicine King Gang’s Herb Gathering Hall. To live longer, he traveled thousands of miles from the Martial Kingdom to Immortal Fate City. And from Immortal Fate City, he came to the Azure Pill Sect.

Unknowingly, he had already reached the ninth layer of the Qi Refining stage. This cultivation level would qualify him as a top-tier immortal cultivator in Immortal Fate City and various kingdoms. Yet, within the Azure Pill Sect, within the Spirit Mist Mountain Range, he was still just an ant that could be casually crushed—snuffed out instantly, without even a chance to resist.

But even this small desire might be extinguished at any moment. If the sect elders decreed he should be cannon fodder, he had no choice but to brace himself and become that fodder. Considering wealth, power, or women now felt like an extravagant luxury.

“To live, and to never give anyone the chance to control my fate.”

Ye Qin’s eyes reddened slightly, blood vessels showing. His body trembled lightly as he stared fixedly at the ten-zhang-long giant fan hanging in mid-air, silently making a vow in his heart. He knew achieving this was incredibly, staggeringly difficult. In the cultivation world, only high-level cultivators possessed the qualification to control their own lives and dictate the fates of those at lower levels. Everyone else was merely common dust, living their entire lives under the shadow of the higher ranks.

But no matter how difficult, he had to try. After all, he only had this one life, and he cherished it dearly; he could not allow others to trample upon it carelessly. For this tiny aspiration, he needed greater strength.

Then, Ye Qin followed the stream of outer disciples and leaped onto the giant fan.

The other disciples, seeing the redness in his eyes, simply assumed he was overly excited and thought nothing more of it.

Sect Leader Wu carried more than ten inner and outer disciples, flying ahead to depart the Azure Pill Sect camp.

Subsequently, several Vice Sect Leaders and Elders revealed their own magic artifacts—be they sabers, swords, or staffs—which transformed into several-zhang-tall giants, carrying the remaining dozens of inner and outer disciples toward the Ten Thousand Withered Ridge.

The distance between the Azure Pill Sect camp and the Ten Thousand Withered Ridge was not far, about a hundred li. To prevent the Ten Thousand Withered Ridge from erupting in a tide of monstrous beasts, as it had thousands of years prior, which could overrun the sect’s camp, this safe buffer distance was maintained as a precaution.

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