Chapter 403: Unless You’re Willing to Turn Yourself into the Reward
“So, this trial on the Star Road is pretty much the same old climbing tower routine, huh? Wait, no — the Star Road itself is just an old piece of junk.”
Bai Feng sat inside his ring, observing the trials outside. It seemed like this trial was originally designed to motivate sect disciples, so the challenge was pretty straightforward: a total of ninety-nine segments, with each cleared segment offering a different reward. The earlier the segment, the more unimpressive — but if you could make it all the way to the end, you’d be recognized by the Immortals as their disciple.
Of course, now there were no more Immortals, so the top-tier reward had become an Immortal’s legacy.
In terms of rewards, this Star Road, borrowed from the Immortal Path, was basically a pirated version. It couldn’t directly lead to being an Immortal, but getting acknowledged as an apprentice still meant you were basically half in the Immortal realm.
But Bai Feng hadn’t bothered trying to pass the trial yet, because during the process he’d encounter other cultivators. Though the trial was independent — meaning he couldn’t interfere with others — he could still see them. No idea why the secret realm’s owner set it up that way. Anyway, once he found out this, he simply went back into his ring to rest.
After all, the biggest reward was already in his pocket. No point risking his neck for a few extra treasures.
Plus, he got the news from his little assistant: the secret realm was deeply tied to Cloud Immortal, and naturally, the Immortal’s legacy was Cloud Immortal’s legacy too. But he didn’t know how to refine pills, so what was the point in taking it?
“Say, Tian Yan, aren’t you going to give it a shot?”
He cast a glance at Tian Yan, who was squeezed onto a chair with him for cultivation, and asked somewhat helplessly.
“That reward’s useless to me,” Tian Yan shook her head and then looked up at Bai Feng. “Unless you’re willing to treat yourself as the prize — then I’d have some motivation.”
“…In that case, I guess you’re not the only one with motivation,” Bai Feng joked, then turned his gaze back to Bai Yu Mo and the others’ trials.
The first ten segments were pretty much a cakewalk. They even mowed down enemies without knowing what they looked like and just charged forward.
“Looks like after hitting around forty or fifty segments, the traps, puppets, and illusions will start to slow them down a bit.”
As for why they moved so quickly, aside from the weaker puppets and illusions in the early segments, it also related to their pre-trial agreement—since everyone wanted to wear the ring, after much discussion, they agreed that the person in front who could wear the ring would take the lead.
…
“The disciples we sent into the secret realm seem to be almost all dead,” said the Heavenly Mouse gloomily. “I told you those wastes couldn’t be trusted — we even wasted so many magic crystals on them!”
“It was just a move on the board,” Black Lotus slowly trimmed her nails, seemingly unimpressed.
“Hah, I wonder how you’re going to explain this to them!”
The Heavenly Mouse sneered. Since arriving in the Northern Region, Black Lotus had been restricting him at every turn. He was practically itching for her to slip up so he could demand some of his power back.
d*mn divine monarch! For a demonic organization, it was absurd that they still played by the rules. If it weren’t for him holding onto the divine monarch’s resources and benefits, he’d have run off on his own long ago, never suffering here.
“You don’t need to worry about that,” Black Lotus examined her nails with a satisfied smile.
Seeing her so nonchalant, the Heavenly Mouse frowned — he really wanted to punch her, see if she’d still keep pretending.
“So you’re just going to sit there and watch? Don’t forget our mission.”
“Or what? We can’t even get into the secret realm,” Black Lotus stretched lazily. “Or are you planning to spar a few moves with the Heavenly Sword Sect’s sect master? That old guy is airtight — we can’t even get near him, let alone fight.”
“Actually, there’s a chance coming up. When that kid comes out of the secret realm, we can strike then — even the sect master of the Heavenly Sword Sect won’t be able to react in time.”
Black Lotus suddenly paused, eyeing the Heavenly Mouse with a slightly surprised look: “You have a little brain after all?”
The Heavenly Mouse’s expression grew darker, and just as he was about to retort, Black Lotus nodded in agreement:
“Fine, let’s do as you say. The sooner we get the target, the sooner we can go back.”
But this time, the Heavenly Mouse looked somewhat hesitant — how could Black Lotus agree so readily? He had already prepared to mock and rebut her, but she had simply nodded without a fuss. Felt like hitting a fluffy pillow with a fist.
Could there be a trap?
He instinctively wondered.
“Do you not want to go? Fine, I agree — I think that plan’s too risky anyway.”
“Who said I’m not going?” The Heavenly Mouse sneered coldly. “I’m just worried someone might pack up and run before we get there.”
Though he still thought Black Lotus’s reaction was strange, he didn’t back down. He was tired of being constantly restricted — as long as he could take down that little fellow, he could get back to the divine monarch’s high ranks.
Plus, even if things went sideways, all that would happen was an assassination failure and the Heavenly Sword Sect’s sect master chasing after him. With his skills, escaping wasn’t impossible.
“Let’s prepare in advance then.”
Black Lotus slowly stood up, different from the Heavenly Mouse’s idea. She didn’t think Bai Feng would be so easy to k*ll. From her past experiences, this guy was incredibly lucky — not someone so easily taken out.
As for why she agreed… just to find someone to ‘test the waters’. If she could k*ll him, great. If not, she’d at least learn more about him and prepare for next time.
And so, these scheming duo pushed their plans forward.
…
“Sure enough, pirated Immortal Path — the last few trials aren’t for the faint of heart.”
Bai Feng watched the Star Road’s trials. Few cultivators could make it past ninety segments, and Bai Yu Mo was among them.
As a person with celestial bones, plus practicing Body Refinement, her strength was far superior to Yun Yue Yao and Zuo Qiu. She was now the furthest along, standing at the 98th trial segment.
And her current trial was facing the phantom of a genius from the Immortal Era — the first time Bai Feng saw someone whose swordsmanship matched Bai Yu Mo’s.
He stared at the phantom for a while, trying to imagine himself in Bai Yu Mo’s position — if it were him, he’d probably lose in three moves just relying on swordplay. Even with other techniques beyond formation plates, he guessed it’d be a fifty-fifty fight at best.
“Huh? Lin Yan’s also made it to the 98th segment?”
At that moment, Bai Feng noticed a new figure appearing on the 98th segment. Not too surprising — it seemed Lin Yan had gained quite a haul in the secret realm; her flames had grown stronger, and the fire lotus she fused was mighty. Not just in the Transformation God Stage — her fire lotus could even hurt weak Refinement Stage cultivators.
But her opponent was no longer a sword user — it was a fiery cultivator, exceedingly skilled with flames.
“Could it be that this segment summons illusions based on the intruder’s strongest domain?”
Bai Feng stroked his chin, curious about what kind of enemies might appear if he entered the 98th trial himself.
