Chu Xinghui stayed with Xie Liufeng for a few days.

The day before the entry trial, the Beiyue Sword Sect finally announced the details of the trial.

The trial for this session took place in a secret realm. The people from the Beiyue Sword Sect had released a batch of Qiong Yu Pearls into the secret realm, hidden in different locations. The participating cultivators had to hunt demon beasts or engage in exploration and puzzle-solving to obtain the pearls.

Those who collected sixty Qiong Yu Pearls within the ten days the secret realm was open would pass the trial and could join the sect. The top three disciples who collected the most Qiong Yu Pearls would also receive additional rewards.

On the day the trial began, Xie Liufeng specially came to see him off.

Chu Xinghui looked at the gathered cultivators not far away and said anxiously: “What if I don’t pass the trial this time?”

He was still worried about the worst-case scenario.

Xie Liufeng thought for a moment and replied: “It’s not a big deal. We can just move our home back.”

Chu Xinghui felt a little relieved and said to Xie Liufeng: “Then I’ll go now.”

“Go ahead,” Xie Liufeng nodded, then smiled and added: “I’ll be watching you from outside.”

Chu Xinghui said he was leaving, but still stood in place, staring at Xie Liufeng, unwilling to move.

Xie Liufeng teased him: “What’s the matter? Do you want to hug me today?”

Chu Xinghui shook his head.

Xie Liufeng thought he was being shy and made a pitiful face: “You’ve really grown up and become independent, not even giving me a hug.”

Before he could finish pretending to cry, he suddenly froze.

Chu Xinghui bumped into him and took the initiative to hug him.

The stunned expression on Xie Liufeng’s face disappeared, and he chuckled, gently stroking Chu Xinghui’s hair.

Chu Xinghui hugged him for a moment, then pushed him away with red ears, and said calmly: “You’re right, I’ve grown up and become independent, so today I’m the one hugging you.”

He thought for a moment, felt it lacked a bit of impact, and emphasized again: “From now on, I’ll always be the one hugging you.”

After saying that, without waiting for Xie Liufeng’s response, he quickly left.

Xie Liufeng watched his retreating figure and shook his head with a smile.

It seemed… he had indeed grown a bit taller.

*

The entry trial was just a selection process and didn’t require life-or-death battles. To ensure the safety of the participants, the secret realm used for the trial was not a wild and unexplored one, but rather a private secret realm of the Beiyue Sword Sect, stored in a spatial spiritual tool shaped like a pavilion.

At this moment, the spiritual tool had been placed in the square and would officially be activated as soon as the time arrived.

It was getting late, and most of the young cultivators who came to participate in the trial had already gathered. They were waiting in the designated area for the trial to begin.

Chu Xinghui looked around and spotted Ming Xiao at the edge of the field.

Ming Xiao had a higher rank and was surrounded by a group of senior disciples, looking serious as he observed the young cultivators participating in the trial. He exuded an air of seniority.

The two of them made eye contact, and Chu Xinghui nodded to his friend.

Ming Xiao immediately took a step back, sending a voice transmission and whispering: “No talking to me. I’m an official here today and cannot speak with the participants casually!”

Chu Xinghui: “…”

He hadn’t planned on speaking to Ming Xiao anyway.

He could only turn his gaze elsewhere.

Many cultivators were huddled together with familiar faces, discussing plans for working together in the secret realm.

The cultivators participating in the trial had a lot of autonomy inside the secret realm. If they wanted to, they could team up with friends they knew. However, since the Qiong Yu Pearls were limited in number, once they cooperated, they would need to decide who would take credit for the results.

But Chu Xinghui had no intention of forMing a team, so he didn’t pay much attention and simply waited for the secret realm to open.

As the trial was about to begin, a short young female cultivator also arrived on the scene.

It was Qin Suyun, whom he had seen not long ago.

When she saw Chu Xinghui, her gaze shifted.

She subtly walked over to Chu Xinghui, pretending to just notice him, and exclaimed: “What a coincidence, we meet again, Senior Brother!”

She didn’t specify who she was referring to, and since Chu Xinghui didn’t recognize her, he thought she wasn’t talking to him and didn’t pay attention.

Qin Suyun, unwilling to accept this, moved closer and directly called out: “Senior Brother, don’t you remember me?”

Chu Xinghui lowered his head, then saw her and casually greeted: “Miss Qin.”

He actually didn’t remember her name very well, only that she shared the same surname as Qin Yuwen, which gave him a bad impression.

Qin Suyun pretended not to notice his tone of detachment and took another step closer to Chu Xinghui.

Chu Xinghui immediately took a step back.

Her actions froze for a moment, but she continued her act from a distance. She began the conversation casually, frowning: “The content of this trial looks really difficult, and it’s exactly the kind of thing I’m not good at. I’m so weak, there’s no way I’ll pass this time. If only a strong senior brother would take me along…”

Chu Xinghui thought for a moment and sincerely gave her advice: “If you feel your strength isn’t enough, you can go back and practice for a few more years before coMing to join the sect, or you could choose a sect with less strict entry trials.”

Qin Suyun: “…”

It seemed like this person never understood hidden meanings.

She gritted her teeth and, with tears in her eyes, looked at Chu Xinghui, directly stating her intention: “Senior Brother, you’re so strong… Could you team up with me? Although my strength is lacking, I can help with things like serving tea, massaging, or fanning. I just need to reach the minimum passing standard, and I won’t drag you down or compete with you for points.”

Chu Xinghui looked at her in confusion: “Why would there be things like serving tea, massaging, and fanning during the trial?”

This person’s words were so strange.

Qin Suyun: “…”

Her face alternated between red and white, and, finally unable to bear the humiliation, she turned around and left.

After finishing his conversation with the stranger, Chu Xinghui continued to wait seriously for the trial to begin.

A soft, gentle laughter suddenly reached his ears.

Chu Xinghui turned his head toward the sound and saw a tall, handsome young man.

The young man wore a long green sword and a simple yet neat outfit. Though his clothes had little decoration, the few ornaments he wore were clearly of high quality, suggesting a wealthy background.

He had listened to the entire conversation between Chu Xinghui and Qin Suyun and teased: “That young female cultivator’s cultivation already reached the middle stage of Foundation Establishment at such a young age. With her strength, she shouldn’t have trouble passing the trial. It seems she taken a liking to you.”

Unfortunately, it seemed this handsome future fellow disciple was a bit of a fool, completely missing the woman’s hints.

Chu Xinghui furrowed his brow subtly.

This person seemed polite and well-mannered, but his tone made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Noticing that Chu Xinghui didn’t respond, the young man took the initiative to cup his hands and introduce himself: “My name is Xie Huai. May I ask, fellow Cultivator, what is your name?”

… Xie.

Chu Xinghui didn’t show much expression and calmly exchanged names with him.

Xie Huai stood next to him, looking around, and sighed: “This truly is the territory of the Beiyue Sword Sect. The spiritual energy here is several times denser than in the borderlands. No wonder my elders strongly encouraged me to come and apprentice here. This place really is heaven beyond heaven.”

Chu Xinghui glanced at him.

Sensing Chu Xinghui’s gaze, Xie Huai smiled awkwardly and explained: “Please don’t laugh. I was born into a declining immortal cultivation family and haven’t seen much of the world. This scenery must be quite common to you, Cultivator Chu?”

Chu Xinghui looked away and shook his head: “I come from the mortal realm.”

Xie Huai was stunned for a moment, then smiled: “In that case, we’re fated to meet. Perhaps, after passing the trial, we’ll be able to look out for each other.”

Chu Xinghui didn’t respond to his words and only said: “The trial is about to begin.”

Not far away, the formation under the spatial spiritual tool began to channel spiritual energy, and the small pavilion slowly rose and expanded to its full size.

The door in the center of the pavilion creaked open.

The disciples of the Beiyue Sword Sect handed out jade tokens to everyone. On the tokens was a simple map of the secret realm, which would show the locations of the Qiong Yu Pearls once they entered. If they encountered any dangers they couldn’t handle, they could crush the jade token to abort the trial. The teleportation array embedded in the jade token would send the holder out of the secret realm.

However, if they interrupted the trial without collecting enough Qiong Yu Pearls, they would be eliminated.

Chu Xinghui put away the jade token and blended into the crowd, preparing to enter.

Xie Huai walked beside him, heading toward the entrance of the secret realm.

Just before entering, Xie Huai suddenly spoke again: “I really hope I can pass the trial smoothly this time.”

Chu Xinghui spared him a glance.

Xie Huai smiled apologetically: “Sorry, did I disturb you?”

He then explained gently: “This trial is very important to me. Although my family, the Xie family, is on the decline, we once had several prominent figures. The renowned Sword Sovereign is a direct descendant of the Xie family. The reason I came to the Beiyue Sword Sect is to ask him to take me in. I’ve brought the Sword Sovereign’s token with me. If I pass the entry trial, I can ask him to accept me as his disciple.”

At this point, Xie Huai looked somewhat worried: “But I’ve heard that the Sword Sovereign is rarely at the sect. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to meet him this time.”

Chu Xinghui’s brow twitched.

*

The cultivators participating in the trial entered the secret realm one after another, and the square gradually emptied.

Up in the viewing platform, Xie Liufeng suddenly sneezed.

Xue Heng distanced himself from him with an expression of mild disgust: “If you’ve caught a cold, you should go lie down and rest.”

Xie Liufeng: “…”

He had never seen a high-level cultivator catch a cold before.

But now, he didn’t have time to argue with Xue Heng about this.

He turned his attention to the closed entrance of the secret realm.

He had a strange, ominous feeling.

 

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