After the second round of assessments, three more disciples were eliminated, including a senior brother whose cultivation had already reached Peak Layer 9 Qi Condensation. The remaining twelve disciples would participate in the final round of the "Secret Realm Exploration" assessment, competing for the final ten Foundation Establishment slots.
Returning to his courtyard, Ye Wuji sat cross-legged on the bed, recalling his experience in the Hall of Illusions. That "future self" who had killed the villagers, although merely an illusion, had left a deep impression on him. The path of immortal cultivation was long and perilous; if one blindly pursued power while forgetting their original aspiration, they would inevitably fall into the demonic path.
"I must keep my original aspiration firmly in mind," Ye Wuji warned himself silently. "No matter how high my cultivation becomes in the future, I must never forget the initial intent to protect my loved ones and the innocent."
Just as he was pondering, a knock came from outside the courtyard gate. Opening it, he saw Lin Tianyu.
"Junior Brother Wuji, sorry to disturb you." Lin Tianyu walked into the courtyard with a smile. "I heard you passed the temperament test. Congratulations!"
Ye Wuji hurriedly returned the bow. "Senior Brother Lin flatters me. You were first in the assessment, which is well-deserved."
Lin Tianyu waved a hand. "Those are just empty titles. I came today to remind you of the situation you might face in tomorrow's secret realm exploration."
"Please enlighten me, Senior Brother," Ye Wuji said respectfully.
Lin Tianyu sat down, his expression turning serious. "Tomorrow we will enter the 'Taiji Secret Realm', a small secret realm specifically used by the Qingyun Sect to test Foundation Establishment disciples. There are various mechanisms, traps, and Demonic Beasts in the secret realm, as well as competition from other disciples. It is extremely dangerous."
"I'm not too worried about mechanisms and traps," Ye Wuji mused, "but as for Demonic Beasts, dealing with them with my current cultivation would indeed be a bit strenuous."
Lin Tianyu nodded. "Indeed. Most Demonic Beasts in the secret realm are of the first and second ranks. With your Layer 7 Qi Condensation cultivation, dealing with a single first-rank Demonic Beast should not be a problem, but if you encounter a second-rank Demonic Beast or are swarmed by multiple beasts, it will be dangerous. Therefore, I propose that we travel together in the secret realm."
Ye Wuji was somewhat surprised. "Senior Brother is willing to team up with me?"
Lin Tianyu smiled. "Of course. Although the assessment has a competitive nature, we are first and foremost fellow sect brothers. Furthermore, over the past half-year, I have witnessed your talent and character, and I hold you in high regard. You possess the Chaos Spiritual Root, and I excel at swordsmanship; we complement each other perfectly."
Ye Wuji readily accepted. "Thank you for your kindness, Senior Brother. Wuji is willing to travel with you."
The two discussed in detail the possible situations and response strategies they might encounter in the secret realm, parting ways only late into the night. Ye Wuji packed the magical artifacts, medicinal pills, and talismans he would need for tomorrow, then sat in meditation to regulate his breathing, maintaining his best condition to welcome the final assessment.
On the third morning, the twelve advancing disciples gathered in front of the Qingyun Sect's teleportation array. Elder Xuanyang and several other elders in charge of the assessment were already waiting there.
"Fellow disciples, the final round of the assessment is about to begin," Elder Xuanyang announced loudly. "There are a total of ten 'Foundation Establishment Pills' in the Taiji Secret Realm. Disciples who obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill will be qualified to undergo Foundation Establishment. Although there are dangers in the secret realm, they are not fatal, so you need not worry excessively. The entrance to the secret realm will remain open for a day and a night, closing tomorrow morning. By then, regardless of whether you have obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill, you must leave the secret realm. Now, please step onto the teleportation array."
The twelve disciples stepped onto the teleportation array one by one. Ye Wuji and Lin Tianyu exchanged a glance, confirming their intention to cooperate.
"Teleportation begins!" Elder Xuanyang formed hand seals with both hands, and the teleportation array burst with brilliant light.
Ye Wuji felt his vision blur, and the surrounding scenery quickly shifted. When he could see clearly again, he found himself in a dense forest. In the distance, a towering mountain could be seen, its midsection shrouded in shifting clouds and mist.
This was the Taiji Secret Realm. The Spiritual Qi in the air was dense, several times higher than the outside world, with all kinds of exotic flowers and rare herbs scattered about, and small spiritual beasts darting through the trees from time to time. However, Ye Wuji did not act rashly. Instead, he vigilantly observed his surroundings, and only after confirming there was no danger did he proceed with caution.
"Where is Senior Brother Lin?" Ye Wuji muttered to himself. They had previously agreed to head toward the mountain peak once they entered the secret realm and look for each other along the way.
Ye Wuji proceeded in the direction of the mountain peak, encountering several rare spiritual herbs along the way, which he casually gathered and placed into his storage pouch. These spiritual herbs were quite valuable in the outside world and made good materials for refining pills.
After walking for about an hour, the sounds of battle suddenly came from ahead. Ye Wuji quickly held his breath and concentrated, cautiously approaching the source of the sound. Through the dense bushes, he saw a woman in green robes fighting a massive red-eyed ape.
"It's Senior Sister Zhao Linger!" Ye Wuji recognized the inner sect senior sister who excelled at talismans.
The red-eyed ape was a superior second-rank Demonic Beast, possessing immense strength and extreme speed, making it a powerful entity within the secret realm. Although Zhao Linger was already at Layer 9 Qi Condensation, she seemed somewhat overmatched, and wounds were already visible on her body.
Without hesitation, Ye Wuji charged out, his Qingfeng Sword unholstered, sword Qi wreathed in Five Elements Spiritual Power striking directly at the red-eyed ape's back.
"Screech!" The red-eyed ape cried out in pain, turning around to glare furiously at Ye Wuji.
"Senior Sister Zhao, let's deal with it together!" Ye Wuji shouted.
Seeing reinforcements, Zhao Linger was overjoyed. "Good! I'll cover you!"
She immediately took out several talismans from her bosom and cast an "Immobilization Talisman", temporarily restricting the red-eyed ape's movements. Seizing the opportunity, Ye Wuji unleashed an offensive spell from the Hunyuan Formula, gathering Five Elements Spiritual Power at the tip of his sword to form a five-colored pillar of light that struck the red-eyed ape directly in the chest.
Although the red-eyed ape broke free from the Immobilization Talisman's restraint, it was too late to dodge. Struck in the chest by the pillar of light, it let out a miserable shriek and staggered backward. Pressing his advantage, Ye Wuji swung his sword again, this time cleanly severing one of the red-eyed ape's arms.
Howling in agony, the red-eyed ape turned and fled, vanishing into the depths of the dense forest in the blink of an eye.
"Thank you for saving me, Junior Brother," Zhao Linger said gratefully, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
Ye Wuji shook his head. "Senior Sister is too polite. As fellow sect members, helping one another is only right. Are you alright?"
Zhao Linger checked her injuries. "Just some superficial wounds, nothing serious. That red-eyed ape was very cunning; it initially feigned injury to lure me in and then suddenly launched an ambush. Fortunately, Junior Brother intervened in time, otherwise the consequences would have been unthinkable."
Ye Wuji produced a bottle of healing medicine and handed it to Zhao Linger. "Senior Sister, tend to your wounds first. By the way, have you seen Senior Brother Lin Tianyu?"
Zhao Linger shook her head. "No, after we were teleported into the secret realm, we all scattered." Hesitating for a moment, she added, "Junior Brother, since we've run into each other, why don't we travel together? This secret realm is fraught with danger everywhere, and acting alone is too risky."
After a brief thought, Ye Wuji nodded and said, "Alright, Senior Brother Lin and I had already agreed to cooperate. If we can find him, the three of us acting together will be even more secure."
The two decided to continue toward the mountain peak, maintaining vigilance along the way to avoid potential dangers. Before long, they encountered a peculiar sight—a small lake with pale cyan water that emitted a faint fragrance. In the middle of the lake was a small island, upon which grew a snow-white spiritual plant radiating a soft halo.
"This is..." Zhao Linger's eyes widened in surprise. "The 'Bingxin Jade Lotus'! This is one of the main ingredients for refining Foundation Establishment Pills!"
Ye Wuji also recognized the rare spiritual plant. "It seems the Foundation Establishment Pills in the secret realm likely require us to gather the materials ourselves and then refine them."
"But this lake water is strange," Zhao Linger observed cautiously. "This color... it looks very much like 'Spirit-Devouring Water', which has the property of corroding Spiritual Power. If we rashly wade across, it will likely damage our meridians."
Pondering for a moment, Ye Wuji took an ordinary stone from his storage pouch and gently tossed it into the lake. The moment the stone hit the water, a ring of cyan ripples spread across the surface, and the stone dissolved at a visible rate, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"It really is Spirit-Devouring Water!" Ye Wuji drew a sharp breath. "This water can corrode even lifeless objects, let alone cultivators like us."
Zhao Linger looked around, searching for a way across the lake. "We must find a way to the other side. Either we find a boat, or..."
Ye Wuji's eyes lit up. "Or we fly across!"
He took out a talisman—a temporary flight talisman given to him by Elder Xuanyang, which allowed one to gain flight capabilities for a short time.
"Senior Sister, do you know how to use a flight talisman?"
Ashamed, Zhao Linger shook her head. "I specialize in talismans, but flight talismans are too advanced; I haven't learned them yet."
Thinking for a moment, Ye Wuji retrieved a slender jade flute from his storage pouch. "This is the 'Qingyun Flute', a magical artifact given to me by Master Xuanyang. It can carry people for short-distance flight. Let's ride it across the lake together."
Delighted, Zhao Linger said, "That's wonderful!"
Ye Wuji poured Spiritual Power into the Qingyun Flute, and the flute body rapidly lengthened, suspending itself in the air like a small flying boat. The two carefully seated themselves upon it, and Ye Wuji controlled the Qingyun Flute as it slowly flew toward the small island.
Along the way, several cyan water snakes suddenly burst from the lake, opening their mouths to spew corrosive liquid. Reacting with extreme speed, Zhao Linger quickly threw out several offensive talismans, driving the water snakes back.