The “corpse” lying silently on the ground suddenly jumped up and then quickly fell back down again.

Qin Ruqing exclaimed, “It’s so painful that I can’t even stand properly.”

She looked up at the armor and asked, “Did I pass the task?”

The armor responded first, “Yes, you passed.”

Then the ghostly flame flickered, saying, “You endured for twelve breaths.”

Qin Ruqing raised her voice, “Yes, because I realized that the blue pill I took had a numbing effect. Without it, I would have only managed ten breaths. But with the pill, I thought I might as well endure a bit longer. Maybe if I hold on for a couple more seconds, there might be some mysterious reward!”

After saying this, Qin Ruqing looked at the armor with anticipation.

Unfortunately, the armor had a shell, so it couldn’t see the excitement in her eyes. Qin Ruqing could only cough awkwardly.

Qin Ruqing asked directly, “Um, sir, I endured for twelve breaths. Is there any extra rating or reward?”

The armor replied, “You did indeed endure the longest. Before you, only one person managed eleven breaths.”

“Oh, so there was someone as persistent as me?” Qin Ruqing thought it was surprising.

She had taken such a bold approach partly because she could still endure, and partly because of her experience of making the most out of situations.

She was curious, “Who was the one who lasted eleven breaths?”

The armor answered, “Fifth Lingyu, Trial Tower number 111.”

There was a brief silence.

Qin Ruqing laughed, “111, he’s even more arrogant than I am!”

“That’s interesting.”

As Qin Ruqing’s numb body started regaining sensation, she realized that chatting with the armor wasn’t just idle talk.

She had been completely immobile, unable to do anything.

Feeling her own skin, Qin Ruqing was surprised to find that it now had a tough, unusual texture.

After some exploration, Qin Ruqing managed to summon a short dagger from her pouch.

Noticing its gleaming blade, she realized it was a razor-sharp weapon.

Pleased, she raised the dagger and thrust it into her arm.

With a clear metallic “clang” sound, Qin Ruqing was astonished to find that the dagger’s tip was deflected.

“Wow!” Qin Ruqing looked at the dagger and her arm in surprise. “I’m invulnerable now!”

Her quick-witted mind linked this to the ancient demon king’s blood she had consumed earlier.

She had felt refreshed but hadn’t noticed a significant improvement in her physical abilities at the time. Now, however, she was confident that even if she went outside and claimed to be a body cultivator, no one would doubt her.

“Got it, the ancient demon king’s blood was like taking a powerful elixir. The effects were stored in my body but not fully activated until I endured the lightning tribulation for twelve breaths. It’s like the perfect Melard reaction, finally triggering the full potential of the blood, refining my body.”

So, this Xuanming Rule Cave’s style is essentially to provide opportunities for trial-takers to gain benefits?

Qin Ruqing’s mind whirled as she looked at the armor and suddenly realized she was chatting with it.

“Hey, sir, although you don’t have a physical body, with your imposing presence, you must have been an important figure in life, right? Could you tell me how many tasks need to be completed to leave the Trial Tower?”

The armor, probably surprised to be asked such a question, was silent for a while before responding:

“The number of tasks each trial-taker must complete is based on their individual performance and varies.”

Oh, so it’s different for everyone.

Qin Ruqing nodded and asked with a grin, “Then, sir, do you know if there are any rewards for clearing the Trial Tower and being the last person to leave?

“.…”

There was a pause.

The armor seemed to encounter such an unusual question for the first time in its existence.

After a while, the armor replied, “Please wait a moment.”

Wait?

Is it going to consult someone?

Qin Ruqing waved her hand quickly, “I was just asking casually. I don’t need to know that badly.”

In the depths of the Immortal Tomb, a faint voice sighed, “I didn’t expect the descendant of the Dao Ancestor to have such a personality…”

Another voice said, “Descendant or not, whether the Dao Ancestor’s legacy even exists is still uncertain. She seems quite to my liking. It would be a waste of such talent if she didn’t study Xuanming with me.”

In the Trial Tower, the ghost fire in the armor flickered intensely, burning more brightly than before.

The armor said leisurely, “If a trial-taker perfectly completes all tasks and clears the Trial Tower, they will receive the reward—Absolute Realm!”

Hearing this, Qin Ruqing nodded in her heart. It wasn’t about the reward of the Absolute Realm, but rather—

She felt a fleeting impression that the armor seemed to have more of a living presence now!

For the third task, Qin Ruqing was given a divine weapon right at the start.

It was a slender, dark red, and beautifully curved blade that exuded a sharp, lethal aura.

Qin Ruqing took the blade in her hand and, after a moment of silence, said to the air, “Um, I don’t know how to use a blade…” Before she could finish her sentence, the curved blade transformed into a sword.

Qin Ruqing hefted the sword and, finding it satisfactory, nodded.

While her sword skills were not refined, she could still perform some basic moves.

At her level, the type of weapon was not crucial; it was merely a medium for casting spells, much like how Fifth Youlin used his sword, which was ultimately just a tool for spellcasting.

“It seems the third task will involve bloodshed…” Qin Ruqing concluded calmly.

Receiving a weapon right from the start indicated that this task was unlikely to be peaceful or easy.

However, Qin Ruqing was not worried; instead, she felt a bit excited.

After the first two tasks, her physical condition had significantly improved.

She was no longer a fragile mage and was eager to find a worthy opponent to test her current level.

With enthusiasm, Qin Ruqing was ready to showcase her skills.

As the Trial Tower’s dark interior began to shift, Qin Ruqing closed her eyes calmly—

When she opened them again, she found herself on a bustling street filled with people.

Perhaps due to poor sanitation on the street, a faint foul odor was in the air.

Qin Ruqing couldn’t help but scrunch up her face, and from the corner of her eye, she noticed she was wearing a gray, patched-up outfit.

Realizing her situation, she looked at her hands and saw dirt in her fingernails; she touched her head, which felt like a straw nest; and she glanced around the environment, noticing she was squatting by a street corner with a broken bowl at her feet.

Passersby covered their noses as they walked past her, casting disdainful glances before quickening their pace.

From these observations, it was easy to deduce one conclusion—she had been assigned a new identity in the Void Rule Cave: a little beggar.

Another illusion?

Was this a scripted scenario?

Qin Ruqing maintained her composure and quietly circulated her spiritual energy, finding nothing.

She also attempted to summon her innate divine fire but still got nothing.

In other words, she was now just an ordinary person with no special abilities.

Alright, starting from scratch. Qin Ruqing couldn’t help but sigh.

Her mature sigh attracted the attention of a young woman passing by, who had a basket hanging on one arm and was holding a little girl with the other.

The little girl looked about the same size as Qin Ruqing’s current beggar form.

The young woman glanced at Qin Ruqing, noticed her clear and calm eyes, paused for a moment, and then walked over to Qin Ruqing.

She placed two copper coins into the broken bowl at her feet.

Without speaking to Qin Ruqing, the woman left with the little girl.

Qin Ruqing glanced at the coins in the bowl, then looked up, squinting as she noted the direction in which the woman had left.

As Qin Ruqing reached out to pick up the coins, the nearby “fellow beggars” exchanged glances and suddenly swarmed to grab the money.

They appeared to be in their teens and were much stronger than Qin Ruqing in her current beggar form.

Just as Qin Ruqing was about to be toppled to the ground, the tallest of the boys snatching the coins suddenly cried out in pain.

Qin Ruqing, who was lying on the ground, had managed to grab his wrist with one hand.

Qin Ruqing seemed to use little force, yet the boy was nearly brought to his knees in pain.

The boy, feeling a chill from Qin Ruqing’s calm demeanor, hurriedly threw the copper coins into her broken bowl and shouted, “Here’s your money back!”

Qin Ruqing let go, and the other beggars, who had been watching, quickly scattered.

Calmly, Qin Ruqing picked up the coins from her bowl and went to a nearby bun shop to buy two buns.

She had rarely used copper coins before, as the Qin family was one of the three major families in South Ridge Village, and they typically used spirit crystals.

This was her first time using copper coins, and she was surprised to find they could buy two buns.

The bun shop owner, who had watched the whole scene, wrapped up the buns while saying, “I didn’t expect that a little beggar like you, with arms as thin as sticks, could have such strength!”

Qin Ruqing took the buns and ate them standing silently.

She couldn’t explain to the owner that she had just targeted the boy’s pressure points; it wouldn’t suit her current beggar persona.

The shop owner, shaking his head, wondered why he was chatting with a beggar. “Beggar, go eat somewhere else. Standing here will interfere with my business.”

His tone was factual but not unkind.

Qin Ruqing had finished eating. Having long ago ceased eating, her ravenous eating was merely a reflex of her body.

Before leaving, Qin Ruqing asked, “Boss, which direction did the kind lady who just gave me the copper coins go?”