In the end, Qin Ruqing did not call out her own trial.

The Dao Ancestor must have temporarily forgotten about her.

Qin Ruqing could only continue “browsing.”

She found herself in what could be called Qi Rong’s trial illusion—let’s call it that for now.

Upon seeing the scene, Qin Ruqing raised her eyebrows; it was a place she was familiar with.

It was the Qin Family’s market, even down to a specific street.

At that time, the Qin Family was just a small family on the brink of falling from grace in the Southern Ridge.

In front of the Qin Family’s pharmacy was a spacious and impressive stage.

Qin Ruqing was even more familiar with this place—it was where she had once staged plays.

Now, the stage was surrounded by a dense crowd of commoners, and a handsome young man was being held down with his hands restrained.

He was loudly reciting his lines: “Thirty years in the East River… Don’t bully the young because they are poor!”

Qin Ruqing: “Pfft~”

Wasn’t this young man Qi Rong?

Qin Ruqing didn’t know what to say.

So you’re obsessed with playing Qin Aotian because you didn’t get the role when you were younger?

The popularity of the play “Qin Aotian” in the Southern Ridge was well known—who doesn’t enjoy a good story?

As the performance concluded, Qi Rong came off the stage amid the reluctant cheers of the audience.

He initially seemed excited, but as the cheers faded, his expression inevitably became despondent.

“It seems even this illusion has seen through this… Qin Family’s ‘Aotian’ is ultimately not me; I can only act out a play,” Qi Rong said, rubbing the corner of the script, talking to himself.

Qin Ruqing raised an eyebrow.

His words didn’t sound like those of someone immersed in an illusion; Qi Rong was clearly aware of his current situation.

“The real Qin Aotian couldn’t be like me, a small transparent figure following behind my third sister and younger sister…” The young man with a high ponytail, dressed in a sapphire-blue robe, originally a refined and handsome young aristocrat, now showed a hint of dejection.

A small transparent figure…

The smile that had just started to appear on Qin Ruqing’s lips slowly faded.

She didn’t know that Qi Rong had such a deep-seated concern in his heart.

Qi Rong was not Qin Aotian—during his youth, due to his age, he missed the chance to play Qin Aotian in that absurd play.

It was a trivial matter, but it seemed to foreshadow the future.

Among the Southern Ridge team led by Qin Ruqing, Qi Rong indeed had the least presence.

This was not Qin Ruqing’s perception but rather an objective fact that even she could not deny.

Qin Ruqing had always been the focal point of attention.

Tang Zifeng was comparable to a grand master, and his superior artifact refinement skills made him hard to ignore.

He was unmatched by younger cultivators and lacked the experience and heritage of older ones.

And Lu Wei, while calm and reserved, had her own charm, presenting a completely different style from Qin Ruqing.

When people talked about the two distinct and radiant girls from the Qin Family, they would say “the Qin Sisters.”

However, when it came to Qi Rong, the discussion was somewhat less.

The topic of physical cultivation naturally didn’t garner as much interest as other paths, often leading to a stereotype of being rough and uncultured.

To stand out in physical cultivation, one must possess the strength to dominate mountains and rivers, yet the Qin Family already had Qin Ruqing setting a high standard in combat strength.

Qi Rong’s position in the team was not particularly special, making him seem relatively “ordinary.”

Qin Ruqing thought Qi Rong was carefree, but she didn’t expect him to be aware of this and to feel dejected because of it.

After observing for a while, Qin Ruqing silently exited Qi Rong’s illusion.

She sat in the void, her orange light outlining an invisible, contemplative figure.

Qin Ruqing was not thinking about Qi Rong.

She did not believe that the illusion revealed Qi Rong’s inner turmoil.

It was at most a reflection of thoughts Qi Rong might have had, perhaps troubling him at present or in the past, but it would not affect Qi Rong much—this was determined by Qi Rong’s naturally open-minded disposition.

Qi Rong’s current thoughts, more accurately, should be considered as a latent crisis.

—Normally, such things are trivial.

You might ponder over them late at night, but by daytime, they would be nothing more than a passing thought.

Yet, someday in the future, they could gradually develop into a problem.

Combining the completely different content of the three illusions she had previously observed, Qin Ruqing tried to clarify what exactly the Sixth Domain was doing to them.

What was the purpose of creating such illusions for each person?

Was it simply a trial?

From the content of the illusions alone, Feng Mingyue’s seemed to be more like a trial.

—It was an illusion specifically designed to address Feng Mingyue’s weaknesses in cultivation. It was believed that experiencing a life of an ordinary and unremarkable wandering cultivator in the illusion would give Feng Mingyue new insights into the sword path.

However, Little Pink Flower’s exclusive illusion immediately overturned the conclusion of it being a trial—her illusion was a direct replay of past events.

The illusion depicted events that had actually occurred recently, specifically shortly after their return from the Beast Realm.

The scenes in the illusion were the head of the Rui family, Rui Fenhua, handling family affairs during ordinary and normal days.

This had no aspect of a mental test and contained no virtual components, making it completely unsuitable to be considered a trial.

As for Qi Rong’s, it was a bit different—it seemed to involve a mental test, resembling a trial for inner demons.

Yet, the “inner demons” selected for the test were not challenging enough to truly test someone.

Qin Ruqing analyzed and concluded—The Sixth Domain’s illusion rules were essentially without any rules…

Each person’s illusion was different.

Some carried the meaning of trials; some were just ordinary days in life; some might reflect the desires of the heart; and some were the deepest buried emotions being brought to light—like aimless thoughts floating around, going wherever they pleased.

As for someone as special as Qin Ruqing, she didn’t even have an exclusive illusion.

—She merely wandered through the illusions of the entire world, becoming a pure Sixth Domain drifter.

Qin Ruqing joked about herself.

After some contemplation, Qin Ruqing promptly adjusted her mindset, correcting her unconscious empiricism.

In the past, whenever entering a new place, she would think about its benefits, analyzing whether it tested her in any way, attempting to “pass” perfectly.

But the Sixth Domain might not be a test or checkpoint at all.

Upon closer thought, this place had always been unique—it didn’t exist in the real cultivation world but was situated between thought and laws.

—Now, producing such a strange and bizarre illusion seemed quite normal—fitting its usual style and tone.

The little orange lantern flickered with a new mindset and set out.

If it was just about watching the drama, she thought she would be quite pleased.

The little orange lantern passed by Tang Zifeng’s illusion and took a few glances.

The great artifact master was even working within the illusion.

Qin Ruqing stayed there for a while.

Little Tang’s illusion, like himself, was imbued with steady and resolute power.

He never hesitated or wavered, so the illusion was calm and orderly, completely under his control.

Qin Ruqing watched for a while and then withdrew with reassurance.

She then passed by the Third Sister’s illusion.

It was similar to Qirong’s, a mental type of illusion, and Qin Ruqing felt there was no major issue.

Next, she passed by Ming Ying’s… Wow, this great beauty, despite appearing to be the center of attention, seemed quite anxious inside.

Anxious about her beauty and the position of the Ming family’s young clan leader?

A career-oriented beautiful lady.

Qin Ruqing wandered through the worlds of her companions, witnessing many hidden aspects and gaining joy from watching the drama.

Until she arrived again at a familiar place.

Penglai in the Central Region, the immortal land of Shenzhou.

In the Yuanhu Pavilion, a delicate and strikingly handsome boy knelt on the ground, his head bowed, yet filled with a fierce aura.

Beside him, a middle-aged man with a mustache, exuding authority, was wielding a whip, striking the boy.

“Crack!”

The whip struck the air, producing a harsh sound, accompanied by the man’s scolding.

“Vile wretch! Do you dare to defy me again?”

This boy… bore an eight-part resemblance to the grown-up Fifth Lingyu.

Qin Ruqing turned her steps and immediately sat down.

It seemed to be a childhood illusion of Fifth Lingyu—let’s see what’s going on!

What kind of childhood could produce such a dark and twisted person!!