Chapter 228

The predictive inheritance was truly overpowered, especially in the hands of someone with a memory as sharp as Ye Qiao’s. In a one-on-one situation, it was nearly impossible to defeat her.

Even though their cultivation levels were vastly different, the elder found himself completely helpless against Ye Qiao.

Moreover, if he wasn’t mistaken, Ye Qiao’s display earlier was indeed her domain. She wasn’t just bluffing.

The elder smirked and realized, “So, all five sects have hidden talents this year. No wonder they sent you in for training so early.”

“So, you’ve advanced to the domain stage so quickly,” the elder’s voice turned cold, “Aren’t you afraid of losing control?”

Ye Qiao gripped her sword, constantly on guard, fearing the man might attack at any moment. She smiled nonchalantly, “Rather than losing control, it’s actually uncontrollable from the start. Your concern is unnecessary.”

As long as her domain didn’t involve outsiders, it was quite peaceful.

Her junior martial uncle had mentioned that her strong spiritual sense had caused her to activate it early, but her cultivation was far from reaching the Nascent Soul stage, so she hadn’t fully mastered it like others.

Uncontrollable.

Upon hearing this, the Changming Sect’s ancestor, who had been quietly observing, suddenly recalled that Elder Zhao had mentioned Ye Qiao had acquired the domain early but hadn’t yet mastered it.

“Ye Qiao has a domain?” When he saw the faint green light, the Bishui Sect’s ancestor was the first to stand up. If she wasn’t mistaken, that light seemed to belong to a healing-type domain, similar to what their own sect could develop.

“Yes,” the Changming Sect’s ancestor narrowed his eyes. “But as she said, she’s not skilled with it. Ye Qinghan handles it most adeptly, followed by Zhou Xingyun, and lastly, Ye Qiao.”

The Changfeng Sect’s ancestor became interested. He had always been intrigued by this Golden Core cultivator and, on top of that, this junior had frequently taken advantage of their sect’s techniques. He nodded thoughtfully, “Lack of skill isn’t a problem. With more exposure, she’ll get better.”

He smiled faintly, “We just need to put them in their own domains for training. Facing their own domains, under the threat of death, they should adapt faster than ever.”

This wasn’t about tormenting them.

It was just the training expected from their elders for the juniors.

“Oh?” The Wenjian Sect’s ancestor looked over, “Have you decided how to test them?”

The Changfeng Sect’s ancestor waved his hand, and a large brass mirror appeared out of thin air. His expression was inscrutable. “This is called the Senluo Mirror.”

“It’s a type of illusionary spiritual weapon, but what sets it apart is that it can actually kill.”

“This mirror can reflect their own domains and restore the real scenes within. When facing their domains, the owner can make adjustments. Whether they master it fully depends on their abilities.”

This spiritual weapon was perfect for dealing with experts who had their own domains. The Changfeng Sect’s ancestor usually used it to train juniors, honing their proficiency with their domains.

Given what he said, it was indeed a good tool for testing. The Changming Sect’s ancestor inquired, “How accurate should the illusion be? The higher the accuracy, the more dangerous it becomes. I don’t want any of the juniors to get hurt.”

The Changfeng Sect’s ancestor reassured him, “A fifty percent accuracy is enough. It’s not meant to kill them.”

But—

He glanced over at Ye Qiao, a variable factor. The Changfeng Sect’s ancestor furrowed his brows, realizing that this batch might not be as foolish as previous ones. After careful consideration, he decided to increase the difficulty.

Ye Qinghan: Seventy percent.

Zhou Xingyun: Seventy percent.

As for Ye Qiao—

He set her’s to one hundred percent.

Ye Qiao was the least proficient with her domain, so if she could handle a hundred percent accuracy, mastering her domain should be straightforward. However, this was a risky move; for some juniors, even fifty percent accuracy would be quite challenging.

A hundred percent accuracy was something he had never adjusted for any junior before. It was easy to cause accidents with such a high difficulty.

The Sword Asking Sect’s ancestor’s gaze deepened as he softly reminded the sword cultivator present, “It’s about to start. I’m going to activate the Senluo Mirror. You should notify the juniors and get them prepared.”

The Changming Sect’s ancestor didn’t notice the increase in difficulty. To him, fifty percent accuracy seemed high enough. The elder smiled and stroked his beard, silently mourning for the juniors who were unaware of the challenges ahead.

—

The sword cultivator who had been ambushed by Ye Qiao received the elder’s transmission and coldly curved his lips, asking decisively, “How many of the five sects have opened their domains?”

“How many?”

Ye Qiao, maintaining a safe distance from him, heard his probing tone. Seeing that the elder had no intention of attacking her further, she was willing to banter a bit, “If you count them all, there are three.”

“Two from Changming Sect, and one from Sword Asking Sect.”

Three. He pondered. This number was a bit small, but considering there were no more than five people who could open domains in the cultivation world, and these juniors had only recently reached the Nascent Soul stage, the elders’ rigorous training would certainly help them understand what a domain truly was.

Looking at Ye Qiao, who was still keeping her distance and appeared to be cautiously avoiding him, the elder clicked his tongue. “I wasn’t planning to make things difficult for you. Why are you staying so far away?”

Ye Qiao smiled nonchalantly, “Ah, I’m just afraid you might try another sneak attack.”

“……” The elder rolled his eyes at her surreptitiously, thinking, “Who’s as shameless as you?”

During their casual chat, Ye Qiao wasn’t idle. She kept in contact with Han Shuangjian and Bu Jianjun, while the sword spirits were left to guard the three who were receiving the inheritance. Seeing that the elder seemed genuinely disinterested in making things difficult for her, she withdrew her spiritual sense and quickly joined the sword spirits.

The elder followed at a leisurely pace, curious to see how the three chosen inheritors from each sect were progressing with their inheritances.

Upon reaching the destination, the sight before him froze his expression.

Three sword spirits stood in different positions, vigilantly protecting the three individuals who were unconscious and receiving their inheritance. Among them, the little girl in blue with white hair—wasn’t she Han Shuangjian from their Sword Asking Sect?

As a member of the Sword Asking Sect, he naturally recognized his own sect’s sword spirit. While Bu Jianjun was from the Demon Realm, Han Shuangjian was a spiritual sword of their sect.

The little girl was very merciless towards members of her own sect.

The sword spirit known as Han Shuangjian, after taking form, was much harder to deal with than he had imagined. The air around her was turbulent, and anyone approaching was instantly bound. With swift, delicate movements, she touched the people around her, her actions seemingly just a brush.

In the next moment, the faint blue frost from her fingertips spread and solidified inch by inch. With a glance upwards, everything was frozen in place, motionless.

Very troublesome.

The critical issue was that this little girl not only had powerful abilities but was also highly skilled in close combat. A single punch nearly made him vomit blood.

Where did this violent little girl come from?

The sword cultivator from Sword Asking Sect, beaten badly, cried out, “Han Shuangjian, boohoo, you’ve disappointed us so much.” It seemed that she had forgotten her roots after finding a partner.

With no one else interfering with their inheritance, the three leading disciples woke up, still somewhat dazed. Zhu You’s eyes were deep, and she felt the three of them seemed even more inscrutable.

Both Ye Qinghan and Qin Huai were the top disciples of their sects, aligning with the will and intent of their sect’s ancestors. They absorbed the inheritance much faster than Ye Qiao and the others, quickly integrating it after just a few minutes.

Honestly, receiving so much inheritance all at once was somewhat overwhelming, and the three’s expressions showed confusion as they struggled to process the information.

Mu Chongxi, unable to stand still, asked, “How is it? What does our sect’s inheritance look like?”

He and Zhu You had previously drawn away the troublesome elders. After shaking them off, he found that the senior brother’s session had already ended.

Zhou Xingyun pushed his head aside, expressionless, “We’ll show you when we get back. For now, stand still.”

Mu Chongxi responded, “Oh, okay.”

The sects quickly gathered their teams and began discussing the inheritances they had each received, completely ignoring the Sword Asking Sect’s elder who was standing nearby.

Ye Qiao did notice him, though. He stood there like a pole, making it hard not to notice him. She looked at him curiously and asked, “Aren’t you leaving?”

The elder admired their lively interaction with a forced smile, “The trial isn’t over yet. Did you really think I came here just to entertain you?”

Ye Qiao touched her nose, almost asking, “Isn’t that the case?”

“I was just playing with you before,” he glanced at Ye Qiao, noticing her nonchalance, and revealed a faint smile. “But not anymore.”

His original goal was never Ye Qiao, but Ye Qinghan and Zhou Xingyun.

These two juniors had domains and were the main focus of the elders’ attention.

Ye Qiao could have stayed out of it, but unexpectedly, she revealed her abilities at a critical moment and even managed to punch him away. Once she showcased her domain, it was clear she couldn’t be left out.

Just now, the Sword Asking Sect’s ancestor sent a transmission, instructing him to take Ye Qiao, Ye Qinghan, and Zhou Xingyun into the trial together.

He glanced at Ye Qiao, who was unaware of the change, and his smile grew colder. Enjoy the upcoming trial, little bunny.

—

“The trial isn’t over?” Zhu You’s pupils shifted, “What else is there?”

Wasn’t it enough to just receive the inheritance?

“Only three juniors have comprehended their domains so far. Don’t you feel embarrassed?” The elder asked with a half-smile, “The inheritance site isn’t just for you to get the inheritance and leave.”

“It’s already the Nascent Soul stage. If you don’t comprehend your domain soon, you’ll miss your chance,” the elder remarked.

Zhu You’s mouth twitched. “But… this depends on one’s comprehension and fate, right?”

“Repeated trials are equally effective,” the elder replied with a smile. He clapped his hands, and a large Senluo Mirror appeared before everyone. “Line up and enter. Inside, the domains of you three will be replicated.”

“In order to test your mastery of your own secret realm, you need to survive in all three secret realms and then escape.”

Don’t you want to control or even comprehend your own domain? Well, then you should first experience the power of your own domain and that of others. After going through it a few times, you might gain some insights.

“Is it dangerous?” Chu Xingzhi was most concerned about this question.

The Changming Sect’s ancestor transmitted a reassuring message to calm their nerves and said with a smile, “Don’t worry. The replication is only fifty percent accurate. There is danger, but it won’t be life-threatening.”

“But Ancestor, why do we have to show our domains to others?” Ye Qiao lazily raised her hand to protest. She was still not used to having others see her domain; it felt like being seen through.

The Changming Sect’s ancestor gave Ye Qiao a light glance, recognizing her as the most troublesome and mischievous disciple of his sect. He reminded her, “You are comrades, not enemies.”

“Outside of competition, what you need most is cooperation.”

Chu Xingzhi loudly declared, “Who wants to talk about cooperation with them!”

Ye Qinghan punched him on the head and said coldly, “Be quiet.”

Chu Xingzhi, clutching his head in pain, walked into the Senluo Mirror without looking back.

He went first. Zhu You and the others followed one by one. When it was Ye Qiao’s turn, the elder suddenly stopped her. “Leave your manifested sword spirits behind,” he said, introducing a new rule. “Otherwise, there might be accusations of cheating.” This rule was mainly aimed at Ye Qiao, who had five swords—quite intimidating.

After announcing the rule, Ye Qiao still hadn’t handed over her swords. Zhou Xingyun, however, had already thrown his sword over decisively and was about to enter the Senluo Mirror when the elder forcefully pulled him back.

Zhou Xingyun: “?”

The elder was displeased. “How can you treat your sword like that?”

Zhou Xingyun: “?”

“For a sword cultivator, swords are like our children!” The elder disapproved of Zhou Xingyun’s casual treatment of his sword and looked at him with increasing disapproval. “No matter what, children are important. How can you discard them so easily? Didn’t you notice that even though your little sister has five swords, she won’t give up any of them?”

Zhou Xingyun: “…”

He replied with a cold and annoyed expression, “I understand.”

Children?

Yuck.

He was more like an evil stepmother. Ever since Duanchen Sword had manifested, it had been locked away and hadn’t come out for a long time.

Reluctantly, Zhou Xingyun picked up his sword again.

Ye Qiao refused to hand over her swords. While the elder was distracted, she quickly broke free from his restraint, dashed into the Senluo Mirror, and disappeared without looking back. As long as she moved fast enough, she could pretend not to hear any rules.

Once everyone had entered the Senluo Mirror, the artifact was likely still constructing the scene, leaving them in complete darkness. Zhu You’s heartbeat quickened slightly with unease. “Who do you think the first domain we’ll encounter belongs to?”

Will it be Senior Brother’s? Or Ye Qiao’s?