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If Bai Wei could recognize Qin Changsheng through the jade pendant, then she might help him during the trial, but Ye Qingning could only think to herself that this scumbag’s scheme was too obvious.
Unfortunately, Bai Wei, caught up in her infatuation, agreed to his request after some hesitation.
Over the past month, she had either been tending to plants in the spiritual garden or drawing talismans, and she hadn’t had the chance to expose this scumbag’s true nature. If she did get the chance, she’d be sure to kick him out of the running.
The atmosphere was tense as disciples who had drawn their identity tags entered the formation one by one, disappearing into thin air. Ye Qingning, too, entered the formation after drawing her identity tag.
A flash of light passed, and she felt herself being consumed by a powerful force. The world around her plunged into a dark, silent abyss. Her body seemed to sink endlessly, giving her the sensation of falling into the depths of the ocean, and she gradually lost consciousness.
Jiang Shaoling’s gaze fell upon the formation, and a handsome man beside him used his spiritual sense to send a transmission: “Aling, is she the female disciple that the old man wants to take on as his apprentice?”
Jiang Shaoling scoffed, his voice dismissive: “Big Brother, don’t listen to the old man’s nonsense, and don’t think about helping her secretly. I bet her trial will fail. Two hundred thousand high-grade spirit stones. I’ll bet she won’t pass the trial.”
Lu Linyuan shook his head in quiet disapproval. His younger disciple brother was just too unappealing.
From what he heard from the old man, this mischievous little guy had been quite harsh with her over the past month. A female disciple, beautiful and talented like her, would be great as their little junior sister. Why couldn’t his little disciple learn to be more considerate?
Shen Xuanli, who was always indifferent, didn’t care about anyone. When he saw Ye Qingning, what crossed his mind was his master’s interest in accepting her as a disciple.
In just one month, her cultivation had gone from the early stage of Foundation Establishment to the peak, and she seemed on the verge of a breakthrough. She was about to achieve full Foundation Establishment soon.
He also noticed that her heart pulse seemed almost fully healed. Shen Xuanli originally thought that it was because of Master Xuan Yangzi’s treatment, but from what Master Pei Yin told him, it wasn’t the case.
He couldn’t figure out how her heart pulse had been healed so quickly.
Ye Qingning regained consciousness in an unfamiliar place. In her hand, she still held the identity tag she had drawn before entering the formation.
At the top of the identity tag, where there had been no writing, the character “Cultivator” appeared.
As more text emerged, a voice rang in her ears:
[This trial test requires you to memorize the rules of the trial after drawing your identity.]
[Rule 1: There are four identities in the trial: Cultivator, Demon, Beast, and Ghost. Each identity will compete for points and treasures.]
[The top fifteen contestants, based on their points, will pass the trial and be promoted to inner disciples.]
[If you draw the “Cultivator” identity, you can gain points by exorcising demons or monsters.]
[No matter the identity, identifying another participant’s identity will earn you fifty points. The identity and name should be written on the back of the identity tag for verification, and there’s no limit to the number of times you can try.]
[In addition, the treasure contested in this trial is the Nine-turn Reincarnation Bottle. The person who finds it will get an additional six hundred points, doubling their total score.]
[Remember, whatever identity you draw, you must hide it from others. If your identity is discovered, you will be eliminated, and your points will be reset to zero.]
[Incorrectly guessing another’s identity will result in a deduction of half your current points, and you won’t be able to try again for three days.]
[The trial lasts for seven days. During the trial, no one is allowed to harm another’s life. If you’re in danger, crush your identity tag to be transported out.]
[You are currently a Cultivator, but your assigned identity is the second daughter of the Yu family of Beilan City, Yu Zhizhi. You must hide your true identity and not let anyone recognize you.]
Ye Qingning carefully read over the information on her identity tag multiple times.
In her previous life, she had never experienced such a trial, and she felt a strange excitement building within her.
The system seemed excited too. It couldn’t help but add: [Ning Ning, the Nine-turn Reincarnation Bottle is an ancient artifact. It’s said to be able to send a person’s soul through nine reincarnations to gain a new life.]
[Moreover, it can protect the souls of those on the verge of death and nourish even broken souls. It can also suppress evil spirits. It’s truly an amazing artifact!]
[Even if the Nine-turn Reincarnation Bottle isn’t real in this trial, I think you’d have a huge advantage if you find it!]
Ye Qingning nodded silently. She shared the system’s opinion.
In the trial, cultivators could gain points by exorcising demons, but that was the most obvious way to expose one’s identity.
Moreover, the rules didn’t specify how many points one could earn for exorcising demons or monsters, but she guessed it wouldn’t be much.
On the other hand, identifying someone’s identity granted fifty points, and the person was eliminated. That seemed like the most efficient way to win.
As for finding the Nine-turn Reincarnation Bottle, that was all up to chance, and she wasn’t in a rush. Even if she found it first, she still needed to hold onto it until the last day of the trial. If someone snatched it away from her halfway, it would just be a wasted effort.
Fortunately, Bai Wei had already reminded her to bring plenty of talismans, and over the past month, Ye Qingning had drawn all the talismans from the book given to her by Xuan Yangzi. In addition to those, Bai Wei had also insisted on giving her a stack of talismans before the trial began, which she couldn’t refuse. Hopefully, these talismans would come in handy.
Ye Qingning snapped out of her thoughts and looked into the mirror. After entering the trial, her appearance had indeed changed completely. No one would be able to recognize her, not even her own parents.
She immediately tucked her outer disciple’s waist tag away. If anyone saw it, her identity would be exposed, and she would be kicked out of the trial.
[Ning Ning, what should we do next? I wanted to give you some cheats, but all the magic in this trial is disabled. We can’t probe the other contestants’ strength either. You’ll have to figure things out on your own.]
The system flapped its wings in frustration, a little bird darting around the room.
Apparently, magic couldn’t help in this trial! Not only was the system unable to probe the situation in the trial, it couldn’t even find anything useful in the room.
Ye Qingning, however, felt that not having cheats was actually better. She wanted to see if she could win the trial using her own skills.
As for what to do next, she knew that now that her identity was that of Yu Zhizhi, the second daughter of the Yu family in Beilan City, she had to learn everything about her new life to fully immerse herself in this role.
If she didn’t understand who Yu Zhizhi was and what her connection to the Yu family was, how could she disguise herself properly?
Just as she was about to step out and explore, she opened the door to find a girl around fifteen or sixteen years old standing there. The girl had her hair tied up in two buns, and she pouted at Ye Qingning.
Pretending to be angry, the girl said, “Second Miss, why do you always try to sneak out? If the Master finds out, I’ll be punished!”
“The city is swarming with demons and monsters these days, and over a hundred people have already died. Everyone in the household is scared. If you go out at this time and something happens, Master will punish me!”
She paused, then added in a quieter tone, “If you’re really bored, why not call for your two servants to come? They’ll keep you company.”