Hearing Wang Jianqiang's transmitted voice, Ye Qingxue fell silent for a long time.
She had always considered herself bold—otherwise, she would never have dared to kill her own sect members.
But compared to Wang Jianqiang, her courage was nothing.
No—he wasn't merely bold. He was mad.
Those who had entered the secret realm were all elite outer sect disciples, the very foundation of their sects' future.
Killing a few might not stir much trouble—perhaps even ignored by their elders.
But to kill them all? That would be a loss no sect could endure.
If that truly happened, not only the supervising elders outside the secret realm… even the heads of the Four Great Powers themselves would go mad!
When she regained her senses, her voice drifted into his ear, low and filled with hidden warning:"Outside the secret realm, the overseeing elders are all at the Foundation Establishment stage. Their means are beyond our imagination."
"If we kill too many… we may not be able to cover it up."
"Oh, I see." A trace of regret flickered across Wang Jianqiang's face. "In that case, forget it."
He then turned to glance at the two cultivators still watching him with wary eyes.
"These two, though—let's kill them as well."
Ye Qingxue no longer argued. With a flash of cold light, two condensed bolts of spiritual power shot forth right after his words, piercing the skulls of both men.
Wang Jianqiang gestured for Wang Yuyao to collect the meditation cushions. He himself retrieved four more storage bags, then turned his gaze toward the third platform.
Moments later, the third cushion was taken with ease, along with six more storage bags.
"Next, let's enter the Medicine Garden."
As he spoke, his eyes lingered briefly on Wang Yuyao.
She instantly understood, bringing out all three cushions and placing them at their feet. She sat upon one gracefully, her robe spreading around her like flowing water.
Wang Jianqiang took the second seat.
Ye Qingxue revealed herself and sat upon the third.
The three extended their divine sense, connecting with the stone stele before them.
Brilliant light erupted from the cushions, and in the next instant, all three vanished.
Within an ancient bronze hall—
Light flared, and three figures appeared simultaneously.
"Is this… the Medicine Garden?"
Wang Jianqiang swept his eyes across the surroundings, surprise flashing within them.
Wang Yuyao exchanged a puzzled glance with Ye Qingxue.
This place hardly looked like it could grow spiritual herbs.
"This should be a transfer station," Ye Qingxue said thoughtfully after a moment of inspection.
"Transfer station?"
"Yes." She nodded, pointing to the walls around them. "Do you see those doors?"
Both nodded.
They had noticed earlier—nine doorways evenly spaced along the hall's walls.
Strangely, though the hall itself was brightly lit, every portal was filled with impenetrable darkness.
"Stepping into those doors will lead to a trial space. Passing the trial will allow one to be transported into the Medicine Garden."
Wang Jianqiang nodded slightly, thoughtful.
"In that case, let's go."
Without hesitation, he chose a door and stepped through.
Wang Yuyao and Ye Qingxue followed behind.
But just as they reached the threshold, an irresistible force shoved both women back.
"What happened?"
Wang Yuyao's face paled as she turned to Ye Qingxue.
Ye Qingxue frowned, then suddenly her expression changed. "Damn. I forgot something."
"What is it?" Wang Yuyao demanded.
"Each portal only allows three participants per trial. And the difficulty is set by the first person who enters."
"What?!"
Her face drained of color.
That meant—before Wang Jianqiang entered, two others had already gone in!
And they hadn't yet cleared the trial!
Which meant… Wang Jianqiang would be forced to undergo the trial with them.
If they were mere Qi Refining cultivators, it would be manageable.
But if the first to enter had been a Foundation Establishment cultivator…
Wouldn't that mean Wang Jianqiang would face a Foundation-level trial?!
Inside the portal—
Wang Jianqiang felt darkness wash over his vision. When it cleared, he was standing in a strange land.
Not seeing Yuyao or Qingxue nearby, his brows knitted.
"What's this? Where are they? Were we separated—or did they fail to enter?"
A pungent, bloody stench wafted through the air.
His body tensed, and he advanced cautiously.
Soon, several massive corpses lay sprawled before him—each a towering bird beast over ten zhang in height.
Their bodies were covered in deep, bone-revealing gashes.
"These wounds… they don't look like they came from beast battles. More like—cultivators' strikes."
His eyes sharpened. "So someone entered before me after all?"
The trial's rules had already branded themselves into his mind upon entering:
Reach the core of this space. There lies a teleportation array leading directly into the Medicine Garden.
He pressed forward in that direction.
Along the way, more corpses littered the ground—ten or more slain spirit beasts.
A chill crawled up his spine even as relief washed over him.
The chill—because some of these beasts had been terrifying, emanating lingering auras that shook his heart, akin to the pressure Ye Qingxue radiated after her breakthrough.
Whoever could fell such creatures was undoubtedly an exceptional prodigy—very likely a Foundation Establishment genius of some great sect.
The relief—because their existence had paved the way for him.
Thanks to them, the beasts that could have crushed him were already dead.
Otherwise, if he had run into just one Foundation-level spirit beast head-on…
He might not have survived.
Two days later.
Violent shockwaves of battle suddenly rippled from ahead.
"That must be the one who entered before me… fighting another spirit beast?"
Wang Jianqiang froze, halting his advance.
If the person was truly Foundation Establishment, confronting them now would be unwise.
He suppressed his presence completely, sheathing himself in a wooden sword formation that clung to him like a second skin.
Only once his aura was nearly undetectable did he inch forward toward the fading echoes of battle.
Through dense undergrowth, he parted the weeds—
A battlefield came into view.
The earth was torn and bloodied. A massive spirit beast corpse lay sprawled, its lingering aura proof it had been a Foundation creature.
Just as he was studying the scene, a clear male voice sounded:
"That's seven Foundation beasts we've slain so far. This trial is absurd."
Wang Jianqiang's gaze shifted—
There, at the edge of the battlefield, stood a man and a woman.
The man—handsome, refined, radiating an extraordinary presence.
The woman—stunningly beautiful, tall and elegant, her aura ethereal like a celestial maiden.
The instant he saw them, two names surfaced in Wang Jianqiang's mind:
Lin Xian'er.
Xiao Wuya.