◎ Don’t fear answering wrong—destruction breeds rebirth. ◎
What does it mean to be in sync?
Even if you don’t speak, the others still understand what’s in your heart?
Lin Shuang stared at the jade vial in the elder’s hand, stomach twisting in pain, cold sweat trickling down her temple.
Never in her wildest thoughts had she imagined a teamwork test would be like this.
She glanced at her current schedule—it was blank. Flexible time.
Lin Shuang slowly closed her eyes.
“What kind of question is this!” Meng Zi clutched his cramping stomach, also on the verge of collapse.
“Eight breaths…”
The woman in pink continued counting indifferently.
But her spiritual voice suddenly echoed through the sea of consciousness of every disciple present.
“I must remind you.”
“You may lie to me, answer falsely, or bluff your way through this—but if one day, you face the same situation in the real world, and your actions differ from your answers here in Zhenchuan, your Dao heart will become flawed.”
“When you one day transcend tribulation, undergo rebirth, and are forced to face your own conscience—can you forgive yourself?”
“You claim you’ll give the pill to another, but fail to do so when the moment comes. Then the heart demon will rise, the tribulation lightning will strike, and you’ll be reduced to ash!”
“Think carefully before you answer!”
Huangfu Yuan, just about to speak, instantly shut his mouth.
Lin Shuang also clamped her lips shut, swallowing the first syllable that had already begun to form.
“Seven breaths… what’s your answer?” the pink-robed elder called out, her voice sharp.
All three of them were sweating profusely, faces pale.
Lin Shuang looked at Meng Zi and Huangfu Yuan.
They looked back at her.
The trio’s eyes flickered—then all simultaneously looked away.
What now…? I don’t know either. What would those senior cultivators from tier 9000 do?
Your cultivation path must be your own. How could anyone else tell you the answer?
You can’t answer carelessly. If your words and actions don’t align, you’ll face heart demons later. But who could really be selfless enough to sacrifice themselves?
Too hard. Far too hard.
Soon, the projection displayed Mei Xin’s group of three.
After all, it was her question.
In an instant, everyone watched as she faced a similar pink-robed elder and exchanged glances with Gang Yi and Gang Er.
The three answered without hesitation.
“The one antidote goes to Mei Xin.”
Identical responses.
…!
…
Gang Yi and Gang Er—I respect that!
Why? Why give up your own life for someone else’s? I could never do it!
The elder before Mei Xin showed no emotion.
Not praise—only a sharp, probing gaze.
“Why?”
The three looked at one another.
“Five years ago, we nearly died fighting demonic cultivators. That day, we made a pact.”
“If a situation like this ever arose, whoever draws the lucky slip would survive for the other two.”
Gang Yi, tall and broad, nearly two heads higher than the elder, nodded solemnly and extended his hand.
Mei Xin and Gang Er did the same.
Their palms revealed three slips. Two of them said “Mei.”
This time, she had drawn the lucky one.
So she would live.
Should the same situation occur during future missions, whoever fate favored would carry the others’ hopes.
The three had reached a clear understanding long ago.
I see.
Though decided by lots, their words and actions align. Speaking for myself, I approve of this answer.
All three are late-stage Core Condensation. Their team has no clear leader, no hierarchy. Life and death left to fate—they have no regrets. Approved.
Without multiple life-and-death trials together, no group could achieve such synergy.
Mei Xin and her team are impressive.
In moments of life or death, decisions must be made swiftly. If the heart hesitates—if fear and resentment arise—it spells the doom of all three.
With this kind of resolve, united as one, they will surely find a sliver of survival even against powerful foes.
Excellent question. I learned something too.
Sure enough, the pink-robed elder nodded at last.
With a wave of her hand, the pain in Mei Xin’s group vanished. First question: passed.
Now, the pressure was entirely on Lin Shuang’s team.
All eyes on the projection turned toward them.
Soon, everyone saw the three of them glance simultaneously at the pill in the elder’s hand. On the seventh breath, in perfect unison, they declared:
Huangfu Yuan, eyes downcast: “…I can’t die.”
Meng Zi, gripping his sword: “…I can’t die.”
Lin Shuang, eyes closed: “…I can’t die.”
The elder’s temple twitched violently.
Pfft—
Hahahahaha!
I’m howling! Truly the most “in sync” team Zhenchuan has ever seen!
“Inconsistent answers—try again!” the elder barked, frowning.
“Huh?”
All three looked up at once, stunned.
In unison: “Didn’t we say the same thing?”
Then they all paused, glancing at each other—
Again, in unison: “We’re so in sync.”
The elder’s brow twitched again. “Six breaths…”
Lin Shuang: “I don’t want to die.”
Huangfu Yuan: “I don’t want to die.”
Meng Zi: “I don’t want to die.”
They locked eyes and fell into a long silence.
“Who wants to die?”
“Who wants to die?”
“Who wants to die?”
They fell silent again.
I’m dying—do they think they’re shouting into a mountain echo?
These three… this cursed synergy!
I can’t breathe. I need to write more characters—consider it support for the junior disciples. I laughed all my inner demons away.
Honestly, if I were the elder, I’d just let them pass. Too damn funny.
But just as those comments scrolled by—
The elder in the projection slammed the jade vial to the ground in fury!
“Who are you saving?! Only one person can survive!”
“Five breaths left! Think carefully!”
“Don’t think you can trick me just by saying the same thing! Seal your spiritual transmissions!”
The trio fell silent.
Lin Shuang quickly deactivated backup Xiao Ai machines No. 1, 2, and 3.
She turned to the two behind her.
“…Want to fight it out?”
Huangfu Yuan opened his phoenix eyes at just the right moment, a sliver of light glinting in the black depths. His lips curved slightly. “Sure.”
Meng Zi drew his blade, fuming. “Come on then! Who’s afraid of who! Who wants to die for someone else anyway?!”
Pfft—
The elder stared at the trio, brows twitching violently. She looked as if she might shove poison down all their throats.
But just as the three were about to clash—sword drawn, sword unsheathed—they all froze at once.
In an awkward, synchronized halt, they turned to look back at the elder.
Lin Shuang had suddenly stopped, sniffed the air, and pulled out her storage pouch.
“This scent… it’s familiar?”
“Isn’t that the limited-edition Red Jade Pill crafted by Elder Ye last year? The one that cures all poisons?”
As she spoke, she pulled out her medical kit—and found three bottles.
Each had three pills.
Nine pills in total.
Identical to the one in the elder’s hand.
“Wait, this antidote—I have it.”
“It’s not just one pill.”
…!
……!
…………
Lin Shuang generously handed a bottle each to Meng Zi and Huangfu Yuan.
As the reigning queen of efficiency, she never passed on an all-purpose antidote like that.
One pill equals a hundred others.
Works on over a hundred poison types.
When it was released, she and Junior Sister Zhao Keran, along with Xiao Ai units 1 through 12, queued up outside Rong Bao Pavilion to snatch three bottles!
“Hm? Red Jade Pills? That rings a bell,” Huangfu Yuan muttered.
As he accepted Lin Shuang’s bottle, he reached into his sleeve—
And pulled out twelve bottles.
Each snow-white, exuding a faint chill.
“The vial Elder used was substandard. Lesser quality. My apologies—I didn’t recognize it right away.”
“Junior Sister Lin, Junior Brother Meng—don’t be polite. I have plenty. Ten pills each.”
The pink-robed elder was furious. “You fools!”
That wasn’t the point of the test!
“What if, instead of poison, it was a high-level demonic cultivator you encountered? What would you do then?!”
The three fell silent for one breath—then answered in perfect unison:
“Kill them.”
“Slay them.”
“Wipe them out.”
“……”
The elder inhaled deeply and pressed a hand to her twitching brow.
“Three breaths… two…”
Lin Shuang drew a deep breath and lowered her gaze.
A real elder, unlike a puppet, was much harder to fool.
No getting around this one…
If one day, death was inevitable—then she would accept it.
She’d long considered the risks of living in this high-danger cultivation world, where one misstep could end it all in a flash.
But as long as there was even a sliver of hope, she would grasp every minute, every second, and walk this path to the end.
So that not a single moment would ever be filled with regret.
Let alone the next hundred years of life ahead.
Let herself die so they could live? Impossible.
She couldn’t do it—she truly couldn’t.
Lin Shuang turned her head slightly and looked seriously at the two beside her.
Meng Zi wasn’t a bad person.
Huangfu Yuan, the foxy trickster, might be cunning, but he had never wronged her.
She respected them both—but that was it. Just respect.
Let them live while she died? She couldn’t.
But to speak up now and persuade them to give up their lives so she could live—what right did she have?
She couldn’t do either.
She didn’t dare. She was afraid. And she didn’t want to.
Lin Shuang closed her eyes. In her mind’s eye, that blood-soaked crossroads returned.
Granny Dean…
What should she do?
Silence.
The three stood locked in a stubborn, agonizing silence.
“First question: failed.”
The pink-robed elder waved her hand.
Failed.
No need to answer any further.
Lin Shuang let out a slow breath of relief.
Huangfu Yuan’s gaze shimmered. Meng Zi stared at the ground.
None of them spoke. None resisted. Their expressions all slackened in quiet defeat.
But though they stood side by side, none of them looked at the others. Their eyes dodged and drifted.
“Second question. While on a mission, you find three possible resting places. Which do you choose?”
In the illusion appeared a ruined temple, a fisherman’s hut, and a top-tier guest inn.
Meng Zi: “Ruined temple.”
Huangfu Yuan: “The inn.”
Lin Shuang: “The fisherman’s hut.”
The three fell silent again.
Ten breaths passed in the blink of an eye.
“Third question. You encounter three heavenly treasures—choose one.”
A spiritual herb about to fruit, watched over by two demonic beasts.
A treasure sword someone dropped on the ground.
A newly-emerged ancient secret realm.
Meng Zi: “The sword.”
Huangfu Yuan: “The herb.”
Lin Shuang: “The secret realm.”
The trio: “……”
The woman in pink frowned. “You still have eight breaths. You may confer and reach consensus.”
But they remained silent.
Then Lin Shuang chuckled softly.
“Senior Brother Meng practices blade arts. A treasure sword can be resold for spirit stones—always a good deal.
But a secret realm, closely watched by others, is hard to liquidate quickly. It makes sense he wouldn’t want it.
And Senior Brother Huangfu is physically weak—he particularly values spiritual herbs.”
Meng Zi rubbed his nose. True enough—he needed money.
Huangfu Yuan lifted a brow slightly. Ancient spirit beasts were born of heaven and earth. Their very bones yearned for spiritual herbs.
As a nine-tailed fox, that obsession with naturally formed treasures was part of his bloodline.
“Junior Sister Lin, meanwhile, always aims for the greatest yield. Only the secret realm might contain techniques, pills, and weapons all at once.”
He gave a faint laugh—
But his gaze lingered squarely on the illusion’s fruiting herb.
All three had seen through each other’s preferences, yet none made the slightest attempt to change the others’ minds.
Ten breaths passed in a flash.
That’s it. It’s really over this time.
I can’t believe I naively thought Senior Sister Mei Xin was going easy on them. I was so wrong.
Mei Xin’s scheming runs deep!
She placed the hardest test—the life-or-death choice—right at the beginning… how cruel!
A question about who should live or die—most Dao partners couldn’t survive such a test.
It was brutal—and shattered even the smoothest of team dynamics from the start.
Ah, this mortal selfishness—so real, yet so hard to admit—was laid bare. Bloodied and raw, forced in front of the trio.
After the first question, they saw things all too clearly.
You won’t bend for me. You won’t die for me.
And I won’t, either!
We’re little more than acquaintances.
Why should I compromise for you? How could I expect you to compromise for me?
I follow my heart. As long as I live without regrets—that’s enough.
—Isn’t that what the three of them are all thinking right now? Each answers for themselves, no longer considering the team’s shared interest.
Even though they’ve begun to understand each other, the desire to negotiate and align their choices is gone.
On Mei Xin’s side, things moved swiftly.
“Ruined temple.”
“Ruined temple.”
“Top-tier guest inn.”
Just like Lin Shuang’s group, the three had differing answers at first—despite working together for years.
But Mei Xin’s trio quickly discussed it calmly and without confusion.
“The inn has more information.”
“The ruined temple offers better cover.”
“The most dangerous place is often the safest.”
Before long, the three reached consensus: “The inn.”
She’s ruthless. Absolutely ruthless!
Three people acting like twins—same steps, same thoughts—was impossible.
Even married couples and Dao partners had disagreements.
But what mattered was the ability to discuss, persuade, consider the greater goal, and choose the best plan.
Even if the question of who lives and who dies couldn’t be solved, one could still move in harmony during a routine mission.
But Lin Shuang’s team had already been poisoned by the mindset of the first question.
What right do I have to ask someone to give up spirit stones, herbs, or rare opportunities for me?
None.
Just as I had no right to ask you to die for me.
I don’t want to persuade you—
Because I wouldn’t be persuaded either.
That life-or-death mentality from question one had bled into everything else.
Even though the problems were unrelated!
I’ve been watching their projections since the Many Scrolls Pavilion. All three are incredibly gifted, with Dao hearts more solid than mine.
Strong Dao hearts… but strong-minded, too? No wonder.
The stronger the will, the harder it is to compromise. And the harder it is to change others’ minds.
Can I just say? Meng Zi and the others may already be in sync—in how clearly they see each other’s temperaments, obsessions, and talents. Isn’t that its own form of understanding?
Still… attachments must be let go.
Mei Xin’s question was cruel, but they should thank her. Failing this level, reflecting on themselves, letting go of attachments—only then can they ascend higher.
Exactly. Clearwater Sect encourages disciples to live together, to undergo Zhenchuan trials as a group, to show that while talent matters, history is full of prodigies destroyed by their own egos.
Ordinary people can’t see their own flaws, obsessions, or blind spots. But your teammates—those who train with you day after day—will.
Over long years of shared struggle, you reveal one another, illuminate your own shortcomings, and break free from the fetters of mortality.
That is the true meaning of Clearwater Sect’s three-person teams and their open embrace of all paths.
Ah!
So that’s it. I’ve learned something—thank you, Senior Brothers and Sisters.
Across Zhenchuan’s tiers—3000, 6000—many disciples watched the projected words and felt something shift in their hearts.
Senior disciples, usually aloof and silent, were now offering commentary. That alone cleared the fog for many.
“I see now.”
“Write it down.”
Zhao Keran flailed her arms and legs while whipping out paper and brush from her storage pouch.
She wasn’t exactly a genius. Everything she’d achieved in cultivation so far had relied on her Senior Sister’s guidance and the teachings of Fastest Study.
Fastest Study – For Slow Birds, Chapter Two: A Bad Pen Beats a Good Memory.
Hear it once, repeat it once, write it down once. That way, you can revisit it later, reflect, and come to understand it more deeply over time.
So what if you didn’t understand something right away?
Eventually, you would.
As Zhao Keran recorded and recited aloud, her whole body twirling in the air like a spinning top, she froze the moment she finished writing the final character.
“I get it now…”
“Senior Sister… she’s always been reflecting me.”
“When I look at her, I see my own flaws… I’ve been learning faster than others lately… because I recognized my own lack of talent…”
“Even though I fall short, I am not afraid. I study Fastest Study with everything I have. That’s how I’ve broken through the limitations of my mortal body!”
In a flash, spiritual light from Zhenchuan descended, enveloping Zhao Keran completely.
Her spinning motion halted—
And with her body still frozen mid-spin, she closed her eyes and entered a meditative state.
Everyone: “……!”
What kind of meditation posture was that? No—what kind of talent even was this!?
Everyone else was focused on the projection, and she—a mere Qi Condensation disciple—had broken through on the spot?
“…My own flaws…” Zhou Xuanwu murmured. “I’m afraid to speak to Senior Brother Xu Rui. I want to run. I want to retreat into seclusion whenever I see him.”
He, too, came to recognize his inner fears through watching others—and at once closed his eyes and sat down cross-legged.
A spiritual barrier flickered around him.
Fear still lingered on his face.
But within his meditative state, he thought of something that made him chuckle—
No big deal. Once I reach Foundation Establishment, I can enter the Inner Sect and shut myself away for a hundred years.
Though he feared interaction, he now saw a path to overcome it.
His Dao heart solidified in an instant—without the slightest crack.
Everyone: “……!”
Why were all the Outer Sect disciples so weird!?
The disciples on the 3000th level turned at once to look at the last Outer Sect disciple—Chen Sixin.
She flushed bright red.
She was normal, okay!?
She was under so much pressure!
But soon, with worry and a flicker of hope, she looked toward the projection, where Lin Shuang’s trio stood scattered.
Lin Shuang, can you climb above the 3000th level?
Can you, as an Outer Sect disciple, rise above even the Inner Sect?
If not this year, then surely in ten years, Lin Shuang would enter the Inner Sect.
And then… she, Chen Sixin, might never see an Outer Sect disciple stand above the Inner Sect.
What a loss that would be.
Startled, Chen Sixin suddenly realized—was she truly so proud?
No—so petty?
She actually wanted to see her Inner Sect seniors fail?
Trembling slightly, she closed her eyes.
A small and faint spiritual light—much weaker than Zhao Keran’s or Zhou Xuanwu’s—gathered between her brows.
She had seen her own flaws and recognized them, even if she couldn’t yet accept them.
But to reflect upon oneself was the first step to growth.
She, too, entered a state of introspection.
Inner Sect disciples: “……???”
The disciples on the 3000th level felt their hearts shatter.
Eyes wide, they turned back to the projection where Lin Shuang and her team stood.
They, too, hoped to see something—anything.
In the projection, the pink-robed elder frowned deeply.
“Fourth question. Are you not even going to discuss it?”
“There are three missions to choose from.”
“One involves an evil cultivator who may destroy your dantian. One may damage your sea of consciousness. One will definitely cause you to lose your spiritual treasure.”
“Which mission would you least want to take?”
Silence again.
That same awkward, heavy silence.
Lin Shuang: “I don’t want my sea of consciousness harmed.”
Without it, she would lose her 108 strands of divine sense—and be unable to multitask as she did now.
She might even forget where she came from… forget everything Granny Dean had ever said.
And then—she wouldn’t be herself anymore.
If she lived on as someone else, what meaning would that life have?
Huangfu Yuan’s phoenix eyes glinted: “I don’t want my dantian destroyed.”
For humans, it was the dantian—for beasts, the inner core.
Destroy his core, and all his demonic power would vanish. What use would a sound mind be then?
To live on in disgrace, to watch the Nine-Tails bloodline end—it would be better to die in glory. Or better yet, to go mad and drag his enemies to the grave.
Meng Zi sighed. “I… don’t want to lose my spiritual treasure.”
After they spoke, silence fell once more.
The pink-robed elder had invited them to confer—but they remained mute.
Sigh. They’ve lost the fourth question too.
Though it’s not like those injuries were guaranteed… but whatever.
Mei Xin, the sound cultivator—what a master of mental manipulation. That first question… was the beginning of their ten-question downfall!
No rapport, no compromise, no flexibility—forget this test. That Outer Sect girl’s whole team is doomed to lose the next two rounds as well!
“Aren’t you going to reconsider?” The elder frowned deeper.
The three stared at the ground.
“I respect their choices.”
“No need.”
“This is my answer.”
“Fine, fine. Then the fifth question!”
The elder was growing annoyed.
At that moment, Lin Shuang looked up, eyes full of caution—but in the next breath, she closed them, as if falling asleep.
Meng Zi and Huangfu Yuan stood a full arm’s length away from her—too far to reach in time.
Since the first question, they hadn’t even realized it.
With each answer, the space between them had grown.
Now, if they tried to move closer, a single flick of the elder’s finger erected a spiritual barrier to block them.
“Fifth question.”
The elder narrowed her eyes, looking at the sleeping Lin Shuang with a faint smile.
“What is Lin Shuang’s ultimate move?”
“You two—answer.”
Meng Zi and Huangfu Yuan looked stunned.
A freebie question!
Not necessarily. Don’t forget—they’ve only been here three days.
Her ultimate move? Did anyone even see it during those levels?
Below 3000, most trials test single abilities. Rarely do you get full-combat scenarios that reveal a cultivator’s trump cards.
Her ultimate… maybe that 98-fold Water Sword Technique from earlier?
“You mean to tell me, you’ve been working together this long, and still don’t know what Lin Shuang’s specialty is?”
The elder sneered.
If Lin Shuang were awake, she’d surely mutter, That’s my CPU.
“How can you coordinate in battle if you don’t even know each other’s trump cards?”
The elder kept pressing, eyes mocking.
“Why not just surrender now?”
“She never told us. How were we supposed to know?!”
Meng Zi had held his tongue since question one.
But one question after another, all their missed connections—bit by bit—had been building into frustration.
And now, this question lit a spark that set it ablaze.
Lin Shuang had never explained her techniques.
And truth be told—neither had he.
Nor had Senior Brother Huangfu.
“Yes, yes, we have no teamwork. We don’t even know Lin Shuang’s signature move. Happy now?”
Meng Zi threw up his hands.
“Let’s just fight. Have Mei Xin’s team come out! Screw this ‘teamwork’ crap. Just beat them down!”
His temper flared hard.
Huangfu Yuan’s eyes grew conflicted. His hands slowly slid into his sleeves.
She had secrets—and so did he.
He had no intention of ever being honest with any human cultivator.
He would never entrust his life to one.
This was just a temporary alliance. Working with her had been convenient. Through her, he could learn more about Zhenchuan’s hidden connection to Clearwater Sect.
So if she had secrets she didn’t want to share?
He didn’t care.
Both he and Meng Zi wore matching expressions of indifference, a whatever, think what you want air of defeat.
The three had ended up together only because they couldn’t find other teammates for Zhenchuan.
Once it was over, they’d return to their own paths—Outer Sect, Inner Sect, Rong Bao Pavilion. They’d go their separate ways.
Who would team up again in the future? What a joke.
But then—beep!
A sharp chime echoed across the spring beside Li Village’s well.
“Beep. Lin Shuang has entered sleep mode. Xiao Ai will respond on her behalf.”
“Triggering keywords: ‘ultimate move’, ‘lose’, ‘fight’…”
“Would you like to know Lin Shuang’s ultimate move? Or how to coordinate with her for a last-ditch counterattack?”
Meng Zi and Huangfu Yuan stiffened.
Something clicked in their minds.
[……?]
[??]
Suddenly, Xiao Ai the talisman-dog tumbled out from Lin Shuang’s sleeve.
With its paper-folded body, it waddled a few steps forward.
“Such inquiries fall under Life-and-Death VIP classification.”
“Beginning identity verification.”
Huangfu Yuan and Meng Zi’s eyes flickered.
Beep.
Xiao Ai, its fluffy lion-dog head turning round, stared directly at the pink-robed elder who had just asked.
“Verifying spiritual signature…”
“Verification failed.”
“You are not Lin Shuang’s Life-and-Death Level I hiking buddy Zhou Xuanwu.”
“You are not Lin Shuang’s Life-and-Death Level I fat-burning target Xiao Qi.”
“You are not Lin Shuang’s Life-and-Death Level II trial partners Meng Zi and Huangfu Yuan.”
Both men stiffened in place.
Life-and-Death trial partners.
They remembered… that seemingly useless response talisman.
She had input both of their names into it.
To her, they were classified as Level II life-and-death companions.
And above them—there was no one of a higher rank.
Both their expressions flickered.
The lion-dog talisman had already pulled back its little paper legs, preparing to return the way it came.
“Apologies. Identity verification failed. I cannot provide that information.”
“Please continue cultivating a life-and-death bond with Lin Shuang, then try your inquiry again~ Goodbye!”
Meng Zi froze—then cried out, “Lin Shuang… your ultimate move… can you tell me?!”
Huangfu Yuan lowered his head, silently staring at the little talisman dog.
A dog… it was technically a lion-dog…
But it was still a dog… not a cat…
As expected, the lion-dog talisman turned back with a tap-tap-tap, waddling back toward them on its tiny paper feet.
“Beep! Identity verification successful!”
“You are Lin Shuang’s Life-and-Death Level II companions: Meng Zi or Huangfu Yuan.”
“Lin Shuang’s ultimate move is as follows—”
[!]
[!!!]
At once, the lion-dog talisman emitted Lin Shuang’s actual recorded voice:
“Hey. If you’re asking this question, chances are I’ve already been incapacitated by an enemy, or I’m unconscious, or otherwise unable to answer.”
The pink-robed elder’s gaze sharpened.
“Fine, I’ll tell you. My ultimate move… is myself.”
[!]
All three of them froze.
Huangfu Yuan blinked, then let out a soft laugh. Meng Zi looked utterly dumbfounded.
Just like her ridiculous answer during that test with the 97 Qi Condensation Lin Shuang clones.
“My dantian techniques, divine sense arts, left and right-hand sword skills, talismans, sound arts, defense, speed… I’ve cultivated them all to a respectable level.”
“!”
“!!”
[???]
[What?!]
This was Lin Shuang’s overconfident, full-on self-praise mode.
“My ultimate move… is everything I’ve got. Anything you can think of—I’ve got it.”
“……”
“So when the time comes, just wake me up. Pull me out of danger. Trust me—if you can get me moving, it’ll be like having 98 of me fighting alongside you.”
“!”
“As for battle strategy, feel free to design it around me—the all-around, hexagonal powerhouse.”
[……！]
[……]
[…………]
“Wake me up, and I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”
Beep. The voice recording ended.
Then Xiao Ai’s cheerful tone returned:
“Accessing Lin Shuang’s personal logs. Currently mastered techniques *, *, *… all at Mastery Level. Other techniques *, *… at half-step Perfection.”
[??]
[Wait—what?! She’s already at Mastery level? That must be her Water Spirit Sword!]
“Sorry. This information is reserved for Life-and-Death Level III VIPs.”
“Life-and-Death Level II companions Meng Zi and Huangfu Yuan currently lack sufficient clearance. Please continue accumulating life-and-death experience to unlock more~”
The lion-dog talisman vanished in a blink.
Leaving Huangfu Yuan and Meng Zi standing in place, staring silently at Lin Shuang.
Insufficient level.
Right. They’d only known her a few days. Who in their right mind would entrust someone with all their secrets—and their life—in that short time?
Such trust? Such rapport?
Most cultivators would never reach it.
But she… she had already placed them above her elders.
In her system—they were currently the two most important people in her world.
Meng Zi trembled, his eyes dazed.
Huangfu Yuan’s pupils contracted.
No one had ever trusted him like this before.
But what could he possibly offer in return?
At that moment, Lin Shuang stirred from her sleep.
When she opened her eyes and stood up, she was met with two pairs of complicated stares.
What’s going on?
She blinked in confusion.
Both of them were looking at her with… a strange mix of emotion—touched, nervous, a little panicked, and maybe… a bit guilty?
“Lin Shuang’s ultimate move… is herself.”
Huangfu Yuan answered calmly.
Meng Zi echoed him.
What?
That shameful line—who activated Xiao Ai while I was sleeping?!
Lin Shuang slapped a hand over her face.
Social death.
“…Back in the second question, I actually thought the Heaven-Rank Inn was the better choice,” Meng Zi mumbled, blushing and turning away. “I just couldn’t bear to part with my spirit stones.”
“And on the third question… if the secret realm really had that many treasures, I could’ve picked it too.”
Lin Shuang blinked.
Then heard a cough to her right.
She turned—and for some reason, when she looked into Huangfu Yuan’s dark eyes, she saw the expression of a loyal hound…
The kind that had just been taken in, unsure if it could trust its new owner, still awkward from having pawed at her earlier, but starting to soften after being given food.
“…If the secret realm had spirit herbs,” Huangfu Yuan said at last, “I suppose… I could go too.”
After speaking, he stared straight ahead, as if those words hadn’t come from him.
Lin Shuang smiled. “That’s not bad. At least the first two questions—we could’ve had matching answers.”
“Next time we run into a trial or mission we don’t agree on, we can just split up and take different paths.”
The moment she said that, both men visibly relaxed.
“Agreed.”
“Works for me.”
They didn’t need to match perfectly.
They didn’t need to be bound at the hip.
But they could walk the same path most of the time, without growing weary of each other.
And that was enough.
For Lin Shuang, something cloudy and uncertain inside her heart suddenly crystallized.
The tension from earlier—the stubborn pride, the sharp edges—melted away.
The three of them looked at each other.
And for the first time, something in their mutual frost… began to thaw.
Lin Shuang smiled softly.
Granny Dean… fighting really does bring people closer, huh?
“I was wrong, too,” she said. “Honestly, if the spirit herb and the sword were on the way to the secret realm, we could’ve planned a route to grab all three. I didn’t need to insist on the secret realm first.”
Huangfu Yuan and Meng Zi looked at her with complex expressions.
Of course… it’s you.
One arrow, three targets—she wants everything.
But their eyes softened.
They turned to face the pink-robed elder, who finally looked at them with a rare expression of satisfaction.
“Fifth question…”
She hadn’t even finished speaking when—whoosh!—three streaks of spiritual energy shot down from the endless blue sky above Li Village.
The light around Lin Shuang was the brightest. Meng Zi’s came next. Huangfu Yuan’s was a little dimmer.
In a flash, all three were enveloped.
[!]
A majestic, ancient voice echoed across the skies:
“The tacit understanding trial is a branch of the team battle.”
“Teamwork means knowing each other, coordinating, trusting one another with your backs—but not losing ourselves.”
“To see clearly what the others love and hate—this is the first difficulty of true tacit understanding.”
“To differ in opinion, without forcing unity—while gaining insight into the self—this is the second.”
“To awaken suddenly from obsession or pride, and find harmony between the self and the collective—this is the third.”
“You three have grasped the basics. I acknowledge your bond.”
“—To walk together, without losing yourselves!”
“In merely five questions, from surface-level harmony, to estrangement, to mutual appreciation… You have broken down and rebuilt yourselves. Your awakening earns my praise!”
With that, heavenly spiritual light rained down upon the trio.
Three withered leaves slowly formed in the air.
Zhenchuan Transfer Leaves.
[!!!]
[……!]
Author’s Note:
Zhao Sect Master’s Notes, Entry 42:
“A hundred years later, Senior Sister’s life-and-death bond level reached 102. Senior Brother Huangfu is still trying to level up… I think the cap is probably 999.”
—Disciple a century later: ……
—Huangfu Yuan: ……
—Meng Zi: …I really am a fool… I never should’ve leveled up that bond!
Cultivator Talisman Codex: Some talismans crafted by Master Lin require a VIP bond level to activate. Buyers are advised to review requirements carefully before purchase.
See you tomorrow!