Chà Chà Novel

“Immortal Venerable Huaiqing, you’re here early.”

At the familiar voice, Lin Huaiqing was briefly dazed before remembering that it belonged to Yin Shuangyue, whom they had met yesterday.

Since she was their host, he rose to greet her.

“Immortal Venerable Shuangyue.”

“The secret realm is about to open, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend to you properly. I’ve therefore sent my direct disciple, Fu’er, to look after you. If you need anything, just ask her.”

As she spoke, a pretty young girl stepped out from behind her.

“My respects, Immortal Venerable Huaiqing.”

“No need for formalities. Thank you for your trouble.”

Fu’er seemed a little younger than Yu’er, whom they had met earlier. Judging by her voice, Lin Huaiqing guessed she had not yet reached adulthood.

Young though she was, the girl was very attentive. No sooner had she arrived than she began serving him tea and seeing to his needs.

It left him feeling rather embarrassed.

Drinking the tea she had poured, Lin Huaiqing felt he could hardly maintain a cold, aloof manner. He struck up a conversation instead.

“Why aren’t you joining your senior sisters in the trial, young lady?”

“I’m still too young. Master had agreed to let me try, but I ended up being removed from the list in the last few days…”

There was a note of regret in her voice.

Lin Huaiqing’s hand paused as he lowered his teacup. He no longer dared ask casual questions.

So his two disciples, who had gained entry through a favor, had taken this little girl’s place.

At a quarter past seven, the secret realm opened on schedule.

A vast teleportation array suddenly appeared on the open ground in the rear mountains. It was the realm’s only entrance.

Since Qin Du and Mu Yunting were staying at Yuqing Shrine, close to the entrance, they were among the first participants to enter.

Although neither could stand the sight of the other, they had no choice but to form a temporary alliance to avoid being outmatched by larger groups from other sects.

The realm opened only once every five years. With no human interference during that time, its plants and animals flourished unchecked.

Mist wreathed the landscape. Looking around, one might have stepped into a kingdom of green.

Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, dappling the ground. Abundant spiritual energy filled everything in the realm with vitality.

Though Qin Du knew that everything around him was artificial, he couldn’t help marveling.

To think the cultivators had turned such an earthly paradise into a training ground. What a waste.

If the demon realm had somewhere this beautiful, he would order it developed into a holiday retreat so every demon could come and enjoy the scenery.

Mu Yunting, meanwhile, was clearly in no mood for sightseeing. In his previous life, he had stumbled upon his bonded spirit sword in this very realm.

If he failed to retrieve it now, he would have to wait another five years.

Five years might pass in a flash for cultivators, but who knew what could change in that brief span?

Especially with a future leader of the demon race lurking at his master’s side. Mu Yunting could hardly feel at ease.

He had to recover his spirit sword. Only then could he better protect his master.

Before entering the realm, every disciple participating in the trial received a pack containing a signal device linked to its bearer. If that person encountered danger, the device would flash, alerting those outside.

Anyone deemed to have died within the realm would be teleported back to the outside world.

The device also had a withdrawal button. Anyone wishing to abandon the trial could press it and be transported out.

After spending enough time inside the realm, even Nascent Soul elders would grow hungry, just like ordinary mortals.

The pack therefore also contained a waterskin and a little dry food—at most, enough to sustain one person for a day.

For the rest of the trial, participants would have to find their own food and water to survive.

Going too long without food would also result in being deemed dead.

Within the allotted time, killing more beasts earned more points. Discovering treasures hidden throughout the realm could also award a substantial number of points.

But places containing treasure were usually guarded by powerful beasts.

Many of the participants had taken this trial before. Qin Du, however, was a first-timer—and somehow, he really seemed to be enjoying a “beginner’s grace period.”

Watching Qin Du dig the core out of his third beast, Mu Yunting was practically numb.

Wasn’t this fellow a little too lucky? The beasts all but threw themselves onto his sword.

Meanwhile, Mu Yunting himself hadn’t found a single lead.

His memories of his previous life were growing hazy. He couldn’t remember which cave, or which lakeside, had held his fateful discovery.

This was no different from searching for a needle in a haystack.

Meanwhile, outside the realm, live scores had begun scrolling across the giant screen. Everyone watched eagerly, hoping to see their own disciples’ names.

“There he is! Immortal Venerable Huaiqing, your disciple Qin Du is currently in third place!”

“Really? What about Yunting?” Lin Huaiqing asked at once.

Fu’er carefully checked the entire ranking, but his name was nowhere to be found.

The screen only displayed the top hundred disciples. Clearly, Mu Yunting was ranked below them.

Lin Huaiqing was in no hurry, however.

How could the male lead’s destined opportunity reveal itself so soon? They would have to wait a little longer.

Time flowed at completely different rates inside and outside the realm. Only two hours had passed outside, yet the first night had already fallen within.

For the participants, nighttime was usually the most dangerous period. Beasts emerged under cover of darkness, often catching exhausted cultivators off guard and killing them outright.

Even those who avoided the beasts still had to contend with the realm’s many poisonous plants, which became more active at night.

Prolonged exposure to toxic pollen or miasma would also result in being deemed dead.

Death truly lurked everywhere.

It was only the first night, yet nearly a tenth of the participants’ signal lights had already turned red.

Qin Du and Mu Yunting might have been at odds for a long time, but both understood the value of working together to win.

They found a relatively safe place to rest. Qin Du would keep watch for the first half of the night, and Mu Yunting would take over for the second.

That way, both could rest while remaining alert to any danger around them.

After finally making it through the first watch, they switched places. Qin Du had barely fallen asleep when Mu Yunting shook him awake.

“Wake up. There’s movement nearby.”

Just as Mu Yunting said, faint howls drifted through the night. A wolf pack seemed to be hunting somewhere within five li of them.

Any wolves found in this realm were bound to be no ordinary animals. These were wolf spirits that had cultivated by absorbing spiritual energy over many years.

Against an entire pack of them, even a cultivator at the Golden Core stage or above could not afford a direct confrontation.

And the two of them were already surrounded.