A Perfect Kneel
Wu Yao's kneel was so clean and decisive that even Lin Ye froze for a fraction of a breath.
Fortunately, he halted his blade in time.
Otherwise, she would've been dead already.
"You're… sharp," Lin Ye said coldly.
Wu Yao had already prepared herself for death.
Eyes shut.
But when she felt a chill wind pass overhead and heard Lin Ye speak—
she finally exhaled.
She was alive.
She never imagined she'd end up like this.
But in her mind, every possible scenario ended the same way:
fighting Lin Ye meant certain death.
Surrender was the only road.
Maybe if her attitude was good enough—
she'd live.
Not One of Them
"You with them?" Lin Ye asked calmly.
Luo Gui caught up quickly.
They hadn't gone far.
Wu Yao swallowed hard.
"Yes—no! Not really!"
"We're from the same sect, but I'm not close to them!"
Her voice was clear and pleasant, but forced steady.
Luo Gui asked sharply:
"If they die, how long until rescue activates?"
Trials in great sects always had safeguards.
Otherwise, all the carefully cultivated disciples would get wiped out too easily.
"One quarter-hour," Wu Yao answered immediately.
No lies.
She had clawed this life back.
She wouldn't waste it.
Luo Gui looked at Lin Ye.
"What do we do with her?"
"She saw everything."
Wu Yao trembled.
"Please! I won't say anything!"
"I swear I won't!"
"I can make a poison oath!"
Lin Ye waved lazily.
"No need."
"She knows what to do."
Kill to silence?
That's what you do when you fear someone.
Plum Blossom Sword Sect didn't deserve that kind of caution.
"Be smarter next time."
Lin Ye turned and left.
Luo Gui followed.
Both disappeared into the forest.
Only then—minutes later—did Wu Yao finally collapse backward.
Her legs gave out.
She sat on the ground, drained.
Staying alive felt like a miracle.
She breathed shakily.
"Thank heavens…"
"My kneel was fast enough."
She stood slowly, still trembling.
She didn't know their names.
Not their backgrounds.
Not anything.
But she knew one thing clearly:
This could never be spoken of.
If she talked, Lin Ye might come for her.
And the sect might come for her too.
She grabbed her staff and fled down the mountain the opposite way.
If she stayed until the rescue elders arrived—
she couldn't explain herself.
Rescue Mechanism Triggered
Back at Tide-Churning Mouth, a disciple watched over a set of jade slips.
Each slip was linked to a trial participant's blood essence.
If the owner died—
the slip shattered.
A boring job.
Until—
CRACK.
The disciple jolted awake.
The jade slip had shattered.
No.
Not one.
Five.
His eyes widened.
"Jade slips… shattered!"
He grabbed the fragments and sprinted toward the elders.
"Elders! Elders, disaster!"
"It broke—everything broke!"
Within breaths—
three terrifying auras erupted from the ships and shot into the sky.
They rushed toward Thousand Luo Mountain.
Because among those five shattered slips…
one belonged to the Young Sect Master.
Others didn't matter.
But him?
That was another level entirely.
This trial had been arranged with elite disciples supporting him.
Unless he actively sought death…
he shouldn't have been able to die.
Even in lethal danger, a defensive array could be activated in a single heartbeat.
There should've been enough time for rescue.
So how could he die this fast?
Unless the enemy…
killed all five instantly.
Instantly.
A terrifying thought.
Unbelievable.
They had to reach the scene first.
The Thousand Luo Gorge
At the summit, Lin Ye and Luo Gui stood at the edge of Thousand Luo Gorge.
Luo Gui warned:
"There may be Seventh-rank beasts below."
"And occasional qi storms."
"If you get swept in…"
"you won't escape."
Lin Ye stared down.
A thousand-zhang abyss.
Deeper than the mountain itself.
Perhaps beasts had carved it deeper over time.
Then Lin Ye's eyes locked onto a cliff wall.
A single stone jutted out—
Thousand Luo Bloodstone.
But it was at least fifty zhang deep.
Unknown dangers below.
And even as Lin Ye leaned over—
he sensed more than ten hidden auras locking onto him.
Waiting for him to jump.
The strongest beasts lived here.
This gorge was a natural fortress.
And more importantly—
there was lingering blood-asura sword aura here, acting as nourishment.
A perfect breeding ground for terrifying monsters.
Lin Ye turned to Luo Gui.
"How did you get your last bloodstone?"
Luo Gui answered honestly:
"I picked it up nearby."
Lin Ye: "…"
So it was pure luck.
Some beast battle probably knocked it loose.
Luo Gui didn't even know what it was then.
Just felt valuable.
And Lin Ye happened to encounter him later.
Lin Ye said calmly:
"You don't have to go down."
"You can leave… or stay here and guard."
Luo Gui shook his head.
"I'll wait here."
"Plum Blossom Sword Sect might come."
"I can hold them off if needed."
Lin Ye didn't care.
His eyes only held the bloodstone.
"Fine."
He nodded.
Then—
he jumped.
He Actually Jumped
Lin Ye dropped into the abyss.
Immediately, terrifying presences surged from all directions.
"Asura Blood Armor!"
Blood armor formed.
Attacks slammed into it but couldn't break through.
Lin Ye tossed a handful of white powder into the air.
A sedative blend—causing slow reaction, numbness.
Similar to the poison used against ghost vines.
Ugly beasts lunged from the darkness.
But Lin Ye, with powder and the Heavenly Strategy Dragon Step, dodged effortlessly.
Then—
he landed.
Above, Luo Gui stared into the darkness.
The abyss swallowed everything.
Between the powder's haze, the chaos of qi storms, and the pitch-black depth—
Lin Ye's figure vanished completely.
Luo Gui sighed.
"Young people…"
"They really do have guts."
He settled into a safer spot, back to the cliff wall, and began cultivating.
Bloodstone Absorbed
At the bottom, Lin Ye ripped the Thousand Luo Bloodstone free and threw it into the Nine Nether Blood Sea.
Instantly—
an enormous wave of Blood Sea energy surged back into him.
BOOM!
His qi skyrocketed.
"Next one."