Li Fei was stunned for a moment. If these words had come from Senior Sister Zhao Min, she wouldn’t have been surprised at all. But coming from Ji Tongzhou’s mouth, it was incredibly strange.
Ji Tongzhou let out a haughty chuckle, “When I have time, I’ll teach you how to be an elegant woman.”
Li Fei felt somewhat irritated and frowned, “And how elegant are you?” He didn’t even act like a proper prince!
Ji Tongzhou noticed her crossed arms, with her wrists peeking out from her sleeves. One was smooth and flawless, while the other had scattered, freshly scarred bite marks. He suddenly reached out, pulling her wrist closer to examine it. He stared at the bite marks on her hand expressionlessly for a moment.
Li Fei immediately felt embarrassed. Those were the bite marks left by Lei Xiuyuan, who hadn’t treated them, leaving them to scar over until today. Involving matters of romance, she was reluctant to let others see, even though the cause was this young prince biting her while in a confused state. Although they were all friends, Ji Tongzhou was still a man, and she didn’t know how to discuss topics of love and affection with him.
She forcefully pulled her hand back, letting out a dry laugh. Just as she was about to slip away, a hand suddenly landed on her shoulder. Lei Xiuyuan rested his hand on her, stepping forward to stand in front of her. His face still bore traces of sleep, but his eyes calmly gazed at Ji Tongzhou, saying nothing.
Ji Tongzhou also stared back at him expressionlessly. Neither of them said a word, creating an eerie and deathly silent atmosphere that left others bewildered. It wasn’t as interesting or lively as before when they would start arguing and fighting as soon as they met.
Li Fei brushed her hair, feeling hesitant. Should she walk away and pretend not to notice as before, or stay to see what was going on? Something seemed off between the two of them.
Ji Tongzhou suddenly touched his cheek and let out a cold laugh, “I still haven’t returned that punch to you.”
A cold smile slowly spread across Lei Xiuyuan’s face as well, “You can try to return it now, but you might not be able to.”
Ji Tongzhou’s eyebrows raised slightly, “I’ve already broken through the third bottleneck. Are you sure you want me to bully you with my superior strength?”
“You can try.”
… Well, it seems they’ve started arguing again after all, Li Fei thought as she shook her head and walked away. When would the day come that these two didn’t fight? They were eighteen or nineteen years old, yet still acted like eleven or twelve-year-olds, fighting for no reason. She decided it was better to find Ge Lin to help her do her hair.
As she looked around, she suddenly saw Lu Li in the distance, carrying several pieces of dead wood in his arms as he walked back. Bai Li Ge Lin was jogging beside him, bowing and curtsying repeatedly, awkwardly trying to keep up with him. He continued to act as if he couldn’t see her, walking quickly forward without stopping. Finally, Bai Li Ge Lin seemed to lose her patience and grabbed his arm, but he shook her off again, still moving forward quickly without a word.
… What’s going on? Li Fei was stunned as she watched Bai Li Ge Lin sigh in exasperation. Had she offended Lu Li?
Seeming to notice Li Fei not far away, Bai Li Ge Lin waved and slowly walked over, an awkward smile on her face. “Sorry, you had to see such an embarrassing scene.”
“What’s wrong with Senior Brother Lu?” Li Fei asked softly.
Bai Li Ge Lin let out a dry laugh, somewhat annoyed, “He’s just a stubborn, unlikable man, that’s all.”
She had been looking for opportunities to apologize to Lu Li these past few days. Using him as a shield last time was indeed wrong of her, so she sincerely wanted to apologize properly and seek his forgiveness. However, Lu Li had been treating her as if she were invisible, not even looking at her. If he was still angry, it would be fine if he scolded her a bit, or even declared that they would no longer be friends as fellow disciples. But ignoring her completely? What was that about?
She had been somewhat frivolous with men before, but she hadn’t done much to Lu Li. Before this trial, they barely knew each other. Later, when they teamed up, she joked with him a few times but was quickly rebuffed, so she had hardly joked with him since. Of course, she was mostly in the wrong, but he didn’t need to be like this. It’s not like hugging someone once would kill him. She didn’t know how noble this “Nine Phoenix Clan” was, but was hugging a woman once really such a crime? She had nearly kowtowed in apology, but Lu Li’s attitude was truly infuriating. They were fellow disciples who would have to see each other often in the future, yet he had to make things so awkward.
“Forget about him, let him be arrogant on his own!” Bai Li Ge Lin waved her hand in disgust.
As the morning sun rose, Li Fei sat on a blue stone while Bai Li Ge Lin styled her hair behind her. A gentle sea breeze blew as Ye Xie and Bai Li Chang Yue moved many large stones, enhancing them with earth-shaping magic. They were trying to cast spells on them, probably intending to make stone dolls for practicing magic. Lu Li sat alone on a mound of earth with his eyes closed in concentration, reportedly practicing Sea Sect meditation to calm the mind and make it easier to release spells. Ji Tongzhou and Lei Xiuyuan were researching how to cast spells on stones along with Ye Xie and the others. The two said something that led to another disagreement, quickly escalating into a noisy fight. Ye Xie simply took Chang Yue and left, leaving the place to the two of them.
To be honest, because obtaining the Demon Vermilion Fruit had gone so smoothly, this trial didn’t feel like a trial at all, but more like a vacation. Thinking back to the last time in Chestnut Valley, only the word “brutal” could describe it.
Bai Li Ge Lin finished braiding Li Fei’s last small braid and leaned in to look, finally smiling with satisfaction. “This looks good. I was right, Li Fei, you look prettier with your forehead exposed. Don’t cover it with bangs in the future.”
No wonder she felt cool on her forehead… Li Fei touched her forehead, instinctively glancing towards Lu Li again. She saw that he was no longer meditating with closed eyes, but was looking in their direction with open eyes. Seeing her looking at him, Lu Li nodded slightly, then closed his eyes and resumed his meditation.
Was he looking at Ge Lin just now? Li Fei suddenly remembered the incident when Lu Li had hugged Chun Ge Lin before. Could it be that he was upset with Ge Lin because of this? Li Fei felt somewhat happy about this possibility. As a friend, she also didn’t want Ge Lin to be forever trapped in her unrequited love for Ye Xie.
A good girl like Ge Lin naturally deserved someone better who understood her to loved her.
“Ge Lin, an apology needs to be sincere. If you just laugh it off, of course, people won’t take it seriously. Senior Brother Lu must be so angry because he cares about you, right? People who don’t care wouldn’t bother with so much. You should talk to him properly again.”
Bai Li Ge Lin’s mouth opened dramatically, “Don’t scare me like that! Who said I apologized to him while laughing? I was very serious, but he acted like I didn’t exist! Such a difficult person to talk to. Caring? Come on!”
Not wanting to discuss this further, she sat cross-legged and closed her eyes, saying, “I’m going to meditate now. You go play with your dear Xiu Yuan.”
Before Li Fei could tap her on the head, she burst into laughter herself.
This joint trial between the Mountain and Sea Sects was finally coming to an end. Halfway through the trial, people trying to snatch the Demon Vermilion Fruit began to arrive in droves every day. As time went on, more people came, and the methods of snatching gradually changed from sneak attacks and group fights to one-on-one duels. Whoever won would get the Demon Vermilion Fruit. This quick and friendly method gained popularity among most disciples of both sects, and although there were still some like Long Ming Zuo or Guang Sheng Hui who resorted to trickery and force, they became the minority.
In any case, this trial was considered a positive exchange for both the Mountain and Sea Sects. The intricacies of the Mountain Sect and the flexibility of beast taming in the Sea Sect were mutually understood to a certain extent.
The one-month time limit had been reached. A source of spiritual energy descended upon the huge island in the inner circle of the sea area. Two hundred disciples exited through the spiritual energy source, returning to the vast beach where they had entered the trial grounds.
Li Fei’s hand was still held by Lei Xiuyuan. When the scene before her eyes changed to the vast beach, she looked at the seawater shrouded in black mist, feeling countless emotions. Before entering, they had also held hands like this, and she had been anxious and uneasy. Now, facing the same scenery and holding hands in the same way, her state of mind was completely different.
She looked up at Lei Xiuyuan, who was also looking at her. They smiled at each other.
The two hundred disciples began to hand over the Demon Vermilion Fruits to the elders. All thirty Demon Vermilion Fruits were accounted for. The results of this trial were rather grim: forty-two disciples from the Mountain Sect passed, and forty-five from the Sea Sect passed. Half of the participants didn’t pass.
Seeing that these disciples’ teams had at most a dozen or so people, and those who didn’t pass all looked confused and depressed, the elders began to laugh. Master Shen even chuckled, “A bunch of fools. Did the teams have to be so small? I don’t remember setting any limit on team size.”
The disciples were first puzzled, then suddenly realized, their mouths hanging open – why didn’t they say this earlier? They had always formed teams of four or five people at most for trials, balancing the five elements. Too many people would make it difficult to allocate resources, with everyone dissatisfied, making it impossible to work together. Now, after the trial ended, they were told there was no limit on team size! Were they supposed to cajole, beg, or use any means necessary to join teams that had Demon Vermilion Fruits?
Seeing them all as if waking from a dream, True Person Dong Yang also sighed, “Always burying your heads in practice at the sect, never going out to interact with people, you’re all like silly geese. You only know how to follow the elders’ arrangements. Don’t you have brains of your own? Don’t you know how to adapt?”
The Mountain Sect disciples were all very depressed. Usually, they were told to listen to the elders in everything, but now they were blamed for not having brains. Why was being a disciple so difficult?
Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any punishment for failing the trial. The Demon Vermilion Fruits were collected, and the elders of both sects, along with the founders of the academy, were discussing post-trial matters. The disciples gathered on the beach, chatting and laughing among themselves. With the trial over and the elders having just said such things, even the Mountain and Sea Sect disciples who had minor friction during the trial put aside their previous grievances and gathered to chat and joke.
The most frequently mentioned topic was the massive illusion. At that time, the disciples on the large island in the inner circle of the sea city were all engulfed by the mirage’s mist. After waking from a great dream, they found only layers of black ash under their feet, which was the body of the mirage cut into pieces. For the Sea Sect disciples, it was mostly their first time witnessing the power of a fierce beast. There were very few fierce beasts in the East Sea, and most magical creatures were only large but had no other strengths. No one could have imagined that there would be a mirage on the trial grounds.
The elders, who were originally discussing important matters, heard them mention the mirage. Master Shen’s expression changed first: “There was a fierce beast like a mirage in the trial grounds?”
His cold gaze immediately turned to the Sea Sect elders. The trial grounds were jointly selected by several immortals of the East Sea. Before the disciples entered, the elders had thoroughly investigated the inside to ensure there were no powerful magical creatures or fierce beasts before allowing them to enter. Now, the disciples had encountered a mirage. Fortunately, nothing serious happened. If something had gone wrong, there would have been heavy casualties. How would they explain that to the Mountain Sect?
Those Sea Sect elders also seemed quite shocked and fearful. True Person Guang Wei smiled and said, “There’s no need for everyone to overthink this. Mirages are different from other fierce beasts. They have no magical energy surrounding them and usually transform into various illusions, making them impossible to see through. Although the illusions are terrifying, mirages are not difficult to kill. Anyone with a strong mind who can break free from the illusion can easily slay them. The fact that the disciples are unharmed proves everything.”
However, according to what the disciples said, when the mirage died, it was cut into pieces. This was quite unusual. How could these disciples have the ability to do that?
Just as they were pondering this, they suddenly saw two elders from Long Ming Zuo with gloomy expressions, leading four disciples over. Elder Zong Li of Long Ming Zuo’s Three Zhang Mountain bowed and said, “True Person Guang Wei, this trial was meant for exchange and not to harm lives. Our Long Ming Zuo disciples may have acted somewhat carelessly, but snatching the Demon Vermilion Fruit did not violate the rules. Why did your esteemed disciple use such a heavy hand, cutting off the limbs of two of our disciples?”
True Person Guang Wei was shocked. He saw that the four Long Ming Zuo disciples were pale-faced, with two of them having their sleeves and hems cut off at the arms and legs. He could see at a glance that the reattached limbs’ spiritual energy flow was not smooth. Without further delicate treatment, these two disciples’ cultivation would likely never progress again. Even more serious were the other two disciples. Although their physical injuries had been healed, the fire poison was raging through their eight extraordinary meridians. Healing them would require a great deal of effort. Was this the result of being injured by fire-attribute magic?
He immediately turned back and called out, “Xiu Yuan, come here for a moment.”