Both cups of ice vine jade essence had come before her.

In that moment, Jian Chou couldn’t help but feel slightly surprised.

Only now, with her gaze falling on these two cups of crystalline liquid, did she recall everything that had just happened in her mind.

She looked down at what was in her hand.

Ghost Axe.

Fierce patterns.

Ancient, simple texture.

Her hand gripped the axe handle, feeling as if the flesh and blood of her palm were pressed against the handle, as if born connected to it—it was her arm and flesh.

Only now did Ghost Axe truly belong to her, spiritually connected.

The images in her mind continued replaying.

What Jian Chou remembered was that surging battle intent, elevated to the extreme, which had made her almost uncontrollably strike out with that axe.

Looking back behind her, Ximen Lu’s figure had long since dispersed into the void—

Dead?

Or just a temporary disappearance?

Jian Chou wasn’t sure.

She turned her gaze back to the two cups of ice vine jade essence.

Whatever, who cared how she’d won? Wasn’t this the most important thing now?

With a gesture, those two cups of ice vine jade essence flew directly toward Jian Chou. She caught one in each hand, quite satisfied.

The emerald killing disc floated quietly beside her.

At this moment, the several red lines on it, except for the one from the west that had arrived long ago, all seemed to have had their obstacles removed and were rushing frantically toward the end like mad!

Jian Chou saw that Gu Qingmei from the southeast was the fastest line!

In just the blink of an eye, she had reached the cliff wall.

However…

There was nothing there.

“That’s not right… I’m the third one. Where’s the ice vine jade essence?”

A puzzled voice came from the stone disc.

Southeast.

Gu Qingmei had rushed all the way. Though she didn’t know how Ximen Lu had suddenly disappeared, having no one blocking her path ahead was completely good news. Then she saw that green light from the east reach the finish line in an instant—extremely strange.

This time, Gu Qingmei refused to fall behind anyone else and desperately rushed forward!

However…

The moment she reached the cliff wall, no reward appeared.

Last time, after being the first to reach the cliff wall, the azure lotus spiritual fire had appeared automatically, but now there was nothing!

The only explanation could be that the item had been taken by someone.

But when Gu Qingmei looked around, she was indeed the third to arrive, just after those two silent monsters. Though unhappy, Gu Qingmei had nothing to say this time.

But why didn’t she have any?

Thus, Gu Qingmei couldn’t help but ask.

She wasn’t questioning anyone in particular, just expressing doubt.

Everyone else in all directions was also stunned.

No matter what stage they had reached, whether they had entered the karmic illusion or not, the entire trial was forcibly ended.

So they too rushed desperately toward the end.

But no one expected to hear such words from Gu Qingmei before even arriving…

The third arrival didn’t get the ice vine jade essence?

Then…

Before the trial, it was said there were three cups total. Was that true or false? Who took an extra one? How could they take extra?

In an instant, everyone thought of Ximen Lu, who had seemed to be stabbed to death earlier.

The originally formidably terrifying stage guardian had suddenly disappeared completely, and his face showed an expression of disbelief.

This…

No matter how you looked at it, it seemed like someone had interfered.

That one from the west, who had only spoken once, calling himself “this official,” was the first to arrive and had no problems throughout. Then that silent one from the east suddenly reached the end, Ximen Lu disappeared, and all those currently in trials were affected.

Could it be… coincidence?

What coincidence like this existed in the world?

Those who could think to this level were smart people. With some deduction, they almost immediately understood.

Perhaps Ximen Lu had been killed by that formidable senior from the east.

So the ice vine jade essence might also have been taken by that one from the east.

But all this was just speculation—no one dared voice questions.

Jian Chou silently looked down at the ice vine jade essence gripped in her palm.

Two cups.

In the milky white liquid were threads of refreshing emerald green, truly pleasing to the eye.

She didn’t care what others thought and felt no guilt toward Gu Qingmei, who had arrived third but received no reward.

Thinking of how she had reached the second layer of “Human Vessel” through chance encounters, then recalling the original text’s description of its arduous process, Jian Chou suddenly felt that after half a lifetime of bad luck, her fortune had finally returned.

Raising her hand, she was about to drink this cup of ice vine jade essence directly.

Unexpectedly, exclamations suddenly came from the stone disc—

“Damn, what’s happening?”

“Ah!”

“Bang!”

“It hurts…”

“This is too much of a trap!”

“Amitabha, Buddha’s protection, protection…”

…

Jian Chou looked back and was immediately shocked.

Earlier, she had come from that vast ice surface, traveling beneath this cliff wall. Behind her, the ice surface showed no traces, with the shadow of an apricot grove faintly visible beneath the semi-transparent ice.

However, now…

The huge ice surface suddenly melted, creating a vast emerald lake!

Then this emerald lake drew up a waterfall into the air, rolling backward toward the sky.

For a moment, only the sound of rushing water could be heard!

All the ice on the platform was swept up by this waterfall. In just a while, it had all condensed in mid-air, rushing down toward Jian Chou, toward Jian Chou’s hand, toward the cup in Jian Chou’s hand, toward the ice vine jade essence in that cup!

Splash!

The tremendous sound immediately reached Jian Chou’s ears.

That waterfall simply fell from the sky, crashing down toward Jian Chou!

Jian Chou had no time to react…

Also, no need to react.

The massive waterfall continuously shrank during its flow. By the time it reached Jian Chou, it had turned into a small droplet condensed with ice mist!

Drip.

A light sound.

A drop of ice crystal-like liquid fell into one cup of ice vine jade essence in Jian Chou’s hand.

Instantly, an ice-blue light spread through the cup.

The originally identical two cups of ice vine jade essence immediately became different.

One cup remained as before.

The cup that received the ice crystal liquid had its entire liquid surface rise with cool white mist, like cold air slowly flowing into the cup. A layer of white frost formed on the cup’s ornately patterned exterior, so cold that Jian Chou could barely hold it.

Looking back, the apricot grove that had been covered under ice finally appeared completely.

The ground was normal rock, with apricot trees rooted in the stone. Branches bore sparse remnant red flowers and green apricots!

The ice surface was gone, and the ice blocks surrounding the trees had all disappeared.

The ground was covered in emerald green—the previous ice surface seemed never to have existed, like a dream…

Jian Chou vaguely understood.

This drop of ice vine jade essence was probably the essence, once dropped on the ground, thus freezing the entire apricot grove.

Now that she had taken it away, perhaps this was also the reason for Ximen Lu’s disappearance, so the jade essence finally returned to the cup.

Without careful study, just a rough sensing told Jian Chou that the cup with the jade essence had stronger spiritual energy—just one sniff revealed its extraordinary nature.

Then…

The question arose.

For the third layer of “Human Vessel”—Heaven’s Organs, Earth’s Viscera—which cup should she use?

Jian Chou fell into contemplation, trying hard to recall the contents of the third layer’s cultivation section in “Human Vessel.”

On the stone disc, the green light representing the east wasn’t lit.

The other red lights around had quickly approached.

Then everyone discovered—

This time, after that formidable senior from the east had reached the end for so long, he was actually…

Completely motionless!

In that instant, everyone’s hearts went cold.

North.

Qian Que held his golden abacus, walking the path almost soullessly. When he saw the cliff wall ahead, no joyful light emerged in his eyes.

Instead, his complexion grew increasingly gray.

Every step he took, he was bleeding.

Qian Que couldn’t describe what he felt inside…

So expensive, so expensive, so expensive!

His spirit swords, his sword formation…

All single-use consumables!

After calculating for quite a while, he finally exploded a sword formation, blasted through the ice, obtained green apricots, ate them, and entered an illusion of golden mountains and silver seas…

However, Ximen Lu died.

Everything ended.

Gu Qingmei had also said earlier that she didn’t get the third cup of ice vine jade essence.

Then things were already clear…

He had gotten nothing while losing an expensive sword formation he’d bought.

Heartache…

Deeply, deeply painful!

Qian Que covered his chest with his hand. The moment he stopped walking, he didn’t care whether that senior from the east would move or not—he just howled toward the sky: “My spirit stones! My sword formation! My heart and liver, my blood and flesh! It hurts so much…”

This was too bullying!

Such miserable sounds truly made listeners sad and hearers weep…

Beside the stone disc, many people fell silent.

Anyone could guess with their toes that this one from the north must have used some magical treasure to pass the stage, but gained nothing…

Wasn’t everyone the same?

For a moment, everyone felt anger, fear, yet faintly some admiration…

How could they not be impressed?

Think of Meng Xizhou’s earlier screams.

Think of the suddenly disappeared Ximen Lu.

A silence fell, with only Qian Que’s crying and shouting.

Southeast.

Hearing Qian Que wailing, Gu Qingmei thought of how she too had failed to obtain any ice vine jade essence, feeling equally indignant.

However, she didn’t dare speak much.

What if that temperamental one from the east stopped halfway again, making them wait a long time—that would be truly unlucky.

Then, thinking again, wasn’t this person crying miserably the same one who had told her to “suck it up if you’re not satisfied”?

Ha.

Truly, evil people get their comeuppance—it’s not that there’s no retribution, just that the time hasn’t come.

Originally, she had felt some empathy, thinking she was as unlucky as he, but hearing it now, she found Qian Que’s crying increasingly pleasant—every sentence made her happy.

Gu Qingmei finally released the pent-up anger in her heart, feeling incredibly smooth.

However…

That was only initially refreshing.

Because Gu Qingmei soon noticed the corner of the stone disc, that green light—

Why…

Why wasn’t it moving again?

An ominous premonition slowly rose from her heart.

No…

It couldn’t be…

Gu Qingmei clenched her teeth, held her breath, hoping that the green light from the east would move even slightly.

On the stone disc, Qian Que’s crying slowly stopped.

Suddenly, everyone fell quiet.

Probably all eyes were focused on the stone disc.

Then the young monk Liao Kong’s voice came from the stone disc, carrying a sense of collapse: “Well… does the senior have other business to attend to? Again, again…”

Not moving again.

Entering the Killing Red Small Realm, passing these three stages, seeing they were about to reach the final stage, but encountering such an oddball senior from the east!

Everyone’s hearts contained only one big character—

Impressed!

Damn impressed beyond words!

Gu Qingmei even had the urge to roll her eyes and faint!

This time wasn’t her fault—she wouldn’t take the blame!

“Why aren’t you moving again this time? We didn’t provoke you or bother you!”

The Dijiang Guyu was probably in the next stage, but this person stopped at such a crucial place again—truly made one want to jump up and tear him apart!

A grown man, why so dawdling?!

Gu Qingmei’s question was everyone’s question.

Gu Qingmei performed well this time. Even though the ice vine jade essence had very likely been taken by that senior from the east, she had held back from voicing any complaints.

She was probably afraid that the other party would use the same trick again, leveraging their advantage of having the killing disc to drag them to death, so she was very restrained.

Unexpectedly…

Even with such restraint, what should be eccentric remained eccentric.

However, whether Gu Qingmei’s words would offend that senior was hard to say.

But things had come to this—what could be done?

Everyone appeared calm on the surface, but was roaring madly inside: Senior! Senior! Ancestor! Could we move a bit, move a bit please?!! We’re going to wait here to death…

Including Gu Qingmei, everyone encountering this eccentric “senior” truly had only one feeling—

I’m dizzy!