Second Round, Western Expedition Illusion

The moment Ye Lan stepped out of the formation, Li Qingwan leaped over and caught her, steadying her as she began to tilt forward.

"Senior Sister, be careful."

"Thank you, Qingwan."

Ye Lan forced a faint smile, though her aura was terribly weak.

Seeing this, Hong Guang summoned a strand of True Essence and guided it into her body. Ye Lan immediately felt her strength recover slightly.

"Your injuries are quite severe, but fortunately, your foundation remains intact."

He produced two pills and handed them over. "These are Perfection-level Spring Encounter Pills. Take them and meditate for a quarter-hour to stabilize your injuries. Return to your residence and rest; by tomorrow, you will be fully healed."

"Many thanks, Senior."

Ye Lan accepted the pills and followed a Martial Academy disciple back to her quarters.

Li Qingwan watched Ye Lan leave and then remained before the formation; it was now her turn to enter the tower.

"Brother Yang, it is my turn. We shall meet again shortly."

"Brother Xu, take care."

Xu Jian'an also arrived at the formation and stepped inside with the other four.

This group showed a marked difference compared to those before them; their speed in reaching the eighth floor was much slower.

Furthermore, one person withdrew immediately upon reaching the eighth floor-that was Xu Jian'an.

Having seen the experience of those before him, he understood that he lacked the ability to climb to the twelfth floor.

Since he could not secure a direct viewing seat, there was no difference to him between reaching the eighth floor or the eleventh.

The remaining four reached the ninth floor, where three more withdrew.

Yang Lingrui watched the light representing Li Qingwan. After a brief pause, it ascended to the tenth floor!

"Senior Sister Li has reached the tenth floor!"

"Incredible! She is only at the eighth realm!"

"This Senior Sister from the Academy is truly formidable!"

The cultivators couldn't help but exclaim. When Li Qingwan successfully exited from the tenth floor, their eyes widened further.

Aside from some minor damage to her green robes, Li Qingwan showed no injuries at all!

"Li Qingwan... quite impressive."

Hong Guang silently commended her, then gestured for the next group to step forward.

Li Qingwan returned to the platform and began to observe each cultivator who approached.

She had already surmised that Yang Lingrui must have used some method to alter his appearance.

It made sense. Without such precautions, his appearance would easily invite trouble in Chongtian City.

This was not a place like Wangyue. The more luxurious and prominent the city, the more eccentric people one encountered. She had seen plenty during her four years at the Academy.

Finally, after waiting for over half an hour, Li Qingwan saw a figure approach the formation.

Though she could not see his face, his aura and posture gave her seventy to eighty percent certainty of his identity.

A quarter-hour later, the light representing Yang Lingrui reached the eighth floor.

This speed was neither fast nor slow for his cultivation realm, fitting the persona of someone ranked fortieth on the roster.

Upon reaching the eighth floor, he decisively withdrew and handed his token to Hong Guang.

Li Qingwan silently memorized his current appearance.

Since Yang Lingrui wished to avoid unnecessary attention, she would not disturb him.

The first round of selection continued until nightfall.

Excluding the eight who had already secured their viewing seats, eighty-two out of the one hundred and twenty-four participants advanced to the next round.

Hong Guang then informed the group that the next round would take place within the Martial Academy's famed Western Expedition Illusion Stone.

Their final floor in the first round would determine their groupings for the second.

This meant the group cleared at the eighth floor would face the fiercest competition.

The higher one had climbed in the first round, the lower the difficulty would be in the second.

Upon hearing the name "Western Expedition Illusion Stone," many young cultivators from major powers felt a flicker of apprehension.

Fear appeared on their faces. Hong Guang observed them and smiled. "It seems many of you know the origin of this object. Correct. This is a lethal supreme treasure refined by the National Preceptor during his western campaign!"

"It holds tens of thousands of Ghost Soldiers and Ghost Generals. Because it is a supreme treasure personally refined by the National Preceptor, no one can intervene or pry into its depths. In other words, once you step inside, you are responsible for your own life."

"You have one night to think it over. If you do not wish to risk it, you may return home tomorrow. If you have the courage to try, I will be waiting for you at the Martial Academy's Fengtian Pavilion."

With a wave of his hand, Hong Guang vanished into a cloud of black mist.

"Well, I tried to be clever, but I did not expect this twist! Had I known, I would have pushed myself for a few more floors!" Xu Jian'an mocked himself on the way back to their quarters with Yang Lingrui.

Yang Lingrui smiled. "With your strength, Brother Xu, you have no rivals at the eighth-floor level. No matter how intense the competition, it will not fall to you."

"I hope so. I wonder what exactly is inside that illusion stone. I asked a few people earlier, and they only knew bits and pieces."

The two parted at a fork in the road, and Yang Lingrui arrived at the cave dwelling assigned to him by the Academy.

Soon after he entered, there was a knock at the stone door. A Martial Academy instructor had come to deliver a letter.

It was a note from He Shenglai, containing only one sentence:

"In the Western Expedition Illusion, no one is beyond killing."

After reading it, Yang Lingrui held the paper to the candle flame and watched it burn.

As Xu Jian'an had said, no one knew the exact situation inside the illusion stone, but it was certain that the danger would far exceed that of the Mayfly Treasure Ground.

Previously, Yang Lingrui had concerns about how to handle conflicts with the disciples of various powers inside the illusion.

Having to face Ghost Soldiers and Ghost Generals while guarding against such matters would be a headache.

But now, the situation was different.

He Shenglai's note was a reassurance, allowing him to stop worrying about such things.

If everyone could coexist peacefully, that would be for the best.

But if someone truly sought their own death, he would not need to consider their background; he would simply leave them in the illusion to keep the Ghost Soldiers and Ghost Generals company.

Early the next morning, Yang Lingrui and Xu Jian'an arrived outside Fengtian Pavilion.

By the time Hong Guang and the other three Condensed Origin cultivators arrived with the Western Expedition Illusion Stone, sixty-four young cultivators had chosen to continue to the second round.

The remaining eighteen deemed their lives more important than the viewing seats and chose not to risk entering the illusion.

Yang Lingrui's gaze fell upon the Western Expedition Illusion Stone; it was his first time seeing such a powerful Spirit Communion treasure.

He had heard it required four Condensed Origin cultivators to activate.

The stone was the size of a millstone, with a glossy, translucent texture like fat, emitting a faint yellow glow under the sunlight.

Approaching it, one could hear the faint, baleful aura emanating from within.

While the other cultivators marveled at the treasure, Yang Lingrui's thoughts went elsewhere.

Looking at the artifact, he immediately thought of his Immortal Venerable.

"I wonder, if the Immortal Venerable were to devour this object, how much of his divine abilities and cultivation would be restored?"

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