Chapter 15: I Must Go and Take a Beating

"Hey! Are you the disciple of Immortal Wen from Majestic Peak?"

"I—I am!" Qiao Yu nodded. Many people here seemed hostile toward him, so he was doing his best to diminish his presence.

"My name is Jiang Zilin." The young man came over. "I heard the trial this year is the Formless Mirage. I’ve asked around—senior brothers and sisters who've been through it say it's tough. How about we form a team?"

Qiao Yu glanced around. The Formless Mirage had not yet opened; many disciples were already banding together in groups, while he alone still stood apart. These people would all remain in the Xuan Yun Sect in the future. Only a handful would be chosen as personal disciples by one of the seven Peak Masters; the rest would be assigned by the inner court elders.

Since they'd often cross paths in the days to come, Qiao Yu didn't want to make any enemies.

"Alright." He managed a faint smile.

"Hello, my name is Tang Miao-miao, a talisman cultivator—I plan to study under Immortal Bai of Qimu Peak. I've heard from senior brothers in the sect that the Formless Mirage is far more dangerous than ordinary mirages. Senior Brother Qiao Yu, as Immortal Wen's disciple, your swordsmanship must be outstanding! Please protect me then! I really only know how to use talismans, nothing else at all."

Qiao Yu replied awkwardly—he knew nothing of swordsmanship. His injuries had only just healed, and he feared entering this mirage would leave him wounded again.

"Wang Sichun, spell cultivator. Don’t worry, I’ll do my best not to hold you back, Senior Brother Qiao Yu."

"Yang Wennan, sword cultivator. They say I’ll be under Immortal Shan, but I’d rather go to Majestic Peak." Yang Wennan fixed Qiao Yu with a burning gaze. "No need for your care, Senior Brother Qiao Yu. I hope we can have a fair match and see who’s more suited to be Immortal Wen’s disciple."

"Why?" Qiao Yu was puzzled.

His master had been in seclusion for years, only recently lifting the barrier over Majestic Peak, and after coming down the mountain, had spent months bedridden. The world knew Xuan Yun Sect had seven peaks, the other six Peak Masters renowned far and wide, all addressed as Immortals. But Wen Jingge of Majestic Peak kept a low profile; once, Qiao Yu had even heard folk stories describing Wen Jingge as a handsome gentleman, with a legendary, tragic love affair with Uncle Bai of Qimu Peak.

"I came for Immortal Shan, but that day I saw the image stone at the sect gates showing Immortal Wen and Immortal Shan sparring—their earth-shattering prowess was beyond what any man could hope to achieve. Though in the end she lost, in my heart, she was the victor."

Qiao Yu had been there, too. Although Wen Jingge fought impressively, lately all he'd seen was his master's weaker side. Now, hearing someone else praise his master, the gloom in his heart was swept away. "It's about to begin. We should head in."

[Hey! You can't go in.] "Nonexistent" warned her. [Anyone above sixth grade can't enter.]

"I'm an invalid." Wen Jingge coughed twice. She now looked sallow and emaciated, all skin and bones, as if she'd just escaped a refugee camp, yet blended in perfectly among the new disciples. "My cultivation is barely eighth grade now, relax."

In her mind, "Nonexistent" thundered, [You—did you really exhaust all your power fighting Shan Hongxing just to fool the testing stone?]

"Only just realized?" she replied cheerfully. "You say I'm here to raise the intelligence of the villains, but honestly, it seems you need it more than I do."

"Nonexistent" fell silent for a moment, then, seeing she’d truly mingled in, snapped, [What are you doing! If he gets hurt in the Formless Mirage, it’s not your fault, so don’t mess around.]

"Have you seen 'Wen Jingge'? Where is she?"

[...]

The Formless Mirage opened once every fifty years. Disciples of Xuan Yun Sect would often bring back batches of spirit beasts as special products stored in their pouches. Aside from a few edible ones, most were left to fend for themselves in the mirage.

Xuan Yun Sect, a thousand-year-old sect, had chosen its site wisely—rich in spiritual energy—which made it easier for spirit beasts to cultivate than in the outside world.

Though the mirage was a barrier set for sect trials, it was extremely dangerous inside. Thus, disciples had to sign a life-and-death waiver and claim a token before entering.

Formless—without form, yet encompassing all forms.

After all, the Peak Masters could train a disciple’s skills, but a person’s character could not be taken lightly.

Most often, only in dire straits is one’s true nature revealed. Within the sect, only the Formless Mirage—long known as a breeding ground for "gu"—served that purpose.

The trial was simple: within three days, whoever obtained the most beast cores in the Formless Mirage would win.

To allow the Peak Masters observing outside to follow everything happening within, each disciple entering the mirage carried a jade token. The token served as their "ID," storage pouch, counter, and life-saving charm all at once.

The number of beast cores each disciple collected would appear on the leaderboard at the entrance, while their conduct was transmitted to the image stone by recording cranes within the mirage.

If danger arose, crushing the jade token meant forfeiting, and the guide would extract the person from the mirage.

"Why only three days?" Wen Jingge looked helplessly at the subtitles in the sky. She really just wanted to relax in here for a while.

[You don't even have eighth-grade cultivation now, and the weakest beast that can form a core is eighth-rank. There are probably plenty above fifth grade here. Stay longer, and you won’t survive.]

Suddenly, "Nonexistent" cried out, [You’re not planning to die, are you?]

"Exactly! To place oneself..."—in mortal peril and be reborn. Wen Jingge was about to say she was imitating Qiao Yu, hoping a little adversity might restore her to near second-grade strength. But "Nonexistent" shouted, [I'm telling you, you can’t die! Don’t even think about it! If you fail your mission, you’ll only be punished! You can’t die until you finish!]

"Did you just reveal something?" Wen Jingge hesitated. "You said if I failed my mission, I’d be punished until death—but really, I can’t die, can I?"

"Nonexistent" went offline again.

Wen Jingge was a wicked woman, always probing for information.

"Run! Hurry, run! Spirit beasts are coming!"

"There’s a giant python ahead! Run!"

Wen Jingge had just tossed her jade token aside when she saw the crowd rushing toward her. Pulling her black robe close, she was tripped and fell to the ground.

Dark clouds swallowed the sky, daylight vanished, and all around was pitch black.

Amid the chaos, someone helped her up. "Are you alright?"

It was Qiao Yu, though he didn’t recognize Wen Jingge.

"I’m fine."

"Qiao Yu, why are you helping such a sickly thing? If he’s scared, he should just crush his token. That’s a fifth-rank serpent behind us, it breathes fire! Don’t let him drag us down!"

Wen Jingge’s lips twitched. These kids really couldn’t keep their cool—couldn’t they wait to turn on each other at the very end?

Qiao Yu stayed silent, but Wen Jingge felt his hand warm in hers as he pulled her along.

"I’m not even ninth grade yet, so I won’t be coming with you. As my master said, it’s time I got beaten up!"