I saved the entire sect by playing idly by letting things fall apart.

More than a month passed in the secret realm. Meanwhile, his attention was drawn elsewhere. Ye Qiao's aura kept changing and stagnating. Logically speaking, a demon core in the Tribulation Transcending stage should be able to break through five or six realms, if not five or six.

She absorbed it for a whole month...

Why hasn't anything changed at all?

For more than a month, Ye Qiao continuously absorbed spiritual energy to stabilize her aura. However, as soon as she stabilized, spiritual energy would rush in the next second. The conversion speed of her lightning spiritual root slowed down visibly when she was only halfway through. Ye Qiao simply sat down and absorbed spiritual energy on her own.

Even with the dual approach of refining the Heavenly Spiritual Root, the spiritual energy within the demon core still took over a month to process. However, after more than a month, her cultivation level remained unchanged. When she opened her eyes, she saw undisguised astonishment in Chen Muzhen's pale golden eyes: "No tribulation lightning at all?"

"There's still no sign of him breaking through to a higher realm?"

He murmured several times.

"So what level of skill have you reached?"

Ye Qiao stabilized her breathing, but because her cultivation level had not broken through, she still felt no relief and was even more uncomfortable. After swallowing a few pills, she realized that she was still in the Nascent Soul stage. "Just consider me a Nascent Soul cultivator for now."

In any case, his aura is undoubtedly that of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Saying that a demon core at the Tribulation Transcending stage can grant someone instant ascension to the heavens might be an exaggeration. But... it's not just one person who's said that a demon core at the Tribulation Transcending stage can grant instant ascension to the heavens.

Ye Qiao lowered her eyes, looking at the demon core that had turned into powder. She pursed her lips and fell into deep thought. If she was not mistaken, she was indeed a Nascent Soul cultivator now. However, if there was a trial, as long as she passed it, she might be able to directly reach the Tribulation Transcending stage.

Chen Muzhen looked somewhat dazed, having witnessed her swallow a complete Tribulation Transcending stage demon core, which was refined by the demon kings themselves.

Why hasn't her cultivation level changed?

That's impossible.

Ye Qiao said, "Perhaps there are trials?"

"...Trials?" Chen Muchen was taken aback. He was at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage and not yet at the Divine Transformation stage, but he had heard of trials before.

"So you...?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Ye Qiao's figure disappear from the spot.

Chen Muzhan: "???" No, wait.

"Ye Qiao?!"

Can't you take me with you during your trial?

If Ye Qiao disappears, without her protection, those demon kings will devour me.

*

Suddenly thrown into a blank world, Ye Qiao was a little bewildered. She had gone through a Nascent Soul Trial once, and as the saying goes, practice makes perfect. But what was this time...?

You know, the last Nascent Soul Trial was pretty awful, and this time it was unclear whether it was a tribulation or something else. After a while, it was still all white. Ye Qiao reached out and patted the ground, unable to hold back, and shouted, "Is anyone there?"

Previously, judges had come to chat with her.

Is there nothing this time?

Ye Qiao tried calling out twice, "Xiao Ai? Xiao Ai?"

No one answered.

Ye Qiao wasn't someone who could stand being alone. During previous trials, she could still contact Mu Li, making her hundreds of rebirths less boring. This time, was she really all alone?

She tentatively explored the area.

Very well, the sword can still be taken out.

Ye Qiao always believed that with the spirit sword in hand, she had the confidence to conquer the world. She could easily overcome any trial or challenge with a single sword strike.

Unable to contact the weapon spirit or sword spirit, Ye Qiao had to calm down and analyze the situation. If she wasn't mistaken, it should be a trial, but the content of the trial was unknown.

I don't know who pulled me into this trial.

Hopefully, it's not those bored judges from last time; otherwise, since she cleaved their stronghold in two with her sword back then, she might face retribution later.

Ye Qiao is sometimes quite unlucky.

She called out passionately twice, "Is anyone there? Is there a handsome guy? If not, an old man will do."

It should be noted that the cultivation world produces mostly handsome men and venerable old men.

……

Ye Qiao shouted at the top of her lungs for a long time, but no one paid any attention to her. She lowered her eyes and was just about to figure out what was going on when she didn't notice that the scene under her feet had changed dramatically. She was sitting on the ground when someone gently patted her shoulder.

She was stunned.

Since she didn't sense any killing intent, Ye Qiao naturally turned her head.

I want to see which judge is playing a trick on me, making me put on such a one-woman show for so long.

However, after seeing who it was, her expression went blank for a moment, and she looked somewhat dazed.

???

"Big...Senior Brother?" Her mind went blank for a moment, her voice faltering as she looked at the young man before her. "You've grown up?"

"Oh no."

and many more.

What is this? Is it her tribulation trial?

Why show her the senior brother during the trial?

"Do I know you?" Zhou Xingyun's reaction was much colder than hers; he had been observing this disciple silently for a long time.

Red ceremonial robes...

The Changming Clan's official robes were being worn, but Zhou Xingyun hadn't seen them in a long time. Upon suddenly catching a glimpse, he was momentarily stunned, and as if possessed, he took the initiative to greet her.

The disciple's reaction was quite interesting; he immediately said that he had grown up.

Zhou Xingyun looked at her, puzzled.

He was too lazy to investigate the thoughts of an inner disciple; he didn't have much curiosity or any desire to explore.

He wasn't curious as to why the personal inheritance robes would appear on a disciple he'd never seen before.

Ye Qiao was also a little confused by Zhou Xingyun's words.

Very well, Zhou Xingyun doesn't recognize her, and judging from her appearance, the youthful charm of the young man has faded, and her cool white clothes make her look exceptionally otherworldly.

what……

It was Zhou Xingyun, who was in his twenties.

He must be a few years older than the senior brother she knew.

and so……

What the hell is this trial?

Ye Qiao was bewildered. She rubbed her face up and down with her hands in anguish, looking as if she had lost her mind.

The trial scenario was so realistic that Ye Qiao was hesitant to treat it as a trial. Besides, if it was a trial, what level was it? Shouldn't her next cultivation level be the Refinement of Void Realm?

But I have never heard of any such thing as the Void Refining Trial.

Ye Qiao had only heard of the Transcending Tribulation Tribulation.

Moreover, the content of the trial concerns the mind and the Way.

If we're going to talk about the heart and the Way, then what's the point of giving her a trial scenario that seems like a parallel universe? She thought this trial would be another group of strangers and inexplicable people.

It turned out to be her senior.

"What path are you discussing?" Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in my mind.

Xiao Ai?

"Xiao Ai." Ye Qiao paused slightly, her previously frantic movements stopping. "I only realized now that you are the only light in my trial."

At least the presence of living beings reminded her not to lose herself in the long trials. Some trials could last for several years, and in the long passage of time, it was highly likely that cultivators would lose sight of the difference between trials and reality.

Mu Li was also present during the Nascent Soul Trial. Although he was a good-for-nothing, at least he had someone to chat with, right?

Mu Li laughed in anger, but he and Ye Qiao were one.

If Ye Qiao's cultivation level truly reaches the Tribulation Transcending stage, he can also benefit from it and cultivate back to his peak sooner. Therefore, he has no choice but to act as her mentor and guide her through this Tribulation Transcending trial.

"What do you think this trial will entail?"

Ye Qiao looked bewildered: "I don't know. My senior brother has directly become a twenty-something-year-old version of himself. I'm not familiar with this new version."

She was quite confused.

Mu Li: "..." You're just being sarcastic.

Ye Qiao also felt that she probably wouldn't be able to get anything out of Mu Li. If she wanted to figure out the content of this trial, it would be better to talk to Zhou Xingyun. She touched the "Not See You" sword at her waist, calmed herself down a little, and then put on a bright smile, "Hi, hi, hi, senior brother."

"My name is Ye Qiao."

If it were a normal disciple of the Changming Sect who came at this moment, such as Xue Yu or Mu Chongxi, she could pretend to be profound and say, "I'm not cultivating anymore. I've even forgotten the name of my natal sword."

This first meeting made the senior brothers feel that she was a sword cultivator with a lot of stories.

Unfortunately, it was the eldest disciple who arrived. The young man was dressed in white, holding a rope in his hand. He only glanced at me indifferently and said succinctly, "Fellow Daoist."

"What?" Ye Qiao blinked and grinned.

The young man said indifferently, "Get out of the way."

Ye Qiao: "?"

He said, "You're disturbing my hanging."

Ye Qiao: "..."

"Alright," Ye Qiao shook her hand and followed behind him, speaking in quick succession, "My name is Ye Qiao. You may not know who I am right now, but I want to say that I'm here to save you."

"……"Neuropathy.

Ye Qiao's idea was simple: Zhou Xingyun was the first NPC she encountered in the trial. If she treated the trial as a game, to complete it, she should first follow the first NPC and figure out what the trial was about.

The cultivation world is waiting for her to save it!

Moreover, since I'm new to the trial and don't know what the Tribulation Trial is yet, I might as well chat with this new version of the senior brother first.

Trials are incredibly boring. She remembers the time during the Nascent Soul stage, when the speeds on both sides were disrupted, yet she truly spent almost half a year in the Nascent Soul trial.

"Aren't you going to chat with me? Who do you think you're rejecting? The number one righteous sect leader of Changming Sect." Ye Qiao started rambling on and on, realizing that Zhou Xingyun was really difficult to deal with. Before getting to know him, he would just calmly watch you act up.

It makes me feel like some kind of brat who only causes trouble for others.

Ye Qiao composed herself. "Big brother, I really am your junior sister."

"As far as I know, our Changming Sect only has one junior sister."

Ye Qiao: "Oh. If I had known she was coming, I wouldn't have come, right?"

Zhou Xingyun seemed to be lost in thought. He glanced at her, his eyes looking dejected. He had already hung the rope on the tree and didn't seem to be planning to pay any attention to her.

Ye Qiao, with her hands behind her back, didn't stop them, but instead asked, "Where are Mingxuan and the others?"

She asked casually, after all, she should at least show some concern for her other senior brothers. But somehow, she accidentally touched a nerve with him, and Zhou Xingyun, for the first time ever, didn't attempt to hang himself.

Instead, he chose to draw his sword!

Ye Qiao was stunned for a moment.

Suddenly, the blade of dust, gleaming with a sharp, cold light, pointed directly at her throat. The young man's voice was slightly chilling, and the coldness in his eyes was particularly intimidating. "Who exactly are you?"

"..."

"Don't be so hostile towards me." Ye Qiao's Flying Immortal Sword also emitted a sword cry and wanted to be drawn, but she pressed it down and just opened her mouth.

next second.

It was pierced through by Zhou Xingyun's Duanchen Sword.

Ye Qiao: "???" Huh?

Fine, fine, you think you're so great, so aloof.

She opened her eyes again, and sure enough, it started all over again.

It was exactly the same as the previous Nascent Soul Trial.

But what about those high and mighty judges?

What are we going to play this time?

Mu Li couldn't help but laugh, her voice full of interest, "Your senior brother is pretty ruthless. He pierced the heart with a single sword strike."

Ye Qiao sighed: "The main thing is that he has changed, you know? Sigh, actually I can understand. If my senior brother wasn't so cold, he would be a pretty good person."

"..." You call the person who stabbed you with a sword without saying a word a good person?

Are you some kind of senior brother brain?

Ye Qiao reflected on it and realized that the current senior brother was not the one she knew.

Moreover, Zhou Xingyun doesn't recognize himself. He's even attempting suicide.

This means that it was the time when he was most confused and couldn't find any meaning in his existence.

Now that Ye Qiao has calmed down, she definitely won't speak rashly again after seeing Zhou Xingyun.

Damn it, she would never trust Zhou Xingyun again. Who would have thought that the first kill in this trial was given by her senior brother?

However, this trial really didn't follow the script.

Ye Qiao opened her eyes again, and Zhou Xingyun's sword, Duan Chen, was already drawn, its snow-white light like a pillar, suddenly chasing after her!

Damn it. The moment the Qingfeng Technique was unleashed, the familiar sword edge made her reflexively lean back. The Flying Immortal Sword suddenly turned around, and Ye Qiao lowered her eyes, also slashing at Zhou Xingyun with her sword.

Since a proper conversation is impossible, let's just draw our swords; after all, that's the most straightforward way for sword cultivators to communicate.

The two drew their swords, their identical sword techniques canceling each other out.

Ye Qiao's arm went slightly numb. The fierce wind arc transformed into a cross blade, blocking her way out. She accelerated her feet and managed to dodge by relying on her speed.

At the same time, she was pleasantly surprised to find that her senior brother was at the late stage of the Void Refinement realm.

That's brilliant! She's not familiar with the Void Refinement realm. The only Void Refinement cultivator around her seems to be Elder Zhao, but once she returns to the sect, she'll likely be held captive and imprisoned by the Changming Sect, without any chance to consolidate her learning of Void Refinement skills.

In this trial, wouldn't Zhou Xingyun be a good opportunity for him to practice?

Zhou Xingyun looked at her, his dark pupils slightly vacant.

—The Changming Sect Sword Technique.

Their sword intent was extremely pure. Their Changming Sect sword technique was in accordance with the Dao of the Changming Sect's founder. Their sword technique was like green bamboo, unyielding and indomitable.

He was certain that this was the sword technique passed down directly from generation to generation.

However, Zhou Xingyun was certain that he had never met her before, and he was a complete stranger to this person who suddenly appeared and claimed to be his junior sister.

The young man gripped his sword tighter without changing his expression. His initial dazed demeanor vanished, and he stared at her, each word uttered with profound confusion, "Who...who are you?"

Just as Ye Qiao had nowhere to dodge, she was struck by a sword gust of wind, almost crippling her leg. Fortunately, the dragon race's physical skills were resilient, and she only slightly bent her knee before quickly standing up. Her voice was light and cheerful as she smiled, "I told you, I came to save you."

She paused slightly after she finished speaking.

perhaps……

Is this what the trial entails?

Zhou Xingyun, in his twenties...

She looked around—not far away was the Changming Sect.

If Zhou Xingyun doesn't recognize him, then it means that his current experience might be equivalent to the plot of the original novel?

Is this trial meant to take her into the original plot of the novel?

And then what? The goal is to save everyone in the Changming Sect?

That would be extremely interesting. In the original story, all of these senior brothers met tragic ends: one committed suicide, another died in battle, and as for those two idiots, Mingxuan and Xueyu, they were busy fighting and acting like sycophants in Yun Que's harem.

Is she going to save them one by one?

Is there a way to solve this once and for all?

Ye Qiao pondered for a moment and realized that there really was such a thing.

She could take up her sword and kill Yun Que, solving the problem at its root and thus breaking through this tribulation trial.

"I don't know you." The moment Zhou Xingyun saw her swordsmanship, he paused his movement, which was originally intended to pierce the heart of this girl of unknown origin with a single sword strike. His voice was somewhat soft.

For some reason, Zhou Xingyun's voice softened slightly when he spoke to her.

Ye Qiao: "You really don't know me." After all, this is her trial.

"I really am your junior sister," Ye Qiao reiterated.

Zhou Xingyun stared at her expressionlessly, her eyes cold. "I don't believe it."

"Wait a minute."

Ye Qiao never expected that the first step of the trial would be to find something to prove her identity in order to prevent being killed by her senior brother.

It is said that cultivators of the Ruthless Path are cold-hearted, and you cultivators of the Supreme Forgetfulness Path are pretty much the same.

The cultivators of the Path of All Living Beings are the best; they have humanity!

Ye Qiao's thoughts were racing. She was at her wit's end. She had previously thought that the trial would be like when she was in the Nascent Soul stage, where she would die and time would rewind to the beginning. Because of this, she relied on her ability to be reborn countless times and talked nonsense without restraint, claiming that she was Zhou Xingyun's junior sister.

Unexpectedly, this time it was a rewind to the second before he was killed.

She just spouted nonsense, saying she was his junior sister and that she came to save him. Damn it, now she has to prove she wasn't lying.

Otherwise, if he changed his mind and said he was just teasing him, Ye Qiao believed that, given his current temper, his senior brother would make him realize the consequences of teasing him in the next second.

After a moment of contemplation, she quickly rummaged through her storage pouch. It was fine; one of the more humane aspects of the trial was that the items in the pouch were still usable. She then began searching for her memory stone.

After Ye Qiao joined the major sect, he didn't do much else. Because he liked to keep records in his daily life, he had a lot of recording stones in his storage bag so that he could take them out and use them anytime, anywhere.

"Senior Brother." She suddenly smiled, beckoning him mysteriously, "I have some amazing women's outfits of Ye Qinghan and Ming Xuan here. Want to see them?"

Zhou Xingyun, whose thirst for knowledge wasn't particularly strong, slightly raised his lowered eyes: "???"

"have a look."