boyutpedia 514. Initial Test
514. Initial Test
The Pill Gathering began unstoppably after Lei Jingxiao's brief disturbance. Ling He had no choice but to return to the Ye family's residence in Saint Pill City to report the situation to Ling Haonan.
Ling Haonan leisurely brewed a pot of specially prepared calming tea in the middle of the courtyard, watching Ling He arrive with a troubled expression. He first poured a cup of tea and used his fighting spirit to hand it to Ling He, indicating that she was not in a hurry.
"Elder, I was useless this time. I was actually humiliated by that Lei Clan brat!" Ling He gripped the teacup tightly, her eyes filled with resentment.
Ling Haonan didn't even raise his eyes. He just glanced at the tea leaves soaking in the teapot, took a light breath of the aroma, closed his eyes, and savored it.
"I've heard about what happened. You did a great job, didn't you? I have no complaints." Ling Haonan's voice was calm and gentle, simply comforting Ling He.
"The purpose was simply to make you put on a show so that the Pill Tower wouldn't suspect anything. We don't really want to argue with the Pill Tower over these rules."
"But that kid from the Thunder Clan..." Ling He's tone was quite unconvinced.
"So, what do you plan to do? Take action against him?"
"Of course I know I can't really attack him, but if it's just to teach him a lesson, even ThunderClan wouldn't go to such lengths."
Ling Haonan slowly shook his head, a hint of pity even appearing on his lips: "Then let me ask you, how can you be sure that little guy isn't protected by any members of the Thunder Clan? If there were even a Dou Sheng among them, you wouldn't be able to defeat him and would be captured. Wouldn't that be even more shameful?"
"If that were the case, with your capabilities, you would have already known and instructed me. I'm confident in that."
A hint of impatience flashed in Ling Haonan's eyes: "Just as you said, no one is specifically guarding you. Lei Jingxiao's identity has long been known. What if he notifies Jiang Yunyan? What if she doesn't care that I'm here and just wants to kill you on the spot? What will you do then?"
Ling He wanted to retort, but when she saw Ling Haonan's calm and composed eyes, a sense of fear suddenly rose in her heart, and she swallowed back the words she wanted to say.
"Don't think it's impossible. Jiang Yunyan's strength is known to several clans. Killing you wouldn't be difficult for her at all. And I don't want to waste my already failing body any more for your sake."
"After all..." A cold glint appeared in Ling Haonan's eyes, and Ling He felt a chill run down her spine upon seeing it: "Even if someone is killed, their bloodline is not impossible to extract."
"Elder, please forgive me. I was wrong." Even though Ling He had become a Dou Sheng powerhouse, cold sweat broke out on her back, and she immediately admitted her mistake.
"The tea is getting cold." Ling Haonan didn't continue to blame Ling He and gently brushed it off.
"It's a small matter, and I told you there's nothing to blame you for. If I had to say, my only regret is that you're the only one here today." Ling Haonan sighed, "If the entire clan could suffer the humiliation you endured today, what would the Ling Clan have to fear about the depletion of their bloodline?"
"The Thunder Clan is far stronger than us, so our only option is to lower our stance. This applies to everyone. But even you can't understand this, still naturally thinking yourself superior and harboring resentment towards the other clans. If you continue to cling to that pathetic glory of being a descendant of a Dou Di and refuse to bow your head, the Spirit Clan's doomsday is truly not far off..."
……
"Is this the first trial of the Pill Tower?" Xiao Yan's deep eyes were also fixed on the dark gray, distorted space in front of him.
The space before him was completely obscured by an unknown gray gas; as far as he could see, his vision was limited to no more than half a zhang (approximately 3.3 meters) away. Xiao Yan, observing closely, could even discern subtle, imperceptible twists and turns in the space.
Xiao Yan was not impatient. Instead, he slowly released his soul power, his early-stage peak Spirit Realm soul power flowing like mercury. Then, his all-pervasive soul power revealed a very clear path for Xiao Yan.
If it were an alchemist below the seventh rank, with their soul perception severely suppressed, they would likely be swallowed by the spatial traces if they weren't careful when passing this level. However, the Soul Spirit Realm is itself a transformation from mortal to immortality, so this level no longer poses any trouble for Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan then leaped forward at incredible speed, attracting the attention of many people around him. However, upon realizing the speed at which he was moving, they were filled with envy.
"That's what a true strong person is like. Unlike us, who are so timid and cautious."
"This speed is probably that of a seventh-rank or higher expert."
"Pah, there's clearly a trick to this level; this distortion is probably just a scare tactic. When it comes to speed, I'm not even..."
"Ridiculous, pathetic creature trapped by spatial distortion..."
Xiao Yan didn't pay attention to those people. If they could be stumped by this first hurdle, they wouldn't be able to affect him in the later projects, so there was no need to worry about them. Because of the great reputation of the Pill Gathering, a huge number of alchemists would come to participate every time, and this first hurdle would shut out more than half of the opportunists.
As Xiao Yan delved deeper, he also discovered a path forged directly by the brutal bombardment of soul power. The path advanced in a straight line, ruthlessly destroying any spatial distortions—a style that was hard to ignore.
Looking at this style, Xiao Yan suddenly had a feeling. To be able to distort and shatter space, one must at least be a person at the Soul Spirit Realm. It seemed that only Lei Jingxiao could do it so directly.
Xiao Yan also sighed softly, "It's so good to be young and strong."
Lei Jingxiao did indeed pass the test in the simplest way, and due to time constraints, he was even ahead of everyone else. However, his speed eventually stopped, for a simple reason: two figures appeared in front of him.
A man and a woman. The man had dark skin, a towering physique, a broad face with a bushy beard, and a deep, lightning-like mark on his forehead. Although he didn't exude any aura, his imposing presence was as overwhelming as the heavens, unshakeable!
The woman wore a long blue dress, elegant and graceful yet noble. She leaned gently against the man, the only incongruous thing being that her face was somewhat blurry and indistinct.
Looking at everything before him, Lei Jingxiao could no longer move forward with his once firm steps, and his ten fingers clenched so tightly that they dug bloody marks into his palms.
"I shattered Lei Dong's phantom with a single shot, but why did I let you appear here...? I've never seen you before... not even once..."
An illusion? Of course he knew it was an illusion, but he just couldn't bear to shatter the image he most longed for and desired.
His mother is still alive and can always be with him; this is a dream he desires but doesn't know how to achieve.
Then he saw the woman stand before him, her once stunning face still blurred. She gently reached out her hand, her soft voice comforting him, "Xiao'er, Mother is here, don't cry..."