At the end of the month, reports came in that the seal on Shifang Blessed Land had weakened and would soon open.
For this expedition, each of the three peaks sent ten Foundation Establishment disciples, along with a Golden Core cultivator to lead them.
Before entering, the three team leaders were given a map that clearly marked important locations within Shifang Blessed Land: the Library Pavilion, the Sword Burial Mound, the Beast Hall, and the Spiritual Herb Garden.
Su Luo Wei glanced over the key locations on the map and memorized them before handing the map to Wen Miaomiao.
The map would be more useful in Wen Miaomiao's hands.
At that moment, a long-dormant electronic voice suddenly echoed in her mind.
[Main Quest Three: Shifang Blessed Land]
[Side Quest: Nine-Turn Spiritual Herb]
"The quest is finally here!" Xiao Ba's voice held a hint of excitement.
Shifang Blessed Land was a crucial part of the original story. It was during this trial that Wen Miaomiao began to gain fame.
In the original novel, when Wen Miaomiao and the disciples of Yanmo Peak entered Shifang Blessed Land, she immediately sensed that something was wrong. Contrary to what the Sect Master had said, the place was filled with illusions and dangers.
But Wen Miaomiao was the protagonist, blessed with a full array of buffs. Even if she stayed put, treasures would fall into her lap.
With her sharp instincts and incredible luck, she led her team through numerous life-and-death situations and collected many heavenly treasures along the way, returning with a bounty.
The other two teams were not so fortunate.
The original novel didn't delve into the details of their experiences, so Su Luo Wei didn't know exactly what happened to them. She only knew that the Baizhan Peak team fared better; all eleven members survived, though they were injured.
Qionghua Peak, however, suffered heavy losses. Of the eleven who entered, only six returned.
Rumors spread that Qionghua Peak's losses during the trial were somehow connected to Meng Shuying.
"Was it really Meng Shuying's doing?" Su Luo Wei asked.
From what she knew of Meng Shuying, even if she didn't like those disciples, she wouldn't go as far as to kill them.
At least, not the Meng Shuying she knew now.
After all, she had raised Meng Shuying for three years and had some confidence in her character.
"Whether she did it or not, the plot will unfold as it's supposed to, and we can't change that," Xiao Ba replied. "The main quest this time is simple. You just need to follow Wen Miaomiao and lie low to complete it."
Su Luo Wei remained silent.
Worried, Xiao Ba added, "Don't cause any unnecessary trouble. It would be better to focus on how to obtain the Nine-Turn Spiritual Herb."
Side quests appeared randomly as the plot progressed. Completing them earned rewards, but failing them had no penalties.
Su Luo Wei had already asked Zhan Xuehan about it. The Nine-Turn Spiritual Herb was a legendary plant that had been extinct for many years.
Now, it was rumored to exist in only one place—Shifang Blessed Land.
Deep within the Spiritual Herb Garden in Shifang Blessed Land, there was a spiritual spring. Years ago, Zhan Xuehan had seen a spiritual herb growing there.
The Nine-Turn Spiritual Herb required nine cycles of blooming and shedding before it matured. If picked before maturity, it would die, which is why no one had ever successfully brought it out.
The system's quest indicated that the herb was about to mature.
However, besides Su Luo Wei, two other Golden Core cultivators were entering Shifang Blessed Land, making it difficult to sneak away and retrieve the herb.
After finalizing her team and bidding farewell to Zhan Xuehan, Su Luo Wei led the ten Foundation Establishment disciples to the teleportation array.
With a flash of light, Su Luo Wei found herself standing in a courtyard.
But for some reason, she was the only one there; the other disciples were nowhere to be found.
What's going on?
Su Luo Wei frowned.
She had never heard of people being separated during the teleportation to Shifang Blessed Land.
After waiting for a while with no sign of the others, it became clear they had indeed been sent elsewhere.
This could be a problem.
Su Luo Wei tried calling out to Xiao Ba in her mind, but there was no response. It seemed that they had lost connection again, and she would need to complete the quest to reconnect.
Suddenly, she sensed a fluctuation of spiritual energy nearby. Not knowing who or what was approaching, she leaped into a tree, hiding among the branches.
A moment later, a large group of people appeared where she had just been standing.
Leading them was a woman in a bright red robe, her face as striking as her outfit—it was Jiang Ye.
Since Yu Qing was injured, Jiang Ye was leading the Qionghua Peak team into Shifang Blessed Land this time.
Su Luo Wei looked past Jiang Ye and, as expected, saw Meng Shuying among the group. However, Meng Shuying wasn't standing with the others; she was alone at the back, isolated from the rest.
Jiang Ye scanned the surroundings, and after confirming that no one else was around, she spoke with an air of superiority. "Our goal in Shifang Blessed Land is not only to outperform Yanmo Peak and Baizhan Peak in the trial but also to retrieve the Nine-Turn Spiritual Herb for our peak master."
A bold disciple cheekily asked, "Senior Sister Jiang Ye, what's the Nine-Turn Spiritual Herb for?"
Jiang Ye's face instantly darkened. "Are you tired of living, daring to question our master's affairs?"
The disciple paled with fear. "I wouldn't dare."
Jiang Ye ignored her and took out ten wooden boxes from her storage bag, distributing them to the Qionghua disciples.
The boxes were small, pitch-black, and inscribed with intricate formations. They were light as a feather in the hand.
Meng Shuying held the box, injecting a bit of spiritual energy into it, only for it to vanish without a trace.
"If you get the chance to pick the herb, store it in this box. The formations will prevent spiritual energy from leaking and shield it from being detected by others' divine senses. The disciples of Yanmo Peak and Baizhan Peak will certainly try to take the herb from us. If any of you fail and ruin our master's plans, don't expect to be spared."
The Qionghua disciples nodded in unison.
Jiang Ye's gaze swept over the disciples and finally landed on Meng Shuying.
"The master chose you out of all the Foundation Establishment disciples at Qionghua Peak. She expects you to excel. Some of you better not disappoint her."
The group responded in unison again.
Jiang Ye stared at Meng Shuying, trying to detect any reaction, but Meng Shuying merely lowered her head after answering with the others.
She was like the stone outside the Disciplinary Hall—cold and unyielding, showing emotions only in front of a select few.
Jiang Ye smirked disdainfully.
Just a servant from Yanmo Peak who got lucky with some talent, cultivating faster than others. How dare she not show respect?
This trial was the perfect opportunity to teach her a lesson she wouldn't forget.
Shifang Blessed Land was the ancient immortal's cave, filled with formations and restrictions, some of which were incredibly complex.
The group had been teleported to the outer perimeter, still a long way from the Spiritual Herb Garden. Without the map, Su Luo Wei would have no chance of reaching the heart of the cave on her own.
So she decided to follow the Qionghua Peak group.
Once the group had moved far enough away, Su Luo Wei didn't hesitate. She applied an invisibility talisman to herself and followed at a measured pace.
It wasn't long before the Qionghua Peak group encountered their first challenge.
A thick green mist blocked their path, but Jiang Ye, without a second thought, led them straight into it.
With a click, a formation was triggered.
A flash of golden light blinded Meng Shuying, and she noticed the ground beneath her feet felt softer than it should.
Before she could fully assess her surroundings, Jiang Ye's face twisted with alarm, and she bolted forward.
"Run!" Jiang Ye yelled, warning the group as she ran.
A shadow lunged from the side, jaws wide open. Meng Shuying, at the back of the group, couldn't dodge in time and was nearly swallowed whole by the beast.
Su Luo Wei had just arrived in time to see this scene. Without thinking, she darted down on her sword, grabbed Meng Shuying by the collar, and pushed her to safety before flying back up to observe from above.
Below was a vast swamp, and in the center of the swamp was a massive, mud-covered beast resembling a lizard.
The beast was furious, its eyes filled with rage after its prey escaped.
Judging by its size, the beast was fully mature, with strength comparable to a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator.
Something was wrong.
This was only the outer perimeter of the cave; such a powerful beast shouldn't have appeared here.
It was normal for ancient immortals to place restrictions and raise beasts in their caves, but after so many years, most of these defenses should have weakened, and the beasts should have disappeared.
Sect elders had explored Shifang Blessed Land many times, and any overly dangerous areas had been marked. Jiang Ye had followed the map's guidance and shouldn't have encountered such a threat.
Su Luo Wei observed the beast below.
It and the swamp seemed to be guards, specifically designed to repel intruders.
Meng Shuying ran alongside the Qionghua Peak group, her mind racing.
When the beast lunged at her, and she thought she couldn't dodge in time, a force had pushed her aside, allowing her to escape.
In that moment, she had caught a faint but familiar scent of lily of the valley.
"Roar~" Enraged by its failure, the beast leaped into the air, its massive body slithering across the swamp as it chased them.
After running for a while, Jiang Ye realized the beast had only Foundation Establishment strength and posed no real threat to her.
She ordered the other disciples to form a battle array before abruptly stopping to confront the beast head-on.
A bright flash of sword light streaked across the beast's body.
The beast was cleaved in two, collapsing into the swamp with a thunderous crash, its blue-green blood mixing with the mud.
Jiang Ye held her sword, briefly glancing at Meng Shuying to ensure she was unharmed, then quickly looked away.
Lucky.
The sudden turn of events left the group stunned. It wasn't until the beast's body began sinking into the swamp that the disciples gathered around to praise Jiang Ye.
"Senior Sister Jiang Ye is amazing! We didn't even have time to react before she took down the beast."
"If it weren't for Senior Sister Jiang Ye, we'd all be dead by now."
"With Senior Sister Jiang Ye leading us, we're sure to come out on top in this trial…"
Jiang Ye, surrounded by adulation, felt a swell of pride. But when she noticed Meng Shuying standing off to the side, she found her presence particularly irritating.
"Hey—" She raised her chin, speaking imperiously, "There's a beast core inside the monster. Go get it."
The beast was enormous, much larger than Meng Shuying, who stood beside it, dwarfed by its sheer size.
Jiang Ye didn't tell her where to find the core, so Meng Shuying would have to search for it herself.
Looking at the blue-green mess before her, Meng Shuying expressionlessly rolled up her sleeves and prepared to search the beast's body.
The disciples surrounding Jiang Ye exchanged knowing looks, clearly enjoying the spectacle.