Inside the alchemy room, Lu Xuerou guided Li Taihang to a resting area and gestured for him to sit down.
Li Taihang sat in a chair, and Lu Xuerou also settled herself comfortably. Smiling, she asked, "Junior Brother Li, as the direct disciple of the Fifth Elder, you must participate in the upcoming trial. What realm have you reached now? Have you reached the Body Refining Realm?"
She remembered giving Li Taihang an elixir previously. As long as he took it, there shouldn't have been any problem with his progress.
"Yeah," Li Taihang nodded slightly, not daring to admit that he had already reached the Nascent Soul Realm, to avoid shocking her.
"That's good. In that case, I'll team up with you. It can be quite dangerous in there." Lu Xuerou wasn't concerned about the ranking; she was mainly interested in gathering herbs.
From her perspective, Li Taihang was still weak, and she felt the need to look out for him.
"Okay," Li Taihang agreed readily.
Then, Lu Xuerou began explaining the trial site to him. "The trial ground is generally opened once every four years, but for some reason, it's opening a year earlier this time. It's more than a year ahead of schedule."
She assured him, "But you don't need to worry. The trial ground is protected by our sect's formations, so the strength of the beasts you'll encounter is adjusted to match your cultivation realm."
"Of course, if we team up, I'll apply for us to be in the Body Refining Realm."
"Senior Sister, will that affect your ranking?" Li Taihang asked, concerned.
"Don't worry about it. I'm not interested in ranking, and neither is my master. She believes time is better spent refining pills than chasing ranks," Lu Xuerou said with a proud smile. "My dream is to become someone like Yao Lao."
Li Taihang noticed her admiration and felt a strange tug in his heart. "Uh, Senior Sister Lu," he interjected.
"Hm?" She snapped out of her reverie and gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry, Junior Brother Li. I got carried away."
"No, no, it's fine! Who is this Yao Lao?" Li Taihang seized the opportunity to ask.
"Oh, Yao Lao is the pride of our Xuantian Sect, but... due to some friction, he left the sect and now lives somewhere outside. No one knows where exactly."
"Will he return for the trial?"
"I doubt it. Not unless my hair grows back overnight." She made a quick joke before realizing she might have said too much and hurriedly dropped the subject.
Sensing her reluctance, Li Taihang decided to let it go. "Let's get back to discussing the trial."
Lu Xuerou resumed her explanation. "The trial ground is divided into four major regions: East, South, West, and North, with an even larger central area that no one can enter. It's said terrifying beasts lurk there, far beyond our capabilities."
"These four regions are separated by cultivation levels. The East is for the Body Refining Realm, the South for Qi Gathering Realm, the West for Foundation Building Realm, and the North for Golden Core Realm."
"The East region is for outer disciples, and those with outstanding performances can be promoted to inner disciples. The South region is for exceptional outer disciples and regular inner disciples. The West is for elite inner disciples, and the North is for inner disciples."
"All four regions are connected, so if you're strong or confident enough, you can challenge a more advanced area."
"Each disciple will receive a trial token. If you ever feel in danger or want to leave, you can use the token to teleport out, but that means you're forfeiting."
Li Taihang listened attentively, absorbing the information. "I heard we have a Saint Son and Saint Daughter. Will they be participating?"
Lu Xuerou shook her head. "No, not this time. The trial is happening earlier than usual, and they're in the North Territory with the Second Elder for the Holy Domain Battle."
"What's the Holy Domain Battle?"
"It's a competition for status, identity, and resources. But that's a bit beyond you right now. Let's stay focused on the trial."
"Right," Li Taihang said, continuing to listen.
"Once inside the trial ground, there will be competition between participants. There are two main ways to eliminate an opponent: either smash their trial token, teleporting them out, or gain points by killing beasts. The higher the points, the better your rank."
"So the ranking is based on points?" Li Taihang asked.
"Yes, and you can even get one-tenth of an opponent's points by smashing their token, though internal fighting isn't encouraged. But it happens," Lu Xuerou said with a sigh.
Li Taihang nodded thoughtfully. 'It seems that, apart from Senior Sister Lu, I'll need to be cautious of others inside.'
Suddenly, he thought of a key question. "Senior Sister Lu, will our performance be monitored live?"
"Live? What do you mean by that?" Lu Xuerou asked, puzzled.
"Will others be able to see what we're doing?"
"Oh, yes, but only the sect leaders will be able to observe us. The other disciples won't."
Li Taihang felt a little dejected. 'I'll have to hold back, then. I can't afford to reveal my secrets.'
Lu Xuerou misinterpreted his concern. "Don't worry, Junior Brother. Senior Sister will protect you."
"Thank you, Senior Sister," Li Taihang replied, though inwardly he thought, 'Do I really need protection?'
Time passed as they discussed the trial in further detail. Eventually, Lu Xuerou glanced at the time. "Junior Brother Li, it's getting late. If there's an opportunity, we can talk again later. I need to get back to my work."
"Of course, Senior Sister. Thank you for your time," Li Taihang said, rising to leave.
He considered giving her a gift, but decided to wait for a better moment. After saying his goodbyes, Li Taihang made up his mind to visit Lu Tong and the others next.