A few days later, the trial ground was finally opened. Early that morning, Li Taixing was woken up by Wang Xuanwu.
"Master, why are you up so early today?" Li Taixing asked, curious about the unusual start to the day.
"Nonsense! I have something important to tell you," Wang Xuanwu replied with a serious tone.
"What is it?"
"Remember, once you're in the trial ground, collect as many good things as you can. Don't worry too much about ranking; no waste is allowed."
"Master, why are you telling me this?"
"Don't ask questions, just do as I say!" she snapped, her usual straightforwardness in full force.
Li Taixing, feeling he had no choice, nodded obediently. After a quick breakfast, the two of them made their way to Wanhua Mountain. Accompanying them were the Seventh Elder, Zhu Qing, and her direct disciple, Lu Xueruo.
What surprised Li Taixing was that Zhu Qing hadn't brought any other disciples to participate in the trial besides Lu Xueruo.
"Senior Sister Lu, don't you have many disciples? Why are you the only one participating?" Li Taixing asked, quietly inquiring as they walked.
Lu Xueruo smiled softly, "Honestly, if it weren't for the sect's requirements, I wouldn't want to go either."
Wanhua Mountain disciples typically focused on alchemy rather than combat, but the sect insisted they participate in the trial. Therefore, they often sent Lu Xueruo, the strongest of the disciples, to represent them, as well as to collect some spiritual herbs.
Understanding her situation, Li Taixing simply nodded and followed along. Soon, they arrived at the trial site, where thousands of participants were already gathered in the large square below the high platform.
"Wow, there are so many people," Li Taixing whispered, noting the massive turnout. However, he quickly became aware of several unfriendly stares directed his way.
Looking towards his master, he found Wang Xuanwu smiling, as if oblivious to the hostile glances of the other elders. In that moment, Li Taixing realized something: this trial wasn't going to be as simple as it seemed.
"It looks like things won't be peaceful here," he sighed internally. It was obvious that many disciples were likely planning to use the trial as an opportunity to target him, given their elders' attitudes.
Noticing the tension, Lu Xueruo leaned over and whispered, "Junior Brother Li, stay close to me once we're inside. I'll help deal with most of the trouble."
While Lu Xueruo's offer was kind, she was only one person, and the help she could provide would be limited.
Li Taixing, however, smiled and thanked her. "I appreciate it, Senior Sister Lu."
As the crowd settled, Zhao Wentian, the sect master, nodded towards the Great Elder, Lin Feiyi, who stepped forward to address the disciples.
"Welcome to the trial ground. The rules of this trial are the same as in previous years—you win by earning points," Lin Feiyi explained.
He continued, detailing how points were awarded based on the level of fierce beasts killed: "Killing a fierce beast in the Body Refining Realm earns 10 points, the Qi Gathering Realm 20 points, the Foundation Building Realm 200 points, the Golden Elixir Realm 1,000 points, and the Nascent Soul Realm 5,000 points."
"The higher the realm, the greater the reward," Lin Feiyi emphasized. "However, killing each other is strictly forbidden. Violators will face severe punishment, up to expulsion from the sect, or even a life-for-life penalty, which will also implicate their master."
The crowd fell silent as the seriousness of the rules sank in.
Li Taixing was more focused on the rewards Wang Xuanwu had hinted at. According to her, if there was a chance to "get the wool," he should take full advantage. Thus, his mind was already set on reaching the top ranks—although he had no desire to expose too much of his strength just yet. Instead, he planned to let Lu Xueruo handle most of the heavy lifting, as she had offered.
Lin Feiyi continued with his announcement, stating that the top three ranked participants would qualify for the sect competition and receive generous rewards.
"As for the specifics of the rewards..." Lin Feiyi hesitated, glancing towards Wang Xuanwu before coughing lightly. "We will announce them later."
Wang Xuanwu, unimpressed by his caution, rolled her eyes. 'Does he really think I'm interested in those petty rewards?' she thought to herself, glancing proudly at Li Taixing. With such a rich disciple, the sect's offerings paled in comparison to the wealth they now enjoyed.
Meanwhile, Li Taixing was left feeling a bit deflated. 'What do you mean, you'll tell us later? How am I supposed to aim for the top if I don't even know the prize?' He sighed.
Once Lin Feiyi finished explaining the trial rules and precautions, Zhao Wentian stood up and gave a final speech, wishing all the participants success.
"Now, all contestants, please activate your trial tokens and teleport into the trial ground," Lin Feiyi instructed. "Remember, the token is your lifeline. It can be used to exit the trial in an emergency, but doing so will forfeit your participation."
White light began to flash across the square as disciples teleported into the trial ground one by one.
Lu Xueruo turned to Li Taixing, "Junior Brother Li, give me your hand."
Confused, Li Taixing obediently extended his hand. Lu Xueruo clasped it and said, "On my count, press your trial token."
"Okay, Senior Sister," Li Taixing agreed.
"One, two, three—press!"
With that, both Lu Xueruo and Li Taixing activated their tokens and were enveloped in white light, disappearing from the square.
Watching them leave, Zhu Qing turned to Wang Xuanwu, concerned. "Fifth Elder, aren't you worried about your disciple? It seems like many people will target him during the trial."
Wang Xuanwu continued to chew on her melon seeds, utterly unfazed. "He'll be fine."