Chapter 33: The Book of Three Thousand Worlds

The Third Elder’s expression was complex.

The courtesan had already awakened. The first trial was still ongoing, and several candidates were on the verge of swaying her, nearing completion of the first challenge. Yet, this scene of vitality and competitive spirit brought neither the Third Elder nor Liang Xiaolong the slightest shred of joy.

That was because those four "living ancestors" were stirring up trouble again.

The second trial had been scheduled to last three days, but only half a day had passed when the Third Elder sensed that Kuang Lian of the Soul Refining Sect had fallen into battle. To ensure the safety of disciples from allied sects during the joint examination, each participant was required to surrender a soul lamp to the Third Elder. Violent fluctuations in these lamps indicated intense combat, likely caused by enemies of the Great Thousand Sect attempting to disrupt this vital recruitment process.

Normally, a battle against Qi-refinement stage cultivators should not have caused Kuang Lian’s soul lamp to fluctuate. However, the Third Elder feared that since these four could defeat the courtesan, Kuang Lian might also be in for a rough time.

He sighed and patted Liang Xiaolong on the shoulder. "Xiaolong, use your Heavenly Eye to check on Kuang Lian. I have a feeling those four are about to turn the second trial upside down."

Liang Xiaolong nodded, closed his eyes, and golden light erupted from his forehead.

Heavenly Eye!

His vision shifted, exploring the deep, dark woods of the second trial.

"It’s so dark..." Liang Xiaolong muttered. The pupil of his Heavenly Eye dilated, gradually adjusting to the gloom until he could make out the surroundings. "Where are they? Oh, there are signs of fighting!"

Tracking their trail, he quickly focused his perspective—and then...

He saw a white light as intense as the midday sun. It was an overwhelming, terrifying aura of righteous spirit that struck his newly adjusted eyes with blinding force.

"Aaahhh! My eyes!" Liang Xiaolong shrieked, clutching his face.

The Third Elder snorted, finding his disciple pathetic for being struck by backlash from his own Heavenly Eye. How disgraceful. He activated his own Heavenly Eye, and once his vision adjusted, he looked toward the battlefield.

"Aaahhh! My eyes!"

...

"Huh?"

By the time Kuang Lian realized something was wrong, it was already too late. The moment he touched Qin Xi, a searing light illuminated the entire forest. The boundless, righteous aura sent the ghosts clinging to Kuang Lian scattering like birds and beasts; he had no way to parry it.

"Are you... a Confucian cultivator?"

"I suppose?" Qin Xi could only answer as such. After all, his spiritual root was the Confucian Saint root, so he technically counted.

"...Tough customer. Time to scram!"

Kuang Lian felt that if word got out that he had been defeated by Qi-refinement cultivators, he would never be able to show his face in the sect again. He couldn't let that happen! He decided to make a tactical retreat and wait for a better opportunity...

But the second before he could flee, A-Ling darted behind him and swung the pitch-black stone tablet on her back with a ferocious gust of wind.

*Thud!*

Kuang Lian was sent flying like a shuttlecock, tracing a beautiful arc through the air before landing at Jiang Baiqiu’s feet.

Kuang Lian: "..."

Jiang Baiqiu: "Hahaha."

...

Kuang Lian leaned against a thick tree, staring at the ground, spiraling into self-doubt. He had been defeated by Qi-refinement cultivators. Upon returning to the sect, the mockery of his peers and the loss of his mating rights already loomed before him. He would likely be relegated to the status of a gate-keeping ghost-dog.

He didn't want that!

Of course, human joy and sorrow are not universal; to some, he was just being noisy.

"What are you bickering about? Shut up!" Jiang Baiqiu pouted in annoyance.

"Understood." Kuang Lian was capable of bending when necessary. If he was no better than a ghost-dog, so be it. To the ghost-loving crowd, he had long since lost that status anyway. It didn't matter.

Meanwhile, Qin Xi and his group were staring at the seal from the second trial, admiring it.

"It’s different from the first one... it seems to be a magical artifact too." Bu Weiwei squinted, observing the intricately crafted glass seal under the glow of Qin Xi’s righteous aura.

"Yes, just like the first one, it’s a seventh-grade magical artifact," A-Ling nodded; she seemed well-versed in such items.

"A-Ling, you’re so impressive. With such knowledge, you must be a young lady from a wealthy family," Bu Weiwei remarked.

"Well... I suppose so." A-Ling hesitated whenever the topic of her family came up.

Seeing her discomfort, Bu Weiwei changed the subject. "Hey, the first trial gave us a method for guiding Qi into the body. What do you think this one will give us?"

"Could it be a technique? Or a spell?" Bu Weiwei tilted her head. "If it's a spell, I only care about one related to divination!"

"Since we're all so impatient, let's find out." Qin Xi took the seal from Bu Weiwei and pressed it onto his scroll. With another flash of golden light, the characters for "Great Thousand" appeared on the parchment.

The other three followed suit. Soon, new lines of text emerged on the scrolls.

*The Book of Three Thousand Worlds: Sub-volume.*

The group looked at the writing, bewildered. Only Bu Weiwei shrieked in excitement.

"It’s the Book of Three Thousand Worlds! This is a treasure—far better than any technique or spell!"

"What is that?" Qin Xi was confused. It sounded important, but knowing so little about this world, he couldn't grasp the magnitude.

Jiang Baiqiu scratched his head. "Why does that sound familiar?"

"No way. You three are joining the Great Thousand Sect, and you don't even know what the Book of Three Thousand Worlds is?" Bu Weiwei scanned them. "I can understand Qin Xi and Jiang Baiqiu not knowing, since I practically dragged them here... but A-Ling, why don't you know?"

"Well..." A-Ling blushed, struggling for a moment before whispering, "I... I just happened to see the recruitment notice... and decided to try my luck. I’m actually not from the Qi Kingdom."

"Huh? Not from Qi?" Bu Weiwei was stunned. "Then... which country are you from? Luochuan? Baiyue? Yan?"

A-Ling lowered her head and shook it silently.

"None of those? Could it be... the Great Chu?"

A-Ling didn't deny it, which was as good as an admission.

"So you’re from Chu... no wonder you didn't know about the Great Thousand Sect," Bu Weiwei said with sudden realization. "I heard Great Chu prizes martial arts. No wonder you’re so good at fighting."

"Hey, could you consider my feelings when you're talking about lore?" Qin Xi interjected. "What 'this country' or 'that country'? I’m just a country bumpkin who knows nothing about all this!"

"Seriously? You don't know any of this?"

"I’m just a farmer," Qin Xi replied.

"Well... alright. Actually, aside from Great Chu and Great Qi, the other countries are all quite small," Bu Weiwei explained. "Great Chu values martial arts, while Great Qi values literature. The two have been at odds for countless years."

"As the two largest nations on the Dongchen Continent, their diplomatic ties have reached a breaking point as tensions grow... so it’s perfectly normal that someone from Great Chu wouldn't know about sects within the borders of Great Qi."