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In a deep, secluded mountain ravine.

Zhu Ping frowned, shaking off the pieces of snake flesh that had splattered onto the corner of his robes.

Using that strange Small Flag Formation of four poles, he had once again successfully turned the tables and killed several Demon Snakes that had tried to ambush him.

And in the process, he had picked a Blood Floating Luo.

’Four more to go...’ Zhu Ping let out a small sigh of relief, carefully storing away this sixth Blood Floating Luo.

This godforsaken place was humid and sweltering. Every extra moment spent here made one’s skin crawl.

Just as he was complaining inwardly, his gaze was drawn to a pitch-black cave on the side of the ravine, dozens of meters high.

His nostrils twitched. He caught a whiff of an incredibly rich and unusual fragrance of Blood Floating Luo wafting from it.

It was far more mellow and intense than any of the ones he had picked outside.

’Another trap set by those beasts?’ Doubt flashed through Zhu Ping’s mind. After so many encounters, he had gained some experience.

After a moment of thought, he didn’t enter rashly.

Instead, he did as he had before, once again bringing out the four dark, small flags and setting them up near the cave entrance, forming that web-like array of light filaments to guard against any surprises.

Only then did he take a deep breath, form a spell with his hand, and carefully step into the dim cave.

The moment he entered, the strange fragrance washed over him, so thick it was almost tangible.

It was like a hundred-year-old vintage wine, and smelling it for too long could even make one feel dizzy.

The inside of the cave was much more spacious than he had imagined. It was dimly lit, with only some moss giving off a faint glow.

He had walked less than a few dozen meters when a sight ahead made him stop in his tracks.

An ancient altar, built from a pile of rough stones that seemed crude but faintly aligned with some natural Daoist Intent, stood in the center of the cave.

On the front of the altar, a bright red mark identical in shape to a Blood Floating Luo was clearly branded!

What made Zhu Ping’s expression change slightly, however, were the murals branded onto the stone walls on either side of the altar, their lines simple and ancient, their meaning profound.

The content of the murals was continuous and clear: a Cultivator in ancient robes respectfully placed a blooming Blood Floating Luo on the mark at the top of the altar.

In the next moment, runes on the altar lit up, and streams of Spiritual Light, like living things, coiled around the Blood Floating Luo, slowly dissolving and refining it, finally transforming it into a single, crystal-clear, crimson droplet brimming with immense Life Essence Qi.

The Cultivator then drank the essence, and his body immediately erupted with Spiritual Qi. His Cultivation visibly advanced a great deal!

"This..." Zhu Ping’s eyes narrowed. ’It seems this Fuluo Province also had Cultivators in the past. This Blood Floating Luo must be an Immortal Herb they deliberately cultivated. I just don’t know what kind of disaster happened later that caused this Secret Realm to be abandoned, only to be salvaged by my Holy Sect in the end.’

His eyes glinted as he walked quickly toward the altar.

He saw that around the blood-red mark on top of the altar, there were indeed some dried, dark-red stains and scattered petal fragments.

It had clearly been used recently.

’Was it those Demon Snakes?’ Zhu Ping understood instantly.

’Those beasts must have discovered the wondrous use of this altar. By sacrificing Blood Floating Luo to obtain its essence, they were able to refine their physical forms and awaken their intelligence.’

At this thought, Zhu Ping hesitated no longer.

He flipped his hand, producing a perfectly preserved Blood Floating Luo he had just picked. Following the mural’s depiction, he carefully placed it on the blood-red mark in the center of the altar.

The instant the Blood Floating Luo touched the mark.

HUM!

The entire altar trembled slightly, and the seemingly random stone patterns on its surface suddenly lit up with a soft, ancient glow.

Thread-like strands of Spiritual Light emerged from all over the altar and, as if alive, precisely wrapped around the Blood Floating Luo.

SIZZLE...

A soft sound, like melting ice and snow, could be heard.

Under Zhu Ping’s unblinking gaze, the delicate Blood Floating Luo began to soften and decompose at a visible rate.

The immense medicinal power within it was forcibly extracted and purified by the Spiritual Light, turning into wisps of crimson vapor that gathered toward the center of the altar.

In just a few breaths, the entire Blood Floating Luo had completely disappeared.

In its place floated a viscous droplet, about the size of a fingernail. It was perfectly round, its color as deep as a blood diamond, and something inside seemed to flow with life.

An unusual fragrance, more than ten times richer than before, instantly filled the air. Just by inhaling a single breath, Zhu Ping could feel his True Qi stir with activity.

A Treasure Medicine!

Raising his hand, he cupped the crimson droplet, which contained immense vitality and a rich fragrance, in his palm, studying it for a moment.

He flipped his hand and retrieved a long, thin, pale gold Poison Testing Needle from his Storage Pouch.

Holy Sect Disciples were naturally suspicious, especially when traveling outside the sect.

This kind of poison-detecting tool was practically standard issue; they would always test their food and drink before consuming it.

He slowly inserted the Golden Needle into the magnificent droplet of Blood Floating Luo essence, holding his breath to observe it closely.

A moment later, the Golden Needle remained its original pale gold color, showing no signs of turning red or any other abnormality.

The last trace of doubt in Zhu Ping’s mind vanished. Unable to hold back any longer, he immediately tilted his head back and swallowed the droplet of essence in his palm!

The droplet went down his throat but didn’t dissolve immediately. Instead, it felt like a warm, smooth jade pearl, plunging straight into the Qi Sea of his Dantian.

BOOM!

The next moment, a pure and immense medicinal power, far beyond his imagination, erupted like a warm torrent, instantly sweeping through his entire body.

Every acupoint and every meridian greedily absorbed this sudden, immense energy.

His True Qi, which normally required a slow and painstaking process of accumulation and refinement, was now becoming full and condensed at a visible rate!

"Hooo..."

Zhu Ping exhaled a long breath of white air, thick with the fragrance of the medicine.

Feeling his Cultivation rise by a large margin, almost touching the threshold of the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, he couldn’t suppress the wild joy in his heart.

’The effect of this Treasure Medicine is so potent. A single drop is actually worth three months of my arduous cultivation.’

Having confirmed the immense value of the altar, Zhu Ping no longer hesitated. He quickly took out the remaining few Blood Floating Luo he had and placed them on the altar one by one to be extracted.

HUM... HUM... HUM...

The altar lit up with a soft glow again and again, turning each Blood Floating Luo into a pure, crimson droplet.

Without hesitation, Zhu Ping consumed the five new droplets of Treasure Medicine one after another.

A massive amount of medicinal power stacked and surged within him. The aura around his body began to rise uncontrollably, surging like a powerful tide.

A divine light shone from his eyes, with inch-long beams leaping from his sockets.

Pure wisps of Essence Qi even began to escape from his seven orifices because he couldn’t absorb it all in time, creating an extraordinary sight!

And at this moment, everything that was happening, including every detail of the altar’s operation, was being "watched" by a tiny paper crane on the cave wall, almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

...

’So the Blood Floating Luo... needs to be extracted with this kind of ancient altar to unleash its true effects?’ Having seen everything through the paper crane’s eyes, a flicker of understanding passed through Qi Yun’s own.

’No wonder those Demon Snakes were able to suddenly awaken their intelligence. If they just ate the flowers whole, with their physical bodies and Refinement ability, it’d be impossible for them to absorb much of the medicinal power, let alone refine their forms.’

Now that he knew the correct method, Qi Yun set out at once. He rode his Skull Meditation Mat and flew straight toward another mountain cave not far away—one he had discovered during his previous explorations but couldn’t identify the purpose of due to its weathered murals.

It seemed that this type of extraction altar was not unique in Fuluo Province.

Compared to the one Zhu Ping had found, the one before Qi Yun was even more ancient.

The surrounding murals on the stone walls had long since become blurred and indistinct from the erosion of time, making their specific content impossible to discern.

But the altar’s structure and the blood-red mark in its center were identical.

Qi Yun arrived before the altar and, without any probing, waved his hand and took out more than ten vibrant and luscious Blood Floating Luo.

Compared to Zhu Ping’s meager few, his own reserves were quite abundant, as he had wiped out an entire Demon Snake nest.

HUM!

The altar activated. Ancient Array Patterns flowed, and Spiritual Light coiled upwards, beginning to extract all ten-plus Blood Floating Luo at once.

Immense medicinal power was forcibly extracted and condensed, finally forming a Treasure Medicine Essence above the altar that was the size of a walnut, its color as deep as a blood diamond, with light swirling within it.

The energy fluctuations it emitted far surpassed the single drop that Zhu Ping had taken!

Taking the Treasure Medicine, Qi Yun didn’t rush to consume it.

Instead, as was his custom, he first cautiously used the [Blood-Drawn Profound Mechanism] technique to divine the fortune, good or ill, of taking this medicine.

After confirming the divination showed a stable outcome, he finally reached out and took the weighty Treasure Medicine.

The Treasure Medicine entered his mouth and slowly sank into the depths of his Dantian.

The next moment—

RUMBLE!

It was as if a volcano had erupted inside his body.

A torrent of medicinal power, far purer and more immense than what Zhu Ping had endured, rushed through his meridians like a heavenly river bursting its banks.

The "Innate Qi Heart Method" began to circulate madly on its own, efficiently guiding and refining this massive energy.

Under the frenzied infusion of this power, Qi Yun could clearly feel the nascent form of "True Essence" in his Qi Sea—something that normally required slow accumulation—begin to condense and strengthen at an astonishing rate.

In just a few moments, a strand of incomparably condensed and pure True Essence, as thick as a chopstick and shimmering with an Innate luster, slowly formed and coiled within his Dantian.

The huge increase in his Cultivation made the corners of Qi Yun’s mouth lift unconsciously, but he quickly reined in his expression. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

’Something’s not right...’

His joy at his rising Cultivation didn’t cloud his judgment. Reviewing everything that had happened since he entered this Fuluo Province, Qi Yun silently rubbed his fingertips together.

’It’s too easy.’

’That’s right, just too easy.’

’Compared to the previous two trials, this one is not only simple and straightforward in its content, but even the trial ground itself feels somewhat lazy in its design.’

’Although the number of Demon Snakes here is vast, and being surrounded would easily lead to casualties...’

’...in reality, while the Demon Snakes here have some intelligence, it’s not very high.’

’Other than setting a few simple traps, they are more inclined to drive outsiders away rather than surround and kill them.’

’Given the Holy Sect’s usual practices, they shouldn’t have set up such a simple trial.’

’Unless... the Holy Sect wants to replenish its ranks to counter the retaliation from the Three Sects they screwed over. This trial is really just an excuse to boost the strength of the Outer Mansion Disciples. On the surface, it serves as compensation for the battle at the Peach Garden, which wins over the hearts and minds of the Outer Mansion Disciples. On the other hand, it also raises their overall strength, keeping them in reserve for later use.’

Having vaguely guessed the trick behind this trial, Qi Yun gave a slight smirk.

’The Holy Sect is still the same old Holy Sect, alright.’

’Barely finished screwing over outsiders, and now they’re already targeting their own disciples...’