Chapter 55: Second-Seat Sword Cultivator – Tentacles + Vines

“The Pangu Illusion Realm has opened. Wishing all fellow disciples success in the trial!”

This was the final trial before the Grand Immortal Tournament, held within the Pangu Illusion Realm.

The trial method was essentially the same as the Grand Immortal Tournament—participants were placed in a specific environment and had to compete against each other for the same objective.

Each tournament cycle, the illusion realms were drawn by one of the Four Great Sects in rotation. Last time, it was Chixiao Sect’s turn; this time, Wunian Sect was responsible.

Seven illusion realms were selected, four of which corresponded to the natural environments of the Four Great Sects, while the remaining three were drawn randomly from the four regions governed by these sects. Since Gui Xian Sect had the longest history, the first trial was always set in Xuanwu North, while the other six were drawn by Wunian Sect.

This time, the one responsible for drawing the illusion realms was none other than the most uninvolved person of all—the Sect Leader of Wunian Sect. True to the sect’s name, this sect leader was said to have no worldly attachments and had completely neglected sect affairs since taking office, spending all his time in secluded cultivation.

They had finally managed to drag him out to conduct the draw… only for him to select six of the most difficult illusion realms.

Upon learning this, the other sects immediately intensified their training regimens for their disciples, including Gui Xian Sect.

To help the newly selected disciples adapt to the tournament’s rules, the final trial was moved to the Pangu Illusion Realm.

The attributes of the illusion realms corresponded to the seven elemental spiritual roots: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, and Lightning. Ice was classified under Water, so it was grouped into the Water illusion realm.

Lian Mu drew the illusion realm corresponding to “Wind.”

In the Wind Realm, predesignated areas were set up by the elders, and seven types of magical beasts roamed as obstacles. There were no rank restrictions—encountering higher-tiered magical beasts was purely a matter of luck.

Somewhere within the illusion realm, a Wind Core Flower had been placed. From the moment the disciples entered, the flower would begin to grow, eventually blooming three times in succession. The goal was to snatch the Wind Core Flower—whoever picked a flower would qualify for the second-seat position.

If no one managed to pluck all three flowers before they withered, the trial would be reset, and a new illusion realm would be drawn. This served as a time constraint.

In Siqin Hall, dozens of recording stones projected images of various disciples facing different situations within the illusion realm.

“There’s a good chance all three second-seat positions this time will go to sword cultivators,” an artifact refiner elder remarked as he watched the screens with amusement.

The Peak Lord of Autumn Peak was unconvinced and coldly retorted, “Are you saying Autumn Peak has no one capable?”

A nearby alchemy elder pointed at a recording stone. “That new disciple from Cold Arrival Peak is acting a little strange.”

Murong Yi: “…”

He knew she was talking about Lian Mu.

As soon as the trial began, most disciples followed the Wind Core Flower’s spiritual energy to track it down. But not her—she wasn’t even attempting to find the flower. Instead, she was running along the designated boundaries, hunting magical beasts along the way.

The Wind Core Flower had been placed by Qin Yuan, so even Murong Yi didn’t know its exact location.

After a moment of silence, Murong Yi let out a sigh: “…”

He had forced Lian Mu to sign up for this in hopes that it would provide her with more opportunities to improve. The disciples competing in the Grand Immortal Tournament were the best of the best from the Four Great Sects—experiencing this event firsthand would be immensely beneficial for her future cultivation.

But the way she was acting now… she was clearly not interested in securing a second-seat position and was deliberately slacking off.

Just looking at her gave Murong Yi a headache. He decided to stop watching and turned away to sip his tea.

Meanwhile, inside the illusion realm, Lian Mu remained oblivious to the elders’ thoughts as she continued tracking spiritual energy fluctuations in search of spirit plants.

As Guan Shize had once said, only the lowest-tier illusion realms were fabrications. The one they were currently in was a real location somewhere else in the world. Not only were the magical beasts real, but the spirit plants were as well.

From the moment she entered, Lian Mu had been surrounded by dense spiritual energy. She had learned some alchemy techniques from Ji Mingyue, and since one of her three spiritual roots was Wood, she was now capable of sensing spirit plants through energy fluctuations.

The Wind Core Flower, the target of this trial, was classified as a low-intensity spiritual plant and couldn’t be sensed through spiritual energy tracking—this was a safeguard to prevent highly talented alchemists from cheating in the Grand Immortal Tournament.

Although Lian Mu did want to find the Wind Core Flower quickly, the spirit plants here were simply too high-quality. She couldn’t resist picking them as she went.

Where there were spirit plants, there were also plenty of magical beasts. In order to gather her haul, she had to kill quite a few. By the time she reached the end of the path, her clothes were covered in dark magical beast blood.

“That’s strange. The Wind Core Flower should be right here.”

“It must be nearby. Let’s keep looking.”

Just as Lian Mu crouched down in a thicket to pick another spirit plant, she overheard voices.

“You guys found this place too?”

Three sword cultivators and two talisman cultivators had run into each other.

Lian Mu paused, then quietly squatted back down in the bushes to observe.

Outside, the two groups immediately started arguing:

“Wait, aren’t you that sword cultivator who insulted me last time?”

“Yeah, what about it? You talisman cultivators rely on barriers but can’t even beat us in a fight. You still haven’t learned your lesson from the last time we trashed you at Autumn Peak?”

“Don’t be so arrogant! That was just a fluke. This time, we won’t lose!”

Tensions that had been brewing for a while finally erupted. The talisman cultivators and sword cultivators broke into an all-out brawl.

Leading the sword cultivators was the same guy who had previously provoked the entire Autumn Peak, sparking a mass conflict between the two factions. He was strong and completely unrestrained in his words and actions, which only further enraged his opponents. With a smirk, he swiftly drew his sword.

The talisman cultivators weren’t about to back down either. Determined to defend their reputation, they immediately launched a barrage of fire array talismans at him.

The battle quickly escalated. Some combatants even abandoned their weapons, resorting to fists and kicks as they wrestled in the dirt, rolling around and landing blows on each other.

Lian Mu, still hidden in the bushes, found the spectacle quite entertaining. She plopped down to watch—only to realize she had just sat on a vine.

Lian Mu pulled away the vine, but the next moment, it suddenly moved. Tiny suction cups emerged along its edges and latched onto her hand.

A sharp pain and the sensation of blood being drained spread through her fingers. Without hesitation, Lian Mu drew her sword and severed the strange vine, then leaped to her feet with a sharp clang.

Her sudden movement was too conspicuous, immediately drawing the attention of the nearby cultivators. Only then did they notice her.

“Junior Sister, you’re here too?” The leading sword cultivator called out. “Come help—”

His words were cut short.

The low shrubs where Lian Mu had just been standing suddenly shot up several meters high. Their crisscrossing branches twisted and coiled into thick, rough tendrils that lashed out, smashing a nearby tree into splinters. The entire thicket was connected, emerging from the ground as an enormous mass.

The massive ball of tangled roots and vines braced itself against the earth and shook off the dirt. A split opened on its back, revealing a bright yellow flower blooming from within.

“A Wood Beast!”

Lian Mu had no time to worry about the others. She tucked away her Spatial Pouch, grabbed Fa Cai, and charged forward.

The other cultivators quickly reacted as well, shifting their focus and launching an all-out assault on the Wood Beast.

—

Siqin Hall

“Qin Yuan planted a Wind Core Flower on a Wood Beast?” The Alchemy Cultivator elder half-closed his eyes in thought. “How did he manage that? I recall that Wood Beasts are usually highly sensitive creatures.”

“It seems his cultivation has advanced once again.”

“This is probably the first time these kids have encountered a Tier Five Wood Beast,” an Artifact Refiner elder remarked. “I wonder who will end up claiming the Wind Core Flower.”

Murong Yi lightly fanned himself but remained silent.

A Tier Five Wood Beast… That was already beyond what a cultivator with triple spiritual roots could normally handle. And Lian Mu just happened to have triple spiritual roots.

If she wanted to win, she would have to avoid a head-on confrontation and find another way.

—

Pangu Illusion Realm

As the Wood Beast emerged from the earth, the surge of spiritual energy quickly spread across the illusion realm, drawing other disciples toward the battle.

Lian Mu, being the closest, immediately noticed something unusual.

Wood Beasts were symbiotic with spiritual plants, their true bodies seamlessly merging with the vegetation. Normally, a Wood Beast would keep its main body hidden underground while extending its branches and vines above to attack intruders. But this one had fully exposed itself right from the start—someone had tampered with it.

A vine lashed toward her. Lian Mu dodged sideways and used Fa Cai to coil around it. Tightening her grip, she yanked the vine taut and spun around a nearby tree several times, binding the thick tendril to the trunk. She twisted her sword, locking it in place.

Then, using the secured vine as footing, she sprinted upward, charging straight for the main body.

The other cultivators arrived just in time to witness the scene—Lian Mu dashing along a vine at full speed, entirely unbothered by the possibility of falling.

The group: “???”

From Lian Mu’s angle, she could only see the front of the Wood Beast. But the latecomers had a clear view of its back—where the very flower they sought was blooming.

The older, more experienced disciples immediately took to the air on their flying swords, aiming to seize the Wind Core Flower.

The beast had too many vines, and its main body also sprouted writhing tendrils, lashing out in all directions. The cultivators in the air struggled to find an opening.

Dodging was their only option. If they got entangled, the Wood Beast would drain their blood. Though their Spirit Jade Tokens ensured their survival, none of them wanted to leave the trial with severe injuries.

Glancing toward Lian Mu, they realized—

She was already closing in on the beast’s true body.

“…”

She had stepped onto a stationary vine and fought her way through the flailing tendrils, cutting down obstacles as she went. That was… absurdly strong.

Meanwhile, Lian Mu had just severed a tentacle that had tried to grab her leg. Twisting her sword, she reached out and touched the beast’s main body.

Its rough, pitted surface was covered in numerous stiff branches—perfect footholds for climbing.

The beast’s weak spot was the round opening at the top of its body, surrounded by a layer of rock-like hardened material—Blazing Wood Crystals, a valuable alchemical fire catalyst.

If she drove her sword into that opening and destroyed its core, the beast would die.

Lian Mu’s approach to magical beasts was always the same: loot first, kill second. Even a small amount of Blazing Wood Crystal was worth harvesting.

She began climbing. But the moment she stepped onto the beast’s top, the massive sphere abruptly shifted. She lost her balance and slipped.

Reacting instinctively, she grabbed onto a nearby branch. Fa Cai wrapped around her, securing her position. She prepared to climb again—

And then, she grabbed something soft.

A flower.

Lian Mu: “…?”

The next moment, the ground vanished beneath her feet. Before she could get a good look at the flower, the world around her twisted.

—

“Congratulations, Junior Sister.”

Lian Mu looked up, realizing she had exited the illusion realm. A crowd of people surrounded her, and in the distance, a row of elders was watching.

Murong Yi approached, looking pleased. “It seems you’ve made some progress. Since you’ve secured the second-seat position, train diligently and bring honor to our sect.”

Blinking, Lian Mu finally noticed what was in her hand—the Wind Core Flower.

By sheer luck, she had plucked it.

“…”

A brief silence. Then, a single thought filled her mind:

Who in their right mind plants flowers on magical beasts?

That was utterly ridiculous.