Chapter 0224: The First Trial

Chapter 0224: The First Trial

After Xue Ziyeh left, Lan Fengjin threatened, "Murong Xiaoren, if Ziyeh finds out, you're in for a rough time."

Murong Daren was also a bit afraid and said in a low voice, "Mentor, I was wrong. Please don't tell her. I promise to behave."

They each chose their own rooms and did a quick tidy-up before being called into the hall by Lan Fengjin.

Lan Fengjin said, "Qin Yun, you need to keep the Demon Core Beads safe. These are the key items for completing the first trial!"

Qin Yun took out the transparent Demon Core Beads and nodded.

Lan Fengjin continued, "Alright, discuss your battle plan and make sure you coordinate well with each other. Talk it out first, and I'll listen in to offer suggestions."

Qin Yun looked at Xue Ziyeh and asked, "Ziyeh, what type of attacks are you good at? Do you have any special martial techniques you can share?"

"Huo Zhong and Murong Xiaoren are my friends, and I'm already quite familiar with them. I need to understand your strengths to plan effectively. You're at the eighth level of the Martial Body stage, the strongest in our team, and crucial to our success."

Xue Ziyeh, who was always calm and slightly cold, nodded and said, "I excel in close combat. My inner energy attribute is fire, and my weapons are a pair of scythes."

She took out two black scythes that looked rough but had extremely sharp blades.

With a soft shout, she swung her left scythe forcefully. The blade head flew out, but the handle remained in her hand, connected by a black steel wire.

"Retrieve!" Xue Ziyeh pulled her hand, and the blade head swiftly returned.

Qin Yun and the others felt a chill down their spines. If those sharp scythes caught someone's neck, their head would roll.

"Impressive!" Qin Yun exclaimed in surprise before praising with a smile.

He took out his Giant Spirit King Hammer and Spirit Refined Blade and said, "I can fight at close, medium, and long ranges. This is my hammer. The smaller blade can be controlled with mental energy to attack from a distance."

Murong Daren took out his fan and said, "I excel in long-range attacks. My fan can unleash a special type of Beast Martial Soul power, which I call the 'Sky-Piercing Slash.' It can easily cut through solid objects."

Huo Zhong took out a long staff and said with a smile, "I excel in close combat and have great strength. If you immobilize the Demon Beasts, I can finish them off with one strike."

Xue Ziyeh had a general understanding of Qin Yun's team's strength and nodded slightly.

They were all on the same team now, and if they performed well, they'd earn substantial rewards.

"By the way, I can also make runes. I'll craft some for self-defense in the next two days," Qin Yun added.

Hearing this, Lan Fengjin's beautiful eyes lit up with a slight smile. She knew choosing Qin Yun as her student was the right decision. If this team performed well, she'd also receive rewards.

Qin Yun then began discussing tactics with Huo Zhong and the others.

Xue Ziyeh, Murong Daren, and Huo Zhong were a bit stunned, as Qin Yun had extensive experience fighting Demon Beasts and understood them very well. He shared several battle examples that left them on the edge of their seats.

After discussing for more than half an hour, Qin Yun felt it was enough and said, "We still don't know the specific situation at the Blue Spirit Star Palace. For now, we need to understand each other's strengths so that when we face the Demon Beasts together, we can coordinate with some synergy."

Lan Fengjin nodded with great appreciation and said, "Qin Yun, you're a qualified captain. I underestimated you back in First Town."

"Sister Lan, the luck is yours for taking me as your student. And yet, you still tried to extort a storage bracelet from me. Humph!" Qin Yun said with a disgruntled expression.

"I did that to let everyone know you're a Runes Master and to prevent them from looking down on you. As you saw later, Xiao Yanglong, a young martial artist, was forced to flee when faced with your skills as a Runes Master," Lan Fengjin said with a charming smile.

Murong Daren and the others were secretly surprised to learn that Qin Yun and Lan Fengjin already knew each other.

Qin Yun said, "Alright, everyone, get back to what you were doing. I need to make some runes now. The mid-grade Immobilization Runes I'll craft can hold a ninth-stage Demon Beast for two to three seconds and easily immobilize an eighth-stage Demon Beast."

Blue Fengjin followed behind Qin Yun and said with a smile, "I’ll help you too; as your mentor, I should contribute!"

Murong Daren stroked his chin and watched them enter the room with great admiration, murmuring to himself, "Brother Yun is really something, managing to handle even that formidable woman from the Holy Palace."

"Don't talk nonsense!" Huo Zhong patted Murong Daren and said with a smile.

"I'm going back to my room!" Xue Ziye said urgently, eager to fiddle with her storage bag, and hurriedly entered the room.

Blue Fengjin was a Runes Master herself and also knew how to refine artifacts and create runes. She was now helping Qin Yun refine beast bones into rune plates.

This way, Qin Yun only needed to carve the spiritual runes.

"It's great to have an assistant!" Qin Yun said with a smile while carving immobilization runes.

"Hmph, as a young martial artist and senior Runes Master, I actually have to do chores for you." Blue Fengjin hummed coquettishly.

Qin Yun looked at Blue Fengjin's blue clothes and said with a smile, "Sister Blue, when you wear the clothes of the Blue Spirit Star Palace, you have a bit of a feminine touch, which doesn't quite suit you."

"Get lost, I'm a woman after all!" Blue Fengjin gave him a white eye.

Qin Yun could also see Blue Fengjin's thoughts; she mostly wanted to learn his high-quality spiritual runes.

The reason why the Blue Spirit Star Palace had declined and was forced to hide from other sects was that they lagged too much in the field of spiritual runes, which resulted in their equipment's strength being unable to keep up, leading to their downfall.

"Sister Blue, how much do you know about the Burial Immortal Ground?" Qin Yun hadn't forgotten about Xie Qirou, the Grand Tutor. He always felt that Xie Qirou had a significant connection to the Burial Immortal Ground.

Blue Fengjin sighed softly, "I don't know much, only that Blue Spirit King had some connection with the Burial Immortal Ground. Blue Spirit King's unique Star Yang martial arts were inspired by the Burial Immortal Ground."

Qin Yun's heart stirred like waves, thinking of many things.

The grand formation left by Blue Spirit King on Star Soul Peak helped him obtain the Mingyang Martial Soul. This formation was likely obtained from the Burial Immortal Ground.

Mingyang represented yin, the grave of all stars, as the Mingyang Martial Soul came from a massive black hole that could devour any star, making it the final resting place of all stars and suns.

"The Nine Yang Spirit Soul and the Nine Yin Spirit Soul must have a significant connection to the Burial Immortal Ground. What’s the deal with Xie Qirou, the Grand Tutor?" Qin Yun's thoughts were in turmoil as he recalled many past events.

Blue Fengjin continued, "Back then, Blue Spirit King mastered many powerful runes, which made our Blue Spirit Star Palace extremely prosperous. However, mastering those runes required a certain talent. To test for this talent, the Mysterious Rune Sect's exam was created, and only those who passed could learn the runes."

"Over the years, fewer disciples passed the Mysterious Rune Sect’s exam, leading to the loss of rune knowledge and the decline of our Blue Spirit Star Palace."

Blue Fengjin sighed helplessly.

Qin Yun had quite a bit of understanding of the Mysterious Rune Sect's situation; it was a very dangerous exam, and many geniuses had lost their lives in it over the years.

"How much of a connection do the runes of the Mysterious Rune Sect have with the Burial Immortal Ground?" Qin Yun asked again.

Blue Fengjin hurriedly said, "A great deal! Legend has it that there is a powerful barrier in the Burial Immortal Ground. Blue Spirit King spent many years researching to break the barrier and came up with many runes. However, those runes are very strange and dangerous. If one's will is not firm, they can easily be disturbed by the strange runes, leading to a loss of control and death by internal energy backlash."

Qin Yun thought of the Burial Immortal Diagram, which was also a very strange thing. You’d probably need a deep understanding of runes to decipher the Burial Immortal Diagram and get the real map.

"Focus on carving the runes, don't think too much about these things." Blue Fengjin could see that Qin Yun was very interested in the Mysterious Rune Sect and quickly changed the subject.

Though she knew Qin Yun was capable, she didn’t want him taking the Mysterious Rune Sect’s exam.

With Blue Fengjin’s help, Qin Yun’s speed in refining Bone Immobilization Runes greatly increased, and he managed to refine forty of them in three days.

Huo Zhong, Murong Daren, and Xue Ziye each received ten, which was enough to protect themselves.

"We will gather tomorrow morning. Xue Ziye, I’ll refine a set of healing rune equipment for you overnight, which can heal injuries." Qin Yun said.

"Thank you, but I don't need it. I have my own rapid healing techniques," Xue Ziyeh said, quietly delighted to receive the ten Bone Immobilization Runes. These were the most powerful spirit runes she had ever encountered.

She always kept her emotions hidden, not wanting others to see her true feelings, so her expression remained calm.

……

The next morning, Lan Fengjin led Qin Yun and the others to the Martial Arts Field at the center of the Heavenly Prodigy Academy.

They received shocking news: Xiao Yanglong had returned, thanks to the intervention of the head of the Blue Spirit West Palace, who brought him back to the Heavenly Prodigy Academy.

"Everyone, be careful. People like Xiao Yanglong and Sun Jinhao won't let us off easily," Lan Fengjin whispered to Qin Yun and the others.

Qin Yun and the others nodded in agreement.

Once all the mentors and students had assembled, they left the Star Profound Martial Academy together. Accompanying them were three deputy heads of the Xuan-level Martial Academy. Of course, Headmaster Bai was also going, along with some other teachers like Du Gui.

If the students couldn't handle the Demon Beasts outside the Blue Spirit Star Palace, the warriors at the eighth level of the Martial Body stage would intervene.

The presence of these high-level warriors ensured that the students would be protected from the spirit beasts.

Along the way, Qin Yun caught a glimpse of Xiao Yanglong's murderous gaze, which filled him with disgust.

While Xiao Yanglong didn't pose a direct threat to Qin Yun since he couldn't attack directly, Qin Yun was more concerned about the students at the eighth level of the Martial Body stage, who might have the opportunity to strike. Being surrounded by several of these powerful warriors on the battlefield would be extremely dangerous and could lead to his annihilation.