Chapter 17 The Scheming Disciple and the Charming Master 17

Chapter 17: The Scheming Disciple and His Charming Master 17

Lin Huaiqing only found out after asking Mu Yunting.

The massive boulder at the bottom of the lake wasn't a boulder at all—it was a thousand-year-old sleeping Xuanwu beast.

The Qingyu Sword had been embedded in the beast's back, so when Mu Yunting recklessly tried to pull it out, he woke the slumbering Xuanwu.

The giant whirlpool in the lake had also been set off by a mechanism on the Xuanwu's back.

At the bottom of the lake, Mu Yunting fought the Xuanwu tooth and nail for half an hour before finally pulling out the Qingyu Sword.

By then, the sword had already claimed Mu Yunting as its master, and its blade was no longer the rusty, corroded mess it had been at the bottom of the lake.

Though he hadn't seen the young male lead's epic showdown with the Xuanwu firsthand, he wasn't bothered. There'd be plenty more chances down the road.

"What are you spacing out for? Let's move!" Lin Huaiqing urged the spaced-out Qin Du to get a move on.

After all, the Qingyu Sword was the top-tier treasure in the secret realm. The ruckus at the lake had definitely already caught the attention of the other trial participants.

To avoid any more trouble, they needed to get out of there fast.

Once they'd put some distance between themselves and the lake, it was time for Lin Huaiqing to make his exit.

By possessing another trial participant, he'd already broken the rules. He'd only come here to help Mu Yunting get the spirit sword—now that the job was done, it was time to go.

Finding a quiet spot, Lin Huaiqing suddenly stopped and clasped his fists in a salute:

"Fellow cultivators, since we've all made it out in one piece, I'll be on my way. I've got other things to take care of. Zhao bids you farewell."

Hearing this, Qin Du immediately grabbed Lin Huaiqing by the arm.

"Didn't our master send you to keep an eye on us? The trial isn't over yet—why are you bailing?"

"Yeah, Brother Zhao saved both our lives, and we haven't even properly thanked you yet! Why not stick with us and finish the trial together?"

"No need. Your master gave me other things to do. You two can finish the rest of the journey on your own."

Lin Huaiqing was about to say a few more words of advice when the sounds of fighting and a woman's screams rang out from a clearing not far away.

The others clearly heard it too and instantly fell silent.

"Could it be a high-tier demonic beast?" Qin Du's eyes lit up.

At least two squads were duking it out in the distance—either hunting demonic beasts or fighting over points.

Either way, he was itching to jump in.

Just then, a fierce sword aura came flying at them from the direction of the noise. It whizzed past Yu'er's ear and slammed into the tree trunk behind her.

Yu'er's face went white with fear. She ducked down and covered her head, about to scream, but Lin Huaiqing clamped his hand over her mouth just in time.

"Shh! Don't make a sound!"

Right before everyone's eyes, a tree as thick as a person could wrap their arms around was sliced clean in half by the sword aura. It swayed for a moment before crashing to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Just imagine—if that sword aura had been even an inch off, Yu'er would've been sent straight to meet her maker.

Once Yu'er calmed down, she stared blankly and asked, "Th-this... such a powerful sword aura. Is the one who sent it also a trial participant?"

The Xianyue Sect's secret realm was a low-tier one, only letting in cultivators above the late Qi Refining stage and below the early Golden Core stage.

But the one who sent that sword aura was at least at the late Golden Core stage.

A cultivator at the late Golden Core stage—or even Nascent Soul—being let into a trial realm full of Foundation Establishment disciples? That was a wolf walking into a flock of sheep!

To get to the bottom of it, all four of them decided to check it out.

Using the dense vegetation as cover, they easily crawled through the underbrush and peeked at the scene in the clearing.

"Master! These bitches are up to no good! They're still hiding stuff. If you ask me, just wipe their memories and kill 'em all!"

"Exactly! They're from Xianyue Sect—they must know where the good stuff is hidden. How else would they have dug up so much treasure!"

In the clearing, a group of men in black surrounded five female disciples from Xianyue Sect.

One of the women was clutching an exquisite folding fan to her chest, refusing to let go.

"You're lying! My senior sister found all these treasures using her treasure-seeking technique! Our Xianyue Sect is the host—how could we possibly let our own disciples cheat?!"

"Cut the crap! Hand over the fan, or we'll send you to meet your ancestors right now!"

Seeing the women still putting up a fight, one of the men—who looked halfway decent, at that—actually reached out to snatch it.

"No! I can't give this to you! This is the life-bound spirit artifact I made for my junior sister! Didn't I already hand over all the other treasures?!"

"You're going too far! Golden Core cultivators aren't even allowed in this trial, yet you have the nerve to lead your disciples in robbing people! Aren't you afraid the Heavenly Eye will catch you and ruin your reputation?"

Hearing this, the leader of the black-clad men burst out laughing:

"Hehehehe! Since I dared to come here, I obviously have ways to dodge the Heavenly Eye. Not only will no one outside know, but even when you leave, you won't remember a damn thing."

The four of them hiding in the bushes finally got it.

These thugs had gotten around the Heavenly Eye and, relying on their higher cultivation, were killing and robbing people inside the secret realm.

They'd clearly planned this in advance—they hadn't even worn their sect robes, so no one could tell which sect they were from.

Seeing how arrogant the leader was, all four of them were seething with righteous fury.

"Still not handing over the fan, huh?!" One of the men in black delivered two solid punches to the head of the woman clutching the fan.

No spiritual energy was used, but the blows landed square on her head—pure humiliation.

Lin Huaiqing's face turned cold. He glanced at the three beside him and said, "Don't move! I'm going out alone."

Qin Du was the first to object: "No way! If we're going, we all go together! How can we let you go alone!"

"Shut up! Don't come out unless I give the order!"

At the critical moment, Lin Huaiqing's face was deadly serious—a complete opposite to his usual calm and detached demeanor.

Being ordered around like this by Lin Huaiqing, Qin Du surprisingly didn't lose his temper.

He was usually proud and arrogant—if anyone dared speak to him like that, he would have beaten them to a pulp long ago.

But this time, it was as if he had forgotten how to react, frozen in place.

Somehow, he seemed to see a hint of Lin Huaiqing in this male cultivator surnamed Zhao.

Lin Huaiqing rose slowly from the bushes, stepping out unhurriedly into the glow of the setting sun.

"Stop!"

Clad in a plain white disciple robe, he looked like an immortal under the twilight, radiating a bone-chilling pressure.

The leading black-clad male cultivator, as if he had long sensed Lin Huaiqing's presence, showed no surprise, sneering coldly:

"Oh! The rat hiding in the shadows finally dares to come out. I thought you'd wait until I killed them all before you came out!"

Facing the provocation from the black-clad male cultivator, Lin Huaiqing wasn't provoked.

"At the Late Golden Core Stage, bullying a group of Foundation Establishment female cultivators—does that make you proud? Let them go and give the stuff back, and I'll pretend I saw nothing."

"Hey! What the hell do you think you are, talking to my master like that!" One of the male cultivators, seeing that Lin Huaiqing wasn't tall, rushed forward to attack him.

Luckily, the leading black-clad male cultivator stopped him in time.

"Come back, disciple! You can't defeat him."