CH 23.4

“hurrying to save one or two years in the near term, but forgetting the long-term goal of five to ten years – reaching the level of refining the spirit, passing the 9,999 levels of zhenchuan. as long as you don’t reach the top, the inner sect disciples must participate in the assessment every ten years.”

hearing about passing 9,999 levels, the pink-robed woman stared at her as if she was crazy.

lin shuang continued, “thanks to the advice of the elder on the 841st level just now… now i need to consider the long-term goal and readjust the plan.”

[new addition to this zhenchuan plan:

goal 4: obtain more zhenchuan guidance leaves (possibly attracting the favor of inner sect elders) – maintaining important long-term connections, increasing the possibility of obtaining rare techniques and spiritual treasures.]

even the eavesdropping pink-robed woman couldn’t help but exclaim, “zhenchuan guidance leaves, do you think you can just take them?”

but lin shuang ignored her, and neither did meng zi nor huangfu yuan.

all three were focused on the words “favor of inner sect elders” and “rare techniques, spiritual treasures,” their eyes glinting.

meng zi raised an eyebrow, “it’s not impossible, familiarity breeds success.”

huangfu yuan lightly pursed his thin lips, “obtaining the guidance leaves on the 841st level suggests that the way to acquire them is by achieving outstanding results in the annual clearances.”

841st level zhenchuan guidance leaves…!?

the pink-robed woman widened her eyes and looked at lin shuang and the others. “did you get a guidance leaf?”

but no one answered her.

lin shuang continued to write.

[goal 5: fastest clearance (more rewards, more spirit stones, more resources), which can save future cultivation time.]

meng zi’s eyes lit up with admiration.

huangfu yuan, on the other hand, wasn’t very interested.

“do you think the fastest clearance is that simple? you’ve only cleared two levels!”

the pink-robed woman was getting angry.

but still, no one replied.

lin shuang had already reached the end.

[goal 6: utilize trials for cultivation – effectively choose layers for training, integrate personal cultivation plans with trial content, not only advancing on two fronts but also maximizing the chances of opportunities to shorten the time needed for long-term goals (clearing zhenchuan 9,999 levels).]

the pink-robed woman’s face was full of incredulity. “throughout history, do you know how many people have cleared zhenchuan? not a single one!”

but they continued to ignore her.

lin shuang finished writing, silently recited it once in her mind, and was quite satisfied with herself today.

no one’s plan is perfect, adapting to changing circumstances is the key.

“by the way, do you two senior brothers have any additions?”

the pink-robed woman’s veins on her forehead were about to burst.

meng zi’s peach blossom eyes were full of strangeness. “lin shuang… you, who progress much slower than others, are thinking about these things?”

little bai, it seems like you’ve misunderstood her.

have you really seen through her?

he frowned, and every item in her long-term and short-term plans made his heart race.

spirit stones, spirit stones, all are spirit stones!

“lin shuang, to be honest, i’m also very tempted.”

“but for the last point, zhenchuan changes the location of each cave mansion every time it opens. disciples don’t know which trial corresponds to which layer this year. disciples can’t choose to enter trials that suit their strengths. so, your idea of selecting trial content and integrating it with your cultivation is impossible.”

the pink-robed woman nodded repeatedly. “that’s right, don’t think you can cheat—”

huangfu yuan held a tea cup with a faint glint in his phoenix-like eyes.

but lin shuang pressed the paper on the tea table with one hand.

“no, it’s not random. we have a way to select.”

“???”

“little ai, play the recordings of the trials since we entered zhenchuan.”

“!”

【huangfu yuan… cleared the 841st level of zhenchuan river trial!】

【ah, i’m dead: completed in 52 breaths.】

【muhe… cleared the 1,222nd level of zhenchuan river trial!】

【read ten thousand books: completed in 189 days.】

【liu shan, xu shanyun… cleared the 307th level trial!】

【chinese zodiac: completed in 93 days.】

…

【eight trigrams killing formation: completed in 13 days.】

one after another, the red-listed information was immediately replayed.

…

the pink-robed woman was dumbfounded.

huangfu yuan’s thin lips curled up.

meng zi’s big knife in his hand trembled slightly.

“see, now you know?”

lin shuang lowered her head and quickly drew up an excel summary table.

“read ten thousand books… eight trigrams killing formation… circle the projects you are confident in and the ones you want to experience!”

exams also have some tricks. start with what you are good at to boost your confidence.

activate the brain and breakthrough like a powerful force.

“…”

“if you guys don’t have any ideas, how about we go for ‘reading ten thousand books’?”

【muhe… cleared the 1,222nd level of zhenchuan river trial!】

【read ten thousand books: completed in 189 days.】

lin shuang pointed to this item.

“from the time it takes to clear, and with the time-boosting array attached, it’s probably a one-hundred-to-one time exchange. from the title, it seems like it’s for disciples to comprehend and send techniques.”

lin shuang’s face was radiant.

“cultivation, earning time, setting records, gaining techniques, and winning the favor of the elders—all in one go… no, this is like a bountiful harvest!”

“!!”

the pink-robed woman was dumbstruck.

when the three of them left, the outer sect steward, xu rui, along with zhao keran, zhou xuanwu, and chen sixin, arrived to report. the pink-robed woman still hadn’t fully recovered.

“elder min, we have come to zhenchuan to assist under the orders of our teacher, li dao.”

the pink-robed woman: “…”

she heard the voices and gradually regained her spirit. her expression was peculiar. “you… are the outer disciples who came with lin shuang?”

she could hardly recognize the outer disciples!

outer disciples, were they this audacious now?

the pink-robed woman looked at zhao keran and the others with a somewhat sharp gaze. “below zhenchuan 3,000 levels is under my jurisdiction.”

“you guys, clean the cave mansions after the trials, manage inappropriate remarks from disciples during the trials, and bring disciples who have passed to me to check their rooms. understand?”

if meng zi were here, he would probably be quite surprised.

this pink-robed senior wasn’t a retired elder as he had thought, but one of the chief inspectors responsible for overseeing the first 3,000 levels of zhenchuan!

“by the way, you’re free to do as you please during your free time. if there’s no one going to the trials below a thousand levels, you can try them out.”

“but as working dao disciples, there won’t be any rewards. understand?”

she finished speaking in one breath, not allowing anyone to interrupt, a stark contrast to her previous friendly demeanor when “selling rooms.”

zhao keran quickly took note, raised his hand boldly, and asked, “what do you mean by managing inappropriate remarks from disciples during the trials?”

“like this—”

the pink-robed woman casually cut to a 600th-level trial and stood up in a panic.

“oh dear, i forgot to lift the mute on the disciples!”

“…”

she hurriedly shot spirit symbols behind the jade table, fumbling through the operations.

in an instant, several projections floated up from behind the jade table.

the appearances of disciples who had cleared multiple levels simultaneously appeared.

moreover, a large amount of text floated through these layered projections.

“ah, i can suddenly leave messages in the projections?”

“wow, finally! the room manager remembered us! i’ve suffered in silence for so long…”

“darn it, i’ve been patient for so long. has anyone seen a female outer sect disciple? i’m really curious, where is she now?”

“we can finally chat with fellow junior brothers and sisters from hundreds or thousands of levels away in zhenchuan here. farewell, i’m off to the 4,000th level. welcome everyone to watch and cheer for me.”

“who wants to watch you? quickly look at the 1,222nd level’s projection! two outer sect disciples, lin shuang, and frail senior brother huangfu, were snatched away!”

zhao keran and the other outer sect disciples were dumbfounded.

the pink-robed woman was wide-eyed.

*

inside the projection stone, lin shuang and her two companions had already been transported to a sea of books.

[level 1,222: reading ten thousand books]

“i’ve read ten thousand books in the mist, and i’m still an illiterate.”

this extended subheading was rather ominous.

lin shuang was utterly confused.

meng zi and huangfu yuan also had wry smiles.

sending techniques, she might have overthought it.

“trial in this stage: memorize any technique, recite it without a single mistake, and cultivate it to the second level to pass.”

“!!!”

they were really sending it!

author’s note:

huangfu yuan: junior sister, i can’t go on… huh? mastering the elders’ connections? let’s go.

lin shuang: i guessed the topic, it’s my ace in the hole.

“zhao sect leader’s notes 23”: don’t worry, my notes won’t spew water swords.

zhou xuanwu: but they might make you burst into laughter.

zhao keran: …