Chapter 201: Questions

I will contact you once I’ve settled matters. But do not expect much. The phantom finally said, its voice heavy with reluctant concession.

Still, I am curious... why demand such a thing? With your connections, surely you could obtain something far better suited for your disciple.

The old woman’s eyes gleamed, sharp as blades.

"That’s none of your concern." She tapped her cane lightly against the cracked ground, and with a dismissive flick of her wrist, added, "You may take the little girl and her pet now."

Her sleeve billowed unnaturally as she waved her hand.

The red-eyed woman and the dragon stiffened. They both felt it instantly, the invisible restriction that had shackled them, gnawing at their very existence, was gone.

Both of them exhaled, relief written across their faces.

’It is always... unpleasant to know something is confining you.’

The woman thought.

The phantom’s blurred form stirred, his hand lifting. A low hum pulsed through the battlefield as an unseen force wrapped around the woman and the dragon, enveloping them in a cocoon of blood-red light.

Yu Xuan narrowed his eyes, watching every shift carefully.

The cocoon pulsed once, twice, then began to shrink. Smaller and smaller, until both the dragon and the woman were compressed into an orb of condensed scarlet essence, no larger than a clenched fist.

The orb floated weightlessly toward the phantom’s palm. It hovered there for a heartbeat before the phantom’s shadowy fingers curled around it.

A faint sound echoed — crunch.

The orb shattered, dissolving into nothingness. The woman and the dragon were gone, carried away by the phantom’s will, their presence erased from the battlefield entirely.

’Did they die?’ Yu Xuan thought, then dismissed it almost immediately. How could they? Their ancestor had paid a hefty price to secure them.

The phantom’s shadowy gaze flickered briefly over Yu Xuan and the unconscious Lingluo before its voice resonated once more.

I am... curious. Why did your disciple request this resource specifically? It makes no sense. Still, it is not my place to pry. I only hope... this young man and woman never cross paths with her again.

These words carried weight, more than simple caution. Almost as if it were a warning.

The old women laughed under her breath, her eyes narrowing.

"Don’t worry. Just make sure the things are delivered to me. Otherwise... you know things could get tricky."

The phantom lingered in silence for a moment. Though its features were blurred, Yu Xuan swore he could feel its gaze drilling into him, as if memorizing every fiber of his being.

And then — nothing.

The phantom blinked out of existence, the blood portal collapsing into itself as though it had never existed at all. The battlefield was left in eerie silence.

The old women clicked her tongue.

"Tsk. I don’t even know what that bastard is planning. But if he makes things troublesome again," she smacked the ground lightly with her cane, producing a dull thud that reverberated unnaturally

"I’ll just whip his ass."

She said it casually.

Then, slowly, she turned to face him. Her aged features were unreadable, but her sharp eyes glittered. She studied him first, then Lingluo lying unconscious beside him, before finally speaking.

"Brat. It seems you have a lot of questions?"

Yu Xuan returned her gaze evenly. Despite the fatigue in his limbs, his mind was sharper than ever.

"It would be weird if I didn’t have questions here."

His tone was calm.

He had seen too much. A sealed dragon that fought like a sovereign beast with them. A red-eyed semi-goth woman. A phantom ancestor who casually manipulated blood and space like they were toys.

And now, his sister’s master — standing there, speaking as if all of this was just another Tuesday in the cultivation world.

Yu Xuan’s gaze drifted toward Lingluo, unconscious on the ground. Her hair spilled out like a violet flame, her breathing steady. A chill ran down his spine as an unwelcome thought passed through his mind.

’Will she... take after those tendencies?’

He shivered slightly, imagining that.

’No. Absolutely not.’

Shaking the thought away, Yu Xuan turned back to the old women.

"I just want to ask..." He inhaled deeply, steadying his voice. "What was this impossible difficulty really all about?"

The old woman, Peak Master of the Chaos Heaven Peak, tilted her head back, eyes tracing the sky as if reminiscing memories. The battlefield fell utterly silent.

At last, she spoke.

"It is as it states. Impossible. You were never meant to clear this stage."

Her voice carried the detached authority of someone who had seen countless generations break beneath trials.

"For you to pass this trial, you needed to kill that woman. Which, for you, was impossible."

Her eyes flicked to him, before narrowing.

"Though I expected you both to at least defeat the dragon. Instead you dragged things out needlessly."

Yu Xuan blinked.

"Wait... Senior, you were watching?!"

A surge of relief mixed with embarrassment burned through him. At one point, he’d considered using his Qi-Replenishing potions from inventory. He was suddenly glad he hadn’t.

Keeping his little secret mattered. Who knows what will happen if revealed, a human heart is easily swayed.

The old woman arched a brow.

"Watching? Hmph. You were so passive. Be active, brat!"

Yu Xuan coughed awkwardly, heat crawling up the back of his neck. Being scolded like some junior disciple wasn’t exactly the heroic ending he envisioned after fighting a dragon.

Trying to change the subject, he asked, "Senior... can you tell me which realm that woman was in?"

The elder’s gaze turned distant again, but her words struck like thunder.

"That girl was in the Void Traversing Realm, according to your standards. And don’t look so discouraged about failing. The sect master deliberately sets this ’Impossible Trial’ for irregulars like you. It is designed to fail. Do you know why?"

Her lips curved and she didn’t wait for him to reply, continuing.

"Because your kind is too arrogant. Too prideful. Look at yourself. Why did you not start with the Earth-level difficulty first?"

Yu Xuan felt her stare digging into him. He coughed into his hand, turning his head slightly.

"...Because I like challenges?"

The old woman’s silence was more terrifying now.

"...Right, well..." Yu Xuan scratched his cheek. "So no reward, right?"

At last, her lips split into a grin, sharp and devious — utterly unfitting her old face. She looked like a mischievous fox who had just stolen a hen.

"Haha. Yes."

Yu Xuan sighed, shoulders slumping. "Figures."

Before he could sulk any further, the old woman casually waved her hand. Lingluo’s eyelashes fluttered, and then, like a startled cat leaping for heaven, she jerked upright.

Her eyes glazed with residual confusion, she immediately muttered under her breath,

"How dare this witch try to charm m—"

Thwack!

A familiar cane smacked her squarely on the head.

"Ouch!" Lingluo yelped, clutching her forehead as she spun around. When her gaze landed on the wrinkled figure before her, her voice rose in shock.

"M-MASTER?!"

The old woman arched a brow.

"You finally woke up?"

"Yes!" Lingluo said, relief flashing across her face, only for it to immediately shatter at her master’s next words.

"Good. Because after your brother leaves, your training will be intensified tenfold."

Lingluo’s jaw dropped.

"WHAT? What did I do to deserve that punishment?! Master, after giving me some time off, are you plotting something?" she asked, eyes narrowing with suspicion.

The old woman’s expression darkened. She sneered.

"You couldn’t even take care of a small-time dragon, and you dare question me? It seems I’ve been far too soft with you. Your training will now be multiplied by... one hundred times."

Lingluo froze, her face paling.

Then, without even a heartbeat of hesitation, she jabbed a finger at Yu Xuan.

"It was his fault!"

"What?! Why is this suddenly my fault?!" Yu Xuan protested, pointing right back at her.

And just like that, the two siblings erupted into a noisy storm of bickering.

"It was your lousy plan—"

"You were too slow—"

"You distracted me—"

"You fainted first—"

Their voices clashed fiercely.

At first, the old woman tolerated it. But soon her eyebrows twitched, and finally she said,

"Enough!" Her voice cracked like thunder.

"If I hear one more word, I’ll double it again!"

Both siblings snapped their mouths shut instantly, shoulders stiffening slightly.

Satisfied, the old woman snorted.

"Hmph. That’s better." She turned, her gaze sweeping the battlefield one final time.

"I’m leaving. And remember, no rewards for you." She leaned heavily on the word reward.

With a flick of her sleeve, space itself distorted. Before either of them could react, Yu Xuan and Lingluo found themselves standing side by side in the same vast hall that shimmered like the cosmos itself.

Lingluo exhaled, her tense shoulders easing. She looked at her brother and smirked.

"Nice save."

"Of course it was a nice save," Yu Xuan replied smoothly, brushing imaginary dust from his tattered robes.

"You would’ve been caught otherwise. But personally, I’m very pleased with your new hundred-fold training regimen."

Lingluo’s eyes narrowed into sharp slits. "Oh, are you now?"


"Absolutely," Yu Xuan said with mock seriousness.

"Cultivation builds character. You’ll thank me later."

Her glare could have sliced through mountains. For a long moment, they stared at each other in hostility... before both broke into laughter. Their voices echoed through the cosmic hall, their earlier burdens momentarily forgotten.

But then—

A voice resounded, around them, it was of Lingluo’s Master.

"I knew you were faking it, little girl. Did you really think you could hide from me?"

Lingluo froze. Her smirk collapsed instantly.

"Your training will be increased a thousand-fold. No mercy."

The cosmic hall shuddered with her master’s declaration.

Lingluo’s complexion drained to ash. Her lips trembled as she struggled to form words.

Yu Xuan stood frozen too, before bursting out into loud, uncontrollable laughter. He doubled over, clutching his stomach.

"Pft—HAHAHA! A thousand times! Sister, you’re doomed!"

But his victory was short-lived.

"Oh, and brat," the voice added, laced with cruel amusement.

"You’re included too, we will start tommorow."

Yu Xuan’s laughter cut off mid-breath. His expression stiffened like stone.

Lingluo’s slow, sinister grin spread as she leaned toward him.

"Nice save, little brother."