The Transmission Hall, rear courtyard.

A shady, winding path snaked its way up the mountain. At its end, a turn revealed an entirely new scene, giving it the feel of a secluded spot hidden at the end of a winding path.

Past several pavilions and covered walkways, small buildings were nestled among lush, ancient pines. These were the living quarters for the disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall.

"I was the one who processed your entry into the Sect. I never expected that in just a few years, you would already have Eighth-Layer Qi Refining Cultivation... The younger generation is truly formidable!"

Elder Pei Dongyong possessed a Mid-Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivation. Under his Dharma Eye, it was impossible for a Qi Refining Cultivator to hide their Cultivation, even with a Concealing Breath Technique.

By his calculation, it had been just over two years since Bai Zichen joined the Sect, and he had already broken through two major realms, including the great barrier to Late-Stage Qi Refining. Such progress was nothing short of divine speed.

Pei Dongyong then recalled the instructions Sect Leader Wei had given after emerging from his seclusion, and his gaze on Bai Zichen grew a little more appraising.

"It is all thanks to the Sect’s provisions. I was able to devote myself fully to Cultivation, which is why I could advance so rapidly."

Several days prior, Bai Zichen had met with Elder Peng Chong and promised that if he was promoted to a True Disciple, he would still have Peng Jinhua serve as his escort and attendant.

He would also share a portion of his Cultivation resources with Peng Jinhua to ensure he could break through to Mid-Stage Qi Refining within a few years.

This was a normal privilege granted by the Sect to True Disciples, and it was the primary reason why Peng Chong had arranged for Peng Jinhua to become a servant disciple in the first place.

Peng Chong had immediately agreed, saying he would find an opportunity to speak with Elder Pei Dongyong and ask him to look out for Bai Zichen during the True Inheritance Trial.

"The Hall Master is in seclusion, so I will be conveying the trial mission in his stead. Since you are standing here, I assume you already understand the True Inheritance Trial. I will remind you of one thing: for this stage, you may use external aids like Magical Artifacts and Talismans, but you cannot seek help from others. You must complete it alone."

Pei Dongyong had streaks of silver in his hair, and his small, thin frame resembled that of an old village man. But one look at his eyes was enough to dispel any illusion of senility or weakness.

Instead, one would only feel that an endless energy was hidden within that slender frame.

"The trial process will be jointly reviewed by the Transmission Hall and the Law Enforcement Hall. Any violation will result in an immediate failure."

A flash of red light landed in Bai Zichen’s hand. It was a scarlet scroll.

Bai Zichen bowed respectfully, put the scarlet scroll away without opening it, and left the Transmission Hall directly.

"Senior Brother Pei, in your opinion, which of them do you think will become a True Disciple?"

A mature, beautiful woman emerged from a small building behind them and sat down beside Pei Dongyong without any reservation.

"Both are quite good... I have an appointment with Brother Tan to discuss the secrets of a certain Cultivation Technique, so I won’t chat any longer with you, Junior Sister Lin."

Pei Dongyong beckoned with his hand, and a white crane hopped lightly to his side. He sat on its back and rode the crane away.

"Hmph, that stubborn old man is so tight-lipped!"

The mature woman thought for a moment, then summoned a length of red silk and rose into the air.

’It’s not certain whether the Sect Leader will take on a disciple. I should go to the Artifact Refining Hall first and see how the Refining of my Spiritual Artifacts is coming along... With a few more Mid-Grade Spiritual Artifacts, I’ll have a better chance of protecting myself at Feiyue Lake.’

...

A streak of golden Sword Light shot through the sky like a rainbow, leaving mountain peaks far behind.

As early as last month, Bai Zichen had used the Sword Nurturing Technique to fully restore the Golden Sparrow Sword. He then shattered the Mud Spirit Puppet in the training room countless times, becoming completely familiar with his new Flying Sword.

Unfortunately, a few minor nicks on the Golden Sparrow Sword itself could not be repaired by the Sword Nurturing Technique.

Still, for the Sword Nurturing Technique to have such an effect on a Flying Sword that had lost its Spiritual nature after gathering dust for so long was a pleasant surprise. He couldn’t ask for more. At the very least, it saved him the expense of going to the Artifact Refining Hall to have the Flying Sword reawakened.

Compared to the Ink Bamboo Sword, the Golden Sparrow Sword, a proper Five Metals Flying Sword, had superior attributes in every aspect.

There were subtle differences when using it for Sword Flight or in Combat, so Bai Zichen spent a full month completely mastering the Golden Sparrow Sword to ensure there would be no mistakes in a real battle before he finally replaced the Ink Bamboo Sword.

The scarlet scroll depicted the location for the first stage of the True Inheritance Trial and the Demon Beast that needed to be slain. A few moments after he opened it, the content on the scroll gradually faded away, leaving it blank.

’Ten Blood Wolves? What a coincidence... I wonder, is this mission supposed to be a favor, or is it the opposite...’

Bai Zichen was stunned when he saw his mission objective. They were the same type of Demon Beast that Lu Song had told him were occupying the entrance to the Secret Realm: Tier One Top-Grade Blood Wolves.

However, there was no way to be certain if it was the same pack.

No one could count how many Demon Beasts lived in Black Mountain; there might be hundreds of Blood Wolf packs alone.

The overlap between the True Inheritance Trial target and the Demon Beasts at the Secret Realm entrance inevitably made Bai Zichen suspicious and uncertain.

But even if Lu Song had let the secret slip, or decided he didn’t want to wait any longer and told someone else about the Secret Realm’s existence, that person’s first priority would surely be to secure the entrance and try to retrieve the treasures inside.

They wouldn’t have the time to play such probing games with him during the True Inheritance Trial.

It had to be just a coincidence that he had run into the same type of Demon Beast.

The first stage of the True Inheritance Trial usually required killing a Tier One Peak Demon Beast. Besides testing a disciple’s combat strength, this stage was also used to assess their adaptability and their ability to utilize external aids.

Bai Zichen’s requirement had been lowered to Tier One Top-Grade Demon Beasts, but the quantity was increased tenfold.

Whether this made the task harder or easier depended on the individual.

’After Lu Song mentioned the Secret Realm, I started gathering information on Blood Wolves, so I’m already prepared. It doesn’t matter if this is the pack from the Secret Realm entrance or not. I’ll just treat this as an opportunity to fight them and understand them better...’

Blood Wolves could grow to the size of an ordinary water buffalo. Their individual strength wasn’t outstanding among Demon Beasts of the same tier; their advantage lay in living and hunting together in perfectly coordinated packs.

As for weaknesses, they did have one.

After several hours of Sword Flight, Bai Zichen finally arrived at the Nameless Valley mentioned on the scarlet scroll.

He concealed his Sword Light, slipped quietly into the valley, took a quick look around, and then slipped back out.

’This isn’t the place Lu Song mentioned; the terrain doesn’t match at all. But there are way too many Blood Wolves here! Did the Transmission Hall even properly vet this as a trial location?’

Bai Zichen had only glanced from a distance, but he could confirm there were at least a hundred adult Blood Wolves in the valley, sitting or lying about in packs scattered everywhere.

But given the Blood Wolves’ speed, the moment he killed one, he would be completely surrounded by the others.

The thought of a hundred Blood Wolves relentlessly swarming and tearing at him made Bai Zichen shudder.

’Two methods. The safer one is to use the advantage of my Flying Sword to pick off the Blood Wolves one by one. I’d kill one, then immediately flee. Once the pack disperses, I’d return and repeat the process until I’ve collected the ten Blood Wolf heads required for the trial.’

’The second method is to find a good spot, light some Floating Pine Resin, and provoke the Blood Wolves into a frenzied attack. If I handle it correctly, I could complete the trial in a short amount of time.’

The first method was safe, but it would take too long; the first stage of the trial only allowed seven days.

The second method exploited a specific trait of the Blood Wolves: upon smelling Floating Pine Resin, blood would begin to seep from their fur as they entered a painless, berserk rage. Although this would increase their individual strength, it would also shatter their pack coordination. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

As long as he could hold them off for a short while with the Red Cover Treasure Pearl Umbrella, his Flying Sword could reap a harvest. At most, it would take two such engagements to collect ten Blood Wolf heads.

The day he heard Lu Song mention the Blood Wolves, Bai Zichen had subconsciously had Peng Jinhua request several portions of Floating Pine Resin from the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, which he then stored in his storage bag.