Li Zining stood up with great satisfaction, bowed slightly to the crowd and Taoist Ziyang, and said with a little pride,
"Thank you for your teachings, fellow junior sisters... If you want to catch up with me, I'm afraid you'll have to put in a lot more effort."
At this time, Luo Xue was not paying attention to Li Zining who had just broken through like everyone else, but was observing the expression of Taoist Zi Yang.
“During this period of time, Taoist Zi Yang seemed to be getting more and more impatient... It was not until Li Zi Ning broke through the magical power and was about to step into the innate realm that he slowed down a little.
"It seems that the opportunity he is waiting for... is the Xiantian realm."
What can the innate realm do
The so-called innate is the energy from heaven, which begins to reshape one's spirit and soul, and gradually enters into an extraordinary realm.
After going through the four small realms of cultivating the soul, forging the spirit, strengthening the consciousness, and refining the spirit, a spiritual sea is formed and one enters the first stop on the path to immortality, the "Spirit Accumulation Stage."
It is also a realm that ordinary warriors can never reach.
An immortal in the Soul Condensation Stage can single-handedly block a hundred martial arts masters. His vast sea of spirit is unmatched by any martial artist's internal strength.
Li Zining was ecstatic about becoming an immortal, little did she know that she was just a piece of fish on the chopping board.
They all are.
Luo Xue couldn't help but cast a look of pity towards Li Zining, but when her eyes met hers, she immediately lowered her head.
Li Zining was originally looking down at everyone with smugness, but when her eyes swept over Luo Xue, what she saw was not the envy or jealousy as expected, but... pity
This ugly guy... is he pitying me
How dare she pity me?!
What qualifications does she have!
There was a barely perceptible twist in Li Zining's expression, but she quickly suppressed it.
"Forget it, you can look at it however you want. Anyway, from now on... you no longer have any status in front of Master!"
This time, Taoist Zi Yang no longer paid attention to Luo Xue. After all, important matters were right in front of him. In his eyes, Luo Xue was just a toy to play in his spare time.
The fact that one's physique is not a Xuanyin body but can withstand the Yinxi poison can certainly arouse some curiosity and interest in Taoist Zi Yang, but if he cannot practice, that's all he can do.
"Finally, some seeds have sprouted... The quality of this batch is really poor, but fortunately it didn't take too long."
Taoist Zi Yang looked at Li Zi Ning with a smile, and Li Zi Ning felt Taoist Zi Yang's gaze and raised her head and chest out again, with pride and satisfaction evident in her words.
"Since Zi Ning is about to enter the Xiantian realm, she can also practice some of my inheritance."
Taoist Zi Yang waved his long sleeves, and the maid standing beside Li Zining immediately lowered her head and backed out of the room.
"She will practice with me in the next few days until she breaks through to the Xiantian realm. Remember, only when she reaches the Xiantian realm can she officially become a disciple of Ziyang Mountain."
Taoist Zi Yang continued, sweeping a stern gaze over everyone present, taking in their reactions.
Taoist Zi Yang had mentioned before that in addition to disciples like them, there were many formal disciples who were practicing in other places with more abundant spiritual energy.
Now the identities of Luo Xue and others are just registered disciples of Zi Yang Mountain.
As for the prospects after becoming a formal disciple... Taoist Zi Yang talked a lot of nonsense, but Luo Xue didn't listen to a word of it.
Su Yiyao was the same. She believed Luo Xue and had long since decided in her heart that Taoist Zi Yang was a big liar.
Taoist Zi Yang's words made Yu Yiling and Huang Xinya's blood boil. They couldn't wait to sit down and meditate. Not to mention Li Zining, her nose was almost up to the sky.
Taoist Zi Yang was quite satisfied with everyone's reactions. He didn't care about Luo Xue and Su Yiyao. After all, one of them couldn't practice and the other's aptitude was terrible.
After giving a few more pretentious instructions, Taoist Zi Yang hurriedly took Li Zining away.
However, in the past, when Taoist Zi Yang left the courtyard, he always used some kind of magic to disappear instantly without a trace.
For some reason, Taoist Zi Yang and Li Zining just walked this time without using any magic.
The two figures, one tall and one short, gradually disappeared in the mountains at sunset. Luo Xue and others watched them leave.
Yu Yiling and Huang Xinya gritted their teeth and trotted back to their rooms. It seemed that they would practice even more vigorously, striving to be taken away by their master as soon as possible like Li Zining.
Su Yiyao hung her head. She was not interested in any of this. Staying with Achou was the only thing she wanted to do.
Unknown environment, unknown conspiracy... Su Yiyao is almost dominated by the constant fear and anxiety. Only when Ah Chou hugs her can she feel a little bit of peace of mind.
Luo Xue looked at the faint footprints on the ground and her face darkened slightly.
"Do you want to... follow them secretly?"
"But, it would be dangerous..."
"No, it's very dangerous!"
Luo Xue looked at the bright red "Survival Points: 0" in her field of vision with a slightly stern look in her eyes.
Chapter 11 Walking Alone at Night
Luo Xue had experienced the benefits of survival points before. After maxing out her poison resistance, she could even withstand a whole bomb of Yinxi poison.
Not to mention that there are other attributes on the panel, even Luo Xue's miserable cultivation aptitude can be changed.
"Just barely" is better than "almost nothing"...
However, obtaining survival points requires going through dangerous events. Obviously, just waiting for fate to come in the courtyard is not a dangerous event.
Without survival points, you may be caught off guard when encountering similar emergencies in the future.
Just like savings, Luo Xue always felt uneasy if she didn't have some survival reserves.
Moreover, now that Taoist Zi Yang's conspiracy has finally surfaced, all the doubts in Luo Xue's heart are about to be answered, so she has no reason to sit and wait for death.
Regardless...it's worth the adventure.
At this time, Yu Yiling and Huang Xinya had already returned to their rooms to intensify their practice.
Su Yiyao was still leaning beside Luo Xue, staring at her blankly with her big, slightly confused eyes.
Luo Xue looked into her eyes and recalled the unforgettable scene in the dim carriage that day. Her eyes flickered.
"... Let's not take Xiaoyao with us yet. One less person means less danger."
Thinking of this, Luo Xue took Su Yiyao's hand and went back to the room.
At the same time, their maids followed closely.
"Xiaoyao, practice first." Luo Xue rubbed Su Yiyao's hair and said softly, "Don't... be too slow, the bad guys will notice."
Su Yiyao nodded vigorously, and then closed her eyes obediently.
After Su Yiyao entered into a state of meditation, Luo Xue turned her head to look at the two maids who were like puppets, and her heart sank.
Like the two human traffickers before, these maids were puppets created by Taoist Zi Yang through some means, but they still retained some weak emotions and independent consciousness.
Even an ordinary person can see this if he observes carefully.
However, the other girls were immersed in cultivation all day long and had no energy to pay attention to these things at all.
And because Luo Xue couldn't practice, she was bored, so she conducted a lot of tests and research on the maids.
They have no surveillance or communication capabilities, nor can they inform Taoist Zi Yang of anything. They are just obedient puppets.
Perhaps he still retains a trace of spirit and reason, but he is more under the control of Taoist Zi Yang.
Taoist Zi Yang's instructions to them were to obey the girls' orders.
In other words, Luo Xue could leave the courtyard in front of the maids openly and all she had to do was order them not to follow her.
The only trouble was the human trafficker guarding outside the door.
During these few months, Luo Xue had tried to leave the courtyard.
The human trafficker guards did not try to stop them, but they followed Luo Xue wherever she went.
It looks like protection, but it's more like surveillance.
Luo Xue was not sure whether these two human trafficker guards could convey the message to Taoist Zi Yang. She had not yet figured out this kind of immortal method.
"Give it a try... It'll be the same as before."
Luo Xue took a deep breath. This opportunity was rare and she couldn't delay any further.
If the guards did alarm Taoist Zi Yang, she would simply flee back to the courtyard.
Given Taoist Zi Yang's usual style, it is unlikely that he would fall out in front of everyone.
Of course, this is the last resort. Luo Xue doesn't want to expose herself unless it is absolutely necessary, and she doesn't want Taoist Zi Yang to notice her abnormality.
After taking a final look at Su Yiyao who was immersed in meditation, Luo Xue stood up, ordered her maid to wait where she was, and gently pushed open the door of the room.
The courtyard was as usual at dusk, with some dim lights coming from the surrounding houses, and the petite figures reflected in them were breathing in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.
The last rays of the setting sun in the sky added a touch of poetry to the quiet scene. Putting aside the unknown conspiracy of Taoist Zi Yang, Luo Xue really liked the environment and life here.
She has experienced the harsh environment of the apocalyptic world for nearly ten years, struggling for survival every day. Looking back now, she still feels as if she were in another world.
"How long will it take for me to wake up from this dream..."
Rather, is this really a dream
Similar doubts have occurred to Luo Xue's mind more than once.
"Forget it, let's solve the problem in front of us first. No matter whether it is a dream or not, at least we have to survive first."
Luo Xue calmed herself down and looked towards the entrance of the courtyard with a slightly fixed gaze.
Sure enough, the human trafficker guards who had been transformed into puppets stood motionless at the door, just like two door gods.
"These two guys are really unlucky. They ran into a traitorous immortal... However, people who are involved in human trafficking should be very cunning. How could they believe the promise of Taoist Ziyang so easily?"
From what we heard in the carriage before, it can be seen that these two guys are veterans among the human traffickers and are by no means innocent people.
However, no matter what happened in the past, they have now been turned into puppets. How can mortals fight against immortals
Luo Xue picked up a handy dagger and hung it around her waist. Although she had no cultivation or martial arts skills, it didn't make much difference whether she had a weapon or not, but it was better than nothing.
In the blink of an eye, the sun sets and night gradually falls.
"Ten steps, nine steps..."
Luo Xue walked slowly, as at her normal pace as possible, towards the gate of the courtyard.
The human trafficker guard stood in place, and the puppet's eyes did not move at all until Luo Xue stepped out of the courtyard gate.
"call out!"
Luo Xue raised her head and met two pairs of emotionless eyes.
The trafficker guards watched her.
"... ..."
She turned around and continued walking forward, hearing stiff footsteps behind her.
Just like before...
From a distance, you can see Zhang San and Li Si following closely behind Luo Xue, like her most loyal guards.
"Although I know it's a mindless puppet, I still feel like I'm being watched like this."
Luo Xue couldn't help feeling a little nervous, but she still concentrated her attention and carefully observed the road under her feet in the faint starlight.
Taoist Zi Yang and Li Zining did not deliberately cover up their traces. The twisted weeds guided Luo Xue to catch up with them.
Luo Xue followed these traces and groped her way deeper into the mountains.
Time passed slowly, and the bright moonlight fell on the earth, but it could not dispel the eerie atmosphere emanating from Ziyang Mountain at night.
The deeper they went into Zi Yang Mountain, the more frightened Luo Xue felt.
The weeds on the ground became more messy, and the surrounding trees looked more hideous.
She turned her head and saw that it was pitch black behind her and she couldn't see anything, but the footprints under her feet were still extending forward.
and...
"Puppet... why is it gone?"
Luo Xue looked at the empty back and her pupils shrank slightly.
Chapter 12: Strange Formation