Chapter 40

At that moment, Luo Han had no idea that her "failing student alliance" with Zou Jibai had completely fallen apart. She was focused on controlling the spiritual energy beneath her feet, too preoccupied to notice anything else.
She remembered that this map had a giant python. The current silence only meant that it was observing its prey.
Suddenly, the nearby grass rustled, as if stirred by the wind.
Ling Qingxiao reacted instantly, drawing his sword. A sharp, righteous light slashed through the air like a whirlwind, striking precisely where the movement had come from.
His attacks all landed on something solid. The giant python recoiled in pain, its vertical pupils narrowing. Slowly, it slithered out from the waist-high grass.
The moment Luo Han saw the snake, she felt her breath catch. Watching others fight a giant python and facing one herself were two entirely different experiences.
Ling Qingxiao’s expression grew serious. “Stay back. Be careful.”
Luo Han nodded and scrambled backward. Once she was out of the snake’s attack range, Ling Qingxiao immediately leapt into the air, striking at its weak points.
The python’s body was covered in tightly packed scales, impervious to blades and spears. The most troublesome part was the toxic mist swirling around it, making it nearly impossible to approach.
Since sword techniques relied on close combat for maximum effectiveness, the spectators watching outside collectively sucked in a breath.
To be fair, Ling Qingxiao’s reflexes and Luo Han’s precise spiritual energy control were both outstanding—better than most of them could manage. Even so, there was no denying that Ling Qingxiao had encountered a natural counter to his abilities. The onlookers doubted he could actually defeat the python. The only option seemed to be enduring the trial’s time limit until the formation forcibly removed the beast.
Luo Han’s heart pounded as she watched Ling Qingxiao charge at the python. Like most girls, she instinctively disliked creatures that were soft, slimy, and legless—snakes ranked near the top of that list.
Just looking at the python made her feel suffocated, and goosebumps were already forming on her skin.
She was deeply worried for Ling Qingxiao, but suddenly, an idea struck her.
In modern biology, snakes were cold-blooded animals. That meant...the ones in a xianxia world should be the same, right?
Tentatively, Luo Han gathered water spiritual energy and directed it toward the python, carefully lowering the temperature as she enveloped it.
Gradually, the water energy crystallized into frost. Ling Qingxiao sensed the shift in the surrounding energy and sliced through the lingering poison mist with his sword. Without looking back, he instructed, “Use the Snowfall Technique. Snow can purify its toxic miasma.”
Luo Han immediately understood—this python wasn’t a real threat to Ling Qingxiao. The only issue was the poisonous fog.
She swiftly switched to the Snowfall Technique incantation. With a change in her hand seals, a dense cluster of clouds formed above the python, and soon, large flakes of snow began to fall.
Although the python had cultivated into a demonic beast and no longer feared ordinary changes in temperature, it still retained some of its species’ natural traits. For instance, it disliked the cold. In freezing conditions, it would instinctively slow down and prepare for hibernation.
Now, even though the python knew this was a trap, it couldn’t prevent its body from stiffening. Its movements became visibly sluggish.
Ling Qingxiao, on the other hand, was completely unaffected. His innate affinity for ice made the cold meaningless to him. Most importantly, with the poisonous mist suppressed by the snowfall, he no longer had to worry about the toxic fumes. His attacks immediately became much more efficient.
Zou Jibai gawked as Luo Han skillfully manipulated two opposing elements—ice and fire—while Ling Qingxiao’s sword relentlessly shattered the python’s scales piece by piece.
For some reason, Zou Jibai subconsciously pressed a hand against his arm.
He wasn’t sure why, but he suddenly felt sympathetic toward the python.
It was as if he could feel its pain.
The landscapes within the formation didn’t last long, yet within this brief window, the giant python crashed to the ground with a thunderous thud—slain by Ling Qingxiao.
Even after the python’s death, the formation had yet to refresh. With nothing else to do, Ling Qingxiao landed lightly on the ground and casually began dissecting its scales and armor. Luo Han, unwilling to look at the dead snake, covered her eyes from afar and helped him burn the remains, assisting in its complete eradication.
He was only halfway through the dissection when the surroundings began to shift.
The onlookers outside: “…”
Wait a moment—was this the same map that Su Yinyue had just encountered? Why did this python seem so easy to kill?
A strange silence filled the training hall. Even Ling Zhongyu and Su Yinyue momentarily forgot their composure, staring in astonishment at the unfolding scene. More and more people gathered at the entrance, with some stepping inside to get a better view.
The second map that Ling Qingxiao and Luo Han triggered featured a water demon. As usual, Luo Han started by running for five minutes, then provided long-range support from across the map. Water-based techniques were Ling Qingxiao’s specialty—he swung his sword, and in an instant, the entire lake froze over.
The water demon suffered several consecutive slashes. Realizing it was no match, it immediately activated its innate ability to flee.
With a puff, the demon spewed out a jet of black mist, vanishing into the ink-like darkness. A second later, it reappeared at another section of the water, about to dive in—only to be ensnared by a net of wind.
Behind it, Ling Qingxiao approached at an unhurried pace and ended its life with a single strike.
The disciples outside covered their eyes, unable to bear watching. “It’s happening again...They’re about to start dissecting. This is just a formation, do they really need to be this thorough? They won’t even spare the illusionary beasts?”
Someone nearby asked in confusion, “Why do I feel like teaming up to clear maps is easier than doing it solo? They’re making it look effortless—the formation hasn’t even finished running, and the beasts are already dead.”
“Wake up, brother. That’s just an illusion,” another person mercilessly shattered his fantasy. “First, you’d need a teammate who can simultaneously manipulate ice and fire spiritual energy, instantly predict where a water demon will flee, and cast a wind net big enough to trap a monster of that size. Second, you’d need the sheer attack power to shatter a python king’s heart-guarding scales in a single strike. Now, do you still think it’s easy?”
“...My apologies.”
Luo Han wasn’t fond of gutting fish, so she waited by the shore while Ling Qingxiao extracted the water demon’s core. His slender, razor-sharp Jiuxiao moved with uncanny precision, and before long, a lustrous inner core appeared at its tip.
With a flick of his sword, Ling Qingxiao sent the core flying toward Luo Han. But before she could catch it, the lake vanished, along with the water demon’s body and the core itself.
Luo Han sighed. “I know it’s fake, but could the map at least wait until I catch the core before refreshing?”
Ling Qingxiao landed beside her in a brand-new map. The sky was dim, heavy with dense, oppressive clouds. Mist-covered wetlands stretched as far as the eye could see.
The two stood in place for a while, but no enemies emerged.
Luo Han let out a puzzled sound. “Huh? Nothing’s coming out? Could this be an easy beginner’s map?”
“No.” Ling Qingxiao’s reaction was the opposite—his entire body tensed, a stark contrast to his relaxed demeanor in the previous two maps. “Be careful. There’s a giant demon beast here.”
Demon beasts possessed a strong territorial instinct. Silence didn’t signify safety—on the contrary, it meant that the beast here was so powerful that no other creatures dared to enter its domain.
Both Luo Han and Ling Qingxiao remained on high alert. The spectators outside watched for a while, but with no beast appearing, they began whispering among themselves.
“That’s it? This map seems way too easy…”
Even Su Yinyue was disappointed. Her countdown was nearly over, and she could only rise reluctantly, preparing herself for the upcoming trial.
But just as her countdown hit zero, a sudden chorus of screams erupted behind her.
The sheer volume startled Su Yinyue. Before she could turn around to look, a massive bird beast lunged at her.
She had no choice but to engage while retreating, doing her best to suppress the creature. Avian demon beasts weren’t known for their combat prowess—their greatest advantage was flight. As an Yinglong, Su Yinyue was naturally equipped to counter flying beasts.
This was actually a very suitable map for her.
Focused on her battle, Su Yinyue failed to notice the commotion behind her. She had no idea that the screams from the training hall weren’t because of her fight—but because they had just seen the Devourer Beast.
The very target of their mission—the ancient, fearsome beast capable of devouring all forms of magic.
When Luo Han saw the Devourer Beast appear out of nowhere, she was stunned. Was this really just a naturally generated map? Was this truly an A-rank difficulty level?
Impossible. This was a single-player formation. Luo Han had only brought Ling Qingxiao along because she didn’t dare face demon beasts alone. If this formation had progressed normally, only one person should have been here.
If a lone cultivator encountered the Devourer Beast...What fight? Just surviving would be a miracle.
Ling Qingxiao had sensed something was off earlier, so when the beast appeared, he wasn’t even surprised. The only thing capable of making the Western Sea so eerily quiet was none other than the Devourer Beast.
Now, Luo Han finally understood why Ling Qingxiao had been so serious earlier. She didn’t dare be careless. Without hesitation, she unleashed her full power, doing everything she could to restrain the beast.
But the creature was truly worthy of its gluttonous heritage. Whether it was spiritual energy, magic, or even physical objects, everything that got close to it was devoured. No matter how much Luo Han tried—be it wind, vines, or raw spiritual force—nothing could reach the beast, let alone contain it.
She was doomed. Luo Han realized, with a sinking heart, that she was about to experience what Su Yinyue had—the crushing despair of "character death."
Ling Qingxiao didn’t dare hold back either. Every strike he made was intended to kill. Yet none of his techniques made it within ten meters of the beast before being swallowed. Even his sword winds only managed to travel three meters farther than that.
Without hesitation, Ling Qingxiao made a decision. “Retreat.”
“Understood.” Luo Han agreed instantly and pulled back.
As long as they weren’t trying to defeat it—only survive—then the difficulty was drastically lower. Ling Qingxiao’s swift reactions and agility, paired with Luo Han’s natural sensitivity to spiritual fluctuations, allowed them to predict its movements in advance. And so, they led it in circles—flying kites with a monster capable of devouring everything in its path.
Zou Jibai was practically suffocating as he watched from outside. Unknowingly, a large crowd had gathered around him, each person clenching their fists tightly. Even though they knew their presence wouldn’t make a difference, they still held their breath, afraid to make a sound.
A disciple had been holding his breath for a long time. Suddenly, he took a deep inhale, only to hold it again. "I can’t breathe...This is terrifying. Thank goodness I’m not in that training room. I never knew a Primordial Beast could even appear here."
Zou Jibai silently thanked the heavens and the gods once more. Thank goodness I already passed my assessment. I wouldn’t stand a chance. The previous monsters were barely manageable, but a Primordial Beast? No way.
As they spoke, everyone wore expressions of relief. But then, Zou Jibai suddenly realized something was off. "It’s been a while now. Why hasn’t their map changed yet?"
Inside the formation, Ling Qingxiao had already figured it out—this map wouldn’t refresh.
To be precise, unless they went all out, the map wouldn’t change.
Ling Qingxiao turned to Luo Han and said, "Conserve your energy. There’s no need to keep repositioning. Stay right here and don’t move. I’ll get closer and test it out."
Luo Han had a suspicion of her own. Her expression was grave as she looked at Ling Qingxiao, wanting to say something but ultimately holding back. "...Be careful."
Ling Qingxiao gave a slight nod. Then, in an instant, his figure flickered—so fast it left a trail of white light in the air. Luo Han barely caught a glimpse before he had already appeared in front of the beast.
A clear, resonant dragon’s roar echoed through the chamber. The Jiuxiao hummed in his hand, a coiling frost dragon emerging from its blade. The dragon grew larger and larger, letting out a piercing cry as it charged toward the beast.
Sensing danger, the beast threw its head back and roared. Its mouth opened wide, creating a powerful suction that pulled everything around it into its gaping maw. Even Luo Han struggled to keep her footing, only managing to stabilize herself after casting Stone Anchor on herself.
At the heart of the vortex, Ling Qingxiao remained completely still. The Jiuxiao in his grip blazed with dazzling ice-blue radiance, its sword aura expanding until, in a sudden flash, it condensed into a streak of blue light and shot straight into the Primordial Beast’s open throat.
A deafening boom erupted. The protective formation outside the training platform trembled violently before shattering in an instant.
With the barrier gone, the force within the formation burst forth with nothing to contain it.
Ling Qingxiao swiftly retreated, but some of the spiritual energy still leaked out. The disciples spectating from outside were hit by a surge of freezing air, stumbling backward in shock. Several even lost their footing and collapsed onto the ground.
Inside the training room, every formation plate flickered and then shut down all at once.
Su Yinyue, who had been in the middle of fighting a monster, suddenly saw the entire scene before her vanish. She turned around in shock, only to find the training room in complete disarray—disciples scattered everywhere, the formation platform stripped of all its spiritual light, and the people inside just as bewildered as she was.
What just happened?
The thunderous explosion from the Beta Training Room had startled everyone aboard the ship. Soon, a flood of people rushed over, all asking the same question—
"What happened?!"
The crowd was still in a state of shock when someone suddenly looked behind them. As if rehearsed, they all stepped aside to clear a path.
"Star Lord Gu Xing. Star Lord Tianyu."
Gu Xing walked in unhurriedly, his long sleeves swaying as he took in the scene before him. His gaze swept across the ruined training room and landed on Ling Qingxiao, who stood alone atop the formation platform. After a long sigh, he said, "So every single formation plate got destroyed...Sigh, replacing these is expensive."
Ling Qingxiao immediately sheathed his sword and bowed. "Apologies. I failed to control my power properly—"
Luo Han finally managed to climb up from the formation platform. Exhausted, she greeted the two Star Lords, "Star Lord Gu Xing, Star Lord Tianyu."
The other disciples also helped each other to their feet, their voices overlapping as they offered their greetings.
Gu Xing waved a hand dismissively, looking entirely unconcerned. "No need to apologize. Destroying the training formations? That’s an achievement. It’s just...before, the most anyone ever broke was one. You, on the other hand, took out an entire training room. That’s...a bit costly."
Ling Qingxiao felt even more uneasy. "It was my mistake. I’ll take full responsibility for the cost of replacing them."
"No, no, no." Gu Xing waved him off with a laugh. "The Tianshu Academy may be struggling, but we’re not so poor that we’d make a disciple pay for damages. Besides—" he smiled, eyes twinkling, "it’s not my money. Everything is covered by the official budget, so what’s there to worry about?"
Ling Qingxiao fell silent.
People in government positions really were generous with public funds. But...did Gu Xing have to be this shameless about it?
Tianyu, normally a man of few words, unexpectedly spoke up, "You don’t need to dwell on this. It wasn’t your fault. You did well."
It was clear that both Star Lords held Ling Qingxiao in high regard. Even Tianyu, known for his strict and unforgiving nature, had praised him.
On the other side, Luo Han quietly wiped the dust off her face.
Gu Xing’s gaze swept across the room before landing on Luo Han. Out of nowhere, he asked, "This young lady—she’s also a disciple of Zhongshan?"
Luo Han hadn’t expected the sudden shift in attention. She looked up in surprise. "No. I’m only staying at Zhongshan temporarily. I happened to get caught up in the Western Sea incident, so I joined the team for this expedition."
Gu Xing nodded. He didn’t ask why she was staying at Zhongshan, nor did he question why she always wore a veil. He simply remarked, "Your control over spiritual energy is quite good. But your technique still seems a bit raw. You should focus on refining it."
Luo Han was taken aback. She had no idea why she had suddenly caught the Star Lord’s attention. But when someone like Gu Xing gave advice, she couldn’t afford to ignore it. She nodded. "Understood."
After speaking to both Ling Qingxiao and Luo Han, Gu Xing took a final look around the room. Then, without acknowledging anyone else, he turned to leave. At the door, he paused and said in his usual easygoing manner, "It’ll take some time to replace the formation plates. The Beta Training Room is unusable for now. Luckily, the other rooms still have space. Go find another place to train."
Everyone immediately agreed. A few even sighed in relief.
Thank goodness. As long as they stayed away from Ling Qingxiao, they could still consider themselves great warriors.
The Beta Group gathered at the lot-drawing station once again. Standing before the formation plates, they all hesitated.
None of them dared to draw their lot before Ling Qingxiao.
Sure, the probability of getting the same training room was the same for everyone, but...if they didn’t know where Ling Qingxiao was going, they didn’t feel safe at all.
If anyone still had doubts about Ling Qingxiao’s strength before, today had erased them completely.
They should never have questioned the Dragon Clan’s rankings. The Dragon Clan was nothing but a den of battle maniacs. And the first-ranked among them?
A complete lunatic.
Since no one else moved, Ling Qingxiao was the first to step forward and draw a number. It seemed he had some kind of fate with "A," because once again, he got "A."
Everyone immediately breathed a little easier and proceeded to draw their own numbers in turn.
When Luo Han drew hers, it was "C." Ling Qingxiao's gaze flickered slightly.
The change was subtle, but Star Lord Gu Xing and Star Lord Tianyu both caught it right away. Tianyu remained silent, while Gu Xing narrowed his eyes and chuckled. "Ling Qingxiao always gets 'A'—perhaps the formation plate is malfunctioning. Try again."
The crowd collectively froze. Wasn't Star Lord Gu Xing a master of formations? Did he not feel the slightest shame saying something so unprofessional?
Ling Qingxiao made no comment and simply did as instructed, stepping forward to draw again. This time, sure enough, it was "C."
The people around them silently covered their eyes, convinced they must be going blind. Official favoritism was the deadliest kind of cheating, yet they weren’t even trying to hide it.
Zou Jibai, who had just finished drawing his own number, looked at Ling Qingxiao’s token in silence for a long time. Then, he lifted his own hand and examined it carefully. Was his luck truly this abysmal?
In his sorrow, Zou Jibai suddenly had an epiphany. Avoiding Ling Qingxiao was pointless. The one he truly needed to avoid...was Luo Han. Wherever Luo Han was, Ling Qingxiao would be there too. She was the one who determined their fate.
Meanwhile, the disciples training in the C-group chamber were going about their practice as usual when disaster suddenly struck—word came that the Demon King had blown up his own training chamber and was now being moved to theirs. Disasters always arrived without warning.
Some were thrilled, others were miserable. The C-group disciples could barely contain their despair, while others—such as Ling Zhongyu—secretly let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, this time, he wasn't in the same group as Ling Qingxiao.
Sure, this made him look like a coward, but it was still better than losing.
With Star Lord Gu Xing's official decree, Luo Han no longer needed to practice solo formations and was instead assigned to refining her control techniques. She and Ling Qingxiao cleared several maps together. To be honest, she found group battles much easier than fighting alone.
She really wasn’t suited for a direct combat role. Going solo was just too much pressure.
This time, there were no more terrifying surprises like the Devourer Beast. In fact, there weren’t even spirit beasts in every scenario.
Seizing a moment when no one was paying attention, Luo Han quietly asked Ling Qingxiao, "That formation just now—was it tampered with?"
Ling Qingxiao gave the slightest nod.
She wasn’t surprised in the least. Luo Han had sensed something was off the moment she entered the adjacent chamber. A Devourer Beast appearing in a formation of this level? Impossible. And the fact that the two Star Lords had shown up the instant the formation plate exploded...it was clear they had been watching all along.
They had deliberately held back from switching maps, hoping to gauge Ling Qingxiao’s full strength. But his attacks had been too powerful—so much so that he had leveled an entire training chamber.
Luo Han had spent a relaxed afternoon grinding through battles, feeling refreshed and even thinking that slaying spirit beasts was quite enjoyable. The others, however, had a very different experience.
A true demon never sees themselves as a demon.
Luo Han remained oblivious to the fact that ever since she teamed up with Ling Qingxiao, the passing standards for the C-group training chamber had changed. In addition to damage output, a new requirement had been added: kill count.
It was no longer enough to just dodge attacks—they now had to deal a minimum amount of damage to the spirit beasts. If they failed even one of the criteria, they wouldn't pass.
Trapped inside the formation, unable to clear the requirements no matter how hard they tried, many disciples began to feel despair.
To make matters worse, Luo Han and Ling Qingxiao were still rampaging through the battlefield, their kill count skyrocketing. No matter how fast the others tried to improve, the passing threshold was rising even faster.
Zou Jibai, once again suffering alongside them, felt deeply betrayed. Just yesterday, he had foolishly thought he and Luo Han were friends. He had even shared his most treasured secret techniques for faking his way through training.
Spitting in frustration, he cursed, The patriarch was right—women are all liars.