"Thank you, Master," Su Xi said sincerely to Lin Qing after the crisis was resolved.
If Lin Qing hadn't shown up in time today, even if she had used her most powerful moves, she wouldn't have been able to defeat Gu Li. The end result would have been her death here.
Lin Qing looked at his disciple, sighed, and chided her with a hint of anger, "I gave you a communication talisman to contact me immediately if you felt danger, not to contact me only when you encountered danger."
He was very relieved that he had given Su Xi a communication talisman in advance and that he had arrived in time. Otherwise, he would have lost a good disciple for nothing.
"Yes, I know I was wrong." Facing Lin Qing's责怪, Su Xi did not argue but quickly admitted her mistake.
She also didn't expect to encounter danger in the Five Immortal Mountains, and she had carelessly held onto a glimmer of hope.
Only now, as she recalled it, did she feel a sense of lingering fear. If it weren't for the powerful communication talisman Lin Qing had drawn, which could penetrate the barrier set by Gu Li, and if Lin Qing hadn't happened to be on Penglai Mountain, today might very well have been her death anniversary.
Once she died in this small world, she would absolutely have no chance of a second rebirth, and she would have no opportunity to vent her past hatred.
Seeing that Su Xi had realized the seriousness of the problem, Lin Qing didn't continue further but changed the topic, "Although this trial had problems, you absolutely cannot be shortchanged on the rewards you deserve."
No one had received trial rewards on Penglai Mountain for so many years. Therefore, this time it was not only for dignity but also for the honor of Penglai Mountain.
He had already decided that if Daoist Mengxu, the Mountain Lord, did not keep his promise, he would directly stage a scene of crying, making trouble, and threatening to hang himself.
"Right." Su Xi strongly agreed with Lin Qing's decision and was eager to improve her strength.
Daoist Changqing, who was standing nearby, heard Su Xi and Lin Qing's conversation and wished he could find a hole to crawl into to escape the awkward scene.
╮(╯▽╰)╭
It didn't matter if these two were discussing something unrelated, but could they at least consider that he, an outsider, was still present?
Should he pretend to have heard, or not heard? It was truly a dilemma.
Lin Qing and Su Xi seemed to completely ignore his presence and continued their discussion. After they had finished discussing, they even left him behind and headed towards Shu Mountain, preparing to find Daoist Mengxu to demand the trial rewards.
Daoist Changqing watched their retreating backs and silently offered sympathy to his Sect Master.
A powerful and shameless Lin Qing was already enough to give people a headache. Now, his disciple had a similar personality. The days of the Five Immortal Mountains would not be easy in the future.
Daoist Mengxu was contemplating how the demon race had managed to sneak in when he suddenly saw Lin Qing's figure barge in. He immediately felt a throbbing headache.
He couldn't understand why this troublemaker, Lin Qing, had come again.
Despite the severe headache, seeing that there were other people present, Daoist Mengxu maintained a calm and composed demeanor, "Sect Master Lin Qing, why do you have time to visit me today? Do you know..."
"Stop with the nonsense. When will my disciple's reward be fulfilled?" Lin Qing interrupted Daoist Mengxu's pleasantries, plopped down on the futon in front of him, and stared him in the eyes, giving the impression that he wouldn't back down unless his demands were met.
Looking at Lin Qing's demeanor, Daoist Mengxu frowned and guessed his intentions.
The thought of the rest of his life being filled with Lin Qing's harassment made him feel as though the Great Dao was receding further and further from him.
Clearing his throat, Daoist Mengxu seized the opportunity to adjust his emotions and said helplessly, "Don't worry, I've already made a decision about this reward, and it will be fulfilled tomorrow."
Lin Qing heard Daoist Mengxu's words, rubbed his nose, and pressed for clarification, "Explain it more clearly."
Those old Daoists were the most fond of deceiving people. He had to ask clearly today to be at ease. Otherwise, it wouldn't be easy to corner him next time.
Daoist Mengxu saw the distrust on Lin Qing's face and was so angry that he blew on his beard. After all, there were still young people present. Couldn't he be given some face?
"Not many disciples survived this time, so they will all be awarded according to the first-place reward. As for how much fortune they can gain, it will depend on their abilities," Daoist Mengxu said helplessly, revealing his arrangements.
He was doing this not only to appease Lin Qing but also to pacify the other sects. After all, many disciples from other sects had been lost this time. If they weren't given an explanation, it would be difficult to gain their trust. Once people's hearts were scattered, it would be even harder to lead the group.
Lin Qing also saw through Daoist Mengxu's intentions but did not expose them.
No matter what Daoist Mengxu intended to do, as long as Su Xi benefited, he wouldn't care. As for others, they were simply not within his consideration.
Su Xi, overhearing the conversation between Lin Qing and Daoist Mengxu, became increasingly curious.
She knew that Daoist Mengxu, as the Sect Master of Shu Mountain, possessed extremely high cultivation. However, he seemed somewhat afraid of her somewhat unreliable master.
That's right, afraid.
This was the first time Su Xi had perceived Daoist Mengxu's emotions and immediately thought she was mistaken to have such a preposterous idea. The legendary Daoist Mengxu had reached the realm of a half-step immortal; how could he be afraid of the unreliable Lin Qing?
The moment Su Xi turned to leave, she suddenly met Daoist Mengxu's gaze and felt a jolt of fear. Although Daoist Mengxu wore a benevolent smile, he gave her the feeling of being completely seen through.
Unfortunately, she didn't know if it was all an illusion, as she had already left with Lin Qing.
As Su Xi stepped out, she seemed to hear Daoist Mengxu sigh, making her even more uncertain whether it was an illusion.
The next day, Su Xi received a notification early in the morning to go to Shu Mountain to collect her reward.
Upon arriving at Shu Mountain, Su Xi found her old acquaintance Tang Yifeng already waiting.
Tang Yifeng looked at Su Xi and said, "Follow me."
Su Xi nodded and began to walk with Tang Yifeng.
After a long detour, Su Xi's eyes quickly landed on a mountain valley. Outside the valley, the grass was lush, and flowers bloomed everywhere. Countless butterflies fluttered above the flowers, and a refreshing floral fragrance permeated the air.
Outside the valley, there were already four people. In addition to the Tang siblings from a previous team, there were two others, one slightly fatter and one slightly thinner. Su Xi had never seen them before.
As Su Xi sized them up, they were also sizing her up, and she had no idea what they were thinking.
The Tang siblings looked at Su Xi with a hint of joy.
After they woke up, everyone had disappeared, and they had no idea what had happened.
Tang Yifeng didn't give them a chance to reminisce and began to introduce, "Inside is the Heavenly Moon Pool. You have one hour for marrow cleansing and body transformation. You must come out after the time limit, or you will be responsible for the consequences."
Although marrow cleansing and body transformation were very beneficial for one's cultivation, excess was always detrimental. Experiencing too much at once could harm one's foundation and be of no help to their cultivation. There had been instances in the past where people became infatuated with the spiritual energy within and exploded and died.
Su Xi and the others were the only surviving disciples from this trial, and no further accidents could occur.