"What! Defeated a cultivator in the He Gu stage?"
"With the Illusion Bell active, defeating a He Gu stage cultivator is impossible! No wonder no one has passed the seventh level of the Thunder Cloud Tower in ten thousand years!"
The cultivators chattered amongst themselves.
The Illusion Bell was a divine artifact.
Once the bell rang, even those with the strongest will would inevitably fall into an illusion.
If one fell into an illusion and did not awaken in time, the trial would fail.
Ye Ze's eyes widened at this moment, and he looked at Feng Ninghe in surprise, "Miss Feng, you actually defeated a He Gu stage cultivator!"
Even Pu Yin looked at her with a hint of admiration.
Feng Ninghe's lips twitched involuntarily. She quickly waved her hand, dismissively saying, "It was just luck, I stumbled through."
Even though she spoke the truth, no one believed her.
The cultivators merely thought she was being modest, and their gazes towards her held a touch of admiration.
Feng Ninghe quickly changed the subject, "Enough about that, let's talk about the border."
As the topic shifted, everyone's attention turned to the border.
*
The Border.
Many cultivators were gathered here, and wooden huts had been set up for them to rest.
"This is the border."
Sheng Linglong stopped and turned to look at the people behind her, "All academy disciples must guard the border, with each academy taking turns."
Dense numbers of human puppets charged towards the border.
The cultivators resisted with all their might, fighting desperately against these human puppets and preventing them from leaving the border.
Seeing so many human puppets appearing at the border, Lin Yuran felt a prickling sensation on her scalp.
The trials in the Thunder Cloud Tower were still fresh in her mind. She had barely escaped with her life from the human puppets and passed the trial. She didn't want to encounter human puppets again.
"Yuran, look quickly..."
Ji Binyu pointed forward as if he had discovered something, and whispered a reminder.
Following the direction of his finger, Lin Yuran immediately saw Feng Ninghe not far away.
Feng Ninghe was slowly advancing with the members of the Strongest Academy and had already reached the border.
Lin Yuran's lips curved upwards imperceptibly, and a faint glint appeared in her eyes, "Miss Sheng, do all new disciples have to enter the border to experience the terror of the human puppets?"
Sheng Linglong glanced at her and nodded generously, "Yes, new disciples will be led into the border by dedicated individuals. The purpose is to familiarize the disciples with the border so they won't be flustered when facing human puppets in the future."
Lin Yuran lowered her gaze, concealing the glint in her eyes, and her voice was soft as she spoke, "So, Feng Ninghe will also enter the border with the academy?"
The simple words carried a hint of an ulterior motive.
Sheng Linglong seemed to have an idea, and her eyes brightened noticeably, "This is a good opportunity. If I can teach her a lesson during this time, I must make her know that offending me comes with a price!"
Lin Yuran deliberately lowered her voice, a cunning look crossing her beautiful face, "Miss Sheng, I have a suggestion, perhaps we could try..."
Not far away.
Pu Yin stopped and turned her gaze to the stone inscribed with the word "Border," "This is the border."
The border was vast and stretched as far as the eye could see.
More importantly, human puppets were constantly emerging from the border.
Feng Ninghe frowned slightly and instinctively looked around.
For some reason, she felt as though someone was watching her from the shadows.
With people coming and going all around, she couldn't discern anything.
Pu Yin gazed at the border for a long time and raised her voice, "Next, the Strongest Academy will join forces with other academies to lead you into the border."
"Enter the border!"
"Are they going to make us fight these human puppets? After the Thunder Cloud Tower trial, I never want to see these abominable human puppets again!"
"Do we really have to step into the border?"
The cultivators grumbled softly, their eyes filled with fear.
The Thunder Cloud Tower trial had already placed considerable psychological pressure on everyone.
No one wanted to re-experience the scene of being surrounded by human puppets.
In the Thunder Cloud Tower trial, they still had a chance to survive, but here, there were no escape jade slips for them to use.
If something went wrong, they would leave their lives at the border.
The cultivators' reactions were within Pu Yin's expectations. Her expression did not change much, and she cast a cold glance at the cultivators, "If you are unwilling to step into the border, you can leave the academy now."
These words instantly silenced everyone.
After finally entering the academy, how could they possibly leave?
Seeing that no one spoke, Pu Yin snorted, "The human puppets are constantly invading. If the academy does not guard the border, the human puppets will eventually leave. As the foremost academy, its disciples cannot be cowards!"
"Senior Sister Pu Yin is right."
At this moment, a disciple, stained with the liquid of a human puppet, walked over slowly with a resolute expression, "Human puppets are brutal and are not creatures that belong to this world. Everyone has a responsibility to eliminate them."
The cultivators exchanged glances.
After a moment, the cultivators changed their tune, "It's just killing human puppets, isn't it? We've killed them before, what is there to fear?"
"Fine, let's fight these human puppets then!"
The cultivators put on a show of solidarity, eager to annihilate the human puppets.
Pu Yin looked at them with slight satisfaction and said softly, "When the other academies are ready, I will lead you into the border. Be careful not to venture too deep into the border, as there are endless human puppets there, far beyond your ability to handle."
Bai Niannian's beautiful face contorted, and she leaned closer to Feng Ninghe, "Master, look quickly, Sheng Linglong has been staring at you."
Her voice also drew Feng Ninghe's attention.
She turned her head and looked into the distance.
The Sheng Tian Academy had also arrived.
Sheng Linglong's gaze kept shifting towards her direction, with a hint of warning in her eyes.
Feng Ninghe paid no mind to such a gaze and calmly withdrew her eyes, "Let her look as much as she wants. I won't suffer any loss from being looked at a few more times."
It was evident that she did not take Sheng Linglong seriously.
"Alright, all the major academies have arrived, we can enter the border now." Pu Yin walked forward.
Everyone followed her.
With the gathering of many academies, the number of people reached over a thousand.
With more people, the cultivators felt more confident facing the human puppets.
Pu Yin led the way generously, her expression somewhat solemn, and her voice slowly fell, "The human puppets come from the border. The number of human puppets inside is too great.
No one can reach the depths of the border to find out where they come from. Otherwise, we might have a chance to annihilate them."
The cultivators stepped into the border at this moment.
The border emitted a strong, foul odor, which was unbearable.
"Senior Sister!"
At this moment, a disciple hurried over and quickly approached Pu Yin, "Senior Sister Pu Yin, something terrible has happened!"