Chapter 0: 41. A Blessing in Disguise
Naturally, the Mystic Maiden Raksha Palace couldn’t be without male disciples.
However, due to the persistent predicament of Yin’s dominance over Yang, which even troubled Ye Qishuang, the cultivation and talent of the female disciples within the palace were indeed far superior to the male cultivators. This resulted in only women participating in the Selection Ceremony for the Mystic Maiden Palace this time.
The only exception was the elder Qin, who led the team.
This meant that if this round of illusionary trials also simulated the appearance of those present, then the imposter lecher who would tempt the desires of all the Mystic Maiden Palace disciples, including Gu Caihe, would have to be the only male cultivator present at the moment, Qin Gou.
“I need to calm down.”
A hint of embarrassment flashed in Qin Gou’s eyes. He walked to the side alone and sat down on the ground.
He secretly swore that he would quickly find the scoundrel who dictated the laws behind this illusionary trial!
Indeed, from a certain perspective, simulating the appearance of someone present and familiar to test the participants was more likely to make them bewildered and flustered than a stranger.
But this damned law-maker hadn’t considered at all how awkward the elder Qin himself would be when he was inexplicably used, regardless of whether the Mystic Maiden Palace disciples succeeded or failed, as they emerged from the illusion.
How would he face these little girls under his command?
“Little Qin, this is not your fault at all.”
At this moment, Gu Feiyan came to Qin Gou’s side and patted his shoulder with a wry chuckle.
“I know,” Qin Gou nodded, a mixture of laughter and tears on his face.
“Moreover, this young lady regrets not leading the team and entering the illusion herself,” Gu Feiyan said, winking playfully. “After all, even I haven’t seen the peculiar sight of Little Qin deliberately ‘posing seductively’.” She paused, then corrected herself, “If it were me, I would be eliminated the fastest.”
Qin Gou couldn’t help but smile bitterly. “I know Yan is just trying to cheer me up. But truth be told, this kind of trial is what I worry about the most. For other cultivators, getting too immersed in romance will delay their cultivation. But for the disciples of the Mystic Maiden Palace, due to their special cultivation techniques, they never have to worry about these things. If they’re not careful, they could be eliminated in large numbers this round, suffering heavy losses.”
At the same time.
Qin Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and muttered to himself as he watched Gu Caihe and the others leave.
“Fortunately, I didn’t meddle earlier and ask for an identity token to blend in with the Mystic Maiden Palace disciples, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable!”
Saying that, A’Yuan looked back at Mu Tangchun beside him with lingering fear and asked, puzzled, “Little Mu, why are you acting like nothing happened? Aren’t you happy that we escaped death?”
“Why should I be happy?” Mu Tangchun asked, bewildered.
“You must be happy!” A’Yuan quickly grabbed her shoulders, wanting to cry but having no tears.
…
Outside the trial secret realm, the directors from various dynasties gathered.
“To randomly get this illusionary trial right at the beginning? This is truly a matter of time and fate. That group of Mystic Maiden Palace women will soon learn that to become a prestigious sect, it’s not just about who has the bigger fist!” Director Zhou of the Han Xing Dynasty shook his head and smiled meaningfully.
“What’s the situation with the Shou Xin Sect?”
“Very good. The Shou Xin Sect has always emphasized not being swayed by external factors. So far, only two rather young and hot-headed male disciples couldn’t withstand the temptation and were eliminated.” A Deacon Disciple immediately replied.
“Indeed, in my opinion, the Shou Xin Sect will be the sect that performs the best in this round of trials,” Director Zhou nodded with appreciation.
However, the Deacon Disciple then said with a complex expression, “But Director, there is currently another lineage of sect whose disciples have all resisted the myriad temptations of the illusion, and have steadfastly held their ground, remaining unmoved. Not a single disciple has lost their qualification so far.”
Director Zhou’s eyes lit up, and he pressed, “That’s great, a tremendous thing! I wonder what sect it is, and which great sect of ascetic cultivators? A sect like this, with such rare talents who maintain their original state, isn’t it indeed a veritable ‘prestigious sect of the Great Dao’? Truly admirable!”
“It’s the… Mystic Maiden Raksha Palace, which you just mentioned!”
“Are you talking nonsense again?!”
Director Zhou immediately rushed over, took the Secret Realm Spirit Talisman from the Deacon Disciple’s hand, examined it carefully, and then was stunned into silence for a long time.
…
“Very good, not a single disciple from our Mystic Maiden Palace has been eliminated in this round of illusionary trials either!”
After the illusion ended, Gu Caihe, her pretty face flushed, was the first to count the numbers.
Then, a disciple suddenly shouted, “Why aren’t you all quickly thanking Palace Lord Qin?”
For a moment, all the Mystic Maiden Palace disciples said in unison, “Thank you, Palace Lord Qin!”
“What is this?”
Qin Gou, who was still a little shy, couldn’t help but show surprise, and even asked with a hint of luck, “What are you thanking me for? You were all able to pass this illusionary trial through your own efforts! By the way, the appearance of that scoundrel lecher you encountered in the illusion…”
“It must have been yours!”
Qin Gou’s face twitched fiercely.
“If I had known, I should have let everyone bring their familiar male disciples,” the little chair also said with some self-reproach.
“No way? Sister Chengying, why would you think that? Looking at it now, Palace Lord Qin is truly farsighted!”
“Ah?” The little chair looked confused.
For a moment, all the Mystic Maiden Palace disciples started chattering excitedly.
“It is precisely because of this that we were able to successfully pass this trial!”
“Yes, this kind of illusion was too targeted. We might have all been wiped out!”
“But even if our Mystic Maiden Palace’s cultivation techniques are special, we all know what we can touch and what we absolutely cannot.”
“That is to say… because Palace Lord Qin’s image was simulated, we truly did not dare to make any rash moves, and thus smoothly passed the trial.”
Immediately after, someone finally hit the nail on the head and revealed the fundamental truth: “After all, none of us are not afraid of being personally beaten to death by Palace Lord Ye!” In the Mystic Maiden Palace, Qin Yue was not only the second Palace Lord, but also Ye Qishuang’s only Dao Companion. To try to seduce and cultivate from Palace Lord Qin was an act of absolute self-destruction, which was already an unstated, ironclad rule that all Mystic Maiden Palace disciples absolutely dared not violate.
“It’s just that I never expected Palace Lord Qin to make such a great sacrifice for us to pass this trial!”
“Sacrifice? Girls, for the future development of the Mystic Maiden Palace, I, Qin, have long been prepared to pay any price. As long as you can understand my painstaking efforts and not misunderstand me…”
For a moment, Qin Gou’s tone quickly reversed. With his hands behind his back and a determined gaze, he said emotionally, “Now, a mere bit of face is nothing, right? In the end, it was all within my expectations!”
