The first trial had ended, but although I had temporarily secured the top spot on the Genius Rankings, I couldn't feel the slightest bit of joy…
It's all because of the sect's ranking points. The Water Moon Sect is only ranked eighth.
The first choice will undoubtedly be the Sword Sect, which ranks first. If they aren't foolish, they will choose the late Foundation Establishment stage. After all, killing a late Foundation Establishment stage puppet is equivalent to killing twenty early Foundation Establishment stage puppets in terms of points... However, choosing the late Foundation Establishment stage would be too difficult to defeat.
By the time it was the Water Moon Sect's turn to choose, all the easy options had already been taken, leaving us with no choice but to be forced into the early Foundation Establishment stage...
Puppets of different difficulty levels also have different point values on the Genius Rankings...
I bit my lip slightly... my left hand clenched tightly, while my right hand gently stroked my swollen abdomen, unsure of what to do.
It was easy to imagine that while others killed a single late Foundation Establishment puppet, it would be equivalent to me killing twenty puppets... With such a gap, I would inevitably be overtaken on the Genius Rankings!
Wang Yuxiao beside me seemed a bit guilty. He was busy searching for demon beast gathering spots for the Holy Maiden and hadn't focused too much on killing demons, failing to contribute his share of points to the sect…
"Holy Maiden..."
"It's fine. If that's truly the outcome, I have no words to say." I shook my head slightly, my heart growing dark...
Wang Yuxiao seemed to be enduring immense humiliation… Watching the Holy Maiden about to be married off to some unknown man, he couldn't accept it!
"The incense stick has burned out! Sword Sect! State your difficulty choice."
The Sword Sect chose the late Foundation Establishment stage without hesitation. Whether in terms of killing efficiency or points gained from kills, the late Foundation Establishment stage was the perfect difficulty choice.
The Yan Yang Sect chose Foundation Establishment Grand Perfection... It did indeed fit their fierce and aggressive style.
The Water Moon Sect was naturally forced to select the early Foundation Establishment stage.
Suddenly, the scene shifted. This was a desert, and all the Water Moon Sect disciples appeared here.
Instantly, each of the Water Moon Sect disciples looked ashamed, as if they dared not meet my gaze…
I shook my head slightly and sighed.
Hundreds of puppets suddenly appeared in the desert before me, equivalent to the number of disciples from the Water Moon Sect who had come this time...
These puppets were pitch-black in color but moved with remarkable agility. However, being soulless entities, they were incapable of thought and could only rely on their early Foundation Establishment cultivation to unleash brute force.
The disciples of the Water Moon Sect rushed forward to engage in battle, and I joined in as well. With a light swing of the Beauty Sword, several puppets were severed by the blade.
However, this efficiency was far too slow, and slowly, an entire hour passed.
In my growing anxiety, I took out the token again and glanced at it.
Heavenly Genius Rankings: 1st Place—Yan Yang Sect, Yan Li: 8,792
Second Place: Sword Sect's Lin Xiao: 8,367
Third Place: Shuiyue Sect, Fang Ling: 3,741
…
My heart sank to the depths of despair… This wasn't just a difference in strength—it was a gross injustice!
If this continues, I will surely lose, and be at the mercy of the first place winner, forced to marry him in humiliation… enduring endless humiliation as we engage in intimate relations… serving him day and night… bearing his children… raising his family…
At this thought, a stream of lustful fluid quietly gushed from between my legs… The wooden plug at the core of my flower was instantly expelled… The foul-smelling semen from my womb flowed out like a wild horse breaking free, heading toward the petals…
I was startled and quickly emitted a cold mist to block the surrounding vision. I quietly picked up the wooden plug, lifted my skirt, and inserted it back into the flower core...
"Ah..."
My cheeks flushed red, and I tightly pressed my delicate lips together. The wooden plug was inserted too slowly, and a significant amount of foul-smelling semen flowed down my snow-white, flawless legs, staining the white, transparent silk stockings yellow and faintly emitting a foul odor… Before I could perform the purification technique, I raised the Beauty Sword to block the puppet's attack.
...
Only two hours remained. I glanced at the token. The Yan Yang Sect's Yan Li seemed to have unleashed a finishing move, propelling the Sword Sect's Lin Xiao far ahead into second place. The gap between me and Lin Xiao was over ten thousand points…
My beautiful eyes betrayed a glimmer of despair…
This wasn't about lacking strength... This was an unfair advantage!!
Strength… strength?
I suddenly remembered something...
During the first-layer trial of hunting demon beasts, I wasted all my time searching for them. I had often thought to myself how much better it would have been if the demon beasts had simply stood before me...
This is the opportunity I've been waiting for... These waves of puppets swarming toward me are the perfect targets for my sword!
I immediately lit up with joy, quickly retreating while transmitting my voice to the other Water Moon Sect disciples...
"All of you step back... This holy maiden... will handle this herself!"
The disciples of the Water Moon Sect seemed to freeze for a moment, staring at me in disbelief…
"But... Holy Maiden, these are hundreds of puppets at the initial stage of Foundation Establishment... This..."
"Enough noise, step back!"
In my anxious state, I didn't feel like explaining anything to them...
Seeing this, the disciples of the Water Moon Sect hesitated for a moment, then suddenly retreated rapidly. Those who couldn't retreat in time were pulled backward by their senior and junior disciples...
In the blink of an eye, hundreds of Water Moon Sect disciples had retreated to the rear, while the hundreds of soulless puppets before me emitted a chilling aura as they flew toward me...
I took a deep breath... The ice-cold qi in my dantian was being drawn out in large quantities, all surging into the Beauty Sword... In just a moment, a series of extremely cold ice mist had gathered around me...
"Moonlight Technique!" My figure shifted once more, and a pure stream of ice-cold spiritual energy surged toward the Beauty Sword.
I clenched my delicate lips, and a fleeting glimpse of sharpness flashed in my beautiful eyes. This sword strike was the strongest I could muster at that moment!
Slash!
Time seemed to freeze... Hundreds of puppets were frozen into statues in an instant, shattering into pieces...
The sword energy sliced into the ground, turning that patch of land into a frigid wasteland, with terrifying ice-cold energy rampaging…
A flash of white light appeared, and hundreds of puppets reappeared. But before they could act, they were frozen into fragments by the raging frigid ice spirit energy surrounding them...
…
The disciples of the Water Moon Sect at the rear stood speechless, their minds in disarray…
"Master... Senior Brother..."
"Don't speak... This is our Holy Maiden!"
"Leave the remaining time to her!"
Even those disciples of the Water Moon Sect who had harbored any prejudices toward the Holy Maiden earlier had now set aside their pride, utterly awed by the Holy Maiden's overwhelming power, which had crushed hundreds of Foundation Establishment-stage puppets with a single blow...
Wave after wave of puppets appeared only to be frozen into fragments! As the killing efficiency soared, my points were rising at an astonishing rate...
…
I swung my sword once more, panting slightly… I took out the token and glanced at it.
Heavenly Genius Rankings: First Place: Water Moon Sect's Fang Ling: 47,991
Second Place: Yan Yang Sect's Yan Li: 29,474
Third Place: Jian Sect's Lin Xiao: 22,687
...
"The second-layer trial has ended!"
Suddenly, the scene shifted… Everyone found themselves back in the exact same dense forest of the first layer…
"You have one incense stick's worth of time to rest. After one incense stick, the final trial will begin! Defeating the True Master's avatar will grant you a large amount of spirit stones and precious herbs."
Unlike the first layer, there were no longer demon beasts howling in the distance, and... all the major sects had descended to the same location...
At this moment, the smaller sects were in disarray, the medium-sized sects were slightly flustered, and the larger sects were handling the situation with ease—all of this was clearly visible to everyone…
As the temporary top-ranked prodigy, I naturally attracted a great deal of attention...
"Hey! Look over there—isn't that the Holy Maiden of the Water Moon Sect?"
"Before the secret realm opened, we were too far away to see clearly. Now that we're up close, she truly has a beauty that could rival the world! If I had the strength, I would definitely pursue her."
"Senior brother, don't waste your effort... just open your token and take a look..."
"This Holy Maiden is currently ranked first on the Genius Rankings. Even the flame power of the Yan Yang Sect has been left in the dust by her!"
"This woman is so terrifying… I thought Yan Li was already demonic enough… but never expected… one mountain is higher than another!"
Feeling the gazes of the crowd, I forced myself to calm down, closing my beautiful eyes...
Suddenly, the members of the Holy Maiden Protection Squad surrounded me, blocking the view of those around me... A series of disappointed sighs filled the air.
But I didn't notice... Among the members of a small sect, two pairs of dark eyes were staring at me with a lecherous expression.
"Hey! Little beauty!"
A deafening voice rang out… causing everyone to turn their gaze toward the source of the sound.
There, within the gathering place of the Yan Yang Sect, a bald giant nearly three meters tall, his body bulging with muscular bulk, stood up...
It was Yan Li of the Yan Yang Sect!
I fixed my gaze on him. Upon seeing me looking at him, he immediately crossed his arms and said:
"Little beauty! You must continue to perform well on the third layer. Otherwise, you'll be married to me and bear my children! Hahahaha" Yan Li seemed confident that he could surpass me on the third layer, laughing wildly...
I was flustered by his teasing, my face turning bright red, and I felt a mix of anger and embarrassment…
"Oh my! My little beauty is blushing! How lovely! Hahaha! Don't blush! You'll soon be my wife! Hahaha"
Wang Yuxiao, enraged, strode forward, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Yan Li.
"Hmph! Yan Li, the final outcome has not yet been decided. Don't jump to conclusions too soon, or you'll end up losing face!"
Yan Li cast a dismissive glance at Wang Yuxiao, his face betraying his disdain.
"Who the hell are you? A mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, probably powered up by pills? What gives you the right to speak to me?" Immediately, a wave of derisive laughter echoed through the Yan Yang Sect...
Wang Yuxiao, seeing this, felt a surge of anger in his chest, his eyes growing increasingly fierce…
"Don't bother with him." I suppressed the anger in my heart. Being mocked in public, I felt nothing but shame and indignation. However, as the Holy Maiden of the Water Moon Sect, I must uphold the noble and pure image of a Holy Maiden.
Wang Yuxiao, upon hearing this, did not respond and silently stepped back...
After teasing him several times with his flames and seeing no response, he grew bored and sat down…
Suddenly, the protective barriers between the major sects vanished. The crowd, who had just witnessed the spectacle, hadn't had time to recover.
Only then did the people from the Sword Sect draw their swords and rush toward the distance, startling the crowd, who scrambled to follow suit...
I opened my eyes slightly and did not move immediately. I turned to Wang Yuxiao and said:
"We should have a strategy this time. Lead the disciples to spread out and search for the true form of the immortal. Once found, notify this holy maiden immediately via the jade pendant.
Even if the true cultivator is only at the mid-foundation stage, you are no match for them. Afterward, this holy maiden will allocate a portion of spirit stones and precious herbs as compensation for you.
Though I apologize for not allowing you to gain experience, but… this holy maiden must secure the Heavenly Genius Rankings… Everyone, please do your best!"
With a look of struggle on my face, I looked at the disciples before me...
"Holy Maiden, you are too kind. Due to our inadequacy, the second layer of the sect has been put at a disadvantage. We owe you too much."
"That's right! Holy Maiden, we've always had our eyes on that Yan Li. Holy Maiden, you must thoroughly crush its arrogance!"
"The Holy Maiden has spoken. What are you waiting for? Hurry and go find the True Form!"
As I watched the crowd scatter before me, I silently thanked her once more in my heart. Then, I turned and walked toward the rear...
Earlier, I had already sensed it... The Ice Spirit Qi was extremely sensitive to that fiery place. There must be a True Master's Avatar behind us...
As I had expected, an old man wearing a headband and a blue tight-fitting robe sat there quietly.
Upon seeing me approach, the true form of the immortal slowly stood up.
"I am the avatar of the Flaming Sun Sect's Flaming Rage True Master. Young one, step forward..."
...Before he could finish... A sword qi slashed through the air. The true Immortal's avatar's eyes flashed with a sharp gleam, and his hands swiftly formed a series of seals. A protective barrier emitting flames appeared before him.
The sword energy was blocked, but... what he didn't notice was...
Streams of icy-cold ice qi had already spread throughout his entire body...
Why is the Heavenly Spirit Root called the Heavenly Spirit Root? Because... within the same cultivation realm, it is invincible!
The Heavenly Extreme Ice is even more domineering. Unless one surpasses it by two major realms, there is nothing in the world it cannot freeze...
Even if he were a True Immortal, he was merely a manifestation at this moment! His cultivation was only at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage!
Having endured the teasing of the Flaming Yang Sect earlier, I harbored no goodwill toward them. Seizing the moment while the True Immortal avatar spoke, I struck with a sword... the ambush succeeded!
The True Immortal avatar was completely frozen into an ice block, shattering into pieces. A token engraved with the character "True" appeared in my hand, transforming into a streak of light and entering my cultivation token.
Instantly, a voice that couldn't be distinguished as male or female transmitted to me, devoid of any emotion.
"You have killed the true form of the cultivator. Reward: 30,000 sect points and 50,000 Genius Rankings points."
"As you killed the true form alone, you receive an additional 30,000 Genius Rank points."
My heart trembled... No wonder that flame had such confidence—killing the True Form Alone in the third layer alone yielded a full 80,000 points... Under such circumstances, the points from the first two layers weren't so important anymore!
I clenched my teeth tightly. With this, I must find the next True Form Avatar as quickly as possible.
Transforming into a streak of light, I vanished into the horizon, propelling myself forward at an incredible speed with all my strength.
In no time, I found another True Immortal Avatar...
But this True Form Avatar was...
My expression grew complex as I clenched my jade-like hands, unsure whether to attack...
"Master..."