Gu You was deeply immersed in his cultivation.
At a certain moment.
He felt the preaching voice by his ear had vanished.
Gu You opened his eyes in confusion.
Then he discovered he had already appeared within a city.
Ahead, Lan Si stroked his beard while smiling at him.
"Valley Master?"
Gu You said in surprise.
Lan Si laughed heartily: "I'm not the Valley Master now, please address me as City Lord!"
He stood with hands behind his back, instantly radiating purple light with dragon shadows emerging to circle around him, accompanied by phoenixes soaring at his sides. Golden light shone from the sky, making him appear like an immortal descending to earth.White mist swirled at his feet, giving him an ethereal aura.
Gu You's mouth twitched: "I'm already at the Tribulation Transcendence realm, is all this flashy display really necessary?"
Lan Si raised an eyebrow and smiled faintly: "Just a mere Tribulation Transcendence realm? Believe me, any of these illusions could obliterate you in one move."
As he spoke, an immense pressure emanated from him, forcing Gu You to his knees. Trembling, Gu You asked: "You... what realm are you in?"
"Ahem, sorry about that. I'm currently a third-tier Star God, equivalent to a Heavenly Immortal!"
Lan Si sighed, "Alas, still far behind that Song Cai fellow. Just a measly Heavenly Immortal, really not worth mentioning!"
Gu You's face twitched uncontrollably: "Understood, understood! City Lord, could you explain what's going on? Wasn't I supposed to be listening to the Dao?"
"Simple - your mental state is insufficient to continue hearing the Dao!"
Lan Si shook his head with pity, "Your mental fortitude is too weak! Can't even handle it at Tribulation Transcendence realm!"
Gu You's face darkened. He knew divine beings actually had lower mental requirements - this guy's mental state was probably worse than his own! Yet he dared lecture him like this... if only he could fight back...
"This is the Trial City!" Lan Si coughed and declared, "I am the City Lord of Trial City."
He pointed in a direction: "See there? That's a trial secret realm containing numerous treasures and potential enemies! Compete for treasures, experience life-and-death battles - this trial will strengthen your mental state!"
"When your mental state improves sufficiently, you can apply to return to Temporal Chaos Realm to continue hearing the Dao! I now possess teleportation authority and can transport between Trial City and various locations!" Lan Si added with a proud smile.
"I understand!" Gu You nodded seriously.
"Then go prepare!" Lan Si the Valley Master said.
Gu You nodded and left the plaza where Lan Si stood.
Lan Si waved his hand, recording the entire conversation between them, then took out a mirror-like magical artifact to replay the footage.
Watching the mirror endlessly repeat his words, Lan Si nodded in satisfaction and placed it at the plaza's center.
Just then, another disciple materialized out of thin air.
He looked around in confusion.
Then he saw Lan Si and the magical artifact playing their conversation nearby.
After watching for a while, he silently cupped his hands: "Farewell, Valley Master!"
"Wait! Address me as City Lord!" Lan Si reminded.
"Understood, Valley Master!" The disciple left without turning back.
Lan Si snorted: "No manners at all!"
He clapped his hands and entered his mansion in Trial City, proceeding directly to his bedroom where he comfortably laid down and naturally fell asleep!
Su Yuan, sensing this situation, couldn't help but twitch his eye.
He had assigned Lan Si to explain and supervise - never expected him to slack off! Even after reaching third-tier Star God, he could still sleep?
Su Yuan decided not to let him off so easily.
"The Dragon Clan inheritance contains dream cultivation techniques! Impart them to him! And make them activate automatically during sleep!"
Su Yuan immediately loaded the dream cultivation method into Lan Si's Heavenly Earth Divine Throne, setting it as a passive divine art!
Sure enough, shortly after Lan Si peacefully fell asleep, his brows unconsciously furrowed deeply.
In the dream.
Lan Si looked around bewildered.
He stood amidst a sea of flames that furiously burned his flesh.
"What the—where am I?"
He quickly activated his Heavenly Earth Divine Throne, only to shockingly discover it had vanished from his consciousness!
Vanished!
Lan Si's eyes widened in terror!
"I'm done for! Dead! Ah! I just became a third-tier Star God!"
Lan Si screamed continuously while madly fleeing through the fire.
"Eh? I'm not dead?"
After running endlessly, Lan Si realized he wasn't dying.
Gritting his teeth, he persevered, searching for an exit from this inferno.
While enduring the flames, his willpower, mental state, soul, and even body improved to varying degrees.
Lan Si cared not for these gains—he just wanted to escape this increasingly violent sea of fire!
After an immeasurable time.
Lan Si suddenly awoke.
He sprang from bed, looking around dazedly.
"Was I dreaming?"
Inspecting his body—no wounds. Checking his Heavenly Earth Divine Throne—intact.
"Just a dream! Do immortals have such vivid dreams?" Lan Si scratched his head.
"If it's just a dream, then why fear?"
Reassured, Lan Si lay back down and immediately fell asleep again.
In the new dream, Lan Si found himself on a battlefield.
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
Battle cries shook the heavens!
Checking his consciousness and finding the Divine Throne absent again, Lan Si realized he'd entered another dream!
"Hahaha! Battle! I'll fight to my heart's content!"
Grabbing a war blade nearby, Lan Si charged into battle, instantly becoming the fiercest warrior—fighting through enemy lines seven times until slaying dozens before finally collapsing from exhaustion.
Instead of waking, the dream shifted automatically to another cultivation dream.
Watching Lan Si's increasingly frenzied expressions in the dream, Su Yuan felt baffled—the cultivation method's description never mentioned potential madness!
Meanwhile.
After exploring the city, Gu You gathered several companions.
Gu You, Xie Yingying, Nangong Xianweng, Zhuge Jian, and Nangong Huoyu assembled.
Nangong Xianweng coughed: "You all cultivate this quickly? I'm only at Tribulation Transcendence, yet you've all caught up!"
Xie Yingying pouted: "You're just too slow!"
Nangong Xianweng said: "Ahem, I'm thousands of years old—you call me 'boy'?"
"Don't you love acting young?" Xie Yingying retorted, "With over 100,000 years lifespan now, a few thousand is like mortal childhood!"
"Still on about that..." Nangong Xianweng sighed helplessly.
Nangong Huoyu covered a smile.
Zhuge Jian interjected: "Enough! Let's form a team and prepare for the trial secret realm!"
Though equipped with dimensional rupture talismans that activate in one second, during combat, one second could mean eternity!
Nangong Xianweng waved: "No need for pessimism—our equipment is excellent. We shouldn't get instantly killed. Relax!"
"True!"
After strategizing and confirming roles, the five arrived at the trial secret realm's spatial gate.
Many disciples were already gathered there preparing.
Gu You spotted Ye Bufan standing alone with his sword, resembling a lone sword immortal.
Gu You greeted: "Ye Bufan, couldn't find teammates? Want to join us?"
Ye Bufan glanced at him and calmly declined: "Unnecessary. I work alone."
Gu You nodded understandingly.
Scanning the area, his eyes widened upon spotting four figures—three burly men and a little girl.
"Big Brother, ready the grill?"
"All set, Boss!"
"Second Brother, got all seasonings?"
"Complete set, Boss!"
"Third Brother, harvested fruits?"
"Rest assured, Boss! Had the underlings pick tens of thousands of tons—enough for your needs!"
"Excellent!" The little girl nodded satisfied.
Gu You gaped: "Isn't that the Patriarch's spirit pet... I mean, Elder Su Si?"
Mid-sentence, Nangong Xianweng elbowed him, prompting correction.
The girl was indeed Little Cai, the Nine-Colored Heaven-Devouring Fish.
Su Yuan had also sent her for trials.
The three men were Su Da, Su Er, and Su Er—her assistants.
Judging by their conversation, Little Cai seemed here for picnic rather than trials.
"Perfect!" Gu You excitedly transmitted to teammates, "If we encounter enemies, just lead them to Elder Su Si! Her strength is unfathomable!"
All nodded agreement.
On Gu You's shoulder, a tiny figure materialized.
Gu You tilted his head at Little Thirteen.
"You alright?" Gu You transmitted.
Little Thirteen replied: "I feel bloodline suppression!"
"Normal—Elder Su Si is the Patriarch's pet!"
"Not her—I can't even sense her aura anymore. It's the other three—each gives me primal bloodline suppression, like... like humans facing true dragons!" Little Thirteen's voice trembled with awe.
"Impossible! Those three just tend gardens for the Patriarch!"
"But I sense... they've surely attained immortality, with strength that dominates their level!"
Hearing this, Gu You took a deep breath, realizing no matter how fast he cultivated, it never seemed fast enough!