Bayue Weiban

Chapter 488 Illusionary Trial

"Ningning, are we really going to do this?"

At the foot of Xuantian Peak, Fang Lingxiu asked with a small frown.

Li Lingxiao, who was in front, turned back, tilting his head and looking curiously at the elder brother and sister who were playing with him.

"Xiuxiu, it's okay, you have to trust me!"

Ye Ningyuan clenched his small fist and waved it vigorously against his chest.

As they spoke, they arrived at the edge of the mountain protection formation, but a gap had already been temporarily opened there by Ji Yuan, who was hidden in the dark.

Otherwise, with the formation covering them, it would have been impossible for just three children to get out.

"I don't know why, but I suddenly feel fortunate to have joined the sect early."

Not far away, Zhao Yuebai, who had cast an illusion spell and activated a sound-blocking restriction, suddenly muttered to himself.

Clearly, he already knew what the three children were about to experience.

"It is fate that you and I became master and disciple."

Ji Yuan turned to look at him, his face full of a thick smile.

However, there was also a hint of emotion in his eyes. If not for various encounters, he, who was then only at the late stage of the First Realm, would not have had the qualification to take disciples.

"It's time to start."

Suddenly, Ji Yuan's expression changed, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

Under their watchful eyes, Ye Ningyuan, Fang Lingxiu, and the six-year-old Li Lingxiu finally stepped out of the coverage of the Xuantian Peak mountain protection formation.

The moment they stepped out, the three children did not realize that the small world they were in had undergone a slight change.

Array patterns immediately appeared beneath their feet, and the three froze in place. Their eyes quietly closed, and in an instant, they were plunged into an illusion.

Seeing this, Ji Yuan and Zhao Yuebai emerged from the shadows, dispelled their illusion spells, and came before the three.

Ji Yuan lightly waved his hand, and three jade plates appeared before him. As magical power was poured into them, three scenes immediately materialized on the plates.

In the first scene, Ye Ningyuan led the two out of Xuantian Peak. However, instead of the Nine Xuan Sect outside, it was a wilderness.

As they stepped out, the roars of wild beasts erupted from the forest ahead, scaring the three into turning around quickly, wanting to return to Xuantian Peak.

But when they turned their heads, they could no longer see the mountain peak where they had lived for several years; only a vast lake remained before them.

In panic and fear, Ye Ningyuan could only cautiously lead the two through the forest, using the knowledge he had learned to avoid fierce beasts along the way.

"Brother… I'm hungry…"

Little Li Lingxiao, in less than half a day, was crying with tears in his eyes, calling out that he was hungry.

Helplessly, Ye Ningyuan had to tell the two to hide in a tree hollow and went out to find food himself.

He traversed the forest, avoiding fierce beasts, and finally found some edible wild fruits.

However, when he returned to the tree hollow with joy, he saw no sign of the two, only a large amount of bloodstains and more than a dozen pieces of torn clothing.

Ye Ningyuan's face instantly turned pale. He could no longer hold back his tears and cried out.

Soft sobs echoed in the tree hollow. He knelt on the ground, clutching all the scraps of clothing, with wild fruits scattered around him.

"Master… isn't this a bit too harsh?"

Zhao Yuebai sighed, his expression showing some distress.

These events would be a great blow to an adult, let alone an eleven-year-old child?

However, Ji Yuan shook his head. He had witnessed the environment Ye Ningyuan had been in during his introspection and had observed the child for three to four years, knowing that he would definitely be fine.

"Let's keep watching,"

he said slowly.

After about a quarter of an hour, Ye Ningyuan suddenly stopped crying and then put all the torn clothing fragments into his embrace.

He picked up the wild fruits beside him, carefully put away most of them, and ate the rest bite by bite.

"They will be fine…"

He muttered incoherently while eating.

Then, Ye Ningyuan left the tree hollow, followed the tracks on the ground, and finally found a beast's den just before dark.

He quietly retreated, found a few stones, and smashed them against each other to create sharp stone flakes. Then, using thin strips of bark twisted into a rope, he tied one of the flakes to the tip of a tree branch.

Under the cover of night, he smeared himself with mud and silently crept towards the den, entering it without a sound.

Soon, low growls were heard, along with some immature shouts.

After a long while, he walked out of the den with a dazed expression and slowly knelt on the ground, tears silently falling from his eyes.

The scene slowly faded. Ji Yuan put away that jade plate and then flicked his finger. A stream of light entered Ye Ningyuan's forehead.

The boy gradually awoke from the illusion, his eyes filled with confusion. Then, as his memories were replayed in his mind, he immediately clutched his head, almost crying out in pain.

"It's okay, it's okay, they weren't in danger."

Ji Yuan had already walked over, embraced the boy who was already shedding tears, and gently comforted him.

At the same time, he used a secret technique to calm the boy's emotions with his divine sense, preventing him from breaking down.

Hearing this, Ye Ningyuan instinctively looked to the side and then saw Fang Lingxiu and Li Lingxiao standing with their eyes closed beside him.

"Sect Master… what happened to us…"

He asked blankly.

Ji Yuan did not answer, but gently patted his shoulder, comforting his emotions while looking at the other two jade plates.

The illusions experienced by Fang Lingxiu and Li Lingxiao were not as extreme and cruel as Ye Ningyuan's.

The former returned to her home, studied calligraphy and painting, learned music and chess, and embroidery with her parents, and also met girls of her age from families of family friends.

She grew up day by day, and soon it was time for her to get married. Matchmakers visited her home every few days. She often heard her mother teach her to remember to take care of her husband and children and manage household affairs after she got married.

Finally, she put on a red dress, wore a red veil, and was carried into a sedan chair amidst the sound of gongs and drums.

After arriving at her husband's home, she sat on the bridal bed from morning till night, not drinking a drop of water or eating a single grain of rice, only the few pieces of pastry her mother had secretly given her from her sleeve before she left.

But she was reluctant to eat them, always feeling that they were a memento, and she didn't know how long it would be before she could return home to see her mother.

Until the moon was high in the sky, the lively mansion gradually quieted down, and the sound of light, scattered footsteps was heard from outside the door.

Seeing this, Ji Yuan's eyes flickered, and then his lips moved.

"Do you remember the days when you used to cultivate?"

His voice entered the illusion, reaching Fang Lingxiu's ears.

Within a few breaths, she recalled the days of cultivation on Xuantian Peak, and the scene of learning alchemy in the alchemy room.

"Do you want to live your life like this, or embark on the path of cultivation, thus seeking eternal life and pursuing the Great Dao of heaven and earth?"

Ji Yuan's voice sounded again, as if whispering in her ear.

"I… I want to…"

Fang Lingxiu murmured to herself, the images in her mind becoming clearer and clearer, finally settling on a series of small faces.

There were senior brothers and sisters in the alchemy room, as well as Sister Xia Dong who took care of their daily lives, and the junior brothers and sisters who cultivated with her.

Finally, two smiling faces, one large and one small, seemed to appear before her eyes.

"I want to cultivate!"

She threw aside the red veil and tossed it onto the bed.

A determined light flickered in her eyes. Although she didn't know why she wanted to cultivate, it didn't prevent her from making a choice that would determine her life.

And at that very moment, the scene before her began to blur, and then gradually dissipated.

When she regained consciousness, she found herself back at the foot of Xuantian Peak.

The moment Fang Lingxiu opened her eyes, a special fluctuation suddenly emanated from within her body.

"…"

Seeing this, Ji Yuan's mouth twitched. Who would have thought that after a small illusion, she would have condensed a firm Dao Heart!

And not just a nascent form, but a complete and thorough Dao Heart!

"Have I… found a treasure?"

He muttered to himself instinctively, his heart filled with countless emotions.