Chapter 16: Start from the beginning

But soon, things started to develop differently from the last cycle.

Under the instructions of the Mysterious Immortal Phantom, everyone left the inn and arrived at the large cavern.

Around the circular cavern, there were twelve smaller caves. Each Qi Cultivator had to enter one of the small caves and rest for three hours.

At this moment, the Trial took an unexpected turn.

“Hmm? The numbers don’t match. Why is there one less Qi Cultivator?” Qing Shaofei looked around, realizing the count was off.

That was strange. He’d been keeping track the whole time, and Tuo Long from Peerless City was definitely the twelfth Qi Cultivator. Did that mean one of the previous Qi Cultivators was missing?

“Hehe, sorry, looks like I can’t hide it anymore. Actually, I’m a Qi Cultivator.” Bai Wuzhuang slowly raised her hand, her face awkward as she gave a sheepish grin.

“Ah? What did you say!?” No one was more shocked than Dong Huiting.

“I’ve been secretly learning your cultivation techniques every day, and naturally broke through my Qi channels,” Bai Wuzhuang lied without blinking an eye.

“You really are a liar. Not a single word you say can be trusted.” Dong Huiting’s face darkened, scolding her coldly.

Bai Wuzhuang didn’t argue back. She just kept up her honest, harmless smile, looking every bit the picture of innocence.

The other Qi Cultivators could now sense that she was just a newly awakened one, someone who had only just opened her Qi channels—a Qi Cultivator whose strength was negligible.

As long as they had the right number of people to start the Trial, no one cared to bother with the grudges and drama between these two Small Sect female cultivators.

Everyone followed the Mysterious Immortal Phantom’s orders and picked a cave to enter.

“Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!”

One after another, Stone Doors descended, until only two small caves remained open.

“You have to wait for me to come out. Let’s regroup and act together,” Bai Wuzhuang put away her playful attitude and spoke seriously.

“Hmph! Who are you to order me around?” Dong Huiting snorted coldly.

With that, she entered her small cave, the closing Stone Door blocking out her last cold, distant silhouette.

But as soon as the Stone Door shut, Dong Huiting broke down in an instant. She slumped to the ground like a little girl, face full of grievance, fear in her heart, on the verge of tears, feeling utterly unsafe.

“That girl lied to me again! Lied to me again! That rotten little liar!”

She could only vent her helpless anger on the Stone Bed, raising her little fists and pounding the bedboard, but all she got for her trouble was sore hands.

It seemed Dong Huiting didn’t really care that Bai Wuzhuang had become a Qi Cultivator. She was simply angry that Bai Wuzhuang had kept it from her.

On the other side, Bai Wuzhuang also entered the last small cave.

Being forced to separate was unavoidable. Each Qi Cultivator had to be isolated, so for now, she couldn’t share information with Dong Huiting.

Bai Wuzhuang, however, felt no psychological burden at all and simply lay down on the Stone Bed to sleep.

To prepare for the upcoming deadly Trial, she needed to replenish her energy.

And sure enough, in her dreams, she received guidance from the Mysterious Immortal Phantom.

First, the Mysterious Immortal Phantom explained, in writing, the roles and abilities of the three Wolves and seven Sheep.

[Wolf King]: Can launch a powerful attack once per round.

[Shadow Wolf]: Ability unknown.

[Curse Wolf]: Can curse one Qi Cultivator per round. If the Curse Wolf guesses their role correctly, they can kill that person next round. If they guess wrong, the curse backfires.

[White Sheep]: Can designate one Qi Cultivator per round and learn their role in the next round.

[Black Sheep]: At the start of the round, can choose to poison one Qi Cultivator and kill them in the next round. Has one antidote, which can cure a poisoned person before the end of the round. (Ability can only be used once.)

[Horned Sheep]: Can launch a powerful attack once. (Ability can only be used once.)

[Argali]: Can grant powerful defense to one Qi Cultivator per round. (Cannot protect the same person two rounds in a row.)

[Wool Sheep]: No ability, cannot be killed by a curse.

[Wool Sheep]: No ability, cannot be killed by a curse.

[Wool Sheep]: No ability, cannot be killed by a curse.

[Hidden]: Ability unknown.

[Hidden]: Ability unknown.

There were twelve roles in total.

And twelve Qi Cultivators.

This time, Bai Wuzhuang had drawn the Identity Token for [White Sheep].

In the end, the frustration made Bai Wuzhuang wake up.

Three hours passed.

Bai Wuzhuang and Dong Huiting both came out with dark circles under their eyes.

Dong Huiting simply hadn’t slept well.

Bai Wuzhuang was too annoyed by the lousy Identity Token she’d drawn to get any sleep.

The White Sheep’s ability was to designate a Qi Cultivator each round and investigate their Identity Token.

But what even counted as a round? And for someone who had just experienced time regression like her, this ability was basically useless.

After all, she already knew exactly who the Wolves were!

She didn’t need the identity-checking ability at all.

“This is such a headache,” Bai Wuzhuang grimaced.

“Are you even listening to me? Are your ears deaf?” Dong Huiting shouted furiously in her ear.

“I’m about to go deaf,” Bai Wuzhuang scratched her ear.

“I asked if you listened carefully to the Immortal’s words! Do you have a death wish? How can you be so distracted at a time like this?” Dong Huiting nagged endlessly beside her, sounding just like an old mother.

“I’m listening, I’m listening,” Bai Wuzhuang couldn’t stand her chatter.

Back when they were writing love letters and dating, she never thought this girl was so naggy. How did she turn into my mom all of a sudden?

But when she thought of her own mother, Bai Wuzhuang couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness.

“Why are you so serious all of a sudden?” Dong Huiting asked again.

“Can’t I be a little carefree? And if I’m serious, that’s not okay either? Are you my mother?” Bai Wuzhuang shot back.

“You—you—just became a Qi Cultivator and you’re already so arrogant? Any of the Qi Cultivators here could crush you with one finger,” Dong Huiting was so angry, she was practically steaming.

“Shh, don’t talk. I’m eavesdropping on the others, collecting intel,” Bai Wuzhuang raised her hand to stop her from going on.

“…” Dong Huiting was still angry, but she really did fall silent.

But the Mysterious Immortal Phantom had finished speaking, leaving only a single sentence: The Trial begins. Then it dissipated into a wisp of blue smoke.

“Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!”

The next moment, three massive Stone Doors slowly rose up, revealing three passageways ahead.

No one knew what to do. They all froze in place, exchanging wary glances.

“Everyone, why not listen to me for a moment? Right now, everyone’s thoughts must be a mess. But whether you are Wolf or Sheep, just standing around here is foolish. We need to advance and retreat together.” Qing Shaofei stepped forward, clapped his hands, and smiled persuasively.

“Young Master Qing is right. With three doors, I suggest we split into three groups of four and enter the maze to explore. That way, with more people working together, the Wolves won’t dare to kill recklessly,” Tuo Long agreed, adding his own suggestion.

“In that case, I have a grouping proposal…” Qing Shaofei continued.

Most of the other Qi Cultivators nodded after hearing this. After all, it sounded reasonable.

“I object!”

But Bai Wuzhuang suddenly raised her hand and voiced her opposition loudly.