Their laughter made Bai Yanfei's face flush with embarrassment. He said angrily, "Jiang Min! Have you no shame as a woman?!"
Junior Sister Jiang continued with a cold sneer, "When have you ever given me any face? Bai Yanfei, I've never been so humiliated in my entire life! You're the one who stripped me of my dignity, and now you blame me for having no shame?!"
Very few people would speak to Bai Yanfei so bluntly. Yet, one after another, those who treated him with cold words were women. Especially the last person who used such a tone with him was standing right beside him.
He glanced awkwardly at the three watching from the side, then glared fiercely at Jiang Min. "Say whatever you want. That's just how things are." With that, he turned away, ignoring her, and stomped off angrily.
Junior Sister Jiang, both laughing and furious, followed him. "Bai Yanfei, giving up already?!"
Bai Yanfei retorted stubbornly, "Giving up on what?"
Junior Sister Jiang looked at him sideways. "You're just too good at putting on airs. No matter what you're really thinking, you always have to act like you look down on everyone. Hmph! Does that do you any good?"
"Jiang Min!" Bai Yanfei roared again. This Junior Sister Jiang was far too impolite, leaving him absolutely no face.
"What, feeling uncomfortable?" Junior Sister Jiang didn't let him off, sticking close. "Admit you're wrong, take back what you said before. Then I won't pester you."
"Why should I!" Bai Yanfei fumed. "You're already willful and detestable. You accuse me of looking down on people, but aren't you the one with your nose in the air!"
"When my nose is in the air, I just snort a couple of times. Not like you—if a bird flies overhead, something might just fall right into your nose!"
"You... you... you... As a girl, don't you find such talk crude?"
"You're the one who called me willful. So what if I'm crude?!"
As the two bickered, they gradually walked farther away. Mo Tiange and the other two stood there for a moment before snapping back to reality.
Luo Fengxue was the first to sigh and shake her head. "Zhaoyang Peak is going to be lively from now on."
Mo Tiange smiled faintly. "Aren't you quite pleased about it?"
Having her thoughts exposed, Luo Fengxue laughed. "When there's nothing else to do, it's like watching a play."
Ye Jingwen, however, shook his head. "Don't celebrate too soon, you two. In my opinion, it's not certain they'll end up together."
Hearing this, Luo Fengxue tilted her head. "Why?"
Ye Jingwen said, "This Uncle-Master Bai, though lacking in many other aspects, is quite stubborn in character. Have you ever seen him go back on his word?"
Mo Tiange and Luo Fengxue both pondered, then shook their heads.
Ye Jingwen smiled. "This Uncle-Master Bai values face greatly. His refusal of Uncle-Master Jiang is now an ironclad fact, known clearly throughout our entire sect. If he were to go back on it, wouldn't he be slapping his own face? Besides, Uncle-Master Jiang is pestering him to the point he can't stand it. If he gives in now, he'd lose face completely. So I say, it's still uncertain who will have the last laugh." He paused, then added, "Actually, among us male disciples, we'd rather Uncle-Master Jiang not marry this Uncle-Master Bai."
Luo Fengxue asked curiously, "What do you male disciples say about Junior Sister Jiang? And about this Junior Brother Bai?" Although she had always managed disciple affairs, there was still a distinction between men and women. Some gossip never reached the ears of female disciples, so this was a good chance to ask.
Ye Jingwen said, "Well... we all say that Uncle-Master Bai, relying on being Dao Lord Zhenyang's disciple, has his eyes on the top of his head, which really makes people not want to get close to him. As for Uncle-Master Jiang, some think she's willful and spoiled, best kept at a respectful distance. But others think she's beautiful, with a straightforward temperament. Though spoiled, she's also cute."
"..." Luo Fengxue sighed. "Indeed, men and women are different." Regarding Bai Yanfei, among the female disciples, some also said he was dashing and elegant. Though arrogant, it made him more charming. Jiang Min's reputation, however, was worse. They said she looked down on people because of Patriarch Lingxu. Whether men or women, they always tended to be more lenient towards the opposite sex.
Ye Jingwen smiled. He didn't need to ask to understand Luo Fengxue's meaning. He looked around and asked, "Junior Sister Luo, haven't you collected your herbs yet?"
"Ah!" Luo Fengxue quickly turned to look. Fortunately, no one nearby had broken through their arrays during this time, so her spirit herbs were still there. "I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it."
Ye Jingwen hadn't finished collecting his herbs either. Mo Tiange looked and said, "Fengxue, I'll help you." She had already finished collecting hers and was done with her own tasks.
Luo Fengxue didn't refuse. Given their friendship, there was no fear of anything being taken privately. She immediately waved. "Good, come quickly."
Ye Jingwen was halfway done, while Luo Fengxue hadn't started. The two of them working together were even faster than Ye Jingwen alone. Before long, they had finally collected everything.
With the main task handled, the three of them talked about what they had encountered in the arrays. As expected, the other two had encountered normal, separate Five Spirits arrays. Only Mo Tiange had encountered a mutated array.
Learning that Mo Tiange had encountered a mutated Four Spirits array, Ye Jingwen and Luo Fengxue were astonished. That she had managed to escape smoothly left them speechless for a long while. Finally, Luo Fengxue patted her shoulder and said, "Tian Ge, form your Core soon."
Mo Tiange didn't understand. "Why?"
Luo Fengxue said earnestly, "If you don't form your Core, we Foundation Establishment cultivators won't stand a chance."
Though exaggerated, this was praise. Mo Tiange couldn't help but laugh. "I just relied on having some treasures." If she hadn't had Xiaohuo and the two stone sculpture puppets, breaking the array wouldn't have been so easy.
"We've passed the first trial. What about the second?"
Regarding this question, Luo Fengxue had a plan well in mind. "We can just walk casually. The array will activate naturally when the time comes."
Ye Jingwen asked, "Since the three of us are together, will we enter the array together, or will we be separated?"
"It's possible we'll be together, or possible we'll be separated." Luo Fengxue shook her head. "If we're separated, that might be better. The second trial, Five Obstacles Covering Consciousness, produces illusions. If we're together and influence each other, it'll be even more troublesome."
A cultivator's Divine Sense could also influence others. Especially at close range, if one person became unsettled, others would be affected too.
"Ah?" Ye Jingwen was surprised. "Why didn't the Sect Master mention this before we came?"
Luo Fengxue said, "It's just a minor influence. And generally, there's no danger to life." She then carefully instructed, "However, you still need to be careful. Right after the Five Obstacles Covering Consciousness trial comes the third trial, Five Confusions Entangling Spirit. That's when visible illusions will appear. The previous trial directly attacks our Divine Sense. Generally, we just need to sit in meditation, enter a state of concentration, and guard our true minds to pass. The later trial produces real illusions, making it hard to distinguish truth from falsehood. If any of us is unlucky and the later trial starts before we finish the previous one, we might fall into demonic obstacles."
Hearing this, Mo Tiange recalled the beast tide many years ago when she and Wei Jiasi had entered an illusion array formed by Moonlight Illusion Stones. What they saw felt as real as if they were witnessing it firsthand. She guessed the final trial, Five Confusions Entangling Spirit, was like that. As for Five Obstacles Covering Consciousness, it was more like the Inner Demon encountered during advancement—countless thoughts directly assaulting one's Divine Sense. Those with weak wills would be confused by these thoughts, produce hallucinations, or even lose themselves within.
Of course, this was just a trial array. There shouldn't be any life-threatening danger. But if one truly fell for it, damage was unavoidable. In the worst case, it could leave lasting mental injuries.
Before departure, Dao Lord Jinghe had briefly mentioned this to her. Sect Master Shen had also reminded all disciples to always remember the four words: Myriad Laws of Nature. However, saying it was one thing; how many could actually do it when the time came was another matter.
Ye Jingwen pondered, "So, we're essentially experiencing the Inner Demon of Core Formation in advance?"
"That's essentially correct." Luo Fengxue said. "Of course, this Five Obstacles Covering Consciousness array is somewhat weaker than the true Inner Demon of Core Formation. From ancient times to the present, cultivators' abilities have declined considerably, but the power of the Inner Demon has remained the same. So, from our perspective as cultivators, the Inner Demon is especially terrifying."
Hearing this, Ye Jingwen frowned. "Why didn't our seniors explain this in detail before we entered the array?"
Luo Fengxue smiled. "Senior Brother Ye, don't worry. For people like us who haven't neglected our mental cultivation, passing the trial isn't difficult."
"Oh..." Ye Jingwen pondered slightly. "What about the final trial?"
Mentioning this, Luo Fengxue's expression turned grave. "Probably very few can pass the final trial. The illusions are too real. In our sect, even the Nascent Soul uncles and aunts find the first trial very difficult to pass. As for the Core Formation senior brothers and sisters, a few persisted to the third trial, but in the end, not a single one completely passed."
"That difficult?" Not only Ye Jingwen, but even Mo Tiange looked at her. "Then is it safe for us to attempt this trial?"
Luo Fengxue smiled. "Tian Ge, have you forgotten this is a trial array? There's no danger to life. Unless we kill each other, this array won't take our lives."
Limited by sect rules, it was likely that fellow disciples might trip each other up, but killing each other probably wouldn't happen.
Luo Fengxue continued, "Our Uncle-Master Suxin entered this array before. She said that in the second trial, by guarding your mind firmly, you could still distinguish truth from falsehood. But by the final trial, it's completely like reality. Moreover, your rationality gradually leaves you, just like in a dream. You'll even treat absurd things as real."
Wasn't that even more powerful than the Moonlight Illusion Stones? Mo Tiange couldn't help but wonder if her Concealing Spirit Pendant would be effective against it.
Ye Jingwen asked first, "Would things like Mind-Clearing Talismans be useful?"
"They are useful." Luo Fengxue affirmed. "But exactly how effective is hard to say."
Mo Tiange nodded, indicating she understood. "So, it's best if we don't stay too close together next, but also not too far apart." If they were too close, they might influence each other's Divine Sense. But if they were too far, they couldn't look out for each other.
"Yes." Luo Fengxue agreed. "It's too unreasonable for the three of us to have met so coincidentally and not take care of each other. For safety's sake, let's separate later. Each keep a distance, don't lose each other, but don't get too close either."
Mo Tiange and Ye Jingwen had no objections. Although their cultivation and combat abilities were higher than Luo Fengxue's, Luo Fengxue's ability to handle affairs surpassed both of theirs. Moreover, she knew many inside details and likely understood what to do better than they did.
"Alright. We could enter the second trial at any moment now. Let's separate."