The trial location was near Argent Mountain.
Leaving through the north slope, they were presented with Argent Mountain’s north side, a relatively level area. The place was once a tundra, but thanks to Landscape Metropolis and Drifting Cloud Sect cultivators altering the climate and hydrology here, it sported tall grass and plenty of water, as well as a grove. The round grove was split into two zones by a taiji line. The zone one on the left was a vibrant green, while the one on the right had light green mixed with yellow, turning the entire grove into a taiji diagram.
Su Junyu said, “This is the place for the rest of the trials. The green area is designated for exploration trials, while the yellow area is for fighting and survival trials.”
Mao Zimiao asked curiously, “Senior Brother Su, why are they divided?”
“This is an experimental area. Spirit Beast Mountain’s seniors used their arts on the grove so that the fauna and flora evolved a hundred times faster. Each zone conducts different experiments. Attacking demons on purpose is banned in the exploration zone, only allowed to inflict grievous wounds in the worst-case scenario, even in self-defense. The combat zone is free of such restrictions, and everyone can hunt and kill any beast they wish.” Su Junyu said as he pointed at it with a smile, “The grove was once whole. When the Immortal Alliance came to be, a few grandmasters from Heavenly Spirit Range had nothing better to do, so they planted the trees you see here. Later on, during the Evolutionary Divine Lord’s stay here to watch over the headquarters, he used this grove for his experiments to compare the differences between each zone’s demons in his pursuit of the evolutionary path.”
Wang Qi admired experiments, but plenty of experiments on Earth were impossible to conduct. The difficulty of speeding up evolution in a designated area by a hundred times aside, the experiment’s cycles would grind down generations of scientists.
Wu Fan paled at the description: “Senior Brother Su, won’t our blood vessels alter while inside and suffer mutations?”
Mao Zimiao and Wu Shiqin winced. The former was a demonborn and had mixed genes with humanity.
The girls feared turning into some ghastly form due to the arts placed within the grove.
Mao Zimiao flushed and stamped, “Senior Brother Su, what are you spouting?”
Su Junyu moved on: “The arts pose no harm to you. On the contrary, Evolution Chart cultivators couldn’t find a better paradise than this place, where they could feel an Unfettered’s aura.”
Wang Qi’s opinion of the grove shifted then and there. Evolution Chart was the only cultivation method he had the poorest grasp on. Now that he had no choice but to use it as his major, it became an equally major headache. Since this grove proved such an asset, he would have no trouble cultivating Evolution Chart until graduation.
Su Junyu guided the flying boat to land and stashed it away while taking out a talisman. “There’s an array placed on the grove, with the only entrances being the eyes of the taiji diagram. Activate this talisman within three hundred meters, and the array will draw us in. Stay close.”
The five drew near, and Su Junyu activated it. A white glow shone from it and spread over the group. Wang Qi felt himself weightless all of a sudden, with his surroundings turning silent. Except for the talisman’s area, everything looked black.
Before long, the sounds of insects and light returned. Wang Qi and co. were among the trees.
They appeared in front of a round stone slab with complex restrictions. The trees were lush and verdant around the slab.
Wu Shiqin was about to step outside when Su Junyu called out, “Wait! I haven’t finished talking.”
When the four refocused on him, Su Junyu cleared his voice: “I will not help you in this trial, nor will I give hints; for the moment I do, it will be deemed failed. I have no involvement in your evaluation in the event of mistakes or errors committed that would lead to reduced merit.”
Su Junyu paused and asked, “Do you all know the Immortal Alliance’s Three Principles and Eight Guidelines? Recall them now.”
Three Principles, Eight Guidelines was a standard code of conduct for all Immortal Alliance cultivators to always keep in mind. Low disciples had a week resolved towards Dao, and these restrictions helped steel their minds, lowering the chance of rash actions leading to an unstable mind.
The three principles were: ‘obey the law, show restraint in culling the world, and do not harm humans.’
The eight guidelines are: ‘Are you humble? Did you steal or cheat? Are you greedy? Are you rash? Did you harm innocents? Did you hinder fate? Are you depraved? Are you cruel?’
“Three Principles, Eight Guidelines are clear, contain profound ideology, and embody the Immortal Alliance’s nature. Within lay the goal of guarding the world and moral values, of indiscrimination between cultivators and mortals. It demonstrates the new and revolutionary immortal cultivation the Immortal Alliance treads.”
That was the speech a teacher gave them at the Immortal Institute. It made Wang Qi almost sing out, [Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention: what every Immortal Alliance disciple must know…] (Tamon: a military doctrine issued in 1928 by Ma Zedong for the Red Army. It demands high standards of behavior and respect for civilians during wartime.)
Su Junyu said, “In this trial, you will have to come up with a plan by yourselves. But never forget the Three Principles and Eight Guidelines. They are crucial in your pursuit of Dao, understand?” Chapters fırst released on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩·𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢·𝔫𝔢𝔱
Su Junyu gave them a map and a task list, ignoring everything else as he sat down on a mat he had just taken out.
Wang Qi was taken aback by his strict tone. [This guy actually has a reliable side.]
[Nah, no way. The idea that a fat guy turns handsome once he loses weight is the same as believing that a shut-in coming out of his shell: is nothing more than consolation for a broken soul.]
But this was not the time for flights of fancy. Wang Qi cleared his mind of random stuff and followed Su Junyu’s words in making up a plan for the trial with his teammates.
Su Junyu took 85 tasks for this trial in Wang Qi’s stead. Sixteen of them involved collecting data on demon groups; 27 were about collecting plant specimens; five involved capturing plain mosquitoes; and the rest of 39 complemented the other tasks. The 85 tasks would net him 96 merits and, in a four-way split, would give each 24 to spend as they wanted. If they could pull them all off, of course.
Wang Qi scanned the task list, and a plan formed in his mind.