The eighth day of the opening of Tianyuan Secret Realm.
Xu Chunniang glanced at the palace in front of her, and her eyes fell on the word "Tiandao" on the plaque.
This majestic palace with closed doors is exactly the Palace of Heaven she has been searching for for many days.
The word "Heavenly Way" seems ordinary, but if you look at it for a long time, it seems that there are endless changes in it, which can absorb your mind.
It wasn't until the token she was holding tightly in her hand continued to heat up, and a feeling of burning appeared, that Xu Chunniang was shaken all over and returned to consciousness.
She took a deep breath, looked at the token in her hand, and sent spiritual energy into it.
However, a resistance force came from the token, and all the spiritual energy was ejected.
Xu Chunniang thought for a moment, cut her fingertips, and a drop of blood fell on the token, instantly blending into it.
The next second, her vision went dark.
When she regained consciousness again, she was in a hall full of stone pillars.
Most of these stone pillars are empty, with a small number of monks sitting cross-legged.
And her footing happened to be on a stone pillar.
"Hey, here comes another one."
A slightly excited voice sounded from the left, and a skinny male cultivator looked towards Xu Chunniang.
His eyes fell on her with interest, looking back and forth.
Xu Chunniang frowned inexplicably. The monk's eyes were too straightforward.
"Don't be nervous. The trial hasn't officially started yet. On this stone pillar, the monks cannot attack each other."
The thin male cultivator seemed to notice her concern and explained with a smile, "Is this your first time coming to Tiandao Palace?"
Xu Chunniang ignored him, just sat down cross-legged and observed secretly.
There are a total of 361 stone pillars here, of which less than a hundred are occupied by monks.
Do you have to wait until all the stone pillars are occupied before the trial officially begins?
I just don’t know the specific content of the trial and what it is.
The thin male cultivator was bored, but the smile on his face remained unchanged.
"Since you are a newcomer, you probably don't know much about Tiandao Palace. Are you interested in cooperating?"
Xu Chunniang then took another look at him and asked, "How to cooperate?"
She didn't know much about Tiandao Palace, so since someone was trying to get her to "cooperate", it wouldn't hurt to listen.
The smile on the thin male cultivator's face deepened, "Of course we will be in the trial later, and we will advance hand in hand."
"Just the two of us?"
"Of course there are more. Counting you, there are five of us. What do you think, do you want to consider joining us?"
Before Xu Chunniang could answer, a slightly familiar voice came from the right.
"Fellow Taoist, would you like to consider coming to our place? There are twelve of us here. Including fellow Taoist, there are thirteen people."
When Xu Chunniang heard the sound, she saw the man's face clearly through four or five stone pillars.
She is the old woman next to Xie Changyuan in the city lord's mansion.
Seeing Xu Chunniang looking over, the old woman smiled kindly, but there was a hint of arrogance in her eyes.
"We are from the City Lord's Mansion. If fellow Taoists choose to be with us, at least the first few checkpoints can be passed safely."
Before Xu Chunniang could answer, the thin monk on her left was annoyed.
"Mrs. Gong, you're here to steal someone from me again! I was the one who invited this fellow Taoist in the first place. Isn't it too much for you to act like this?"
Mrs. Gong's smile faded slightly, revealing a few deep wrinkles.
"I'm not competing with you. The choice is in the hands of this fairy. Anyone with a discerning eye knows how to choose."
The thin male cultivator was so angry that he jumped up and down. Mrs. Gong said that she didn't snatch it, but there were already more people on her side. How many people would not be moved by the name of the City Lord's Mansion?
Two people were snatched away by her like this before.
Xu Chunniang thought for a moment, "I don't know much about Tiandao Palace. Do I need to cooperate to participate in the trial?"
"Of course not. But according to past experience, it is best to choose a group approach, which can maximize the passing rate. At least the first few rounds of levels can be passed easily."
Seeing that the female cultivator did not agree to Granny Gong's invitation, the thin male cultivator perked up and quickly opened his mouth to answer her questions.
"Every time you pass a level, you can get corresponding rewards. Joining a team is a matter of cooperation and mutual benefit."
"What if someone pretends to cooperate, but secretly turns against them?"
Xu Chunniang's eyes were calm, and there was everyone in the temporary team.
If we just pay lip service to cooperation, it is completely meaningless.
"Just take an oath before joining the team. There are rules in Tiandao Palace, and the oath can be effective. The punishment for violating the oath is quite serious. But don't worry, this oath will automatically lose its binding force after leaving Tiandao Palace."
Mrs. Gong also nodded, "That's right. No matter what team you join, you must take an oath before entering."
"Do those two fellow Taoists know the specific content of this so-called trial?"
The thin male cultivator shook his head, "Every trial in this Tiandao Palace is different. Even though this is my third time entering here, I can't predict the future."
Xu Chunniang's eyes looked thoughtful.
These two people couldn't wait to bring her into the team. Since they were bound by the oath of heaven, there was no need for her to refuse.
She just hasn't decided which side to join.
Although the City Lord's Mansion is powerful, once it chooses them, it means... that it cannot take action against them.
But no matter what, if you agree to one party, you will definitely offend the other party.
Seeing that the female cultivator remained silent, Mrs. Gong had a hint of impatience in her eyes.
While they were talking, several more people entered, and she didn't have time to waste any more.
"Fairy, have you considered whether you want to join our City Lord's Mansion?"
The thin male cultivator looked anxious and deliberately lowered his voice.
"Fellow Taoist, please think carefully. Although joining the City Lord's Mansion can easily pass the first few levels, it can only go so far."
Xu Chunniang sighed secretly in her heart, hugged her fist towards Mrs. Gong, and said slowly with the other party's satisfied look, "I'm sorry."
Mrs. Gong's face froze and she snorted coldly, "I don't know how to praise you!"
After saying this, she ignored Xu Chunniang and turned to look at the newly appeared monks.
But the skinny male cultivator's eyes lit up, "Congratulations on joining, my name is Chu Youtian. Haven't you asked your fellow Taoist for your name yet?"
"My surname is Yan. I don't know what your friend meant by 'limited to this' just now?"
The thin male cultivator hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke.
"The so-called cooperative relationship is actually temporary. The rules of certain levels will make team members... kill each other."
Xu Chunniang was slightly startled, but then she realized that perhaps this was the Tiandao Palace's way of checking and balancing to prevent too many people from passing the trial.
"But Fellow Daoist Yan can rest assured that we can at least maintain a cooperative relationship until we get to that point."
Chu Youtian pretended to smile casually, "Everyone will depend on their abilities at that time. Or you can choose to leave Tiandao Palace early after passing a certain level."