Chapter 1488 — Trial Rules, Part One

Though the innkeeper had set the limit at ten minutes, who among those who had come for the trial dared to dawdle? In less than five minutes they had gathered one after another on the square before the inn. Wei Zhao and Yu Bing found a spot first, sitting cross-legged on the ground, and the other disciples, coming over, followed their example and found places of their own to sit down.

The innkeeper, meanwhile, stood ramrod straight atop the flower bed before the square, the full force of his peak late Earth-rank strength on display, not a shred of it concealed. Beside him stood a woman in white, somewhere around seventeen or eighteen years of age — yet by intuition, and by long years of practice in medicine, Wei Zhao judged that she was certainly not seventeen or eighteen. She must be past thirty; she had simply preserved herself exceedingly well. Whether that had to do with the cultivation method she practiced, or with her having already stepped into the Heaven rank and so slowed the aging of her features, he could not say.

Yet entering the Heaven rank did not mean one could regain one's youth. Once past the Heaven rank, one's features were simply frozen at the moment one stepped through. Which meant, then, that this woman had broken through to the Heaven rank at seventeen or eighteen? Was such a thing even possible?

Or perhaps the ancient families possessed pills that could make a face endure forever — a Youth-Preserving Pill, say. Wei Zhao had seen that very formula in Zhang Liju's notes on the alchemist's craft. But though the Youth-Preserving Pill did nothing more than hold a face unchanging, with no power to prolong life, it was nonetheless a fourth-grade Yellow-rank pill, exceedingly difficult to refine, with a very low rate of success. And if the people of the Ice Palace had such pills to take, then they were truly no ordinary lot!

Soon all the disciples who had come for the trial had assembled, every one of them sitting cross-legged, waiting for the Ice Palace envoy to speak.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, the woman nodded calmly. "Since we are all here, let us begin. First, let me introduce myself. My name is Xiaoqing. I am a maidservant of the Ice Palace's Palace Master, and the envoy dispatched this time to lead you into the Ice Palace's domain to undergo the trial."

Though the woman who spoke was only a maidservant, no one dared make light of her. The reverence with which the innkeeper regarded her was evidence enough. The innkeeper was still a peak late Earth-rank figure, a man with one foot already in the Heaven rank, and yet before this maidservant he was utterly deferential — which showed just what standing she held in the Ice Palace.

The maidservant of the Palace Master: if that Palace Master was a figure of absolute authority within the Ice Palace, whose every word carried the weight of law, then her maidservant was likely someone who stood on equal footing with the elders themselves.

"You may address her as Envoy Qing, or Elder Qing," the innkeeper reminded the trial-taking disciples, lest they call her Envoy Xiaoqing and bring great trouble down upon themselves.

Naturally, none of them was a fool. Had they been unable to see even this much, they would not have deserved to take part in the trial. These people were as shrewd as they came — how could they fail to understand?

"Most of you come from the hidden families and sects, but a few of you are rather more special, hailing from the ancient families and ancient sects." Here Xiaoqing paused, her gaze sweeping over the disciples seated before her, then went on. "But in the eyes of the Ice Palace, there is no such thing as special. We treat everyone alike. There will be no special favor, and you would do well not to fancy yourself superior. Otherwise the Ice Palace has every right to strip you of your qualification, and to issue a notice at the ancient level denouncing your conduct and entering you on the ancient-level blacklist!"

Apart from Zhang Naipao and Feng Nitian, many of the disciples from the hidden families and sects present were thrown into an uproar by Xiaoqing's words. Was the Ice Palace really that full of itself? It gave not the slightest face to the Tomorrow-After-Tomorrow Sect or the ancient Feng family!

But Zhang Naipao and Feng Nitian knew in their hearts that among the ancient sects, the Ice Palace was something like a colossus. Back when the great orthodox sects had encircled and suppressed the Tomorrow-After-Tomorrow Sect, the Ice Palace had not taken part; had it joined in, the Tomorrow-After-Tomorrow Sect would not be enjoying such comfortable days now.

The Ice Palace was a relatively neutral power, drifting somewhere between the orthodox and the unorthodox. Its people seldom involved themselves in such conflicts, devoting their minds instead to cultivation — which was why the Ice Palace held so many Heaven-rank experts within it.

"Rest assured, Elder Qing. Since my brother Feng and I stand on the Ice Palace's soil, we will of course abide by the Ice Palace's rules," Zhang Naipao said, rising and cupping his hands.

"Yes, Brother Naipao is right. We have come to take part in the trial, and we must follow the rules as everyone else does," Feng Nitian said likewise.

"Very good." Xiaoqing nodded. "Now I will explain the trial rules briefly. Anyone who does not accept them may leave of his own accord. If you have no objection, then pay the deposit, and tomorrow morning the trial begins in earnest. Xiao Li, read out the trial rules."

"Yes, Elder Qing." The innkeeper nodded hurriedly and read the rules aloud in a ringing voice: "This trial lasts three days. The trial ground is the Ice-Snow Spirit Mountain on the outskirts of the Ice Palace. During the trial, you must gather all manner of medicinal herbs under all manner of peril. For every herb you obtain, you will receive a corresponding number of points; the points are assessed automatically according to the quality of the herb. Of course, you may also seize points from one another. But remember one thing: you may injure a person, but you must never put a person in a place of certain death. Anyone who violates this rule will suffer severe punishment from the Ice Palace."

This rule had not existed in previous trials. In the past, life and death had each been a matter of fate, and the Ice Palace did not interfere. This time was different: because disciples of the ancient families and ancient sects had joined the trial, the Ice Palace had added this provision — and out of caution as well.

First, for fear that the disciples of the ancient families and ancient sects would run wild and cut down the disciples of the hidden families and ordinary sects; second, for fear that the disciples of the hidden families and sects would band together to slay the disciples of the ancient sects and ancient families, which would only deepen the conflict — and the Ice Palace would thereby incur the enmity of both the hidden families and the ancient families.

Thereafter it would not only be unable to keep holding trials and making money, but would also, for no reason at all, incur the enmity of the Tomorrow-After-Tomorrow Sect and the ancient Feng family.

But so long as these people did not die, there was no problem. A trial is a trial — injuries are commonplace; they merely show that your strength falls short. The Ice Palace guaranteed your safety; whether you could recover after being injured was a matter for your own family to find a way to handle, and had nothing to do with the Ice Palace.

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