The two of them were in the guest room of the painted boat just a moment ago, but now they found themselves in a dense forest. As Wen Li unleashed a sword strike, wild beasts fled in panic, and birds screeched and flew away from the vicinity.
The earth trembled, and the swordās light radiated all around with such immense power, it felt as if a natural disaster had occurred nearby.
The inner realm constructed by Li Zhibai was extremely complex and realistic. Even Wen Li couldnāt distinguish between illusion and reality.
For Wen Li, the opportunity to be tested by her teacher was extremely rare. If it wasnāt for Zhu Pingniangās assistance, she wouldnāt have been able to capture even a fraction of her teacherās attention.
Therefore, Wen Li spared no effort, her sword glowing with a chilling light imbued with a majestic Sword Intent, as if she were facing a formidable enemy.
"You little rascal, why are you rushing?" Li Zhibai, standing under a tree, didnāt even move as Wen Liās sword light reached her, dissipating like a drop of water falling into the sea, without even causing any ripples.
"Master Li..." Wen Li watched as Li Zhibai seemed to have something to say, and the True Yuan in her body gradually calmed down.
The leaves at her feet settled.
Wen Li felt a bit helpless.
To enter the right state and wield her sword against her teacher wasnāt so easy.
āā
Outside the room, Zhu Pingniang quietly opened the door, gazing into the empty room, her eyes falling on a spherical point of light suspended in midair.
Ah Bai... had drawn Wen Li into her inner realm?
Tsk.
A slight twinge of jealousy.
The so-called Inner Imagery, although Li Zhibaiās cultivation allowed her to manifest it as a real world, it was still something related to her "heart."
In a sense, Wen Li was entering Li Zhibaiās heart.
"Such a wasteful girl." Zhu Pingniang pursed her lips. If she entered Ah Baiās inner realm, the first thing sheād do would be to carefully observe the nature of her heartās imagery, taking in the surrounding scenery and atmosphere, and committing it all firmly to memory.
Of course, since Li Zhibai hadnāt set up a barrier, Zhu Pingniang could see what was happening within the inner realm from the outside, but after all, she wasnāt inside it, so she could only watch without touching or smelling the essence emanating from Li Zhibai.
Wen Li, on the other hand, clearly admired Li Zhibai the most, yet she completely failed to seize this opportunity, focusing only on the sword duel.
She even wanted to face off against Ah Bai directly?
This girl, had her sword practice made her foolish?
Even if Li Zhibai agreed to test her, it couldnāt possibly be through a duel between the two. The difference in their levels was too vast. In front of Li Zhibai, even those at the pinnacle of the Taixu Realm might not differ much from ants.
She was, after all, an existence infinitely close to the Qiankun Realm.
Even if Li Zhibai stood still, the natural Dao Rhyme she exuded would not be something Wen Li could counter.
Zhu Pingniang took a seat where Li Zhibai sat earlier, picking up the teacup from which Li Zhibai had been drinking, and gently rubbed her fingers on the cupās rim.
Well.
Actually, Li Zhibai could personally test Wen Li, just by suppressing her own cultivation.
But...
āAh Bai is such a lazy girl.ā
Hence, Li Zhibai, who was already reluctant to act herself, would likely prefer not to do it personally, more likely creating some targets for Wen Li, such as crafting an illusion of her younger self with True Yuan to spar with Wen Li.
Watching the illusion of Li Zhibai spar with Wen Li... now that was a grand spectacle.
āItās quite a show.ā Zhu Pingniang murmured: "How can one watch a show without drinking tea?"
Thinking this, Zhu Pingniang poured the remaining tea into the teacup, then gazed at the faint lip mark on the cupās edge, her heart racing.
This was... Li Zhibaiās lip print.
She swallowed.
"I didnāt see it clearly, I just... just wanted to drink tea." Zhu Pingniang sipped from the cup, and in that moment the world around her seemed to light up, her eyes glowing with happiness and contentment.
Holding the teacup, she continued watching the inner realm.
As expected, with a wave of her hand Li Zhibai conjured a phantom that stood by her side.
But to Zhu Pingniangās surprise.
It wasnāt the young Li Zhibai, but rather... the young Zhu Tongjun.
Zhu Pingniang: "..."
Her eyelid twitched.
Ah Bai... did she want to see her get beaten?
Family matters are known best by family; in her younger years, within the same realm, she was definitely not a match for Wen Li.
Especially since she was essentially restrained; her cultivation of Charm Technique was completely subdued by Wen Liās majestic Sword Intent, possibly burned away completely.
āā
"Master Li, is this... Master Zhu?" Wen Li looked in surprise at the short girl in white standing beside Li Zhibai, expressionless, and was stunned for a moment.
"Itās Tong Jun." Li Zhibai nodded, then gently imprinted a wisp of aura into āZhu Tongjunāsā brow, saying, "This is an illusion of Tong Jun during her third tribulation in the Cloud Soaring Realm. Try crossing swords with her, Iāve left a seal on Tong Jun."
Wen Li nodded.
This seal was likely for gathering her aura.
"What, feeling a bit disappointed?" Li Zhibai asked.
"A little bit." Wen Li admitted honestly.
She had hoped to spar with her teacher, but ended up facing Master Zhu instead.
"Give it a try." Li Zhibai smiled, then took out a Spirit Stone and held it: "Ah Li, Iāll record this examination, is that okay?"
"No problem." Wen Li nodded, then asked curiously: "Master Li, regarding the Mirror Image Spirit Stone, Muyu Peak is fully equipped with them."