(Haha, we're going to strongly promote this starting next week. From Sunday onward, Wan Yu will resume updating once daily with two installments. We sincerely hope you'll continue to support us!) On a remote mountain bordering the Yue State and the Yuanwu Kingdom in the northern region of Jianzhou, dozens of figures in yellow robes stand in orderly rows, varying in height and age. Their robes flutter in the wind, and their ages differ widely—some are white-haired and deeply lined, approaching their fifties, while others are youthful and delicate, with rosy lips and bright teeth, still retaining a childlike freshness. Yet all remain silent, standing in quiet, composed formation. At the forefront stands an elder whose presence is naturally commanding. He is leaning back with both hands behind his back, motionless and gazing steadily into the sky, deeply absorbed in thought. Behind him are four men and one woman, all composed and solemn. Among them is the elder who first guided Han Li into the academy—now he too wears a serious expression. Behind the five stood two rows of neatly arranged yellow-robed disciples, each with a different expression—some tense and uneasy, others carefree and glancing around, while others smiled quietly, remaining composed. At the corner of the last row, a young man with a plain appearance and dark complexion kept his eyes lowered, gazing steadily at his toes, never daring to glance up, as though extremely shy. Yet no one knew that this seemingly ordinary youth, who looked like a fresh-faced rookie, was deeply resentful inside, harboring a growing sense of frustration and indignation. This young man was none other than Han Li, and the yellow-robed disciples standing before him were precisely the trainees from Huang Feng Valley participating in the "Blood-Colored Trial." Han Li had finally joined this journey of certain death, and even after securing two Foundation Pills—something that now seemed both comical and utterly unfortunate. A month prior, upon learning from Wu Feng about the proper method of consuming Foundation Pills, Han Li had been deeply disheartened. Originally, after taking the Foundation Pills, those undergoing the foundation phase had to remain secluded for three months, allowing the medicinal effects to fully dissipate before they could emerge. Otherwise, the potency would scatter, significantly diminishing the benefits. Thus, the success of the foundation process would not be known for at least several months. For Han Li, waiting this long proved to be quite unfavorable. According to his original plan, he would first take these two pills, assess whether the foundation phase succeeded, and then decide whether to participate in the trial. If he managed to successfully establish the foundation, he would certainly avoid the perilous restricted zone—given that only a quarter of the chances of survival were expected, the prospect was indeed daunting. Should the pills fail to produce the desired effect, his journey to the restricted zone would still be unavoidable. If one or two pills were insufficient, he would then produce three, four, or even more. He believed that regardless of his inherent aptitude, sufficient intake of Foundation Pills would eventually enable him to enter the foundation stage. However, the three-month restriction following the consumption of the Foundation Pill disrupted Han Li's plans, leaving him in a difficult predicament—unable to have both fish and bear's paws. Now, he faced a dilemma: either take the Foundation Pill now and abandon his journey to the Sacred Realm entirely, or postpone taking it until after the Blood Trial, and thus forfeit the opportunity to pursue both simultaneously. There would be no way to achieve both goals. After nearly a fortnight of careful consideration, Han Li concluded that, given his mediocre aptitude, even if he consumed two consecutive Foundation Pills, his chances of successfully achieving Foundation Stage remained slim. Therefore, he could not afford to give up the Blood Trial. In fact, Han Li had once considered postponing his participation in the Blood Trial until the next five years. At that point, even if he failed to reach Foundation Stage, he was certain to have mastered the Changchun Technique to its highest level, significantly enhancing his self-sufficiency. Yet, just as this idea began to take shape, the upper echelons of Huangfeng Valley announced a momentous event that shook the entire Yue Nation's cultivation community, effectively extinguishing Han Li's hope. The sacred precinct of the Blood-Color Trial will be temporarily sealed for sixty years, beginning five years from now, during which time representatives from the seven great sects will jointly oversee it, and no one shall be permitted to enter to harvest medicinal herbs. Otherwise, this temporary sealing would merely postpone the depletion of the rare medicinal herbs in the sacred precincts—after all, the cultivation of these herbs takes time, not days or weeks. Though this reasoning aligns perfectly with the actual conditions within the sanctuary and is undeniable, the leading figures of the seven great sects still cannot bring themselves to make this decisive move. The quantity of the Foundation-Base Pill is directly tied to the rise and fall of their seven sects. Should there be a shortage of this vital medicine for several decades, the sects would suffer only minor losses. But if, over hundreds or even thousands of years, the Foundation-Base Pill were completely absent, not only would the seven sects be severely impacted, but the entire Daoist realm of Yue might face extinction. After all, if a place can no longer enable cultivators to establish their foundational stages, can it still be called a cultivation realm? At that point, surely all the cultivation families and independent practitioners would leave Yue in search of survival elsewhere—none of the seven great sects would be spared. Thus, despite knowing that this frequent opening of the sacred grounds was a foolish move—akin to killing the hen to get the eggs—each of the seven great sects had to carry on with it. They only hoped to find alternative sources of medicinal herbs before the sacred herbs themselves were completely extinguished. This has prompted even the senior immortals at the peak of their powers—those in the Dan-Shen and Yuan-Ying stages—to venture out more often than usual over the past few centuries, seeking out new sources of herbs or securing alternative paths for their sects, so as to prevent the decline of their lineage. Han Li, naturally, could not be fully aware of these developments. Yet once this news came to light, he would absolutely have no hesitation in abandoning the Blood Trial scheduled five years hence. Even the most slow-witted would realize that the opening of the sacred grounds in five years would be a scene of intense bloodshed and turmoil, with every major sect dispatching its elite disciples in a final bid to harvest as many medicinal herbs as possible before the sealing. To have Han Li join such a trial would be tantamount to court death. Although after the announcement, this journey to the forbidden realm would undoubtedly become even more challenging, with fiercer battles and greater casualties, it would still undoubtedly be significantly better than the next one. As for the rather foolish idea of participating in the Blood-Color Trial fifty years later, Han Li had never even considered it. After the prime age for establishing Foundation Stage cultivation, even if he managed to勉强 enter that stage later, he would surely not progress far on his cultivation path—a result he certainly did not desire. Precisely with this mindset, Han Li registered for the herb-gathering expedition to the forbidden realm. To his surprise and some regret, it was precisely his senior, Wang Shishu, who handled the registration. Wang Shishu himself was equally astonished upon seeing Han Li. On one hand, he was amazed that such a newcomer would participate in the Blood-Color Trial; on the other, he found it hard to believe in the remarkable progress of Han Li's cultivation—given his talent, Han Li had advanced so swiftly in such a short time, rising directly from the ninth to the eleventh level, which was truly astonishing. If Han Li is merely one among many gifted disciples, that would not be surprising—there are indeed others who advance their techniques faster than he. But Han Li's status as a "pseudo-Linggen" is something he himself has personally verified. How, then, has he progressed so swiftly? For a pseudo-Linggen, Han Li's ninth-level technique upon entering the academy was already exceptionally high. Typically, disciples need their elders to impart spiritual power, regularly consume medicinal elixirs, and diligently practice to achieve such accomplishments. Yet now, Han Li stands before him with an eleventh-level technique—something that leaves him utterly astonished! Since Wang Shishu harbored doubts, he promptly pulled Han Li aside and conducted another assessment of his attributes. The results remained unchanged—no signs of the anticipated Linggen mutation were detected. This only deepened Wang Shishu's confusion.