72: Chapter 72 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (Part 20)

Princess Xiao Xiao didn't care at all whether Yun Mengyao was acting like a "green tea" or not; she only cared about whether Yun Mengyao was good-looking and whether she was pleasing to her.

He had previously thought about warning her, but now it seemed that had been completely unnecessary.

Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan looked at Chu Shi's shocked expression, smiled helplessly, and continued, "Brother Chu, do you understand now?

Although Yun Mengyao's aptitude is average and she has many schemes, she is indeed very good-looking.

She also knows how to feign frailty, which just happens to suit my sister's preferences.

She is very clear about what she is doing, so we don't need to worry about it at all."

Chu Shi came back to his senses and shook his head with a speechless expression.

He picked up his wine cup, drained it in one gulp, and suppressed the shock in his heart.

He finally understood.

No wonder Yun Mengyao had been able to get on good terms with Princess Xiao Xiao in just seven short days.

After all, although his predecessor wasn't very bright and had been fooled by a little "green tea" for three whole years, as a disciple of a noble family, his eye for quality was still sharp.

It could at least be considered a rigorous selection.

Coupled with Yun Mengyao's frail and delicate temperament, along with her "green tea" remarks, it was no wonder his predecessor had been completely captivated by her.

It was just unclear whether Yun Mengyao's "tea art" had improved, allowing her to actively discover the Princess's preferences and deliberately approach her, or if...

After pondering for a moment, Chu Shi shook his head.

After all, these things were not important.

"Since the Princess is clear about it, then I was meddling," Chu Shi said to Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan while rubbing his temples.

"Brother Chu, your intentions were good, I understand," Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan said with a smile, waving his hand.

"I've tried to advise her several times, but she won't listen at all, and I have no choice.

I can only let her be; as long as she is happy, that is enough.

Besides, with our Prince's Mansion backing her, no one can bully her."

Chu Shi nodded; that was indeed the case.

Since Princess Xiao Xiao knew what she was doing and Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan didn't mind, there was no need for him to meddle in other people's business.

He only hoped that with Princess Xiao Xiao as her backer, Yun Mengyao would behave herself.

He didn't want her to provoke him or cause him trouble again.

Just then, Princess Xiao Xiao walked back, chatting and laughing with Yun Mengyao and several maidservants.

Princess Xiao Xiao was holding a candied hawthorn skewer, took a bite, and casually handed it to Yun Mengyao's mouth, saying with a smile, "Come, Mengyao, try this; it's very sweet."

Yun Mengyao obediently opened her mouth and took a bite. Her cheeks flushed red, and her eyes, brimming with moisture, looked at Princess Xiao Xiao as she said softly, "It really is very sweet, thank you, Princess."

Sitting on the side, Chu Shi watched this scene and suddenly felt it was quite interesting.

At the same time, he secretly rejoiced that this was not a female-oriented world.

Otherwise, who knows, perhaps it would be two men acting like this, and then his eyes...

After a shudder of disgust, Chu Shi shook his head, shaking such a terrifying image out of his mind.

The group continued to eat and chat, the atmosphere very harmonious.

Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan told Chu Shi many more rumors about the Great Sun Holy Land, as well as the various rules of the Outer Sect Disciple sect, and Chu Shi listened very carefully, committing them to memory.

It wasn't until the sky had turned completely dark and the table full of spiritual food had been finished that the group stood up and bid each other farewell.

"Brother Chu, let's do our best in the trial three days from now!" Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan patted Chu Shi's shoulder and said with a smile.

"Alright, let's do our best," Chu Shi nodded with a smile.

Princess Xiao Xiao also cupped her hands toward Chu Shi and raised her eyebrows, saying, "Young Master Chu, I apologize for my previous offenses. On the trial grounds, I hope to see your true capabilities."

"You are too kind, Princess. I certainly will," Chu Shi nodded slightly.

His gaze swept over Yun Mengyao, who was beside Princess Xiao Xiao.

Yun Mengyao was also looking at him, her eyes filled with complex emotions—apprehension, unwillingness, and a trace of imperceptible regret.

Seeing Chu Shi looking over, she immediately lowered her head, hid behind Princess Xiao Xiao, and returned to that frail and delicate appearance.

Chu Shi withdrew his gaze expressionlessly and didn't say anything more.

He turned and walked toward the direction of Canglan Courtyard.

After returning to his practice room, Chu Shi almost never stepped out, staying in his small courtyard every day to focus on his cultivation.

He knew very well that the trial of the nine-layer heavenly ladder not only tested one's bone structure and foundation but also tested one's willpower and Dao heart.

Although he had the willpower accumulated from several lifetimes of reincarnation as a foundation, he dared not slack off in the slightest.

At the same time, he was constantly polishing his Dao heart, reviewing the memories of his several lifetimes of reincarnation over and over again.

He faced those past regrets and unwillingness, tempering his Dao heart to become increasingly indestructible.

He knew very well that illusions were best at striking directly at the deepest obsessions and regrets in a person's heart.

Only by facing them and accepting them could one avoid being trapped by them and sinking into the illusion.

Over the next three days, the atmosphere on the entire Trial Peak became more tense with each passing day.

The disciples from Diming Province also finally arrived at Trial Peak and moved into the adjacent Diming Courtyard.

By this point, the reserve disciples from all three provinces had arrived. In total, there were over a thousand people.

They were all geniuses selected from one in ten thousand across the three provinces, with at least medium-grade bone structure.

Among them, there was no shortage of prodigies with high-grade bone structure and special physiques, and there were even nearly a dozen top-tier prodigies.

The entire Trial Peak became extremely lively due to the arrival of these thousand geniuses, and it was also filled with a tense, competitive atmosphere.

Disciples from Canglan Courtyard, Qingyan Courtyard, and Diming Courtyard would occasionally run into each other in the cafeteria or practice areas.

They looked at each other with scrutiny and hostility, competing openly and secretly.

After all, the spots for the entrance trial were limited, and the positions for Core Disciples and Inner Sect Disciples were fixed. If you went up, I couldn't.

Occasionally, he would walk out of his courtyard to stroll around Canglan Courtyard and listen to the discussions of the reserve disciples.

Various rumors about the nine-layer heavenly ladder were spreading like wildfire among the disciples.

"Have you heard? This nine-layer heavenly ladder is a trial passed down for a thousand years in our Great Sun Holy Land, and it is extremely dangerous!"

"Isn't that so! I heard from an Outer Sect Disciple senior brother that the gravity doubles on each layer of the heavenly ladder!

Disciples with medium-grade bone structure can basically only climb up to the second layer at most!"

"I also heard that starting from the fourth layer, illusions appear!

Many prodigies have fallen into the illusions, their Dao hearts shattered, and they became cripples directly!"

"Then do you know what the significance is of climbing to different layers?"

"I know, I once pulled some strings to ask an attendant of Elder Zhang," a disciple from Canglan Courtyard said, puffing out his chest proudly.

"Only by climbing to the third layer can one become an official Outer Sect Disciple; otherwise, one has to start as a servant.

Climbing to the fifth layer leads to direct promotion to an Inner Sect Disciple.

Climbing to the seventh layer allows one to become a disciple of the elders of various peaks and become a Core Disciple.

As for the ninth layer... it is said that in the last three hundred years, no reserve disciple has been able to climb to the ninth layer!"

Various rumors about the nine-layer heavenly ladder trial spread like crazy among the reserve disciples from the three provinces.

The more these rumors spread, the more outrageous they became, filling more and more disciples with nervousness and anxiety.

Chu Shi, however, did not care about this at all, and his heart became increasingly calm.