After a brief moment of being moved, Xue Mingzhao suddenly raised her head from Nan Mingzi's embrace.
“Master, is the Evernight Demon Domain in the Demon territory?”
The warm moment ended all too abruptly.
Nan Mingzi was taken aback for a moment, but he still answered, “To be precise, the Evernight Demon Domain is located at the junction of the human, demon beast, and Demon territories.”
He let go of his two disciples and smoothed his ruffled beard.
“The Evernight Demon Domain opens once every three hundred years. It contains countless natural treasures, but the dangers within far exceed those of ordinary mystic realms.”
“Once inside, the concern isn't how much you can grab, but whether you'll survive to bring it back out.”
“The number of entrants from each race is limited. Although our Heavenly Origin Sect is the number one sect on the Tianyan Continent, we only have ten spots.”
Xue Mingzhao immediately followed up, “What about the other sects?”
“This time, the human race has three hundred spots, the demon beast race has three hundred and eighty, and the Demon Race has five hundred and twenty.”
“Small sects don't even have the qualification to participate in the selection.”
“By then, what we compete for will not only be the honor and disgrace of our sects, but it will also concern the pride and interests of the three races.”
Xue Mingzhao immediately raised her hand enthusiastically.
“Master, I want to sign up too!”
“I will definitely work hard to fight my way into the top ten, enter the Evernight Demon Domain, bring honor to you, and add glory to the sect!”
As for whether she would return after adding that glory, she would worry about that later.
Nan Mingzi ruthlessly shattered her newly kindled lofty ambitions.
“The minimum registration threshold for the Great Sect Tournament this time is Foundation Establishment. You can forget about it, Yue'er. If Yi'er works hard, he might be able to reach the threshold of Foundation Establishment within three months.”
“But even if you can meet the registration threshold, it doesn't mean you meet the threshold for survival.”
Nan Mingzi's expression turned serious.
“Once the Evernight Demon Domain opens, everyone will receive a teleportation jade plaque. If you encounter an insurmountable danger, you can be teleported out as long as you crush the jade plaque.”
“It sounds like a safe escape route, but once you actually go in, you might not have enough time.”
“The demon beasts, demonic creatures, and natural restrictions inside are countless. If you truly encounter a danger that far exceeds your cultivation, life and death are often decided in an instant. How would you have the chance to pull out your jade plaque and slowly crush it?”
“For Foundation Establishment cultivators to enter, calling it a narrow escape from death is already putting it nicely.”
“If your luck is slightly worse, you can prepare for your next life the moment you land.”
Su Ye frowned and asked, “Since they know that it's difficult for Foundation Establishment cultivators to survive inside, why do they still allow Foundation Establishment disciples to participate in the selection?”
Speaking of this, Nan Mingzi was also very puzzled.
“In the past, one had to at least reach the Golden Core realm to be eligible to register for the Evernight Demon Domain.”
“I don't know what kind of change occurred this year, but they actually lowered the registration threshold for the Great Sect Tournament to Foundation Establishment.”
“It's simply ridiculous!”
“What's the difference between a Foundation Establishment cultivator entering the Evernight Demon Domain and actively seeking death?”
Xue Mingzhao stood to the side, nodding along on the surface, but in her heart, she understood perfectly.
Why else?
Naturally, it was because the female lead had not yet grown strong enough.
The plot required Shen Chaoyue to enter the Evernight Demon Domain, so the rules had to compromise and lower the bar to Foundation Establishment.
Let alone lowering the registration threshold.
If it truly became necessary, the Heavenly Dao might even downgrade all the demon beasts in the mystic realm overnight, fearing that they would be blind enough to eat the female lead in one bite.
Shen Chaoyue had just upgraded her spiritual root to supreme-grade.
With her cultivation speed and female lead halo, reaching Foundation Establishment within three months was practically set in stone.
The Evernight Demon Domain was also an extremely important plot point in the early stages of the original book.
The male and female leads, along with the supporting male and female characters, would all meet inside. They would experience opportunities, betrayals, life-saving favors, and entanglements of love and hate, keeping them incredibly busy.
Their romantic dramas had absolutely nothing to do with Xue Mingzhao.
But the treasures in the Evernight Demon Domain had a massive relation to her.
Inheritances, spirit herbs, magic treasures, and natural treasures—it had everything. It also hid countless opportunities that would make the human, demon beast, and Demon races green with envy.
Such a massive goldmine was only open once every three hundred years.
Since she had happened to run into it, how could she stand outside empty-handed?
She had to find a way to seize this opportunity!
However, the Grand Primordium Sect didn't even have the qualification to participate in the selection.
If she wanted to enter, she would still have to make use of her identity in the Heavenly Origin Sect.
But right now, the most urgent matter was to smooth over the lie about “returning home to pay respects to their parents.”
Thinking of this, Xue Mingzhao temporarily suppressed her calculations and, together with Su Ye, solemnly bowed to Nan Mingzi.
“Master, then we shall take our leave first.”
“We will return in a few days.”
Nan Mingzi stood up. “Wait.”
Xue Mingzhao's heart skipped a beat.
Su Ye's body also tensed up instantly.
Had they been found out?
Was it too late to run now?
Nan Mingzi looked at the two of them.
“Although you have already established your foundations, you haven't been in the cultivation world for long, and you're carrying many pills and talismans on you.”
“If you encounter someone with malicious intent on the way, how can I rest easy? I will personally escort you back.”
“No need!”
“There's no need!”
Xue Mingzhao and Su Ye spoke at the same time.
Their voices were each louder than the other.
Nan Mingzi looked at them in confusion. “Why are you two so excited?”
Xue Mingzhao forced a smile. “We are just afraid of delaying Master's pill refining.”
Su Ye nodded frantically. “Master has a myriad of affairs to attend to daily. How can you waste your time on traveling?”
“No matter.”
Nan Mingzi burst into laughter. “Your master is a Soul Transformation cultivator.”
“While the journey is long for you, for me, it will take at most three days to make a round trip.”
As he spoke, he had already summoned a spirit boat.
“Get on.”
Xue Mingzhao looking at the spirit boat, her heart turned completely cold.
This service was simply too thorough; he was even providing a door-to-door escort.
The two of them dragged their feet as they boarded the spirit boat.
The spirit boat slowly rose into the air.
Standing at the bow, Nan Mingzi suddenly remembered something.
“Where are your parents' graves located?”
Xue Mingzhao and Su Ye froze at the same time.
They had only cared about making up the excuse of paying respects to their parents.
But they hadn't coordinated the location beforehand.
The two quickly exchanged a glance. Xue Mingzhao glanced in Nan Mingzi's direction, and Su Ye instantly nodded in understanding.
In the next instant, they both spoke at the same time.
“Nanli City!”
“Dongcang Heavenly Capital!”
The air suddenly fell dead silent.
The two of them widened their eyes and frantically exchanged glances once more.
Wrong answer! Reset!
“Dongcang Heavenly Capital!”
“Nanli City!”
Xue Mingzhao: “...”
Su Ye: “...”
Didn't they agree to be close siblings with different parents?
How could they have absolutely zero tacit understanding!
Nan Mingzi looked puzzled. “Are your parents buried in two different places?”
Xue Mingzhao immediately nodded to cover for it.
“Yes.”
“My father is buried in Dongcang Heavenly Capital, and my mother is buried in Nanli City.”
Nan Mingzi grew even more confused. “Why are husband and wife not buried together?”
In a moment of desperation, Su Ye blurted out, “Because my father was a bastard!”
Nan Mingzi was stunned.
Su Ye could only continue to make things up on the spot. “Back then, he abandoned my mother after playing with her feelings, completely disregarding us siblings.”
“So after they passed away, I buried them separately.”
Xue Mingzhao hurriedly nodded. “Yes, our family situation is rather complicated.”
“It's a long story.”
“It's best not to talk about it.”
“Haha.”
Her final two laughs were dry and stiff.
Nan Mingzi fell silent.
After a moment, his gaze toward the two carried a few more hints of heartache.
“No wonder you siblings have had such a difficult time over the years.”
“Then let's head to Nanli City first. It's closer.”
Having said that, he turned and walked toward the bow, steering the spirit boat to fly south.
Xue Mingzhao secretly let out a sigh of relief.
The crisis just now could be considered smoothed over.
But a new problem had arisen.
Once they arrived in Nanli City, where on earth were they going to find a grave for their mother?
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