LAVW – Chapter 24 Unwavering Will

Receiving a response confirmed that Long Ye was still alive.

A heart that didn’t beat could still live well—what a miraculous world the cultivation realm was. Once again, Shi Qian marveled at how vastly different this world was.

But Long Ye was too anxious about him. Bound by “love,” Shi Qian, unable to move, made a small joke to lighten the mood.

Long Ye, however, didn’t seem amused.

The young man remained silent as he landed on the ground.

The place where they landed was an enormous medicinal garden, divided into sections for spiritual herbs and plants.

Perhaps due to a lack of maintenance for too long, some spiritual herbs had overgrown, absorbing all the underground spiritual energy and nutrients, leaving only a single sprout dominating a patch of land. In contrast, some areas had sparse spiritual plants, which, by comparison, seemed almost lush.

Scanning his surroundings and feeling that the area was safe, Long Ye finally loosened his grip.

Shi Qian sensed that the “shackles of love” had disappeared. He poked his head out, curiously observing the surroundings.

The first thing he noticed was a familiar figure in the distance—Wang Xingzhi—chasing after a silver sword.

“Squeak Squeak.”

Wang Xingzhi was on the right.

The moment Shi Qian made a sound, Long Ye noticed Wang Xingzhi as well. Even farther away was another familiar silhouette—it looked like Wang Lianzhi.

Since they could be considered acquaintances, Long Ye approached them.

As they got closer, Shi Qian and Long Ye overheard Wang Xingzhi coaxing his sword.

“I was wrong.”

“I was really wrong. I shouldn’t have touched you when my hands were dirty.”

“Xiao Yin, won’t you forgive me?”

“I promise, just this once.”

“Really, please believe me one more time!”

Though his voice still carried a youthful tone, the content and delivery of his apology made it clear that Wang Xingzhi was highly practiced at this sort of pleading.

Shi Qian was stunned.

He thought it was just a joke! He never expected the people of Sword Sect to actually be this powerful.

Shi Qian: “Squeak…”

It really sounded like he was apologizing to his wife.

Long Ye: Actually, he thought so too.

So when Long Ye looked at Wang Xingzhi, his gaze carried the same shock as Shi Qian’s. It was rare for Long Ye to let his emotions show unless he truly couldn’t help it.

Wang Xingzhi naturally noticed the two of them, but he only gave a slight nod before continuing to chase after his sulking silver sword, coaxing it gently.

Surprisingly, it was Wang Lianzhi who spoke to the human and mouse first.

“Long Ye, forget about my brother, come help me!”

A thin layer of sweat covered Wang Lianzhi’s face, and she was holding up her arm in an awkward position.

Her arm was injured. She wanted to tie a cloth around the wound, but it was difficult to do alone. After struggling for a long time, the bandage had loosened halfway through.

Long Ye stepped forward and helped her.

Shi Qian stood on Long Ye’s shoulder, directing him. “Squeak Squeak.”

Not too tight. If you tie it too tightly, it’ll be uncomfortable.

Long Ye loosened the bandage.

Shi Qian spoke again. “Squeak.”

Now it’s too loose. It’s about to fall off.

Wang Lianzhi saw Long Ye’s darkening expression and momentarily forgot about her wound, laughing as she said, “Look, Brother Qian is so concerned about me.”

Shi Qian glanced at Long Ye’s increasingly grim face and quickly added, “Squeak Squeak.”

Actually, Long Ye was more worried about me. He was so scared just now that his heart stopped beating.

So they both knew, huh? But they still dared to tease him.

That familiar urge to smack the little troublemaker resurfaced in Long Ye’s mind.

The tall, slender young man took a deep breath, his expression serious—at this moment, it seemed as if he had grown a little more mature.

After securing Wang Lianzhi’s bandage, Long Ye let go and spoke, “Brother Qian was even more worried about me. My heart literally stopped from fright—almost scared me to death.”

Looking at his face, his furrowed brows showed lingering worry, yet there was also an undeniable hint of joy he tried to suppress but couldn’t completely hide.

He really was good at controlling his emotions.

Wang Lianzhi had no idea that this normally upright Long Ye would lie so smoothly. She immediately fell for it, turning to Shi Qian in concern.

Shi Qian, after hearing this blatant nonsense, turned to Long Ye with a giant question mark hanging over his head.

Where did his accurate Mouse-language translator go?

Where was his integrity? How dare he twist his words like that?

Shi Qian raised his tiny arms, making a strongman pose to reassure the worried pretty lady. Then, he pressed a paw against Long Ye’s face.

Originally, he wanted to scold him, but looking at the young man’s sharp and bony features and recalling how anxious he had been just moments ago, Shi Qian’s conscience suddenly kicked in. He decided to change his approach.

After thinking for a moment, he carefully chose his words. “Squeak Squeak.”

If you’re worried about me, then just admit it. There’s no shame in it. I’m really touched.

Feeling the moment was just right, Shi Qian stretched out his little paws, clinging onto Long Ye’s face, and gave him a nuzzle.

“Squeak Squeak!”

Brother! You and I are the best in the world!

In his heart, however, he silently added: Sorry, bro. This was supposed to be a hug, but your face is too big, and my arms are too short.

Wang Lianzhi couldn’t understand what Brother Qian was saying, but she did notice something surprising—Long Ye’s face was gradually turning red.

The young man, who had been slightly annoyed just moments ago, now had a faint flush on his cheeks. He reached out and gently stroked the little spirit beast perched on his shoulder, his touch light and careful, his gaze soft as it landed on Shi Qian.

Spending too much time with Brother Qian is making me regress, Long Ye thought, feeling both embarrassed and frustrated. How did it come to this? I actually needed a little brat like Brother Qian to comfort me.

The brotherly bond lasted for all of three seconds before Shi Qian, feeling exhausted, withdrew his paw and plopped down onto Long Ye’s shoulder.

Now that everything was settled, Shi Qian felt light and carefree. Curious, he asked Wang Lianzhi, “Squeak squeak squeak.”

Why is your brother’s sword angry?

Long Ye translated truthfully.

Wang Lianzhi chuckled and explained, “My brother got blood on his hands and then touched Xiao Yin’s hilt, so Xiao Yin got upset.”

“There’s no need to be surprised. Xiao Yin’s sword spirit is quite young, so it gets angry often. My brother used to have to coax it like this every day, but now he’s gotten really good at it. He’ll have Xiao Yin calmed down soon enough.”

She then turned to Long Ye and, noticing that the seven-colored spiritual light surrounding him hadn’t faded, said, “I’ll help you two find a few useful spirit herbs and plants in the medicine garden. Just remember—once your spiritual light disappears, don’t touch anything here. The first person who landed got greedy and lost their life.”

Wang Lianzhi, who was nearly at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, had followed closely behind her brother, Wang Xingzhi, when they descended.

Having explored the area beforehand, she already knew where the best herbs were.

She named a few spirit herbs, and Long Ye picked out two. Before making his selection, he ceremoniously placed Shi Qian on top of his head.

Shi Qian responded by casually throwing a couple of mouse-style punches.

Mission complete! Today’s treasure-hunting mouse has finished its task!

The two humans and one spirit beast arrived at a bright red spirit herb, known for one primary trait—it was incredibly valuable.

Long Ye took out a specialized digging tool from his storage ring and began expertly excavating the herb.

Watching him, Wang Lianzhi felt too embarrassed to offer help. Her technique was too rough, and she feared damaging the herb’s roots. So, she simply stood by as a bodyguard.

Shi Qian, meanwhile, jumped down to the ground.

He caught a faint whiff of a peculiar scent—subtle, yet carrying a warning of danger. However, it was so light that he could tell there was no immediate risk.

Following the scent, he dug at the soil twice with his tiny paws—only to be scooped up by Long Ye.

Long Ye had taken one look at Shi Qian messing around and immediately decided to uproot the entire herb, soil and all, and store it away.

“I’ll do it.”

“Do you even know what it is? Or how deep it is?”

Shi Qian shook his head. Then shook it again.

He had only sensed a faint trace of dangerous fragrance but didn’t know any specifics.

Long Ye didn’t bother arguing. He dug twice with the shovel and unearthed a round, black jade stone.

The moment the jade stone touched the shovel, it shattered instantly, dissolving into the soil.

At that very moment, the air trembled, and an illusionary projection of eighteen towering platforms appeared above them—vivid and lifelike.

The people in the medicine garden were startled, their heads snapping up to watch this unexpected cultivation world “live broadcast.”

Wanting a clearer view, they instinctively moved closer to the projection.

Shi Qian and the others, being the closest, felt the strongest impact.

To Shi Qian, the scene resembled an ancient Roman gladiator arena—except instead of man versus beast, it was man versus man. Or perhaps… beast versus beast.

This brutal battle, in which all the participants were fully engaged, was far more direct than the competition outside the secret realm. The choice between life and death was laid bare.

As more people gathered, their discussions added details and descriptions to the projected images.

One moment, a man and a woman were fighting side by side against an enemy. In the next, the person standing behind them struck first—killing their closest companion in cold blood. In return, they were bathed in a descending seven-colored spiritual light, their face filled with ecstatic joy as they leaped off the platform.

“Chen Wang actually killed his Dao companion.”

Nearby, a man who had been seen with Li Qingqian snapped angrily at someone, as if he were in the middle of an argument.

“Gongsun Nan, that idiot! At a time like this, he still expects the branch family to hand their lives over to him!”

Some people appeared weak and fragile, as if they could be defeated in an instant—only to explode with sudden power, sending their overconfident opponents straight to their deaths.

“That guy was really putting on an act. I thought he was about to lose, but he was actually hiding a killing move.”

Countless faces, each displaying different emotions, formed a tapestry of human nature.

Long Ye also noticed that someone from the Long family had died—killed by a member of the Li family.

At that moment, Shi Qian withdrew his gaze and quietly called out to Long Ye, “Squeak squeak!”

Stop watching, stop watching! We need to hurry up and dig up more valuable spirit herbs!

The people on the high platforms were clearly getting more and more obsessed with the fight. Soon, countless cultivators would start descending one after another.

If they didn’t take advantage of this moment to dig up spirit herbs, they’d probably end up fighting while collecting them later—too much effort for too little gain.

Long Ye immediately saw the logic in that. With a quick glance at the others who were still engrossed in the projection, he grabbed his shovel and got to work.

Wang Lianzhi, caught off guard, hesitated for a moment before following them.

Long Ye managed to dig up two more spirit herbs before the seven-colored spiritual light surrounding him finally faded. Wang Lianzhi snapped back to reality.

She frowned and asked, “What was that? It felt like it was affecting my mind.”

Wang Xingzhi, who had just arrived, stood on his sword and explained, “The purpose of the projection is to test one’s willpower. The sooner you break free from it, the stronger your will.”

Shi Qian knew that Long Ye’s willpower was definitely strong.

This wasn’t just based on those typical “underdog one moment, invincible the next” AoTian-style comebacks. It was because of the qualities Long Ye had consistently shown in front of Shi Qian.

No matter the time or place, Long Ye never forgot to temper himself. The training pains that Shi Qian couldn’t tolerate—Long Ye endured them, probably twice as much, and yet he seemed to enjoy it.

Honestly, only those who had suffered would understand. Shi Qian could only describe Long Ye’s obsession with cultivation as terrifying beyond belief.

But wait—didn’t he wake up even faster?

Shi Qian was ecstatic and pointed at himself. “Squeak squeak?”

Does that mean I have strong willpower too?

The three of them turned to look at him.

Shi Qian’s eyes darted around, and he first looked at the pretty sister.

Wang Lianzhi pressed her lips together, politely holding back a laugh.

Shi Qian then turned to Wang Xingzhi.

Wang Xingzhi scratched his head and muttered in confusion, “Wait… can the projection even distinguish between cultivators and spirit beasts?”

Shi Qian: …That’s just rude.

Clearly, these people didn’t understand him at all. His willpower when it came to eating, drinking, and having fun was unbreakable!

Shi Qian looked trustingly at his good brother, Long Ye.

Long Ye stored the spirit herbs in his spatial storage and casually said, “Brother Qian, train for fifteen minutes today—show them what real cultivation looks like.”

As he spoke, he absentmindedly touched the pouch hanging from his waist. The pouch was embroidered with a diamond-shaped pattern.

Shi Qian suddenly remembered.

Oh, right. He still had a secret realm token.

That dumb projection test wasn’t smart enough to recognize his high-level, decades-ahead, enlightened perspective on life—which meant he skipped the whole willpower test effortlessly.

Just seconds ago, Shi Qian had been beaming with joy. Now, he let out a regretful sigh. “Squeak.”

I’m not happy. So no cultivation today.