Each day, disciples gathered to see if anyone entered or fell from the top nine, making the camp lively. Lin Yu, however, stayed in his tent to cultivate.
"Third Uncle! Third Brother!" Chu Chu and Seventh Princess called outside. Lin Yu emerged to find them beaming, having hunted many monsters in Moyun Ridge.
"Third Uncle!" Chu Chu hugged him. "Aunt and I almost died, but the wind sword intent from Prince Su's flying sword saved us! Prince Su even used sword flight from afar to kill Jiang Xuan."
"What? Tell me more," Lin Yu feigned surprise.
"Third Uncle, that—"
"Chu Chu, be careful with words here," Seventh Princess interrupted.
Inside the tent, Lin Yu listened as Chu Chu recounted Prince Su's divine might. He pretended to shudder: "Thank goodness for Prince Su, or you two would have been in real danger."
"Third Brother, did Prince Su give you those wooden swords?" Seventh Princess asked, curious.
Lin Yu nodded: "I don't know for sure, but someone left them in the imperial mausoleum, saying they held life-saving magic. I gave them to you, and they indeed had wind intent. It must be Prince Su using me to send you protection."
"Strange. Why didn't Prince Su give them directly?" Chu Chu wondered.
"Prince Su is a Myriad Manifestations expert; his intentions are beyond our guess," Seventh Princess said, believing his actions held deep meaning.
Before leaving, they happily told Lin Yu their kills would secure top nine spots. Lin Yu smiled—they were too hasty, as Su Miaozhen and Yu Weiwei hadn't returned, and their strength would surely claim two top spots.
On the final day, the leaderboard updated in real time. Lin Yu was pulled by Chu Chu and Seventh Princess to watch. They ranked eighth and ninth, but their positions were precarious.
"Su Miaozhen of Great Zhou, Yu Weiwei and Jiang Xuan of Profound Heaven haven't returned. They'll take three spots, pushing others down,"
"Su Miaozhen's strength is unknown, but Jiang and Yu are Purple Mansion—they'll be top two. We can only fight for the rest,"
"If they miss the deadline, someone might steal their chance."
Lin Yu smiled—only he knew Jiang Xuan was dead and wouldn't compete.
"Look! Su Miaozhen is back!" someone shouted. She emerged in a cyan dress, silver mask, and carrying a saber, pouring out demon cores, including Xiantian Fourth and Fifth Grade ones. She took first place, bumping Seventh Princess out of the top nine.
"Don't be discouraged. Train hard for next time," Lin Yu comforted.
Seventh Princess smiled: "Thank you, Third Brother. I knew I might not make it, but staying top nine for two days is enough. I'll train harder for the next trial."
Then Yu Weiwei appeared, glancing gratefully at Lin Yu as she passed, reassuring him she kept her promise. Her return pushed Chu Chu out of the top nine.
As the trial ended, everyone noticed Jiang Xuan and Zhang Ling's absence, guessing they had left Moyun Ridge unharmed.