Even If You're My Senior, It's Still Forbidden - Chapter 46

It wasn’t the first time Ji Weining had seen her junior sister like this, but the sight still left her momentarily stunned. After a brief pause, she picked up the sheer gauze and walked over, unfolding it with a resigned sigh before draping it over her junior sister from behind.

The gauze did little to conceal anything, revealing the inner tube top beneath and the fair skin below it. With one hand covering half of her flushed face, the junior sister looked utterly captivating.

Ji Weining sat on the edge of the bed and asked, “Why didn’t you wait for me to come over?”

“There’s no one else here,” came the reply, as if that justified such boldness.

Su Jin’an lowered her hand and slipped it inside the garment, preparing to adjust it. She fiddled with the sleeves, trying to figure out the strange fit. Though it was certainly better than the overly loose one from before.

“I’ll find you another undergarment to wear with this,” Ji Weining said.

The sheer gauze definitely needed more layers underneath she had no intention of letting her junior sister be seen like this by anyone else.

Su Jin’an nodded. Going out dressed like this would indeed be inappropriate.

Ji Weining got off the bed and opened the wardrobe. Inside were many clothes she had bought for her junior sister, but none seemed to pair well with the gauze.

Su Jin’an suggested, “How about the cyan robe you altered for me, Senior Sister?”

The cyan robe she had specially tailored for her? Ji Weining rummaged through the wardrobe and found it tucked away at the very bottom.

“Let’s try it, then,” Ji Weining said, pulling out the robe.

Once the cyan robe was on and the magical garment was layered over it, the outfit looked much better.

Su Jin’an stepped off the bed and twirled a couple of times. The magical garment billowed gracefully, as if she had finally discovered the proper way to wear it.

Ji Weining had never worn such complicated clothing herself, but it suited her junior sister beautifully.

Su Jin’an declared, “This will do.”

With that, she settled into a nearby chair and pulled out the booklet Ji Weining had given her the day before, intending to review it once more.

Ji Weining leaned closer. “So, Junior Sister is starting to worry now?”

“It’s always good to be prepared, just in case,” Su Jin’an replied. These illusions were far too bizarre, and the hardest part was anticipating what unbearable sights they might reveal.

“True enough.”

Illusions might seem simple, but they were actually the most challenging to handle. Many people hoped to leap to success through these trials, securing a place in Qingheng Mountain, unaware that this was the most difficult stage. Back then, Ji Weining had cleared each level with a clear mind, free of distractions. If she were to enter now, she wasn’t sure she could make it out successfully.

The thought of stepping into an unknown realm the next day filled her with unease.

By dawn, Su Jin’an was already awake and packed. Ji Weining accompanied her to the entrance of the third illusion trial to wait.

A bell tolled, signaling the start of the next round.

With so many participants in the third round, Ji Weining couldn’t stay by Su Jin’an’s side the entire time. She moved to the front, and Su Jin’an quietly followed, positioning herself just behind her.

“Each of you will receive a rope,” announced Su Jia, holding a bag of black cords and distributing them according to the registered roster. “The rope will automatically tally your points inside the illusion. Untying it will bring you out of the secret realm and mark the end of your competition.”

“Before reaching the illusion realm, please follow Senior Sister Weining. If you fall behind, you will be responsible for your own life and death.”

They had signed such agreements before coming to participate in the competition, and no one would dare to gamble with their own lives.

“Now we begin to enter. Please take this Demon-Verifying Pill.” Su Jia took out a bag of Demon-Verifying Pills. Su Jin’an stepped forward first to take one, then followed Ji Weining as they began to enter.

Inside the secret realm were landscapes of mountains and water, with the same sun as outside, nothing seemed unusual at all.

Seeing that everyone had entered, voices from below grew noisy: “Hasn’t it started yet, Senior Sister Weining?”

“It has already begun,” Ji Weining smiled.

Then the surroundings transformed into a desert.

“That is the entrance to the illusion realm.”

In an instant, hundreds of small balls appeared.

“Take one ball to begin entering the illusion realm. I will watch over your bodies here.”

Watching them take the balls one by one and begin entering the illusion realm, Ji Weining sealed off the area and looked up at the sky in the secret realm. The sandstorm today was a bit strong.

It seemed the first illusion they encountered today was “Entrapment.”

What would you do when trapped in a predicament? Move forward, or turn back?

The expressions on the bodies of those who entered the illusion realm would still change according to their experiences inside.

Ji Weining observed everyone there were all kinds of reactions.

When she looked at Su Jin’an, she sat there seemingly unperturbed, a stark contrast to those around her. The next moment, she woke up.

“What did you encounter, Junior Sister?”

Su Jin’an smiled and replied, “A sandstorm just like this one. I walked for a while and came out.”

Would this be considered entrapment for Junior Sister? Or perhaps there were no external factors she found difficult.

Su Jin’an looked around everyone was still in the illusion realm. “Someone has started to come out.”

Among those sitting, someone’s rope fell off, and they disappeared, leaving the secret realm.

The sun in the secret realm gradually set, and more and more people emerged from the illusion realm.

“The illusion realm is about to end,” Ji Weining calculated the time. If they didn’t come out now, they would be expelled from the illusion realm.

As the sun set, the remaining people all woke up. A few more untied their ropes and left the secret realm.

Out of the original hundred or so people, only eighty-seven remained.

Still more than in previous years.

The sky in the secret realm had darkened. Ji Weining opened the original defensive formation and led them forward.

“Monster, monster!”

Someone behind screamed.

Ji Weining looked over, it was a demon wolf, its eyes glowing green in the darkness.

“Pass through this night, and it will be the second trial.”

“Will Senior Sister Weining help us?” the one who had screamed hurriedly ran to the front.

Su Jin’an gave her a cold glance, sending a chill down the person’s spine.

“No.”

Ji Weining quickened her pace forward. Without hesitation, Su Jin’an recalled the Swift Movement Charm she had learned earlier, activated it with a wave of her hand, and followed.

Wolves from the surroundings chased after them.

“Just now, Senior Sister Su Jia told us to follow her.”

“Will these wolves kill us if they bite us?”

“Stop talking and run faster.”

“Is this trial testing the Swift Movement Charm?” Ji Weining controlled her speed, and Su Jin’an quickly caught up.

Ji Weining maintained this pace, waiting for those behind. “Mm.”

Someone behind them was touched by the wolves, and in the next moment, the ropes on their hands were bitten off by the wolves, allowing them to leave the secret realm.

“These wolves won’t harm people,” the crowd began to realize, shouting as they watched the ones ahead. “The test is about the Swift Movement Charm.”

Those behind also started to catch on, rushing to catch up with Ji Weining.

Following the senior sister was always the right move.

As daylight broke, only seventy-three people remained.

Someone in the crowd exclaimed in surprise, “The flow of time here is different from the outside.”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Green forests sprouted around them, leaves instantly began to fall, and the trees were suddenly laden with fruit.

“Suddenly, I’m so hungry,” voices in the crowd murmured as if bewitched by the forest, reaching out to pick the fruits.

Zhao Mu also extended her hand like the others but snapped it back the very next moment as she came to her senses.

“The third illusion has begun,” Ji Weining said, glancing at Su Jin’an beside her, then couldn’t help but ask, “Junior Sister, why haven’t you changed at all?”

Zhao Mu quietly spoke up, “Senior Sister Weining, I haven’t either.”

“Didn’t you just reach out your hand?” Ji Weining retorted.

Zhao Mu fell silent, but she was indeed one of the first to awaken.

“These wild fruits look unappetizing.” At least they could have been made prettier, right?

Ji Weining looked at the mottled green and red fruits and couldn’t help but laugh. She hadn’t noticed before that her junior sister was like this. Then again, she was always picky. Ever since arriving here, she had only eaten things she meticulously selected at least they looked appealing. Nodding in agreement, she said, “Indeed, they look downright unpalatable.”

“Has Senior Sister tried them?”

“This is an illusion.”

Even the sensation of hunger was an illusion. How could cultivators feel hunger? Eating them wouldn’t yield any flavor.

“Those who ate the apples are starting to collapse,” Su Jin’an reminded.

“They’re entering the illusion now.”

Zhao Mu asked, “Is there any danger?”

“Not sure. We just have to wait here for time to pass,” Ji Weining replied. These early illusions were the most uninteresting. The first time she participated in the grand competition, she had also waited for a long time.

“Where does the illusion begin?”

Su Jin’an scanned the surroundings.

“Care to guess, Junior Sister?”

“The array beneath our feet,” Su Jin’an observed the layout, noticing that all the trees were arranged in a specific order.

“If we rearrange the order of these trees, will they come out of the illusion?”

“Theoretically, yes, but everything in the illusion changes according to the will of the illusion’s master.”

She had read in the records that this illusion was indeed ever-changing. While the theme remained constant, what one encountered beyond that was unpredictable.

They still had to observe the surroundings to deduce which theme this was.

Su Jin’an watched as the illusion began to shift again and remarked, “This is utterly fascinating.”

“The later illusions should be even more intriguing,” Ji Weining said with a smile. The earlier ones were far too simplistic.

“Can the ropes be severed within the illusion?” Su Jin’an asked, noticing more people disappearing from the secret realm.

“All the illusions we’ve encountered so far allow it,” Ji Weining replied. There were some illusions where it wasn’t possible, but she couldn’t provide a definitive answer. In her own experiences, it had always been feasible, though she had heard of people dying within illusions. That was precisely why companions were required to enter together.

The surrounding forest faded away, and those who had not yet regained consciousness after collapsing earlier jolted awake as if doused with a bucket of cold water.

Only thirty-nine people remained.

“The next illusion has begun.”

The oasis vanished, replaced by a city that appeared before the crowd.

Everyone was unfamiliar with this city and hesitated about whether to enter, frequently glancing at Ji Weining for guidance. Yet she stood still, waiting.

The city gates swung open.

Several maidservants emerged, all dressed in exquisite attire, their every smile and gesture seeming to have stepped out of a painting.

The leading maidservant approached them and said, “Are you all cultivators? Our city lord invites you for a discussion.”

Ji Weining followed them, and the rest of the group entered the city as well.

The once gray and dull city began to transform, bursting into vibrant colors as the interior grew resplendent.

“Immortal masters, have you come to save us?” a little girl suddenly clung to the leg of someone at the back, looking up at her with hopeful eyes.

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