The whole family was brutally murdered? The ruthless heiress's eldest daughter went berserk aft

The third test gradually revealed itself under the sunlight. It was a seemingly ordinary body of water, shimmering and reflecting the sky and clouds.

“‘The Illusionary Water Platform’,” Junior Brother Chen’s voice carried a hint of solemnity, “this water appears calm on the surface, but it actually harbors hidden dangers. Countless whirlpools lie beneath the surface; a moment’s carelessness can lead to being swept into one. And this is no ordinary water…”

Murong Xuewei crouched down and picked up a fallen leaf from the ground, gently placing it into the water. To everyone's astonishment, the leaf began to steam the moment it touched the water's surface, and instantly turned to ash.

"It's the 'Bone-Dissolving Water' specially made by Medicine King Valley," Zhang Jing explained in a deep voice. "Even iron objects that fall into it will melt instantly."

Murong Xuewei stood up, her gaze fixed intently on the water before her: "Is there any way to get across?"

"It's said that only masters of the 'Cloud-Stepping Skill' can pass through easily..." Junior Brother Chen glanced at Murong Xuewei, "but I don't think Miss knows any lightness skills."

Murong Xuewei bit her lip and looked around. Suddenly, her gaze settled on several stone slabs floating on the water: "Why haven't these stone slabs been corroded?"

"These are 'Cloud-Stepping Stones,' unique stones found only in the valley, capable of resisting the erosion of the Bone-Dissolving Water," Junior Brother Chen explained. "However, these stone slabs are too far apart, and..."

Before he could finish speaking, Murong Xuewei had already leaped onto the nearest stone slab. Although she didn't know any light-footed skills, her martial arts background still allowed her to jump that distance.

"Xuewei, watch out!" Zhang Jing exclaimed.

Sure enough, as soon as Murong Xuewei regained her footing, the stone slab began to shake violently. She barely managed to maintain her balance, fine beads of sweat appearing on her forehead.

“These stone slabs are all movable,” Junior Brother Chen reminded him, “and each slab can only remain in the water for a short time at most, otherwise it will sink.”

Murong Xuewei took a deep breath and aimed for the next stone slab. Just then, a huge whirlpool formed beside the slab, splashing water. A few drops of the bone-dissolving water landed on her sleeve, immediately burning several small holes.

"Jump to the right!" Zhang Jing suddenly shouted. "I've discovered the pattern in these vortexes! They change according to the five elements and their directions!"

Murong Xuewei gritted her teeth and, following Zhang Jing's instructions, leaped laboriously between several stone slabs. Every step felt like walking on a knife's edge; the slightest misstep would send her plunging into the deadly water.

Finally, just as she was about to reach the other side, the stone slab beneath her suddenly began to sink. In desperation, she took out the peace jade that Gu Ye had given her from her bosom and threw it forcefully forward.

The moment the jade pendant fell into the water, it emitted a dazzling light, and the surrounding whirlpool instantly subsided. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Murong Xuewei used all her strength to jump towards the last stone slab, then flipped over and finally landed on the opposite bank.

“That piece of jade…” Junior Brother Chen looked at her in surprise.

Murong Xuewei, panting, looked at the completely melted jade pendant, a hint of reluctance flashing in her eyes: "It was a peace jade given to me by Gu Ye; I never expected it to come in handy here."

She wiped the sweat from her brow, looked up at the even greater challenges, and said firmly, "Six more to go. I must get through them."

The fourth test appeared intermittently in the clouds and mist. This time, what came into view was a flat area paved with bluestone, which looked unremarkable.

"It looks simple?" Murong Xuewei asked warily. Having gone through the previous three tests, she was no longer easily convinced by appearances.

Junior Brother Chen sneered, "This is the 'Thousand Threads Platform,' one of the most powerful formations in the valley."

As soon as she finished speaking, a gentle breeze swept by, and Murong Xuewei's pupils contracted sharply. In the sunlight, countless fine silver threads, as thin as hair, shimmered in the air, crisscrossing and forming a dense spiderweb.

These are...

"Millennial cold iron wire," Zhang Jing said gravely, "is more terrifying than the sharpest sword. And..."

He casually tossed a leaf, which was cut into countless pieces before it even hit the ground.

Murong Xuewei carefully examined the silver threads: "Is there a pattern to it?"

“Yes,” Junior Brother Chen said slowly, “but even knowing the pattern doesn’t guarantee success. These silver threads move with the wind, and a slight misstep could…” He made a throat-slitting gesture.

Murong Xuewei gripped her sword tightly, trying to touch the nearest silver thread. "Watch out!" Zhang Jing shouted hurriedly, but it was too late.

With a sharp clang, the sword in Murong Xuewei's hand snapped in two. She staggered back in shock: "This..."

"Now you know how powerful it is, right?" Junior Brother Chen said. "The Thousand-Year Cold Iron Wire is not only sharp, but it also absorbs a person's internal energy. You have neither lightness skill nor internal energy cultivation, so there's simply no way you can..."

Murong Xuewei ignored his words and focused on observing the direction of the silver threads. Suddenly, she noticed that the arrangement of these silver threads seemed to resemble something.

“This pattern…” she murmured, “is just like the one in my father’s study…”

Before she could finish speaking, a strong gust of wind suddenly swept in, causing all the silver threads to sway violently and emit a piercing buzzing sound. Murong Xuewei was so dizzy from the sound that she stumbled and almost fell.

"Don't push yourself too hard," Junior Brother Chen advised. "Making it this far is already quite an achievement."

Murong Xuewei steadied herself against the stone pillar, a stubborn glint in her eyes: "No, I must get through." She took out the pills Zhang Jing had given her from her bosom, hesitated for a moment, then put them back: "Keep these; we might need them more for the trials to come."

She took a deep breath and began to carefully recall the chess manual in her father's study. It was an endgame called "Perfect Match," supposedly unsolvable, but her father had once said that every chess game has a solution; the key was to find the breakthrough point.

"Perhaps..." Her eyes suddenly lit up, "the arrangement of these silver threads represents the moves in that game of chess!"

Just as she was about to try out her idea, a clap of thunder suddenly rang out in the sky. Dark clouds gathered, and a heavy rain was imminent.

"Oh no!" Zhang Jing's expression changed drastically. "These silver threads will change in rainy weather, making them even more dangerous!"

Dark clouds loomed over the city, and raindrops began to fall sporadically, each drop making a faint hissing sound as it hit the ancient, cold iron wire.

“A decision must be made immediately.” Zhang Jing looked at the sky with a grave expression. “Delaying it will only make things more dangerous.”

Murong Xuewei closed her eyes, the image of the chessboard in her father's study appearing in her mind. Her father had once said, "This game seems unsolvable, but the key lies in the timing of the moves."

She opened her eyes and stared at the crisscrossing silver threads before her: "These silver threads are like chess pieces on a chessboard; I need to find a breakthrough..."

"Are you crazy?" Junior Brother Chen shouted urgently, "It's already started raining, these silver threads will..."

"Shut up!" Zhang Jing suddenly interrupted sharply, "Let her concentrate."

Murong Xuewei slowly took a step forward, raindrops sliding down her hair. Her voice was soft, yet exceptionally firm: "Father said the solution to this puzzle lies in the first move in the upper left corner."

She moved nimbly to the left, finding a small gap among the silvery strands of rain. The rain intensified, and the silvery strands began to tremble slightly.

"Be careful!" Zhang Jing's voice was filled with anxiety.

Murong Xuewei, however, seemed detached from the situation, her eyes fixed only on the "chess game" before her: "The second move... should be a diagonal advance to the right."

With a "clang," a strand of black hair fell from her hair and was severed by the silver thread. But she had already successfully passed through the second silver thread.