This immortal was clearly ordinary, yet he was unusually confident.

Qin Qianqian and Niu Daben noticed Chen Chui entering the formation as soon as he entered.

Zheng Zhuang had given instructions that if any cultivators came, they should be received well.

As for the formation outside the courtyard, it was indeed weakened; Zheng Zhuang believed that any cultivator should be able to easily pass through it.

"Da Ben, why hasn't this person come out yet after all this time?"

Qin Qianqian sat listlessly on a stone bench. Zheng Zhuang hadn't taken her with him to the academy, which made her a little unhappy.

Niu Daben rubbed against the peach tree and snorted:

"Perhaps the Lord's formation is too profound, and he wants to study it for a while longer."

"But the young master said that this is just a very basic illusion array."

The young girl had gotten used to calling him "Young Master" and no longer addressed Zheng Zhuang as "Senior" as she used to.

"That means the people in the formation are too stupid!"

Niu Daben stretched his neck to smell the peach blossoms, which caused the old peach tree to lift all its branches upwards.

"I wonder when the young master will return? Da Ben, have you noticed that the young master has been acting strangely lately? He keeps staring at a painting. I secretly saw it once, and it depicted a woman."

"And last time you went to Wenqu Street, you said you were looking for a painter. I bet you were really looking for the woman in the painting. What's so special about that woman? Could it be that you're so captivated by a painting, young master?"

Qin Qianqian rambled on for a while, only to be met with Niu Daben's muffled reply, "I didn't see it."

"Sigh, it's like casting pearls before swine!"

"Playing the piano? I've never heard you play before!"

Feeling awkward, Qin Qianqian silently turned her head away and continued to stare blankly to herself.

Seeing that Qin Qianqian had stopped nagging, Niu Daben was happy and started to doze off.

After a while, the courtyard gate opened automatically, and Qin Qianqian immediately stood up because the person who came had finally passed through the formation.

However, contrary to Qin Qianqian's expectations, what appeared before her was not a refined and otherworldly cultivator, but a beggar covered in wounds and dressed in rags.

"Who are you?" Qin Qianqian asked politely.

Chen Chui was somewhat surprised to see a little girl in the courtyard, but he quickly noticed the peach blossom in Qin Qianqian's hair and sensed the spiritual power emanating from her, deducing that the person in front of him was very likely the legendary Peach Blossom Immortal.

"This humble Taoist priest, Chen Chui, the Grand Preceptor of the Cangyue Kingdom, greets the Peach Blossom Fairy!"

Chen Chui dared not be negligent in the slightest. Although the little girl in front of him seemed to have low cultivation, the formation just now had made him suffer a lot.

He had just finished dealing with the zombies in the second level when he found himself in a fairyland-like place.

The scenery in the fairyland was picturesque, and the beauties were numerous, which almost made him lose himself in it and unable to extricate himself.

Chen Chui kept chanting the "Mind-Calming Mantra" to barely keep himself awake and avoid being misled.

But just then, a leather whip suddenly appeared in one of the beautiful women's hands, and a rope appeared in another, followed by sticks, burning candles, and so on—a whole variety of things.

Chen Chui chuckled inwardly. Finally, the true colors were revealed. Just wait and see what this great master has to offer!

He used the same trick again, flicking his whisk, which instantly transformed into a thick spiked club. Just as he was about to ruthlessly destroy the flowers, the woman at the front suddenly transformed into Ye Chuxue.

Chen Chui subconsciously stopped attacking, but by the time he realized it was an illusion, it was too late.

While he was distracted, his spiked club was taken away, and then a group of women tied him up tightly with ropes.

Then, Chen Chui experienced the most painful torment of his life...

He was covered in blood from being dripped with wax, whipped, and beaten with sticks, but in his struggle, he deliberately rolled along a certain trajectory, actually drawing a "purifying talisman" on the ground with his own blood.

With the help of this talisman, he finally broke free from the illusion!

Chen Chui snapped out of his daze and realized he had arrived at a courtyard gate. Through the gate, he saw an old peach tree standing quietly, a leisurely yellow ox dozing beneath it, and a little girl wearing a peach blossom in her hair quietly pondering something in the distance…

What a peaceful and beautiful scene!

If it weren't for the lingering pain in his body, Chen Chui would have wondered if he had just had a nightmare!

Qin Qianqian felt a slight joy upon hearing people call her "Peach Blossom Fairy," and imitated Zheng Zhuang's usual demeanor:

"Fellow Daoist, please come in!"

She had intended to order Niu Daben to serve tea, but after looking at the pair of ox hooves, she gave up the idea.

After Chen Chui sat down, Qin Qianqian asked in surprise:

"How did you come to be like this, fellow Daoist?"

Chen Chui was somewhat annoyed. "Don't you know how much my national teacher has fallen into?"

But he said:

"Fellow Daoist's formation is profound, especially the third level, which is truly... indescribable!"

As Chen Chui spoke, he shifted his position somewhat awkwardly.

"The third level? Doesn't this formation only have one level?" Qin Qianqian asked, puzzled.

"Fellow Daoist, you jest! The gold in the first trial is a test of whether I can control my greed; the zombies in the second trial are a test of my combat strength; and the third trial... cough, is a test of my Dao heart. Fellow Daoist, this little illusion array you created is truly profound!"

Chen Chui explained smugly, then subconsciously touched his beard, only to find that it was now completely bald, probably burned off by the candle earlier.

Qin Qianqian's expression was somewhat strange: "So, Fellow Daoist didn't touch that box of gold?"

Chen Chui laughed heartily: "How could this humble Taoist covet such worldly things?"

"Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment!"

Qin Qianqian left the courtyard under Chen Chui's questioning gaze, and a little while later returned with a palm-sized stone, which she handed to Chen Chui.

Chen Chui didn't understand, but still took the stone: "What's this?"

"Fellow Daoist, please infuse some of your magic power into it!" Qin Qianqian said.

Chen Chui nodded, and channeled his remaining magical power into the stone.

After absorbing the magic power, the stone emitted a golden light, and its weight increased significantly, as if it had turned into a piece of gold of the same size.

Chen Chui felt a sense of wonder, but was still puzzled: "Fellow Daoist, are you saying that the gold I saw in the first trial was actually a box of stones?"

Qin Qianqian first nodded, then shook her head, and finally could only helplessly explain:

"Fellow Daoist, look closely, there are words on this stone!"

Chen Chui realized what was happening and quickly went closer to take a look. He saw that the stone was engraved with:

"Lift the box to pass the level!"

"This..." Chen Chui was somewhat skeptical.

“The same words are engraved on every stone!” Qin Qianqian confirmed.

"So, if I just lift that box in the first level, I can pass the level?"

“That’s right! This is the simplest way to verify that you are a cultivator. Because mortals can’t lift that box…”

"Snapped!"

Chen Chui was stunned for a moment, and the stone in his hand accidentally fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

Two words uncontrollably popped into his mind: "Holy shit!"