Chapter 10

“Young Uncle, did you do something naughty?! You wouldn’t have tampered with the magical artifacts for the mountain trial, would you?” A youth dressed like a Daoist acolyte held up a massive alms bowl. Although it looked like any other bowl, it was actually a basic defensive magical artifact—meant to be one of fifteen such items used in the mountain trial. Now, however, this object had turned up in Artificing Peak’s junk pile!

The person addressed as “young uncle” wore his waist-length black hair half-tied back. But perhaps whoever styled it lacked skill; several unruly strands had escaped their fastening. He donned dusty-looking robes that appeared relatively clean save for one unfortunate detail—the defensive formations originally woven into the fabric were entirely nonfunctional.

The youth couldn’t understand why, despite earning a fortune through artificing, his young uncle lived so carelessly. Worse still, he often derived personal amusement from pranking others, which was truly infuriating! Well, only slightly infuriating—for about half the time it takes an incense stick to burn. Sometimes, the young uncle could be quite decent.

“What do you mean by ‘naughty’ and ‘tampering’?! Such impudent language from a child! Isn’t our Artificing Peak responsible for providing the magical artifacts for the mountain trial? This stinking big bowl is hideous, completely devoid of aesthetics. If we gave it out, wouldn’t people just laugh at us? Besides, what need do they have for defensive artifacts during the entrance exam? Are they coming all this way just to play turtle and tortoise?”

The young disciple grew frantic. “Young Uncle, you really switched out the artifacts? What did you replace them with? Don’t you know—”

“I know, I know—it’s just the shadow screen being open, right? The sect leader is so kind; he definitely won’t mind this minor mishap, wouldn’t you agree?”

The youth stamped his foot anxiously. “But the elder overseeing the mountain trial this time is Elder Zhao Qi from the Hall of Discipline, and you…” How many times have you been confined already? Why do you keep getting caught?!

The corner of the young uncle’s mouth twitched, his once-neat hair now bristling in agitation. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!”

“For heaven’s sake, Young Uncle, I’ve repeated it to you at least eight hundred times!”

“Well, you must have said it while I was crafting. Lu Qiao, even you’re becoming such a trickster now!”

Lu Qiao mentally screamed. If he paid attention to his young uncle again today, may he be cursed as a dog!

Having successfully driven away his adorable little nephew, the young uncle still harbored some fear that Zhao Qi might come after him later. Rarely venturing off Artificing Peak, he decided to head towards the shadow screen to join the spectacle. Upon careful reflection, he realized he hadn’t actually tampered with many artifacts—just the defensive ones. However, the replacements were no less potent; one item, though technically low-grade, only appeared so due to its unremarkable base materials. With further refinement, it could easily serve well into the Primal Infant stage.

As he pondered this, the young uncle couldn’t help but feel giddy, wondering which fortunate soul had claimed it. He’d actually given that unfinished magical artifact a pleasant name: Calm Seas.

Its function was quite literal—it could collect all the wind within a half-mile radius. Once enough energy accumulated, it would transform into wind blades. Since it hadn’t been fully refined yet, its attack capabilities were limited and uncontrollable; in other words, when attacking someone, it didn’t distinguish between friend or foe, striking indiscriminately.

Ah, reminiscing, the young uncle patted his beloved robe now reduced to tatters, largely thanks to “Calm Seas.”

Meanwhile, during the mountain trial, Chen Zui unwittingly continued charging Calm Seas with energy. The more he danced, the more spirited he became, heedless of any attempts to dissuade him—a testament to his stubborn streak.

“I can’t take it anymore,” Bian Chunzhou exclaimed. “I’ve tried reasoning with him, but nothing works! Let him do as he pleases. Seriously, where does he get such bullheaded strength? What’s the point of competing against a magical artifact!”

Wen Xu had been marveling daily at the diversity among cultivators. Compared to his past experiences studying in Bizhou County, he now felt like a frog confined to its well, ignorant of the wider world. Just as he was about to offer some comforting words to his friend, he heard a series of peculiar sounds.

Despite having no martial training, Wen Xu’s instincts as a cultivator screamed at him to drop instantly. He swiftly tackled Bian Chunzhou, and moments later, a wind blade whizzed overhead.

“Fuck, what was that?!”

“Hurry, take cover!”

“Shit, shit, shit, more coming! Help! I’m gonna get sliced into Swiss cheese! Chen Zui—Zui-zui-zui-zui-”

Chen Zui caught the stuttered repetition of his name but couldn’t rush to their aid from afar; they could only rely on their own luck. Initially, Bian Chunzhou thought, My cultivation is slightly higher than Wen Xu’s, so perhaps—

Alright, it seemed focusing solely on self-preservation would be enough. Wen Xu’s hearing was even sharper than his eyesight.

In truth, however, Wen Xu wasn’t merely listening—he was…feeling it. This sensation was incredibly precise; before it reached his conscious mind, his body instinctively dodged the wind blade based on this intuition.

As natural as breathing, he seemed innately attuned to evading attacks originating from the wind.

Wen Xu took a moment to analyze his own senses, only for the wind blades’ onslaught to intensify rapidly. Being at just the second layer of Qi Refinement, he feared that if this continued, sheer exhaustion would prove fatal.

What should I do? Where exactly are these wind blades coming from?

While Wen Xu and Bian Chunzhou desperately evaded the wind blades, Chen Zui, known as “Big Dog” among his peers, remained unscathed. However, he had already ceased his elementary-level contest with the magical artifact—not because he was tired, but because he noticed the two burdens were nearing their limits.

“You guys are really quite weak.”

Chen Zui’s timely intervention allowed them both to escape with mere scratches, avoiding significant harm. Coincidentally, once Chen Zui stopped engaging the artifact directly, the frequency and intensity of the wind blades sharply decreased.

What did this indicate? It meant—

“That’s the artifact’s attack pattern! Wen Xu, Chen zui, we’re onto something!”

Bian Chunzhou suddenly felt revitalized and sprang up from the ground. Earlier, the wind blades had come from all directions, making it difficult for him to pinpoint the artifact’s location based on his cultivation alone. But what about Chen zui? “Can you sense where the artifact is?”

“Ah?” Chen Zui scratched his head. “Not really—it’s well-hidden. But I can give it another try.”

The result of this attempt left Wen Xu and Bian Chunzhou with fresh wounds, their energy rapidly depleting, yet they still couldn’t pinpoint the artifact’s location. Time was not on their side. Should they persistently confront this magical artifact or venture out to find others instead?

None of the three truly wanted to leave, albeit for different reasons.

Just then, Chen Zui spoke up, “Someone is approaching. One of them has a cultivation similar to mine.”

“Similar?”

“Of course, even with comparable cultivation, I’m confident in my combat abilities compared to most.”

Wen Xu promptly asked, “Who are the other two at Qi Refinement sixth layer participating in this mountain trial?”

“One is named Li Zishen, supposedly from a renowned farming family. The other is Xia Ying, rumored to be the niece of Langyuan City’s governor.” It was evident that Chen Zui had done his homework on potential competitors.

As luck would have it, misfortune often strikes while fortune remains elusive. Xia Ying bore no grudges against them, so perhaps reason could prevail with her. However, Li Zishen was known for having a narrow mindset; if not for Wen Xu’s sudden emergence, he would have been first in the initial test. Encountering each other now, amidst competition for the magical artifacts, likely meant a fierce battle lay ahead.

Li Zishen certainly didn’t disappoint them. In fact, he had deliberately tracked Wen Xu’s group down after learning their direction. Outside this setting, it would be unwise to confront them directly; others might perceive him as petty and intolerant. However, within the mountain trial, disputes over magical artifacts were commonplace, and no one would fault him for such a confrontation.

Moreover, with Li Zishen at Qi Refinement sixth layer and his three companions ranging from fourth to fifth layers, victory seemed assured on paper. They even possessed an offensive magical artifact, leaving Li Zishen ample reason to reclaim his lost dignity.

So what if Chen Zui was first in the preliminary round? It was merely a stroke of luck.

“Will you leave on your own, or shall we escort you out?”

The newcomers bore ill intent. Assessing the stark disparity in strength between the two sides, Bian Chunzhou feared today’s exam wouldn’t end well. Yet retreating without a fight wasn’t Chen Zui’s style—this guy never backed down an inch. With absolute certainty, Bian Chunzhou could swear upon his cherished sword that Chen Zui might already be contemplating taking on all four opponents single-handedly.

Help! The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. What should they do?

“Leave? Would you really let us go so easily?” To Bian Chunzhou’s surprise, the first to provoke a response wasn’t Chen Zui but the usually mild-tempered Wen Xu!

Li Zishen cackled. “I never said that. Clearly, you’re choosing to stay on your own accord. Attack!”

Without another word, Chen Zui charged forward with his blade raised, embodying the epitome of bravery and vigor. However, no matter how valiant he was, one person couldn’t possibly surround four.

Bian Chunzhou had already lifted his low-grade sword, ready for action—when suddenly—

The timely wind blades arrived! They came unexpectedly, silently, with immense force—and well, they adhered strictly to their motto: Eliminate All In Sight, indiscriminately attacking anyone within range!

Bian Chunzhou found himself growing fond of this magical artifact, even starting to think the wind blades were quite charming. But then, just like before, they vanished again!

What’s up with abruptly quitting halfway?! I literally praised you as cute moments ago!

“Chunzhou, do you trust me?”

Wen Xu spoke up at this moment, and Bian Chunzhou answered without hesitation, “Of course, you’re my friend!”

“Cover me!”

With Chen Zui preoccupied rescuing them two stragglers, he couldn’t maintain his focus on countering the magical artifact, causing the wind blades to weaken. Yet when Li Zishen’s group appeared, the wind blades reemerged, indicating that the artifact—

The magical artifact required wind to generate its wind blades.

Wind was an intangible and colorless force, capable of being both incredibly fierce or remarkably gentle. Wen Xu had witnessed gales so powerful they uprooted ancient pines from cliffs, as well as bitter cold gusts that silently claimed lives overnight without a trace.

So where did this wind originate?

Wen Xu stood at the spot where Chen Zui had wielded his sword moments ago, surrounded by traces left behind by the raging whirlwinds. Silently, he gathered the limited spiritual energy within his dantian’s sea of qi, contemplating—

“Ah, the kid figured it out.” The young uncle clapped gleefully. Noticing Zhao Qi’s relentless glare, he subtly shrugged but quickly regained his assertiveness. “These prospects aren’t bad at all. If no one else wants this blind one, Artificing Peak will take him!”

At these words, Elder Zhan immediately panicked. “Who said no one wants him?! Pill Peak certainly does! First come, first served—he’s already been designated as our disciple!”