Chapter 12

The key issue was that this fellow had treated Yonglu Mountain’s mountain trial as nothing more than a joke! After today, if Zhao Qi couldn’t manage to get Zheng Jin confined within the Hall of Discipline for at least two days, he might as well resign from his position.

“Take a look yourself—what exactly is this magical artifact?”

Little Uncle Zheng replied, “Well…it seems perfectly fine. This Wind Treasure Gourd is specifically designed to stoke fires in pill furnaces; it packs quite a punch. The gems on its cap were meticulously hand-set by me one by one. I’ve been wondering where it went these past few days.” It appeared he’d accidentally tossed it into the mountain trial.

Even Sect Leader Gu Wufang felt tension creeping across his forehead. “So you’re saying it wasn’t fifteen artifacts but sixteen?”

Zheng Jin shook his head. “How could this count? The gourd is just a tool for kindling fires, storing wind energy. The seal of Yonglu Mountain on its base is barely visible anyway, and furthermore—”

What bad luck for this lad! If someone else had used the Wind Treasure Gourd, it might have provided some assistance, but unfortunately, that little blind boy ended up with the Difengbo Fan. The fan could both generate wind blades and absorb gusts—encountering the Wind Treasure Gourd was essentially like delivering it straight to its doom, albeit unintentionally.

“It seems fate has not favored this Li fellow’s connection with Yonglu Mountain.”

Zheng Jin acted entirely on whim, without regard for propriety. However, Yonglu Mountain had always been protective of their own. While Zhao Qi could later bring the boy to the Hall of Discipline for confinement in the black room, he wouldn’t intervene in the mountain trial due to mere changes in magical artifacts.

This wasn’t because they took the trial lightly; rather, such minor alterations would not significantly impact its overall progression. Yonglu Mountain sought disciples who were adaptable, not rigidly bound by rules.

Li Zishen had commendable cultivation and a favorable background, but individuals like him were plentiful within the cultivation world. Yonglu Mountain did not lack for one more.

Returning to the present situation, when Wen Xu saw Bian Chunzhou in trouble, he hastily unleashed a wind blade to provide cover, hoping to buy his friend time to escape. To his surprise, it actually managed to block the attack!

Due to pretending to be blind, Wen Xu couldn’t see what magical artifact Li Zishen was wielding. However, as he unleashed his wind blade, he felt a slight tremor in his own fan, accompanied by a sensation of “joy” emanating from it.

Joy? Why would it feel joy?

Wen Xu’s confusion was interrupted by Bian Chunzhou’s urgent call: “Wen Xu, hurry up! Another whirlwind is coming! This Li guy has some Golden-Horned King’s gourd that can unleash those whirlwinds!”

What kind of gibberish is this?!

Wen Xu decided that once they entered Yonglu Mountain, he’d take it upon himself to teach his friend proper language skills; otherwise, their luck might not hold out next time.

Strangely, Wen Xu comprehended immediately on this occasion and realized why the fan felt joyful.

Indeed, a true Meliora had arrived.

Unable to suppress a smile, Wen Xu swiftly released his fan. Since he hadn’t formally bonded with it, the fan began absorbing all surrounding winds instinctively, including the little tornadoes unleashed by the Wind Treasure Gourd.

Li Zishen was dumbfounded; he never expected this lousy fan could be used in such a manner! Was it truly a beginner-level magical artifact? Yonglu Mountain, have your definitions for beginner artifacts become completely detached from the outside world?!

As Li Zishen mentally cursed Yonglu Mountain’s second uncle profusely, Chen Zui stealthily approached with his blade raised. By the time Li Zishen noticed, it was already too late.

Chen Zui’s sword struck Li Zishen’s hand holding the Wind Treasure Gourd.

“Ah—”

Li Zishen crumpled to the ground, and the gourd fell into Chen Zui’s grasp.

With one swift strike, Chen Zui neutralized any chance of retaliation from Li Zishen. Using his other hand, he promptly capped the gourd and weighed it casually, taunting, “A mere planting aristocrat, nothing special. We’ll take this gourd as our prize. You three, still want to fight me? If so, I’m more than happy to oblige!”

In Li Zishen’s team, there was one cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Refinement and two at the fourth, all indebted to the Li family in some way. Participating in Yonglu Mountain’s examination felt like safeguarding their crown prince’s ascension. However, they hadn’t anticipated that their ‘prince’ would falter halfway, collapsing prematurely. Given the current situation, simply sacrificing themselves to ensure Li Zishen’s success in the mountain trial seemed no longer feasible.

Yet Li Zishen’s mind was consumed by fury. Throughout his life, everything had come easily to him. His clan poured resources into his training, and his parents indulged all his desires. At just nineteen years old, he already possessed a cultivation of the sixth level of Qi Refinement—how many cultivators at his age could boast higher achievements?!

His spiritual roots had been assessed long ago; although not purely wood elemental, they were exceptionally strong dual water-wood roots with only a slight presence of water. Upon joining a sect, if he could obtain a precious medicinal pill capable of cleansing his spiritual roots, removing the water element, he would become a prodigy with pure wood elemental roots.

In truth, Li Zishen preferred Huhe Sect, but it was vast and prestigious, teeming with geniuses. Thus, he followed his family’s guidance and aimed for Yonglu Mountain instead.

He never anticipated that during the initial test, some worthless mortal would steal his thunder—and now—

Li Zishen’s rationality crumbled entirely. “Kill them! Attack! Go seize the fan!”

Upon hearing this, their expressions shifted dramatically. Repaying a debt was one thing, but following Li Zishen’s orders to commit murder on Yonglu Mountain would forever tarnish their standing in the cultivation world.

What was wrong with the Li family? After all that training, had they produced nothing but an empty-headed waste? Was this reasonable? Were they deliberately courting enmity with Yonglu Mountain?

Once the Wind Treasure Gourd’s lid snapped shut, the gusts swirling overhead quickly ceased. As if imbued with its own spirit, the folding fan gently floated toward Wen Xu and, with a slight sway, landed in his right hand.

Its aura immediately became serene, bearing not the slightest resemblance to the berserk fury of a rabid dog biting at anyone within reach just moments ago.

“Have you three decided yet?” Wen Xu lightly flicked the fan, projecting an air of utmost patience.

The trio fell silent.

Li Zishen erupted in curses on the spot, incensed. Unfortunately for him, his vocabulary was rather limited, so instead of getting his point across, he only invited a torrent of verbal abuse from Bian Chunzhou, who had fully recovered his energy. In the end, Li Zishen fainted outright from sheer anger.

“With such poor temperament, how does he even aspire to cultivate? I bet if he tried selling calligraphy by the village entrance, the old man there would scorn him for his terrible handwriting.” Bian Chunzhou contemptuously dusted off his hands. “So what do we do now?”

Chen Zui had already knocked out each opponent one by one, lining them up neatly in a row. “Of course we take the magical artifacts!”

“But what if they…”

“If we could beat them once, we can do it again!” Chen Zui’s words were straightforward yet brimming with unwavering confidence. A fair and open confrontation was far more appealing than sneaky underhanded tactics.

On the shadow screen, although Pill Peak and Artificing Peak were vying for Wen Xu, Chen Zui remained highly sought after as well. With his pure character and exceptional talent, he embodied the ideal apprentice many hoped to find.

In truth, aside from these two, several other candidates also displayed remarkable prowess. It seemed Yonglu Mountain would undoubtedly secure a cohort of exceptionally gifted disciples this year.

Sect Leader Gu Wufang’s brow visibly relaxed. “How is the preparation for the Heart Inquiry Trial progressing?”

“It’s been ready for some time now. Once the mountain trial concludes, those who pass will automatically enter the Heart Inquiry Trial.”

As its name suggested, the Heart Inquiry Trial assessed one’s cultivation aspirations, self-reflection, and commitment to ascension. If a candidate’s resolve wavered or lacked steadfastness, no matter their innate talent, they would struggle to achieve any significant progress.

Moreover, if their temperament leaned towards excessive desire, while manageable initially, countless aspirants met untimely ends when faced with heavenly tribulations later on. Naturally, Yonglu Mountain sought disciples with both strong moral character and exceptional aptitude.

Of course, every sect operated similarly, striving to select the most suitable disciples within their available pool. This approach was entirely understandable.

During the mountain trial, thanks to “Meliora’s” long-distance deliveries, Wen Xu’s squad saw their combat capabilities skyrocket. With one member specializing in close-quarters combat, another in ranged attacks, and the third as a diplomatic envoy, they adopted a straightforward strategy: fight if they could win, sit down for friendly negotiations otherwise. By the end of the trial, not only did each person secure at least one magical artifact, but they also made a modest profit by helping others locate theirs.

Initially, Chen Zui had been reluctant, but with his meager funds…his mother always said that when traveling, it’s sometimes acceptable to be flexible for the sake of spirit stones. After some thought, he decided to bend slightly before the allure of wealth.

Thus, these three penniless misfits happily aligned themselves in pursuit of common goals.

The Yonglu Mountain elites observing them were speechless: You young rascals sure have unconventional ways.

Initially, it was Bian Chunzhou who suggested this plan. It wasn’t because he had gone mad with poverty, indiscriminately targeting exam participants for spirit stones during the mountain trial. Rather, once Chen Zui started fighting someone, there was no stopping him.

When engaged in combat, Chen Zui couldn’t be deterred, and when unstoppable, he invariably seized magical artifacts. Crucially, Wen Xu always managed to inadvertently locate more of these artifacts by chance. As a result, their collection grew steadily, enhancing their battle prowess. If they continued like this, they risked inciting widespread resentment.

Bian Chunzhou realized something needed to change, but giving away artifacts for free seemed too disadvantageous. So, his solution was…bartering. Spirit stones, talismans, medicinal pills—all were acceptable as long as the price was fair. First come, first served; opportunities missed won’t return.

Wen Xu, previously focused solely on academics, paused before nodding in understanding.

“Is this the end point?” Bian Chunzhou asked while scanning for Yonglu Mountain’s disciples. He thought it best to hand over the artifacts promptly, then…ahem, fairly divide their spoils. “It looks quite similar to the path we took down from Langyuan City.”

However, after searching for quite some time, they found neither Elder Zhao of Yonglu Mountain nor even… Wait, why is there a person lying over there? Judging by their attire, it seemed to be an outer disciple from Yonglu Mountain.

As the trio approached, they were taken aback by the extent of the injuries—the disciple was grievously wounded. Bian Chunzhou, being just a university student, had never witnessed such gruesome scenes before. His stomach churned instantly, but he managed to suppress his nausea with great effort.

At that moment, the injured outer disciple, displaying remarkable resilience amidst his wounds, spoke up:

“Hurry…quickly run! It’s a vengeful ghost—a red-clothed…vengeful ghost is wreaking havoc down the mountain!” With those words, he promptly passed out.

What’s this? A vengeful ghost?

Chen Zui tightened his grip on his blade, his eyes serious. “Both of you, take him swiftly to Yonglu Mountain for help.”

“What about you?”

“Me?” Chen Zui wore an eager expression, as if itching for action. “I’m going to confront that red-clothed vengeful ghost!”