Chapter 135: Chapter 126: Chu Huaixu’s Certain Defeat

On that rainy night, Xu Ziqing, overwhelmed by emotional turmoil, hated that storyteller immensely.

“Damn old man!” The usually courteous young man fumed in his heart.

The person gave him hope and then despair. At the foot of Wumeng Mountain, carrying a vendetta as deep as the sea, he seemed to have lost his mind.

Hope is a slow-acting poison. At the moment when it completely shatters, it can have a lethal effect.

Fortunately, his senior brother appeared like a savior and pulled him back.

Never did Xiaoxu expect that the junior martial uncle he was to meet today would be him!

Until this moment, he had loathed this person immensely!

So much so that just now, a hint of anger flickered in his eyes during the brief eye contact.

But Xu Ziqing was not a fool.

He quickly suppressed his inner emotions.

Moreover, the person turned out to be someone highly ranked in the Daoist Sect, making it seem all the more peculiar.

Zhao Shuqi saw his dazed look and hurriedly said, “Xu Ziqing, quickly pay respects to your junior martial uncle!”

The young man bowed, “Disciple pays respects to junior martial uncle.”

Jiang Zhi looked at him intently.

Though Xiaoxu was trying hard to hide it, nothing escaped his eyes.

“Perhaps you feel I’ve played you?” he said bluntly.

“Disciple wouldn’t dare,” Xu Ziqing replied.

The man, with a storyteller’s appearance, felt somewhat speechless.

After traveling far and wide down the mountain, he finally found this sword attendant and provided guidance, yet the other now resented him.

After some thought, Jiang Zhi said, “Indeed, I sent someone to Wumeng Mountain to fetch you, but there were some errors in the process.”

After much deliberation, he didn’t tell Xu Ziqing the whole truth, nor mentioned that the Daoist Old Sixth had fetched the wrong person.

Jiang Zhi was the junior disciple of that generation in Junzi Temple, always rebellious and doing as he pleased, unconventional.

With his senior brothers and sisters mostly deceased, he suddenly became one of the highest-ranking people.

He was powerful; no one could restrain him.

But there was one person he always listened to.

That was Chu Yinyin’s master, his Senior Sister Nine.

Since this little ancestor had quoted her master, Jiang Zhi conceded.

Li Chunsong had his issues, so Jiang Zhi surely did too.

Discussing this with a youngster like Xu Ziqing was shameful.

—So be it, so be it!

At this moment, the refined young man listened to his junior martial uncle’s words, feeling dazed.

“So, this junior martial uncle who seemed to be gaming the world below the mountain wasn’t actually playing me?” he thought.

He felt that someone of such high caliber wouldn’t need to deceive him again now.

Xu Ziqing was a sincere young man with a childlike heart.

And just like that, the knot in his heart was easily untied.

It showed that naive Xiaoxu was really the type who could be repeatedly scammed by con artists.

Jiang Zhi looked at him and didn’t waste time, directly saying, “Zhao Shuqi told me you’ve mastered the ’Sword Nurturing Skill,’ demonstrate it for me.”

“Yes, junior martial uncle,” Xu Ziqing replied.

He sat under the Bronze Sword and began calmly operating ’Sword Nurturing Skill.’

Jiang Zhi observed closely and nodded repeatedly.

“This child’s comprehension is indeed remarkable.”

As spiritual power surged into his palms, the dormant sword woke up.

The restriction in his palm and the one on the sword formed a pathway.

The Bronze Sword began devouring the spiritual power Xu Ziqing transmitted without restraint, seemingly intent on sucking him dry, showing no signs of stopping.

Luckily, after one round of ’Sword Nurturing Skill,’ the restriction would re-activate.

But Jiang Zhi suddenly spoke up, “Touch it with your right hand, let me see.”

Xu Ziqing immediately recalled the previous day’s agony and pain.

But since the junior martial uncle spoke, and since the Fifth Elder was watching silently from the side, naturally, he had to comply.

Due to Xiaoxu’s short stature, he could only stand on tiptoe to reach for the hovering sword.

But the moment his hand touched the sword, the Sword Spirit came alive, trying to seize control of his body.

“Don’t activate the restriction!” Jiang Zhi sternly ordered.

“Relax your mind, don’t resist.” he further instructed.

Xu Ziqing listened, eyes widening, fear engulfing him.

No choice, his trust in the storyteller was already low.

Now, the man wanted him to willingly become the sword’s puppet?

Suddenly, like the day he climbed the mountain, Xiaoxu’s body twisted into strange positions; he couldn’t control himself, nor could the sword control him.

Jiang Zhi watched the scene, frowning deeper and deeper, eventually snorting coldly, “Activate the restriction, stop.”

The Sword Spirit began to grow angry, but was still firmly suppressed by the seal left by the Dao Ancestor.

The Daoist Junior Martial Uncle exchanged a look with Zhao Shuqi, who could only let out an awkward laugh, saying:

“Junior martial uncle, that’s the current situation.”

If used in real combat, they couldn’t quite tell how much power the Bronze Sword could harness.

“Maybe add some auxiliary techniques.” Jiang Zhi considered.

“But the problem now is, that half of the Sword Spirit, upon entering Xu Ziqing’s Spiritual Embryo, hasn’t transformed it perfectly, failing to achieve full harmony.”

“Because his Spiritual Embryo was previously altered by the Profound Celestial Fetal Breath Pill,” he pondered.

“Even using some Secret Techniques to let the sword fully control him, making him a true sword attendant, it could probably only exert seventy to eighty percent of its power?” he reflected for a moment.

A sword with seventy to eighty percent power wouldn’t necessarily solve the First Layer problem of the Origin Spirit Realm, something they couldn’t be sure of.

But as things stood, they could only do their best and leave the rest to destiny.

“His path of Body Refining could be further developed,” Jiang Zhi explored new ideas.

After all, with Xu Ziqing’s body under the sword’s control, strengthening his physique would certainly boost his combat power significantly.

Therefore, he announced, “From today until the East and West Continent competition formally concludes, you will stay by my side for cultivation.”

Fifth Elder Zhao Shuqi listened from the side, knowing the junior martial uncle intended to give the young man special training.

He couldn’t help but think, “Then, Chu Huaixu’s chances are even slimmer?”

He was never expected to be a sword’s match, and now with the junior martial uncle ’interfering’, Chu Huaixu seems destined to lose.

Xu Ziqing, with his spiritual power drained, looked thoroughly exhausted.

Upon hearing the storyteller’s words, amazement was written on his face.

He actually felt a bit homesick in his heart.

Xiaoxu would miss Senior Brother, and he would also miss Senior Sister Han.

These days, staying in the courtyard of the Fifth Elder, he always felt uneasy, and even his sleep wasn’t restful.

But Xu Ziqing also understood that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for countless people.

He bore deep blood vengeance and needed to become stronger.

What’s more, how could a mere Outer Sect Disciple defy the senior management of the Daoist Sect?

Jiang Zhi looked at him, slightly dissatisfied, and said, “You’ve taken too many elixirs recently, and they’re too varied, overly ambitious.”

“In the next few days, I will help you solidify your foundation.”

“Regarding the Realm Breakthrough, don’t be impatient, otherwise in the long run, it won’t be beneficial.”

“A first step doesn’t mean being ahead at every step. Do you understand?” he asked.

Upon hearing this, Xu Ziqing immediately responded, “I understand, Senior Brother once told me—water does not compete to be first, but strives to flow endlessly.”

Listening to these words, Jiang Zhi found them somewhat interesting.

Of course, he knew who the senior brother mentioned by the young man was.

When the detestable face flashed in his mind, his mood worsened a bit.

Zhao Shuqi was watching from the side, this squinty-eyed guy secretly laughed in his heart.

After spending a few days with Xu Ziqing, he knew how much this guy admired Chu Huaixu, to the point of treating Senior Brother’s words like golden rules, often repeating them.

“Junior Martial Uncle is going to have some trouble next!” Zhao Shuqi smiled knowingly, his eyes nearly invisible.

…

…

Two days flew by.

Xu Ziqing still hadn’t gone home.

Chu Huaixu started grumbling while doing his laundry.

Unconsciously, he remembered a saying: “Everyone wants to save the world, but no one helps mom wash the dishes.”

The protagonist of the world is destined to embark on the path of saving it.

Thus, he made a grand vow: “In the future, when I become successful, I must wear Magical Treasures from head to toe!”

By doing so, just like Black Gold Robes, there would be no need to wash them, optimizing Xiaoxu’s usefulness completely.

The registration for the East Continent competition had ended yesterday.

There would also be an initial screening in the next few days.

The Profound Yellow Realm is vast, and there are too many cultivators in the First Realm.

With the joint effort of the Four Great Sects, there are many registration points in the East Continent.

If there wasn’t an initial screening, with so many people competing, round after round, who knows when it would finally end?

As for the screening content, it was quite simple. The Four Great Sects set a unified standard, introducing a type of practice stake.

Its nature is somewhat like a scarecrow used in games to measure damage.

This practice stake is made from Spirit Wood and is incredibly hard.

Registrants can only strike once.

If no mark is left on the stake, they lose the qualification to participate.

As the host, even the Daoist Sect disciples must undergo a round of screening.

On their way there, Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang encountered many people who had already completed the assessment.

Listening to their exchanges, it seemed some exceptionally talented Daoist Sect disciples left deep marks with just one strike on the stake.

Some even came close to cutting the stake in half with one swing of the sword!

The Dead Fox, hearing this, softly said to the Big Ice Cube:

“In this kind of competition, one must learn to conceal their abilities; whether it’s this initial screening or facing some ordinary opponents later, there’s actually no need to overly expose one’s strength.”

“The earlier your overall strength is known to others, the sooner your trump cards are discovered, and it becomes more troublesome later on.”

Han Shuangjiang nodded slightly and said, “I understand.”

Two fellas wanting to conceal their abilities thus arrived at the testing ground, lining up.

When it was their turn, quite a few people stretched their necks to watch.

After all, in the Outer Sect, they were quite well-known.

In fact, Daoist Sect disciples still maintained their habit of enjoying the spectacle; many Outer Sect disciples in the Second Realm, even the Third Realm, were gathering here for the fun.

Han Shuangjiang took a step forward first, casually swung a sword at the stake.

“Chii—!”

Sword Qi instantly slashed into the stake, leaving a deep gash, cutting nearly two-thirds in.

The cold-faced girl was surprised, silently cursing in her heart.

“Why is this stake so fragile!”

Exclamations immediately echoed around, many admiring the girl’s strength.

They could tell she definitely didn’t exert her full strength.

Chu Huaixu frowned and looked at her, eyes full of reproach.

“So thoughtless, I told you to conceal your abilities, yet you’re showcasing before the crowd like a Holy Emperor!” he mumbled inwardly.

The two exchanged glances, the Big Ice Cube hesitated.

She really wanted to explain that it was truly unexpected how fragile the stake was.

Only to see Chu Huaixu step forward a few steps, under everyone’s gaze, amidst everyone’s expectation, circulating the spiritual power within him.

In reality, he even cast an [Information Detection] over.

“Is the ’scarecrow’s’ defense value this low?”

Spiritual power converged at his fingertips, Chu Huaixu drew a very shallow mark on the stake, crossing the qualification line perfectly, controlling the score to pass.

Han Shuangjiang looked dumbfounded, inwardly grumbling:

“Conceal, conceal, but you conceal too much.”

Unexpectedly, the onlookers, after a brief shock, started to cheer loudly.

“Junior Brother Chu! Such strong spiritual power control, I think it has already reached the [Entering the Subtle] realm!”

“Didn’t expect it, Junior Brother Chu still had this trick!”

“Marvelous! Marvelous!”

“Junior Brother, you’re hiding too excessively, huh!”

“Junior Brother Chu is famous, practicing Celestial Level Technique. Seems like he doesn’t want to show off to everyone.”

Chu Huaixu: “…”

Damn, are there so few fools in the Daoist Sect!

Feeling a bit defeated, he turned to look at the Big Ice Cube.

Only to see the girl’s face melting like ice and snow, smiling brightly.

…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep