Free Web NovelChapter 178: Chapter 171: Enemies Meet
The middle-aged man in purple clothes was slightly surprised to see the calm look in Zhaang Ye’s eyes. He thought to himself, ’Of all the disciples in this batch, Zhaang Ye is the youngest. I never expected his will to be the most resilient of them all. This is quite unexpected.’
Beyond his surprise, the middle-aged man in purple clothes also felt a flicker of anticipation. The bloody struggle for the Gathering Flower Fruits would continue for two more days, and he was curious to see if Zhaang Ye could maintain this same composure.
The first day passed.
Zhaang Ye and the other youths watched helplessly as one scene of slaughter unfolded after another, as life after life vanished amidst sprays of blood.
On the second day, Zhaang Ye and the other youths felt their senses grow even sharper. Their keen hearing picked up every subtle sound; the noise of a blade slicing through flesh was as agonizing as if it were cutting their own bodies. Their keen eyes could perceive the slightest movements; a blood-drenched blade stabbing forward felt as if it were piercing their very hearts. Their keen sense of smell could distinctly make out the stench of death in the air...
By the third day, the youths’ complexions had grown increasingly ghastly. The eyes of some were filled with disgust and terror. Others held a savage light, their eyes flashing with a blood-red glint, as if they were itching to leap in and start a massacre. Then there were those whose gazes had become vacant, their eyes lifeless, as if they could lose their sanity at any moment.
And through it all, Zhaang Ye remained standing like a stone statue.
"Carrying the soul and embracing the One, can you do it without separation? Specializing in Qi to Achieve Softness, can you be like an infant?" After grasping the profound meaning of this passage, Zhaang Ye had learned to separate his physical body from his Spiritual Will during his Cultivation.
His Spiritual Will was as resilient as bedrock. What he saw, heard, and smelled could no longer affect his state of mind.
In fact, watching this brutal struggle, Zhaang Ye felt his state of mind improve significantly. His spirit and will became more tempered, more pure.
As his spirit and will grew more tempered and pure, Zhaang Ye suddenly noticed something strange. He felt the Long Whip coiled at his waist begin to grow faintly warm.
Zhaang Ye found it bizarre. ’How strange! I’ve never been able to figure this Long Whip out since the day I got it. Why is it suddenly heating up on its own?’
Zhaang Ye had always been fascinated by this Long Whip, a gift from the Mammoth, and was determined to figure it out. But after all this time, he still hadn’t been able to unleash its power. The fact that it was now faintly heating up immediately piqued his curiosity.
Zhaang Ye desperately wanted to uncoil the Long Whip and study it properly. However, his body was still immobilized by the middle-aged man in purple clothes. Though he wanted to examine it, he was unable to, and could only speculate about the Long Whip’s wondrous properties.
Finally, the third day ended.
With a flick of his sleeve, the middle-aged man in purple clothes made the crystal wall in front of them rise. Simultaneously, the force that had been immobilizing the youths vanished in an instant. Everyone swayed, and two of the youths lost their balance completely, plopping onto the ground.
The middle-aged man in purple clothes’s gaze swept over the group. His eyes, carrying a faint Suppression and an extreme coldness, sent a chill through their hearts. He spoke slowly, "I had you watch in here for three days for two reasons. The first was to temper your minds. You managed to endure for three days, so your mental fortitude is decent. The second is to make you understand one thing: only by becoming strong can you master your own destiny and avoid being slaughtered by others! Do you understand?"
The youths were all shaken and roared in unison, "We understand!"
The middle-aged man in purple clothes waved his hand. "You may rest for the next three days. After that, we will depart." He then turned his gaze to Zhaang Ye. "If you have any personal matters to attend to, settle them within these three days. Return here in three days’ time. Do not be late."
Zhaang Ye nodded slightly, gave the middle-aged man in purple clothes a bow, and strode out. ƒrēewebnovel.com
Outside the Heart Refining Chamber, the sun was shining brightly. Basking in its warmth, Zhaang Ye let out a long sigh, touched the Long Whip at his waist, and walked away with large strides.
As he was leaving the Inner Mansion, he ran right into Zhaang Yijian. Zhaang Yijian looked slightly weary, but his eyes flashed with excitement. Zhaang Ye asked, "What’s this? Did you pass the trial?"
Zhaang Yijian nodded forcefully. "The True Hall’s trial was to have the prospective disciples compete for Gathering Flower Fruits. Whoever obtained the most would become an official True Hall Disciple. I managed to snatch seven fruits, the most among all the candidates. Barring any surprises, I should become a true True Hall Disciple."
Zhaang Ye sucked in a sharp breath. He had witnessed the brutality of the Gathering Flower Fruit competition firsthand. ’To think that Zhaang Yijian could actually snatch seven Gathering Flower Fruits in such a vicious struggle... his strength is truly formidable.’
Zhaang Ye said sincerely, "It looks like you’ll be the tenth True Hall Disciple. Congratulations."
Zhaang Yijian nodded slightly and patted Zhaang Ye’s shoulder. "I’ll be waiting. Let’s go to the True Hall together and become True Dao Experts." With that, he strode into the Inner Mansion.
Zhaang Ye, his mind preoccupied with the strange transformation of the Long Whip at his waist, had no desire to linger in the City Lord’s Mansion and strode toward the exit. As he reached the main gate, he came face-to-face with an old man in red.
The old man appeared to be in his seventies or eighties. He stood by the gate, his sinister gaze sizing up everyone who entered or exited. As Zhaang Ye looked at him, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. But after a moment’s thought, he was sure he had never met the man before.
Shaking his head, Zhaang Ye strode out of the City Lord’s Mansion.
Just then, a terrifying light flared in the old man’s eyes. He stared intently at Zhaang Ye’s retreating back and muttered, ’That’s the aura, that’s it! I’ll never forget this aura as long as I live! That young man... he must be the one who killed my Tao’er on the outskirts of the Barbaric Beast Mountain Range!’
A grim killing intent flashed in the old man’s eyes. He clenched his fists and whispered, ’That boy seems to be from the Zhaang Family. But it doesn’t matter what faction you belong to. You killed my son, and I will have your life in return! This time, I, Zhou Dayuan, swear I will tear you limb from limb to avenge my Tao’er!’
At the thought of his dead son and how his own Cultivation had fallen to the Sixth Layer of Martial Arts, an intense look of hatred and savagery flashed in the old man’s eyes.
This old man was none other than the Third Elder of the Zhou Family, Zhou Dayuan.
In the past, Zhou Dayuan had traveled all the way from Cyan Mulberry City to the outskirts of Three Rivers Town to obtain a piece of the Mysterious Blade Tip.
But on that trip, not only did he fail to obtain the Mysterious Blade Tip, but his only son was also slain. In a fit of madness, Zhou Dayuan paid an enormous price to cast the Celestial Vision and Earthly Hearing Technique, a skill far beyond his level, to search for a trace of the culprit.
The Celestial Vision and Earthly Hearing Technique was one of the Zhou Family’s Secret Skills in Cyan Mulberry City. Once cast, it could sense the slightest disturbance within a ten-li radius; not even a tiny field mouse could escape its detection. After casting this Secret Technique, Zhou Dayuan had successfully located Zhaang Ye.
He couldn’t see Zhaang Ye’s face, but the Secret Technique allowed him to lock onto Zhaang Ye’s aura. From that aura, Zhou Dayuan knew that the one who had killed his son was a young man.
Over the past several days, Zhou Dayuan had been quietly observing all the youths in Cyan Mulberry City, hoping to find his son’s avenger. However, Zhaang Ye was either secluded for Cultivation within the Zhaang Mansion or training far from the city, so despite Zhou Dayuan’s desperate search, he could not find him.
Zhou Dayuan knew that many experts would come for the Gathering Flower Fruit competition, so he waited by the gate of the City Lord’s Mansion, silently searching for his enemy. His persistence paid off. After a full three days of searching, Zhaang Ye finally appeared before him. Zhou Dayuan was instantly overcome with both grief and joy.
Just then, he overheard some people nearby discussing in low voices.
"Heh, see that young man? That’s Zhaang Ye, the Zhaang Family’s most outstanding genius. I hear his aptitude and Comprehension are even greater than Zhaang Yijian’s."
"Of course I’ve heard of him, I just hadn’t seen him before. To think that was the famous Zhaang Ye. I heard he’s only fourteen or fifteen, but he’s already defeated Zhaang Yijian to become number one of the younger generation. Is that really true?"
"It’s absolutely true. Cyan Mulberry City has already published the new rankings. Heh, they say his combat prowess is so formidable that even experts like Luo Yongsheng and Lee Lie can’t last more than a few moves against him."
...
’Zhaang Ye? That boy just now was Zhaang Ye?’
Zhou Dayuan froze for a moment upon hearing the name.
As an Elder of the Zhou Family, Zhou Dayuan was already very familiar with the name Zhaang Ye; he just had never met him in person. He never imagined that the person who had murdered his son was actually Zhaang Ye, the number one expert of the younger generation.
As a Zhou Family Elder, Zhou Dayuan knew that Zhaang Ye was not only the top expert of the younger generation but also a True Hall Disciple.
A True Hall Disciple!
At the thought of Zhaang Ye’s status, Zhou Dayuan’s expression grew grim. Being a True Hall Disciple was no small matter. If he killed Zhaang Ye and the True Hall found out, he feared the entire Zhou Family would be annihilated.
Thinking of the terrifying power of the True Hall, Zhou Dayuan’s expression flickered uncertainly. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with Recommendation Tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
