Chapter 118 - 96: Another Year of the Big Competition of the Inner and Outer Sects Before the Preparation for the Golden Cicada Secret Realm_2
Ye Jianzun nodded slightly in agreement.
Since the end of the thousands-year-long battle against the Demonic Cult, many geniuses had fallen, many a mighty cultivator had ceased to exist and the soil for spiritual cultivation had become barren. Even to this day, the impact of the anti-war sentiments still persisted. Many powerful cultivators strongly disapproved of war, regarding it as a behaviour of the Demon Path.
“Where’s your esteemed Daoist senior?”
Zhou Ping, noticing that the Daoist in the robe had disappeared, asked about his whereabouts.
Clothed in green, Ye Jianzun’s body shone as he replied lightly, “He has returned to the Great Zhou Imperial City.”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Ping laughed meaningfully, “The Empress you and Wuhang Tian are supporting seems quite obedient and capable.”
“Buzz off. The affairs of the Immortal Gate are not up for discussion, not even by me.”
Heavenly Mystery Peak.
Chu Xianyu, wearing a bronze mask on her face, had sharp eyes. She wielded her long sword, giving it a light flick.
A streak of green sword qi cut through the bamboo leaves, shattering a massive rock by the lakeside.
“Well done!”
From her side, Han Ye’s cheering resounded as he clapped energetically. He walked up to Chu Xianyu, excitedly saying, “Now you don’t need the veil anymore, a mask can do the job just as well.”
Chu Xianyu removed the mask from her face, staring at the fierce mask, her beautiful eyes were lost in thought as she asked, “What’s the difference?” “Think about it! Previously, you were always wearing the douli hats, covering everything from sight, then the veils that concealed your face, and finally, we have the mask which allows your mouth and neck to be seen. Isn’t this reducing the coverage bit by bit?”
Encouraging her while looking thrilled, Han Ye comforted her saying:
“Next time, perhaps even the mask will no longer be needed.”
“Is that so?”
Chu Xianyu was stunned for a moment before finally grasping the purpose of Han Ye’s series of experiments.
“Trust me, sooner or later, I’ll find a cure for your ailment!”
Han Ye declared confidently, patting his chest.
Her heart filled with gratitude by his words, Chu Xianyu leaned in, gazing at Han Ye. A rare hint of a smile appeared on her face.
“Thank you. You’re a good person.”
This fleeting smile left Han Ye dumbfounded for a moment. He swallowed and mumbled:
We re… friends, aren’t we? You don’t need to thank me.”
“You’re just a good person. Let’s leave it at that.”
“Why?”
“Because, in my hometown, if a lady tells a guy that he’s a ‘good person,’ it basically means the end for him.”
“Oh.”
Chu Xianyu mulled over this idea but still couldn’t understand the rationale behind it.
“I still don’t get it.”
“You don’t need to understand. Just remember it.”
I m curious. Why does your hometown have so many weird rules?”
“Well… I don’t know about that either.”
Their cheerful conversation flowed back and forth. Without the veil, they could interact and converse just fine, which signified a considerable improvement in her condition. Everything seemed to be progressing well.
As they spoke, Han Ye found himself entranced by the sight of Chu Xianyu’s profile.
There were some people in the world who, by simply being there, made others feel a sense of inferiority. They were born like the gentle moon against the night sky, not dazzling, but capable of making others realize their insignificance.
And Han Ye knew that he was a person of utter ordinariness.
In terms of talent, he was not as good as Chu Xianyu, in effort, he couldn’t compare to Wang Da Niu, and in ambitions, he fell short of Lin Shihuang. However, the good thing was that he was now capable of touching things that he had never dared to dream of, meeting people that he was never destined to encounter.
As Han Ye was lost in his thoughts, a voice echoed from the void.
“They have left. You can come out now.”
Elder Jiang’s words reached the two of them, prompting Han Ye to raise his head and ask seriously, “So Elder, you’re saying that this tribulation has only temporarily subsided and will only truly disappear when I’ve grown stronger?” “Correct.”
Elder Jiang, hovering in the void, nodded.
In his line of sight, the golden mist emanating from Han Ye’s body was denser than before.
He subconsciously nodded in approval.
In just half a day, this youngster’s destiny had improved vastly.
He truly was the one destined to overcome the tribulation.
“- Whoosh!”
At this moment, Han Ye was surprised to find a large blue light globe falling from the elder’s feet.
‘Attribute Discovered: Good at Qi Observing +3’
‘Good at Qi Observing (Blue): It’s like seeing and not seeing, concentrating the eyes and touching the heart, capable of observing changes in the energy of all things, and predicting fortune and misfortune.’
Hey, this was a good one.
With delight in his heart, Han Ye moved a few steps forward without showing any emotion, and absorbed the attribute.
The sensation of change came instantly, and a draft of cold feeling rose straight to his forehead.
Half-closing his eyes and settling into tranquillity, he opened them again, and saw himself surrounded by a slowly rising, thin and ethereal mist.
For instance, Chu Xianyu’s face had an aura of golden energy, indicating a person of great luck.
And on the face of Elder Jiang…
When he turned his gaze to Jiang Taixu, he found the other party staring straight at him, and there was no energy mist on his face.
Han Ye lowered his head and pondered secretly.
He had just picked up the skill “Good at Qi Observing,” and his level could only stay at this stage for now, given the high cultivation level of people like Elder Jiang.
To observe the rise and fall of all things, to discern fortune and misfortune, one would need more attribute points.
Just like “Fox Pupils Connect Spirit”, the Little White Fox could track invisible ghost energy, but he could only see through the disguise of the ghost objects at the basic level.
Jiang Taixu was staring at Han Ye because he felt some changes in the latter.
He wasn’t sure what exactly it was.
Since he had been practicing this method, nearly a thousand years had passed, and his Master had told him he must be cautious when using it.
Over the years, he had found that changing anything, whether it was an object or a person, involved cause and effect, and he would have been annihilated long ago if he had not found something to substitute.
He had done calculations about Han Ye’s destiny before.
Plain and unremarkable.
Plain and unremarkable.
Still plain and unremarkable.
This was why he initially thought that Chu Xianyu was the one destined to face the tribulation until Han Ye began to rise, and he rarely discovered that his judgment was wrong.
Even now, Han Ye’s future.
Still plain and unremarkable, like walking on flat ground, not a ripple in sight.
Jiang Taixu had not yet figured out the reason.
He had not cared before because Han Ye indeed was plain and unremarkable.
But now things were different. He had become the one who should face the tribulation, and this plainness had become a strange place.
Eventually, Han Ye left Heavenly Mystery Peak, bidding farewell to the elder and Chu Xianyu, and making a pact with Chu Xianyu to practice the sword regularly each month.
After returning to Pure Yang Peak, he coincidentally ran into his senior sister.
“Junior Brother, you’re finally back!”
Shen Yuxiang was beaming with joy, saying, “The Master’s recuperation is over, he finally left closed-door cultivation, and you missed the Pure Yang Peak meeting again.”
“Did the Master summon the disciples to a meeting as soon as he came out?”
Han Ye said in surprise, that the Master had just left seclusion and summoned his disciples, it must be a big event.
Sister Shen Yuxiang smiled and said: “Yes, just like your year, it’s the annual competition for both the Inner and Outer Sect students, let’s see who will win.” There were also Sect Competitions last year, but they weren’t as grand.” Han Ye raised an eyebrow and asked. He remembered that there were Sect Competitions in the past year, but he only just entered the Inner Sect, so he had missed them.
Like the recruitment of Outer Sect disciples in the spring and the year-end assessment, the newly promoted Inner Sect students had to participate in the Sect Competition a year later, otherwise they would definitely be at the bottom, and then what would be the point of the competition.
Shen Yuxiang said solemnly: “This year is different. The Sect Master announced that the Dragon Sparrow Sect has five more places in the Golden Cicada Secret Realm, which will be given to the disciples of the Inner and Outer Sect. The allocation of places will be decided entirely by the rankings.”
“Haven’t I already got a place?”
Han Ye thought that he had already got a place as the first of the Outer Sect.
Yes, you have, but what about the other disciples? Won’t they fight for it?”
Senior Sister Shen seemed to be displeased with his tone. She quickly noticed that Han Ye was already at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and exclaimed:
“You, oh, you. Your cultivation speed is getting faster and faster. If you can get the first place in the Inner Sect, I think the quota of direct disciples of the Pure Yang Peak next year will also be yours.”
“Direct disciple, that sounds good. I’ll give it a try.”
Han Ye smiled, wondering with his current cultivation level, if a year of practice would let him dominate the Inner Sect.