Chapter 200: Clouds Gathering |
Shortly after, the people from Five Terraces Sect and Xuanjia Gate were led by the inn's servants to their respective upper rooms.
Although there had been a small disturbance earlier, fortunately everything had passed without real danger.
Inside the room, Chu Jinyun and Sang Yanping sat facing each other. The candlelight flickered, casting heavy shadows on their faces.
"I didn't expect to encounter Ruan Wenzhu here."
Chu Jinyun said in a low voice, “His strength is immense. Over ten years ago, he had already reached the late stage of External Aura, his name shaking all of Tianping Prefecture. Now... I wonder if he’s already stepped into the perfection realm.”
Ruan Wenzhu looked to be in his forties, but in reality was from the same generation as He Yuzhou.
How could this not worry her?
In the External Aura realm, each minor stage was like a vast chasm. If Ruan Wenzhu had truly reached perfection, his threat would far exceed imagination.
Under Sang Yanping's graying eyebrows, his gaze was as calm as an ancient well.
"Your and my primary duty on this trip is to safely escort these disciples to Xuwang Mountain. I imagine Ruan Wenzhu's purpose is the same. His Chaoyong Sect also needs to use this opportunity to send their talented youth. They absolutely won't cause unnecessary trouble at this critical moment and lose sight of what's important."
He took a sip of hot tea and continued, "Just now he didn't seize on the incident, but went straight upstairs instead. This action already shows his attitude, that he doesn't wish to intensify conflicts at this moment. Maintaining surface-level peace right now is the greatest benefit for both major sects."
"Mm."
Hearing this, Chu Jinyun's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly.
Sang Yanping's analysis made sense. Ruan Wenzhu's actions just now did indeed seem more like avoidance than provocation.
Right now Maple Leaf County was a mix of dragons and snakes. With the Puppet Control Sect right here, no matter how powerful Chaoyong Sect was, they still needed to consider Tianbao Upper Sect's authority.
Chen Qing returned to his own room and closed the door.
The room's furnishings were simple but clean.
He first extended his hand from his sleeve, and the Bone-Eroding Spider slowly crawled out.
For this journey with uncertain prospects, he had brought along all the assistance he could, and naturally the Bone-Eroding Spider was no exception.
After years of feeding it various precious materials, it had now fully matured. Its carapace was a glossy deep black, its mouthparts emitted a faint fishy odor when they opened and closed, and the spider silk it spun was exceptionally tough and contained sinister poison. At critical moments, it would be a great asset.
He carefully took out a specially prepared Poison-Feeding Pill to feed it, watching it quietly settle down to absorb the medicinal power before feeling reassured.
After finishing this, Chen Qing simply washed up, changed into a clean blue robe, and went downstairs to the inn's main hall.
At this time, Nie Shanshan, Yan Yaoyang, Li Wang, Li Lei, and several people from Xuanjia Gate including Shi Ziyi and Fang Rui were sitting together around a table.
They were staring with grave expressions at a silk cloth spread on the table, discussing something in low voices. Even when food was brought to the table, they seemed to have no appetite to pick up their chopsticks.
"What's going on?"
Chen Qing walked up and asked.
"Junior Brother Chen, you're here."
Yan Yaoyang looked up and handed the silk cloth to Chen Qing, "Take a look at this. This is the latest issue of the 'Heroes Register' published by the three circuits' largest news media organization, 'Pingjiang Pavilion.' They reportedly mobilized enormous resources to compile a preliminary list of talented disciples who may participate in the Xuwang Mountain selection, and made a rough ranking based on their strength and battle records."
"Oh!?"
Hearing this, Chen Qing took the so-called rankings and examined them carefully.
The silk cloth was made of special material, with exceptionally clear writing on it.
His gaze quickly scanned through it, and he soon found his own name near the top.
Sixty-fifth place, Chen Qing.
Shen Xiuyong's name was ranked at eighty-third place, with a note beside it saying "veteran early-stage External Aura, solid foundation, rich experience."
Looking further down, the rankings stopped abruptly after one hundred and fifty names.
Xiao Bieli's name appeared at one hundred and forty-fourth place, clearly noting he cultivated both Profound Ice and Langyue true qi, perfection realm embracing elixir strength.
"I wonder how strong Chaoyong Sect is?"
Chen Qing's gaze swept to the top rankings, and he quickly noticed Chaoyong Sect's name. Surprisingly, three of their people were on the list.
"Ninth place, Zhao Cheng, Chaoyong Sect, late-stage External Aura."
"Twenty-third place, Liu Wu, Chaoyong Sect, mid-stage External Aura."
"Seventy-first place, Ruan Hongjin, Chaoyong Sect, early-stage External Aura."
Chen Qing felt a chill in his heart. Chaoyong Sect truly lived up to being a prefecture hegemon. Their foundation was indeed incredibly solid, producing talented genius after genius.
Chaoyong Sect's strongest was Zhao Cheng, now nearly forty years old, right at the age threshold for Tianbao Upper Sect's selection.
He also saw Duan Shan from Puppet Control Sect, whom he'd glimpsed earlier outside the inn, ranked at fifty-fifth place with quite a favorable evaluation.
"Only one hundred and fifty rankings?" Chen Qing looked up and asked.
This meant countless late-stage embracing elixir strength geniuses didn't even qualify to make the list.
Li Wang sighed, "Only one hundred and fifty names. People like us... can't even come close to making the list."
His words expressed the feelings of most people present.
Yan Yaoyang and Nie Shanshan were even looking down with rather unpleasant expressions.
They were the highly regarded Five Heroes and Seven Talents of Yunlin Prefecture, the pride of heaven. But on the grand stage of the three circuits' fifty-one prefectures, they didn't even qualify to enter this preliminary ranking. This disparity was truly enormous.
The other disciples also wore grave expressions. The atmosphere was oppressive.
From this ranking alone, one could see the tip of the iceberg and clearly sense just how terrifying the competitive pressure for this Xuwang Mountain selection would be.
Even someone as strong as Chen Qing, with External Aura cultivation and solid records of slaying Demon Sect experts, was only ranked sixty-fifth. This meant there were at least sixty-some External Aura experts whose strength might exceed his!
What an astonishing quantity and quality!
Chen Qing also pondered silently. The fifty-one prefectures covered a vast territory with countless sects. Having so many prodigies emerge wasn't actually unreasonable.
Moreover, the selection wouldn't only take the top three. Xuwang Mountain's training program was surely not small in scale. As long as he could reach the middle tier, he'd have hope of entering Xuwang Mountain.
Right now, improving his cultivation should be his priority. If he had Tianbao Upper Sect's resources supporting him, reaching mid-stage External Aura would be much faster. Secondly, he needed to find attribute treasures for the other three elements and fuse all five true qi streams as soon as possible.
With Tianbao Upper Sect's abundant resources, finding three attribute treasures shouldn't be difficult.
The "Mountain-Splitting Thunder Spear" and "True Martial Seal" were also top priorities.
Shi Ziyi took a deep breath, breaking the silence and trying to make his tone sound calmer, "Tianbao Upper Sect's final selection doesn't entirely depend on this news media ranking. Although Pingjiang Pavilion has well-informed sources, there will inevitably be omissions and miscalculations. In the end, it still depends on on-site performance, potential, temperament, and even luck."
Li Lei also nodded, adding, "Senior Brother Shi is right. This ranking can at most serve as a reference, letting us know we're surrounded by strong enemies and need to be more cautious and work harder. But we shouldn't belittle ourselves or lose our fighting spirit because of it."
Hearing this, everyone perked up slightly, their expressions improving somewhat.
Before long, Chu Jinyun and Sang Yanping also came downstairs.
Elder Sang's gaze swept around. Not seeing Shen Xiuyong, he asked, "Where is Elder Shen?"
Li Wang quickly replied, "Master Uncler Shen said he went to the back courtyard to look after his 'Treading Snow' and told us not to wait for him to eat first."
Sang Yanping shook his head with a helpless smile, "Fine then, we'll eat first."
Boom!
Just as Chen Qing's group was preparing to eat, a huge sound suddenly came from outside the inn. Violent True Aura energy flowed out, and scorching heat waves even penetrated the doors and windows, rushing toward them!
"Is that Lihuo True Aura?"
"Shen Xiuyong!? Quick, go look!"
Chen Qing, Chu Jinyun, and Sang Yanping all felt alarmed and immediately stood up.
The Five Terraces Sect members also couldn't care about eating and rushed toward the source of the energy burst, the inn's back courtyard.
When they rushed to the back courtyard, they saw the stables in complete disarray. Wooden railings were broken, fodder was flying everywhere, and the frightened Jade Cloud Coursers were running about wildly, neighing incessantly.
In the center, Shen Xiuyong held a long blade, his whole body surging with crimson Lihuo True Aura, fiercely fighting with a youth wearing Chaoyong Sect attire.
The youth wielded a long sword with ruthless and cunning moves. His True Aura was thick and heavy. Each collision shook Shen Xiuyong's form slightly, clearly putting him at a disadvantage.
Chen Qing's gaze sharpened. He immediately recognized the youth as Liu Wu from Chaoyong Sect, whom he'd just seen on the "Heroes Register," a mid-stage External Aura expert!
His True Aura's density far exceeded that of Shen Xiuyong, who had just entered External Aura.
The Chaoyong Sect people also heard the commotion. Ruan Wenzhu took the lead, bringing a large group of disciples charging out from inside the inn. Seeing the scene in the courtyard, his brows immediately furrowed tightly.
"Stop!"
Sang Yanping took a deep breath. His voice was like a great bell, containing pure True Aura, trying to separate the two.
Shen Xiuyong and Liu Wu exchanged one more blow. As energy waves rolled, they each leaped backward.
Shen Xiuyong's breathing was rapid, the arm holding his blade trembled slightly, and his tiger's mouth had already split open, blood seeping out.
"What exactly happened?"
Sang Yanping forcefully suppressed his anger, his gaze sweeping over both men before finally settling on Shen Xiuyong.
Shen Xiuyong's face was iron-blue. He pointed at Treading Snow in the distance, which was neighing pitifully with its front hooves on the ground, a deep wound visible to the bone on its belly gushing blood, and said coldly, "It was a beast from Chaoyong Sect who injured my Treading Snow! When I came out to check, this fellow even spoke insolently and attacked first!"
"Nonsense!"
Liu Wu stood with his halberd, his face showing a mocking sneer, "It was clearly you being petty-minded. Seeing my 'Thunder Courser' so magnificent, you became jealous and deliberately picked a fight! Just a Five Terraces Sect..."
"Enough!"
Ruan Wenzhu interrupted Liu Wu's words. His gaze casually swept over Treading Snow's injuries, then looked at Sang Yanping, "It's just a beast. If it's injured, it's injured. Sang Yanping, do your Five Terraces Sect disciples really want to argue with my Chaoyong Sect over such a trivial matter?"
"Ruan Wenzhu, do you really think Five Terraces Sect is easy to bully?"
Sang Yanping's face completely darkened, his robes moving without wind.
Though he was forbearing and restrained, seeing Shen Xiuyong injured at this moment, anger rose in his heart as well.
Chu Jinyun also silently stepped forward, Guishui True Aura flowing as her energy faintly resonated with Sang Yanping's.
In an instant, the atmosphere in the back courtyard became tense, swords drawn!
The Chaoyong Sect members' true qi and True Aura all began circulating, hostile gazes locking onto the Five Terraces Sect people.
The Five Terraces Sect and Xuanjia Gate disciples also immediately tensed and prepared. Chen Qing quietly gripped his Coiling Cloud Spear tighter, his Qingmu and Kunti True Aura secretly merging within, ready to explode at any moment.
However, though both sides were full of fighting spirit, they all maintained a final measure of restraint.
From the corner of his eye, Sang Yanping assessed the opposing side's numbers and strength. Ruan Wenzhu's aura was as deep as the sea, likely having already reached External Aura perfection. Liu Wu was mid-stage External Aura, and there were several embracing elixir strength disciples with considerable presence.
On their own side, though they had four External Aura experts, himself, Chu Jinyun, Shen Xiuyong, and Chen Qing, Shen Xiuyong was already lightly injured and Chen Qing had just entered External Aura. Their overall strength was indeed inferior.
If they actually fought, the disciples would inevitably suffer heavy losses, and the task of reaching Tianbao City would be completely impossible.
He weighed the pros and cons in his mind, gradually suppressing his anger with reason.
Ruan Wenzhu's thoughts also raced.
Though he didn't fear Five Terraces Sect, if they fought here, even if they won, it would leave grounds for criticism and delay the sect's important business. It really wasn't worth it.
He snorted coldly, his imposing manner slightly receding, though he was unwilling to be the first to back down.
At this delicate moment, Fang Hongtao from Puppet Control Sect saw that both sides needed a way out and quickly hurried over with his people, "Elder Sang, Elder Ruan, why hurt your harmony over a momentary impulse? This is Maple Leaf County, not Tianping Prefecture or Yunlin Prefecture. If you make a scene and alarm the local authorities or even word reaches the Upper Sect, it will be very disadvantageous for the important matter of participating in the selection! In my opinion, this is just a misunderstanding. Why don't you both take a step back? Harmony is precious, harmony is precious!"
Sang Yanping's gaze briefly met Ruan Wenzhu's. Both saw the intent to retreat in each other's eyes.
He took advantage of the moment, taking a deep breath and forcefully suppressing his roiling blood and qi. Following Fang Hongtao's words, he said in a heavy voice, "Hmph, since Elder Fang has stepped forward... Elder Ruan, I hope you can control your sect's disciples. If there's a next time, Five Terraces Sect absolutely won't let this go! Let's go!"
Those last three words were addressed to the Five Terraces Sect members.
Ruan Wenzhu also took the opportunity to restrain his aura, saying coldly, "How Chaoyong Sect conducts itself is not for others to criticize. But today I'll give Elder Fang some face."
With that, he waved his sleeve and said to his sect's disciples, "We're going back."
Watching both sides retreat separately, Fang Hongtao was secretly pleased. This time he'd not only prevented conflict but also made both sects owe him a small favor. It was killing two birds with one stone.
In Chaoyong Sect's guest room.
Back in the room, Liu Wu was still indignant. He said coldly to Ruan Wenzhu, "Elder Ruan, I observed carefully just now. Five Terraces Sect's group only has four External Aura experts. That Sang Yanping is old, Chu Jinyun is just a woman, Shen Xiuyong is already injured. Only that newly emerged Chen Qing is somewhat worth noting, but he's only just entered External Aura. If we ambush them at night, taking them down would be as easy as turning our hands!"
"Inappropriate."
Ruan Wenzhu directly waved his hand in refusal, "Sang Yanping's strength is unfathomable, absolutely not as simple as he appears on the surface. With Chu Jinyun supporting him nearby, if we fail and let even one of them escape to make this big, spreading the news, where would Chaoyong Sect's face be? If the Upper Sect investigates, the trouble will be enormous."
He knew this idea carried extremely high risk. Five Terraces Sect's strength was not to be underestimated. Under a desperate counterattack, the consequences would be hard to predict.
Gambling the sect's reputation and the important selection matter on a momentary impulse was absolutely not a wise move.
Hearing this, though Liu Wu was unwilling, he also knew Elder Ruan spoke sense.
Ambushing a fellow sect's contingent, especially during such a sensitive period, would be an enormous scandal if exposed. They were priceless jade artifacts. Why should they collide with Five Terraces Sect's clay pots?
He said nothing more.
"No need to rush."
Ruan Wenzhu's gaze looked profoundly toward the direction where the Five Terraces Sect members were staying, saying lightly, "The Xuwang Mountain selection will be a fierce competition with plenty of opportunities. When the time comes... crippling a few of their geniuses, wouldn't that be even better?"
Liu Wu nodded and said nothing more.
On the other side, the Five Terraces Sect members gathered in Shen Xiuyong's room.
Chu Jinyun was channeling her power to heal his injuries.
"How are you?" Sang Yanping asked with concern.
"Sustained some internal injuries, blood and qi churning. It's nothing serious. I'll be fine after circulating my qi overnight."
Shen Xiuyong's face was slightly pale. He shook his head, "That Liu Wu from Chaoyong Sect truly has some ability. His cultivation has progressed so quickly, already reaching mid-stage External Aura."
Hearing this, everyone present had very unpleasant expressions.
Chaoyong Sect was like a heavy mountain pressing on everyone's hearts, making it hard to breathe.
One of their young disciples already possessed such strength. The depth of their foundation was evident.
Chen Qing also furrowed his brow slightly. Mid-stage External Aura!
It seemed the Heroes Register rankings were not empty words.
He silently calculated. If he erupted with full power, taking down that Liu Wu shouldn't be too difficult.
Sang Yanping surveyed the room, seeing the expressions on the disciples' faces. He knew he had to make a decisive decision.
He took a deep breath and said gravely, "This place isn't safe to stay! Chaoyong Sect is domineering. It's hard to avoid more incidents. There's no time to waste. Let's pack up and leave tonight!"
"Leave tonight?" Chu Jinyun finished channeling her power, somewhat surprised.
"Exactly!"
Sang Yanping's tone was decisive, "While they think we'll rest until dawn, we'll depart overnight, disrupting their expectations and trying to gain distance to avoid more unnecessary trouble! Though it's more arduous, safety comes first!"
After thinking it over, Chu Jinyun nodded heavily, feeling Sang Yanping's approach was very reasonable.
Facing the powerful Chaoyong Sect, temporarily avoiding their edge was the best choice.
Subsequently, the disciples all rallied their spirits and immediately returned to their rooms to pack their belongings.
Night quietly shrouded Maple Leaf County.
After leaving Maple Leaf County, Elder Sang Yanping deliberately adjusted their route, avoiding several official roads where they might encounter other major sects.
They rushed along, covered in travel dust.
Fortunately, the rest of the journey was indeed much calmer.
Though they occasionally encountered other sect groups heading to Tianbao Upper Sect, most just passed each other from a distance, minding their own business.
Even when a few groups approached, after Sang Yanping and Chu Jinyun identified themselves as Five Terraces Sect and expressed their lack of hostile intent, the others mostly responded courteously, exchanging simple pleasantries before each continuing their journey.
Clearly, not all sects were as aggressive as Chaoyong Sect.
During this critical period before Tianbao Upper Sect's selection, most forces held to the principle that one less trouble was better than one more, seeking safe arrival and unwilling to create complications.
Chen Qing used this time to practice the newly acquired "Guicang Spirit Concealment Art," making his own aura increasingly harmonious and restrained.
Meanwhile, sects from the three circuits' fifty-one prefectures all rushed toward Tianbao Upper Sect. For a time, the various official roads and waterways leading to Tianbao Upper Sect were filled with fluttering banners and processions like dragons.
Under the azure sky, occasionally enormous exotic birds could be seen sweeping across the heavens, their wings blocking the sun. Those were contingents from major sects with flying mounts, causing people to look up and exclaim in wonder.
On the broad river surface, uniquely-shaped tower ships cut through the waves at high speed, their prows cleaving white foam, moving no slower than horses on land.
Some sect disciples skilled in water techniques even walked directly on the waves, their movements as light as walking on flat ground.
More contingents, like Five Terraces Sect, rode exotic precious horses, galloping like lightning through dense forests.
The towns and post stations along the way became unprecedentedly lively.
Taverns and inns were completely full, rooms impossible to find. In the trading markets, the prices of spirit pills, precious medicines, and weapons rose sharply. Even the well-informed martial world news media were exceptionally active. Copies of the latest, supposedly confidential Heroes Register were eagerly purchased, becoming topics of endless discussion.
When various forces encountered each other, most maintained cautious restraint.
Occasionally there were small-scale frictions or disputes of pride, but these were quickly suppressed by their respective sides. Everything prioritized arriving at Tianbao City on time.
The entire three circuits seemed swept up by an invisible torrent, surging toward Tianbao Upper Sect.
Winds and clouds gathering, dragons and tigers converging, an unprecedented gathering of geniuses was about to begin.
Chen Qing's group traveled for another ten days, crossing several prefectures. Along the way, the terrain gradually changed, population became increasingly dense, and the official road became broader and smoother, wide enough for ten horses to ride abreast.
On this day, just past noon, the convoy crested the final mountain ridge.
Elder Sang Yanping reined in his horse and raised his hand to signal the group to stop.
"Ahead lies Tianbao Upper Sect."
Hearing this, everyone's gaze followed the direction Sang Yanping's finger pointed.
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