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Chapter 345: The Members of the Great Astral Sect Aren't Fools Right?

They were Chu Liang and Yun Chaoxian.

The Golden-Furred Hou was now a star in the Berry Wonderland, and Chu Liang usually wouldn't ride it outside the sect for personal matters. Nevertheless, he reluctantly brought the Golden-Furred Hou out for a bit just to make his buddy look good.

After all, regardless of whom the other three core disciples had invited, it was unlikely they would have a sixth-realm mount. In terms of appearances, Yun Chaoxian and Chu Liang were already a step ahead.

Located on Everlasting Island was the Ulitmate Martial Mountain Manor. The manor's master had belonged to the Great Astral Sect's previous generation of disciples, but he'd left the sect in his early years. Now, he was a little famous in the cultivation world and still maintained a close relationship with the sect where he'd been born.

This time, his manor was the location where the four core disciples of the Great Astral Sect would be given the test for the second round of the trial for the next head disciple.

Upon landing, Yun Chaoxian had his head held high and chest out, while Chu Liang led the Golden-Furred Hou along leisurely. Without stopping once, they walked until they arrived at the entrance gates of the Ultimate Martial Mountain Manor.

The mountain manor was quite impressive. It had been built on an open space that protruded from the mid level of a mountain on the solitary Everlasting Island. With silver-white walls, bricks, and tiles, the manor was quite beautiful.

At this moment, the manor's entrance gates were open. The manor's guards and servants were standing in two straight lines, five steps apart from each other, to welcome the disciples visiting from the Great Astral Sect. Judging by the appearances of the guards, each one was a martial artist with hidden skills.

It was quite a grand welcome.

The manor's steward walked over to Yun Chaoxian and Chu Liang.

He asked, "Young heroes, are you here to participate in the Great Astral Sect's trial?"

"I'm Yun Chaoxian from the Great Astral Sect," Yun Chaoxian said, introducing himself first. Then he gestured to Chu Liang. "My companion is Chu Liang from the Mount Shu Sect."

"Oh! I've heard of your great names." The steward's smile became much more flattering. He glanced at the Golden-Furred Hou behind Chu Liang. "Please leave this spirit beast in our courtyard for now, as there isn't a lot of space inside. There are already four other young heroes waiting in the guest hall. Please head inside."

"Sure," Chu Liang replied.

He brought the Golden-Furred Hou into the courtyard and had it stay put there.

The steward went to get some food to feed the spirit beast. He certainly wasn't going to mistreat this sixth-realm mount.

Yun Chaoxian and Chu Liang then entered the guest hall.

It seemed that not all the participants had arrived, as the master of the manor had yet to appear. Aside from the attendants, there were only four young people in the hall.

Chu Liang only recognized two of them.

Of the two people he didn't recognize, one was a thin young man with a scarlet scabbard at his waist. His black hair was two fingers long, and his appearance was ordinary. His gaze, however, was sharp and piercing.

When they made eye contact, Chu Liang felt a stabbing pain in his eyes.

What powerful divine intent.

Chu Liang knew that this sharp pain was due to the thin young man having strong mental power. Of the three energies cultivators cultivated, martial artists mainly cultivated vitality, whereas ordinary cultivators, who were also known as qi practitioners, mainly cultivated qi.

Only Confucian cultivators or cultivators of certain special lineages cultivated the spirit, strengthening their mental power. However, having strong mental power was often extremely important for all cultivators.

The thin young man was obviously not a Confucian cultivator, but he had probably cultivated using some special techniques to strengthen his divine intent.

Chu Liang didn't even need to guess. He was certain that this person had to be the Great Astral Sect's eldest senior brother, Ren Hongdao!

Beside Ren Hongdao sat a clean-cut young man in white Confucian robes. His facial features were unremarkable, but he had a gentle gaze and a refined demeanor.

Just sitting there, he exuded a very comfortable presence. His aura alone made those around him feel like they were bathed in a spring breeze. It was quite a magical feeling.

Ignoring all that, the first thing that Yun Chaoxian did when he sat down was yell. "Senior Brother, you actually invited Zhang Chen! That's so unfair!"

Upon hearing that, Chu Liang knew who the Confucian cultivator was. He was the head disciple of the Ascending Dragon Academy, Zhang Chen!

In fact, if anyone were to say which sect among the Terrestrial Ten was the strongest, it would undoubtedly be Ascending Dragon Academy. However, the Ascending Dragon Academy had never considered trying to rise to the rankings of the Divine Nine.

This was due to the sect's unique structure. Instead of concentrating their forces in the sect, they advocated spreading their members across the nine provinces, which got them the support of the imperial court and an established presence among the common people.

Taotie City and the Thunderbolt Stronghold had always attempted to obtain a spot in the Divine Nine, but it was very difficult for them to surpass the Ascending Dragon Academy in terms of strength.

After venturing into the world, the Ascending Dragon Academy's successive generations of head disciples had all become renowned figures across the nine provinces. They ranged from great scholars of the present age to high-ranking officials in the imperial court. Yet, Zhang Chen was outstanding even in comparison to them when they were his age.

It could be said that all of the Yu Dynasty was looking forward to what he would do in the future. The head disciple of the Ascending Dragon Academy might normally be quite disconnected from the world of immortality cultivators, but there was no doubt that his strength and status would play a significant role in it.

Coupled with Ren Hongdao's strength, this was indeed a formidable combination.

"Brother Yun, you shouldn't say that. You invited Young Hero Chu, and Miss Tang invited the ninth young lady of the Ji Family," Zhang Chen said with a gentle voice. "I, a mere Confucian scholar, cannot compare to the two of them."

That's right. There were two young women sitting opposite Ren Hongdao and Zhang Chen.

The delicate-looking girl with the Hegemon King's Spear sitting beside her was Tang Shi, who had a good relationship with Yun Chaoxian. Chu Liang had already met her several times, so he obviously knew who she was.

Surprisingly, the person Tang Shi had invited was someone Chu Liang had met once before. The young lady had snow-white skin and sparkling golden eyes. She was the ninth young lady of the Ji Family, Ji Lingyu!

After greeting everyone, Chu Liang sat next to Ji Lingyu and quietly said, "Miss Ji, it's been a while. That competition you had with your brother—who won?"

Ji Lingyu was a little surprised to hear that and replied, "It's not over yet."

Chu Liang blinked. "Huh?"

"We're competing to see who will get found by our family first... but neither of us has been found yet."

"So, you've just been wandering outside all this time?" Chu Liang asked.

"I didn't want it to be this way, but my eighth brother still hasn't returned home..." Determination flared in Ji Lingyu's eyes. "I can't lose!"

Well, then. I guess she is indeed a woman of the Ji Family—a woman who will be strong-willed for life.

They only managed a brief conversation before there was the sound of footsteps from outside. Everyone looked up to see two people walking in.

"Apologies. We're late."

The person on the left was a young man in white with a steely face. He wore a jade belt and carried a heavy broadsword on his back. This young man was Li Fujian.

Chu Liang had also met him before. Li Fujian was Old Man Zhang Juque's disciple.

The person Li Fujian had brought with him was a delicate and beautiful youth, who seemed a little younger than Li Fujian. The youth was tall and skinny, and he was dressed in the robes of a young master and had a jade hair accessory[1] pinned in his thick, luxurious hair.

The beautiful youth smiled at the people in the room, his eyes curving into narrow slits.

Li Fujian introduced the youth to the others. "This is my good friend, Zhuge Guanxing from the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals."

Upon hearing the youth's name, everyone figured out who he was. So, he's from the Zhuge Family.

The Zhuge Family of the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals was similar to what the Lu Family had been in the past for the Mount Shu Sect. They were an ancient family that had produced sect leaders and elders for the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals, so they had always held a high status in the sect.

The Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals was one of the more traditional sects in the Divine Nine. They focused on secluding themselves from the outside world to focus on cultivation, so they lived as mountain hermits.

They were so withdrawn from the world that they were only second to the Greater-Yin Cult. The disciples of the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals rarely appeared outside their sect, and when they did, it was only to travel to slay monsters and obliterate devils.

Therefore, the disciples of the Fog-Hidden Mountain of Immortals were usually quite unknown to the world of immortality cultivators. Nevertheless, there was no doubt that they were strong. Every once in a while, one of their disciples would suddenly emerge and achieve some astonishing feats.

It appeared that the Great Astral Sect had invited some highly capable individuals this time. None of these people would be easy opponents.

...

Once all the participants had arrived, one of the attendants went to inform the manor's master.

A short time later, someone's hearty laugh came through from outside. "Haha, young heroes, you've come a long way. Please forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality!"

That person had broad shoulders that extended into a wide frame and a dark complexion partially covered by a long beard. Burly and tall, this man exuded a majestic and imposing aura.

However, his face did not reveal his imposing might. Before his lips even curved upward, his smile shone through his eyes. This was Li Zhutian, the master of the Ultimate Martial Mountain Manor.

Li Zhutian walked briskly to the host's seat and sat down.

Laughing, he said, "Rest assured. As someone who was born as a disciple of the Great Astral Sect, I understand the importance of this trial to all of you and will ensure absolute fairness and impartiality."

Li Fujian nodded. "Everyone can rest assured. My second uncle is the most fair-minded person."

Chu Liang leaned closer to Yun Chaoxian and asked, "Are those two related?"

"Yes." Yun Chaoxian nodded. "But it doesn't matter."

Indeed. According to your Great Astral Sect, your bloodline is also a part of your strength, right? Chu Liang mocked inwardly.

However, since the Great Astral Sect had chosen this person to set the questions, it indicated there wouldn't be any favoritism and that this shouldn't be a major concern. After all, the members of the Great Astral Sect couldn't be fools.

Eh? Wait a minute...

Chu Liang suddenly felt a bit doubtful about Li Zhutian's impartiality. [2]

Li Zhutiian shot Li Fujian a glare and then said, "My manor was chosen for the second round of the trial because something happened here recently that can serve as your test."

He continued seriously, "Two days ago, Li Feiyu[3], the notorious Jiangnan thief, stole the treasure of my manor, the Baxia Dual Rings. I hope you can help me find Li Feiyu and retrieve the Baxia Dual Rings! Whoever succeeds will be the winner."

1. There isn't really an English equivalent for this, but it is basically a hair accessory for guys. See the Translator's thought for an example of what it looks like. ☜

2. In case anyone doesn't get it, I assume Chu Liang remembered who he was talking to... the very “intelligent” Yun Chaoxian. ☜

3. Feiyu (飞鱼) means Flying Fish. ☜