Chapter Nineteen: You Little Bastard, I’m Going All Out Against You!
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Upon hearing this, everyone immediately understood.
“So that’s how it was—I was wondering why climbing the steps was so easy.”
“My goodness, is he a genius? He actually managed to find such a method?”
However, Qi Yongnian snorted coldly.
“So what if that’s the case? This trial tests the strength of one’s perseverance, requiring steady, methodical progress. Although this youth performed well earlier, at this final stage he became arrogant and tried to play clever tricks, thinking he was flawless. Yet he missed the true essence of this trial—picking up sesame seeds but losing the watermelon!”
The crowd twitched at the corners of their mouths. “Picking up sesame seeds but losing the watermelon? He’s almost at the summit—how is that losing the watermelon?”
“You just said there were no loopholes!”
At this moment, Ziling sighed and began to speak.
“Ziling believes that wisdom is a trait of ordinary people. None of us had expected any flaw in this formation, yet the first challenger managed to find it. Though he did not show extraordinary perseverance at this stage, he demonstrated great wisdom, which is truly admirable.”
“Moreover, this formation has evolved over a thousand years. We all believed it to be flawless. If a loophole exists, it is our fault, not his.”
“According to the rules, simply reaching the thirtieth step means ‘passing the trial.’ Zhang Yi has far exceeded that number and therefore should be granted clearance and be qualified to become a disciple of the Xianxia Sect.”
Upon hearing this, everyone from the Xianxia Sect was momentarily speechless, unable to refute.
According to the previous sect regulations, Zhang Yi had already completed the entry assessment.
Even if the sect leader arrived, they would have to acknowledge this fact; otherwise, if word got out, they would become a laughingstock, and the sect’s reputation would suffer as fickle and petty, making it impossible to survive in the cultivation world.
Still, whether recruiting such a unique disciple would be a blessing or a curse was yet unknown…
This was Ziling’s thought.
...
Illusory Realm, Summit of Knock-Path Mountain.
“You... young friend, I... I have already carried you to the summit. Now... what about the spirit stones you promised?”
The old man reached the last step, eagerly setting Su Yi down, utterly exhausted, barely able to speak a complete sentence.
Su Yi dusted himself off and smiled cheerfully.
“Thank you for your hard work. You are truly robust and energetic, making this latecomer feel ashamed!”
The old man caught his breath and grumbled irritably.
“Enough with the chatter, hand over the spirit stones!”
Su Yi looked puzzled.
“Spirit stones? What spirit stones?”
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The old man immediately felt something was wrong, pointing his cane at Su Yi.
“You... you said you would give me a hundred spirit stones as payment for carrying you up the mountain. Are you trying to renege on your promise?”
“Oh! That! What was I thinking!” Su Yi feigned realization, then smiled slyly.
“Sorry, I was just joking!”
“What!” The old man’s eyes widened, his face turning dark, lips trembling.
“You... villain! To deceive an old, blind man—you are not human!”
Su Yi shrugged helplessly.
“No, no. I am always honest and fair. You tricked me once, so naturally I must trick you once in return—that’s reciprocity. If I didn’t, wouldn’t I be at a loss?”
Hearing this, the old man immediately spat blood.
“You little bastard! I’ll fight you to the death!”
He raised his cane to strike Ye Ping but had barely taken a few steps when he seemed to lose his breath, rolled his eyes, collapsed, and vanished into a wisp of blue smoke.
At that moment, ripples suddenly appeared above Knock-Path Mountain. A phantom figure, resembling a youth, materialized from the void, landing before Su Yi, angrily cursing.
“Damn it! I have guarded this formation for over a thousand years and never seen such a scoundrel. My consciousness avatar worked hard carrying you up the mountain, and you’re stingy with just a hundred spirit stones?”
“If the rules allowed, I would stab you with a knife in a heartbeat! Get lost! Don’t ever let me see you again!”
As the voice faded, Su Yi felt the entire formation reject him, and the next moment he was expelled from the illusion.
The force was strong, clearly fueled by personal grudge.
Outside the illusion, Su Yi glanced around at the strange looks from the crowd and scratched his nose.
Though he hadn’t tried hard, he had at least reached the hundredth step. Even if they were dissatisfied, they should consider him to have passed, right?
Su Yi wasn’t too worried. No matter how powerful the formation spirit was inside, it could not see through his feigned ignorance; his true abilities would remain hidden.
To confirm, he quickly approached a Xianxia Sect disciple nearby.
“Senior brother, I think I just encountered the formation spirit. For some reason, it sent me out. Does this mean I passed the trial?”
The disciple looked at him with a complicated expression.
“Brother, please don’t call me senior brother—you’re the elder here. The formation spirit has not revealed its true form for a thousand years, yet you managed to attract its personal attention to send you out. I’m deeply impressed.”
“Huh?”
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Su Yi was stunned. He had assumed everyone who entered the formation would encounter this, but it turned out he was the only one.
This was bad—he’d drawn too much attention!
Looking up, he saw that everyone was staring at him as if he were a ghost. Scanning the area, he realized that except for the unlucky ones eliminated in earlier stages, he was the only one who had passed the trial!
Most others were still struggling to advance, stuck around the twenties.
Every step these challengers took now required tremendous effort.
Among them, the most impressive progress was made by the favored Xu Ze. He had already passed the thirty-eighth step and was aiming for the thirty-ninth, but judging by his expression, his goal was beyond the fortieth step. Yet he seemed to be on the verge of exhaustion, making it unlikely he could clear the fortieth.
His rival, Zhao Zijin, was already at the thirty-third step, ranking second.
At this moment, Zhao’s face was ashen and purple, his teeth clenched, trembling all over—worse off than Xu Ze.
Su Yi shook his head. At this rate, Zhao wouldn’t even reach the thirty-fifth step in this lifetime. Surpassing Xu Ze was unrealistic.
Watching them laboriously sweating profusely, Su Yi smiled knowingly, a sense of intellectual superiority rising within him.
...
The next morning.
Xianxia Sect.
Outside the gate.
“Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing the task ‘Introductory Cultivation Technique.’ Reward: 100 points, 8 Superior Qi Gathering Pills, 800 Low-grade Spirit Stones.”
Inside a simple wooden hut, Su Yi scratched his forehead and disdainfully tossed aside the wooden scroll.
This basic, straightforward Qi Refining technique was something he could grasp at a glance, no training needed—no difficulty whatsoever.
Of all the rewards, only the points made him feel a bit satisfied.
He had already passed the Xianxia Sect’s assessment yesterday, becoming a humble servant disciple.
After completing the task, he thought he could leave freely, but unexpectedly, the system assigned him another: to cultivate this Xianxia Sect’s “Qi Refining Manual” to entry level.
Seeing this task, Su Yi suddenly realized a serious problem.
He was stuck with no way out!