Hearing that Ai Zhongwen had recommended someone who could beat Mo Yuan, Zheng Xun's face lit up. "I wonder which junior apprentice-brother Ai is referring to, and where is he now?"
Ai Zhongwen replied, "This person is called Zhang Yan, a disciple of the Good Abyss Monastery. Because he has been in seclusion recently, he has not come to the assembly. I believe he is still cultivating in seclusion. I hope senior apprentice-brother can bestow the Golden Sword of Howling Lake and invite him here."
The Golden Sword of Howling Lake was one of the five elements. Martial cultivators could use it to send messages over long distances. It was a common communication method used by the upper house disciples, but the lower house also had some, but they were all in the hands of the first disciple, Zheng Xun, and were usually not used unless there was an emergency.
Zheng Xun was a little puzzled. "I know that the disciples of the Good Abyss Monastery mostly live on Moon Seizing Peak, which is connected to Drifting Clouds Peak by three ropeways. It is only a quarter of an hour's journey from here, so why use the golden sword?"
Ai Zhongwen continued, "First, this person lives on the fifteenth peak, Stargazing Peak. Sending someone to invite him to Drifting Clouds Peak and back will take several hours, possibly until tomorrow. Second, this person is not an ordinary disciple and cannot be ordered around. Using the golden sword is a sign of seriousness, so I hope he will stop his seclusion and come quickly."
Zheng Xun was puzzled. Although the fifteenth peak, Stargazing Peak, was also under the name of the Good Abyss Monastery, it was usually disciples without any foundation who cultivated there. Why would someone recommended by Ai Zhongwen live there?
He pondered for a moment, then asked, "This disciple's surname is Zhang? Is it the Fengyan Zhang, the Eternal Kun Zhang, or the Mianze Zhang? "
Ai Zhongwen slowly shook his head.
He did not know Zhang Yan's real background. Although he knew that he was the son-in-law of the Zhou clan, it seemed that Zhang Yan did not want to publicize his background, so he could not go around announcing it. Otherwise, they would become enemies instead of friends, so he could not answer this question.
Just as Zheng Xun was about to ask something, someone suddenly interrupted, "Is this person from our Xuanmen aristocratic family?"
Ai Zhongwen could not say it clearly, so he could only tactfully say, "Senior apprentice-brothers need not worry. This person's background is extraordinary, and cannot be judged by common sense."
That person sneered and said, "What do you mean by that? He's just a registered disciple who doesn't know what he's doing. You actually used a golden sword to invite him. I think Senior Brother Ai has been in the mud for too long that you've forgotten where you came from. He cupped his fists at Zheng Xun and said, "Senior Martial Brother Zheng, I know this Zhang Yan. About half a day ago, he humiliated Senior Martial Brother Hu's steward and cheated him of a secret book of scriptures and poems. Senior Martial Brother Hu, am I right?"
He turned to look at Hu Shengyu with a hint of mockery in his eyes.
Sitting on the first seat to Zheng Xun's left was Lin Yuan from the Good Abyss Monastery. He said slowly, "I've also heard my clan brother Lin Tong mention this person. It's said that he's just a registered disciple without any background. He's only relying on the Erosion Symbol Deduction Technique he learned from who knows where to deceive some ignorant people."
The disciples on both sides were seated according to their cultivation. Hu Shengyu also sat on the seat to the front on the right. He had a gloomy personality and was a proud and aloof person. He did not interact much with the other disciples and did not know about the matter between Bian Qiao and Zhang Yan. After hearing this, his expression immediately changed, and a faint killing intent flashed in his eyes.
Ai Zhongwen cursed inwardly. He had originally wanted to use Zhang Yan to win against Mo Yuan, but he did not expect to cause trouble instead. After thinking about it carefully, he could not help but feel regret. He had been too concerned. He knew that these people only cared about his reputation, so why did he have to do something unnecessary?
When Zheng Xun heard this, he immediately looked disappointed. He shook his head and did not say anything else.
The disciples below him were even more indifferent. Those who were not disciples of aristocratic families were not in their eyes at all. Some of them even mocked Ai Zhongwen for not caring about his status and befriending lowly people.
Originally, Ai Zhongwen had only come out to speak for the sake of his sect's reputation. The owner of the Dharma Assembly had always reached the peak first, and he heard that the disciples of the Guangyuan Sect and the Nanhua Sect had already reached the foot of Mount Azure Wu. If he waited for them to reach the peak first, what face would Qincang School have to speak of? Therefore, he could not dilly-dally anymore and had to make a decision quickly.
He did not expect that his good intentions would be met with verbal humiliation. Everyone present did not care about the sect's honor and only cared about their sect's status. He was slightly annoyed and said, "I'm also a registered disciple, so it seems that I'm also an extra person? In that case, it's not convenient for me to stay here any longer. Senior Brothers, farewell! "He cupped his hands, swung his sleeves, and slammed the door as he left.
Walking out of the side hall, he looked up at the lush pine and cypress trees on both sides, lofty and lofty. He thought, I, Ai Zhongwen, am also proficient in eroding texts. Can't I achieve anything without this group of short-sighted people? I'll personally meet Mo Yuan and see if his name as a child prodigy is true. Thinking of this, a heroic spirit rose in his heart and he strode towards the second mountain gate alone.
… …
After walking less than a hundred steps, Zhang Yan could not help but slow down and pondered, "What did that Daoist Priestess mean by that sentence?"
After reaching Essence Building Realm, his eyes and ears were very sharp. Of course, he could clearly hear the conversation between the Daoist Priestess and Zhao Ying. Moreover, those words … seemed to be meant for him to hear?
The other party seemed to have deliberately come to pick a fight, but Zhang Yan's intuition told him that the other party would not be so superficial as to ask him such a question for no reason. There must be a reason behind it.
"Elephant River, Elephant River, overflows when it's too much, becomes round when it's too little …"
Zhang Yan frowned and pondered over it repeatedly. Suddenly, his footsteps stopped as he thought of a possibility. Could it be that she was talking about his cultivation?
Thinking of this, the more he thought about it, the more he felt that it was possible.
It stood to reason that with the 《Lin Yao Questioning Method》 in his hands, even if his cultivation was not as smooth as before, it should still be able to improve. But he felt that although his Internal Qi was strong and thick, but no matter how hard he tried, he was unable to take a step further and step into the threshold of "Essence Entering True". He had always thought that it was because his cultivation level was not high enough, but now that he thought about what the Daoist Priestess had said and looked back at his own body, a trace of understanding arose in his heart. It seemed that it was not that his cultivation level was not high enough, but rather it was too much!
The problem lied in the words "too much is as bad as not enough"!
As if a flash of lightning suddenly flashed in front of his eyes, Zhang Yan suddenly understood, the confusion in front of him disappeared for a moment. He could not help but burst into laughter and said, "So that's how it is, so that's how it is!"
He turned around and bowed in the direction of the Daoist Priestess.
Although the realms of the Profound Gate Dao Techniques were known to everyone, but in fact, there were still some hidden traps.
For example, at the step of Essence Building, it was said that there were two realms, namely "Condensing Essence and Visualizing Meaning" and "Essence Entering True", but in fact there was another stage in between, called "Quenching Essence and Desolating Desolation".
After "Condensing Essence and Visualizing Meaning", if one wanted to take a step further, the amount of Yuan Qi hidden deep within the Internal Aperture did not depend on the quantity, but whether it was pure or not.
Cultivators who did not understand the key to this, would often spend several years or even more than ten years to immerse themselves in bitter cultivation. As time passed, the fiery nature of the Yuan Qi would gradually dissipate, and finally condense into one, stepping into the realm of "Essence Entering True", and then stepping into the Meridian Opening Stage.
But in this way, they would waste even more time, and unknowingly, they would be left far behind by those disciples who knew the key to this.
It must be known that after opening the Meridian Opening Stage, the cultivation of the Secret Art was different from before, the difference between high and low could not be measured in terms of Dao. If one was one step slower, then every step would be slower. If one did not have a great opportunity, and did not have outstanding qualifications, then there was almost no hope of catching up to those who were a step ahead.
And if one was not from the Profound Sect Aristocratic Families, it was absolutely impossible for them to know the key to this.
The step of "Quenching Essence and Desolating Desolation" was only taught privately between masters and disciples, passed down by word of mouth, and never written down in the Dao books. Even if there were, these books had been sealed and destroyed by the Profound Sect Aristocratic Families over thousands of years ago.
It was precisely because of this kind of deliberate planning, and mutual tacit control, that each of the big aristocratic families controlled the path of cultivation in each sect.
In fact, the Profound Sect Aristocratic Families' hands and feet in this area were far more than just this. For cultivators who did not come from an aristocratic family, the path of cultivation was really like walking on thin ice, one wrong step and there would be no turning back.
Zhang Yan had his own shrewdness, and after a little thought, he vaguely guessed the possible reasons.
That Taoist nun must have seen that his cultivation was at this threshold, but it was not good for her to say it directly, so she used an allusion to remind him. Although he did not know why she did this, he remembered this favor.
Although Zhang Yan did not know how to quench Essence Qi, he had read the Xuandian in the past, and could roughly guess what problem he had encountered. He already had some ideas, and he was confident that with the remnant of the jade in hand, as long as he knew where the cause was, he would be able to find the correct method after a few attempts.
Thinking of this, he could not wait to find a place to meditate and study it.
At this moment, as if he had sensed something, he looked back and saw a familiar figure walking into his eyes.
Ai Zhongwen was walking angrily on the mountain path, and when he raised his head, he was surprised to see Zhang Yan. A look of joy appeared on his face, and he hurriedly took a few steps forward, cupped his hands, and said, "So Senior Brother Zhang has been here for a long time, but did you also hear about Mo Yuan's matter, so you rushed over?"
Zhang Yan did not understand, and asked, "Senior Brother Ai, what's the matter?"
Seeing that Zhang Yan did not seem to know, Ai Zhongwen sighed, and said, "Ai, it's a long story. Senior Brother Zhang, please follow me, and I will slowly tell you."
The two of them walked forward, talking as they walked. After walking for about a thousand steps, Zhang Yan finally understood the whole story.
However, what interested Zhang Yan was not that Mo Yuan, but that Senior Brother Chen Feng.
"Senior Brother Ai is saying that Senior Brother Chen had the same cultivation as us that day, but he showed his prowess at the Dharma Assembly, and opened his meridians soon after returning?"
Ai Zhongwen's eyes were filled with admiration, and he said, "Yes." Speaking of which, although this Senior Brother Chen had caused the disciples of the two sects to come and seek revenge, he had single-handedly stopped the disciples of the two sects from ascending the peak. This kind of heroism was still very admirable.
Zhang Yan's eyes flashed, and he faintly felt confident in his heart. He asked again, "Right now, how many disciples of the sixteen sects are on the peak?"
Ai Zhongwen shook his head, and said, "Our Qincang School is the host after all, and the disciples of the other sects have to give us face. Therefore, they are all watching and have not made any moves. However, I heard that the disciples of Guangyuan Sect and Nanhua Sect have already reached the foot of the mountain, and I'm afraid they will ascend the peak today."
At this moment, he raised his head, and said, "They're here."
Zhang Yan looked up, and not far away, there was a three-layered stone platform that could stand a hundred people. On the highest stone platform, a purple copper incense burner was emitting green smoke in spirals. A pavilion made of beams was half embedded in the mountain wall, and about a hundred disciples of the three sects were gathered there. The scene was extremely quiet.
Coincidentally, Min Lou, who had not been seen since they parted ways at Yue Qiong Peak, was also in the crowd. At this moment, his eyes were fixed on the scene, and his hands were clenched into fists, looking nervous.
Zhang Yan and Ai Zhongwen stepped onto the stone platform in a few steps, and saw two people sitting opposite each other in the center of the platform, in front of a table. A middle-aged man in a Taoist robe was holding a bamboo chip in his hand, and was carefully deducing the etchings in front of him. However, his forehead was already slightly sweating.
Ai Zhongwen said in a low voice, "This is Senior Brother Cheng of the Virtue Cultivation Sect. Although he is also a registered disciple, he is from the Cheng Clan of Hengchang, and is quite skilled in the Dao of Etchings."
Opposite Senior Brother Cheng was a young man, presumably Mo Yuan. He was about thirteen or fourteen years old, and there was light hair on his lips, and his brows were full of arrogance.
Both of them had good eyesight, and could clearly see the etchings on the page between the two of them. Zhang Yan looked at the scattered bamboo chips in Mo Yuan's hand, and couldn't help but smile.
Ai Zhongwen looked carefully, and then he frowned, saying, "Not good."
Sure enough, before long, Senior Brother Cheng's expression became dejected, and he pushed his table away. He shook his head and sighed, "Junior Brother is wise, Senior Brother admits defeat."
As soon as these words came out, Min Lou, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but stumble, as if he was the one who had lost.
The corner of Mo Yuan's mouth curled up, and he snorted, saying, "Qincang School is only so-so!"
The contempt and disdain in his words made the surrounding Qincang School disciples feel like they had lost face, and many of them immediately showed expressions of anger.
Since Senior Brother Cheng had admitted defeat, he naturally wouldn't say anything more and humiliate himself. He took out a small cloth bag and threw it in front of the young man, cupped his hands, and left.
Zhang Yan didn't understand, and asked, "What's the meaning of this?"
Ai Zhongwen explained, "That's the glittering sand. That Junior Brother Mo came alone, and he was afraid that all the disciples would come forward to challenge him, so he made a bet that anyone who wasn't an inner disciple would have to take out a catty of glittering sand as a wager."
Glittering sand was a type of Five Elements Divine Sand. It was produced Just Now in places where the river water flowed rapidly, and it became rarer the longer it was deposited in the cracks of the rocks at the heart of the river. It was produced more in Qincang School. Zhang Yan thought to himself that this Mo Yuan was also very calculative. Not only did he block the path of all the disciples, he could also use this as an excuse to make a small profit.
Looking at the five small cloth bags on the table, this Mo Yuan had already won at least five times.
Following that, a few more people went up, and all of them lost without exception.
Ai Zhongwen sighed, and said, "I'm not as good as this person."
In the crowd, Min Lou stomped his feet angrily, and said, "Let's not mention all the inner disciples, just Junior Brother Zhang Yan alone would definitely be able to beat this kid!" Although Min Lou's ancestors had once produced powerful cultivators, their family had long since declined, and they didn't value Zhang Yan's background as much as the inner disciples did.
Hearing this, the originally somewhat dejected crowd seemed to wake up, as if they had found a life-saving straw. Whether or not they knew who Zhang Yan was, they all nodded in agreement. After all, they couldn't let Mo Yuan really laugh at Qincang School for not having anyone capable.
When Mo Yuan heard this, he raised his eyebrows, and sneered, "What Senior Brother Zhang? Do you dare to come out and meet me?"
Ai Zhongwen, who was standing beside Zhang Yan, suddenly turned his head to look at him, and there was some anticipation in his eyes.
However, he was immediately disappointed.
Not only did Zhang Yan not step forward bravely, but he also gave Ai Zhongwen a look, and then turned to leave.
Ai Zhongwen was startled, and after a moment of hesitation, he followed.
After walking a few hundred steps, Zhang Yan suddenly stopped, and turned back with a smile. "Senior Brother Ai, do you think that I, Zhang Yan, am getting cold feet?"
Ai Zhongwen forced a smile, and said, "Senior Brother Zhang, there must be a deeper meaning behind your actions."
Zhang Yan smiled, and said, "Actually, it's not difficult to beat Mo Yuan."
"Oh?" Ai Zhongwen was stunned.
Zhang Yan smiled confidently and said, "It's not that I'm boasting. I've observed Mo Yuan. Although he's quite proficient in the Erosion Runes, he still needs to use the bamboo chips to calculate every difficult point. In terms of calculating power, he's far inferior to me."
Ai Zhongwen couldn't help but nod. Putting aside everything else, Zhang Yan had never used bamboo chips to decipher Erosion Runes. Not only was he ashamed of his own inferiority, but which disciple of the lower house dared to say they could do the same? But this made him even more confused. Why didn't Zhang Yan go up when he clearly had the strength? Could it be that there was something he couldn't say?
"Senior Brother, are you wondering why I didn't go up if I had a chance of winning?" Zhang Yan smiled faintly, and said, "Senior Brother Ai, if I go up, and I don't win, I'll just be ridiculed. If I win, the other senior brothers will hate me, and I might even lose my life."
Ai Zhongwen was startled at first, but after thinking about it carefully, he had to admit that what Zhang Yan said made sense!
All the new disciples were blocked at the foot of the mountain, and you, a nominal disciple, could win. Doesn't that mean that all the new disciples are no match for you? Although there were some discrepancies in the story, once the rumors spread, it would be a slap in the face of these people. There would be no benefits, and they would even hate him.
Ai Zhongwen cupped his hands, and said apologetically, "Senior Brother Zhang, it's my fault for not thinking this through."
He thought of Hu Shengyu's gloomy face in the side hall, and was about to remind Zhang Yan to be careful when he heard Zhang Yan's words change. "However, I am also a disciple of Qincang School, and I can't sit back and watch as the disciples of other schools wantonly bully me!"
Hearing this, Ai Zhongwen's spirit was lifted, and he said, "Senior Brother, what do you plan to do?"
Zhang Yan smiled faintly, and said, "Since Guangyuan School can do it, why can't we do it?"
"Senior Brother Zhang, you mean …" Ai Zhongwen stared at Zhang Yan, and his expression was slightly agitated. At this moment, there was an indescribable thought in his heart, but when it reached his mouth, he couldn't say it.
"I heard that three years ago, Senior Brother Chen Feng single-handedly stopped the disciples of two schools, and none of them could reach the top. I, Zhang, yearn for it, and want to imitate you. If they stop my school's disciples for a day, I will also stop them for a day." Zhang Yan straightened his back, and his eyes were fierce, and said, "Senior Brother Ai, do you dare to go with me?"
…
…
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
