On the morning of the second day, Liu Yanyi bid farewell to Zhang Yan and re-entered the peak to challenge the trials. She did not meet any worthy opponents along the way and easily passed two trials in a row before arriving at the nineteenth peak.
She stood at the peak and looked into the distance.
She saw that there was a spacious valley below the solitary peak. On the east side stood a dozen towering trees that were so thick that it would take several people to encircle them. Their branches flowed with leaves and green clouds crept over them.
On the west side was a wide field. The dead branches and withered leaves on the ground had long been cleaned up. There was a semi-circular cliff about thirty feet wide on the mountain wall and it was very smooth. In the middle of the cliff was a three-legged incense burner that was as tall as a person.
Behind the cliff was a three-story flying temple that was embedded into the mountain wall. Vines and branches hung from the eaves and there were vermillion pillars and black tiles. On one side of the temple, there were three waterfalls that flowed down from the mountain and converged into a crystal-clear waterfall in the valley. It meandered forward and divided the valley into two, like Yin and Yang. Chapter 59:
Black Shuttle Builds Merit
Master and Disciple Rejuvenate
There were already several disciples sitting on the cliff platform. They were all the ones who had entered the peak before her.
Liu Yanyi stepped on the cool breeze and floated down to the front of the stage. She turned her beautiful eyes and saw that she was the seventh to arrive. The disciples glanced at her and didn't look at her anymore. They were still holding their breaths and sitting still.
There were a total of five Elders guarding this peak. They came from the Ling Ji Courtyard, Shang Ming Courtyard, Merit Courtyard, and Zheng Qing Courtyard respectively. They were all sitting on the high platform in front of the flying temple.
The Daoist sitting in the middle looked to be in his forties. He had a straight nose and a square mouth. He had a righteous expression and his eyebrows were like reclining silkworms. His long beard hung down to his abdomen and his eyes were filled with power. The child beside him shouted, "Shang Ming Courtyard's Elder Ji is here. Disciples entering the valley, quickly report your name."
Liu Yanyi stepped forward and bowed, "Disciple Liu Yanyi greets Elder Ji.
When Elder Ji heard this name, he opened his eyes slightly and looked at her. He said, "Please sit to the side and wait for a while."
Liu Yanyi chose an empty praying mat and sat down. She counted the number of seats. Including herself, there were a total of sixteen seats. It seemed that these sixteen people were the number of participants in the final round of the competition.
After noon, a few more people arrived one after another. There were sixteen people in total. Apart from Weng Zhiyuan, Yuan Yanhui, Liu Yanyi, and a person called Zhu Qingsong.
Black Shuttle Attaining Success
Apart from the disciples of the master and disciple duo, the rest were all true disciples of the Celestial Sect of Wonders.
When Elder Ji saw that all the disciples were present, he shouted, "Seal the pass!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a golden bell rang out from the mountain stream, and a flag gate flew out from the green mist. As soon as the flag gate appeared, the formation immediately closed, cutting off the path into the valley, and the disciples behind were no longer able to enter.
Elder Ji stood up and glanced at the sky again. "If the masters want to give their instructions, there's no need to delay for too long. After the inspection, the disciples can enter the valley for the competition."
In the last round of the competition, the disciples had to be inspected by their teachers to see if they had been ambushed by any talisman spells or Gu insects before sending them to the last door.
This was because when the Qincang school was first established, they were engaged in a fierce battle with the demons of the north of the Donghua Continent. Even during the competition, the disciples had to be careful and be protected by the teachers.
Now that ten thousand years had passed, Qincang school had long become the Donghua Sect, and no one dared to do such a thing. However, this precedent was still followed.
After Elder Ji finished speaking, he waved his horsetail whisk, and on the peak of the mountain, a stone screen opened wide. There was a whole different world inside. He and Fourth Elder behind him rode the clouds in the sky and entered together. In the blink of an eye, they disappeared, leaving only two deacon Daoists, one on the left and one on the right, guarding the door.
At this moment, the auspicious clouds in the sky dispersed, and nine misty clouds descended. They circled around each disciple and were taken up by each of them.
Liu Yanyi allowed the soft mist to wrap around her as she flew into the clouds and landed on a flying couch in a flash.
Zhang Yan was sitting on it. He smiled and nodded. "Yanyi, let me send you off for this last round."
He stretched out a finger, and a wisp of smoke flew out, lifting her up. Together with the wind, they went into the valley.
After Zhang Yan sent his disciple into the array door, his gaze swept across the sky. At this moment, other than him, Elder Zhu, and another Elder with the surname Hu, the rest of the Core Formation cultivators were all from the five main families and the twelve main families. However, there was no one from the preeminent clans.
Among the aristocratic families, the five main families were the leaders. Below them were the twelve main families, and then the preeminent clans. The hierarchy was strict and stable. It seemed that the rewards obtained after the competition were not enough for the seventeen families, so the rest naturally did not dare to fight for it.
Zhang Yan laughed coldly in his heart. This way, every time the sect competition was held, it was equivalent to isolating the small aristocratic families.
He would not believe that these small aristocratic families did not have any grievances. However, the five main families and the twelve main families took up about seventy to eighty percent of the aristocratic families' strength. Even if they wanted to resist, it was impossible.
Zhang Yan turned his gaze again and looked towards Elder Zhu. In front of Elder Zhu stood two disciples, a male and a female. His two disciples had both entered the last peak, and he was satisfied. However, when he saw Zhang Yan's gaze, his breath stopped for a moment. He did not look over and only called his two disciples over to him to give them detailed instructions.
The male disciple wore a purple Taoist robe with gold, white socks and a pair of shoes. His hair was tied up in a high bun. His eyebrows were green, and he was handsome and tall. Even among the disciples, he was outstanding and could not be underestimated.
As for the female disciple, she had a pair of conches on her head, tied with a vermillion ribbon that swayed with the wind. She was very beautiful. She wore a pomegranate-colored fairy dress with a jade white ribbon around her waist. At the end of the ribbon was a thin silver ring with a phoenix pattern. Although she was petite and cute, her nose was straight and her eyes were spirited. She looked heroic.
After Elder Zhu finished speaking, he took out something from his sleeve and gave it to the two disciples.
In the eyes of those who were observant, they guessed that it was a treasure. However, Just Now, he was willing to take it out and give it to his disciples, so it must not be something powerful. For a moment, the disciples who saw this scene were shocked.
Zhang Yan looked at Elder Zhu with a playful look.
What kind of magic treasure did this person give out? How powerful was it? No one knew. But sometimes, it was the invisible that was the most frightening.
This elder seemed to be very good at reading people's minds. By doing this in front of everyone, it was obvious that he wanted others to be afraid of his disciples and not be able to fight freely.
A moment later, the nine Core Formation cultivators each sent their own disciples into the formation before turning around and chatting with each other.
One of them glanced at Zhang Yan and deliberately said, "Junior Brother, there are some people who are born ordinary and have a shallow foundation. They overestimate themselves and want to compete with us aristocratic families. It's really ridiculous."
Someone immediately followed up and said, "Senior Brother Zheng is right. Think about our aristocratic families, which clan doesn't have a foundation of thousands of years? How can a person who has cultivated for twenty or thirty years be compared to them?"
When Zhang Yan heard their surnames, he knew that they were disciples of the Zheng family. It was no wonder that they were so hostile to him. During the Pill Grading Assembly, he had ruthlessly humiliated the Zheng family.
He smiled and was too lazy to argue with these two people. He just sat and waited for the result of the competition.
After an hour, the stone door opened with the sound of a drum. Eight disciples flew out one after another.
These disciples were the ones who were defeated by their opponents, so they naturally could not stay in the valley for long.
Senior Brother Zheng was originally filled with confidence, yet his expression couldn't help but change when he suddenly noticed his own disciple was amongst them, and he stood up and cried out involuntarily. "Zheng Xu, you have the protection of treasured clothes and the Golden Lightning Nail in your hand. How could you fail?"
The disciple was originally dejected, but when he heard his master's question, he couldn't help but feel frightened. He knelt on the couch and kowtowed. He said with a sad face, "Master, it's not that I didn't try my best. It's just that Liu Yanyi had the Five Spirit White Carp Shuttle. I tried my best, but I really couldn't withstand it …"
"Five Spirit White Carp Shuttle?"
Senior Brother Zheng almost jumped. He turned around and looked at Zhang Yan angrily. He looked like he wanted to eat the latter.
Everyone knew that the Xiao family's magic treasure had fallen into Zhang Yan's hands. He had even secretly mocked the Xiao family a few times. He didn't expect that it would fall into his hands so quickly.
First-class profound level weapons were rare even among the five clans.
Moreover, the Five Spirit White Carp Shuttle was famous. Among profound level weapons, it was the best of the best. It specialized in breaking magic treasure restrictions. Other than true weapons, there were only a few magic treasures that could restrain it.
Senior Brother Zheng immediately felt depressed. No wonder those who were on good terms with him didn't send their disciples to this competition. Now that he thought about it, they must have already expected this.
In the past, it was always their families who bullied their masters and disciples with their magic treasures. Why was it the other way around now?
He really couldn't hold it in any longer. He angrily walked in front of Zhang Yan and said loudly, "Zhang Yan, your magic treasure is powerful today. My disciple didn't lose unjustly. However, in this world, you're not the only one with a good magic treasure. Don't think that no one can restrain you. In the competition the day after tomorrow, I'll be sure to experience your brilliance. I'll take my leave."
When he finished speaking, he flicked his sleeves and left with his disciple.
When Elder Zhu heard the words "Five Spirit White Carp Shuttle", his expression changed slightly. He stroked his beard and didn't say a word.
Not long after, he seemed to have made up his mind. He suddenly walked to the side and whispered a few words in the ear of the Deacon Taoist at the door. The Taoist looked at him in confusion and surprise. Seeing his serious face, he hesitated for a moment, then nodded and turned to walk through the stone door.
Everyone was curious and didn't know what he said. Someone couldn't help but stand up and yell, "Senior Brother, please wait. There's nothing that can't be said. What are the two of you talking about sneakily?"
The Deacon Taoist was different from the disciples outside. He was also an Elder of Shangming Temple and came from the same lineage of master and disciple. Seeing that this person was asking so impolitely, he didn't give him any face and said coldly, "This is a private matter that Elder Zhu asked his disciples to do. In a moment, I will report it to Elder Ji. If this Senior Brother has any doubts, you can talk to Elder Ji yourself. There's no need to make a fuss and lose your status."
"You …" That person choked on his words but couldn't say anything. He snorted and sat back down.
Everyone waited for another hour before the stone door opened again. This time, four disciples flew out of the valley with dejected expressions. Seeing that their disciples were defeated, the Masters were also embarrassed and didn't want to stay any longer. They took their disciples and flew away.
At this moment, only Zhang Yan, Elder Zhu, and Elder Hu were left in the sky.
Elder Zhu and Elder Hu looked at each other and saw the surprise in each other's eyes. If there were no accidents, the disciples from the same lineage of master and disciple would occupy the top four positions in this competition!
This was the first time in more than a hundred years!
However, as to whose disciples would take first place, they would have to wait and see.
At around the same time, they heard the sound of a bell in the valley. Including Zhang Yan, the three of them looked up and saw four rays of flowing light flying out of the formation door.
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Target = "_ blank" > > > "
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