by <unknown>
Zhong Yue’s heart instantly sank. At this time, a young examiner suddenly stood up. His dark hair flew in the air. With an abrupt outbreak of his aura, he censured, “Enough! Senior martial brothers, I have had enough of you all! The children of the peasants are trying so hard to pass the examination, but only one out of ten thousand can do so. The dead and the wounded, most of them are from the poor families! The disciples of the big clans can use the totem god pillars while the disciples of the poor have nothing, where are fairness and equality? If there isn’t any, then what is wrong about passing the test with physique refining techniques? Today, this Zhongshan Clan must be counted as passed!”
The white haired examiner frowned, “Junior Martial Brother Zuo, you are a bit presumptuous….”
“Then I will be presumptuous for this once!” The young examiner released his aura and a gate shaped like a sword appeared above his head. As the gate opened, a ball of burning sun-like flame like flew out. In the middle of the sun, stood a foot-tall celestial being with the head of a bird and the body of a man. This was his totem spirit, he sneered, “Senior martial brothers, all of you come from the well-known clans and monopolize Swords Gate. When will it be the day where people like us that come from the poor can rise up high? I myself come from the poor and today I will fight for the poor!”
His totem spirit was a human with a bird’s head, a pair of wings and with bird’s feet. The moment it made its appearance, the whole Cloudless Hall became dry and hot. Blazing fires burned in the air as if the sun was really here!
“Senior Martial Brother Tian, sixty years ago, you became a Qi Practitioner. On the other hand, I only became one ten years ago. Today, I challenge you to a duel, let’s see who is stronger! Whether if it is you, the Qi Practitioner from a well-known clan or me, a peasant Qi Practitioner! Do you have the courage to accept?”
“Zuo Xiangsheng, you are overestimating yourself!” The white-haired elder snorted coldly. Above him, a Sword Gate also appeared. He called out his totem spirit. It was also only a foot tall; a treant with no legs. The bottom half was its roots, it had tree crowns as its hair and the leaves grew lushly!
There was an outbreak between the two Qi Practitioners. Suddenly, the totem spirit of the white-haired elder made the first move. Countless roots flew and danced in the air. The roots were like pythons and Jiao Dragons, getting thicker and sturdier. It shuttled through the air as it headed toward Zuo Xiangsheng!
His totem spirit turned into a towering giant tree. Lively energies burst from the totem spirit and the tree’s crown wholly covered Cloudless Hall.
Meanwhile, the totem spirit of Zuo Xiangsheng was also getting bigger. As the wind blew, the birdman celestial being grew bigger and fully spread out its wings. It opened its mouth and blasted out breaths of fire, burning off the roots!
All of a sudden, the treant lifted its hands. Giant timbers appeared out of nowhere, one after another, each of them weighing at least tens of thousands of pounds. They all rained down onto Zuo Xiangsheng!
Utilizing wood as swords and forming a sword array!
The celestial birdman totem spirit shot out countless Sword Qi from its eyes, using fire as swords, incisively sharp and blazing hot!
The outbreak between the two Qi Practitioners suppressed the outer disciples, who could not withstand the intense ambiance of this fighting scene. Quickly, the other examiners stepped forward and shielded the outer disciples, they shouted, “Senior Martial Brother Tian and Junior Martial Brother Zuo, stop, stop at once!”
With the examiners guarding them, Zhong Yue, Shui Qingyan, and the other outer disciples were finally able to exhale a breath of relief. The outer disciples raised their heads and looked up; the battle between the two Qi Practitioners was getting more and more intense. Their eyes were completely riveted by the battle.
The rest of the examiners did not know whether to laugh or cry. They quickly tried to persuade the two of them to stop. One of them whispered, “As glorious Qi Practitioners, they actually fought because of an outer disciple. If word of this gets out, the honor of the Cloudless Hall will be no more!”
In the history of the examinations of Cloudless Hall, this was the first time an outer disciple had ever bare-handedly defeated an mantis demon. It was also the first time the examiners fought amongst themselves.
“Should we help?”
“Help who?”
“Of course, it will be Senior Martial Brother Tian! Senior Martial Brother Tian comes from a well-known clan, the Tian Feng Clan, which holds great prestige within the Swords Gate….”
Right when they finished their discussion, the white-haired elder examiner fell from the sky and landed on the floor. There was blood trickling down his mouth. He struggled to get up, but was not able to.
The other examiners were shocked. They looked up at Zuo Xiangsheng who was floating in mid-air. There were flames around him as he transformed himself into the birdman celestial being. He had bird claws and a pair of wings, his appearance was grand and impressive, like an immortal in flames, while his totem spirit was nowhere to be seen!
“You have cultivated to the level of Human-Spirit As One?” The white haired elder turned gray and dull. He gazed at Zuo Xiangsheng in terror and envy, coughing out a mouthful of blood, and said, “You can combine your body and the totem spirit as one, I am convinced that I am no match for you. I will have no second words if you take control of the Cloudless Hall. But the rules are the rules; the Zhong Shan Clan didn’t use his soul to defeat the mantis demon, his actions are against the rules, I will report this matter to the higher-ups of Swords Gate and you will see!”
Zuo Xiangsheng walked down from mid-air. It was like he was walking down stairs, he was high-spirited as he laughed and said, “There is no need for Senior Martial Brother Tian to talk to the higher ups. If the Zhong Yue of Zhong Shan Clan can defeat the mantis demon with his fists, then he can surely defeat the mantis demon with his soul with no difficulty. Since you hold a different opinion, then let him try another time! Zhong Yue!”
On the stage, Zhong Yue bowed and answered, “I am here.”
“You will be examined again, you are not allowed to kill the demon with your physique refining art, only use your soul!”
Zuo Xiangsheng lifted his finger and the Swords Gate on the stage opened once again. Another mantis demon rushed out from it as Zuo Xiangsheng said in a solemn tone, “I want you to find and pave a path for the children of the poor, a path where we the peasants can pass the examination without the availability of totem god pillars!”
“【Jiao Dragon Winding Body Totem Art】!”
Zhong Yue groaned deeply. He imagined the Jiao Dragon totem and his psyche turned into flows of light-green energies. The energy flowed around his body like a Jiao Dragon winding around him. He raised his arms, then grabbed and stopped the arms of the mantis demon!
The man and the demon clashed, hand-to-hand!
“Soul liberation!”
The arms of the mantis demon were restrained so its speed was slow. A ray of light flashed between Zhong Yue’s eyebrows and his soul dashed out to entered the psyche ocean of the mantis demon. A Sword Gate appeared in the psyche ocean of the mantis demon. Suddenly, a Sword Qi flew out of the gate, cutting the demon’s soul in half!
Zuo Xiangsheng looked at him with a pair of eyes filled with praise. He smiled and said, “Zhong Yue’s body is strong, the mantis demon could not fight him off. As long as his soul is liberated, he can easily kill the mantis demon. Senior Martial Brother Tian, now I say he has passed the test, do you have any objections?”
The white haired elder gave another cold snort and kept silent.
Zuo Xiangsheng took out a token of the upper house and handed it over to Zhong Yue as he said, “From today onward, you are officially a soul liberated disciple. You can claim ten Yuling Pellets every month from the Valley of Remedy within the upper house. You have done well, it is hard for the children of the poor to become Qi Practitioners. If there are more p
easant Qi Practitioners in the future, you are to be credited!”
The words he said were not an exaggeration at all. Physique refining arts were not the focus of Swords Gate, so most of the children of the poor families could not pass the soul liberation examination of Cloudless Hall. With the fact that Zhong Yue managed to pass the examination with his physique refining technique, it would trigger a surge of physique refining techniques among the children of the poor. In the future, there would be more and more disciples passing the examination through this path!
The number of peasant Qi Practitioners would therefore increase!
“You are fifteen years old this year, right?” Zuo Xiangsheng pondered for a moment and said, “With your current age, there will be some dangers when manifesting your spirit at the age of sixteen. Feel free to look for me if you are facing difficulties.”
Zhong Yue thanked him and thought in his heart, This Junior Martial Uncle Zuo, he is truly a hero.
He did not leave immediately after, standing below the stage and watching Shui Qingyan’s examination. On the stage, Shui Qingyan circled around and fought with the mantis demon. Her blouse floated in the air as she moved around. It was like there were waves of currents beneath her feet that helped her maneuver around the stage without her feet touching the floor.
She did not use her totem god pillar, but it was clear that her cultivation technique was high quality. Her speed was comparable to the mantis demon, it was only her strength that was lacking.
The way Zhong Yue used to defeat the mantis demon was simple and crude. The impressive force from his muscles was fully utilized. In contrast, her maneuvers were elegant and graceful, much like a fairy dancing in the air.
Shui Qingyan soon seized upon a flaw in the demon’s movements and her soul dashed out. With the visualized Swords Gate, she slashed at the demon’s soul!
“This little girl from the Shui Tu Clan, did she really just join a year ago?”
The examiners looked at each other and one of them whispered, “I hear that there are Qi Practitioners from the clan that took good care of her, but her cultivation speed is indeed exceptional. Passing the examination without the use of totem god pillar, disciples like this are rarely seen lately.”
As for Zhong Yue passing without the totem god pillar, the fact was completely ignored by them.
In their eyes, Shui Qingyan’s method was the only authentic way of Swords Gate, while Zhong Yue’s method that relied on the physique refining technique was merely a crooked and spurious path.
Shui Qingyan also received the upper house token and very happy, she left together with Zhong Yue for the upper house of Swords Gate.
------
The upper house was divided into two, the men’s and women’s houses. The purpose of the separation was to avoid improper relationships between the disciples from daily communications. After all, the outer disciples of the upper house were the focal point of the outer hall. If their morale turned bad, it would affect their cultivation speeds.
Shui Qingyan and Zhong Yue each went on their own path. Before leaving, Shui Qingyan said hesitantly, “Brother Yue, remember to come and look for me often at the women’s house!”
Zhong Yue nodded, carrying his medicine basket as he walked away on the path to the upper men’s house. He attracted countless gazes from the other disciples along the way. He thought, I wonder if the upper house allows the male disciples to enter the women’s house … It’s better if I go to the Valley of Remedy and claim the ten Yuling Pellets to improve my body. Otherwise, with my body in this skinny and dried up state, I can’t continue cultivating the 【Sui Sovereign's Flame Order Palace Visualization Art】.
Chapter 7: Soul Manipulation |
Zhong Yue went to the Valley of Remedy and retrieve his ten monthly Yuling Pellets. He then visited the manager of the upper house to move into his own courtyard.
“This courtyard is divided into three parts. The back part of the courtyard is the place where you rest, the center is the hall for meetings and it comes with a training room that is meant for cultivation, and lastly, the front part is the place where the servants stay.”
The manager brought Zhong Yue to have a view of this courtyard and said with a smile, “Some of the kids from rich families usually brought their own servants to serve them so they could have more time to spend on their cultivation. This is the token of the entire courtyard and it has an incredible effect. Just place it in the notch over there and it would trigger the totem pillar in the courtyard and form a barrier that blocks off any outsiders. To remove the barrier, simply take the token out of the notch will do. By the way, you should nourish the token with your soul and psyche in order to become the owner of it so as to restrict others from using it.”
Zhong Yue was happy about this function of the token as it was really helpful. Daily cultivation required great focus and peace as things could easily turn sour when cultivation was interrupted abruptly. One could suffer heavy injuries or even death in the worst case scenario.
With this token, the others would not be able to enter the courtyard without permission, thereby preventing the aforementioned situation from transpiring.
Besides, one could also safely place their valuables in the courtyard without any worries about them being stolen.
“May I ask... How do the upper house disciples usually cultivate?” asked Zhong Yue.
The manager laughed and said, “Every disciple that manages to get into the upper house will be reported to the Qi Practitioners of the Swords Gate. Then the Qi Practitioners will come down themselves and select their ideal disciples to teach them techniques and guide them in cultivation. Usually, every Qi Practitioner will have ten to twenty upper house disciples at once, because if one of their disciples become a Qi Practitioners, they will share the honor as well. Don’t worry too much, my junior martial brother. As long as you’ve passed the test of Cloudless Hall, you will be chosen by one of the Qi Practitioners in no time.”
“I see...” said the relaxed Zhong Yue.
After the manager left, Zhong Yue immediately placed the token into the notch located on the door. The totem god pillar vibrated strongly and let out a noise before forming a barrier that sealed the entire courtyard. The basket was then put on the ground carefully by Zhong Yue and the weathered bronze lamp was taken out as well. The lights of the lamp appeared to be fading anytime soon and Xin Huo remained asleep.
How long is Xin Huo going to be asleep?
Then, he took out a small and attractive-looking jade bottle. When he removed the stopper, and a light and fragrant medicinal incense could be smelled almost instantly. Lying at the bottom of the bottle were ten pellets about the size of a soybean; these pellets were the Yuling Pellets.
In the past, he had to risk his life and pour in immense amounts of effort to gather herbs in the mountains to concoct his own pellets. Not only that, the success rate of making his own pellets cannot be guaranteed as well.
But now, ten pellets were distributed to him after he became an upper house disciple. Moreover, he would be receiving ten pellets a month! This was indeed an incredible boon for Zhong Yue.
One Yuling Pellet was capable of granting a normal person incredible speed and strength and would allow them to be able to survive without any food and water for almost half a month. Even for the Swords Gate’s outer disciples, they could cultivate for two or three days without any rest with just one Yuling Pellet!
Zhong Yue consumed one Yuling Pellet; immediately, he could feel that the strong medicinal essence quickly turned into pure energy that gushed throughout his body; such a sensation was very nice. If his body was like a barren and dried land, then the medicinal efficacy of the Yuling Pellet would be akin to nourishing currents of flowing water. His muscles quickly reverted back to their original state; the feeling was indeed intriguing.
Not long after, the now skinny Zhong Yue – due to the cultivation of【Sui Sovereign Flame Order Palace Visualization Art】– had returned b
ack to his original state where he was very fit and muscular.
He also felt that his psyche and soul had been replenished by the pellet he consumed. All of these made him feel very comfortable.
Yuling Pellets are indeed amazing. They said those from the large tribes get to consume such pellets daily, no wonder they could improve so fast! I should take this chance to cultivate the【Sui Sovereign Flame Order Palace Visualization Art】right now and see if I can improve even further!
Zhong Yue started visualizing the【Sovereign Flame Order Palace Visualization Art】; in his psyche ocean, the Sui Sovereign, Flame Order Palace and Fire Tree appeared slowly. At the same time, his psyche was rapidly depleting, but due to the Yuling Pellet he had consumed, the depleted psyche was also continuously regenerating.
Time passed without him knowing, the medicinal efficacy of the Yuling Pellet was fully used, he then consumed another pellet and continued on cultivating. His psyche ocean was expanding and his soul was getting stronger!
After another brief moment, the pellet’s efficacy was completely depleted again and Zhong Yue consumed the third pellet.
As the pellets, one after another, were being consumed, he slowly sank into the wonder of cultivating imaginary arts. For the first time in his life, he felt so much excitement and hope instead of boredom in cultivating.
Eh? There are no more Yuling Pellets?
Zhong Yue’s cultivation halted as he had used up all the ten Yuling Pellets and he looked, shocked, at the empty bottle. Ordinary upper house disciples needed at least one month to be able to fully consume the ten Yuling Pellets, but he had unconsciously used up all ten of them during his cultivation this time.
It has only been four days since I received the ten pellets. To think that I used up all of them in four days…
Zhong Yue suddenly felt an extreme headache due to this quagmire, it seemed like cultivating the【Sui Sovereign Flame Order Palace Visualization Art】was akin to a massive black hole. Without the appropriate wealth to support it, he would not be able to continue his cultivation.