BXBX NOVEL Chapter 250: The Commencement!
Chapter 250: The Commencement!
The team from Silver Sword Peak could be seen walking forward with a majestic and vigorous demeanor. Comprised of three human-like creatures and a Golden-Furred Hou, they looked confident and energetic as they made strong, elegant strides.
"Why are there so many people?" Liu Xiaoyu'er nervously whispered, tugging at Chu Liang's sleeve from behind.
Since she had joined the Mount Shu Sect, she had never once encountered such a grand scene, and it was only natural for her to feel a bit timid.
Not only had she never seen such a spectacle, but Chu Liang had also never seen such a scene as well. Yet, he maintained a calm facade, his eyes widening imperceptibly as he whispered to her, "Just stand quietly. There are already so few of us from Silver Sword Peak. If you didn't come, how could it be acceptable when I would be the only one at the bottom when the esteemed teacher goes up on stage to observe the ceremony?"
On the public square on the Heaven-Reaching Peak, the disciples of Mount Shu assembled in several formidable teams, each led by their respective peak masters. Some groups had over a hundred members and the sheer size and coordinated movements of these teams cast an imposing shadow. Their presence exuded such dominance that it overshadowed the teams around them.
In stark contrast, some teams only had a few people...and even had to rely on demonic beast mingling among them to bolster their presence.
A high platform had already been set up at the front of the square, with the Four Guardian Elders of Mount Shu seated at the top. Alongside them were guests from the other sects in the Divine Nine and the Terrestrial Ten, as well as officials from the capital of Yu, all gathered to observe the ceremony.
This ceremony, being ingrained in the legacy of the Mount Shu Sect for millennia, held immense importance. It was a tradition for guests from other sects within the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten to attend, a gesture of respect towards Mount Shu and an opportunity to witness the new generation. Typically, only individuals of status were chosen to represent their immortal sects, while younger members could join if they were interested.
Chu Liang looked afar and saw a few familiar figures.
Amidst the designated seating area for the Great Astral Sect, there was a muscular and rough-looking dude. It was obviously Yun Chaoxian, who had promised to come by. There was a girl next to him but Chu Liang didn't recognize her.
Yun Chaoxian stood there without any regard for his image, waving his arms at Chu Liang. His well-developed arm muscles bulged rhythmically, resembling an enthusiastic gorilla.
That girl next to him is definitely not someone he likes... Chu Liang remarked inwardly.
Amidst the designated seating area for the Valley of the Three Absolutes, there was a white-haired girl. That was naturally Luo Yao.
Amidst the designated seating area for the Buddhist Cloud Monastery, there was a baldie whose teeth could be seen reflecting sunlight. Obviously, that was Pushan.
Since they parted ways in the Blue Dragon's Hidden Realm, they hadn't seen each other. This event provided the perfect opportunity for them to catch up.
Amidst the designated seating area for the Greater-Yin Cult stood Luo Xiaoyong, who was all alone. Chu Liang had met him once before. As the Mortal-Realm Wanderer of the Greater-Yin Cult for this generation, he was responsible for attending any event that required someone's presence.
Chu Liang spotted these few familiars as he scanned the spectators' stand. However, he quickly averted his gaze as everyone on the raised platform ahead stood up.
A fluttering figure descended.
This was a middle-aged man at the age of around 40. His face had a smooth, pale complexion, his sideburns were long, and his eyes were sharp, making him quite handsome.
As he stood there, he didn't seem out of place. However, the moment he appeared, he became the center of attention. Everyone around couldn't help but look at him.
Most disciples on Mount Shu didn't recognize him, but judging by the amount of respect shown to him by the Four Guardian Elders, it wasn't hard to guess his identity.
It was the sect leader of the Mount Shu Sect—Venerable Wen Yuan!
The presence of the sect leader was required for only a few matters, and the Mount Shu Summit was naturally one of them.
Observing the faint surge of excitement among the crowds, Venerable Wen Yuan made a downward gesture with his hand, as if gently lowering something, and a quiet calmness settled over the entire square as though carried by an unseen breeze.
As he spoke, a clear-sounding voice spread throughout the all thirty-six peaks of the mountain. He wasn't loud but spoke every word clearly.
"The qi of the heavens is vast and boundless, my Dao will continue to flourish as the day goes by!"
...
The speech that Venerable Wen Yuan shared was very short and concise. It was mainly a very diplomatic speech about the Mount Shu Sect flourishing, saying that he trust the disciples of this generation to make Mount Shu better and better.
After the speech, the Conservation Master stepped in and assumed the role of the host.
As the host of the Mountain God Memorial Ceremony, the Conservation Master first announced the prize for the winners of the Mountain God Memorial Ceremony.
The prize for first place was the Five Elements Formation Diagram: Celestial Trap.
When they announced the prize, there was a small uproar. The Mountain God Memorial Ceremony that happened had always been a game. In the past, there had been valuable enchanted tools rewarded, but very rarely would there be items of this level.
In the world of immortality cultivators, precious enchanted tools or divine techniques were absolutely necessary for anyone seeking to challenge individuals of higher realms of cultivation.
After all, challenging someone of a higher realm was an extremely difficult feat. Only those who could achieve this were considered powerful. For example, the Demon-Suppressing Pagoda remained the top-ranked legendary artifact because it was the weapon used to challenge the demon god, who was at a higher cultivation level.
The Formation Diagram: Celestial Trap of Five Elements was capable of subduing individuals of higher cultivation levels as long as they were below the seventh realm. With the activation of five cultivators at the Golden Core Realm, this formation diagram could overpower a cultivator at the Realm of the Five Elements. This was why it was precious.
When Chu Liang heard about this reward, he felt a flutter of excitement. However, upon realizing that the reward would be divided among the five of them, and that he would have to always activate this formation diagram with his top-tier team, he felt that the prize was just okay.
However, even if the Mountain God Memorial Ceremony had no prizes, he had gained more than enough through this event. The financial gain was the minor achievement. The most important thing he gained out of this was the Alchemy Master's approval, which he earned through the pills he refined. He had already made a deal with the Alchemy Master that he would spend more time and effort to follow the standard teaching on the Dao of Alchemy offered at the Hall of Alchemy.
The thought of being a professional alchemist had never crossed Chu Liang's mind. However, the Alchemy Master spoke in such an earnest manner that he couldn't say no. It was better to learn a skill so that he would have other options in the future. With this in mind, he agreed to be an attendant at the Hall of Alchemy.
The prize for second place was a White-Jade Sword Formation that also required five people to activate.
All of Jiang Yuebai's teammates were her senior and junior sisters at the Azure Falling Peak. And so, this technique would be easily used by them.
Surprisingly, the prize for the team that won third-place was five spirit pets: five spirit beasts born from the same litter with telepathic connections, capable of displaying exceptional combat prowess if they join forces in a fight.
Zhao Zhizhuo, the auction winner who received the puzzle answer from Chu Liang, was a chubby kid. At this moment, the grin on his face stretched so wide that his wrinkles resembled the creases on a big stuffed bun. Even if they sold the five spirit pets for money, they would earn several times the sword coins they had invested in purchasing the answers. Those who later hesitated and did not continue bidding felt such intense regret that their stomachs churned.
Then, the Conservation Master announced the start of the preliminary round of the Mount Shu Summit.
"Access to the Stairway to the Heavens will open at this time tomorrow. It will be a test of Dao heart for all Mount Shu Sect disciples and only the top sixty-four disciples will acquire the right to participate in the fighting tournament. All disciples of Mount Shu, be prepared for it."
Chu Liang could understand the necessity of this preliminary stage. During every Mount Shu Summit, there would be at least a few hundred disciples, or at most thousands, participating. If all of them went straight to the fighting tournament, the number of eliminations would be excessive. Therefore, having a preliminary round was considered normal.
But what is this Stairway to the Heavens? Chu Liang thought to himself.
...
"Stairway to the Heavens is a mountain path and you just have to keep moving forward," Di Nufeng explained.
"Eh?" Chu Liang blinked.
After the grand opening, he wanted to ask his esteemed teacher, who held a high status on Mount Shu, if she had any valuable experience to share. However, Di Nufeng's answer was very simple.
"During every Mount Shu Summit, the elders would set up a completely different illusion. There's no point in me telling you what I saw," Di Nufeng explained nonchalantly, waving her hand. "Just remember, the one who walks the farthest within the shortest time ranks the highest. Anyway, it's just a test of Dao heart. My Dao heart guides me to beat up whoever I see, whether they're real or fake. A punch is the first thing I do. And as I continued throwing punches, I passed the preliminary round."
Chu Liang frowned dubiously.
Could the Test of Dao Heart that the elders had specially set up be as simple as my teacher said? Chu Liang wondered.
Could this be what's known in legends as... the fool who defeats the expert?
As Chu Liang walked out of his esteemed teacher's pavilion, he saw two people waiting for him on the small hill.
It was Yun Chaoxian and that girl who had been with him earlier.
The girl looked quite young, with her hair tied up in double buns wrapped in cloth. Standing next to Yun Chaoxian, she appeared petite and charming. She wore a neat blue and white satin dress, and her large eyes sparkled with a divine light.
She carried a long weapon wrapped in cloth on her back, which appeared to be a legendary weapon passed down through generations.
"Brother Chu," Yun Chaoxian greeted warmly, "I've come to cheer you on."
"Thank you, Brother Yun," Chu Liang replied with a nod of gratitude before turning his attention to the girl. "And who might this be?"
Yun Chaoxian chuckled heartily. "This is my junior sister, Tang Shi," he said. "She is also a core disciple of our Great Astral Sect."
The Great Astral Sect has four core disciples: one skilled in saber techniques, one proficient in spear techniques, one adept in swordsmanship, and one proficient in halberd combat.
Chu Liang couldn't believe that the girl before him was a spear wielder as he stared at her in shock. It was difficult to associate her petite figure with the long, imposing spear.
Yun Chaoxian said to Tang Shi, introducing, "This is Chu Liang, the one I mentioned to you before. He's the Mount Shu Sect disciple who's more intelligent than me."
You really didn't have to add that last sentence, Chu Liang remarked inwardly as he chuckled awkwardly.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Tang Shi exclaimed, blinking her big eyes. Her voice sounded soft and gentle.
Great. It seems like this girl isn't very bright either.
Chu Liang was just about to host them when he spotted a silver light flying over. It was Xiaoyu'er, Big Head, and Baize playing with a flying disc.
Whoosh!
A gust of golden wind suddenly swept over.
Yun Chaoxian and Tangshi felt the wind behind their heads. Before Chu Liang could reassure them not to panic, the two had already reacted even faster than he did.
They both flipped over and drew their weapons simultaneously. Yun Chaoxian wielded a halberd, his expression fierce and determined.
Tang Shi swiftly drew the Hegemon King's Spear, towering over her figure by two heads. Then, her entire body surged upward with her muscles bulging and sleeves rustling crisply, and a golden light radiating all around her! Like a vajra-warrior incarnate, she bent her knees, twisted her waist, and shouted, "What evil creature are you!"
Her deep and hoarse voice stunned Chu Liang, causing his pupils to dilate. He hastily shouted, "It's a spirit pet from Silver Sword Peak. There's no need to panic!"
Chu Liang wasn't the only one startled. Even the Golden-Furred Hou was taken aback by her furious roar, causing its entire body of golden fur to bristle. It clamped onto the flying disc and moved left and right... before quietly retreating step by step.
"Oh! So it is you who's playing around," Yun Chaoxian exclaimed. Having encountered the Golden-Furred Hou before, he immediately withdrew his halberd and waved his hand with a smile.
Tang Shi's body, which had enlarged by three sizes, instantly returned to normal. Once again, she acted like a soft and gentle little girl, pursing her lips and chuckling lightly as she said, "Tang Shi was so scared... Hehe..."