Episode 69

  "The Easy Repair Gate promotion test is about to begin, let the gatekeeper give a major repair demonstration!"

  The host of this realm trial shouted loudly. The Sect Master, dressed in a long blue robe with wide sleeves, raised his hand and waved it, saying:

  "Disciples, the once-in-a-decade promotion trial is a matter of the foundation of our Yi Xiu Gate. The promoted disciples are the core strength of our gate. The stronger this strength, the more numerous the people, the more powerful our gate will be. On the contrary, if it weakens, we will fall behind others and face great danger! Therefore, my ancestors have adhered to the tradition of holding the promotion trial every ten years, passing it down for thousands of years until today..."

  The master's words flowed endlessly, like a declaration of war.

  "Insufficient elder brother, Master Ye Qitian is roughly at the Gathering Spirit realm, but this sect master seems to have already broken through the Gathering Spirit and reached the Small Circle Completion realm!"

  "What? Impossible! These two are fellow disciples and brothers, their cultivation is similar, their realm is close, no one in the sect doesn't know! How can it be......"

  "Insufficient, brother! Observe carefully, the two have vastly different auras, the intensity of their protective divine light is different. The sect leader's protective divine light is thick and stable, far surpassing that of the master! The strength of their auras is also greatly different, and the sect leader's spiritual domain is unparalleled... "

  "Chang'er, I asked the Heavenly Master about the Recognizing Spirit Realm and how it compares to ours. It doesn't seem much different from what we have! My five senses can perceive even finer details than that. Could it be an illusion?"

  "No! In my opinion, the two of us are roughly on par with the Sect Master in terms of our spiritual awareness and divine sense. The only difference is that our spiritual awareness has not yet condensed into a single entity, and its intensity is far from comparable. However, compared to the Heavenly Master, we are already quite close!"

  "Chang'er, if your eyesight is not bad, then my cultivation has already achieved a certain level!"

  "Inadequate brother, the great way has never been taught by a master! The great way is boundless, only those with heart can pursue it! Your cultivation doesn't have to be restricted to the conventional methods of today. You can blaze your own trail, and use ancient methods to cultivate, and reach all directions from where there are no roads."

  "Chang Er's words are excellent! Therefore, the path to follow is fixed, and the old way should be taken. It can only be followed but not surpassed. Where there is no path, all directions can be taken, so your words that where there is no path, one can travel in all four directions, is indeed the correct way of cultivating the Tao!"

  "Inadequate brother, although it is so, yet the long skills of the teacher are used by me without any mistake! The great way is three thousand, actually there is no extreme, if all can be taken and observed then it will benefit the cultivation greatly."

  "Yes! Cultivation is competing with others, competing with the universe, and competing with heaven. It's a fight, a struggle!"

  "No! It's actually about advancing in parallel and making great strides! Not about contending with others! To advance in parallel and have a profound understanding, transcending the external, is the greatest ability in cultivation. But it's not about being strong-willed or eager to win, nor is it about being fiercely competitive!"

  "Chang'er's words are really true! I'm convinced!"

  Insufficient, laughed and said.

  "From this, the winner will obtain my Easiest Supreme Cultivation Method, a vast array of immortal materials and elixirs to aid in their cultivation, and can become one of my core disciples, receiving the protection of our sect, learning the great Daoist magic, and achieving supreme accomplishments! The loser's life or death is irrelevant, either from now on being reduced to an ordinary person, forever losing hope for the Great Dao, or dying and having their Dao extinguished, re-entering the cycle of reincarnation! All of you disciples and sect members must carefully consider this! For now, retreating still leaves room for opportunity, but once the competition begins, there will be no turning back!"

  The master's words were heavy and long, persuading them to give up. Indeed, dozens of disciples withdrew, and these disciples also lost the opportunity to advance, even if they achieved great success in the future, they would still be outer door disciples!

  "If no one else quits, let's start the trial!"

  Ye Wen asked Tian Xian Sheng loudly. Then, hundreds of disciples each showed their skills and rushed into the turbulent sea. According to the rules of the trial, regardless of who entered the sea first or last, whoever reached the Burial Island of Demons first would win. Therefore, some disciples formed groups of several people to travel together, while others traveled in threes or twos, and there were even those who traveled alone, which was not uncommon. Not seeing Chen Er and Lin Jiang Shixiong, Gao Wuyou Shixiong, Kuang Weiyang Shixiong and others entering the sea, Ye Wen waited for a moment before following the last few groups of disciples into the turbulent sea, tailing behind them. He was traveling alone!

  Within fifty miles, near and far, one repair sword comes to the way:

  "Are you Feng Cheng's junior brother? My elder brother is Kuai, the master of the Tang Sect. This time, our sect has entered the sea with over 30 people and we have gathered at Wuyin Island. I brought eight top masters from our sect to search for a lone cultivator who has entered the sea. We want to gather together to accomplish something. Once you enter the sea, you lose your identity as a disciple and become like an ordinary child, vulnerable to being killed at any moment! To protect yourself, you must form a group. Although you are a disciple of the Jia Sect, you also hold a position of authority, overseeing the mysterious and powerful mine in Shen Gou. Your family is not poor, and there are certainly many who want to take your life. I don't know if you would be willing to travel with us?"

  "Brother Fang's esteemed presence is before me, and I, your younger brother, am overwhelmed with trepidation. Thank you for your kind intentions, Brother, but as I'm accustomed to traveling alone, I won't trouble you further! Farewell!"

  Insufficient to recognize the divine realm outside, I knew early on that there was one person here, but I wasn't afraid of him either. With a single refusal, there was no room for further discussion.

  "Hold on! Brother Feng. You want to leave first, but you need to give me some spiritual materials and elixir formulas. I also need to account for the brothers at Wuyin Cliff."

  "Fang Shixiong is going to force himself on her?"

  "Hum! You refuse a toast and now you'll drink a penalty cup! Come, take a sword from me!"

  This master's cultivation is at the initial stage of Yuan Condensation, which is one realm higher than mine. His sword shook and killed, like layers of blade curtains, covering everything within a few meters. I suddenly felt my whole body being squeezed by a huge object, unable to move, and was greatly shocked!

  "The cultivation of the essence is indeed solid! Back then, killing the gambling ghost was just a stroke of luck, but now this Fang surname thief is only at the initial stage of his abilities. I'm not afraid of him."

  As he thought, the four techniques of Jinshen Jue, Taiyi Xuanshen Jue, Bahuang Jue, and Wanjun Zhan all merged into one sword of primal energy, meeting Fang Shixiong's immortal sword in mid-air. At the same time, the heavenly energy mechanism that controlled the universe also fluctuated with an extremely mysterious trajectory. The two swords clashed, one being the blade of primal energy and the other being the edge of the immortal sword. They were evenly matched, suspended in mid-air. The point of intersection erupted with countless flames, wildly flying in all directions. The surrounding air within a hundred yards was about to ignite, and the intense heat caused even the air to make a hissing sound. The turbid water in the sea rose up, creating a hundred-yard-high mist.

  "How dare you!"

  A loud and powerful roar came out of the thick fog, clearly a sign that Fang Tai Da was furious.

  "Hum! Fang Tai Da, you covet my family's wealth and want to kill me! Do you think I'm a fool? You gather several of your martial arts brothers here to rob and plunder, but do you know how many lives of our fellow disciples have been lost today?! My family may be kind, but for scum like you, we must kill!"

  "Big talk is cheap, let's see who will be the one to die! Yin and Yang Sword, break!"

  Fang Tai Da let out a loud roar. His immortal sword suddenly split into several blades, slashing towards Insufficient's location. Insufficient's heart stirred slightly, and his primordial energy sword also appeared with the same number of blades to counterattack. This move was faster and more agile than Fang Tai Da's. Why? It was because Insufficient's primordial energy was controlled by his divine consciousness, moving in tandem with his heart, unlike immortal swords that required incantations or seals to activate. Therefore, before Fang Tai Da's sword could fly out a few feet, it was already blocked! However, the mother sword of primordial energy suddenly weakened due to divided attention, and seemed unable to withstand the immortal sword's killing blow, retreating step by step. Fang Tai Da was overjoyed, pouring all his condensed yuan energy into propelling the immortal sword towards Insufficient for a killing blow. He himself also left the ground, his fists carrying wind as he charged towards Insufficient with a loud crash. Insufficient stood frozen in place, seemingly frightened and forgetting to escape, his eyes dazed and confused.

  "You insolent whelp! How dare you defy me?! You will certainly die a miserable death!"

  Fang Tai Da let out a series of loud roars, his body like a mysterious phantom striking down to within inches of Insufficient's face. The immortal sword was already a sword that shattered the air, also cutting down to within inches of Insufficient's neck. Insufficient seemed to suddenly wake up with a start, and hastily swung out both fists to strike back.

  "Too late, kid! Maybe next life!"

  "Hmm... Uh...! You, you, you..."

  A mournful and anguished cry slowly faded away, followed by a thunderous boom that shook the mountain. A person's body exploded into countless grains of sand, dispersing and vaporizing instantly. Just then, the fierce winds brought about by Fang Tai Da's attack finally subsided, and the crimson mist quietly dissipated. The sky in all directions cleared up like a mirror, with only the seawater showing a faint pink hue. On the surface of the water, a person stood calmly on the waves, their face expressionless.

  This person was actually insufficient! Originally, when Fang Tai Da's must-kill move struck Insufficient's body, it suddenly slid open half a foot and narrowly avoided the spot where Insufficient would have been hit. Fang Tai Da did not believe it even in death, his must-kill move had inexplicably deviated from its target! Who could have suspected that Insufficient had already manipulated his spiritual consciousness to subtly change the heaven and earth's energy mechanism, causing his must-kill move to follow this mysterious energy mechanism and slip past, where could it have harmed his life?! But Fang Tai Da was overly confident, and even withdrew his protective divine ability into his killing move, in order to quickly kill him, but unexpectedly missed with one blow, and instead suffered Insufficient's must-kill technique, using all his strength to strike and die!

  He let out a long sigh, put the fallen Fada bag into his arms, unfolded his body and walked on the waves. In less than a moment, there was no one in sight.

  A land of life and death, where numerous chariots drive through the clouds.

  "Not good, I can no longer sense the master's presence."

  "Hmm! How is the smell of blood so strong?"

  "There's a sign of a fierce battle here, the aura is in disarray, it must be that the master of the house has clashed with someone!"

  "Ah! A divine sword is floating in the water here, it's Master's property, it's Master's property! Could it be......"

  "No, the Hall Master's martial arts are extremely high, and even among those who advanced this time, he is one of the top. If he hadn't encountered Lin Jiang and Gao Wuyou, who could have killed him? And Lin Jiang and Gao Wuyou had left hundreds of miles away to fight against the sea monster, how would they come here to commit murder?"

  "But what if it's the cultivation of the demon clan?"

  Yi Xiu slowly said.

  "It can't be! This place is no more than 50 miles from the coast, a high-ranking demon cultivator wouldn't dare to come here!"

  "Everyone disperse and search, we must find the living to see people, the dead to see corpses. If the hall master is unexpectedly absent, then at least we must find his law bag. Whether we can succeed this time depends on what's in the bag! Otherwise, our lives will not be spared, let alone getting the Dao script."

  "Alas! It's all because the master of the hall is greedy for the immortal wealth and treasures, and didn't listen to my words. If only he had used that treasure to go directly to the Burial Island of Demons back then, after succeeding, we would have had everything we wanted, why would today's events have occurred?"

  "At first everyone agreed, but where did the opposition come from?"

  "Less nonsense! Let's go! Find a clue, send a signal to gather together, and then make a decision!"

  "Yes!"

  Everyone shouted in unison and scattered in all directions.