Chapter 448
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Chapter 448: Zhong Huali
Cultivation made one oblivious to the passage of time. A thousand years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Ye Yun sat motionless on his bed, having just entered deep meditation where both self and worldly matters faded away. When he awoke, forty-five days had already slipped by. A faint smile touched his lips as he opened his eyes.
This closed-door cultivation session could have lasted longer, but continuing now would yield little improvement. He had already gained what he sought.
Understanding the Heavenly Dao was both the hardest and easiest thing in the world. Some spent millennia without progress, dying in frustration. Yet once in ten thousand years, prodigies emerged who advanced through cultivation stages as effortlessly as breathing, their breakthroughs as natural as water finding its course.
Ye Yun’s own path had been arduous. The Heart of Immortals and Demons simplified his cultivation, but his choice to pursue dual internal-external refinement complicated matters again. Yet this very choice enabled him, at his current level, to rival early Golden Core stage experts. His path was neither simple nor impossibly difficult.
"Junior Brother Ye Yun, did you receive my summons?" Zheng Tong’s voice carried through the Small Courtyard’s restrictions.
Rising smoothly, Ye Yun emerged and nodded to his senior brother. "Your secret call roused me from meditation, Senior Brother Zheng."
"My apologies for interrupting," Zheng Tong said hastily. "But urgent news couldn’t wait."
"The Registered Disciple assessment begins?"
"Exactly!" Zheng Tong’s eyes sparkled. "At Thunder Falls Valley, as we suspected."
Ye Yun stroked his chin. "I thought only sixth-level Golden Core tribulation survivors or Thunder Spirit Qi adepts could enter."
"True. Though your cultivation level falls short, your mastery of Thunder Spirit Qi grants entry."
"Then Jiang Feiyang and his clique have also comprehended Thunder Spirit Qi?"
Zheng Tong chuckled. "There’s another way – the Thunder Avoidance Talisman."
"What?" Ye Yun’s eyes widened. "Such a talisman would make our Thunder Spirit Qi cultivation pointless!"
"Peace, junior brother." Zheng Tong raised a calming hand. "It only masks users from the valley’s basic detection. Against actual Lightning Techniques? Useless."
Ye Yun nodded, chastened.
"For millennia," Zheng Tong continued, "sects sought entry methods. Five centuries back, they devised these talismans. While powerless against lightning attacks, they hide bearers from the valley’s sentient Thunder Spirit Qi."
"Then why not enter freely?"
"The talismans only work in peripheral regions. The core area’s concentrated Thunder Spirit Qi breeds Thunder Wood and millennium-nurtured thunder beasts. Only Golden Core tribulation survivors withstand those. Talisman users? Cannon fodder."
"What of Thunder Spirit Qi cultivators in the core?"
"Depends on energy purity. Purer Qi attracts less aggression – so they say. None truly know; the core remains unexplored." Zheng Tong’s voice held naked longing.
Ye Yun bowed slightly. "My thanks. Should I return from Thunder Falls Valley…"
"Save formalities." Zheng Tong waved him off. "You’re the only Registered Disciple worth watching. Jiang Feiyang? A squawking sparrow. Beware Zhong Huali instead – he’s suppressed his Golden Core breakthrough for years to dominate this assessment. Compared to that eagle, Jiang’s a hatchling."
A glimmer of excitement lit Ye Yun’s eyes. "Someone stronger than Ding Haochen? Now that’s intriguing."
"Not just a few, but many. This person remains both mysterious and low-key. Were it not for my position and the Master’s remarks about him, I wouldn’t have known he suppressed his cultivation for over a year solely for this day. His mental resilience matches his cultivation level," Zheng Tong nodded gravely.
Ye Yun stayed silent, eyes half-closed, hiding his inner excitement. If this trial for Registered Disciples only had mediocre candidates like Ding Haochen, it would offer little benefit to his training. But with someone like Zhong Huali participating, Ye Yun’s mastery of techniques and comprehension of the Heavenly Dao would surely advance.
"Another matter the Master will mention—Thunder Falls Valley won’t be opened solely for you Registered Disciples. Experts from other sects and wandering cultivators will also enter. The valley is perilous. Stay vigilant." Zheng Tong stepped closer, his tone weighted with concern.
Ye Yun clasped his hands in gratitude.
"The Master awaits you atop Absolute Heart Peak. Go," Zheng Tong said warmly, sensing Ye Yun’s sincerity. He felt certain Ye Yun’s future achievements would eclipse his own. Though Zheng Tong neared the Golden Core stage breakthrough, surviving its great tribulation seemed impossible without aid. Perhaps Ye Yun’s future support could help him reach Nascent Soul.
Transforming into lightning, Ye Yun streaked toward the peak.
Absolute Heart Peak’s summit held no grand structures—only wind-battered rubble and gnarled ancient trees.
Beneath the trees stood Tian Yunzi in black, hands behind his back. His stern presence exuded icy authority. Beside him stood Yue Huai-Chang, the Old Man in White, whose kindly smile contrasted sharply with Tian Yunzi’s severity.
The eight disciples stood at attention.
"You’ve been gathered for the Registered Disciple trial. The victor becomes my fourth disciple," Tian Yunzi’s voice boomed across the peak.
Silence followed. None believed the trial would be straightforward.
Yue Huai-Chang chuckled, eyes crinkling. "Your Master and I designed this trial to avoid undue difficulty. You’ll enter Thunder Falls Valley—surely this pleases you?"
The disciples maintained blank expressions while inwardly scoffing.
Thunder Falls Valley? Only sixth-level Golden Core cultivators dared enter its core. Those at the Foundation Establishment pinnacle—reliant on Thunder Avoidance Talismans—could only skirt its edges. A single misstep attracting Thunder Spirit Qi meant annihilation.
Yue Huai-Chang continued, "The valley opens for one hour. Return within ten days with Thunder Wood from its core area. The first to emerge wins."
Six disciples stiffened. Thunder Wood required millennia of lightning nourishment. Only sixth-level Golden Core experts or Thunder Spirit Qi adepts could retrieve it.
"What else is required?"
All turned to the plain-faced disciple who spoke.
"Zhong Huali," Yue Huai-Chang blinked, "you think this simple?"
"Obtaining Thunder Wood is challenging but feasible. However…" Zhong Huali’s calm gaze shifted to Ye Yun, "another might succeed. What determines victory if we both return with it?"
The air thickened as disciples recalled Ye Yun’s unpunished slaying of Ding Haochen—proof of Tian Yunzi’s favor.
"Since Senior Brother Zhong mentions this," Ye Yun stepped forward, bowing, "please set a secondary condition."
Yue Huai-Chang studied them before smiling. "Very well. Retrieve an Ice Spirit Herb too."
