Chapter 899: Chapter 896: It Pays to Have a Good Relationship with Xu Wendong
The scene was silent.
It was so quiet that even the sound of a pin dropping could be deafening.
Everyone looked at Xu Wendong with eyes full of deep horror, after all, he was the elite among the younger generation in Jizhou’s cultivation realm!
Who could have expected that a group of them would be blasted away by a cultivator at only the Qi Refining Stage Level Nine?
Even witnessing it firsthand, the scene brought them intense shock and visual impact.
Just as the crowd was still lost in their astonishment, a cold voice from Xu Wendong sounded, "Aren’t you leaving yet?"
"Xu, don’t be so arrogant, once the elite competition starts, it’ll be the day of your demise!" Yun Feiyang stood up with a sullen face, then hastily led the Jizhou elites away from the tavern.
"Junior Brother Xu, thank you for letting me vent some anger, I toast to you!" Meng Hao raised his glass and drank it down.
"Cheers!"
The group continued to savor their fine foods. After three rounds of drinks, they leisurely returned to their residence.
In the evening.
Yuan Kui also arrived at the group’s residence, gathering the disciples of the three great sects together, he said, "The competition starts tomorrow, what you need to do is conserve your energy, once the trials officially begin, you need to unite together."
"Because now, the forces of you three are one collective entity, understood?"
Everyone nodded solemnly.
A night without words.
The next day.
The sun was high in the sky.
Yuan Kui brought the members of the three sects to the sacrificial platform at Yanzhou’s Imperial City.
Here, Xu Wendong also met the disciples from the twenty-four sects of the other eight states.
In truth, the cultivation forces of the Nine Provinces far exceed these twenty-four, but only the top three forces from each state can participate in the Nine Provinces elite competition.
The disciples from these twenty-four forces all have significant strength, the weakest among them holds a Golden Core Stage Level 3 cultivation level.
Looking at the cultivators from Qingzhou, aside from Xu Wendong, the strongest are only Meng Hao and Lu Chenfeng, both Golden Core Stage Level 3 cultivators.
With such disparity in cultivation levels, Qingzhou ranks last among the Nine Provinces, a position that seems quite reasonable.
After Yuan Kui led the people of the Three Great Sects onto the field, many eyes instinctively focused on Xu Wendong.
They all wanted to see if this fellow had three heads and six arms, otherwise, how could he have led the Elixir Sect to being the top among Qingzhou’s Four Great Sects?
Moreover, they heard that Xu Wendong encountered a provocation from Jizhou’s heavenly pride yesterday, afterward, he single-handedly beat them into a hasty retreat.
If he had Golden Core Late Stage cultivation, they might accept this situation, but he clearly only has Foundation Establishment Peak cultivation.
He was the weakest guy among the twenty-seven teaching sects participating in the Nine Provinces elite competition!
"Son, the guy who took your heart’s desire, is it him?" Beside Wan Jie, a middle-aged beautiful woman asked curiously.
She wore snow-white clothing, elegant as an immortal.
Her eyes shone with a captivating light.
Three thousand strands of black hair danced with the wind, ethereal as smoke.
Her delicate jade hands, at her fingertips flowed a rhythmic charm.
Her dress swayed lightly like clouds, dancing as if a fairy gracing the mortal world.
With a graceful presence, like orchid and chrysanthemum.
She was the Sect Leader of the Myriad Beast Sect, Nalan Yanran.
Wan Jie looked lifeless as he said, "It’s him!"
Nalan Yanran nodded slightly, "This guy does indeed look extraordinarily handsome; it’s only natural that girls would favor this type."
According to Nalan Yanran’s perspective, Xu Wendong is definitely good-looking, and he excels in refining elixirs.
This particular trait is highly alluring to females.
"Mother, does this guy really attract people like that?" Wan Jie was skeptical, feeling Xu Wendong indeed appeared quite handsome, but just so.
Nalan Yanran: "Appearance is only one aspect, more importantly, it’s about capability, demeanor, and conversation."
"This child, though young, is graceful and charming, his future is limitless!"
"Jie, remember not to fall out with Xu Wendong."
Wan Jie nodded seriously and agreed; having good relations with the Elixir Sect is immensely beneficial, and he can manage that balance.
When everyone gathered, a distortion appeared in the void, followed by the sudden appearance of an elder with a youthful countenance and wearing a long green robe.
A long green robe that seemed to blend with the world between heaven and earth, his silver hair floating like silvery clouds complementing the robe, adding a touch of transcendence.
His face was amiable, with old wrinkles showing traces of time.
Especially his deep and bright eyes, seemingly able to penetrate the mysteries of all worlds.
One could see him holding a green bamboo staff, stepping lightly yet steadily, instantly appearing on the sacrificial platform from the depths of heaven.
"Greetings, senior!" Everyone simultaneously bowed to the elder.
Even Yuan Kui, such an expert at the Nascent Soul Stage, did not dare to look directly at him.
The reason is simple.
This man is named Situ Shu.
The great eunuch of Yanzhou Imperial City, possessing a cultivation level at the Nascent Soul Fifth Layer; with this formidable strength, even across the whole Nine Provinces, few can rival him.
Xu Wendong also sensed a strong pressure from him.
Even though his current strength rivals a Golden Core Stage Level 9 cultivator.
If the elder went all out, Xu Wendong would vanish instantly.
He’s simply not the same level of opponent.
"Enough talk, the first trial is to seize the token!" Situ Shu’s voice emitted sharply, much like the eunuch voices in movies.
"This time, I have prepared six tokens, hidden in the barrier; if anyone can find the tokens and persist until the tenth day, they can advance!"
Saying this, he stamped his green bamboo staff heavily, and instantly, a twisting space-time gate appeared in the sky above the sacrificial platform.
"The trial begins!"
With this command, the heavenly prides from the twenty-seven forces soared into the air and flew into the barrier.
Although the rules for this competition are simple.
There’s a significant degree of difficulty.
First, nobody knows where the tokens are hidden, and finding them is fraught with numerous uncertainties.
Second, even if found, there are only six tokens in total, but nine factions participating.
This competition is destined to eliminate three factions.
Thus, this round of assessment is bound to involve fierce battles.
Who will emerge victorious remains to be seen.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Xu Wendong and the others flew into the barrier first, and what met their eyes was a desolate wasteland, under a blood-red sun, seemingly forecasting the fierce battles ahead.
The air here was dry, and flying sand and stones in the sky blocked everyone’s view.
"This place is desolate, there’s no way it could hide tokens!" Zhu Qing looked around, his eyes filled with confusion.
This trial was more challenging than they imagined.
Xu Wendong said, "Let’s first find a place to shelter from the wind, then search for tokens once the wind has stopped!"
He appeared quite relaxed; even if they don’t find tokens, they could always... snatch them from other forces.