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墨書 Inktalez
"Going up the mountain is easy, but coming down is hard!"
After the Thunder Warship flew away, a middle-aged man with a bushy beard and a robust build shouted loudly among the Inner Disciples of the Five Element Sect.
His voice echoed like thunder, resonating across the highest peak and making people's eardrums buzz.
"If you can walk back to the foot of the mountain from here, then you will have passed the assessment for registered disciples, with a time limit of three days."
Upon hearing this, everyone began to discuss among themselves. They had arrived by riding the Thunder Warship, and now they had to walk back on foot. Was this really the assessment? Some people already showed unwillingness on their faces.
"There will be treacherous mountains and rivers along the way, as well as poisonous insects and fierce beasts. If anyone is unwilling, you can wait here and take the next warship to leave."
The Bearded Giant's tone was cold and his words concise. After saying this, he said no more.
With this announcement, most people still began to move, heading towards the edge of the cliff, pushing and shoving each other. Those who were unwilling were ignored.
Although the peak was high, there were many large vines above. By grabbing onto the vines and stepping on protruding rocks, one could slowly slide down.
Lu Chen naturally moved as well; he was among the first to take action.
One by one, the disciples moved like a swarm of large grasshoppers on the vines. It was fine not to look back, but when they did, they saw an abyss with swirling white mist below, filled with an eerie atmosphere.
After sliding down for a while using the vines, the strengths and weaknesses of the disciples became apparent. Those with insufficient foundations or inadequate training in Flesh began to spasm, foaming at the mouth and suffering from pulmonary failure. If they weren't tightly gripping the vines, they might have fallen directly down.
When such disciples appeared, Inner Disciples of the Five Element Sect would immediately fly over to rescue them.
It took a full half-day before they finally descended from the peak.
At the foot of the mountain, there was a turquoise pond where everyone jumped in to wash off the dust from their bodies.
After swimming from the pond to the shore, Lu Chen lay on the ground, gasping for breath. He had been in a tense state just moments ago, and now that he had stopped and taken a bath, he felt an overwhelming urge to fall asleep.
At that moment, the Supreme Garment he was wearing emitted waves of heat, like being covered by a warm quilt in winter. At the same time, Lu Chen felt his Flesh Wounds being stimulated, as if someone with Qigong was channeling energy into him, creating a sensation akin to acupuncture. His Flesh power gradually became more robust.
The Supreme Garment was crafted by Li Shian using Dragon Hatchling's Cocoon, which could nourish the Flesh and was highly effective.
"The assessment is indeed cruel!"
After sitting on the ground for a while, Lu Chen got up and continued on his way. He was the first to stand up again, and those around him widened their eyes in disbelief.
As he passed through a dense forest, sounds of fighting and beast roars came from the open land ahead.
Lu Chen quickened his pace; could there be someone faster than him?
Upon getting closer, he indeed saw another participant ahead of him who was currently battling a Bengya Tiger. Not far away, two Inner Disciples of the Five Element Sect stood watching and occasionally pointing and commenting.
These individuals were originally responsible for supervising the disciples' assessments but were now seemingly enjoying the spectacle.
From their conversation, it was clear they were praising the skills of the person fighting the fierce tiger. Lu Chen focused his gaze; the individual wore a pure white outfit and wielded an Azure Steel Sword.
"An artist entering the door?"
Lu Chen murmured to himself. This person not only had skills before joining but was also quite impressive. "Artist entering the door" means that one already possesses considerable abilities before entering the Five Element Sect, just like this young man before him.
He watched as the young man swiftly maneuvered past the Bengya Tiger's head. With a slash of his Azure Steel Sword, an illusory image of Flesh appeared, and then the tiger collapsed, bleeding profusely.
"Such a fast sword, such quick movements," Lu Chen murmured, slightly surprised to find such a skilled expert among the participants in the assessment.
At this moment, the young man had already vanished from his sight, carrying the Azure Steel Sword, and the two Inner Sect Disciples had also left.
Taking advantage of the absence of others, Lu Chen ran over to the fallen tiger to examine its wounds. He saw that the injuries were numerous and severe, with flesh wounds gaping open and blood flowing profusely. He couldn't tell how many times it had been slashed; this person's swordsmanship was truly bizarre.
"Indeed, Hidden Dragon, Crouching Tiger!"
Lu Chen muttered to himself. He had never paid attention to the person wielding the Azure Steel Sword. He knew well that most people entered with hidden skills; when registering for membership, they would intentionally report their cultivation level lower than it actually was to avoid drawing attention. For instance, that young man earlier likely had Qigong mastery that had already reached Unity of Man.
After standing for a while, Lu Chen continued on his way. He had shaken off those behind him by quite a distance; not a single shadow remained.
As the sun set and darkness began to envelop the area, Lu Chen entered a large gorge filled with mist and heavy moisture, dotted with low trees.
He approached a stream at the bottom of the gorge to drink some water and was about to jump onto a larger tree to rest when suddenly he noticed ripples in the stream.
Since he began practicing the Lesser Yin Classic and understood Yin Spirit and Disembodiment, his auditory perception had become extremely sensitive. Although the sound of the rippling water was faint, he still caught it.
Lu Chen's ears perked up as he turned to look. It turned out to be a golden Golden Toad swimming across to the opposite bank, where it was catching insects to eat.
Golden Toads are beneficial creatures that normally eat insects, but this particular Golden Toad was entirely golden and larger than a fist. It was consuming highly poisonous insects, which made him cautious.
When coming to participate in the assessment, an Inner Sect Disciple from Five Element Sect mentioned that there would be many poisonous insects and fierce beasts along the way.
Ordinarily, a regular Golden Toad would have been poisoned long ago if it ate toxic insects.
At that moment, a venomous snake lay in ambush near the Golden Toad, seemingly preparing for a sneak attack.
Lu Chen smiled slyly, jumped over the stream, and prepared to observe.
The Golden Toad was happily eating poisonous insects when it drifted near a venomous snake. The snake raised its head high and was ready to strike.
The Golden Toad reacted quickly, shooting out a liquid similar to urine from its body. As soon as it touched the snake, there was a hissing sound, and a puff of green smoke emerged.
At the same time, the snake was knocked back, struggling in the grass for a while before fleeing in panic.
"What a poisonous Golden Toad," Lu Chen thought as he crouched down. He noticed that the Golden Toad had a red string wrapped around its leg, suggesting it might have been raised by someone.
"I wonder what this thing is useful for. I'll catch it first and study it later!"
With his mind made up, Lu Chen slowly approached, preparing to capture it.
However, the Golden Toad was very alert. Upon noticing Lu Chen getting closer, it immediately fled, leaving behind some toxic liquid that burned the grass and plants along its path.
"I can't be reckless like this. If I get that urine on my hands, won't my hands be ruined?"
Lu Chen retreated again, realizing he needed a better plan.
Suddenly, an idea struck him. He found a dense patch of grass near the stream and burrowed into it. After smoothing out his footprints and ensuring everything was fine, he sent his Yin Spirit out to find the Golden Toad.
Sure enough, not long after, the Golden Toad came out again to eat poisonous insects by the stream. It kept eating for quite a while until its belly swelled up like a big ball before slowly leaving.
The Golden Toad first floated downstream for a bit, then submerged in the water for a while before climbing ashore and hopping towards a nearby mountain.
"This creature is very intelligent and incredibly alert. It seems capturing it will take some effort."
Lu Chen's Yin Spirit glided silently behind the Golden Toad, following it stealthily. Wherever it passed, all the venomous snakes and scorpions avoided the area, not daring to come close.
The Golden Toad jumped onto a mountain and suddenly disappeared.
Lu Chen felt a bit annoyed, searching repeatedly in place, having let this fellow slip away.
It was here that Lu Chen's Yin Spirit stood on a flat area halfway up the mountain, with a high cliff above and a precipice below. The flat ground was only about ten steps in diameter, and it was here that the Golden Toad vanished.
After searching for a while, Lu Chen noticed a cluster of grass on the flat ground that looked quite suspicious.
Sliding forward, the Yin Spirit approached the grass and was startled to find an old man sitting cross-legged inside. This shocked Lu Chen greatly, and he quickly withdrew the Yin Spirit.
The Golden Toad was likely on this old man. After a while, the grass remained still.
This old man might be like himself, with his Yin Spirit wandering outside while leaving his Flesh behind, covered by the grass.
Thinking of this, Lu Chen sent the Yin Spirit back into the grass to observe closely at the old man's face for a moment.
No wonder he could hide in such grass; this old man was not very tall. He appeared to be around sixty or seventy years old, with dry skin, age spots, a goatee, and two tufts of hair beside his nose. At first glance, he looked extremely thin.
"Indeed, it's a Yin Spirit Disembodiment. I wonder when he will return. He might have some treasures on him as well. I need to summon my Flesh over first before I can search him."
Lu Chen's Yin Spirit glided down the mountain, retracing his steps back. Once the Yin Spirit returned to its place, it burst out of the grass and rushed up the mountain.
With a few kicks, he cleared away the grass covering the old man's Flesh and walked over confidently. He saw that there was a Black Bag hanging from the old man's waist, which was bulging; it must be that Golden Toad.
Just moments ago, he couldn't think of a way to catch you, but now you've come right into my bag—what an effortless gain.
Lu Chen unceremoniously unbuckled the Black Bag, tightened it around himself, and then reached over to the old man, searching him thoroughly.
After several attempts, he finally discovered a Silver Needle hidden close to the body, along with a thin booklet. Upon pulling it out, he saw the words "True Yang Scripture" written on it.
The Silver Needle glimmered coldly, embedded in a piece of stiff cloth; this needle was likely poisoned and should be handled with care.
Flipping through the True Yang Scripture, he found exactly what Lu Chen needed: it could help the Yin Spirit cultivate to the level where it could Spirit Travel for rituals.
This was the spell for practicing Yin.
Having collected his items, Lu Chen decided to leave. He initially wanted to investigate what the old man was up to, but since the other party's Yin Spirit was wandering outside, no one could find him except for himself.
Waiting here for his return would surely lead to being caught; it was better to leave first.
"This person sneaked into the heart of my Five Element Sect in the dead of night. I wonder what mischief he intends? Taking a little something from him is only fair; it's a way of avenging the Five Element Sect. As long as I don't push him off a cliff, I suppose that counts as being fair."
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