C481 Live
Three days flew by, and Woo Zhengyang had no idea how far he had traveled from the Azure Sun Martial Mansion. During this time, he occasionally glanced at the world below, surprised to find nothing but wilderness, with only a few scattered villages here and there. He felt relieved that he hadn't rashly fled the mansion. The vast wilderness would make it difficult to hide, and besides the Azure Sun Martial Mansion, he had no knowledge of other populated areas or how to connect with other forces in this world.
Without truly understanding this world, finding a way out would be nearly impossible. Otherwise, this place wouldn't have remained isolated for so many years.
One day, an elder with a red face and white hair, Lin Yuyue, let out a low whistle, signaling all the demonic beasts to descend.
"We're here!" exclaimed a young member of the Azure Sun Martial Mansion excitedly.
Woo Zhengyang strained his eyes to look below, first seeing mountain ranges shrouded in thick fog. Along the journey, he had gathered information from the Zhan Yinuo brothers about their destination. The Misty Mountains were perpetually covered in a peculiar fog that neither gathered nor dispersed, remaining unchanged even under drizzling rain. Once inside, visibility was almost nonexistent.
Aside from that, the mist possesses a peculiar ability. When cultivators enter it, their vital energy fluctuates unpredictably. At its slowest, it can reduce a body-tempering cultivator to the state of an ordinary person. At its fastest, it might cause a body-tempering cultivator to explode, making it extremely dangerous.
However, every few years, the mist in the Misty Mountain Range thins out. This is when people can venture inside. Even in its diluted state, the mist still significantly affects cultivators, and the dense fog conceals many demonic beasts and perilous areas, posing a risk of never returning.
Experiments later showed that the mist has a weaker effect on cultivators under the age of twenty. Because of this, the Azure Sun Martial Mansion organizes the Thousand-village Martial Competition.
According to the rules of the Azure Sun Martial Mansion and other martial mansions, each time the mist recedes, they have one hundred and sixty spots available for entry. This time, when the mist at the mountain gate showed signs of thinning, one hundred and eleven disciples from the Azure Sun Martial Mansion met the criteria, along with forty-nine others from various villages, perfectly filling the quota.
As Zhan Yifei mentioned this quota, an image suddenly flashed in Woo Zhengyang's mind. He recalled the young man who had just led everyone into the Azure Sun Martial Mansion, who, with just a few words, had brutally killed a rural youth. Since that youth's death, no other rural youths had perished. It's said that someone once accidentally wandered into a high-level demonic beast area and was fortunately rescued by people from the Azure Sun Martial Mansion.
Looking back, whether it was the death of that young boy from the countryside or the later rescue of others, it probably wasn't just a coincidence. The Azure Sun Martial Mansion needed forty-nine people, so they kept forty-nine. When one died, it was all part of the plan.
Zhan Yifei and Zhan Yinuo didn't argue this point. They didn't place much importance on the rural youths from various villages. According to them, whether it was a massive village with thousands of people or a tiny one with just a few dozen, it made no difference. Under the resources of the Azure Sun Martial Mansion, as long as a disciple wasn't foolish, their future achievements would surely surpass those of the rural youths.
The resources of the Martial Mansion were limited. Maintaining their own legacy was already a challenge, leaving no room to consider others. For generations, those villages struggled to rise. Even if a particularly talented youth caught the eye of the Azure Sun Martial Mansion, it was just one person achieving success.
Other Martial Mansions were the same. Each stood aloof, except when disturbances arose in the Misty Mountain Range. The outlying villages served no purpose.
Woo Zhengyang had the potential to become a true disciple of the Azure Sun Martial Mansion. Zhan Yifei and Zhan Yinuo had to admit this, as they were bested by him. Woo Zhengyang longed for recognition from the Azure Sun Martial Mansion, and many there noticed, too.
However, they found it amusing not to reveal the truth.
During that time, the leaders and elders of the Azure Sun Martial Mansion were at the Misty Mountain Range, completely unaware of Woo Zhengyang's actions. Others couldn't make any decisions, so no matter how extraordinary Woo Zhengyang was, it was all in vain.
Upon learning this, Woo Zhengyang was both frustrated and secretly relieved. Thankfully, he had held back enough not to attract too much attention from the others at the Azure Sun Martial Mansion; otherwise, he might not have made it to this day.
As he pondered, the Crimson Scaled Beast landed on the ground.
Ahead of the Misty Mountain Range stood three small town-like structures. These were the temporary residences of the Azure Sun Martial Mansion, Sea Heart Martial Palace, and Moon Light Martial Mansion.
The Misty Mountain Range was centrally located among the three mansions, so each time it opened, 160 disciples from each mansion entered.
Everyone descended, and under the leadership of Lin Yuyue, they headed to the small town built by the Azure Sun Martial Mansion to pay respects to its leader, Feng Yeqiu.
Feng Yeqiu appeared to be a man in his thirties, but Woo Zhengyang knew that once a cultivator became a Martial King, their lifespan extended to 500 years. So, Feng Yeqiu was likely not as young as he seemed, or his talent would be truly extraordinary.
Even so, Feng Yeqiu was no ordinary person. Among the Martial Kings of the Azure Sun Martial Mansion, he was the youngest but had the highest cultivation level, being in the late stage of the King Body realm, a high-level Martial King!
The buildings of each Martial Mansion were clearly constructed with intention, featuring numerous rooms. Even Woo Zhengyang and his companions were given accommodations. After entering the Azure Sun Martial Mansion, Woo Zhengyang and the others were either on missions, in the gravity room, or standing in the rain outside the gravity room's entrance. Meals were provided by the Azure Sun Martial Mansion before missions, making them feel like homeless beggars.
It wasn't until now that they finally had a place to settle, which left many feeling a mix of relief and melancholy. This experience highlighted the deep-seated disdain the Martial Mansion members held for the villagers. Consequently, Woo Zhengyang's plans weren't progressing smoothly.
On their second day there, an elder summoned Woo Zhengyang. The elder informed him that he was eligible to become a disciple of the Azure Sun Martial Mansion. However, the primary condition for becoming a true disciple was surviving the upcoming journey to the Bewilderment Dragon Stream.
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First, for the new book's ranking next month, I'm going into overdrive with five updates a day. Second, due to some reasons and to prepare for next month, we'll have two guaranteed updates in the latter half of the month, completed by morning, with additional updates as usual. I hope you understand. If not, maybe take a break for a few days and catch up later. This brief silence is just the calm before next month's storm. A new wave of excitement is on the horizon, so stay tuned!
