Pavilions and towers lay hidden among the lush shadows of verdant trees on the floating islands. Golden light shimmered and spilled as young attendants wove through the scene carrying trays of tea and fruit.
Elder Shen sat at the head table, his gaze sweeping over the contestants before finally settling on Chu Yue.
Satisfaction appeared in his eyes. He raised his teacup and took a sip. Then he transmitted his voice slowly. “Lian Jianqing from Surfoot Peak—you saw him once in the Azurerain realm, though he didn’t make a move that time. Be careful of his sword this round.”
“Jiang Jiusi from Thousandchance Peak is now at early Nascent Soul stage. His cultivation surpasses yours. His technique of rendering swords formless is exquisite and precise. He’s a formidable opponent.”
“Yu Yangshan from Resonance Peak shares your cultivation level but is skilled in cursecraft. Be on your guard.”
“From Bluebamboo Peak…”
When Elder Shen finally reached Violetstage Peak, he cleared his throat. “Chuxuan is at late Core Formation. He trains under Peak Lord Li and has inherited quite a bit of his swordsmanship. He’s also Li Lanxiu’s shixiong and watched him grow up.”
“If you wish to repay Li Lanxiu for his recommendation, you might consider going easy on Chuxuan. Don’t leave Peak Lord Li looking bad three days from now.”
Chu Yue traced the ridges of his knife hilt with his fingertip and gave a silent nod.
Moments later, the sound of war drums thundered from all directions around Dao-Questioning Plaza, rumbling like the sky splitting open.
The contestants descended on clouds, landing gracefully in the plaza.
At the center of the plaza, a giant suspended mirror rippled like water and projected the image of each contestant clearly for all to see.
A solemn voice echoed from the skies, reaching every corner of the venue. “First round: Beast Hunt.”
“There are as many yao beasts in the cages as there are contestants. Before the war drums end, defeat one yao beast to advance and earn the right to enter the next round.”
“Everyone, remember this well. The number of yao beasts is limited. Anyone who fails to defeat a beast before the drums stop will lose the right to advance.”
The contestants glanced at the massive cages on the plaza, their expressions full of doubt. They were the elite chosen from each peak—slaying unintelligent yao beasts should be effortless for them.
This round seemed far too easy.
As Elder Shen’s voice faded, a golden array lit up across the plaza. With a fervent surge of drums, golden light shot upwards like an arrow, swiftly circling the plaza. When it completed the circuit, it transformed into an enormous cage that enveloped the entire arena.
At the same time, the black cloths covering the cages dropped away, revealing the beasts' monstrous forms.
“Steelwhite apes!”
The white apes inside the cages were human-sized, their bodies bristling with sharp white fur like needles of steel. Their mouths jutted with outward-curving fangs.
They wore armor gleaming with gold and helmets just as radiant. Beneath the helmets, their faces were fierce and cruel. Their clawed hands gripped the bars, talons sharp as blades, capable of easily cracking skulls and scooping out brains to eat.
Among yao beasts, the more human-like they appeared, the more intelligent and difficult they were to fight. White apes were the most human-like of them all.
These steelwhite apes were a special kind—exceptionally intelligent. They had scavenged armor from ancient battlefields, heated it until it glowed red then seared it onto their own bodies. The armor fused with their flesh, making them impervious to blades and spears, as tough as diamond.
As the cages sprang open with a boom, the starving white apes burst out in a frenzy.
A white ape kicked off with its hind legs and leapt several meters into the air. Its whole body flashed with dazzling golden light as it crashed into the crowd like an unstoppable meteor hammer.
The impact sent nearby disciples sprawling. They sprang up and stabbed at the ape with swords and sabers, but their spiritual weapons left only pale marks on its armor.
Instead, the attack enraged the ape. It bared its bloody mouth and let out a piercing roar.
Conundrum Sect had placed a no-biting curse on the apes to reduce injuries among the contestants, but their claws remained lethal. With a single swipe, one ape drove its sharp nails into the top of a disciple’s head. Blood poured from his mouth and his life instantly vanished.
Jiang Jiusi held his sword in both hands, shielding the disciples of Thousandchance Peak behind him as he calmly engaged the ape.
The same scene unfolded around Chuxuan. They soon realized that killing a white ape alone to earn advancement was nearly impossible.
To kill a white ape, teamwork was essential. First, they had to find a way to pry off its armor, then have the chosen disciple deliver the fatal blow.
Other peaks caught on to the same strategy. At Surfoot Peak, the disciples worked in perfect coordination. Lian Jianqing’s sword arced like a rainbow as he struck down a steelwhite ape. A golden circle immediately appeared beneath his feet, marking him as qualified to advance.
Every action on the plaza was displayed in perfect clarity on the giant mirror. The floating islands of each peak could see everything.
“Lian Jianqing grasped Elder Shen’s intent in no time. Only unity and cooperation can defeat the steelwhite apes…”
“Each peak must choose its strongest disciple to strike the final blow. Time is limited. When the drums stop, it’s all over.”
“So this round tests… whether the disciples of each peak are united enough? Whether they’re willing to give others a chance to advance?”
That was exactly how things were playing out. Although the number of white apes equaled the number of contestants, time was short and killing even one required joint effort.
Each peak had to pick a disciple to send into the next round. In this case, there were more wolves than meat. Every disciple who signed up for the sect’s competition wanted to win glory. Who would willingly step aside and let someone else take the prize?
Similar scenes of conflict unfolded across the plaza. After the apes were stripped of their armor, disciples rushed in to strike at their weak points. No one wanted to become someone else’s stepping stone.
On Violetstage Peak’s floating island, Li Lanxiu sat in a chair beside his father. The disciples behind him watched the battle nervously—this concerned Violetstage Peak’s honor. Each of them was so tense their hearts were about to leap out of their throats.
Li Lanxiu lazily propped his chin on one arm. With two fingers of his other hand, he picked up a game piece and casually placed it on the board.
Now and then, he glanced at the giant mirror, as if the situation didn’t concern him much.
Li Yanbi watched the mirror with bright, focused eyes. Though the disciples of Violetstage Peak lacked exceptional talent or strength, they all followed his teachings. None of them made a disgraceful scene by scrambling for advancement.
He nodded in satisfaction and placed a piece on the board. Then, remembering something, he hesitated and said thoughtfully, “Lanxiu, there’s something I’m not sure I should tell you.”
Li Lanxiu tapped the chessboard with a piece. “You want to talk about Chu Yue?”
Li Yanbi nodded slightly. “The day Chu Yue was tested and revealed to have the Immaculate Spiritual Physique, Elder Shen summoned me and the other peak masters to Cloudwater Hall. During that meeting, he said that guiding Chu Yue was a heavy responsibility. If poorly led, someone like him could stray from the right path and bring disaster upon the world, endangering countless lives across the Nine Provinces…”
He paused, his face darkening with cold discontent. “Then Elder Shen asked who in the sect could take on this responsibility.”
"How did you respond, Father?" Li Lanxiu looked at him and asked.
Li Yanbi’s eyes were as sharp as fire. He gave a cold laugh. "I’ve always been straightforward and never got along with the others in the sect, but some things are clear as day to me. Elder Shen is one of Master Meixue’s people. Everything he says and does isn’t just for the sect—it’s for his master too."
"You’ve never met the sect master and don’t know him. He’s a man who treasures talent above all. If someone’s gifted, he might give them a second glance. If they’re mediocre, they won’t even catch his eye. So I saw through it immediately—Elder Shen kept your contracted servant at Cloudwater Hall for a reason."
Li Lanxiu nodded lightly. He couldn’t help but laugh as he sent a voice transmission. "As the head of a great sect, the sect master is really competing with you for a disciple? Isn’t he afraid of being laughed at?"
Li Yanbi glanced around. The disciples were all focused on the battle below. He let out a soft sigh. "I know that bondservant of yours is loyal to you, but I advise you not to take this to heart. There are thousands of interesting people in this world. Let Chu Yue go. I’ll find someone else for you."
Li Lanxiu chuckled without replying. His pale, slender fingers held a game piece. With a steady flip of the wrist, he placed it on the board.
Li Yanbi, worried he might hurt his son’s feelings, said no more. He had already made things clear enough.
Elder Shen, a wily old fox at his level, was full of schemes. He insisted on Chu Yue taking part in the sect competition because he wanted to present a dazzling scene of glory to the boy, who was still green and wide-eyed.
He wanted to say—will you choose to become the personal disciple of Master Meixue, or will you choose to be Li Lanxiu’s dog?
The Blueword Brush offered as the top prize was a symbolic “key,” representing a bright future and a meteoric rise.
Elder Shen laid out temptation after temptation without the slightest worry that things might spiral out of control.
After all, who wouldn’t know how to choose—between becoming the disciple of one of the most famous masters under heaven, from one of the Four Great Dao Sects, or being Li Lanxiu’s dog?
Elder Shen sipped his tea leisurely, calmly enjoying the match playing out before him.
In the massive mirror, a pitch-black figure gradually came into view. Amid the many contestants, that figure stood out sharply, drawing everyone’s eyes.
As soon as the steelwhite apes were released, Chu Yue jumped on top of one of the giant cages. He crouched down and quietly observed the situation on the field.
The battle raged all around him. Disciples from various peaks were doing their best to attack the white apes. Silver light flickered with the clash of each sword and saber. The fierce movement of blades created a dazzling, chaotic scene.
His gaze swept swiftly across the entire battlefield. His fingers tapped lightly against the iron cage as he quickly calculated the number of remaining white apes and disciples.
Each peak had sent ten disciples. With twelve peaks, that made one hundred and twenty contestants. Counting himself, that was one hundred and twenty-one. There were also one hundred and twenty-one steelwhite apes.
Subtracting those injured, dead or already promoted, there were ninety-seven contestants still on the field, and one hundred and ten white apes.
Chu Yue slowly narrowed his eyes. The more people who advanced to the second round, the more competitors he would face. So—
"Chu Yue moved!"
The scene in the giant mirror drew the attention of countless disciples. Their eyes locked tightly on the dark figure’s every motion.
Chu Yue leapt down from the top of the cage. At the same time, his narrow blade left its sheath. He slashed directly at a steelwhite ape!
The surrounding disciples widened their eyes in disbelief. Was he insane? The white apes’ armor was impervious to blades and spears. Everyone worked together to first pry off parts of the armor before striking at their weaknesses.
The white ape in front of Chu Yue had its armor fully intact. Why waste the effort?
That white ape, seeing the black blade flying straight at it, opened its mouth and bared its fangs, showing a savage and mocking expression.
But in the next instant, the black blade struck its cheek. The massive ape was flung away like a child. Its golden body drew an arc through the air before slamming heavily into the ground.
A deep, distinct dent appeared in the armor on the white ape’s cheek. Blood seeped from the exposed white fur. The ape let out a pained howl and tried to spring up for revenge, but Chu Yue didn’t give it the chance. The moment it hit the ground, he landed beside it. His boot stepped on its head and the tip of his blade drove viciously into the exposed part of its face. With a sharp sound, blood sprayed everywhere.
He twisted his wrist. The blade churned inside the ape’s skull, and beneath his feet, a golden ring representing advancement appeared.
"Was it really that easy..."
The same thought crossed every contestant’s mind at once.
The disciples watching from the floating island were stunned by how clean and decisive his move was. From leaping down to killing the ape, it took only three or four seconds. They hadn’t even gotten a clear look before he had already earned promotion.
"Too much killing intent. Too ruthless."
"He’s still too young. Advancing this easily will only make the shixiong lose face..."
But the murmuring stopped abruptly. Chu Yue pulled out his blade, the tip still stained with yellow-white matter. His expression remained cold as he stared ahead. With a swift backward slash, he sent another charging white ape flying like a kite with a snapped string.
A thin crack split the armor on the ape’s chest. Roaring with fury, it sprang up and charged again. At the same time, its companions all rushed toward Chu Yue.
He held his blade in one hand and plunged it into the crack in the first ape’s armor, killing it instantly. Before he even had time to draw the blade out, several more white apes had surrounded him. His expression didn’t change. He pulled the blade free with one hand and reached for the nearest ape’s throat with the other.
There was a gap in armor between the helmet and the chestplate. Though the white apes were yao with iron-hard bones and flesh, resistant to blade and spear, in that instant, everyone saw Chu Yue exert a slight force with his hand. With a sharp crack, the white ape’s body suddenly went limp and it collapsed weakly to its knees.
He had crushed its throat with his bare hand.
The surrounding white apes roared in fury and hurled themselves at Chu Yue, but they fell one after another in no time. The golden rings beneath his feet lit up one by one, growing more and more numerous, as if he were treading on a glittering golden cloud.
The white apes, although yao beasts, were intelligent. Sensing how dangerous he was, they tried to veer away and attack others instead. But Chu Yue refused to let a single one go. His footwork was swift as lightning, and in mere moments, he had slaughtered every ape around him.
The watching disciples were already dumbfounded. Yet an even more shocking sight followed: Chu Yue resumed the hunt, chasing down scattered white apes. He wielded the black blade single-handedly, his expression cold and unchanging, and with every rise and fall of his hand, blood splattered. He looked like a demon from hell.
"He’s already qualified for advancement…why is he still killing so many white apes?"
"Because...it looks like he doesn’t want anyone else to advance. He’s trying to wipe out all the white apes first..."
"Has he gone mad? Is he so obsessed with winning? We’re all from the same sect. How badly does he want to win?"
"I really think he’s insane. His strikes are terrifying to watch..."
"Does anyone remember he used to be Li Lanxiu’s contracted slave? How could Li Lanxiu not be afraid, keeping someone like that around?"
Just as the disciples were saying, Chu Yue did want to win. He wanted it more than anything. Only by winning, only by taking first place—
Only by standing at the very top could he prove that he wasn’t just good at obeying orders, but that he was stronger than anyone.
That he was, above all others, the most suited to be controlled, to be toyed with, to be used by Li Lanxiu as a blade.
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