A pair of slender, pale fingers flashed before his eyes…
The golden phantom stood silently before him, with the passage leading out of the Nine-Turn Buddhist Pagoda behind it.
It slightly turned sideways to make room for Weisheng Zhen, its tone seemingly much more cheerful: “You have successfully passed the trial of the ninth floor. I believe that in this secret realm, you have gained much these will all be your rewards for successfully clearing it.”
“Take care, no need to see you off.”
The golden phantom’s words were not wrong. In the secret realm just now, Weisheng Zhen had deepened his understanding of his own “Dao,” and his realm, which had only recently stabilized, seemed to have the potential for further advancement.
Once he returned and properly digested it, perhaps he truly could match the speed Li Changshuang had achieved back in the day.
As Weisheng Zhen passed by the golden phantom’s side, he suddenly stopped, turned his head, and asked: “So, where’s my reward for clearing the ninth floor?”
The faceless golden phantom simply stared back at him.
“You’re quite clever.”
After who knows how long, it finally spoke.
It let out a soft chuckle: “Xing Tan never thought of that. So, he left, but he didn’t truly clear the ninth floor.”
“However, even so, what he obtained here was already enough to sustain his cultivation for a long time to come.”
“As a reward, you may ask me one question. I cannot refuse, and I must give you the correct answer.”
Weisheng Zhen nodded and, without hesitation, asked: “Can a predetermined fate truly be changed?”
The golden phantom smiled again.
“You already know the answer, don’t you?”
Though it was another riddle-like response, Weisheng Zhen had already obtained the answer he wanted. He nodded, cupped his hands in a salute, and said “Farewell,” but as he prepared to leave, the golden phantom stopped him.
“I have a question, Since you were already ready to leave, why did you suddenly think of the correct way to clear it?”
Weisheng Zhen had actually only been trying to bluff it.
And according to the logic of his own writing, every secret realm that required clearing would have a reward obtainable on the spot.
So, when he had spoken earlier, he was only doing so with a try-and-see mindset.
Weisheng Zhen seemed somewhat reluctant to answer, but in the end, he pressed his lips together: “Perhaps… compared to Little Rice Bowl, I’m just greedier.”
The golden phantom: “…”
Utter nonsense.
After the two masters of nonsense exchanged words, each harboring their own schemes, they finally parted ways.
The moment Weisheng Zhen stepped out of the pagoda, he was startled by the cheers of the surrounding crowd.
Those present nearby were all cultivators, many of them fellow disciples of the Lingchao Sect. As they celebrated Weisheng Zhen’s successful passage through the ninth floor, their spiritual energy shot into the sky like flowing water, exploding into all manner of fireworks in the void.
“Amazing, Senior Brother Weisheng!”
Wen Yujun was the first to throw himself into Weisheng Zhen’s arms, followed by a steady stream of Lingchao Sect disciples rushing to his side, every face beaming with joy and pride.
“Junior Brother Weisheng is incredible! When the sect opens its doors to new disciples next year, our Junior Brother Weisheng is definitely going to gain a whole new batch of admirers!”
“Absolutely awesome! Senior Brother Weisheng is the true model for us all!”
“Senior Brother, Senior Brother, tell us quickly, what treasures did you get in there?”
Like stars encircling the moon, they crowded around Weisheng Zhen, making even a chatterbox like him feel a bit shy. Xian Yuyi and Hua Fan finally came over to help Weisheng Zhen out of the predicament: “Alright, alright, the Rising Talents rankings are set, and it’s almost time to receive the rewards! Let your Junior Brother Weisheng go after he gets his reward, you can torment him all you want.”
Only then did the disciples of Lingchao Sect reluctantly let Weisheng Zhen leave.
The rewards for the Rising Talents competition were distributed from last to first. Perhaps because every century produced some promising seedlings, Sect Master Lin and Sect Master Xue appeared far more amiable at each Rising Talents competition than they did within their own sects, sometimes even offering a few words of encouragement.
Even simple encouragement had different effects depending on who delivered it, and the words passed down through the two great Sect Masters never failed to invigorate these youths.
There was still a long while before Weisheng Zhen would receive his reward. Having finished the competition, he felt much more relaxed, and since he believed he had misjudged Li Changshuang a few days prior, he quietly slipped over to stand behind the two Sect Masters when he spotted Li Changshuang standing there with a somewhat serious expression.
He hadn’t seen Li Changshuang in several days, and he found himself missing him.
That was what Weisheng Zhen thought.
Especially after that decade of separation now that they were reunited, he only wanted to spend more time with him.
Nothing more than that; it just made his heart feel at peace.
And besides.
He also rather wanted to show off that he had successfully cleared the trial.
Li Changshuang had long noticed his little movements but didn’t stop him. When Weisheng Zhen nudged him with his elbow, he merely cast a questioning glance.
Seeing that Li Changshuang truly didn’t seem to hold the earlier misunderstanding against him, Weisheng Zhen breathed a quiet sigh of relief. A faint smile on his face, he murmured, “So? As the first cultivator in thousands of years to pass through the Nine-Turn Buddha Pagoda, wasn’t I absolutely magnificent just now?”
The youth’s brows arched slightly, his expression bold and spirited, radiating confidence and fearlessness.
When Li Changshuang again just gazed at him with those deep, dark eyes without speaking, Weisheng Zhen waved a hand in front of his face and laughed with exaggerated flair: “Wow! Looks like this young hero has been completely captivated by yours truly!”
Those slender, pale fingers flickered past his eyes like dancing butterflies, making one instinctively want to reach out and catch them.
Li Changshuang had to summon tremendous willpower to restrain himself. He hastily averted his gaze and gave a small nod.
But Weisheng Zhen found his reaction utterly delightful. He leaned in a little closer, and the eyes he suddenly met seemed to shimmer with starlight. Grinning, he locked eyes with Li Changshuang’s evasive gaze: “Why have you suddenly gone quiet? Could our ever-composed and upright Young Hero Li be… blushing?”
A hint of red quickly crept up to the tips of his ears. Li Changshuang simply closed his eyes to avoid Weisheng Zhen’s stare, but his long lashes fluttered incessantly, unable to conceal the turmoil within.
After a long while, Weisheng Zhen stepped back to his original spot. Just as he had stopped expecting anything, he heard a barely audible sound from beside him.
“Mhm.”
**
Yue Bai, the sole dark horse to break into the top three, was the one whose reaction everyone present besides Weisheng Zhen was most eager to see.
Nearly every cultivator in attendance could sense that he was forty years old. Though his talent was indeed somewhat inferior to the younger generation like Li Changshuang and Weisheng Zhen, and he couldn’t even match Wen Yujun’s former brilliance, still…
Such talent might seem unremarkable among the six great sects, but he was only forty years old, there were still countless possibilities ahead of him in life!
Who could guarantee that he wouldn’t encounter a stroke of fortune in the secret realm and leap into the ranks of the top powers in the cultivation world?
Moreover, with his abilities as a newly ascended Nascent Soul cultivator, he had nearly fought Wen Yujun to a standstill in the Nine-Turn Buddha Pagoda and Wen Yujun was at the mid-stage of Spirit Transformation!
With such thoughts, many elders of the smaller sects and the patriarchs of the families they protected began to stir with ambition.
If Yue Bai didn’t enter any of these six great sects.
At the very least, he could protect a small sect or a family for a thousand years of prosperity!
“Third place, Yue Bai.”
Hearing Sect Master Xue call his name, Yue Bai stepped forward with neither arrogance nor humility, clasping his fists and saying, “This junior is Yue Bai.”
Both Sect Masters Xue and Lin could see that the aura on his body was somewhat mixed and impure, and they knew he truly hadn’t followed an orthodox path of cultivation. Sect Master Lin patted him on the shoulder, remarking that the younger generation was formidable, then asked, “Young friend Yue, do you have any intention of joining one of our six sects?”
Sect Master Lin’s reasoning was simple regardless of whether Yue Bai was willing to join the Lingchao Sect, as long as he entered one of the six sects, it would provide a reserve force for the cultivation world.
Especially now, when turmoil might soon befall them.
But Yue Bai shook his head. “I thank the sect master for his kindness, but I already have a master’s legacy, so I have no such intention.”
Sect Master Lin nodded with slight regret, and at the same time, the others below began to stir restlessly.
Whoever could leave a good impression on Yue Bai first might one day have him help them through a crisis!
“In that case, come forward and claim your reward.”
“Aside from the standard spirit stone reward, you may also select one item from the Heaven-tier treasure vault of Lingjie and two items from the Earth-tier treasure vault.”
Sect Master Xue said in a deep voice.
Soon, an entrance to a mustard-seed space appeared before Yue Bai. However, to everyone’s surprise, he clasped his fists and said, “I don’t want this additional reward. I only want.”
He raised his hand and pointed directly at Weisheng Zhen, who was standing behind Sect Master Lin, currently spacing out after having just “teased” Li Changshuang.
“I only want him to promise me one request.”
Weisheng Zhen, suddenly called out, looked up blankly and met Yue Bai’s gaze, puzzled. “Me?”
“You’re giving up the treasure vault rewards for the promise of a cultivator who hasn’t even reached the Void Refinement stage?”
No matter how Weisheng Zhen thought about it, he felt this person’s mind was truly not working well.
After all, the items in that treasure vault were at least Earth-tier, and perhaps they might even be exactly what he needed for his cultivation like pills that could boost his cultivation without side effects, or top-grade refining materials that could be used to forge his natal weapon.
Weisheng Zhen couldn’t understand it.
The two of them had at most a passing acquaintance. Weisheng Zhen didn’t understand why he would give up these things in exchange for a promise from him.
No matter how one weighed the two options, this was an extremely unprofitable deal!
Weisheng Zhen was just about to open his mouth to refuse when he saw Yue Bai’s eyes looking straight at him. “It’s only one request. If you hear it and feel you cannot fulfill it, then you are naturally free to refuse.”
His voice was completely unguarded, practically roasting Weisheng Zhen over an open fire in front of everyone.
If Weisheng Zhen hadn’t agreed to his terms, who knew how the cultivators walking out of here today would spin the story about him later.
Weisheng Zhen was not one to fear gossip, but he also didn’t want to be cursed at for no reason. He nodded and said, “Since you’ve already made up your mind.”
Before he could even finish his sentence, he noticed Li Changshuang beside him reaching out to block him.
Weisheng Zhen turned his head to look, and Li Changshuang’s expression carried a hint of disapproval as he shook his head.
So Weisheng Zhen shifted his tone: “But in truth, I don’t really fall within the scope of this so-called reward. Whether I agree or not depends entirely on my personal preference, so regarding what you’ve mentioned, we can discuss it privately.”
“But.”
“I require that besides myself, Li Changshuang must also be informed of this matter. Moreover, this matter must be within my capabilities for instance, if you were to ask me to slaughter innocent people, such an inhumane act I naturally would not do. If you do not agree to the above requirements, I naturally have the right to refuse.”