"I wonder if there is any more Demon Sword Blood on the second floor."
Fang Chen secretly looked forward to it. The Demon Sword Blood had brought him tremendous benefits, so he naturally hoped there was more.
He immediately opened the wooden box.
When he saw what was inside, a flash of light crossed Fang Chen's eyes.
There was indeed Demon Sword Blood inside! And there were two drops of it!
"As expected!"
Fang Chen was overjoyed, but then he noticed a faint ball of light in the corner of the wooden box.
"What is this?"
He stared at it in confusion. At that very moment, the two drops of Demon Sword Blood plunged into his body and appeared in his Dantian.
However, the excruciating pain from the previous time did not appear, nor did the Demon Sword Blood merge partway into his body right away.
"It seems that after fusing once, I no longer need to merge autonomously, but can choose to do so whenever I want."
Fang Chen thought to himself, then turned his gaze toward the cluster of starlight.
"What is this?"
He reached out his hand, and the moment he touched the ball of light, it entered his mind!
Suddenly! A stream of legacy memories that did not belong to him kept emerging in his mind!
Chapter 14: The Seven Peaks Trial Begins
I don't know how much time passed before Fang Chen finally recovered.
Yet at this moment, he was overwhelmingly excited, because that ball of light turned out to be a legacy! And a Dan Dao legacy at that!
"It's actually the memory legacy of a rank-six Dan Dao grandmaster!"
You must know that in the Shendong Domain, rank five was already considered the peak for alchemists, and there was only a single rank-six grandmaster!
To casually pick up the complete legacy of a rank-six grandmaster—how could Fang Chen not be thrilled!
After a moment, he calmed down. "Now is not the time to comprehend this legacy. The Seven Peaks Trial is about to start, so I should set off."
He came out of the Little Pagoda, entered the main hall, and saw his master's wife, Qiu Mei.
"Mistress." Fang Chen bowed respectfully.
"Xiao Fang, are you done cultivating?" Qiu Mei was weaving clothes at the moment, and a smile appeared when she saw Fang Chen arrive.
Although Tianyangzi had prepared a lifetime's worth of mortal wealth for her before he died, Mistress was someone who could never stay idle, so she would weave some clothes from time to time.
Ever since he was a child, all of Fang Chen's clothes, including the ones on his back, were woven by her.
"Come here," Qiu Mei said with a smile. "I've woven a new outer garment for you. Try it on and see if it fits."
"Yes." Fang Chen nodded and took the outer garment.
This was a long outer robe mixed with white and blue. When Fang Chen put it on, it made his already handsome face look even more vibrant and spirited.
After looking at him, Qiu Mei sighed with emotion, "Ah, time really flies. That Xiao Fang who used to be half a head shorter than me has grown this tall."
Fang Chen understood that Mistress was missing his master, and she was also missing home.
His master was no longer around, but their home was still on the Seventh Peak.
Fang Chen said firmly, "Mistress, don't worry. Today is the Seven Peaks Trial. This disciple promises you that I will definitely bring you back to the Seventh Peak!"
Qiu Mei looked at Fang Chen's resolute expression and once again wore a gentle smile. "Good, Mistress believes you can do it."
Afterwards, Fang Chen bade farewell to Qiu Mei and headed toward Nameless Peak.
Wordless Peak.
The Seven Peaks Trial grounds were located on an extremely vast open space behind the mountain. At this moment, the plaza was a sea of people, numbering a full ten thousand.
Of course, half of them were just there to watch the commotion, and the remaining ones in the center of the plaza were the outer disciples participating in this Seven Peaks Trial.
Most of their cultivation levels were at Spirit Gathering Level 7 or 8, because everyone knew that passing the Seven Peaks Trial required at least Spirit Gathering Level 7.
Naturally, quite a few were at Spirit Gathering Level 9. They had deliberately waited until Level 9 to participate, and the reason was very simple: the rewards.
The top ten of every trial would receive some rewards, and the reward for first place in particular was extremely generous.
Therefore, even if they already had the ability to enter the inner sect, they preferred to stay in the outer sect until they had enough confidence to participate.
Of course, there were also some who were only at Spirit Gathering Level 6. Most of these people did not think they could pass, and participating was merely to learn and prepare for the next Seven Peaks Trial.
Fang Chen was among them.
Yet at this moment, he was in the most inconspicuous spot of the plaza, waiting for the trial to begin.
"Look over there! Isn't that Lin Luoer?"
"Wow! It really is her! She's only fifteen this year and is already at Spirit Gathering Level 9! She's the heavy favorite to win first place in this trial!"
The appearance of a young girl in the sea of people attracted the attention of many.
The girl had bright, penetrating eyes, fine eyebrows, a straight nose, and dimples faintly showing at the corners of her cheeks; she was truly peerlessly beautiful.
Only, her expression was somewhat cold, and she did not enjoy the feeling of being the center of attention.
"Luo Ao is here too!"
Someone else exclaimed, once again drawing the attention of many.
"Luo Ao! The cousin of Luo Yun, the genius of the inner sect's Second Peak! At only seventeen, he's at the Peak Spirit Gathering! He's also a genius favorite for the championship this time!"
"I reckon the victory for first place will be decided between these two."
"Right, right, right."
Hearing this name, Fang Chen frowned and looked over.
He saw Luo Ao in the crowd, arrogantly enjoying the adoring gazes of the people around him.
And following beside him were two familiar acquaintances.
One was naturally Su Wan'er. Fang Chen was not surprised by her appearance.
She had previously said that she definitely couldn't pass this Seven Peaks Trial, so she would naturally come to participate.
Besides her, there was another person, Si Chengye, whom he had previously encountered at the Spirit Weapon Pavilion.
At that moment, Si Chengye was looking around, searching for someone.
When he saw Fang Chen, he was overjoyed, then glared viciously at Fang Chen and whispered something to Luo Ao beside him.
Upon hearing this, Luo Ao also looked toward Fang Chen, his expression turning icy as well.
He then brought the two of them right up to Fang Chen.
"You're Fang Chen?" Luo Ao looked at Fang Chen disdainfully, his eyes full of arrogance, as if he were looking at an ant.
Seeing that it was Fang Chen, Su Wan'er's expression instantly turned cold. "It's this bastard! I didn't expect a bastard like you to actually dare come! You've grown tired of living!"
"Boss, it's him! After I said your name, he insulted you every which way! He simply didn't take you seriously at all! Utterly despicable!" Si Chengye, standing to the side, added fuel to the fire.
Then, Si Chengye shouted to the surroundings, "Everyone look, this is the fool from five years ago! He crippled his own cultivation just to guard his master's grave! Cracking me up!"
Prompted by his words, quite a few people immediately recalled the events of back then.
"That's the fool from back then?"
"Hilarious, crippling his cultivation to guard a grave. So filial it's dead."
"This isn't being filial; this is being a fool."
"Hahaha!"
Everyone looked at Fang Chen with mocking gazes, just as if they were looking at an idiot.
Toward the ridicules of the surroundings and Si Chengye's stoking of the flames, Fang Chen's heart did not experience much fluctuation.
He couldn't be bothered to say anything; there was no need.
Luo Ao said coldly, "I'll give you a chance: cripple your own cultivation and get lost out of here, and perhaps I can spare your life."
His tone was like giving an order.
Fang Chen looked at him indifferently and asked, "Really?"
Luo Ao said arrogantly, "Naturally."
Hearing this, Fang Chen scoffed and said, "You really think you're somebody? Seventeen years old at Peak Spirit Gathering? I reached that before I was ten; what kind of onion do you think you are?"
Luo Ao's arrogant expression instantly vanished, replaced by extreme frostiness.
The surrounding crowd fell into a dead silence. Fang Chen was provoking Luo Ao!
"Good, very good." After a moment of silence, Luo Ao said coldly, "Don't run into me during the Seven Peaks Trial. I will definitely let you know what it means to wish you were dead."
"Bastard, you're dead!" Su Wan'er also sneered savagely, convinced that Fang Chen was doomed.
Si Chengye beside them also smiled grimly, looking at Fang Chen triumphantly.
Mocking, pitying, and gloating gazes fell upon Fang Chen. Offending Luo Ao in the outer sect was simply courting death.
"Quiet! The big figures have arrived!"
Someone in the distance stepped forward and shouted, and instantly everyone's gaze fell upon the high platform in front of the main hall, where more than a dozen figures had appeared at some point.
Most of these people were elderly elders, including both outer sect elders and inner sect elders.
Yet when they looked at the person in the lead, everyone was stunned.
That was a young woman. She wore a tight-fitting red long dress that outlined her enchanting curves, and the straight, snow-white jade legs faintly revealed beneath the skirt were absolute perfection!
Added to her monstrously peerless, nation-toppling, breathtaking beauty, it left every single man present staring in a daze!
And she was none of other than Meng Yao, also one of the supervising elders for this event.
Chapter 15: Cloud Immortal Pill
Meng Yao's face was brimming with a smile, making her already stunning face even more captivating and alluring.
Upon learning that Fang Chen would participate in this Seven Peaks Trial, she had decided to come watch Fang Chen's trial and then pull Fang Chen into the Second Peak!
That way, even if her unbridled physical impulses flared up in the future, having Fang Chen around would mean nothing would go wrong.
"It's Senior Sister Meng Yao!"
"My god! It really is Senior Sister Meng Yao! Why would Senior Sister Meng Yao come to the outer sect?"
"It looks like she's here to watch this Seven Peaks Trial!"
As the Flame Beauty of the Tianyu Divine Sect's Ice and Fire Twins, Meng Yao's reputation was immense; almost everyone knew of her.
Coupled with her peerlessly enchanting looks and figure, she drove people wild! She was the dream lover of countless people.
Meng Yao did not put on the airs of a proud daughter of heaven. She looked around the crowd below, and the disciples caught in her gaze felt overwhelmingly excited, their hearts pounding wildly!
They immensely anticipated that Meng Yao's beautiful eyes would finally land on them! If so, they would be content for the rest of their lives!
Yet Meng Yao's lovely eyes swept past each of their faces one by one, ultimately landing on Fang Chen.
When she saw Fang Chen, her eyes lit up, and immediately afterward, she cast a charming, seductive glance toward him.
However, the spot where Fang Chen was located didn't just hold him alone; there were quite a few others there as well.
This seductive glance was full of allure, instantly stunning everyone in the area where Fang Chen stood, followed by excitement and madness!
"Senior Sister Meng's seductive look was definitely meant for me!"
"Bullshit! She was clearly winking at me!"
"It was definitely me! I'm so handsome and dashing! Senior Sister Meng must have taken a fancy to me!"
"It was me!"
They fought tooth and nail over the ownership of a single wink.
"Shut up, all of you!" Si Chengye glared at them and said, "What kind ofhings are you to be worthy? Senior Sister Meng's wink was definitely meant for the boss! Are you even worthy of competing?"
Luo Ao was also so mesmerized by Meng Yao's recent glance that his soul was carried away, and his heart surged with excitement.
"Senior Sister Meng must have heard of me! That's why she specifically came to watch this Seven Peaks Trial! Absolutely!" he thought to himself, his gaze immediately turning incomparably firm. "I must perform well! I won't let Senior Sister Meng down."
Seeing the surrounding crowd captivated by Meng Yao, Su Wan'er was filled with jealousy.
She looked at Meng Yao and felt she looked somewhat familiar, but couldn't place it for a moment.
Although she had seen Meng Yao before, she had only seen her profile and back.
Plus, in her eyes, Fang Chen was just a lowly bastard, so she naturally wouldn't connect the high-and-mighty Meng Yao with Fang Chen.
In another room, Lin Xueyan was also present.
Only, she did not show her face, instead watching this scene clearly from a tall building.
Seeing Meng Yao cast a seductive glance toward Fang Chen's location, her eyes were filled with helplessness.
Recently, Meng Yao had constantly wanted to go see Fang Chen, but she had stopped her every time.
She had originally thought Meng Yao would forget about this guy, but she hadn't expected her to come for his sake after all.
Staring at Fang Chen, she thought fiercely to herself, "Fang Chen! I will absolutely not let Meng Yao fall for your tricks!"
Inside another tall building, Luo Yun had also arrived.
Seeing Meng Yao, he felt a slight flash of surprise while a trace of desire flickered in his eyes.
Who within this Tianyu Divine Sect didn't want to capture such a stunner as Meng Yao? He naturally wanted to as well. In fact, when he originally chose to join the Second Peak, a part of the reason was for Meng Yao.
"Why is she here too?" Luo Yun looked confusedly at Meng Yao's enchanting and stunning face.
Yet no matter how he wracked his brain, he couldn't figure out the reason, and could only shake his head slightly, muttering to himself, "Forget it, perhaps she just came because she wanted to watch the outer sect trial."
He locked his gaze onto Fang Chen. "This bastard's cultivation seems to have improved again; interesting. There must be some secret on him. Let this bastard get eliminated first and then capture him. I must interrogate him thoroughly; I refuse to believe I can't squeeze out the secret of how he recovered."
Thinking of this, he smiled viciously.
He had made plenty of preparations for this Seven Peaks Trial; he had absolute confidence in making Fang Chen unable to even pass the first checkpoint!
Fang Chen did not know that he had already been targeted by quite a few people. Facing Meng Yao's seductive look, he gave a bitter smile in his heart and pretended not to see anything.
At the same time, the chief referee elder stepped out and announced, "Alright, quiet down everyone. The Seven Peaks Trial is about to begin."
As these words fell, the commotion below instantly subsided.
The chief referee elder continued, "The Seven Peaks Trial has a total of three rounds: the first round is talent, the second round is willpower, and the third round is the arena."
"As long as you pass the first two of these three rounds, you are considered to have entered the inner sect's Seven Peaks. However, the third round in the arena comes with generous rewards, which will be of great help to you after entering the inner sect."
Someone below asked, "Elder! What are the rewards?"
The chief referee elder said, "The top eight can all obtain a Tier-2 Luoling Grass that enhances cultivation, and the top four can obtain three! As for first place, not only will they get five Luoling Grass, but there is also a special reward!"
Saying this, he smiled mysteriously.
The crowd instantly grew curious. What would this special reward be? Could it be... Senior Sister Meng's kiss?
Some people daydreamed in their hearts.
The chief referee elder smiled slightly and said, "This special reward is provided by Junior Sister Meng! It is a Tier-3 Cloud Immortal Pill!"
As these words fell, the crowd below instantly erupted into a commotion!
"Did I hear wrong?! The Cloud Immortal Pill! That's the pill essential for stepping into the Houtian Realm! Extremely precious! Even inner sect disciples have to pay a heavy price to acquire one!"
The Cloud Immortal Pill was hard to find outside; only large sects like the Tianyu Divine Sect had quite a few of them.
Of course, even if there were quite a few, they were extremely scarce for the Tianyu Divine Sect, and not every disciple could possess one.
This also resulted in many cultivators remaining stuck in the Spirit Gathering Realm for a lifetime, unable to advance further.
Everyone was eager to try! Their eyes burned with fervor!
Perhaps this would become their opportunity to ascend to the heavens in a single bound!
Among them, Luo Ao was the most excited. Even with how powerful their Luo family was, getting their hands on a Cloud Immortal Pill was somewhat difficult!
If he had this divine pill, perhaps he could step into the Houtian Realm even faster!
"Senior Sister Meng really came for me! I'm the favorite to win the championship this time! Aside from me, who else could take this divine pill?" He was incomparably firm in his heart, feeling that Meng Yao had come because of him.
Beside him, Ling Fan's eyes also flashed with a bright light; this Cloud Immortal Pill was exceptionally important to him as well.
Seeing the disciples' soaring morale, the chief referee elder was very satisfied.
Only, no one noticed that his gaze swept casually, glancing at Fang Chen in the distance, though he quickly withdrew his gaze without anyone noticing.
He said calmly, "Alright, now start coming forward to register, collect your numbers, and prepare for the first round of the trial."
Immediately, a full hundred disciples, each holding a wooden box, came to the front.
There were over five thousand people participating in the Seven Peaks Trial, but reporting names and drawing lots was not slow at all.
Fang Chen was ranked rather near the end, and after the span of an incense stick of time, it was his turn.
After reporting his name, he began to draw lots. The moment his hand reached inside, it touched a paper slip.
Without thinking too much, Fang Chen picked up the slip and walked to one side.
Opening it up, it read: 5,321.
A very late number; I'm afraid it won't be my turn until the very end.
Fang Chen didn't care too much about this. After putting the slip away, he found a spot to wait.
Seeing that everyone had finished drawing lots, the chief referee elder waved his hand, a streak of spiritual light flashed, and a spirit bead about the size of a basketball appeared in front of the high platform.
The spirit bead was currently transparent, with streaks of spiritual light flickering across it.
The chief referee elder said, "Talent is divided into nine grades. Passing the first round of the trial is very simple; as long as you reach grade four, you are considered to have passed."
Someone asked curiously, "Elder, we all tested our talent when we entered the outer sect, right? Why test it again?"
The chief referee elder explained, "The reason is very simple: talent will change along with your cultivation. If your foundation is unstable and floaty, or if hidden dangers are left during your cultivation, it will cause your talent to drop. So don't think that because you passed the outer sect's talent test, there won't be any problems entering the inner sect; the foundation is very important."
"Now, the first round of the trial officially begins. Number one, come up."
An eighteen-year-old youth walked out from the crowd.
Nervously, he came before the spirit bead, placed both hands upon it, and then channeled a wisp of spiritual energy.
The spirit bead flickered slightly, and immediately afterward, points of light continuously lit up.
But when it reached the third dot, the spirit bead stopped shining and dimmed once again.
Seeing this scene, the youth's eyes were filled with despair.
The elder on the side saw this and announced, "Grade three talent, fail."
The crowd instantly grew tense; the very first person failed, so it seemed this first round of the trial wasn't simple.
"Next, number two," the elder said again.
The disciples below stepped onto the platform one by one to test, and the sounds of passing and failing continuously rang out from the elder's mouth.
Most of the disciples who passed had grade four or five talent, and occasionally there were grade six talents, but most of those were because their age was close to twenty-five and their foundation was sufficiently solid.
Soon, half the people had finished testing.
When a young girl stepped onto the high platform, she instantly attracted the attention of many.
"It's Lin Luoer!"
"I wonder what her talent grade will be."
Everyone watched expectantly as Lin Luoer placed both hands on the spirit bead, and a moment later, the spirit bead began to shine with points of light.
When all the points of light appeared, everyone drew a sharp breath!
"My god! Grade seven talent!"
"As expected of Lin Luoer!"
Everyone sighed with emotion, and the elder on the stage also looked at Lin Luoer with eyes full of appreciation.
Yet Lin Luoer's expression remained calm; after bowing, she walked down.
After a dozen more people, it was Su Wan'er's turn.
Su Wan'er walked arrogantly onto the high platform, then placed both hands on the spirit bead.