164: Chapter 163: The Trial Begins 164: Chapter 163: The Trial Begins In fact, for True Sword Cultivators, their real method of flying should have been through sword control, but this method doesn’t allow for carrying others; hence, Hou Niao had been quite worried all this way.
What would he do if they encountered a fierce Soul Ghost and Uncle Zheng had to retract his magic artifact to attack with the sword?
Falling from a hundred zhang high, could he even survive?
He truly had no confidence in his heart.
“Once we pass this hilltop, we’ll encounter fierce Soul Ghosts.
Um, there should be existences comparable to human beings at the Tongxuan Realm…”
Uncle Zheng furrowed his brows, “Have you seen them?”
Where could Hou Niao tell the truth, “Not yet, just heard that they might appear…”
Uncle Zheng scolded, “Only speak of what you’ve seen, don’t guess wildly if you haven’t!
Don’t use those hearsays to fabricate stories.
It’s up to us to decide, you just need to report the distribution of the Soul Ghosts here.”
Hou Niao sighed inwardly, how could he say that?
Should he say that he had been here slaughtering Soul Ghosts for Soul Beads, not knowing how many he had killed over two months?
Soon, they reached the last gathering souls spot he and Tideng Monk had been at, and honestly,
“Disciple had only come up to here at the furthest.
At night, numberless Soul Ghosts fill the hills and fields.
Um, I could only take a look from afar, I don’t know about their strengths,” he explained.
The voice of the female Upper Cultivator from Huncheng Sect was gentle, “For someone at Grain Avoidance Cultivation, having the courage to venture this far is commendable.
True Sword Cultivators are indeed brave, as the reputation suggests.”
Hou Niao was embarrassed, “Don’t flatter me, Fairy.
I only ventured here during the day, and had to flee once night fell, fearing being entangled.”
The three magic artifacts had hovered above West Mang Mountain for a long time, giving Hou Niao a complete view of this Yin Mountain for the first time; it seemed that the last time he and Tideng Monk had ventured about halfway into West Mang Mountain, it was their limit, but for these Upper Cultivators of Tongxuan, it might not be so.
The exact decision made by the three Upper Cultivators was unknown to him; it was probably the legendary Divine Sense communication.
In such matters, he had no right to speak.
After returning, the team soon set out.
Hou Niao hesitated, but Uncle Zheng saw straight through his thoughts.
A guide is not just about leading to the destination and considering the task complete but waiting until the entire trial ends.
Didn’t you claim to know West Mang Mountain like the back of your hand?
Then prove yourself and give us an advance warning if the Soul Ghosts act up,” he said.
This was somewhat unreasonable, but he was his Uncle Master and in charge of this mission, so Hou Niao had no choice but to obey.
Everyone left their horses behind, which were specially trained to not run away on their own; beyond this point was hilly terrain unsuitable for horseback, far less convenient than Escape Techniques.
Led by the three Upper Cultivators, the group ventured deeper.
Although there were no jokes or laughter, their expressions were relaxed, confident and fearless;
Soul Ghosts, being bodiless existences, ranked below the Demon Clan in the power hierarchy of the Cultivation World.
Of course, this refers to the low realm.
The lack of a physical form greatly limits the abilities of Soul Ghosts; only when they can condense a robust body can they truly exhibit their powers, and the higher their realm, the smaller becomes their difference with human cultivators.
That’s pretty much the situation.
Thus, bodiless Soul Ghosts are regarded trivial by experienced cultivators.
Initially, Hou Niao and Tideng Monk, merely at the Essence Building phase, dared to venture deep to gather Soul Beads, partly motivated by this very notion.
This competition seemed to raise a bit of rivalry on both sides, prompting Hou Niao to marvel that these women, when vying, were by no means inferior to men; they might not explode into immediate conflict like men, but they possessed a persistence that was relentless and unending.
Men might become friends after a fight, finding mutual respect; but women, once in opposition, would be lifelong enemies, irreconcilable.
Both used Escape Techniques — the Huncheng Sect’s technique was eerily elegant, while the Anhe Daoist Sect was brimming with celestial energy.
As this team fled, it was as if a group of fairies had descended from heaven.
However, one aspect was consistent — the twisting of their waists and swaying of their hips; in every leap, they shook thrice; combined with cloud-like sleeves, trailing long skirts, and veiled faces, it must be admitted that they were tremendously alluring.
As for what kind of Escape Technique it was, his unsophisticated eyes and limited knowledge couldn’t really discern.
Comparatively, the escape skills of Quanzhen Sect Sword Cultivators were much uglier, basically having two forms, Earth Slip and a jerky nerve spasm.
Earth Slip was the Sword Yu Skill, characterized at their realm level as a slippery form where footsteps never left the ground; the nerve spasm was a ground version of Sword Control, shooting forth a bit then straining to leap again, which at first glance appeared as a series of starts and stops.
This skill may be ugly, but its practicality won, critical for always preparing for a sword fight, a difference in Daoist concept rooted in tradition.
The Daoist Sect wouldn’t adopt their straightforward techniques, just as Sword Cultivators wouldn’t learn the Daoists’ elegance — such notions, deeply ingrained in the bloodline over thousands of years, could not be changed lightly.
This time, the two accompanying Bridge Connection brothers from Uncle Zheng’s group each followed a style; one used Sword Yu Skill like Hou Niao, the other ground Sword Control, representing the most pervasive escape techniques among True Sword Cultivators; in this area, the Sword Cultivators rarely learned other skills, it was a matter of their pride.
Hou Niao, though being the guide, lagged at the end of the group, not out of irresponsibility, but because he didn’t know the final trial arena either.
However, he had a vague hunch.
An hour later, his hunchproved correct; the position decided by the Upper Cultivators was just beyond his furthest reach at another hill; this was a psychological effect — they couldn’t advance shallower than the Quanzhen patrolling disciples.
With so many people and Upper Cultivators to protect, it would be a joke to stay at the outer edges of West Mang Mountain for the trial.
He sighed, and said no more.
He knew well that saying more was futile, as his low realm status held no value before the Upper Cultivators; even if he fully recounted his and Tideng Monk’s previous encounter, it would likely be ignored, because the concerns of two low Essence Building cultivators looked trivial to Tongxuan Upper Cultivators.
Confidence is the cornerstone of cultivation; with much stronger capabilities and the centuries of calm in West Mang Mountain, why should they heed the worries of a low-level cultivator?
The competition rules were simple.
Anhe Daoist Sect and Huncheng Sect each took a hill, standing close and watchful, setting a single night as the period to see which side would falter first.
It wasn’t practical to decide by the number of Soul Ghosts slain, as there were too many and hard to count.
The two Upper Cultivators and the True Sword Disciples naturally wouldn’t participate.
They would stay aloft to oversee the battle, managing any possible mishaps.
For the dozen or so low-level cultivators, defending a hill without retreat was not too challenging.
It remained to be seen if any mishaps would occur.
In West Mang Mountain, after all, the Soul Ghosts were the sovereigns; they shouldn’t be underestimated too much.