Chapter 104: The Second to Pass
Many of the teachers on the cliff were shocked speechless. They had never imagined that the sword of the Zhao Sword Furnace and the sword moves from the Ink Garden Remnant Scroll would create such a magical change, especially when many people felt if their cultivation were not stronger than Zhang Yi right now, they would not be able to withstand such a blow.
Zhang Yi’s performance and the changes in expression of these teachers did not escape Huang Zhenwei’s sight. He shook his head emotionally.
Each time, there would be great changes in the Min Mountain Sword Trials. This time, Ding Ning would be the victor, and Lie Yinghong, ranked first in the Book of Talents, had been eliminated even before the last event. Adding on Zhang Yi now, the changes in the Min Mountain Sword Trials surpassed all the times in the past.
“Why does not Zhang Yi kill all these insects?”
Pan Ruoye’s voice reached his ears. “If they are constantly pursued by the insects like this, it will use more energy.”
Huang Zhenwei turned his head to look at him and said gently, “Zhang Yi must have guessed that these insect swarms have borders amongst themselves. If other insect swarms catch a whiff of this swarm, they will not come over. Based on the present situation, his conjecture is correct.”
“So, he is purposefully letting some insects follow. This way, they will have no problems in passing.” Pan Ruoye glanced at Zhang Yi who appeared small in the sea of brambles. Then she looked into Huang Zhenwei’s eyes and said, “Before this, you admired Zhang Yi. When he and Xu Lianhua were surrounded, you were not worried at all. Did you know beforehand he would pass?”
Huang Zhenwei stilled slightly and then shook his head. “Palace Master Pan is extremely intelligent. When he chose to take Xu Lianhua along, I relaxed, and it had nothing to do with what had followed.”
Pan Ruoye frowned slightly and did not understand Huang Zhenwei’s meaning.
“Zhang Yi is a true gentleman. In the eyes of many, he is indecisive and does not have his priorities sorted out. But Palace Master Pan should also know that some people like personalities like this.”
Huang Zhenwei said gently and slowly, “If this door closes, a window may open. Not all cultivators have to be generals that charge at the front. Some people want to use true gentlemen like Zhang Yi, kind and loyal. There is no danger. So I relaxed because I am sure even if Zhang Yi cannot enter Min Mountain Sword Sect to study, someone will choose him, and he will have good opportunities in the future.”
Pausing, Huang Zhenwei added. “The results of the Min Mountain Sword Trials are naturally important. However, everyone in Changling is watching the trials. If we say the students are jewels, then this sword trial is a chance for them to shine with their own light. This is also important.”
**
Yantai Guanjian’s gaze did not stay on Zhang Yi and Xu Lianhua like the other cultivators on the cliff. He had to make sure he could appear at any place in the sea of brambles at any moment, so he found some changes before other people on the cliff.
It was already four hours after Ding Ning walked out of the sea of brambles. Yet, because this event was so hard, other people had not managed to force Qing Yaoyin to appear and point out the correct path. So up until now, the one to pass second had not appeared.
All of the students moving through the sea of brambles were not close to the exit. Even so, at this time, the second to pass had appeared in Yantai Guanjian’s view.
This was a youth, small and thin, dressed in black satin robes.
At this time, there were at least a dozen students closer to the entrance, and numerous ones were half as close. Yet, Yantai Guanjian was certain that this black robed youth would be the second to pass.
Like Zhang Yi, this black robed youth was not injured seriously. He, like Xie Changsheng, had taken the water path, walking along the winding stream. He had taken some detours, but had not experienced attacks from the black rats.
At this time, in Yantai Guanjian’s eyes, he seemed to have a strange power to cause all the beasts and insects in the sea of brambles to avoid him and not dare to come close. This event seemed to be non-existent for the black robed youth. He only needed to calmly walk through. The only obstruction to him was the formation in the sea of brambles.
Yantai Guanjian’s eyes slowly furrowed. He found it hard to understand.
In the next moment, his figure disappeared from the cliff and landed in a part of the sea of brambles.
There were several simple and low buildings made out of brambles in front of him. Because the brambles were still alive, these residences appeared extremely crude and completely blended with the dark red brambles.
“Junior Sect Brother Qing.”
The moment he landed, Yantai Guanjian called softly towards a figure in the residence.
That figure was the master of this sea of brambles, Qing Yaoyin.
After not meeting for many years, the brambles were finally open to Yantai Guanjian. When the sect brothers met again, there were many emotions.
Yet, what answered Yantai Guanjian’s question was a ferocious howl.
Yantai Guanjian’s pupils contracted.
He sensed a small white beast crouched next to Qing Yaoyin’s old robes.
That white beast looked like a snowy white lion, but no lion was as terrifying as this small beast.
When Qing Yaoyin shouted, this lazy and docile little beast suddenly stood up. Dozens of visible white energies flowed out of its white fur and spread into the surrounding air.
Qing Yaoyin’s ferocious shout was to stop its next moments. It did stop, but its green eyes stared with hostility at Yantai Guanjian. It laid down again and the flowing white energies quickly disappeared.
Yet, in this short moment, with a string of cracking sounds, the crude short building seemed to have been cut into pieces. The brambles flew apart and froze into ice the moment the pieces landed on the ground.
Qing Yaoyin’s hair and beard was white, and his green robes were also covered in frost.
The dissipating cold energy could not threaten Yantai Guanjian. The sword essence emanating from Yantai Guanjian completely repelled all of the cold primal energies. But in this moment, an unique picture formed. A glowing thin icy shield of light formed around Yantai Guanjian, and then it shattered in the next moment, flying outwards.
“What is this?” Yantai Guanjian looked in shock at the white lion-like beast at Qing Yaoyin’s side, and asked.
Seeing everything cracked in the building, Qing Yaoyin had a painful and displeased expression. But this was his senior sect brother, so he took a deep breath and bowed first. He said, “An infant snow qilin. Or rather, an infant beast that will become a snow qilin.”
Yantai Guanjian’s body shook slightly, his breathing stopped. He started to understand why Qing Yaoyin had the sea of brambles produce so many imperial insect swarms that gathered cold energy. He looked in shock and admiration at his junior sect brother, and said apologetically, “I am very sorry. We have not met for many years. I had not expected to destroy Junior Sect Brother’s residence upon our first meeting.”
“Do we have to waste words between us?” Qing Yaoyin frowned deeply and said patiently, “Senior Sect Brother is in such a hurry to find me because something has happened?”
“A youth is walking through your sea of brambles. The insects that you raise are avoiding him. I am certain that the youth is not so powerful that the insects feel instinctive terror,” Yantai Guanjian looked at him and asked. “Why is this so?”
Qing Yaoyin seemed to find this question so simple and answered without thinking. “Medicine person.”
Yantai Guanjian stilled. “Medicine person?”
Qing Yaoyin glanced at him. “Someone with terrifying medicine in their body is called a medicine person.”
Yantai Guanjian finally reacted but was still puzzled. He asked, “If one is able to deal with your insects just by using some medicine, is not this event too easy for those skilled in medicine?”
Qing Yaoyin shook his head and then could not help but say disdainfully, “If so, Jin Liuli would not have made such arrangements. I do not know how many different kinds of violent medicines I used to raise these beasts. How can these beasts not be able to withstand the medicines that ordinary cultivators can withstand?”
Yantai Guanjian’s gaze flashed. But Qing Yaoyin did not want to waste time and said so directly. “Medicine people use their bodies as medicine. He is only transport for the medicine. You can think of him as a dead person with pill medicine.”
Yantai Guanjian took a deep breath.
In the eyes of the world, Geng Ren, with his reputation as the person chef, was the person most skilled with medicine in Min Mountain Sword Sect. Yet, he knew that while Geng Ren was skilled in killing with poison, in terms of the study of medicine, no one was better than Qing Yaoyin in the Qin Dynasty. So Qing Yaoyin’s judgement would have no flaws.
“Dead warrior?” he asked Qing Yaoyin after a moment of silence.
Qing Yaoyin did not answer and nodded briskly.
Yantai Guanjian sank into silence again.
He did not recognize this black robed youth. This meant that this black robed youth was not famous and did not rank near the top of the Book of Talents. But regardless of whose death warrior this black robed youth was, being able to pass through the previous tests meant that this black robed youth possessed great cultivation talent.
So he naturally felt it a great pity.