A World Worth Protecting

Zhou Chudao noticed Dugu Lin’s stare. He grimaced slightly and sighed secretly. If not for his master’s insistence that he participated in this trial, he wouldn’t have done so.

Why am I inflicting this on myself… Zhou Chudao shook his head. He resembled a peasant. With a hump on his back, he looked even more ordinary. His Dao partner, Huang Yunshan, on the other hand, dazzled like a star. Her alluring beauty blinded as she batted her eyes. She was seductive without planning to be, causing many cultivators’ hearts to race. They couldn’t help themselves. Huang Yunshan not only possessed a devilishly beautiful face, but she also had an extremely alluring figure. Her slim waist swayed as she approached. Those who stared at her felt an itch inside them that they couldn’t scratch.

Even Kong Dao couldn’t help but spare a few glances at her…

The expression on Zhou Chudao’s face grew more bitter at the sight. He shook his head as he walked towards You Ran’s faction with his Dao partner at his side. He shut his eyes so that he might see no evil and hence, escape frustration and annoyance.

Wang Baole had glanced at Huang Yunshan’s figure as well. However, unlike Kong Dao, his eyes soon landed on Zhou Chudao instead. He might look ordinary, but Wang Baole trusted his gut. He could sense Soul Qi on Zhou Chudao—one that was invisible to the eyes of others!

The Dark Sect called it Soul Qi. It was a unit of measurement for someone who had killed many people and was tainted by the presence of those vengeful souls. Wang Baole could sense an extremely strong Soul Qi on Zhou Chudao. His appearance, his slightly bent back, and the way he carried himself might make him seem like an honest and decent man, but in reality… based on Wang Baole’s assessment, he was someone who definitely had his hands stained by the blood of many.

That’s quite interesting. I thought Dugu Lin was the most powerful amongst all the Vast Expanse Dao Palace disciples. I didn’t expect that there’s also this Zhou Chudao, who’s skilled at concealing his true self! As Wang Baole lost himself in thought, the bells began to ring again. Everyone in the public square fell silent. The spectators also quieted down when they saw silence descend upon the public square.

Wang Baole withdrew his gaze and stood together with Zhao Yameng and Kong Dao, eyes staring in front of them. The bell rang nine times amidst the silence. The doors to the great hall before them opened, and from within walked out a dozen Nascent Soul realm cultivators!

The disciples stared ahead respectfully as soon as they appeared. They didn’t look at the crowd as they lined up on two sides and saluted the great halls.

“Greetings to the Elders!” As their voices rang in the air, everyone both inside and outside the public square lowered their heads and saluted the great halls. With Feng Qiuran in the middle, Mie Liezi on the left, and You Ran on the right, the three Elders walked out from the great halls slowly!

Energy waves that surpassed that of a Nascent Soul realm cultivator immediately exuded from the three of them. The winds stirred, and the clouds shifted. The heavens transformed. An enormous hurricane appeared in mid-air, rumbling and roaring as if it could devour everything in sight. Every disciple was shaken at the sight and overcome with awe.

Wang Baole gathered his spirit energy around him, lowered his head, and extended his greetings as well. Mie Liezi’s voice rang out across the entire public square.

“The top three victors to emerge in the trial will receive a leaf from the Hyacinthus Tree. They will earn the right to enter the Worship Palace Pavilion and leave their names on the Dao Plate, thus becoming a true disciple of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace!”

“Disciples who have written their names on the Dao Plate will be gifted a different status. They will be able to use their identity tokens to control the great array formation of the ancient sword to a limited degree. Only those… who have their names written on the Dao Plate can be considered… a true cultivator of the Vast Expanse Dao Palace!” Mie Liezi’s voice was filled with gravity and authority as it rang out in the public square, and the tinge of murderous violence coloring it prevented anyone from trying to question his authority.

Feng Qiuran stood beside him, with no expression on her face, not saying a word. You Ran smiled beside her and said nothing as well. The three of them had clearly discussed this beforehand. Mie Liezi would host the trial. Even if Feng Qiuran had been reluctant at first, she had obviously agreed to this arrangement. They must have come to some kind of arrangement.

After Mie Liezi was done speaking, his eyes shone with a fierce light. His voice lowered, and when he spoke again, it was as if he was casting a spell.

“The trial will take place… in a minor array formation that is a part of our sect’s greater array formation—the Endless Possibilities Array Formation. As for the rules… listen carefully, for I will only say them once!”

As soon as Mie Liezi said that, every participant on the public square began to look at him attentively. Wang Baole cleared his mind and stared ahead in full concentration as well. Together with Zhao Yameng and Kong Dao, they listened carefully to the rules of the trial.

The rules were clearly very important. Without them, the trial would seem unfair. After all, out of the six hundred participants, there were those at the early-stage, mid-stage, and late-stage Core Formation realm.

Despite having no knowledge of the rules, Wang Baole predicted that the rules should be able to offer the weaker participants some measure of protection. This would allow the trial a semblance of fairness on the surface. As for what went on in reality… it was clear that the law of the strongest would still prevail!

Everyone inside and outside of the public square listened quietly as Mie Liezi’s voice, colored with its typical coldness, rang out in the air.

“When the six hundred of you enter the place where the trial will take place, you will receive a key that’s conjured from the array formation!

“Every twenty-four hours—that is, every day—the array formation will activate a teleportation that will affect the entire region where the trial is taking place. Key-bearers are to sacrifice a key to resist the power of the teleportation and prevent being teleported away. Those without keys will be teleported away forcibly and eliminated from the trial!”

Mie Liezi’s words rang out loudly. Everyone had been trying to control their reactions, but after hearing the full set of rules, a myriad of emotions flashed across their faces. They began to discuss amongst themselves in a heated manner.

Wang Baole and company had never come across such rules before. Even the disciples from the Vast Expanse Dao Palace had not. Simply put, this was a trial conducted via elimination. The smarter ones immediately realized how harsh the rules were!

“The trial’s going to be brutal with these rules!”

“Besides one’s intrinsic strengths and weaknesses, I can imagine that protecting your own key and snatching keys from others will be the critical factors in determining who remain the last ones standing in this trial!”

“Every teleportation will consume a key. This means that the number of keys will dwindle… If everyone remains peaceable and doesn’t fight after they enter the array formation, there will be no keys left after the first twenty-four hours! Of course, that’s not going to happen!”

Xu Ming and Lu Yun frowned. They weren’t aware of the complete set of rules. They found the changes to the rules too drastic after they had heard them. Huang Yunshan felt the same way too. She had a considering look on her face and began discussing it quietly with Zhou Chudao. Only Dugu Lin remained unaffected, the expression on his face remaining cold and distant. He seemed to pay no attention to the rules at all.

Wang Baole had a contemplative look on his face as well after he heard the rules. Zhao Yameng, who was standing beside him, frowned. She quickly analyzed the situation. Such rules were simply another way of stating the law of the strongest. They were similar to what she had expected and yet different at the same time.

“There’s an additional component of luck that’s introduced in the trials with these rules. The weaker participants will have more means at their disposal. Extreme danger is also present, which might even result in a chaotic battle!” Zhao Yameng said softly in the voice transmissions to Wang Baole and Kong Dao.

Kong Dao nodded. He was frowning as well. As he considered their situation, Wang Baole suddenly laughed. He didn’t say anything, but he had clearly thought things through. The rules were important and unimportant at the same time. There was really no point in making everything so complicated. In the end, everything boiled down to one simple rule… the survival of the fittest!

Everyone was deep in discussion. The participants in the public square, especially, were all discussing fiercely with one another. Mie Liezi’s eyes grew colder.

“Silence!” He shouted. His voice was like thunder, descending with a deafening boom that rumbled and resounded in the air. Everyone was shaken and fell silent immediately.

“Those are the rules. The teleportations will take place until there are three or fewer of you left. The trial will end immediately then. If three participants remain, each will get a leaf from the Hyacinthus Tree. If two remain, each will get a leaf and then decide what you will do with the third. If only one person remains… he or she will have all three leaves!”

“Now, let the teleportation begin!” Having said that, Mie Liezi raised his right hand and swept it sideways. The enormous hurricane in the sky rumbled with a deafening roar and unleashed an overpowering suction force that sucked all six hundred participants on the public square into it!

The trials had begun!