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Translator: Fate
Proofreader: Silavin
“Calm down, Junior Brother. Don’t be reckless.”
Qin Wuya had already understood what happened and appeared beside a dark-looking, silent Zhi Yang. The entire time, he maintained his wariness against another of Gu Changge’s potential attacks.
“Senior Brother…” Zhi Yang gritted his teeth so hard they made a cracking sound, his fists clenched extremely tight. He felt extremely humiliated after Gu Changg embarrassed him in front of the Immortal Academy’s Elders and disciples, even threatening to make him beg for death. He could not do anything about it though, not even making a rebuttal. After all, that would lead to Gu Changge attacking him again.
It was the first time he had encountered something like this after being reborn as the Successor of the Purple Mansion, making it a truly embarrassing situation for him. Before this, he had been undefeated, and could crush any opponent he came across.
“Gu Changge, please be forgiving when you can. Zhi Yang already paid the price today, and any hatred between you two should be resolved,” Qin Wuya said darkly while looking at Gu Changge. He believed that there was some room for negotiation now.
[Gu Changge intended to prevent Zhi Yang from getting close to his cousin, in case he has any malicious intent towards her. But, Gu Changge doesn’t know of her relation to us. So, this is all just a misunderstanding. I can resolve this by explaining the entire situation to him.] Qin Wuya though, knowing what to do next.
However, before he could do anything, Gu Changge interrupted him with a cold expression, not giving the two any mercy. “Who do you think you are? Do you think you are worthy of telling me what to do?”
“You…” Qin Wuya’s rage immediately flared up even though he had cultivated his mind in the Nine Realm for 300 years. [Gu Changge! You are being way too arrogant! You never wanted to talk about this!]
Many disciples and Elders immediately noticed something was wrong. Both Qin Wuya and Zhi Yang shouldn’t know each other. Yet, why were they behaving so familiarly with each other?
Sky King Zhi Yang, sensing the changes in everyone’s expressions, gritted his teeth. “Thank you for standing up for me. I will remember your kind act today and repay you when the time comes.”
After finishing, he left abruptly in a whirl of Purple Qi. His reputation was now destroyed and everyone would laugh condescendingly at the mention of his name. [I will forever remember this humiliation!]
“… ” Qin Wuya frowned after understanding what he meant. Qin Wuya’s identity had to be kept secret for now. Thus, no one was allowed to know the relationship between the two of them.
At this thought, he looked coldly at Gu Changge. He would remember this event and make Gu Changge pay in full. Qin Wuya might have cultivated to the Enlightened Noble Realm, but his true strength was no lower than an expert in the Sacred King Realm. Not to mention, he had plenty of powerful techniques he could use, but he had not shown it yet. Soon, he disappeared in a flash as well, without a word.
“It seems that Zhi Yang and that ancient man from the Wondrous Stone have a good relationship. The events of today may have allowed them to hold a grudge against Gu Changge.” The Elders and disciples glanced at each other. They had gained some understanding of the situation and their emotions were complicated.
Gu Changge’s strength was already deeply ingrained in everyone’s minds. He could fulfil his threat and dominate the entire Immortal Academy if he so wanted. If the best among the Ranked Disciples had to end up like this when he went against Gu Changge, how would the rest of the young prodigies fare? They wouldn’t even be able to stand a chance.
These thoughts were there in many Elders’ minds. Elder Mo, however, had a strange expression on his face as he remembered the events of the night when a young prodigy like Gu Changge had ended up being manipulated by a woman. This not only made him sigh about how impermanent everything was, but also deeply understand how terrifying Su Qingge was. [She is truly frightening. To think her mind is calculative enough to be able to trick Gu Changge! She truly lives up to her name as the Successor of Demonic Arts.]
“Sorry for embarrassing everyone today.” Gu Changge glanced around, a bright smile appearing once more on his face as if he was not the least bit cruel and dominating earlier. The quick shift in demeanour made many young prodigies turn pale, waving their hands in denial of his words.
“Good.” Gu Changge smiled slightly as he glanced secretly towards Gu Xianer. He then left with his followers without saying anything else.
[He seriously makes me go mad with rage. It’s a pity it wasn’t me who was fighting against that stalker. No one will dare trouble me in the Immortal Academy anymore; my life will be far more peaceful and I can concentrate on my cultivation.] There was a hint of a smile on her face.
Gu Xianer left after that, not knowing Gu Changge had noticed her. His actions today made her feel that her embarrassing actions on that day were worth it. [He really does have some good in him. He avenged me and restored my dignity after knowing I had been bullied.]
Gu Changge was in a good mood as well, having used Gu Xianer as an excuse to hurt the Sky King. He had also gained Fortuity from Qin Wuya as well, who had recently returned from Nine Realms. It was truly convenient that the Fortuituous One and Sky King Zhi Yang, who also holds a great amount of Fortuity, were greatly connected in terms of their Fortuity. After all, he had been the latter’s Senior Brother in his past life.
Gu Changge had already humiliated Sky King Zhi Yang right in front of everyone. It didn’t matter if it had a destructive effect on the Sky King Zhi Yang’s Dao Heart, as it would not affect his later plans at all. The planting of the Demonic Seed in his Heart could only happen if the Heart had been greatly shaken.
Gu Changge naturally knew he could not fully control Sky King Zhi Yang, and wasn’t sure if he would succeed or not, which might risk exposing his true identity, so he chose to frame someone else. He had already told Wang Zijin about this and thus only needed to draw a connection. The Sky King would have no chance even if he argued against it.
After returning to the palace and sending everyone away, he used the Dao Fruit of Reception. Golden light glimmered in his hand as if a mysterious shrub was shaking there, with many colourful and shiny fruits on its branches. One of them had Purple Qi dripping from it.
[This Chaos Purple Qi may be cloned in a rush, but it is enough to fool everyone into thinking it’s real.] Gu Changge’s smile was intriguing. He had used a technique to steal some Chaos Purple Qi during the fight and cultivated it using the Dao Fruit of Reception, and now it had borne fruit. Of course, the Chaos Purple Qi acquired this way was inferior to that acquired from the Chaos Dao Bone, especially since the time taken to clone it was too short. Had it been a little longer, he could have replicated it perfectly.
The Dao Fruit of Reception truly had an otherworldly effect, since it had been something left behind after killing the Mortal One. Obviously, the Chaos Purple Qi Sky King Zhi Yang possessed and the one Gu Changge understood wasn’t exactly the same, but it was still a terrifying Talent to have. The other Talents such as Chaos Force, Chaos Evolution, Primal Chaos, World Devouring Chaos, were all extremely powerful as well.
…
Soon, the news of Gu Changge suppressing and eventually beating Sky King Zhi Yang in a fight he dominated from beginning to end spread throughout Immortal Academy and led to great shock.
Meanwhile, Sky King Zhi Yang was still in the Cave, already fully healed.
“Senior Wuya, that’s how everything happened. Gu Changge is extremely evil and our Junior Sister is too innocent; she will eventually fall prey to him as well.” He let out a slow breath, having recovered from the great hit he sustained a few days ago. He informed Qin Wuya about the glimpse of the future he had seen via his Foreseeing Eye.
“I can’t believe Gu Changge had such a motive, which he kept so secretly. I even thought that he was doing this for her. It seems to me that everything that happened was just done using her as an excuse.” Qin Wuya was silent with an ugly expression. He could now slightly understand how Zhi Yang felt. To them, she was still their Junior Sister even if she hadn’t regained her memories from her past life. Why wouldn’t they worry when they knew of what would happen to her in the future? That Gu Changge, who was on her side, was no good man.
“I think he’s much more terrifying than that Successor of Demonic Arts. That Successor will never use justice as a disguise while taking advantage of others behind his disguise… Gu Changge’s evilness is hidden under a layer of fake kindness…” Qin Wuya couldn’t help but sigh. He had come to know many young prodigies and thus had a deep impression of Gu Changge.
“Senior Wuya, what should we do now? We can’t just let her fall into the fire pit without helping her.” Zhi Yang’s fists were clenched, heart aching at the memory of Gu Xianer’s cold dislike towards him. In their past lives, she would never fully express her dislike for him no matter how coldly she treated him; but now, she was too dependent on and trusting of the man who was supposed to be her arch-enemy. He could not bear this anymore. It hurt him way too much.
“Junior Brother, don’t panic. I’ve read some old books and discovered that the Lake of Reincarnation in Never-Dying Heaven can make one recall their past life…” Qin Wuya murmured. “Be careful over the next few days and don’t fight with Gu Changge; I will head there and return after a month at most.”
Zhi Yang looked stunned at that before nodding. “Okay, I’ll do what you say.”
Even though the Purple Mansion was backing him, and had sent Elders here to the Immortal Academy, it would be hard for them to interfere if there was no life-threatening battle. The Gu Family standing on Gu Changge’s side were no weaklings at all too. Thus, if he encountered the Gu Changge, he would still be humiliated. This made him deeply frustrated but he had no choice. He had been undefeated his whole life, crushing everyone else in the young generation of the Upper Realm. He could not even count a single time he had lost. Yet, he was defenceless against Gu Changge.
[When I recover from the backlash due to my Foreseeing Eye and breakthrough, I will avenge myself!] Zhi Yang promised himself angrily.
Time passed quickly, and it was soon the day of the Immortal Academy’s trial. People moved around in the enormous and wide square, which was extremely crowded. Above the skies, Chaos Energy hovered up and down, while great ancient palaces stood within, emanating an air of history and grandness. Divine rainbows streaked down from the sky as young prodigies arrived. Some in their respective battle chariots from the mystic mountains. Their rides would block out sunlight, making the scene look extremely shocking. Even from afar, it could be seen that this noisy place was full of life.
The disciples all took this trial seriously.
Around the square, mountains rose one after the other, either glimmering blue, veiled in green light, surrounded by a multicoloured rainbow. It was an awe-inducing sight.
Many formidable young prodigies came as well, including Wang Wushuang of the Immortal Wang Family, Chi Ling of the Vermilion Bird Clan, as well as Ye Langtian and Ye Liuli of the Ancient Ye Family.
“This trial is very important to all our predecessors, as it involves the Eternal Overcast. It has happened once again, where Eternal Overcast creatures have appeared. But this time, they seem to have a mind of their own, something that has never happened in our history books before…”
“Our predecessors have said that it might be due to the Eternal Overcast birthing an Yin Emperor or another being that is much more powerful than a Yin Emperor. They might even build Eternal Overcast Kingdoms.”
The Elders were discussing the contents of the trial in the palace with grave expressions on their faces. The trial was not as easy as a normal test. It was much more difficult.
“Put them into teams like before. The ten Ranked Disciples shall be separated into five smaller teams, then they will choose disciples who will follow them…” They sighed afterwards. They had been in charge of so many trials. Yet, they had the feeling that the current one would not be so easy. The number of fatalities and injuries might be astonishing since the conditions for every area were varied and the dangers within were still unknown.
Soon, a divine rainbow descended from the stage as Gu Changge arrived with his followers behind him. The young prodigies near him turned stricken immediately upon seeing him, shifting away in fear and respect as to prevent any hindrance to him.
“G-greetings, Young Master Changge.” Before him, an attractive girl in a white dress was standing with another youth. They stood out among the nearby prodigies. The girl immediately became shy and anxious at his approach, greeting him with a blush. Her voice stuttered as she spoke.
Gu Changge stopped in front of her, smiling slightly. “You are Qing Xiaoyi, right? It’s been a while since we met; are you accustomed to this place yet?”
“Oh, you still remember my name, Young Master Changge? I-I am kind of used to everything now.” Qing Xiaoyi was surprised and shy at the fact that he had addressed her by her name and her heart beat rapidly. She couldn’t believe he could remember the name of an unknown figure like her. It was hard to imagine.
“Greetings, Young Master Changge!” Her brother Qing Feng immediately greeted him with respect and gratitude.
Gu Changge inclined his head slightly. “It looks like you both have gained something during this time. Even your cultivation levels have greatly improved.”
“It’s thanks to my sister, or I won’t be so lucky,” Qing Feng rubbed the back of his head and smiled slightly sheepishly.
“Not really. All of us have our own fate.” Gu Changge smiled, taking the time to chat a little longer with them. If he remembered correctly, Qing Feng’s amplitude was terrible, to the point that he did not have a Spiritual Root. It might be possible that an Elder had transplanted one into him, though it wouldn’t make him improve this quickly in such a short amount of time.
[A Fortuitous Encounter] Immediately, these three words flashed into Gu Changge’s mind. What else could explain this? He had kept a mental note of Qing Feng at their last meeting, and now his Fortuity showed signs of growing.
[He must have gained some sort of treasure.] Thoughts whizzed through Gu Changge’s mind though his expression remained calm. He did not speak much after that, quickly walking past them.
Qing Xiaoyi looked admiring and excited. “Brother, I told you Young Master Changge will remember me…”
“Ugh, fine, fine. Pipe it down; you are now the Elders’ favourite disciple. Watch your behaviour.” Qing Feng said resignedly. All this time, she had repeatedly talked about Gu Changge to him, not losing any detail of any rumours and news about him. His ears were already getting calloused.
Before this, he would feel inferior to Gu Changge and be too scared to speak. Now, though, his behaviour was changing as he began gaining confidence. He knew that it was all due to that mysterious flask.
[This cannot continue. Xiaoyi holds gratitude and admiration towards him, but she’s just a minor figure who doesn’t really matter…] Qing Feng sighed internally, feeling that he couldn’t let her go on like this. Otherwise, she would suffer in the future and become regretful and depress.
All the young prodigies soon gathered on the square. Even Sky King Zhi Yang was present, although his expression was dark. Meanwhile, the mysterious King with Six Crowns had made his first public appearance. His face was indistinct and he was of medium build, standing on a hill in grey clothes. He looked like he was in a different world from the others, with indescribably strong power.
The Chosen Monk Jin Chan, Prince Shen; the Phoenix Lady, the Successors of the Mortal Palace ,Wang Zijin and Jiang Chuchu; Gu Xianer, the Heir of the Unrivalled Celestial Dynasty, Yue Mingkong, and the other ancient monstrosities such as Ying Shuang, Self-proclaimed newly enthroned emperors, and Successors from different factions were all present. They were the most brilliant stars in the current generation of prodigies and were now here to join the trial.
“I heard the trial will separate us into teams by drawing straws. I wonder who will be lucky enough to be on the same team as Young Master Changge.”
“It’s probably his fiancee, Princess Mingkong…”
“Not really, though. The drawing of straws is all based on luck. She might be his fiancee, but she doesn’t have anything to increase her chances.”
The young prodigies discussed among themselves as they took the drawing of straws seriously. After all, this trial would determine the future distribution of resources as well as the Elders that would be teaching them.
To Gu Changge, however, this trial was just a tiny step in his following plans and was not that important. He just wanted to accompany Yue Mingkong, as they could probably be considered an old married couple by now. Cooperation between them would be convenient as he didn’t have to be too wary.
“Now, all the Ranked Disciples can start drawing straws. We will explain the content of the Trial when it’s done.” An Elder appeared on the stage, his gaze moving across the crowd of young prodigies before making the announcement.
With a loud hum, a large square stone box appeared above them, made of a unique material. No divine sense could penetrate it, so there was no chance of cheating here. If they could, the Immortal Academy would make sure not to lose such a gifted person.
Soon, the Ranked Disciples approached the box for the draw.
“Ranked Disciple One.” Gu Changge raised his eyebrow as he eyed the number on the jade straw he had drawn, then muttered it under his breath.
As he looked up to glance at the other Ranked Disciples, Jiang Chuchu’s calm demeanour began to wobble. She was holding the straw labelled ‘Ranked Disciple One’, and their gazes met briefly before she lowered her head with poorly disguised shock.
[Why her of all people?] Gu Changge’s expression did not change much, although he could feel that his was lucked out today.
Silavin: Do note that the Eternal Overcast releases Yin Energy. So, I called the Emperors that it shit out Yin Emperors while the land, Eternal Overcast Kingdoms. (Can be more than one)
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Poor lil’ Chuchu ^^;
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Interesting