MJWCATFPITWOC Chapter 37
by VolareThe air in Jitan Village was fresh and pleasant. The withered trees by the village road, long devoid of life, were now sprouting lush green leaves, densely packed, rustling softly in the breeze. In an instant, a man in white robes appeared beneath one of these trees.
He gazed up at the magnificent tree, gently stroking its rough trunk, his expression unreadable. Suddenly, a faint sound came from the tree, “Chirp, chirp—”. The man’s eyes widened as he saw a bird’s nest built in the tree, brimming with life. He turned, his gaze sweeping towards the center of the village, a phantasmagoria flickering in his dark eyes, as if the walking corpses were surfacing before him.
“To think they’ve even found this place,” the man muttered to himself.
“Shen Yucheng—that’s the name, isn’t it?”
The man drew a wooden fan from his sleeve, casually swiping it through the air, then turned and left. Only the bird’s nest remained in the tree, and the silence returned.
.
“Hey, are you planning on getting up or what?”
Shen Yucheng stood with his hands on his hips, looking at the person still lazing in bed. The lump of blankets on the bed stirred, Mo Yifeng huddled within. He moved slightly upon hearing Shen Yucheng’s voice, but then fell still again.
Today was the first day of the Immortal Sect Competition. Shen Yucheng had already prepared everything and was about to head to the venue, but at the last moment, he noticed that Mo Yifeng’s door seemed to have never been opened. Anxious, he pushed the door open to check, only to find Mo Yifeng still fast asleep. He said disapprovingly, “Do you think golden threads can control you?”
The person in the blankets suddenly shot up, his eyes gleaming strangely. Shen Yucheng even vaguely saw a transparent tail wagging back and forth behind him. Mo Yifeng’s eyes seemed to be begging, “Please control me with Puppet Dao, I want to try it.”
“”
Shen Yucheng chose to ignore him and turned to leave, “You have an incense stick’s worth of time. Hurry up and get ready.”
Mo Yifeng was extremely disappointed, reluctantly yawning as he got out of bed.
Shen Yucheng stood outside, feeling increasingly uneasy. Mo Yifeng was always punctual and never overslept, but today he was unusually sound asleep, not even noticing Shen Yucheng enter the room.
By the time Mo Yifeng had finally tidied himself up and emerged from the room, he was still yawning. Shen Yucheng carefully scrutinized him outside the door, his intuition telling him that Mo Yifeng’s abnormality was no accident.
Perhaps it was the calm before the storm.
The two of them arrived together at the Lingfeng Sect’s giant martial arts arena. The venue was divided into three major areas, clearly designed for simultaneous matches between different groups later on. By now, the arena was packed with people, most of the participants dressed in exotic clothing. Compared to the previous Promotion Examination, this event was clearly much larger.
“Yucheng! Senior Brother Mo! You’re finally here!” A familiar voice called from not far away. Shi Wen was waving excitedly.
However, Mo Yifeng suddenly said he had something to take care of and needed to leave for a while.
Shen Yucheng stared at Mo Yifeng’s receding figure, his brow furrowed. Shi Wen walked up and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Something’s wrong,” Shen Yucheng said in a low voice, his tone thoughtful, “A big problem.”
Seeing his serious expression, Shi Wen immediately became anxious, “What problem?”
Shen Yucheng recalled the scene of Mo Yifeng walking out of his room a few days ago. After a moment of thought, he suddenly decided to chase after him. Shi Wen was confused and didn’t understand what was going on, but he still started running after Shen Yucheng.
However, Mo Yifeng’s figure vanished into the bustling crowd in an instant.
Shi Wen asked, out of breath, “Why the rush? The group stage is about to start. What are you looking for anyway?”
“There’s something very wrong with Mo Yifeng.” Shen Yucheng’s eyes were solemn. What was previously a guess had now turned into absolute certainty—Mo Yifeng was definitely hiding something from him.
From the moment he woke up this morning and acted strangely, Mo Yifeng’s unusual behavior made Shen Yucheng suspicious. If it were an ordinary person, it would be fine, but he had never heard of a Nascent Soul Immortal yawning because of lack of sleep. It was very likely that something was draining a lot of his energy, causing him to be so exhausted.
Moreover, when Shen Yucheng entered the room this morning, Mo Yifeng was curled up in a ball, fast asleep. They had been together for so long, and Shen Yucheng had never seen him like that before.
What made Shen Yucheng most suspicious was that as soon as they arrived at the arena, Mo Yifeng hurriedly wanted to leave, without even giving a reason. Given his personality, if something was really wrong, he would definitely tell Shen Yucheng first.
All of this made Shen Yucheng feel an extremely unsettling premonition.
Shi Wen looked at Shen Yucheng’s expression and couldn’t help but guess, “Yucheng, you’re not feeling lonely because Senior Brother Mo left, are you?”
“What?” Shen Yucheng instantly wore a disgusted expression, as if he had heard something absurd. How could he feel lonely because of something like that? What he cared about was that Mo Yifeng seemed to be hiding something bad from him.
Shi Wen looked meaningfully, “How do I put it? Since I’ve known you, you’ve almost never been apart from Senior Brother Mo. You even live together. It’s inevitable that you’ll feel uncomfortable when you’re suddenly separated. But Yucheng, maybe Senior Brother Mo is just going to prepare for the group stage.”
Shen Yucheng was stunned.
“What group stage?” His voice echoed in the arena.
Shi Wen said helplessly, “Before worrying about being separated, you should learn more about the specific rules of the Immortal Sect Competition.”
At this moment, a wisp of white robes passed silently through the crowd, his gaze coldly fixed on Shen Yucheng.
.
The first day of the Immortal Sect Competition each year was always used for group preparations, with the official matches beginning the next day.
The cultivators, according to the arrangement of the competition, walked one by one to the “Discernment Stone” to measure which group they would be assigned to. This stone could divide them according to the cultivator’s power, and after the test, it would emit the corresponding light.
Listening, Shen Yucheng casually asked, “What colors will there be?”
Shi Wen was already used to Shen Yucheng’s “lack of common sense.” He pointed forward, “Look over there.”
In the center of the martial arts arena, all the participants were lined up in several rows. At the very front stood a crystal clear boulder, filled with spiritual energy. Shen Yucheng saw a disciple walk forward and gently press his hand on the surface of the boulder, the spiritual energy faintly flowing where the two touched.
Shi Wen pointed to that disciple and explained, “Participants need to test like that. After the boulder absorbs his spiritual energy, it will automatically divide them into groups.”
As he spoke, the boulder suddenly erupted with a dazzling golden light, the golden light shining through the crystal stone and illuminating the entire venue. Shen Yucheng’s hair was illuminated with a layer of light by the golden light. He stared at the boulder and asked, “What group is the golden light?”
“The Immortal Sect Competition is divided into three groups. Silver light belongs to the Nascent Soul group, golden light is the Golden Core group, and blue light represents the Foundation Establishment group.”
Shen Yucheng was thoughtful, “Then if my cultivation is Golden Core, will blue light appear?”
Shi Wen scratched his head and sighed helplessly, “In theory, it’s possible. I’ve heard my elders say that the Discernment Stone doesn’t just depend on cultivation level, but combines the ability of the Sea of Consciousness, Divine Sense, and other abilities. If a certain aspect is insufficient, it’s indeed possible to be assigned to a lower group.”
Shen Yucheng nodded, a hint of thought flashing in his eyes. He was now thinking that if his spiritual strength was a little weak, it wouldn’t be impossible to be assigned to the Foundation Establishment group. Why bother pointlessly fighting with those strong cultivators and wasting his energy?
He was now only at the early stage of Golden Core, and there were countless Golden Core peak experts. If he fought them, he was afraid he would be defeated in a few rounds. If that were the case, everything he had done before would be in vain.
At this moment, Shen Yucheng’s gaze caught sight of a familiar figure. Li Juemu walked to the boulder and gently pressed his hand on it. Before long, the crystal stone lit up with golden light again, but this time the light was several times stronger than that of the previous disciple.
Before Shen Yucheng could ask, Shi Wen blocked the dazzling light and explained, “This is because of the difference in ability strength. Even among cultivators of the same level, there is still a gap in strength. The stronger the light, the stronger the strength.”
The surrounding crowd began to discuss in low voices.
“Isn’t that the Li family’s young master? His golden light is so strong.”
“Being able to emit this intensity of light should be considered one of the top few in the Golden Core group.”
“Actually, he could be assigned to the Nascent Soul group, right? What’s the point of staying in the Golden Core group and being a hegemon?”
“I heard that he also has a genius brother. This little bit of light doesn’t mean anything.”
“I really don’t want to go up against him.”
Shen Yucheng looked at Li Juemu again, and their eyes met.
Li Juemu’s expression gradually became excited, which gave Shen Yucheng an extremely ominous premonition.
“Brother Shen! You’re participating too! My brother even told me you wouldn’t come!” Li Juemu waved his hand and shouted, his voice echoing throughout the arena.
In the crowd, it was as if a path was automatically made, and everyone’s eyes instantly focused on Shen Yucheng. Some of these gazes were curious, some were hostile, and some were carefully examining him.
Shen Yucheng felt as if he were in a huge vortex, all the gazes constantly surging like a tide, gradually devouring his five senses.
What heavy pressure.
After all, everyone wanted to know just who this person was that the Li family’s young master had taken the initiative to welcome.
In the chaos, Shen Yucheng inadvertently caught sight of Lingyi of the Qionghua Sect. She was standing at the very front of a group of female cultivators, coldly staring at him. Shen Yucheng shifted his gaze, but on the other side, he saw Li Yuan of the Dingxu Sect. The other party was standing in a group of tall and mighty male cultivators, his gaze also locked on him.
Shen Yucheng’s heart sank slightly, and he immediately felt the killing intent permeate the air.
Shi Wen was also frightened by the atmosphere, his face stiff. He gently poked Shen Yucheng, “Did you offend someone?”
Shen Yucheng pondered to himself. He had not done anything special. These people were only those who had a brief encounter with him in the Secret Realm.
Li Juemu had already walked up to them, smiling, seemingly unaware of the surrounding atmosphere, “Brother Shen! Why are you lining up so far back? You’ll have to wait a long time like this!”
Shen Yucheng didn’t care. For him, participating in the competition was just a formality. If he wasn’t afraid of being punished by the sect leader or his master, he would have slipped away long ago.
The few of them chatted casually. Li Juemu and Shi Wen’s personalities were very compatible. Before long, they were getting along well, and the atmosphere was harmonious.
Not far away, Lingyi and Li Yuan respectively tested out silver light and were undoubtedly assigned to the Nascent Soul group. Just as Shen Yucheng was secretly wondering why Fu Lingxuan had not yet appeared, someone suddenly walked to the crystal stone, attracting everyone’s attention. It was a man dressed in black robes. His steps were steady, and as he approached, the surrounding atmosphere became strange.
Shen Yucheng stared unblinkingly at the man, feeling that he looked somewhat familiar. The man gently placed his hand on the crystal stone, and a section of wooden fan peeked out from his sleeve.
After a moment, the crystal stone emitted a faint silver light. This light was fainter than anyone else’s before, almost imperceptible. The crowd began to discuss, having never seen such a weak silver light. Some even suspected that he had managed to rub it by luck.
The man in black robes turned a deaf ear to these discussions. As he turned to leave, Shen Yucheng saw through the gaps in his black robes that the man’s gaze was always fixed on himself.
In the next instant, the man’s figure disappeared into the crowd.
Shen Yucheng was about to chase after him to check when a commotion suddenly broke out in front, and everyone excitedly stretched their necks, trying to see what was happening ahead.
Shen Yucheng followed the crowd’s line of sight and saw that Fu Lingxuan had finally appeared, no wonder he had caused such a sensation. However, Mo Yifeng was actually following behind Fu Lingxuan as well.
These two senior brothers, who were usually at odds, had actually appeared together today. It was truly an eye-opener.
Fu Lingxuan tested out silver light, and it was Mo Yifeng’s turn next. Shen Yucheng stared intently at the other party. From this morning onwards, Mo Yifeng’s actions had been strange in every way, and there must be a problem with his appearance now.
Just as Shen Yucheng was pondering, the crystal stone suddenly burst out with golden light like the blazing sun, the light changing back and forth between gold and silver. The crystal stone vibrated violently, as if it could not withstand this powerful force.
Mo Yifeng lightly released his hand and smiled, “Oh dear, my cultivation has declined this year. I’m afraid I’ll have to go to the Golden Core group to spar with everyone.”
As soon as these words came out, the entire arena was silent. Shen Yucheng couldn’t help but widen his eyes, his mind blank. He never expected that this kind of thing would happen to Mo Yifeng. He recalled that Mo Yifeng had said to him a few days ago that he wanted to spar with him. Looking back now, could it be that from that time onwards, the other party had already been planning today’s situation?
Mo Yifeng’s strength had long been well-known in the cultivation world. How could his cultivation decline just like that? Naturally, no one in the arena believed it.
Lingyi was the first to react and said angrily, “This won’t do! I demand that this result be revoked!”
Actually, without her saying so, the elders had already stepped forward, and with lightning speed, they shoved a pill into Mo Yifeng’s mouth, forcibly making him retest once more.
This time, the crystal stone emitted a dazzling, pure silver light, the light blindingly bright.
No one could imagine how the crystal stone had just endured this powerful Nascent Soul power, suppressing it into golden light.
Mo Yifeng blinked and turned to look at Fu Lingxuan. Fu Lingxuan pretended to be helpless and sighed, “I told you it wouldn’t work, but you insisted on trying.”
Mo Yifeng was annoyed and deliberately bumped Fu Lingxuan’s sleeve, and a pill fell from his sleeve to the ground. Mo Yifeng raised his eyebrows and said teasingly, “Is this a Cultivation Suppression Pill? Does Senior Brother also have the same plan as me?”
At this time, Li Yuan walked up to the two of them, his face gloomy, “Why?”
Fu Lingxuan, with dead fish eyes: “?”
Li Yuan said coldly, “Why didn’t you tell me about this method?”
The entire arena was silent, and the elders helplessly chased the three of them to the side.
The crowd in the arena began to speculate, “Why do the Nascent Souls all want to come to the Golden Core group this year?”
“And it’s still these top few Nascent Souls, it’s really strange.”
An elder shouted, “Next!”
Shi Wen and Li Juemu stood in the back. Seeing that Shen Yucheng was not moving, they couldn’t help but call out softly, “Brother Shen?”
“Yucheng?”
At this time, Shen Yucheng, his eyes empty, walked towards the crystal stone.
He was very good, really good.
His only wish this year—
Please, blue light.