After reaching the twenty-third floor, Ning Ri was guided into an antique, elegant hall, much like the discussion hall of a grand household estate.
When Ning Ri walked in, he found that four people were already seated inside.
The moment he saw them, a thought sprang into Ning Ri's mind—
Senior Luo had been right. It seemed this mission truly took place every year, and every sect could send people to participate.
But...
Ning Ri did not understand. Why did this mission happen year after year?
Could it be that Master Chen Xingfeng held it to take in disciples? Or had no one managed to complete the mission to this day, which was why it was held annually?
If the difficulty was that high, could he still obtain the [Heaven Defying Foundation Establishment Method]?
When Ning Ri saw the four people, they noticed him as well. A man and a woman around his age glanced at him before coolly withdrawing their gazes.
The other two were a pair of men who looked remarkably alike, practically twins. Their only difference was that one wore blue while the other wore green.
The man in green sneered the instant he saw Ning Ri. "Hehe, what sect has declined so badly this year? They even sent a Third Stage Qi Refining cultivator to participate?"
"Everyone seated here has reached Foundation Establishment!"
"And you think you're worthy of participating?!"
As soon as those words fell.
Ning Ri's expression remained calm, but his heart stirred—
Mocking me?!
Since seeking immortality, acknowledging a master, and entering a sect... this was the first time someone had mocked him.
It seemed today was the day he would break through on the spot, show off his skills, become a saint before the crowd, leave the entire hall stunned, and plunge the whole place into dead silence!
Just as Ning Ri's mind played through an entire short drama at lightning speed, the blue-robed man suddenly clamped a hand fiercely over the green-robed man's mouth and snarled, "I told you to shut up!"
After saying that, he withdrew his hand. Ning Ri then saw that a talisman had somehow appeared over the green-robed man's mouth.
The green-robed man immediately touched his mouth in panic. "Mmph, mmph, mmph..."
The blue-robed man ignored him and hurried over to Ning Ri, forcing out a smile uglier than tears. "Sorry, fellow Daoist. This is my younger brother."
"We just returned from the Strange. The Strange eroded my brother's brain, and now he is a fool with half his mind paralyzed. I had clearly put a Silencing Talisman on him earlier, but it happened to fail. I truly apologize. Please forgive him!"
As he spoke, the blue-robed man offered him a glowing spirit stone.
While he spoke, the green-robed man behind him angrily went "Mmph, mmph, mmph," but not a single word came through.
Ning Ri, who had already opened his panel: "..."
Hey, you...
You interrupted my casting, huh?
Without changing expression, he accepted the spirit stone and said solemnly, "Fellow Daoist, I am Ning Ri of the Heaven Defying Sect. Is there anything Ning can help with?"
When Ning Ri mentioned that he was from the Heaven Defying Sect, the man and woman who had previously looked away immediately raised their heads and gave Ning Ri a surprised glance...
The blue-robed man had clearly not expected Ning Ri to be from the Heaven Defying Sect either. He froze for a moment, then smiled. "So Brother Ning is from the Heaven Defying Sect. I am Jiang Wen, and that is my younger brother Jiang Wu. We are from the Mingtai Sword Sect."
Hearing this, Ning Ri paused before noticing the Sword Ring on Jiang Wen's hand.
Some people who disliked carrying swords with them would refine their flying swords into "storable swords."
With a thought, the flying sword could turn into a ring. With another turn of thought, the ring could abruptly transform into a sword and catch others completely off guard.
Only after introducing himself did Jiang Wen say, "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Ning, but my foolish younger brother will return to normal after a while. There is no need for Brother Ning to spend any more effort on him."
Ning Ri nodded with a smile. "All right."
In truth, he knew perfectly well that a Third Stage Qi Refining cultivator like himself could not help at all. The other party was merely giving a tactful response.
Still, what Ning Ri was more curious about was—
What sort of Strange had they encountered?
But that question was somewhat sensitive, so Ning Ri did not ask.
He simply chose a seat and sat down.
After apologizing to Ning Ri, Jiang Wen returned to his younger brother's side.
As far as Jiang Wen was concerned, he did not regard Ning Ri as a competitor in this artifact-refining assessment.
It was not that he thought Ning Ri lacked talent in artifact refinement, but that Ning Ri's cultivation was insufficient.
Before coming here, Jiang Wen had asked his senior brothers and sisters in the sect. He knew that although Master Chen Xingfeng's task was to refine an entire set of Qi Refining magical artifacts, there was actually a time limit during the refining process.
Ning Ri was only at the Third Stage Qi Refining. No matter how gifted he was at artifact refinement, he could at most refine one or two items before running out of spiritual energy. There was simply no way he could finish refining the magical artifacts within the allotted time.
And precisely because Jiang Wen did not see Ning Ri as an opponent, his attitude toward him was instead much friendlier. They could forge a good relationship and make a friend of each other.
Moreover, he believed that a Third Stage Qi Refining cultivator selected by the Heaven Defying Sect to take part in this trial was surely an eccentric genius worth befriending.
This was also part of the reputation of the evil cultivator sect, the Heaven Defying Sect!
Jiang Wu had also returned to normal by then. He exchanged a look with his brother and put on a pleading expression.
Only then did his brother helplessly remove the Silencing Talisman from his mouth.
After getting to his feet, he bowed deeply to Ning Ri with a face full of shame. "Sorry, Brother Ning. Jiang was too weak and allowed the Strange to exploit a gap. Please forgive me."
Ning Ri waved a hand. "No matter. Brother Wu need not take it to heart."
His brother had already paid up, so Ning Ri would not pursue the matter.
"Thank you, Brother Ning!"
After saying that, Jiang Wu curled back up in his grand master's chair, covered his face, and fell silent...
Just then.
An excited child's voice suddenly came from outside the door.
"Eh!!!"
"Aren't you the big brother who practices saber arts?!"
Ning Ri turned his head and discovered two people standing outside. He immediately smiled and stood up. "Xi Yuan, why are you here too?!"
Of the two at the entrance, one was a middle-aged man dressed in brocade robes. His aura was ordinary and unremarkable, making him seem like a common man.
The other was a little boy who only reached the middle-aged man's chest.
This little boy was at the Eighth Stage Qi Refining.
Ning Ri remembered him. His name was Xi Yuan, and he was only ten years old.
This child was precisely a disciple of the Lingxi Immortal Sect whom Ning Ri had met before!
He was also the one who had surrounded Ning Ri and insisted on taking him as his master!
As for the middle-aged man beside Xi Yuan, his name was Yang Xingming.
Ning Ri did not know how powerful he was, but he had an exceptionally favorable impression of the man—
Because Yang Xingming had greatly praised his saber arts and even given him a batch of spirit stones.
Xi Yuan ran up to Ning Ri with a miserable face. "Big Brother, don't ask. My father made me come refine artifacts!"
Ning Ri was just about to speak...
Just then.
The Jiang Wen and Jiang Wu brothers, along with the silent man and woman, suddenly rose to their feet in perfect unison. Respect appeared on their faces as though they had arranged it beforehand, and they called toward Yang Xingming outside the door together:
"Greetings, Elder Xingming!"
But Yang Xingming merely smiled and nodded at them before walking over to Ning Ri. After looking Ning Ri over, he asked curiously:
"Ning Ri, which sect did you end up joining? Did you come visit Lingxi?"
His tone was full of familiarity, like that of an elder within the household.
That tone immediately made the expressions of the others turn subtle...
Before you continue