Lost and Regained

Luo Zheng stood together with the other disciples who had passed the trial, watching one trial disciple after another emerge from Bloodcolor Mountain and toss Crystal Shards into the basket.

He stood there for a while when, all of a sudden, he saw Mo Can appear as well. Mo Can leaped down from the Flying Carriage and greeted Luo Zheng excitedly before hurrying over, taking out a handful of Crystal Shards and tossing them into the basket.

Mo Can had actually passed the assessment!

This was completely beyond Luo Zheng's expectations. With Mo Can's Bone Refining Realm strength, how had he managed to gather ten Amethyst Shards? Luo Zheng had possessed some extra Crystal Shards at the time and had planned to give some to Mo Can if he encountered him. Unfortunately, he had not run into Mo Can on the third level, so he had never gotten the chance.

But now Mo Can had actually passed the Bloodcolor Trials through his own efforts. Luo Zheng was utterly baffled. With Mo Can's Bone Refining Realm strength, it should have been very difficult for him to hunt illusion beasts on the third level.

Could Mo Can have been hiding his true strength? The thought sprang into Luo Zheng's mind.

Mo Can came over with a smug grin plastered across his face. "Haha, Brother Luo Zheng, I passed too!"

"How did you gather so many Crystal Shards?" Luo Zheng asked curiously.

"That's a long story. In short, I was just lucky!" Mo Can then recounted what had happened after he entered the third level. As it turned out, by a twist of fate, he had seen two Aristocratic Clan Disciples fight over a Crystal Shard. In the end, both had been seriously injured and forced out of the trial. Mo Can had consequently picked up a huge bargain, obtaining more than ten Amethyst Shards and passing the Bloodcolor Trials just like that.

After hearing Mo Can's story, Luo Zheng could not help sighing. This fellow's luck really was too good.

Flying Carriages darted back and forth above Bloodcolor Mountain, ferrying all the disciples down.

The day's Bloodcolor Trials had finally ended.

The disciples who had passed the trial were all jubilant, while those who had been eliminated hung their heads in dejection.

The Aristocratic Clan Disciples who had been eliminated all wore gloomy expressions as their families quickly took them away. As Zhuge Hong was leaving, he cast several vicious glances at Luo Zheng. He had always been arrogant. Although this was his first time participating in the Bloodcolor Trials, he had previously believed that he could pass with absolute certainty.

After all, among the Seven Great Scholar Clans, there were very few disciples who could not even pass the Bloodcolor Trials.

Yet this time, he had actually been defeated by Luo Zheng. Naturally, he was unwilling to accept it.

Although Luo Zheng had been chatting and laughing with Mo Can, he had of course sensed Zhuge Hong's venomous gaze as he left. However, Luo Zheng had paid it no heed.

A martial artist's path had never been smooth. It was instead filled with obstacles. When an obstacle dared to block his way, he had no choice but to kick it aside. Since he had chosen this path, he was not afraid of offending anyone!

At that moment, the most depressed and furious people were Luo Peiran and Wang Hengzhi.

Wang Hengzhi had originally sent two members of his family who were participating in the Bloodcolor Trials to assassinate Luo Zheng on Bloodcolor Mountain. However, Luo Zheng's performance had far exceeded Wang Hengzhi's expectations.

The two clan members, Wang Lan and Wang Qing, had likewise failed to pass the Bloodcolor Trials. After going up the mountain, they had joined Zhuge Hong's band of robbers. When they encountered Luo Zheng, they had not even gotten the chance to use their clan's killing weapons before being eliminated by the other trial disciples.

They had lost an enormous amount of face.

Even Wang Hengzhi, who had always been calm and detached, cursed Wang Lan and Wang Qing roundly before leaving with everyone else. As for dealing with Luo Zheng, it seemed they would have to make a long-term plan.

As for Luo Peiran, he had even less to say. If he went up to taunt Luo Zheng now, he would probably only humiliate himself. He could only leave with an ashen face behind Wang Hengzhi. How could he have imagined that Luo Zheng, who had once been as insignificant as an ant, had already grown to a terrifying level?

That evening, the disciples who had passed the Bloodcolor Trials officially became Outer Sect Disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect.

Since it was already late, the instructors of the thirty-three peaks would choose their disciples tomorrow.

All the Outer Sect Disciples still had to spend the night beneath Bloodcolor Mountain.

The atmosphere in the dormitory was much better that night. After all, everyone had finally achieved their first goal through arduous effort.

Many people were so happy that they did not sleep all night, discussing which peak they should choose.

The peak discussed most often by the trial disciples was Instructor Xu's Heaven One Peak.

Heaven One Peak ranked first among the Thirty-Three Peaks and was surrounded by many legends. It was said that most of the Azure Cloud Sect's exceptionally talented prodigies were concentrated there.

Luo Zheng and Mo Can sat in a corner, listening to their discussion.

Seeing Mo Can's eyes shine as he listened, Luo Zheng asked, "Mo Can, do you want to choose Heaven One Peak?"

Mo Can scratched his head and smiled. "Of course I do, but with my strength, I'm afraid Heaven One Peak won't accept me."

Mo Can knew his own limits. Those who could enter Heaven One Peak generally performed exceptionally well. For example, that Iron Tower Strong Man who had wielded a giant sword during the day would surely enter Heaven One Peak.

"Brother Luo Zheng, whichever peak you go to, I'll go with you! I've discovered that my luck is always good when I stay by your side," Mo Can said.

That was the principle Mo Can had worked out. There was some truth to it. If not for Luo Zheng, he probably would not even have passed the Sea Trials the day before. As for today's Bloodcolor Trials, Luo Zheng had saved him outright; otherwise, he would have been eliminated long ago.

"What if I choose Little Rain Peak?" Luo Zheng suddenly asked with a smile.

Mo Can froze. "Huh? Brother Luo Zheng, you're not joking, are you?"

With Luo Zheng's outstanding performance, he could choose any peak among the Thirty-Three Peaks.

But Luo Zheng had actually said he would choose Little Rain Peak. Mo Can could not help reminding him, "Brother Luo Zheng, Little Rain Peak ranks dead last among all the peaks!"

Luo Zheng nodded. Su Lingyun's face then surfaced in his mind. If not for her today, Zhong Ming would probably have taken away his qualification to participate in the trial. Yet Little Rain Peak ranked last among the peaks, and its allocation of pills, cultivation methods, and various monthly allowances was far behind that of the other peaks.

Thus, Luo Zheng was caught in some hesitation for a while.

Only after the night had grown deep and still did Luo Zheng set that dilemma aside. He had something more important to do now.

He had to find that throwing knife, even if he had to turn all of Bloodcolor Mountain upside down.

After Mo Can had fallen sound asleep, Luo Zheng carefully slipped out of the dormitory. Under the cover of night, he made his way to the foot of Bloodcolor Mountain, identified the path ahead, and climbed up.

The illusion array on Bloodcolor Mountain had not been activated, so naturally there were none of the varied illusion beasts. In fact, even snakes, insects, and ants were extremely scarce. There was too much Crimson Illusion Sand here, making it unsuitable for those animals to live and grow.

Without the illusion array, Bloodcolor Mountain looked completely different from how it had during the day. Luo Zheng ran around inside for a while, trying hard to recall where he had fought that Devil Race member. He searched six or seven places in succession, but none matched his memory.

Bloodcolor Mountain was immense. Digging out a throwing knife buried deep underground was no different from searching for a needle in a haystack.

After wandering around for an hour, Luo Zheng was thoroughly disoriented. It seemed that unless he turned Bloodcolor Mountain upside down, he had no other choice.

It was truly depressing to lose such a fine treasure after using it only once.

Just as Luo Zheng was hanging his head in dejection, a branch in the Bloodcolor forest not far away suddenly trembled. A Green Shirt Woman slowly walked out from within.

The Green Shirt Woman moved at an unhurried pace. Bathed in the bright moonlight, her breathtaking face glimmered with a faint halo, while her emerald gown perfectly outlined her graceful figure. For a moment, Luo Zheng stared at her in a daze.

When Luo Zheng realized that she was Instructor Su of Little Rain Peak, he immediately withdrew his somewhat foolish gaze. With a smile on his face, he greeted her, "Hello, Instructor Su."

"In the middle of the night, instead of resting in the dormitory, why have you come running to Bloodcolor Mountain again?" Su Lingyun asked with a mischievous smile.

"Oh, I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd come out for a stroll..." Luo Zheng's face felt a little hot. The lie sounded far too clumsy.

"Is that so?" Su Lingyun took two steps forward, her captivating eyes fixed on Luo Zheng as she asked again, "Even if you were taking a walk, was there any need to come to Bloodcolor Mountain?"

Her crisp voice carried a hint of mischief and playful amusement.

Luo Zheng spread his hands and smiled. "That's all there is to it."

"I don't think so." Su Lingyun shook her head, then suddenly changed the subject. "I think you're looking for something, aren't you?"

"Ahem..." Luo Zheng had not expected Su Lingyun to guess correctly in an instant. He rubbed his head and said, "That... counts as a disciple's privacy."

"Oh? Since it's private, then I'll be going. I won't disturb your privacy. Goodbye!" Su Lingyun raised the throwing knife in her hand and pretended to leave.

When he saw the throwing knife, Luo Zheng's eyes immediately lit up. He hurriedly said, "Wait, wait, Instructor Su, that throwing knife..."

"Yours?" Su Lingyun turned around like a mischievous elf and stared into Luo Zheng's eyes.

She naturally knew that the throwing knife belonged to Luo Zheng. She alone had witnessed the entire process of Luo Zheng killing the Devil Race member that day. She had remembered the exact spot where the throwing knife had fallen, which was why she had come up the mountain to retrieve it after midnight.

Luo Zheng nodded. "Yes, that throwing knife is mine."

"Mm. Although this throwing knife is damaged, it still possesses such power. It really is a fine treasure. I can return it to you, of course, but..." Su Lingyun continued, "there's a condition."

"What condition?" Luo Zheng asked.

"Join our Little Rain Peak." A sly smile appeared on Su Lingyun's face.

By then, Luo Zheng had already anticipated that Su Lingyun would say this. Before this, he had still been somewhat hesitant about which peak to choose.

But now, Luo Zheng already had a definite answer in his heart. Although Instructor Su seemed to be using the throwing knife to pressure him, and that method was somewhat improper, the throwing knife had nevertheless been found by Instructor Su, hadn't it?

If not for her, he probably truly would not have been able to recover it.

With that thought, Luo Zheng nodded and said solemnly, "Tomorrow, I will choose Little Rain Peak."

Only then did Su Lingyun give Luo Zheng a sweet smile. She tapped her slender fingers against her ring and took out two small metal rings. "Your throwing knife is damaged, and you haven't entered the Innate Secret Realm, so you can't use Origin True Essence to control the throwing knife. Once you throw it, it probably won't come back. As a welcoming gift for choosing Little Rain Peak, I'll give you this!"

Luo Zheng blinked as he looked at the two small metal rings, clearly unable to understand what was so wondrous about the gift.