Teaming Up

Of course, Yonglu Mountain would not, either.

The challenger immediately flushed red. He had only barely passed the Preliminary Trial. If not for his friend constantly whispering in his ear that he could have passed with him if Wen Xu had not suddenly appeared, he would not have had lard smeared over his heart and dared to pick at Yonglu Mountain's rules. "I'm sorry. This junior spoke recklessly. I ask Elder to forgive me."

Elder Zhao did not even spare him a glance, cold and merciless to the core. "Oh? Why are you still not leaving? Do you want this elder to invite you out?"

Wow, wow, wow, this elder's attitude was so forceful. I liked him so much~

Teaming Up

With one fewer competitor fighting to "make landfall," everyone else present wished more fools like him would show up. Who would step forward to speak for him? Besides, Yonglu Mountain's elder had already spoken. Even if he stubbornly stayed, he probably could not become a Yonglu Mountain disciple.

The little incident of a fool provoking Yonglu Mountain's rules quickly passed. After he slunk away in disgrace, Elder Zhao began the Mountain Examination procedures. He was a man of few words and ruthless action, so the process went very quickly.

"First, this Mountain Examination is a team battle. Every team must have no fewer than three people and no more than five. If you only have two people, either withdraw or join another team."

"Second, fifteen low-grade dharma artifacts bearing Yonglu Mountain's mark have been placed within the examination area. Within one day and one night, each team must obtain one and reach the finish line. The Mountain Examination will only be considered complete once every member of the team has arrived. Those who fail to obtain a dharma artifact will receive no examination result."

"Third, high-grade dharma artifacts are forbidden in this Mountain Examination. Killing is forbidden, but talismans, medicinal pills, and dharma artifacts within the Qi Refining Stage may be used. Any violation will result in immediate disqualification from the Mountain Examination."

"One final point: Shadow Walls will be in use throughout this Mountain Examination, so do not provoke Yonglu Mountain's rules."

Very good. This elder had emphasized Yonglu Mountain's rules yet again.

Bian Chunchou glanced at the blindfolded Wen Xu-Xu and thought that the heavy burden of finding teammates would apparently fall on his shoulders. But it was fine—making friends was what he was best at... right!?

Meow, meow, meow? Did you all have to form teams this quickly? Without even communicating? You just divided yourselves up like that? Bian Chunchou could not help looking around. Fine, apart from the two of them, there was also a gloomy-looking fellow left behind.

But this fellow looked to be thirty, did he not? Even if he was not thirty, he had to be twenty-nine. Gloomy and old, the reason he had been left over was obvious.

Bian Chunchou thought these people might have learned beforehand that the Mountain Examination required teams and found teammates early. Looking over, he saw groups of three, groups of four, and even groups of five. There were few five-person teams, though; four-person teams were the most common.

"I'll join you."

Bian Chunchou had not expected him to be so proactive. After all, if this person joined another team, he and Wen Xu-Xu would be forced apart. Or, if those teams refused to take them in, then according to the rules just announced, they would automatically be eliminated without even participating in the Mountain Examination.

It sounded like a pretty underhanded method, but it was within the rules.

"Welcome aboard. But why did you choose us?" Could it be that he loved helping the poor? Speaking of which, Wen Xu-Xu and he were at the Second Layer of Qi Refining and the Third Layer of Qi Refining respectively, and the few talismans they had were even scavenged by fleecing others. They truly had little competitive value in a team for the Mountain Examination.

"My name is Chen Zui. Zui as in the best. The team I join must naturally be the best team. You came first in the Preliminary Trial, didn't you?"

Wen Xu nodded. "Brother Chen is right, but my cultivation is meager. I am only at the Second Layer of Qi Refining."

"That's enough. You don't look like you can fight very well either." Chen Zui wore an extremely wild beard. In fact, the hair on his face was exceptionally luxuriant—his hair, brows, and beard all grew with savage abandon. He looked thoroughly weathered, and paired with his ragged style of dress, anyone unaware of the truth might have thought some scruffy old beggar had reincarnated into the Cultivation Realm.

Bian Chunchou could not help raising his hand. "I'm only at the Third Layer of Qi Refining too. My name is Bian Chunchou."

Chen Zui did not so much as furrow his brow. Having gained two more burdens to drag along caused him no difficulty whatsoever. "That's even better. You two are so weak I could knock you down with one punch. If I can bring you two along, get a dharma artifact, and reach the finish line, wouldn't that prove I'm more capable than everyone else?"

...So the best team in your mouth was the team that best highlighted how impressive you were.

Still, having someone join was better than having no team at all. Bian Chunchou thought optimistically. What if they went in and simply picked up a dharma artifact for free? Right? A person had to have a few wild fantasies to live.

"Let's go. We should head in too. As long as you two don't drag me back too badly, I guarantee I'll get you to the finish line." Chen Zui patted his chest with great reliability. "I'm at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining. In this Mountain Examination, only two people share my cultivation."

Well then, the two of them combined could not match him. There really was nothing wrong with him treating them as burdens.

The moment he finished speaking, before Bian Chunchou could deliver his little speech about clinging to a powerful thigh, Wen Xu spoke first. "Brother Chen is righteous; I admire you. But if there is anything you need us for, please feel free to say so."

"Easy, easy. Can you really not see?" Chen Zui was straightforward by nature, saying whatever came to mind. Besides, treating someone's eyes was not such a difficult matter. Perhaps some people simply did not like using their eyes to look at things. He had even seen people whose legs could walk insist that their legs were broken.

Respecting other people's peculiar habits was something Chen Zui's mother had repeatedly instructed him before he left home.

"Yes, but it does not hinder my walking. Please rest assured, Chen Zui."

Chen Zui waved a hand, not caring in the slightest. "You're already in Qi Refining. If it still hindered your walking, you'd be no different from an idiot. Just call me Chen Zui. Brother Chen sounds like you're calling someone else."

Wen Xu: ...Someone even more blunt than Bian Chunchou had appeared.

"But if you can't see, doesn't that mean you can't search for dharma artifacts?"

Wen Xu shook his head. "No, dharma artifacts will definitely be easy to find." After all, the Preliminary Trial had involved finding spirit plants. There was no reason for the Mountain Examination to test the same thing again. Easy to find did not mean easy to obtain, though. Competition from other teams was one factor; Yonglu Mountain had surely set up obstacles as well.