Wind Blades

Bian Chunchou looked around. "What do you mean?"

"When that elder announced the rules earlier, he said there were fifteen magic artifacts bearing Yonglu Mountain's mark. Why magic artifacts rather than other inanimate objects? Among the candidates taking the mountain examination, some are at the second or third level of Qi Refining, like Chunchou and me, while others are at the fifth or sixth level, like you. If it were merely groups competing to seize treasures, then what was being tested would be nothing more than cultivation level and the talismans and magic artifacts one possessed. But if that were all, those with higher cultivation could simply band together. How could candidates with lower cultivation ever rise above the rest?"

Chen Zui scratched his head. "So what do you mean?"

"What I mean is that these fifteen low-grade magic artifacts may be usable by the candidates. That way, the gap in cultivation can be somewhat leveled. What Yonglu Mountain is testing this time should be the candidates' teamwork and ability to adapt on the fly."

Wen Xu was very good at taking examinations. In other words, cracking a problem was an instinct carved into his blood. The moment the rules entered his ears, he had already dissected them word by word, sentence by sentence, in his heart. Since he dared to say it aloud, he was naturally already certain of it.

"Besides, the rules never explicitly stated that each team could only take one magic artifact." From this, it could be seen that the disciples Yonglu Mountain wished to recruit were not blockheads who only knew how to bury their heads in cultivation. It wanted disciples who could use their brains, act on their plans, and possess a measure of good fortune.

It had to be said, as one of the five great sects under heaven, its requirements for accepting disciples were truly high.

Yet despite such high standards, it placed spiritual root talent last. It sounded as though it were silently standing against the cultivation world's doctrine that spiritual roots reigned supreme.

Wen Xu thought silently. He had originally been heading to the capital to sit for the imperial examinations, yet now he was climbing a mountain to take an examination. Though he had taken a slight wrong turn along the way, the roads still led to the same destination.

"That's right! He only said we had to obtain one, but never said what would happen if we obtained several!" Bian Chunchou slapped his thigh. "There might even be people who harm others without benefiting themselves, snatching extra magic artifacts so others cannot earn any results!"

Chen Zui—well, the weathered lines on his face were too dense for anyone to make out his expression. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go snatch magic artifacts! Let's grab ten or eight of them!"

Bian Chunchou: ...Wonderful. This kind of person is actually at my side!

Chen Zui led his two hangers-on around the mountain with great enthusiasm for most of the day, yet let alone magic artifacts, they barely encountered any people. The place was vast and sparsely populated—a disaster for the unlucky.

If this continued, they would probably eliminate themselves without anyone else needing to scheme against them.

Bian Chunchou even felt the same helplessness as during the preliminary test, when Pill Fragrance Grass had covered the ground everywhere.

"Wait." Wen Xu stopped, catching Bian Chunchou by the arm in the process. As for Chen Zui, the man was far too strong to hold back. "I think there's a good chance a magic artifact is nearby."

"Are you sure?"

Wen Xu shook his head. "I'm not sure, but ever since we entered this place, the wind has stopped." Ever since his Qi Sea had opened, he had always been able to learn much about the outside world through the wind, sometimes more clearly and sometimes less. Even when they had first entered, he could still sense the wind. But now, he could not feel even the faintest trace of it.

Though he had only just entered the cultivation world, anything abnormal was bound to conceal something sinister. Since this was abnormal, either a magic artifact was affecting the area, or someone had set a trap. They had walked around so many times without encountering danger, so the former seemed more likely.

The wind?

Chen Zui reached out to sense it. There truly was none, but... what could that prove? Besides, what kind of magic artifact could only stop the wind?

Not one of the three knew much about magic artifacts. Or rather, apart from Chen Zui, the other two had barely even seen any. Heaven knew that Bian Chunchou's most valuable possession was the basic spirit sword left behind by his cheap father. It did not even have a decent name.

Fortunately, Chen Zui became reliable for once. "That's simple. If it really is a magic artifact, I'll test it!"

With that, he swung the great saber strapped to his back. This saber was clearly no magic artifact; it was an utterly ordinary piece of mortal iron. Yet in Chen Zui's hands, it gleamed with spiritual light, and in an instant, a small hurricane rose with Chen Zui at its center.

"So powerful!" No wonder he could take down two with one punch. "Brother Chen, you were born with divine strength!"

Could a magic artifact that kept the surrounding area windless endure the appearance of a small hurricane? Of course it could not.

Chen Zui was, after all, at the sixth level of Qi Refining. Seeing the wind from his saber instantly swallowed up, he immediately put more force into his movements. "Come again! Do you think I'm afraid of you?!"

Bian Chunchou: ...How should he put it? A little dumb.

Wind Blades

"Little Martial Uncle, did you do something bad again?! You didn't tamper with the magic artifacts in the mountain examination area, did you?" A youth dressed like a Daoist acolyte held an enormous bowl in his hands. It was called a bowl, but it was actually a beginner-grade defensive magic artifact, originally meant to be among the fifteen magic artifacts placed in the mountain examination. Yet now, it had appeared in the garbage heap of Artifact Refining Peak!

The person called Little Martial Uncle had half of his waist-length black hair tied up, though whoever had tied it was evidently not very skilled, for several unruly strands had escaped. He wore a dusty gray robe that looked rather clean, except the defensive formations originally inscribed upon it had all failed.

The youth did not understand. Little Martial Uncle clearly earned a fortune through artifact refining, so why did he live in such a slapdash manner? And he often built his own happiness on teasing others. He was simply too annoying! Well, only slightly annoying for the time it took half an incense stick to burn. Little Martial Uncle could be rather nice sometimes.

"What do you mean, something bad? Tampering? You little brat really don't know how to speak properly! Isn't Artifact Refining Peak responsible for providing the magic artifacts for the mountain examination? This damn huge bowl is ugly as sin, without a shred of aesthetic sense. Wouldn't people laugh at us if we took it out? Besides, they came into the mountains to take an examination. What did they need a defensive magic artifact for? Did they travel all this way to become turtle bastards?"

The youth grew anxious. "Little Martial Uncle, you really switched the magic artifact? What did you replace it with? Do you know—"

"I know, I know. Isn't the Shadow Wall on? The sect master is such a nice person; he definitely won't mind this tiny little mistake of mine, right?"

The youth stamped his foot anxiously. "But the elder presiding over this mountain examination is Elder Zhao Qi of the Discipline Hall. You..." How many times had he been locked up already? Why did he always run headlong into it every time?