Chu Zeming looked at the disciples on the training grounds watching him and Xuan Mo, a warm smile spreading across his face. "Come, junior brothers, let's practice together."
Dressed in black robes, Chu Zeming held the Luminous Glaze Sword and smiled.
Yet everyone on the training grounds found his smile terrifying. In the next instant, an utterly dreadful Sword Qi overflowed from the black-robed young man, and a sharp, horrifying pressure gradually spread outward.
The disciples on the training grounds immediately sucked in a cold breath.
They had heard that the last time their senior brother practiced swordsmanship in the bamboo grove, he had nearly stabbed a newly initiated junior brother to death with a single strike. And now he wanted them to practice swords with him? Were they tired of living?!
"Senior Brother, it looks like it's going to rain. I should head back and bring in my clothes first."
"Senior Brother, I think Master is calling for me. I won't be practicing today. Good luck, Senior Brothers!"
"Ah, my junior sister asked to meet me at the back mountain. How could I have forgotten?"
One after another, they began talking nonsense with their eyes wide open. In less than half the time it took to burn an incense stick, only Xuan Mo and Chu Zeming remained on the training grounds.
Standing atop a wooden stake, Xuan Mo glanced at the empty training grounds and gave Chu Zeming a smile uglier than tears. "Senior Brother, how about we go back to the Scripture Pavilion and read? I just remembered I still have several books I haven't finished—" Before Xuan Mo could finish speaking, a sharp Sword Qi struck at him.
Xuan Mo's heart shuddered. He had no time to say another word before he was forced to move across the plum blossom stakes, evading Chu Zeming's attacks while also watching his footing to keep from falling—because the moment Chu Zeming swung his sword, the flat ground had suddenly become covered in half-meter-long spikes!
Only when the sun sank in the west and orange-red sunset clouds dyed the sky scarlet did Chu Zeming finally spare Xuan Mo.
However, the results of the practice inspection left Chu Zeming deeply dissatisfied—Xuan Mo was far too weak.
Walking over to Xuan Mo, who was slumped on the ground in exhaustion, Chu Zeming tossed him his book case. "Continue tomorrow."
"We... we still have to continue?"
Xuan Mo panted heavily, his face deathly pale. He could not even cry.
"Senior Brother is doing this for your own good."
All at once, Xuan Mo began to miss those days when he read books aloud to his senior brother in the Scripture Pavilion—there was no worst, only worse.
Sitting on the ground and hugging his book case, Xuan Mo pondered how he could avoid it tomorrow. Then he suddenly felt Chu Zeming's cool gaze fall upon him, and he shivered uncontrollably.
Chu Zeming slowly crouched down, smiling kindly as he said to Xuan Mo, "Xuan Mo, Senior Brother hates salted fish most in his life. If you make excuses to deceive Senior Brother and avoid cultivation again, Senior Brother will kill you."
Xuan Mo stared at him in horror.
Senior Brother really looked like a demonic cultivator when he smiled!
Chu Zeming rose to his feet and waved a hand. "Just kidding. Fellow disciples are forbidden from killing one another. Senior Brother was only teasing you."
Putting away the Luminous Glaze Sword and no longer paying attention to the internally horrified Xuan Mo, Chu Zeming left the training grounds in excellent spirits.
Chu Zeming did not return to his residence.
He had something more important to do—
The Nine-Clear Haoran Sect had a trial secret realm called the Spirit Realm Platform, located atop Heaven-Remnant Peak. The Spirit Realm Platform had nine levels in total, each fraught with peril, where danger and opportunity coexisted. It was an ideal place specially prepared for the sect's disciples to cultivate and gain experience.
Of course, Chu Zeming was not going there to train. He was going there to seize an opportunity.
In "Master Above, I Below," the author's first cheat bestowed upon the salted-fish protagonist was located there—a tremendously powerful spirit pet.
It had originally been a creature from the ninth level of the Spirit Realm Platform. Due to various circumstances, it had accidentally fallen to the first level. In the end, Ling Yunzi, who went to the Spirit Realm Platform at night, found it and then gave it to Yue Lian.
Calculating the timing, Yue Lian had already entered the sect several days ago. That azure dragon egg should have fallen by now.
Chu Zeming decided to strike first and gain the upper hand.
Before the Spirit Realm Platform, an elder dressed in plain cloth with a kind and benevolent face sat cross-legged in meditation before a white jade platform. Sensing another disciple approach, surprise appeared on his face.
Though the Spirit Realm Platform was indeed open twenty-four hours a day, very few—almost no—sect disciples chose to enter it for trials at night. The Spirit Realm Platform at night was completely different from the one by day, its danger level more than three or four times greater.
Taking Chu Zeming's identity token, Elder Chen registered it while casually asking, "Braving the Spirit Realm Platform in the middle of the night—did you two arrange this beforehand?"
The two of them had arranged it?
Chu Zeming frowned, feeling puzzled.
After finishing the registration, Elder Chen handed Chu Zeming a jade talisman. "This is a secret realm teleportation talisman. If you encounter danger you cannot resolve, or if you wish to leave, crush it and you will be teleported back. Remember not to force yourself. Though this realm is merely a sect trial ground, quite a few disciples have died because they encountered danger yet refused to crush their jade talismans."
"Thank you." Chu Zeming accepted his identity token and jade talisman, then leaped directly into the Spirit Realm Platform.
In an instant, the scenery around him completely changed. Nine stone doors appeared before him, two glowing with white light while the other seven remained silent—only after clearing one level would the next level of the Spirit Realm Platform open.
Chu Zeming did not hesitate. He flashed directly into the first stone door of the Spirit Realm Platform. Someone had entered ahead of him, and he had to find the dragon egg before that person did.
A terrifying suction force suddenly came from before him. Chu Zeming felt his body plummeting rapidly downward. When he opened his eyes again, the scene before him had become a swamp shrouded in black mist and filled with towering trees.
Darkness surrounded him. Hair-raising hissing sounded from all around, in a silence so deep it was strange and eerie—this was the Spirit Realm Platform at night, danger lurking on every side and murderous intent filling the air.
Chu Zeming moved through the forest swamp, walking cautiously as he explored in every direction with his divine sense. This swamp was vast, thick with poisonous vines, and the ground was littered with ghastly human bones, all predecessors who had died after entering this secret realm—terrifying creatures hunted in the swamp.
Suddenly, an icy sensation came from above his head. Chu Zeming abruptly looked up, only to see a scarlet forked tongue dripping wet green slime. The next second, it was nearly touching his face.
Caught off guard, a gaping bloody maw suddenly lunged at him!
Chu Zeming's heart tightened. He dodged at lightning speed, leaping more than ten meters away in an instant.
At the spot where he had been standing, a dark green snake as thick as a tree trunk hung from a tree. It seemed to possess the gift of evading cultivators' divine sense, hanging there silently and almost blending into the surroundings.
Its strike having missed, the snake slowly drew back. Its cold yellow vertical pupils fixed on Chu Zeming as its scarlet, red-chain-like tongue flickered slowly, making one's scalp crawl—then, in an instant, the giant snake vanished. The surrounding trees began to rustle, and its dark green form appeared and disappeared through the dense forest.
Chu Zeming steadied himself, the Luminous Glaze Sword glowing faintly red and trembling lightly in his hand.
The next second, the Luminous Glaze Sword began to hum violently. Chu Zeming spun around and slashed—an immensely terrifying Sword Qi surged toward the direction pointed to by the sword's tip.
"Boom—"
The dark green giant snake hiding in the darkness revealed itself.
The dark green giant snake crashed down, severed into two pieces as it fell to the ground, dark red blood flowing everywhere. Its vertical pupils stared fixedly at Chu Zeming. Its scarlet forked tongue hissed, while its fang-filled bloody maw opened and closed as though it still wanted to bite him.
How could a Bone-Tempering Stage demon beast dare clash head-on with a Jindan Stage cultivator?
Chu Zeming kicked the snake's head. Just as he put away his sword and prepared to continue onward, he heard the surroundings tremble, as if something were surging toward him. The intense rumbling shook the surrounding trees until they swayed wildly.
A scalp-numbing chorus of hissing rose, drawing closer and closer. Chu Zeming halted and swept out with his divine sense. Once he saw what it was, his entire mood turned terrible—
More than a dozen yellow vertical pupils were rushing madly in this direction, those eyes filled with chilling coldness two or three times larger than the snake on the ground.
Chu Zeming sucked in a cold breath.
No way!
If it had only been one Demon Core Stage snake, Chu Zeming could still fight it. But how was he supposed to deal with more than ten at once? He made a snap decision, turned, and ran.
His black robes fluttered as his dark figure darted through the dense forest. Behind him, more than ten dark green giant pythons pursued him like mad, crushing trees as they went and producing dull booms in the night.
Chu Zeming fled desperately, the jade talisman clutched in his hand. But unless it came to the final moment, he did not want to crush it so easily. He had not yet obtained the dragon egg, and he was unwilling to accept that.
Suddenly, the commotion behind him abruptly vanished. Those snakes seemed wary of something. After hissing at each other for a few moments, they slowly retreated.
Chu Zeming stopped, his face as pale as a ghost's.
He raised his head and saw a lake before him, its water black as ink, as though a single glance could suck a person's soul inside. A tiny island had abruptly appeared at the center of the lake, less than a meter in diameter. Resting quietly atop it was an egg glowing red.
Chu Zeming's pupils contracted violently.
A dragon egg!
After confirming there was no danger nearby, Chu Zeming flew over.
Perhaps due to the butterfly effect caused by his transmigration, the dragon egg—which should have been absorbing the essence of moonlight inside a dark stone cave—had appeared in the center of this lake instead, as though it had deliberately waited there for him after he had been chased by giant snakes.
Reaching out to pick up the dragon egg, Chu Zeming felt the faint pulse of life within it. He secretly thought that he truly was Heaven's favored child. Without further hesitation, Chu Zeming directly dripped blood to claim it as his master.
A drop of vivid red essence blood fell onto the eggshell, only to slide to the ground in the blink of an eye.
Chu Zeming dripped more blood, but the droplets continued to fall away.
Then Chu Zeming stared at the dragon egg and fell silent—there was something wrong with this dragon egg. It would not acknowledge him as its master.
After pondering for a moment, Chu Zeming darkened his face and directly summoned the Luminous Glaze Sword. Enduring the pain, he sliced open all five fingers at once, then slapped his entire blood-red hand onto the dragon egg.
"If you don't absorb it, I'll smash you to pieces." Chu Zeming threatened coldly.
Perhaps Chu Zeming's threat worked, for the dragon egg trembled in a distinctly human-like manner.
Then a dark red light lit up from the eggshell, and an unusual bond suddenly appeared in his mind. Feeling the connection between himself and the egg, Chu Zeming contentedly withdrew his hand. He tucked the dragon egg, bearing a bloody handprint, into his robes, his mood extremely good.
Just as he was about to crush the jade talisman and teleport out, a delighted voice suddenly sounded from the lakeshore. "Senior Brother?!"
Chu Zeming followed the voice and looked over. A black-haired young man in white stood by the lake, waving at him. He was holding an egg that emitted a gentle glow.
An egg?!
Staring at the egg in Yue Lian's hands, radiant with holy light, Chu Zeming's pupils suddenly shrank. He slowly lowered his head and looked at the blood-glowing egg in his arms, a faintly ominous premonition rising in his heart—
Author's note:
Immortal Realm interview—
Host: "May I ask how each of you obtained your bonded spirit beast?"
Yue Lian: "I dreamed about a precious egg, so I went in to take a casual look and picked it up along the way."
The host asked in surprise, "It was that easy? You didn't encounter any danger?"
Yue Lian: "No. I picked it up after walking only a few steps."
Host: "...Emmm, all right. And you, Immortal Lord?"
Chu Zeming, dark-faced: "It was quite dangerous. I just... picked up the wrong one. At the time, I nearly tried to snatch his egg."
Yue Lian silently raised his hand. "...Not nearly. He did want to snatch it, but I had already dripped blood to claim it as my master, so he gave up."
Before you continue