Wooden Man Guards

As Zhang Haoran left, everyone watched with both admiration and envy. They were all human—why could he reach the Qi Cultivation Realm Tenth Layer at thirteen, and cultivate the Cloud Soaring Art to its highest Fifth Level?

Was the gap between geniuses and ordinary people truly so vast?

Ye Chen shook his head and turned toward the announcement board.

Rows of fist-sized characters covered the giant sheet of white paper, written with strokes like silver hooks and iron brushes. Clearly, they had been penned by an elder with exceptional calligraphy.

Looking closely, Ye Chen saw that besides several precautions, the paper detailed the rewards for successfully passing through Wooden Man Alley: a Flowing Cloud Sect-exclusive Qi-Increasing Pill. It could save a month of hard cultivation. If one happened to be breaking through, it would greatly raise the success rate—provided it was a breakthrough within the Qi Cultivation Realm, rather than from the Qi Cultivation Realm into the True Condensation Realm.

"Time is what I need most right now. This Qi-Increasing Pill can save me a month of hard work, so it will be very useful to me." Ye Chen smiled and continued reading.

"The top ten in Wooden Man Alley may freely choose one Human-grade High-tier Martial Skill. The top six shall receive three Clear Wind Jade Dew Pills. The top three may freely choose one Human-grade High-tier cultivation art. First place shall additionally receive one Origin-Increasing Pill."

Ye Chen narrowed his eyes. He did not particularly value Human-grade High-tier Martial Skills, but the Clear Wind Jade Dew Pill was a miraculous elixir that aided Qi cultivation. According to those in the know, during the ten days after taking one, a martial artist would feel clear-headed and refreshed, free of distracting thoughts. Their cultivation speed would advance a thousand miles in a day, and comprehending Martial Arts would become much easier. Even many Inner Sect Disciples longed for it. Its value exceeded ten thousand taels of silver, something that could be encountered only by chance and never sought. Its sole drawback was that it could not be taken frequently; supposedly, each dose worked worse than the last, until eventually it had no effect at all.

As for a Human-grade High-tier cultivation art, it was even more crucial. With one, Ye Chen could foresee a tremendous increase in his cultivation speed, while both the total amount and quality of his Internal Energy would reach new heights. In other words, with a Human-grade High-tier cultivation art, doubling Ye Chen's overall strength would not be a problem.

His gaze fell upon the reward for first place, and Ye Chen gave a bitter smile.

Without question, the Origin-Increasing Pill was the most valuable. It could directly raise a Qi Cultivation Realm martial artist by one level, and even had some effect when used to break through into the True Condensation Realm. But Ye Chen did not have the slightest confidence. Ma Wu was also a Qi Cultivation Realm Tenth Layer martial artist, yet in terms of talent, how could he compare with Wu Zongming and Zhang Haoran? Those two were heaven's favored sons. The cultivation arts and martial skills they practiced far surpassed those of others, and their comprehension was among the very best. It would be far too difficult to take first place before them—unless he could rise from the Qi Cultivation Realm Sixth Layer to the Eighth Layer. Only then would he have some chance of winning.

Slowly exhaling a breath of stale air, Ye Chen made his decision. He would not dream of first or second place, but third place was something he had to claim. If he missed this opportunity, even he himself would never forgive himself.

The darkness of night faded away, and the first ray of morning sunlight shot in from the east.

In the courtyard, Ye Chen, having finished a set of punches, was applying Body Tempering Paste. His figure stood tall and straight like a sword.

"After this Wooden Man Alley, there will only be half a year until the Ye Family Gathering. Whether I can astonish everyone with a single feat will depend on today's results."

Ye Chen understood very clearly that Ye Tang, his eldest uncle's second son, and Ye Xuan, his fourth uncle's daughter, were both rare geniuses of the Ye Family. They had reached the Qi Cultivation Realm Fifth Layer at twelve. Now that three years had passed, they were likely at the peak Qi Cultivation Realm Tenth Layer, or perhaps had even reached the True Condensation Realm.

A True Condensation Realm martial artist was not someone one could defeat simply by saying so. Even with Ye Chen's astonishing comprehension, he could not overlook the gap between them.

Before Ye Chen had even left home, half of the Flowing Cloud Sect had already erupted into commotion. For most people, the Wooden Man Alley Competition was an important occasion. Some Outer Sect Elders and Inner Sect Disciples would come to watch, and once in a while, one or two Inner Sect Elders would also arrive.

Wooden Man Alley was located directly in front of Announcement Plaza. It was normally sealed shut, and nothing about its appearance gave away any clues.

By the time Ye Chen arrived at Announcement Plaza, it was already packed with people. More than half of the three thousand Outer Sect Disciples had come and filled the plaza. There were also quite a few Inner Sect Disciples and Outer Sect Elders, each looking down from above as they sat upon the high platform at the rear of the plaza.

"Elder Lin, who do you think will take the top ten this time?" The speaker was a youth of no more than sixteen or seventeen. He was handsome, with exceptionally fair skin.

The old man addressed as Elder Lin smiled. "Yun Tao, you are already one of the outstanding Inner Sect Disciples. You are interested in this as well?"

"My talent is not particularly outstanding. Back then, no one thought highly of me, so I understand even better how those Outer Sect Disciples feel about wanting to seize a ranking."

"That is true." Elder Lin nodded. "In my view, more than half of this time's top ten will be from the previous top ten, though Zhang Haoran must be added."

"Zhang Haoran? I have heard of him. They say he is the number one genius of the Outer Sect."

"News came yesterday that Zhang Haoran has already cultivated the Human-grade High-tier Cloud Soaring Art to its highest Fifth Level. Such aptitude is truly rare."

"The Fifth Level of the Cloud Soaring Art—no wonder Elder thinks so highly of him." Yun Tao revealed a look of surprise. When he had still been an Outer Sect Disciple, he had also cultivated the Cloud Soaring Art. Yet even after becoming an Inner Sect Disciple, he had never broken through to its highest level.

Elder Lin examined Zhang Haoran on the field and said with gratification, "The more geniuses the Flowing Cloud Sect has, the greater its potential. If one day it can advance from a Subordinate Ninth Rank Sect to an Eighth-Rank Sect, then even if I, the Grand Elder of the Outer Sect, die, I will die smiling."

Elder Lin's words set Yun Tao's blood boiling. "Rest assured, Elder Lin. Though I cannot compare to Senior Sister and the others, when that day comes, I will gladly serve the Flowing Cloud Sect like a dog or horse, doing everything in my power to help it advance to an Eighth-Rank Sect."

"Hehe, it is enough that you have such resolve."

The time to open Wooden Man Alley had arrived.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

Before everyone's blazing gazes, the enormous wall at the very front of the plaza suddenly split apart, revealing a deep alley that led to an unknown destination.

At that moment, Elder Lin rose to his feet and announced loudly to the sea of people, "Everyone, today is the semiannual Wooden Man Alley Competition. All Outer Sect Disciples are qualified to participate. You should already have seen the rewards for successfully passing Wooden Man Alley on the announcement board, so I will not say more about them. We will now enter the first stage. Only disciples capable of defeating a Wooden Man Guard may enter Wooden Man Alley."

Elder Lin's voice was not loud, yet infused with True Qi, it spread for several li in every direction, allowing everyone to hear it clearly.

"Damn it, I almost defeated a Wooden Man Guard last time. This time, I definitely can."

"Me too, but they say there are Wooden Man Swordsmen in Wooden Man Alley besides Wooden Man Guards. It is a bit uncertain!"

No matter what everyone thought, the Wooden Man Alley Competition had officially begun.

Clack, clack, clack...

A row of twenty Wooden Man Guards marched out.

These Wooden Man Guards stood two meters tall, their bodies constructed from a strange kind of wood. Their eyes were two thin crystal sheets that emitted a dim, icy gleam. They were clearly no ordinary objects.

Ye Chen was not too surprised by this. It was said that Wooden Men were a special kind of puppet, invented five thousand years ago by the Puppet Sect, a Fifth-Rank super sect. Though they possessed no intelligence, they could sense nearby people and launch all manner of attacks, making them quite marvelous.

The Flowing Cloud Sect had also obtained the method of creating Wooden Men by chance. Unfortunately, these Wooden Men were not very powerful, only equivalent to Qi Cultivation Realm martial artists, making them perfect for testing Outer Sect Disciples.