"Ahem!" The Old Gu coughed awkwardly and said in a deep voice, "Boy, do you know how many weapon refiners on the Youzhou Continent want my guidance?"
Old Man Chi stood with his hands behind his back, staring at Yang Zhen's back, and said, "Boy, do you know how many people on the shores of the East Sea bring heavenly materials and earthly treasures herbs just to ask this old man for a single elixir?"
Yang Zhen was startled and turned around in surprise, looking at the two old men with admiration.
Old Gu and Old Man Chi seemed quite satisfied with Yang Zhen's reaction. They exchanged a glance, then sat down with a flick of their robes. One was calm and collected, the other had an air of otherworldly wisdom. They looked at Yang Zhen with smiles, their eyes as deep as the night sky.
Yang Zhen turned around and stood in front of the two men, saying with a puzzled look, "You two seniors are indeed masters!"
Old Gu and Old Man Chi exchanged a glance, their faces breaking into smiles, their auras growing even more profound and powerful.
Before the two could speak, Yang Zhen continued, "Young man, I don't know how many people have longed for your guidance and elixirs, but do you know who I am?"
"Who are you?" The two old men were taken aback and asked in unison.
Yang Zhen laughed heartily, standing with his hands behind his back, his eyes as deep and unfathomable as the abyss of the Pacific Ocean, staring at the two old men, and asked in a low, hoarse voice:
Why did over a dozen Golden Core Realm cultivators scream in the middle of the night? Why have countless geniuses repeatedly fallen victim to underhanded tactics? The Grand Preceptor of the Great Jiang Kingdom suddenly vomited blood incessantly—who was responsible? The old nun's door was knocked on every night—was it a human or a ghost? What lies behind the nightly weeping of countless favored young women? Behind all this, is it the distortion of humanity or the decline of morality?
Hearing this series of "whys," the two old men were completely bewildered. They looked at each other, hesitated, and then asked Yang Zhen in unison, "Who exactly are you?"
"I am Yang Zhen, specializing in dealing with all kinds of dissent. By the way, fellow Daoists, may I ask if this is the direction to the East Sea coast?"
The two old men nodded, looking bewildered.
Yang Zhen turned and left. "Fellow Daoists, farewell, green hills and clear waters!"
"Wait... wait!"
"Hmm?" Yang Zhen turned his head and looked at Old Man Chi, saying, "Fellow Daoist, what brings you here?"
"Are you going to the coast of the East Sea to participate in this Overseas Trial?"
"Exactly!"
The two old men exchanged a glance, then burst into laughter, their eyes filled with amusement.
Yang Zhen couldn't keep up the act any longer. He stomped his foot on a rock, glared at the two old men, and said impatiently, "Are you two old geezers ever going to stop? You have nothing better to do. My time is precious, you know?"
The two old men weren't angry. Old Man Chi looked at Yang Zhen and said with a half-smile, "Boy, do you know what the Overseas Trial is about?"
Yang Zhen was taken aback. "Isn't the rule that in a treasure hunt fight, whoever has the bigger fist wins? Has the rule changed this year, and now whoever has the bigger boobs wins?"
Old Man Chi was stunned, while Old Gu beside him burst into laughter, saying, "You eccentric young man, with your carefree and irreverent attitude, reminds me of someone who was like that back in the day, but unfortunately..."
The Old Gu sighed and said, "Well, it's fate that we met today. Keep this plaque safe; it might come in handy overseas."
As he spoke, Old Gu tossed Yang Zhen a palm-sized metal plaque with an antique bronze character 'Gu' engraved on it.
Old Man Chi glared at him, then pulled out a dark green wooden plaque and tossed it to Yang Zhen, saying, "Keep this plaque safe. You can come to me if you encounter any difficulties in the future."
Yang Zhen carefully kept the two signs close to his body, intending to throw them away after the two old men left.
Those two guys are weird; they might not be good people. If there's some kind of illicit organization in this world, that would be a disaster.
Seeing that Yang Zhen had put the token away, the Old Gu nodded and said, "This Overseas Trial is a bit different from the past. The people from Qishan Grotto-Heaven are here to find some disciples and successors, so they will set up some trials on the three islands. Only those who pass all three trials can enter the Eastern Sea Abyss, and only those who come out of the Eastern Sea Abyss alive can become candidates for disciples of Qishan Grotto-Heaven, and that is only a qualification."
Yang Zhen was dumbfounded. After the Old Gu finished speaking, he sneered, "This Qishan Grotto-Heaven has quite the grand setup, making such a big fuss just to select a few disciples?"
"You haven't heard of Qishan Grotto-Heaven?" Elder Chi asked, staring wide-eyed in surprise.
"I've only ever heard of the Water Curtain Cave Grotto-Heaven!"
"What kind of place is the Water Curtain Cave Grotto-Heaven?" The two old men were startled, clearly having never heard of such a place.
Yang Zhen took a deep breath. "There lives a demon monkey there, who is capable of anything, going up to heaven and down to earth. He even poked a hole in the Heavenly Palace. All the gods and Buddhas in the heavens respectfully call him Great Saint."
hiss!
The two old men gasped and said respectfully, "So there's a Sage Realm expert in this Water Curtain Cave Grotto-Heaven. It truly is a powerful place."
Yang Zhen was stunned; the more he looked at the two old men, the sillier they seemed.
"Although Qishan Grotto-Heaven does not have any Sage Realm experts, their lord is a Half-Sage!"
"What?" Yang Zhen was startled.
A Half-Sage... that's practically untouchable in the Youzhou Continent. No matter how arrogant the Grand Preceptor of the Great Jiang Kingdom is, he won't outlive Half-Sage with a mere glare.
No wonder so many people flocked to the Overseas Trial this time, given that such a sect is recruiting disciples. If one could enter such a sect to cultivate, wouldn't their cultivation level skyrocket?
Old Gu and Old Man Chi smiled like two old foxes when they saw Yang Zhen's expression.
Old Man Chi stroked his beard with a smile and said, "The disciples of Qishan Grotto-Heaven are all exceptionally talented, skilled in both forging and alchemy. To pass the three tests, one must be both a weapon refiner and an Alchemist, and one's talent absolutely cannot be lacking. So, how about we consider our earlier proposal?"
"So, how about it? Think it over?" the Old Gu asked with a smile.
"Not good!" Yang Zhen shook his head and said, "I appreciate your kindness, but you seem to have misunderstood something."
"Which point?" The two looked at each other, puzzled.
Yang Zhen curled his lip. "I have no desire to become a disciple of Qishan Grotto-Heaven. So what if you're a genius? So what if you're proficient in everything? Do you know what happened to all those talented people in my hometown?"
What was the outcome?
"Either I was locked up in the police station in the dark, or I was beaten so badly by the urban management officers that I cried for my parents," Yang Zhen said seriously.
"This is outrageous! How could your hometown bury such talent? It's simply outrageous!"
"Who can disagree!" Yang Zhen wholeheartedly agreed.
The Old Gu exclaimed, "What are you doing going to participate in the Overseas Trial if you don't want to become a disciple of Qishan Grotto-Heaven?"
Yang Zhen said with a grin, "Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"
"Nonsense!"
"Nonsense?" Yang Zhen muttered. "What's the use of nonsense? I'm asking you, aren't all those who want to become disciples of Qishan Grotto-Heaven Heaven geniuses?"
"Is that even a question?"
Yang Zhen chuckled and whispered in their ears, "Think about it, these geniuses must have a lot of good stuff on them, right?"
"What do you want to do?" Old Man Chi looked at Yang Zhen with a strange expression, and Old Gu looked similarly bewildered.
Yang Zhen turned and left, this time for real, waving his hand as he went. "I'm going to be the Pirate King!"