Fudao Shanren descended all the way down, returning to the mountainside platform.
At this moment, the Heaven Connecting Platforms were already in full swing.
Wuyi Sect’s Young Master Ruhua’s entrance onto the stage caused quite a sensation.
After sweeping away a cultivator with one sleeve and seizing a Heaven Connecting Platform, he seemed to want to test the new rules. He attacked another female cultivator from a distance, and without doubt, defeated her after three moves.
Thus, everyone’s speculation was immediately confirmed—
That masterless Heaven Connecting Platform thunderously approached Young Master Ruhua, the two platforms merging into one, instantly rising thirty zhang higher!
However…
Not long after, another jaw-dropping scene appeared.
When Young Master Ruhua tried to continue attacking others and seize more Heaven Connecting Platforms, he discovered he couldn’t attack any other platform in the field!
When attacking Jian Chou above, the platform automatically emitted a red light, blocking his attack without causing a ripple. When attacking platforms below, his attacks simply couldn’t leave the range of his own platform!
Young Master Ruhua stood on that sixty-zhang-high Heaven Connecting Platform, suddenly truly understanding that terrifying Central Region rumor: every gathering with Fudao Shanren participating in rule design would become a nightmare for attendees.
True.
Couldn’t be more true!
Only now did everyone understand.
There were still traps waiting in these rules!
Ordinary cultivators or those with only one Heaven Connecting Platform couldn’t challenge Jian Chou with her four platforms. Meanwhile, Young Master Ruhua with two platforms couldn’t challenge Jian Chou, nor could he attack other cultivators with only one platform.
In other words, only cultivators with the same number of platforms could challenge and attack each other—otherwise, everything was ineffective!
Thus, Young Master Ruhua was in trouble.
Because at this moment, only Jian Chou’s platform in the field was formed from four merged platforms, but it was precisely two levels higher than his.
If he wanted to challenge Jian Chou, he had to wait for a second person like himself to appear.
Jian Chou could have four merged platforms because she eliminated three cultivators with one kick, combining them in one breath. For other cultivators to eliminate three people with one move was almost a pipe dream!
Even if someone like Young Master Ruhua had the ability to eliminate an opponent from a distance and seize two Heaven Connecting Platforms.
His next opponent would undoubtedly be the powerful Young Master Ruhua himself!
This way, no one had any more thoughts about gaming the rules.
The flower-embroidered Young Master Ruhua stood barefoot on his neither-high-nor-low Heaven Connecting Platform for a long time, contemplating the possibility of abandoning this platform and simultaneously eliminating three people…
Finally, he shook his head, having no complete confidence. He could only sigh long and say, “A moment of spring night is thus ruined.”
Then he also sat cross-legged in the void and began cultivating.
The entire foot of Kunwu Mountain immediately presented two completely different situations.
Cultivators with too high cultivation or too high rankings, even if they occupied Heaven Connecting Platforms, had few who dared challenge them. They all sat there cultivating, as if this were a training ground. Meanwhile, cultivators with average cultivation and poor rankings suffered—perhaps everyone felt they had a chance to defeat them, so challenges continued constantly. The people on platforms changed extremely quickly, but those who could stay for long periods generally had real skills.
Watching the second day about to pass like this, the spectators could roughly judge the general trend of this entry battle.
The sun set quickly.
When the bell rang again, Jian Chou finally opened her eyes. Looking around, she didn’t know how many people on the platforms had changed.
That Young Master Ruhua on the sixty-zhang-high platform, until this day ended, still couldn’t wait for his opponent. He stood below, holding a withered orchid between his fingers.
When Jian Chou looked over, he also raised his head to look, showing her a seductive smile.
“…”
What was this sudden chill about?
Jian Chou frowned, truly somewhat apprehensive about this person’s behavior. After pondering for a moment, her gaze shifted and she saw Nie Xiaowan had descended from her platform, standing on the ground waving at her.
She thus stopped overthinking, pretending not to notice Young Master Ruhua, and leaped down, landing before Nie Xiaowan.
“Junior Sister Xiaowan.”
“Senior Sister Jian Chou.”
Nie Xiaowan had experienced hard battles today. Though it was somewhat difficult, by afternoon, few people came to challenge her.
Undoubtedly, this was proof of her strength.
Two years of recovery and seclusion—Nie Xiaowan’s days hadn’t been easy.
Seeing Jian Chou, her face immediately showed a smile: “Congratulations, Senior Sister Jian Chou. Now on the four-merged platform, you can steadily qualify for selection, sleeping peacefully without worry.”
“Sleeping peacefully?” Jian Chou shook her head, only saying, “Not necessarily.”
Though she had been cultivating, she wasn’t completely unaware of outside events.
Looking up and around, people were also descending from surrounding platforms.
The youth Xiao Jin holding a big watermelon, his face full of smiles, seemed infinitely satisfied with each bite; another championship favorite from Yashan, Tang Wansheng, also looked high-spirited; the unfortunate He Jiuyi looked gloomy, glanced toward her, and flew down from another platform; another old acquaintance from Wuyi Sect, Tao Zhang, also easily leaped down from a platform and disappeared into the crowd…
Which one wasn’t a hero?
Even Kunwu’s Gu Qingmei, though she looked dazed with worried brows as if troubled by something, also bore no injuries when leaving her platform.
It seemed that for true elites, entry was just the beginning.
Many people hadn’t bothered to challenge for a second platform—perhaps they weren’t interested, or perhaps they didn’t want to fight the Young Master Ruhua now standing as a barrier.
After all, Young Master Ruhua had become a barrier between ordinary cultivators and Jian Chou. To challenge Jian Chou, one had to pass through Young Master Ruhua first. Regardless of victory or defeat, the winner who rose sixty zhang to match Jian Chou’s height would have just experienced a great battle, with strength certainly damaged and not maintaining peak condition.
In this situation, when Jian Chou fought this person, her advantageous position was like a fisherman watching snipe and clam fight—absolutely no reason to lose.
From this perspective, Nie Xiaowan’s “sleeping peacefully” was quite possible and very reasonable.
However…
Jian Chou’s gaze searched through the crowd but couldn’t find that youth who had once told her “your axe is beautiful.”
Fengmo Sword Sect’s Xia Houshe still hadn’t made a move.
Tomorrow would be the final day—who knew what would happen?
Jian Chou smiled slightly, about to explain further to Nie Xiaowan, when she suddenly saw several fellow disciples approaching.
Shen Jiu led, with Kou Qianzhi, Chen Weishan, and Jiang He following behind.
The group quickly reached Jian Chou.
Shen Jiu grinned and first cupped his hands to Jian Chou: “Congratulations, Senior Sister Jian Chou! Worthy of being our Yashan’s Senior Sister—such grand gestures opposing Kunwu truly make you a model for us Yashan disciples!”
“…”
Grand gestures opposing Kunwu…
Why do you look like you’re gloating?
Jian Chou felt somewhat helpless, not knowing what to say. She only glanced at them: “What are you here for?”
Nie Xiaowan still stood beside Jian Chou without speaking, quietly watching with some curiosity.
Were these all Senior Sister Jian Chou’s fellow disciples?
They looked somewhat different from the imagined Yashan cultivators.
“Well… actually nothing much, just…”
Shen Jiu looked around. Seeing no one eavesdropping and the sky beginning to darken, he simply opened his mouth.
“Senior Sister, you know how I am—I have wide social connections and know all the excellent cultivators in the Central Region, always getting along well. But they’re all a bunch of unlucky bachelors. After seeing Senior Sister’s grace on the platform, they’re all crying and wailing, begging me to ask Senior Sister—”
“Ask what?”
An ominous premonition suddenly appeared.
Jian Chou looked at Shen Jiu.
Behind Shen Jiu, several fellow junior disciples all had the urge to suppress laughter.
Shen Jiu hesitated for a moment, then still spoke: “Ask… ask if Senior Sister has a dao companion. If Senior Sister has no dao companion, that would be easy to handle. If Senior Sister already has a dao companion… they… they ask if Senior Sister wants a second dao companion—even third or fourth would be fine. The kind who can fight, cultivate, and care for dao companions… Ah, Senior Sister!”
Jian Chou no longer wanted to speak and turned to leave!
This Shijiu Zhou was nothing like she had imagined…
Nie Xiaowan beside her listened with a completely red face, looked around, and still followed behind Jian Chou step by step.
“Hahaha…”
Jiang He and others were already laughing so hard they couldn’t straighten up.
Shen Jiu thought it must be because Senior Sister came from the isolated Human Realm and might not understand the passionate appreciation of beauty among Shijiu Zhou cultivators. Bearing the heavy wishes of various single friends, how could he easily give up?
Gritting his teeth, Shen Jiu chased after her: “Senior Sister, don’t leave! Consider it? Most of them are Nascent Soul cultivators with bright futures—Senior Sister, you absolutely won’t lose on this deal!”
“How did I never notice that Junior Brother Shen actually has a business mind?”
Jian Chou, annoyed by his pursuit, finally stopped and turned back to ask him.
Shen Jiu also stopped, blinking: “Isn’t this still the business opportunity Senior Sister brought? Otherwise… if they’re all unsatisfactory, would Senior Sister consider me?”
“…”
Rolling her eyes, Jian Chou truly had no grace left.
“Just kidding, just kidding.”
Shen Jiu waved his hand.
“Actually, you can’t blame everyone for asking me. Senior Sister, you don’t know how beautiful you looked before—that kick was absolutely soul-stirring! Our Shijiu Zhou is such a straightforward place—Senior Sister, you’ll get used to it. Hehe, now you’ve become an even more sought-after dao companion candidate than Lu Xiangleng!”
Lu Xiangleng.
Hearing this name again.
Jian Chou suddenly paused: “Baiyue Valley’s medicine woman Lu Xiangleng?”
“Yes.” Shen Jiu nodded, voluntarily explaining: “Shijiu Zhou has many orthodox cultivators, and pill refinement and artifact crafting are in urgent demand, making them extremely precious. Medicine woman Lu Fairy excels at pill refinement, called a genius in this field. Though her own cultivation is difficult to compare with most cultivators from Yashan and Kunwu, placed in all of Shijiu Zhou, she’s considered fast. Therefore, many people have long wanted to ask if this medicine woman wants a dao companion, but no one could move the beauty’s heart. Now, it’s a pity…”
“A pity?”
What did this mean?
Jian Chou immediately thought of the earth scorpion poison on Lu Xiangleng.
Indeed, Shen Jiu looked at Jian Chou with surprised eyes, but the next moment he understood.
“I forgot Senior Sister was on the platform and didn’t know the news. Among the Left Three Thousand’s top five cultivators, all are saying Lu Xiangleng was poisoned by earth scorpion venom. She has an extremely yin constitution, making it especially difficult to endure compared to ordinary people. It’s said to be certain death poison, now only sustained by pills she refines herself. Zhilin Sou ranking her outside the top hundred isn’t without reason. This poison can only be cured by Ice Vine Jade Essence, but in all of Shijiu Zhou, this item’s traces have long disappeared… So everyone says heaven envies beauties, causing them to fade away.”
“…”
Jian Chou silently raised her eyes, only remembering the drinking bowl Lu Xiangleng had given her at White Stone Mountain.
Little Marten sat on her shoulder, seemingly listening to their conversation yet seemingly not caring at all, its fluffy tail swaying behind her, completely leisurely.
“Senior Sister, what’s wrong?”
Seeing Jian Chou not speaking, Shen Jiu found it strange.
Looking up at the distant Kunwu mountain path, Fudao Shanren was already impatiently waiting, sitting on the steps gnawing a chicken leg. Jian Chou paused, then laughed: “Nothing much, just an old acquaintance from a chance meeting, a small debt of gratitude. Master is waiting anxiously over there—we should probably go over first.”
Otherwise…
She’d probably get scolded again.
Jian Chou sighed and led the way toward the eye-rolling Fudao Shanren.
“Master.”
“Don’t call me master—I don’t have such a spendthrift disciple!” Fudao Shanren glared, seeing her smiling face, nearly angry enough to throw his chicken bone.
“What’s wrong…”
Jian Chou felt somewhat innocent.
Fudao Shanren was furious, looking indignant: “Do you know how many spiritual herbs, flowers, and trees of Kunwu’s you destroyed with that kick? Do you know how much our Yashan has to compensate? Ah? I tell you, even Pang Dian’s small treasury has to be paid out!”
“Ah?”
This was the expression of Jian Chou along with several dumbfounded disciples.
Fudao Shanren rolled his eyes, the chicken bone in his hand tracing a beautiful arc before landing on Kunwu’s clean mountain path: “So those several artifacts I mentioned giving you before—they’re gone now.”
Gone…