Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor

Creak!

”Yin Huan, come here!”

A sound of pushing the door came from the depths of the hall, followed by another loud shout that startled Yin Huan, who had been somewhat distracted, and he immediately rushed over.

Yin Huan had stood guard here for an entire day and night without taking a single step away; in his heart, he had been constantly worrying about whether his teacher could succeed. Now, hearing this voice carrying a hint of barely concealed excitement, he had some guesses.

”Teacher!”

Yin Huan, having reached the Dark Gate, first respectfully called out, then felt a chill approaching. However, Fu Du did not let him in, and he dared not step inside.

”Take this boy’s body out and discard it, and tell everyone, do not disturb me during this time!” Fu Du kicked out Yun Xiao’s icy figure from beside the door, the words he uttered left Yin Huan somewhat puzzled.

”Dead?” Yin Huan’s reaction was identical to Fu Du’s earlier—it was truly difficult to accept the fact that Yun Xiao might actually be dead from poison, given the bizarre traits he had displayed over the past half-month.

However, respecting his teacher’s command, Yin Huan did not dare to neglect it. Seeing his gaze fervently looking into the secret chamber for a moment, Fu Du then closed the secret door.

”Tsk tsk, boy, to die under the divine artifact of the teacher, it’s also your honor!” Yin Huan stared at the ice sculpture on the ground for a long time before finally concluding with a sigh.

But as a Poison Vein Master like Yin Huan, it was impossible to have any pity, and their plan had never intended for Yun Xiao to leave this great hall alive in the first place. Being poisoned to death might indeed be Yun Xiao’s true fate.

Immediately, Yin Huan found a rag to wrap Yun Xiao’s body in, as carrying such an ice sculpture body openly in the sect would be too conspicuous and troublesome, especially if seen by Medical Pulse Masters.

Carrying Yun Xiao’s body out of the sect, Yin Huan encountered no accidents, but finding it bothersome, he simply threw Yun Xiao at the outskirts of the Yulin Mountain Range and then promptly returned.

However, what Yin Huan did not see when he left was that within the rag wrapping, at the tip of Yun Xiao’s right middle finger, the ice was slowly melting—perhaps soon, there might be some unexpected changes.

...

While Fu Du was in the secret chamber refining the Three-legged Ice Crystal Toad, the Yulin Mountain Range, home to the Jade Pot Sect, was bustling due to a significant event.

This big event was naturally the triennial entrance assessment for the Outer Disciples of the Jade Pot Sect, where hundreds of young talents from the Xuanyue Empire gathered at the Yulin Mountain Range, all with the aim of passing the sect’s test and becoming true Outer Disciples of the Jade Pot Sect.

The spot initially secured by Yin Huan for the Shang Family was indeed just one spot, or rather, the qualification to join the Jade Pot Sect. Having this qualification merely gives one the real opportunity to participate in this entrance assessment.

But having this slot does not guarantee admission into the Jade Pot Sect; one must still pass a very stringent test or else return home.

In fact, Jade Pot Sect recruits only one hundred Outer Disciples every three years, but they issue nearly a thousand slots, meaning, within these nearly a thousand individuals, ninety percent of these young talents will be eliminated, leaving only the remaining ten percent to become true disciples of the Jade Pot Sect.

Among the vast sects of the Xuanyue Empire, the Jade Pot Sect is certainly a leader, and especially rich in Meridian Masters. Having a clan member join such a sect could undoubtedly bring endless benefits in the future.

So, even those reputable families in the Xuanyue Empire are keen to gain entry into the Jade Pot Sect, not to mention numerous mid-small size families like the Shang Family.

Although the selection of Outer Disciples by the Jade Pot Sect is once every three years, the distribution of slots started more than a year ago, exactly when Yin Huan visited the Shang Family.

Today marks the opening of the triennial entrance examination for the Outer Disciples of the Jade Pot Sect, just as Fu Du mentioned. This selection competition involves searching the Yulin Mountain Range for medicinal materials needed by Medical Pulse Masters.

This test, set by the Jade Pot Sect for everyone, involves a Pill Recipe filled with various medicinal ingredients that all the young talents from the Xuanyue Continent have received.

Those who gather all the ingredients listed on this Pill Recipe and deliver them to the final checkpoint of this selection will be among the first one hundred and will become genuine Outer Disciples of the Jade Pot Sect.

Though the Pill Recipe is only of Mortal Rank Middle Level, gathering dozens of specified herbs is not so straightforward.

If it were a genuine Mortal Rank Middle Level Meridian Master, perhaps it wouldn’t be too difficult, as Meridian Masters undoubtedly have a superior familiarity with medicinal herbs compared to ordinary cultivators.

But could you expect someone like Shang Huiyu, a Meridian Introduction Realm cultivator from before, to become a real Meridian Master? Hence, this test is neither too hard nor too easy; apart from the ability to identify medicinal herbs, a bit of luck is also essential.

”Just like if you were a Mortal Rank Middle Level Meridian Refining Master, but you end up finding the herbs beyond the hundredth rank, then the qualification to become an Outer Disciple of the Jade Pot Sect would be lost.

Nearly a thousand young talents from the Xuanyue Empire flood into the Yulin Mountain Range, like a school of fish into the sea, disappearing in an instant. The Yulin Mountain Range is incredibly vast, and there are even some powerful Vein Demons lurking. One careless move, and losing one’s life is not impossible.

This is how things are in the world; if you want to obtain immense power, how could you not risk some dangers? Joining the Jade Pot Sect offers many benefits; what are such risks in comparison?

...

Bang!

Somewhere in the Yulin Mountain Range, a huge dark shadow was thrown out, followed by a painful howl, struggling for a few moments before becoming still.

When its figure was revealed, it turned out to be a Second Rank Middle Level Vein Demon ”Black Mane Pig,” a demon equivalent to a human Cultivator at the Channel Introduction Realm Middle Stage, possessing extraordinary strength, and ordinarily, a cultivator of the same level is no match for it.

Crack!

At the same time, in another part of this dense forest, several figures appeared, with one of them clearly breaking a tree branch, making a crisp sound.

”Hehe, Sister Tan Yun’s strength is indeed formidable; such a Second Rank Middle Level Black Mane Pig couldn’t even withstand your three moves!”

A young boy, not very tall and somewhat portly, had a look of admiration on his face, talking to a slender woman in green clothing, apparently the Sister Tan Yun he mentioned.

”Of course, Sister Tan Yun is a Cultivator in the late stage of Meridian Introduction Realm, a little Black Mane Pig, isn’t it just a matter of lifting a hand to deal with it?” Another tall, thin youth was unabashedly flattering, which brought a slight smile to Tan Yun’s face.

”Alright, everyone be cautious. Our enemies are not only the Vein Demons in this Yulin Mountain Range!” Tan Yun seemed to be older and thought about more things.

These few people were all here to participate in the assessment for Outer Disciples of the Jade Pot Sect, and at this moment in the Yulin Mountain Range, besides these Vein Demons, there were nearly a thousand competitors. Who knew what treacherous actions these fellows might take?

In this team of five, aside from Tan Yun who was a Cultivator in the late stage of the Meridian Introduction Realm, the others were only at the middle stage, just like that Black Mane Pig; if Tan Yun had not intervened, they would have needed to join forces to subdue it.

”Ling Wan, go check if there’s a Demon Core inside that Black Mane Pig.”

Tan Yun pointed towards the enormous creature. For this Second Rank Middle Level Vein Demon, although the chance of finding a Demon Core was not high, it was always worth checking.

Upon hearing Tan Yun’s words, the previously speaking plump boy stepped forward with excitement, known by his actions to be ”Ling Wan”, quite a peculiar name.

Clearly experienced in such matters, Ling Wan quickly approached, took out a short knife from his Waist Storage, and then sliced open the enormous Black Mane Pig. He ignored the entrails scattered on the ground, focusing on searching somewhere.

”Ah, there really is a Demon Core!”

Moments later, Ling Wan’s cry of surprise brought smiles to the faces of Tan Yun and the others when they saw the round object still stained with blood in his raised right hand, leaving no room for doubt.

The Vein Demon clan, which cultivates energy quite similar to humans but called Demon Meridian Qi, and some of their outstanding individuals, upon reaching a certain level in cultivation, produce an inner core, known as a Demon Core.

The Demon Core contains almost ninety percent of the Vein Demon’s life energy, truly the essence of a Vein Demon. However, like the Black Mane Pig, a Second Rank Middle Level Vein Demon, the occurrence of a Demon Core is exceedingly rare, not to mention that this team’s luck was quite good.

”Ling Wan, be careful!”

Just as Ling Wan was internally praising their good fortune, Tan Yun, who was approaching, suddenly had a change in expression and shouted. However, it was a little too late.

Swoosh!

A shadow flashed by, and immediately, Ling Wan felt his hand lighten—the Demon Core he had just extracted from the Black Mane Pig, still warm, had disappeared.

At the same time, Tan Yun and others had already approached, and the quickly passing shadow finally revealed its appearance—a young man in black clothes, holding the newly extracted Demon Core in his hand. Escônging this scene, the expressions on Ling Wan and the others’ faces instantly darkened.

Because both Tan Yun and Ling Wan knew that they had been ambushed, and that the Black Mane Pig had taken considerable effort to kill. Now that the Demon Core had been snatched away, how could they possibly swallow this insult?”