Chapter 224

The Alchemy Cultivation Group adopted a gang-up policy and gave the seniors of the Bishui Sect a beating, forcibly exchanging two antidotes. To be honest, such violent means are undesirable, but it is indeed a way to break the deadlock.

They had anticipated that this group might negotiate, trade, or use other methods to exchange for the antidote, but they never expected an all-out brawl.

“The one in red,” the Bishui Sect patriarch’s lips twitched, “is from the Changming Sect?”

Don’t think she didn’t notice that the entire scene was controlled by that young man.

“Why didn’t I think of just fighting back then?” an elder fell into deep thought. When he designed this trial, his idea was to satisfy the other party through exchange, not by beating them up.

“What’s that young man’s name?”

The elder of Changming Sect recalled, “Xue Yu.”

The Bishui Sect elder’s smile was rather forced, “Warn him, his idea was good, but no more fighting next time!”

If the timing were right, they would have liked to shout and ask why he was corrupting their disciples.

The elder of Changming Sect was quite pleased. Changming Sect’s disciples had always been proper and upright from a young age. What changed them in this situation?

External influence? It didn’t seem like it.

Fortunately, the only irregularity seemed to be in the group of alchemists. The sword cultivators were still on the path of seeking heritage, cooperating smoothly. They traveled during the day and chatted around a campfire at night.

Mu Chongxi yawned, “Why is the weather in this ghostly place so erratic?”

Scorching hot during the day, freezing cold at night, and frequently besieged by beasts trying to snap their necks from behind, it was incredibly annoying.

“And the deeper we go, the fewer the beasts,” Zhu You observed. “There might be something in the inner area. Should we keep going?”

It would be better to split up if they wanted the heritage. Everyone wanted it, and teaming up with other sects might lead to someone else seizing the opportunity.

But with so many variables in the ancient forest, they could only remain vigilant while forming a tentative alliance, planning to rely on their own skills if they encountered the heritage.

“Let’s keep going,” Qin Huai wasn’t as overthinking. “We’ll have to go in sooner or later; we’ll find out what’s inside.”

The elders holding the heritage would choose their successors, not the other way around. They had to try their luck together.

Ye Qiao stretched lazily, chewing an apple as she walked, “I don’t want to go. I hate fighting.”

Mu Chongxi grabbed a handful of seeds from his mustard seed bag and shared them with the senior brother, indifferent, “The sooner we finish fighting, the sooner it’s over.”

They seemed like they were on a leisurely trip, eating casually along the way.

This annoyed Qin Huai and Ye Qinghan at the front. The two chief senior brothers scolded coldly, “You three, do you have any sense of being true disciples?”

Zhou Xingyun, sensing their stern gaze, misunderstood and extended his hand with some seeds, “Oh, do you want some too?”

He didn’t expect them to be so envious, staring at them like that.

“…”

In the end, Qin Huai and Ye Qinghan, each holding a handful of seeds, fell silent. They finally stopped staring at the Changming Sect group.

Who knew Zhou Xingyun had such an odd mindset, even generously sharing his seeds with them?

They couldn’t just throw them away; it might anger Changming Sect. For the sake of their tentative alliance, Qin Huai and Ye Qinghan had to awkwardly hold the seeds, unsure whether to eat them or not.

As they delved deeper, the beasts dwindled from a few to none. The absence of these stealthy threats didn’t relax them but instead made them more tense. The quieter it was, the tougher the challenge inside.

What level of difficulty? Nascent Soul stage? Transformation stage?

For a heritage trial, the difficulty wouldn’t stop there.

Upon reaching their destination, they were stunned by the sight before them. Everyone held their breath.

Finally, Ye Qiao broke the silence, “Is this our trial?”

In the distance lay a black dragon, seemingly annoyed by their disturbance. The dragon raised its head and spewed a breath of dragon fire, like molten lava.

Zhou Xingyun sensed the dragon’s anger and said “Run” before it breathed fire.

Luckily, it wasn’t a true dragon, just a remnant soul. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have escaped its breath, only able to kneel under its pressure.

A red bird hidden in their domain sensed something, its feathers bristling. Its childish voice echoed in their minds, “It’s a dragon, Ye Qiao. Kill it to get the heritage.”

Dragons and phoenixes, ancient creatures, naturally disliked each other. Sensing the dragon’s annoying presence, the bird’s tone grew excited.

Despite both being extraordinary, dragons were born strong while phoenixes needed multiple trials and rebirths. This thought displeased the bird.

“Is that so?” Ye Qiao held great respect for dragons.

She casually tossed her apple core, hitting the dragon’s head, then picked up her sword, “It’s a dragon.”

Respect was secondary now. The dragon’s remnant soul was testing them.

To obtain the heritage, they had to defeat it.

“Attack,” Ye Qinghan said calmly, throwing the seeds at the dragon. Not knowing what to do with the seeds, this opportunity came in handy.

The sword cultivators drew their swords, ready for the dragon. Despite their playful demeanor, the dragon’s power was intimidating. Enraged by the intruders, it charged at them.

The dragon’s scorching breath and sweeping tail broke all the trees around it. When its claw struck the ground, it cracked open with fissures, forcing the three teams to swiftly dodge to the sides.

Qin Huai couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat, his voice grave, “Are we supposed to kill this dragon?”

The dragon attacked with no discernible pattern. Any creature that dared to come close was instantly killed with a swipe of its tail.

A colossal being, one swipe could turn a person into minced meat. It was impossible to get near.

“We’ll distract it for a while. You think of a way to hit its weak spots.”

Ye Qiao and her companions had not wasted their training, mastering the art of aerial leaps. Stepping on the wind was more agile than sword flight. These three escape experts moved as nimbly as rabbits, making the heavy dragon unable to touch even their clothes.

“The Changming Sect’s techniques are only good for this,” an elder from the Wenjian Sect commented lightly.

The Wenjian Sect had long held a grudge against the Changming Sect, a rivalry dating back generations.

The Changming Sect elder casually mentioned, “You might not believe it, but this year, we’re the first.”

“You guys?”

“Yes.” He spread his hands, smiling proudly, “Remember to be respectful to the number one sect in the cultivation world.”

Every time they came to the heritage site, they were full of anger. How could they always end up at the bottom every century?

But this generation was different; they were first.

The Changming Sect elders were curious about how they achieved this. Now they saw the difference: Xue Yu’s shameless tactics were indeed unique.

…

Qin Huai slashed at the dragon, the clear sound of the impact accompanying his calm words, “It won’t break.”

The dragon scales were too hard.

Zhu You reminded, “Aim for its eyes, its weak spots.”

The dragon protected its weak points well, driving back anyone who tried to get close with its hot breath.

“The eyes and the horns.”

Perhaps Ye Qinghan throwing a handful of seeds in its face was too insulting, causing the dragon to focus its attacks on him. Ye Qiao rubbed her nose, remembering she was the first to throw an apple core.

Taking advantage of the dragon’s distraction, Ye Qiao tried to approach it to see if she could wound it.

“You’ll get swatted away.” Zhou Xingyun held her shoulder, calmly telling her, “Don’t go.”

Ye Qiao rummaged through her mustard seed bag and found a retractable rope, fastening it to her waist, “I’ll stab it and then come back. Pull me back quickly.”

Their mutual understanding was built over time. Zhou Xingyun didn’t stop her again. Ye Qiao adjusted her position, stuck a stealth talisman on herself, and stealthily approached the dragon. Her staff transformed into a long sword mid-air, striking swiftly.

The sword hit its mark, but the dragon’s claw followed. Just before she was crushed, Zhou Xingyun pulled her back with the retractable rope, deftly dodging.

“Such coordination is rare in the Changming Sect.”

It required mutual trust to achieve such coordination. No one else would risk their life on another’s reflexes.

The dragon went berserk after being wounded, its tail destroying everything in its path.

Once they wounded the dragon, the strategy was clear: a war of attrition to wear it down.

But they overlooked one thing: even in a battle of attrition, it was still a dragon, albeit a remnant soul. They couldn’t outlast it.

Except for the Changming Sect, the other sects couldn’t keep up. They had to rely on physical techniques, their faces tense from the dragon’s breath. Under its fiery assault, their minds blanked, lips parched, almost suffocating.

The dragon’s breath not only tormented their bodies but also burned their spirits.

Ye Qiao found a suitable position, watching the pale-faced sword cultivators below. She swung her sword, sending a gentle, life-infused green sword wind down to them.

Her sudden move startled everyone, thinking she was attacking her comrades.

The gentle green sword technique spread life force everywhere it touched.

The technique was passive, appearing when she was in danger.

The only life-based domain among the five sects.

The Way of All Living Beings, a life-based path, naturally couldn’t be separated from the concept of life.

Wherever the sword light touched, it brought vibrant life, the true meaning of the word “life.”

Zhu You coughed, the blood in her throat vanishing, her spirit greatly relieved. She looked up in surprise.

Was this really a healing technique?

Chu Xingzhi instinctively grasped the points of sword light, marveling at the sight, “What’s this sword technique called? No, it’s not a sword technique, right?”

“It’s your sword intent, the Way of All Living Beings?”

Ye Qiao mumbled, “Something like that.”

“What’s your domain called?” Ye Qinghan saw her sword technique, his expression flickering, unable to resist probing her thoughts.

Ye Qiao glanced at him, “All Things Grow.”

All Things Grow, a healing domain. Now everyone understood.

The young man showed no emotion, his fist quietly clenching. So, finding a chance to beat her up wouldn’t be a problem.

Ye Qinghan had wanted to beat her for a long time.

Ye Qiao sensed the dangerous look in his eyes. She stared back, determined to find a chance to beat Ye Qinghan once she reached the Nascent Soul stage.

Both parties wanted to give each other a good beating, which made the atmosphere slightly delicate.

“Eh?” The old ancestor of the Chengfeng Sect squinted his eyes, “Did that dragon choose Mu Chongxi of the Wenxin Way?”

“Not only that. It chose two people, the other being Chu Xingzhi.” These kids couldn’t see it, but they could tell that the dragon had already chosen its successors.

“So it’s the Way of All Beings.” The patriarch of the Changming Sect noticed the faint green light and smiled knowingly, “She might be inheriting the will of Heaven.”

That green light was wonderful indeed.

Besides, how could being chosen by the will of Heaven be considered a mere ‘green’?

In this battle, not only was the black dragon selecting successors, they were also scouting for talents.

“The one to inherit our Wenjian Sect’s legacy…” The patriarch of the Wenjian Sect spoke concisely, “should be that boy from the Ruthless Way.”

The patriarch of the Changming Sect spread his hands. He had no dilemmas left; the dragon’s legacy had automatically chosen Mu Chongxi, so his own legacy could be entirely left to Zhou Xingyun.

As for Ye Qiao…

“I wouldn’t dare to casually pass on my legacy to that girl practicing the Way of All Beings.”

Nor could he. Ye Qiao was inheriting the will of Heaven.