Chapter 227

Not expecting such a response, the illusion was momentarily stunned. With a stern face, it scolded, “What are you saying, Mingxuan? Have you forgotten the rules?”

After a few seconds of anger, it changed the subject, “How could I have such an unambitious son?”

“Disciples from other sects are all exceptional. You were famous at fifteen for establishing your foundation, but after joining the Changming Sect, you were harshly suppressed by those from the Yueqing Sect. Do you know what they say about our Ming family outside?”

Mingxuan, who had originally kept his head down, finally showed some emotion upon hearing this, “Is that so?”

The words from the father in front of him were harsh. Just standing there made him uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry I didn’t meet your expectations,” the young man said, slightly lowering his eyes. As he brushed past, a talisman lightly stuck to the shadow of the person in front of him, “But actually—”

“I have no intention of changing.”

With those words, the talisman ignited, and the illusion vanished.

He had encountered such trials many times before.

There was really no difficulty involved.

Mingxuan was the quickest to come out. He stretched and looked at the scene fabricated by the illusion array. It seemed quite realistic, but he couldn’t immediately break the array and needed to wake the other participants. Mingxuan wandered around the illusion, quickly finding Song Hansheng’s figure.

It seemed that the nightmares of geniuses were always similar—family expectations, sect aspirations.

The illusion array depicted the internal affairs of the Yueqing Sect, and Song Hansheng faced an elder from Yueqing Sect.

The old man droned on with condescending remarks, “Is this the appearance of Yueqing Sect’s future successor?”

“So lacking, what do you all excel in?”

“Outside the sect, you’ll only be regarded as a useless person,” he said with a superior and pitying tone, “How pathetic.”

Mingxuan approached and observed Song Hansheng’s silent demeanor. He abruptly slammed the table, startling Song Hansheng into looking up at the intruder with a somewhat confused expression.

Mingxuan: “What are you doing? Playing around?”

The old man was taken aback by the rude intrusion. He coldly said, “Why wasn’t I informed?”

“Disciples like you,” he said with a bitter and critical gaze, “anyone picked from the disciples would be more excellent than you. Throughout history, you are definitely the least talented generation.”

“If I were you, I would have been ashamed to give up my status as a disciple a long time ago.”

Mingxuan waved his hand and smiled, “It’s fine, it’s fine. If I’m not a disciple, it’s no big deal. After all, working hard only to earn a little money isn’t worth it.”

“By the way, my family is quite wealthy,” he rested his chin on his hand, “How about this, Elder—why not call me ‘dad’? That way, we’ll be descendants of the Ming family. When you die, I can have my father buy you the best burial plot.”

“……”

After a moment of stunned silence.

The elder gradually realized that this person was abnormal and decided it was best not to provoke him.

So, the elder chose to ignore Mingxuan and turned back to continue giving subtle psychological hints to Song Hansheng, “I have a son who, at your age, has easily reached the Nascent Soul stage.”

“What?!” Mingxuan’s voice shot up, “Your son is so amazing? Well, I look quite good too. How about I go on a blind date with him? To be honest, Elder, I don’t want to work hard anymore.”

“……”

In just a few words, the elder was completely thrown off guard.

He was thoroughly rattled.

He pointed at the door, “Get out.”

Mingxuan smiled, “Oh? Aren’t you considering it?”

“Get out!”

The high and low voices of their argument startled Song Hansheng, who had been immersed in the illusion, back to reality.

Song Hansheng looked at the scene before him and thought, “…”

Ah, indeed, the demons of the Changming Sect.

Song Hansheng sometimes envied the atmosphere of the Changming Sect. After all, these people, despite their quirks, seemed much happier than them.

The ancestors observing from the shadows had fallen silent.

First Xue Yu, then Mingxuan—had the Changming Sect gone completely mad this year?

—

The ancient forest was full of dangers, with occasional appearances by exiled or trapped cultivators. Qin Huai, Zhou Xingyun, and Ye Qinghan were key subjects of observation by the ancestors.

As long as they passed the tests, these three sword cultivators would likely become the future inheritors of their sects.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the sword cultivators had all obtained their respective opportunities. Only these three remained without any sign of activity, indicating they were likely to be kept by the ancestors for inheritance.

Before receiving the inheritance, they had to pass a trial. All three had collapsed on the ground, suggesting the trial had begun.

“Don’t disturb their trials,” the gentle voice of the Bishui Sect’s ancestor reminded them, “You eight, come here and guard them.”

“Make sure no one interrupts.”

Ye Qiao understood; someone would definitely come to disrupt them.

She instructed several sword spirits to stay and guard the three, and upon sensing unfamiliar auras, she said, “Let’s go. We need to deal with them.”

Honestly, there were quite a few of them this time.

They were all looking for an opportunity to interfere with the three’s trials. In this ancient forest, where the strong dominate, many might have been taught a lesson by the ancestors or elders of the Five Sects.

So it was possible they harbored grievances against the Five Sects or were specifically sent to test the strength of those who had received the inheritance.

Seeing at least a dozen people, Chu Xingzhi drew his sword, “We’ll draw them away.”

“Alright,” Ye Qiao replied briefly, “I’ll guard.”

While chatting with Chu Xingzhi, Ye Qiao secretly formed a sword seal, and a wind blade swiftly cut through, silently severing their mustard seed bags. Just before the bags fell, Mu Chongxi and Zhu You swiftly took the bags and ran.

“Let’s go.”

With the mustard seed bags taken, the group became enraged and started chasing Mu Chongxi and Zhu You furiously.

With a significant portion of the group gone, Chu Xingzhi blocked their path, “Next, you’ll deal with me.”

The disciples worked well together.

Such coordination was not developed overnight. The Sword Questioning Sect’s ancestor wondered, “It seems like they got along quite well in the grand competition?”

“Hi, Senior,” Ye Qiao said calmly, gripping the Flying Immortal Sword. The man before her was at the mid to late Nascent Soul stage, far beyond her capability.

Direct confrontation was not ideal, and neither was a side attack.

Ye Qiao, testing whether to strike from behind, quickly foresaw the man’s next move with the predictive inheritance. Without hesitation, she struck with the sword, using the Changfeng Sect’s sword technique. The sword shadows were unpredictable and fierce, with precise movements that restrained the man under her control.

The man was momentarily stunned by the swift and unexpected attack from a junior.

He laughed, “What’s your name?”

Ye Qiao smiled, “Guess.”

As she spoke, she increased the pressure of her sword, and the elder, caught off guard, was knocked to the ground by her. As the man fell, Ye Qiao ruthlessly kicked him in the rear, sending him flying several meters away.

In combat, any means was acceptable. Ye Qiao’s mission was to stop the elder from interfering with the three’s trial.

The man was both angry and amused,

Shamed.

A junior dared… dared to kick him so shamelessly.

The man gathered spiritual energy in his hands and aimed it at her, unleashing a surge of energy with several glowing orbs smashing into her face.

Relying on her predictive abilities, Ye Qiao dodged left and right, avoiding the man’s attacks and getting closer. She then suddenly lifted her foot, preparing to strike.

The man noticed her gaze targeting his crotch, his breath faltered, and he instinctively tightened up. Ye Qiao feinted, and the Flying Immortal Sword pierced his vital area.

Predicting the next second’s scene, Ye Qiao dodged in advance, narrowly avoiding the man’s counterattack.

The ground was blasted into a large crater, obscuring her view. The man realized that this disciple was utterly shameless.

This was not how a proper person should act—targeting someone’s crotch was outrageous.

He decided not to waste time with her and, drawing his sword, increased the oppressive aura around him. “So you’re the one with the predictive inheritance. No wonder you’re so arrogant. If you were at the Nascent Soul stage, I’d have to reconsider.”

“A late Gold Core cultivator dares to block me.”

He snorted coldly, through gritted teeth, “Today, I’ll make you understand what it means to know your place.”

With blood still staining her sword, Ye Qiao tilted it slightly, its light gleaming with a chilling aura. She raised her eyes and spoke, “Wait a moment. I know you want to beat me up, but at least wait until they finish their inheritance, okay?”

“If you force your way through.”

“I’ll kneel and beg you.”

“……”

This person sure knows how to talk.

Taking advantage of the brief moment she stunned him, Ye Qiao quickly threw out her defensive talismans and artifacts to protect herself.

If she couldn’t win, she could at least make things annoying.

The Changfeng Sect’s wind blade technique was quite effective, combined with the Qingfeng Formula to create numerous small blades that shredded his clothes.

Ye Qiao formed another seal, and the Thunder Spirit Root took shape as a small silver dragon, heading straight for the man’s head and turning his hairstyle into an explosion.

Ye Qiao knew exactly how to enrage a hot-tempered sword cultivator. Forget the trials of Ye Qinghan or Zhou Xingyun; all that was on his mind now was: little bastard, die!

Maintaining a certain distance, Ye Qiao and the elder played a game of cat and mouse. She moved quickly, aided by her predictive inheritance, dodging left into a formation and right into a killing array.

A once-respected sword cultivator was now being outmaneuvered by a junior.

But while a senior sword cultivator could afford many mistakes, Ye Qiao could afford none. She eventually made a misstep, got caught, and was thrown to the ground. She rolled over and was nearly struck by a fierce blade of sword light, causing her to gulp nervously.

“Senior, it’s not about who you’re practicing with. How about this: instead of troubling them, why not test me? I have my own domain, you know.”

She quickly got up, smiling as she spread her hands, revealing a faint green light that showcased her domain. “How about you test me instead?”

Domain?

The man’s interest was piqued by this. As he leaned in to investigate, Ye Qiao suddenly closed her hands, and with a powerful punch, she sent him flying. She didn’t hold back at all; if the sneak attack succeeded, it would at least keep him down for a while.

Shameless! Absolutely shameless!!

The senior, now lying in a pit with blood gushing from his nose, lay dazed, unable to react for a moment.

Then he laughed, genuinely amused.

She really had guts.

“How despicable,” the Changfeng Sect’s ancestor commented slowly, “It’s truly despicable to the core.”

“Which sect is this disciple from, so remarkably brave?”

Time and again, the disciple had successfully used provocations and tricks—truly a rare talent.

“From the Changming Sect, I believe the name is Ye Qiao.”

The Bishui Sect noticed a pattern, “Why does it seem like every disciple from the Changming Sect is exceptionally talented lately?”

The Wenjian Sect’s ancestor snorted, “The Sword Questioning Sect is straightforward and arrogant.” Especially with Ye Qinghan leading, they were excessively proud. Perhaps geniuses all have a bit of temper.

“Changfeng Sect’s methods are vicious and cruel.”

“And the Changming Sect’s?” After a moment of silence, he managed to squeeze out a summary, “Lacking manners and shameless!”