Chapter 30: The Selection

Bai Zhentian’s voice, filled with incredulous terror, reached her ears. Xuan Ningyue, having walked only a hundred meters, stopped in her tracks. A cold expression settled on her face as she stared fixedly at Bai Zhentian.

"Look at the mountaintop!" Bai Zhentian stood at the base of the mountain, pointing toward the summit like an unworldly old man.

Xuan Ningyue followed his gaze. Bai Ling, whose body had been stiff and motionless just moments before, was no longer frozen. Instead, an excited smile broke across his face. He slowly extended his fingertip, and a flash of lightning the size of a chopstick hissed like a spirit snake before vanishing in an instant.

"Ling'er has once again shattered my understanding. His comprehension is terrifying!"

"Although he only awakened at eighteen, the talent he displays now would likely make even the genius disciples of the top sects in this Jueyuan Continent bow their heads in his presence. Hahaha..." Bai Zhentian spoke with mounting excitement, his words tumbling out at high speed.

Xuan Ningyue returned to his side and whispered toward the distant figure of Bai Ling: "Ji Jiu'er, you must be filled with regret right now, aren't you? So what if you are at the tenth level of the Lingyuan Realm? Perhaps before long, Brother Ling will leave you far behind!" As she finished speaking, a radiant smile bloomed on her face.

...

Bai Ling stared at the lightning that had danced on his fingertip like a spirit snake. It had been no larger than a chopstick, yet he was trembling with excitement.

He understood that it wasn't due to his own high comprehension, but rather that mysterious drop of blood. It had forcefully absorbed the lightning and suppressed it within his body. Perhaps because his cultivation level was still too low, only a tiny wisp remained. Strictly speaking, he was cheating!

He was both shocked and exhilarated by the power of the Thunder Origin Technique. Its first layer was the Lightning Induction Art, which drew the thunder of heaven and earth into the body to temper it. The second layer was the Lightning Control Art, a technique so perilous that it was usually only mastered by Lingyuan Realm cultivators, and even then, only under the guidance of a powerful thunder-cultivator. Otherwise, since thunder represented the ultimate power of destruction, it could reduce a cultivator to ashes in an instant.

Yet Bai Ling, relying on that mysterious drop of blood, was attempting to force his way into the Lightning Control Art—and he was doing it alone, even if it was just a tiny, narrow thread of lightning.

As the lightning faded, bean-sized raindrops began to fall, sliding down Bai Ling’s cheeks. He looked up at the sky and chuckled softly: "Is this heaven’s way of compensating me? To let me be the last human in this world to awaken, only to return to me, multiplied, everything that should have been mine within a mere five days?"

Bai Ling looked inward with a quiet heart. He saw the traces of origin energy lingering in his origin meridians; the third origin gate had already been opened, and he was now officially a third-level Chuyuan Realm cultivator.

In just five days, he had crossed three minor realms. Among the masses, even those children of great families could hardly claim such a feat!

Bai Ling decided that his next step would be to consolidate his foundation. Haste makes waste; elevating his realm too quickly was not a good thing for someone who had only just awakened and entered the Chuyuan Realm. For the next nine days, Bai Ling remained alone on the summit, like an old monk who had cast aside all worldly distractions. He spent the time quietly sensing the origin energy of heaven and earth, gaining a deeper understanding of the changes within himself and his mastery over his newfound power.

...

Ten days later, at dawn, the sky turned a pale, fish-belly white.

Ten miles east of Liuyue City, at the entrance to a mountain range, a dense crowd had gathered. Ji Kun stood at the forefront, backed by over a hundred Lingyuan Realm subordinates who stood in a line, holding the swarming crowd at bay.

Ji Kun’s gaze was locked on the entrance of a mountain cave. As the sun began to rise, origin energy erupted from the dark base of the mountain, surging straight into the sky!

"Such dense origin energy! There must be countless origin crystals inside. We’re going to be rich this time!"

"If I can get even a thousand, just a thousand, and absorb them, my cultivation will surely advance another realm!"

"I’ve worked like a slave for a year just to earn a hundred. This time, I must seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

Low murmurs rippled through the crowd. Their eyes burned with greed as they stared at the cave entrance.

Ji Kun waved his hand and turned, his expression serious. "Opportunity and death go hand in hand. Even though this is only a low-grade origin vein, it is extremely dangerous within. There are creatures formed from origin energy known as origin beasts. They possess immense combat strength, and there may even be Lingyuan Realm beasts! Since they are made of origin energy, their power is effectively inexhaustible. Some of you have only just awakened, while others have been stuck at your current level for years because of a lack of resources. Do not let greed cloud your judgment and lead to your demise!"

"According to records, these origin veins run deep into the earth. You may find yourselves fifty, a hundred, or even five hundred meters underground. A low-grade vein goes no deeper than a thousand meters. You should expect Lingyuan Realm beasts to appear after the five-hundred-meter mark. Remember this well!"

"You are the future of Liuyue City! If you encounter a powerful origin beast, do not engage. Simply retreat a hundred meters, and you will be safe."

"I said ten days ago that this expedition is for Chuyuan Realm cultivators only. If any Lingyuan Realm cultivator is found hiding inside, they will be thrown into the dungeon for a hundred years!" Ji Kun’s voice was stern, his eyes sweeping sharply over the gathered crowd.

As soon as he spoke, over a hundred cultivators paled and slowly backed away from the crowd under his piercing gaze.

"I, Ji Kun, prefer peace. I am sure you have all heard enough of the prohibition against killing to have callouses on your ears! I hope you do not forget that rule once you are inside the vein." Ji Kun frowned, glancing toward the direction of the three great families. He was speaking to them directly; he did not want to see the common people suffer heavy casualties at the hands of the three families once the vein opened for the month. But he knew well how tempting those origin crystals were to a cultivator.

Greed is a terrifying thing.

"The time has come. I wish our Liuyue City Chuyuan Realm cultivators a bountiful harvest. Zhi Ke, inspect everyone strictly before they enter the cave. Anyone above the Chuyuan Realm is to be thrown straight into the dungeon!" Ji Kun ordered his subordinate.

"Understood!"

Zhi Ke drew his long sword, and the aura of a peak Lingyuan Realm cultivator pressed down on the crowd like a mountain, causing many to change color. Within the crowd, four or five hundred more Lingyuan Realm cultivators’ expressions darkened, and they left the area in frustration.

"You—yes, you! What are you looking at? Guards, throw him in the dungeon!" Zhi Ke stood at the entrance, pointing at a third-level Lingyuan Realm cultivator.

"M-my lord, I am in the Chuyuan Realm! I really am!" the young man in the gray-brown robe cried out in terror.

"Humph, you thought that hiding your cultivation with a magical artifact would fool me? Do you take me for a fool?"

Zhi Ke stepped forward, snatched a pendant from the young man’s chest, and the youth’s face turned deathly pale. As he turned to flee, the guards blocking the mountain path seized him. Amidst his frantic pleas for mercy, he was shoved into an iron cage.

"You!"

"What are you looking at? I’m talking to you! Step out of line!"