Chapter 44: Chapter 44: The First Level
Editor: Exodus Tales

“The lavish rewards offered this time are because…”

Ping Yuzi paused for a moment, gave a slight smile, and continued, “Because in our Cold Cloud Sect a prodigious talent has emerged, and more so because the Cold Cloud Sect Master has broken through to the Dragon God Realm!”

“What?!”

Everyone was stunned.

The so-called unparalleled genius, they immediately disregarded; what truly shocked them was the Cold Cloud Sect Master.

Dragon God Realm!

Although the Cold Cloud Sect enjoyed a superior status in a place like Yuanshan County, at the end of the day, it was still just a Ninth-Rate Sect.

But now things were different. The Cold Cloud Sect Master’s breakthrough into the Dragon God Realm signified that the Cold Cloud Sect would soon be advancing towards becoming an Eighth-Rate Sect!

If one could join the Cold Cloud Sect at this time, in the future, one might very well become a disciple of an Eighth-Rate Sect!

Although there was only a difference of one rank, in terms of identity, status, treatment, etc., everything was completely different.

Instantly, many people were rubbing their hands eagerly, unable to wait any longer.

This was exactly the scene that Ping Yuzi wanted to see. Otherwise, what was the point of his long-winded speech?

“Alright.”

Seeing that everyone was impatient, Ping Yuzi chuckled and said, “Those who wish to join the Cold Cloud Sect, follow me; the rest of you may wait here.”

“Little Su Han, you must do your best, fight for your wife’s honor!” Xiao Yuran’s big eyes twinkled with anticipation.

Su Han felt somewhat helpless; it seemed he couldn’t get rid of this little girl.

“Han’er, your father is waiting for you.” Su Yunming also said with a smile.

“Su Han.”

Xiao Hengshan approached with a meaningful tone, “Whether you marry Yuran or not is neither the concern nor within the control of the Xiao Family. The last time we saved you, it was not to coerce you into marrying Yuran. But this time, joining the Cold Cloud Sect is an excellent opportunity. If you can become the champion of this contest, the Cold Cloud Sect will surely cultivate you with all their might, and thereby, your potential can be further unearthed.”

“Little Su Han is my husband; he will marry me,” Xiao Yuran muttered with a somewhat wronged expression.

Seeing her like this, Su Han couldn’t help but smile, “Little girl, once you find those four items and become a cultivator, if you still like me, then come to me to talk about marriage, alright?”

“Even if I reach the Dragon Emperor Realm, I will marry you!” Xiao Yuran said, clenching her little fists.

…

Meanwhile, in another part of the crowd, the Su Family members were visibly anxious.

“Where on earth have Mingxuan and Minghui gone? Why haven’t they returned? The contest is about to start,” Su Yunchen said anxiously.

Su Yunpeng also showed some anger, “Those two fools, to give me trouble at a time like this, wait and see how I deal with them later!”

Standing to the side, Su Yunlie looked at them and then at Su Han not far away in a white robe, feeling as if a jar of mixed emotions had overturned in his heart, extremely complicated.

“Was my decision back then… really the right one?” Su Yunlie mumbled to himself.

“Father, although Su Han has left the family, you still have me. Even if I don’t win first place this time, I will definitely not disgrace you,” a young man suddenly said.

“Good!”

Looking at the young man, Su Yunlie’s face showed a smile, “Mingkai, although we have no blood ties, we share a father-son bond. Do your best; no matter the outcome, I will set a banquet for your return.”

“Yes!” The young man nodded.

This person was Su Mingkai, Su Yunlie’s son.

To be exact, he was Su Yunlie’s adopted son.

Su Yunlie, in his life, had neither a wife nor descendants. Su Mingkai was someone he had unintentionally saved a month ago, and later, Su Yunlie had taken him in as his adopted son.

Before Su Mingkai joined the Su Family, he had only opened up five Dragon Veins. However, with the resources of the Su Family, he managed to open up three more within a month, which made Su Yunlie extremely happy.

The only concern was that Su Mingkai was somewhat old, nearing thirty years of age.

However, the Cold Cloud Sect cared not for age but for potential and willpower. Su Yunlie held high hopes for Su Mingkai, whose potential far surpassed that of Su Minghui and Su Mingxuan.

“Depart!”

At that moment, Ping Yuzi’s voice rang out.

Su Yunchen and Su Yunpeng’s expressions dramatically changed. The former immediately barked, “Are you all worthless? After such a long investigation, you still can’t figure out where the two young masters have gone?”

“Reporting to the Family Head, we just received a message saying that half a month ago, the two young masters followed the young master of the Liang Family to the Xiao Family, and then they disappeared without a trace,” a guard reported.

“Hmm?”

Su Yunpeng’s expression changed, “They disappeared half a month ago? Could it be that the Xiao Family…?”

“The Xiao Family wouldn’t dare.”

Su Yunchen sneered, “If it were only Mingxuan and Minghui, that would be one thing, but Liang Shaohui was with them. Even if the Xiao Family had a hundred times the nerve, they wouldn’t dare touch Liang Shaohui.”

“Indeed, and Liang Shaohui hasn’t shown up either. They probably don’t know where they’ve gone by now; what a pity they missed the chance to join the Cold Cloud Sect this time,” Su Yunpeng said through gritted teeth.

They had sworn with such certainty, yet how could they know that both Liang Shaohui and Su Mingxuan were currently lying underground, forever at rest.

…

Numerous young figures followed Ping Yuzi, all part of the younger generation.

A quick count revealed there were several thousand of them.

The Four Great Families alone contributed over a thousand people, and with the addition of others from different counties and county cities, the number was not surprising.

There were stone steps before the great mountain, one after another, leading straight up.

For ordinary people, climbing these stairs would naturally be exhausting, but these were all cultivators, and they hardly felt the strain.

An hour later, everyone arrived at the mid-section of the mountain.

There, a vast square existed that could accommodate tens of thousands of people.

Around the square, there was a massive Light Barrier covering the entire area.

“This is the arena for the first trial!”

Ping Yuzi said, “You will all enter, and each of you will be given a High-Grade Gold Level Spiritual Item to swallow. Those who open one Dragon Vein will receive ten points, two Dragon Veins will yield twenty points… and so on. The more Dragon Veins opened, the higher the score awarded.”

These scores were only relevant for this first trial and would be useless in the second and third trials.

The one with the highest score would naturally be the first-place winner of this trial.

Of course, the ‘Gold Rank Spirit Artifact’ mentioned by Ping Yuzi was not real, but an illusion. Otherwise, with thousands of people each receiving a High-Grade Gold Level Spiritual Item, not only the Cold Cloud Sect but even a Seventh-Rate Sect could not sustain such expenses.

As figures streamed into the square, a buzzing sound suddenly filled the air above the square, and a multitude of Spiritual Objects descended from the sky.

“This is not a Formation, just condensed with raw Dragon Qi. It’s enough to disrupt one’s spiritual power.”

Watching the floating Spiritual Objects, Su Han thought to himself, “It seems the Cold Cloud Sect has some special items; otherwise, not even a Dragon God Realm could possess such intense Dragon Power.”

“Su Han.”

At that moment, an icy voice reached him, “Eight Dragon Veins, you’ve got quite some potential. Don’t disappoint me.”