Chapter 415: Great Talent, Late Bloomer

"This"

Sang Kong stared at the mad boy, his face instantly darkening.

It was because the boy was from Wu Country.

Failing the test didn't matter, but if something happened, it would damage Wu Country's dignity.

He certainly couldn't let such a thing occur.

Just as he was about to speak,

Li Rui spoke up: "Master Xuan Cheng, please withdraw the array's intent—bloodshed brings ill omen."

Master Xuan Cheng, who had set up the Mysterious Heart Array, glanced at Li Rui.

His eyes flickered, then he chuckled: "Master Li speaks truly."

With a sweep of his sleeve,

the Wu Country boy snapped out of his madness and collapsed onto the ground.

It was resolved.

Seeing the Wu Country boy awaken from his frenzy, Sang Kong gave Li Rui a grateful look.

In terms of combat power, he wasn't afraid of Master Xuan Cheng.

But compared to these immortal sect's techniques, he was vastly inferior—a complete outsider.

Li Rui smiled in acknowledgment.

As an array master, he could clearly see that the Wu Country disciple had gone mad from being entangled by the Mysterious Heart Array's intent.

Withdrawing it wasn't difficult.

But why hadn't Master Xuan Cheng done it himself?

Simply because his nature was too detached.

In his view, life and death on the path to immortality were commonplace—dead was dead, mad was mad, all fate.

Why bother with extra effort?

He'd only find it troublesome.

During his time at Qingwei Sect, Li Rui had long witnessed the mercilessness of these cultivators.

He spoke up to help because Yu Country's students might also fall into madness.

Better to expose this now, upfront.

He could also earn Sang Kong's gratitude for free.

Why not?

After withdrawing the array's intent, Master Xuan Cheng curiously asked: "Master Li, do you understand arrays?"

Li Rui nodded: "A little."

Master Xuan Cheng became interested: "Rare to meet a fellow adept in arrays—I'll visit Changqing Peak another day."

"I'd be honored."

After this minor incident,

everyone turned their attention back to the Mysterious Heart Array.

Whenever someone later went mad, Master Xuan Cheng would promptly lift the array's influence.

After an hour,

the Mysterious Heart Array finally dispersed.

At this point, only about forty percent remained conscious.

Between Yu and Wu Countries, fewer than eighty people remained.

Master Xuan Cheng showed no awareness of having been too harsh; after dispersing the array, he sat down to meditate as if nothing had happened.

Master Zi Yang, seeing this, felt awkward:

"Master Xuan Cheng has just emerged from seclusion—his touch was too heavy."

Li Rui and Sang Kong said nothing.

They knew too well the nature of these cultivators.

Qingwei Sect constantly produced unfamiliar faces, each with extraordinary strength, yet each utterly detached in character.

Li Rui understood.

These people might be connected to the Immortal Realm.

Grand Master Qing Ding himself was a powerful exile from the Immortal Realm.

According to covert reports, more and more exiles had descended in recent years, and their strength was no longer as fearsome as in past centuries.

If he wasn't mistaken, Master Xuan Cheng was from the Immortal Realm.

To those of similar cultivation, he could still call them "fellow Daoist," but anyone below Tong Xuan was merely an ant.

Who would care about the lives of ants?

The first trial was over.

Now came the test.

This time, the test ground was chosen as Chifeng Valley in Shu.

There, a demonic disturbance had broken out.

The test would double as suppressing the demonic unrest.

The next day,

Master Zi Yang summoned a great banner, carrying over eighty people toward Shu.

In merely half a day,

they crossed ten thousand li and arrived at Chifeng Valley.

When they arrived, they saw the Jian Nan Garrison troops already guarding the valley entrance.

Li Rui watched the banner being retracted by Master Zi Yang.

He felt envy.

Though martial artists could also cross such distances, carrying a hundred people together was never this effortless.

From Sang Kong's expression, he likely felt the same.

Cultivating the body and cultivating the method were equal in realm.

But in daily life, the difference was immense.

The Jian Nan Garrison soldiers had already received word; seeing the Qingwei Sect group arrive, they hurried forward to greet them.

"Master Li."

The lead Assistant Regional Commander immediately approached Li Rui.

No other reason.

Li Rui was the only one among them who was his superior.

Li Rui said coolly: "Follow the original plan—go."

He waved his hand.

The Jian Nan Garrison soldiers led the Yu and Wu Country students into Chifeng Valley to quell the demonic unrest.

Once all the students had entered,

Li Rui and Yuan Xiong slowly floated into the sky.

Flight through the air was a technique only those of Tong Xuan realm could master.

The two arrived at a spot in Chifeng Valley.

Yuan Xiong then asked: "Big Brother Li, there shouldn't be any great demons in Chifeng Valley, right?"

As the saying goes: concern breeds chaos.

Though Yuan Xiong appeared strict toward Yuan An and the other young nobles, he cared deeply.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to Chifeng Valley himself.

Li Rui smiled slightly: "Young Brother Yuan, rest easy—the young master called me Master. How could I let anything happen to him?"

Hearing Li Rui say this,

Yuan Xiong stopped worrying.

In truth, Li Rui also feared for Yuan An's safety.

So he had visited Chifeng Valley early, and even had Jian Nan Garrison station elite fighters beside Yuan An.

Why had Li Rui and Yuan Xiong come here?

Precisely to detect danger at once and intervene promptly.

They'd protected him down to the last tooth.

What could they do? Yuan An's status was simply too exalted.

Some appear destined by heaven, breezing through all tribulations—but behind them stand countless protectors.

As Li Rui and Yuan Xiong chatted,

suddenly,

battle energy surged from afar.

A battle among the top three ranks!

Li Rui and Yuan Xiong instantly tensed.

They exchanged a glance and shot toward the source of the battle.

In an instant.

They arrived at the battlefield.

There, a massive silver-ringed ox serpent demon, dozens of zhang tall, flicked its tongue; before it stood a man carrying a shoulder pole.

Li Rui squinted, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

He hadn't expected it.

The one appearing in Chi Feng Valley was someone he knew.

That hero from Shu, Chen Ming, who carried the sun and moon on his shoulders.

He had met this man again.

When he escorted the Third Princess to Jingcheng, Chen Ming's dashing demeanor was still vivid in his memory.

Li Rui said to Yuan Xiong:

"It's an acquaintance—first, subdue the serpent demon."

Saying this,

he and Yuan Xiong struck together.

The Immortal Blade Slicing the Dragon was drawn.

Now that he was officially a Tongxuan Realm cultivator, owning an immortal blade was perfectly normal.

No need to hide it anymore.

With three experts attacking, the serpent demon soon faltered.

In mere moments,

The three teamed up and killed it.

The great serpent crashed to the ground; only then did Chen Ming turn to face the two.

He remembered Li Rui—not because Li Rui was outstanding, but because Princess San of Wu, now Princess Consort Xia Yun of Yu, had mentioned him.

Otherwise, when they last met, Li Rui was merely an unremarkable fifth-rank official.

How could he have remembered him?

During his battle with the serpent demon, he had noticed that Li Rui, like himself, had reached the Tongxuan Realm.

Even Chen Ming was startled.

If he remembered correctly, Xia Yun had said that Li Rui was already eighty at the time, and now he was well into his nineties.

Yet he had advanced so dramatically.

There truly were people in this world who achieved greatness late in life!

(End of Chapter)