Chapter 99: The second test: only those with a hard fate can be my disciples

A group of four arrived outside a giant city. They all wore bamboo hats, and the woman among them was dressed in men's clothing.

They saw the city walls towering, reaching thirty or forty zhang high, which could not be climbed by human power. Not only were the city gates majestic and magnificent, but the city walls also stretched for dozens of miles, with a momentum that was awe-inspiring, making people look at them with fear.

Kou and Xu and Susu stared at such a majestic city, stunned for a good while, before they came back to their senses, only to see that the blue-robed person in the bamboo hat had already drifted far away, so they had to hurry to catch up.

"Ling Shao, why do you think Master brought us to Daxing City? Not to mention the matter of Yuwen Huaji, just talking about the endless ambushes by the Yuwen Clan along the way, aren't we just throwing ourselves into the net now!"

"Zhong Shao, no matter what, before we resolve the Black Heaven Tribulation, we still have to walk down this path to the end."

Xu Ziling whispered this, then said in a low voice to Susu:

"Sister Susu, be very careful after entering the city. Remember to follow closely behind us."

"You can rest assured. After our horses were injured by the Yuwen Clan's people before, didn't Sect Master Qing dislike that my legs were slow, so he taught me a martial art called 'Cycle of the Universe Force', and a set of 'Lingbo Micro-steps'?"

Susu's tone was relaxed:

"Now, even if I can't help much, I won't hold you back. Protecting myself is more than enough."

"Master is truly a great treasure. It turns out that besides those terrifying martial arts, there are also numerous divine arts and unique studies." Xu Ziling sighed in a low voice.

"That's right, I didn't expect the 'Universal Flow of the Six Voids Technique' could be practiced separately, so there is no Six Voids Poison."

Kou Zhong smacked his lips, his tone mixed with a trace of annoyance. Clearly, after witnessing the power of the Water Force and Wind Force, he was still thinking about it to this day.

The group walked into Daxing City and saw that the streets were as orderly as a chessboard, the layout within the wards was well-organized, the main cross streets divided the large and small wards, and ancient locust and cypress trees were hidden within the courtyards.

The common people mostly had tiled roofs and white walls, arranged in rows into alleys, while the wealthy households had high walls and deep courtyards, with long and deep alleyways.

There were eastern and western markets in the city, each occupying the space of two wards, with shops standing in great numbers, wine shops and teahouses noisy and endless, and Persian glass and Western Region steeds displayed among them.

It could be said that the Western Market was crowded with Hu merchants and full of exotic customs, while the Eastern Market was mostly for aristocratic consumption, with dazzling treasures.

As soon as Kou and Xu entered the city with Susu, they couldn't help but be dazzled, never having imagined there could be such a bustling place in the world.

Zhuang Buran walked into the Western Market and led the group toward the north side; after walking for a while, a magnificent large stone bridge came into view.

Beneath it was the Yong'an Grand Canal, which cut across the city from north to south; the large stone bridge was the Leaping Horse Bridge, also known as the Wealthy Bridge.

Not far away was Zhuque Avenue, starting from the Zhuque Gate of the Imperial City in the north and ending at the Mingde Gate in the south, over a hundred paces wide; it was called the Heavenly Street by the city's residents, with aristocratic mansions lining both sides, showcasing the power of the clans.

The youth in the blue shirt maintained an unruffled expression from beginning to end, while the other three, having descended from the Leaping Horse Bridge, were stunned by the prosperity of Zhuque Avenue, where the street was filled with carriages and horses, and pedestrians were like carp.

With their current knowledge, even if they racked their brains, they could not understand why, in a chaotic world where the realm was torn apart, the city presented such a scene of a prosperous age, with carriages and horses, people coming and going, and bustling crowds.

For a moment, the thought even occurred to them whether they were dreaming or if there was something wrong with their eyes.

Suddenly, the sound of bowstrings "twanging" rang out, and from the locust trees on both sides, round after round of arrows were shot out.

In an instant, Kou and Xu shielded Susu behind them, drew their blades and swords, and blocked the incoming rain of arrows.

The youth in the blue shirt stood where he was with his hands behind his back, not making any move, and every arrow that approached him was deflected back by a counter-shock.

Screams rang out incessantly from the locust trees as those who had been hiding to launch the sneak attack fell one after another.

At this moment, Zhuque Avenue was already in chaos; no one had expected that anyone would dare to use weapons in a place where powerful clans were concentrated, and one had to know that the Imperial Palace was not far away—could it be that someone was attempting a rebellion?

"There are rebels attempting to assassinate His Majesty! Take all these people wearing bamboo hats, and kill them without mercy!"

A man with a burly build, a golden face and long beard, tiger eyes and thick eyebrows, and a very imposing appearance shouted loudly, and large numbers of Imperial Guards emerged from all directions, while in the distance, well-trained elite cavalry stood ready to pounce.

"Little Ling, I'm afraid we're doomed this time; thousands of troops have surrounded us, and even if they just wear us down, they could kill us."

As Kou Zhong said this, a sense of heroism inexplicably arose in his chest, and he took off the bamboo hat on his head:

"Hahaha, I never thought that one day, I would have the same treatment as Xiang Yu, being surrounded and killed by ten thousand troops!"

"Little Zhong, even if we die in battle this time, you should be able to realize your past dreams and become a great hero who shakes the world!"

Xu Ziling, who was naturally quiet and introverted, also adopted a rare, uninhibited posture and took off the bamboo hat on his head.

The two threw their bamboo hats away, and the force contained within them killed two or three armored soldiers.

Immediately, they unleashed the increasingly proficient "Guizang Sword" and "Heavenly Object Blade."

One person's sword momentum was lofty and distant, like the eternal firmament, ethereal and boundless, impressively unleashing the Dry Sword Path corresponding to celestial phenomena, containing nine major sword stances, each of which derived nine medium sword stances, and each medium sword stance was further divided into nine small sword stances.

Thus, the sword moves were continuous; once unleashed, they were interlinked and endless, and the armored soldiers who kept charging forward had blood splattered and fell to the ground as soon as they came within three zhang of him.

The other person's blade technique became increasingly precise and swift, not wasting a single bit of energy, easily striking the gaps of the incoming enemies and turning them into corpses, while the leaves of the locust trees on both sides also turned into the sharpest weapons.

Like a continuous drizzle, it fell upon the large numbers of Imperial Guards.

It immediately made them scream and wail, and after being covered in wounds, they turned into motionless corpses.

In just a few dozen breaths, the two had killed over a hundred people, clearing a space of over ten zhang covered in corpses.

Kou and Xu were panting; even though their Longevity True Qi was endless, they were now attacking with all their might, allowing for no reservations, and were already overdrawn.

"Master, we only ask one thing of you: take Sister Susu away from this place." Kou Zhong looked back at the youth in the blue shirt, who had remained calm and composed.

"Disciple knows that Master's martial arts are extraordinary and refined, and you must have a way to escape; we have worthless lives anyway, so life and death don't matter." Xu Ziling said with deep sincerity:

"Sister Susu is innocent; I implore Master to save her."

"Killing five hundred people alone—I will not only save her, but also let you find a way out of a desperate situation and escape with your lives."

Zhuang Buran said nonchalantly:

"This is the second test for my disciples; only those with a hard fate can become my disciples."

As soon as Susu heard this, she wanted to speak, but was interrupted:

"Miss Susu, if you open your mouth to plead, the three of you might as well just die here."

"Then, can the people I killed also count?"

Susu gripped the specially made iron umbrella in her hand; this iron umbrella was specially crafted by Kou and Xu based on the "Wind Demon Shield" of the Universal Flow of the Six Voids, just so she could better protect herself.

"I am not a harsh person by nature, so naturally, they count." The youth in the blue shirt chuckled.

Without waiting for Kou and Xu to persuade her, the numerous Imperial Guards formed a human wall in all directions, standing with shields in front of them, and long swords with cold light emerging from the gaps, almost like a net, pressing forward step by step, with rows of blade mountains and spear forests behind them.

Immediately, Kou and Xu acted as the main force, with Susu assisting from the side, and began to defend against the seemingly endless stream of enemies.

On the other side, around the youth in the blue shirt, there seemed to be a barrier that was extremely soft yet extremely hard, making it useless for anyone to stab with swords, slash with blades, or hack with axes, and they would instead be shaken to the point of vomiting blood and dying instantly.

Seeing this scene, which was like sorcery, the Imperial Guards unanimously targeted the other three.

After about the time it takes to burn one or two sticks of incense, Kou Zhong and the other two were covered in wounds, their robes turned the color of blood, and around them were mountains of corpses.

The imposing man in the distance naturally knew they were at the end of their rope; he first frowned and looked at the blue-shirted person who had been wearing a bamboo hat the whole time, then immediately gave the order to kill these few people who were resisting stubbornly.

"Little Zhong, watch out!"

Seeing Kou Zhong exhausted and physically and mentally drained, as if he might fall at any moment, Xu Ziling pushed him aside to avoid the blade slashing from behind.

As an arm was severed into the air, it also reddened Kou Zhong's eyes; he didn't know where he found the strength, but he slashed off the head of this armored soldier with one sword.

Xu Ziling stumbled, revealing an opening, and several armored soldiers took the opportunity to charge; Kou Zhong hurriedly stepped in, but although he blocked several stabbing long swords, he had no strength to dodge the long blade slashing toward his left leg.

In an instant, blood flowed, and a leg fell to the ground.

Susu, who was on the side, had a light breeze arise around her, and several wind butterflies saved the situation in time, which allowed Kou Zhong to escape the subsequent near-death calamity.

Kou and Xu fell to the ground one after another from exhaustion, leaving Susu with no choice but to exert the Universal Flow of the Six Voids with all her might, sending all hundred or so wind butterflies in her sleeves flying out, turning into hidden weapons and rushing toward one spot.

Her cultivation was not deep, and she could not operate them precisely, so she could only hope for a miracle through sheer force; now, only thirteen people were left to completely finish the thousand-man kill.

Unfortunately, perhaps due to a lack of luck, the Imperial Guards were wearing armor, and their defense was far superior to that of martial artists, so the hundred or so wind butterflies only killed eleven people.

Susu's face was pale and her expression was dim; this strike had also exhausted her cultivation, and now she could only sit and wait for death.

With two "bangs," two armored soldiers fell to the ground; Susu turned her head to look and saw Kou and Xu, who were sitting on the ground, using their last remaining strength to throw their blades and swords, finally completing the thousand-man kill mission.

"Completed!"

Susu was overjoyed and shouted busily: "Sect Master Qing, one thousand people, there are already one thousand people!"

"Boom!"

A surge of heroic energy vibrated out over Heavenly Street, and one could see the youth in the blue shirt, of peerless elegance, with his white hair suddenly spreading out, thousands of strands curving into an arc, shaped like a snow-white flying feather, gently supporting himself in mid-air.

He looked down indifferently, without saying a word.

(End of chapter)