Chapter 12: Didn

"Senior Brother Zhou, are you okay?" Lu Yaoyao whispered.

Zhou Qing shook his head, but seeing the [So Amazing] note above her head, he gritted his teeth and tore off the Yang Fire Talisman from his body.

“You’re the weakest cultivator, so you feel the least pressure—move faster. Take this!” Zhou Qing said, tossing it to her.

Lu Yaoyao froze, about to speak, but Zhou Qing made a shushing gesture.

No choice—if you move faster, I can hide behind you and slowly rack up ignore points. If you keep staring at me, I’ll have presence.

To reassure her, Zhou Qing sat down right on the ground: “I’m not interested in first place. I’ll stay here and use this gravity to solidify my cultivation. You must push hard—I used to be the weakest core disciple, now you are.”

Seeing Zhou Qing’s serious expression, Lu Yaoyao bit her lip, then smiled sweetly, eyes sparkling, and nodded firmly.

And the [So Amazing] note above her head instantly changed to [So Loving].

Seeing this, Zhou Qing nearly choked.

What do you mean “so loving”?

I’m not your father!

Can’t you even use adjectives properly? Is that really how you see me right now?

[Heart Mirror Points +7]

Hearing the prompt, his bad mood eased slightly.

Seeing the seven ahead had already moved on, Zhou Qing waved urgently.

“I won’t let you down!”

Lu Yaoyao, eyes brimming with emotion, promised him, then stepped forward with heavy steps.

Undeniably, the pressure here had a strong stabilizing effect on those who advanced too quickly.

Having advanced consecutively during this period, if not for the Ice Soul Azure Scale Fish, this place would be an ideal training ground.

As the others’ silhouettes nearly vanished, he rose quickly and pressed forward against the pressure.

The premise of racking up ignore points is a tense, crowded environment—if everyone’s gone, who’s going to ignore you?

It’s just like when I fished behind Shenyue Peak—even in a secluded spot, you still need others nearby to see you.

Thus, Zhou Qing trailed the group step by step.

[Ignore Points +1, +1, +1…]

Just halfway through, a chilling howl echoed ahead, followed by ghostly spirits surging out—three times as many as before.

Leading them were over a dozen ghostly spirits radiating Foundation Establishment aura.

Zhou Qing immediately crouched, utterly stunned.

“How can there be so many?”

These Supreme Elders are utterly unreliable—they’re treating us as cannon fodder.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ahead, explosions continued; soon, some could no longer hold on. With fading light and remaining strength, they turned in terror and fled.

Zhou Qing suddenly regretted impulsively giving the Yang Fire Talisman to Lu Yaoyao. Though his talent skill [Reduce Presence] was maxed at Level 1, it still had a 90% chance of being ignored at Qi Condensation—there was still a 10% chance someone would notice.

What if the luck ran out?

Even if Qi Condensation cultivators missed him, there were still Foundation Establishment ghosts. He was only at [LV2: (44/100)].

Foundation Establishment ghosts had a 60% chance of locking onto him.

Without hesitation, he reversed direction and ran.

But he’d underestimated those who unlocked potential under crisis—despite the crushing gravity, a late-stage Foundation Establishment senior sister sprinted past him like the wind.

She screamed like a pig being slaughtered, piercing Zhou Qing’s eardrums.

As if triggering a chain reaction, others turned and fled too. There were simply too many—they couldn’t fight back.

Watching one after another sprint past him, Zhou Qing grew more frantic.

Perhaps it was survival instinct—or panic—but not a single person glanced at Zhou Qing, not even to grab him.

Until Lu Yaoyao, cheeks flushed, dashed past him as well—Zhou Qing knew his talent skill was working.

As long as he didn’t shout, no one would notice him.

He opened his mouth to ask for the Yang Fire Talisman back—when a horde of ghosts surged from behind.

“Damn!” Zhou Qing paled, preparing for a final stand.

But the ghosts—including the dozen Foundation Establishment ones—completely ignored him, howling past to chase the others.

Zhou Qing’s heart pounded—he clearly understood that in this frantic chase, everyone had fallen into the 40% ignore zone.

Still clinging to hope, Zhou Qing didn’t dare delay. He forced his aching legs to move toward the exit.

Ahead, fierce combat erupted again, making Zhou Qing dare not slacken.

Soon, he arrived three hundred meters from the exit, paled instantly, and pressed himself against the wall.

Countless ghosts had swarmed the entrance, roaring outward.

“Trouble!”

Zhou Qing suddenly remembered—when the ghosts first chased them to the entrance, they’d vented their rage and retreated inward.

Now, not only were they blocking the exit, but what if…?

At this thought, Zhou Qing turned even paler.

He’d been lucky to be ignored before—what if returning now landed him right in the 60% detection zone?

With so many Foundation Establishment ghosts and hundreds of Qi Condensation wraiths, they’d tear him apart alive.

Even if the Supreme Elders were right outside, they couldn’t rescue him in time—and besides, they wouldn’t dare enter, fearing they’d awaken something terrifying.

“While they haven’t turned back yet, there’s only one path left!”

Zhou Qing gritted his teeth, gazed into the tunnel’s depths, and with all his strength, turned and crept away…

…………

“What’s going on?”

The several Supreme Elders waiting outside rushed forward anxiously as the first disciple staggered out.

Before they could ask more, others began fleeing out as well.

Seeing their drenched sweat and ragged breaths, the elders frowned.

“How could there be so many ghosts? That’s not right!”

For a moment, none of them understood what had happened inside.

"Senior Brother Zhou, where is Senior Brother Zhou?"

As the elders discussed sending in a few Jin Dan core disciples, Lu Yaoyao suddenly screamed, frantically scanning the crowd.

The others, still shaken, looked around—Zhou Qing was gone.

“Wasn’t he at the back?”

“Yes, he should’ve come out ahead of us!”

“Didn’t you see him when you came out?”

“I was running—I didn’t notice!”

Everyone chattered, baffled—such a large person, and not one person noticed him exiting.

Lu Yaoyao dropped to her knees before the old women, face filled with panic.

"Supreme Elders, please save Senior Brother Zhou—he gave me his Yang Fire Talisman; he couldn't possibly fight those ghosts alone!"

The old women frowned, all staring at the massive bronze gate in the mountain.

“Shall I go in and check?” asked the elder who had just broken through her cultivation.

But she was immediately stopped.

“Too dangerous. If that thing awakens, it won’t distinguish friend from foe—it could cause irreversible damage inside. Wait a moment—I’ll notify the Sect Master to bring reinforcements!”

One elder instantly turned into a streak of light and vanished.

Lu Yaoyao’s eyes burned red as she stared at the bronze gate.

Soon, Sect Master Cao Zhengyang arrived with his two direct disciples.

“You two go in immediately—get Zhou Qing out first. Remember, suppress your cultivation as much as you can!” Cao Zhengyang said gravely.

The two bowed, then dashed inside…

(End of Chapter)