Chapter 177: Don’t Come Any Closer!
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
The martial practice field buzzed with excitement. From a distance, the sight of densely packed heads created an overwhelming scene.
Silence, holding a wooden fish, moved his lips briefly as if to speak but swallowed the words just in time. Instead, he quickly pulled out his wooden fish mallet and struck the fish twice.
Yu Zhao stood, awestruck, gazing at the spectacle before her. In her previous life, when she arrived on the Five Elements Dao Sect’s flying ship, the Aspiration Pavilion Competition had already reached its third round. Although the audience was sizable, the participating cultivators numbered no more than a thousand.
But now, at least a hundred thousand cultivators had gathered, with more streaming in from all directions.
A grand event like this, happening only once every century in the cultivation world, truly lived up to its reputation.
“Yu Zhao!” A cheerful, bright female voice came from behind her.
Yu Zhao turned to see Yao Wu Ji in her vivid red attire, seated atop a Red Spider, flying toward her. A hint of surprise flickered across Yu Zhao’s face—Yao Wu Ji hadn’t missed the competition this time around in this life.
“Hmm, since when did you have a monk for a friend?” Yao Wu Ji leapt off her Red Spider, storing it in her spirit pet pouch, and curiously sized up Silence.
Silence remained calm under her scrutiny. “This humble monk is called Silence,” he said plainly.
“Silence?” Yao Wu Ji raised an eyebrow mischievously. “Did your master name you that because you talk too much?”
“You jest, benefactor,” Silence replied serenely, though his hand seemed tempted to strike the wooden fish again.
Fortunately, Yao Wu Ji didn’t linger on Silence for long. After introducing herself, she shifted her attention back to Yu Zhao.
“Ha! No wonder I lost to you last time. You’re clearly at the late Golden Core stage but concealed your cultivation. So sneaky!” she exclaimed, recalling their encounter in the Marsh Forest. Being bested by a peer had left a lasting impression on her.
Yu Zhao responded with a faint, knowing smile.
While they chatted, the elders and disciples of Aspiration Pavilion arrived and summoned all participants to the martial practice field. Yu Zhao bid farewell to Silence and joined Yao Wu Ji, holding their identification tokens as they entered the arena.
The moment Yu Zhao took her place, countless gazes converged on her, some notably intense. She scanned the crowd and recognized them immediately—Yao Ji, Tang Rui, and Ten Thousand Slayer, all of whom had clashed with Silence. Unexpectedly, there was also Si Tu Xuan.
Caught off guard, Si Tu Xuan quickly averted his eyes, clenching his fists in frustration. He had only wanted to glance at the woman standing beside Yu Zhao. How had she caught him so easily?
Would Yu Zhao misunderstand and think he harbored impure thoughts about her?
Heavens above! He had no such intentions!
While Si Tu Xuan was lost in his turmoil, the elders of Aspiration Pavilion ascended the central platform. The cacophony of voices hushed instantly, and the steady, authoritative voice of Elder Sacrificial Blade echoed across the expansive field.
Due to the large number of participants in the individual competition, the elders had devised a grueling first round to filter out those lacking sufficient strength.
“When the first round begins, the formation array within the martial practice field will activate. The five thousand contestants who withstand its attacks until the end will advance to the second round. Crushing your identification token will signify surrender.”
After delivering these concise rules, Elder Sacrificial Blade wasted no time. Together with the other elders, he activated the formation array.
Golden light spread out from beneath everyone’s feet, quickly crisscrossing and extending to the field’s perimeter. The light surged skyward, forming a shimmering dome that enveloped the entire arena.
A massive wave of pressure descended, instantly shattering the protective spiritual energy shields of many cultivators. Some couldn’t even last a breath before being pinned to the ground, their faces scraping harshly against the rough stone surface.
“Ah!”
Somebody let out a startled gasp.
In the next moment, his body was transported outside the training arena.
He raised his head with a blank expression.
Why was he out here?
“Oh, I almost forgot to mention earlier—anyone who makes a sound will also be considered eliminated,” Elder Sacrificial Blade calmly added, his tone unhurried.
The cultivators, who had been planning to vent their frustration through sound, immediately shut their mouths, fully focused on withstanding the ever-increasing pressure around them.
Up on the high platform, Elder Sacrificial Blade clicked his tongue in amazement as he spoke to the elder beside him. “Look at Yu Zhao—calm and composed. There’s no doubt she’ll claim first place in the individual competition this time.”
Another elder sighed with regret. “The Five Elements Dao Sect’s ambitions are growing by the day. They’re no longer content with just winning the sect competitions; now they even aim for the top in the individual contests.”
“With countless rogue cultivators across the land but few opportunities, the Five Elements Dao Sect stooping to compete for these small benefits against them is unseemly,” another elder remarked.
Although the elders had varying opinions, they all subconsciously agreed on one thing: Yu Zhao was undoubtedly the frontrunner of this individual competition.
An hour passed, and nearly a quarter of the cultivators were eliminated, unable to withstand the steadily increasing pressure.
By now, those still standing in the arena were all Golden Core cultivators.
Drip… drip…
Beads of sweat the size of soybeans fell from their faces.
Some turned red-faced, others had veins bulging, and some, unable to bear the overwhelming force, dropped to one knee, struggling to endure.
As the trial progressed, it became clear that it was testing more than just cultivation and defense—it also measured willpower and patience.
And fortunately, Yu Zhao had an abundance of both.
She stood calmly in her spot, even finding the leisure to observe those around her.
Beside her, apart from Yao Wu Ji, were two young cultivators.
The two stood quite close together, seemingly companions. One of them was in bad shape—his face pale, his body swaying as if he might collapse at any moment.
Then Yu Zhao noticed him trembling as he raised his arm.
Just as she thought he would crush the identity token in his hand, signaling his withdrawal, he unexpectedly snatched the token from his unsuspecting companion and crushed it instead.
“No!”
His companion’s face twisted with despair and unwillingness as he appeared outside the arena.
“Ha ha ha! If I can’t pass, neither will you!”
The man laughed maniacally before being eliminated a moment later.
Yu Zhao stood silently, witnessing the malice of human nature during what was merely a preliminary trial.
She couldn’t help but glance at Yao Wu Ji beside her.
At that moment, Yao Wu Ji was also looking at Yu Zhao.
Their eyes met.
Yao Wu Ji’s eyes widened, and she stepped back a few paces, adopting a defensive posture.
Yu Zhao chuckled, a mix of amusement and exasperation, before turning her gaze away.
As her peripheral vision caught sight of Tang Rui diagonally ahead, an excellent idea sparked in her mind.
Since the first trial didn’t prohibit attacks between participants, couldn’t she eliminate Tang Rui and his group ahead of time?
After all, they would eventually clash in the competition, whether sooner or later.
Eliminating them now would save countless lives in the future. Why not?
Having made up her mind, Yu Zhao braced against the pressure and began walking toward Tang Rui.
Tang Rui had already become wary when the treacherous cultivator laughed crazily after betraying his companion.
Noticing Yu Zhao approaching, his first reaction wasn’t surprise—it was fear.
If it weren’t for the rule forbidding any sound, he would’ve shouted at her:
“Don’t come any closer!”