Chapter 536

Chapter 536: You Really Are Such a Genius
Old Rascal’s smile faded a little, but he quickly brightened up again: “Yes, yes, yes! You really are such a genius!”

Since they looked down on cultivators from the Middle World, why bother joining in the fun? It was better to give the opportunity to their Supreme Purity Palace instead.

This time, he had already found several good seedlings. As long as he could bring even one back, this trip would be a sure profit.

“Master Da Wei, that is not quite right.” Nan Gong Yu shook his head slightly: “The cultivation environment in the Middle World is indeed not as good as in the Great World, but what decides a cultivator’s fate is their own ability. External conditions are only part of it.”

Nan Gong Yu himself was the best example.

He had also stood out during the Great Thousand Alliance Selection. Later, with the recommendation of an Elder of Bei Ming Palace, he joined Bei Ming Palace and eventually became one of its elders.

Many cultivators of the Great World could not reach his current height even in their entire lifetime.

“Nan Gong Yu, people like you are the minority. How many from the Great Thousand Alliance Selection actually become anything great in the end?” Master Da Wei said with disdain.

Seeing this, the others all began to share their opinions. Most of them agreed with Master Da Wei.

Nan Gong Yu shook his head again.

The more he interacted with people from the Great World, the more he could feel the arrogance they carried at every moment.

In comparison, he preferred to deal with cultivators who, like him, came from the Middle World or even from a Lesser Thousand World.

It was the same when he had chosen from so many disciples. He had taken a special liking to Fang Cheng Lang.

It was exactly because Fang Cheng Lang did not have that inborn arrogance. He was like a stone polished for many years in a river, steady and restrained.

Their views were deeply rooted and inflexible, and Nan Gong Yu did not want to interfere with them.

While everyone was talking, something began to happen on the Path of All Beings.

The stone steps were not too long or too short. They were wide enough for seven or eight people to walk side by side.

But the elimination rate of the Daqian Alliance selection had always been very high. Only if more people were knocked out would one’s own chances of advancing go up.

So someone grew a bit crafty. As he trudged up the stone steps with difficulty, he still did not forget to trip up others.

After all, when they entered the first round of the trial, no one had said they could not attack other participants.

A cultivator in green glanced back at the young woman behind him without leaving any trace. He then pretended to run out of strength and slowed down. Just as the young woman was about to pass him, he suddenly kicked out at her leg.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning fell from the thick clouds above.

The lightning struck the man squarely.

The man let out a miserable scream and fell straight off the stone steps.

Boom!

His body slammed heavily onto the ground. Bright red blood quickly spread out from beneath him.

His whole body was charred black, motionless. His life force faded at a speed visible to the naked eye, until it completely disappeared.

Jin Yuan’s pupils shrank. She hurriedly pulled back the sharp blade hidden in her palm, cold sweat breaking out all over her body.

[If that had been a little later, the one rolling down the mountain would have been me.]

Several nearby cultivators were also so scared they did not even dare to breathe loudly. They quickly pushed away any similar thoughts.

Just as everyone was still shaken, another cultivator seemed to get distracted. His foot slipped, and his body tilted backward.

By reflex, he tried to attach his spirit power to the stone steps.

However, the seemingly ordinary steps now felt as if they were covered in a slick, slippery film, with nowhere to get a grip.

His body also seemed to lose all control, as if he could no longer command it. Amid the howling wind, another flower of blood bloomed on the ground below.

For a moment, everyone’s hearts seemed to stop.

Only now did they realize that behind these simple rules were countless hidden traps.

If anyone dared to break the rules, what awaited them was thunderous punishment.

Ye Cong Xin took a deep breath, [Good thing I held back.]

She had originally planned to get rid of Yu Zhao on the stone steps.

But later she saw that the person behind Yu Zhao was the same one who had stopped her before.

She was afraid the two would join hands against her and she would end up at a disadvantage, so she chose to hold back and wait for a better chance.

It was this caution that kept her from ending up like the others.

She glanced at Yu Zhao again, hatred flashing through her heart: [Yu Zhao’s life will be mine sooner or later!]

“Tian Xin!”

Outside the Daqian Alliance, a middle-aged woman saw the cultivator in green struck by lightning and cried out in shock. Right after that, she watched that cultivator die on the spot.

A wail tore from her throat, and her whole body began to tremble violently.

The people around her gave her a sympathetic look, then quickly started talking excitedly.

“The rules this year are different from before. They never banned attacking other cultivators in the selection in the past.”

“The one presiding over the Great Thousand Alliance Selection changes every year. It’s not strange the rules are different.”

“If they can’t kill each other, what is there to watch? Might as well go home and watch chickens peck at rice instead!”

“…”

Many people were unhappy with this year’s rules, but Yu Zhao’s Ancestors were very satisfied.

As long as no one could use dirty tricks in secret, they firmly believed that Yu Zhao would surely pass the selection.

While everyone was still talking, two more cultivators fell from the steps because their Dao hearts were unstable, losing their lives and entering the Yellow Springs.

Zi Zai seemed not to hear the sounds of falling bodies or the cries of shock. He kept moving upward at an unhurried pace.

The chubby baby in his arms rolled his eyes, then suddenly struggled free.

The baby climbed onto Zi Zai’s shoulders with hands and feet, wrapping his short legs tightly around Zi Zai’s neck. His little chubby hands treated Zi Zai’s bald head like a big drum and started knocking on it, thump, thump, thump.

He knocked while giggling.

Zi Zai smiled helplessly. He was not angry at all, and even raised a hand to support the lively baby so he would not fall.

The cultivator walking behind him stared in shock. He could not help praising softly in his heart: [Master’s will is really steady.]

Time slowly passed. The cultivators on the Path of All Beings began to spread out.

About half of them were still moving forward, but the other half were already exhausted. Their souls were unstable, their heads spinning and ears ringing.

Every breath they took standing on those steps was a huge drain on their bodies.

Yu Zhao had also fallen from first place back to somewhere in the teens.

But she was not anxious at all. With the constant impact, her soul and her Dao Intent blended more and more deeply.

Also, she did not just use one type of Dao Intent. The Path of Reincarnation, Illusion Dao, and Array Dao all appeared in turn.

Finally, after who knew how long, Yu Zhao could faintly see the end of the mountain path.

At the same time, a cheer came from above.

“I made it up! I’m first, I’m first!”

The man shouted in excitement, his voice echoing in the sky.

The cultivators still on the steps all looked up at him with envy, but that envy quickly turned to terror.

A familiar bolt of lightning fell from the sky.

This time, the man did not even have time to scream before he collapsed and stopped moving.

Everyone’s faces changed drastically.

What was going on?

Why would someone die even after passing the trial?