Chapter 154 - Heaven’s Path!
Long Chen felt like he should ask Liu Yuan about the qualifiers beforehand, seeing as there were many rules. That way, he would be mentally prepared.
Liu Yuan hadn’t met him to explain the rules, probably because Liu Lan had told everyone not to disturb him while he was cultivating for the past few days.
However, as long as he had the capability, he would be able to handle any sudden changes. That was why Long Chen was not too worried. “Long Chen, you’ve participated in the outer family qualifiers before. The inner family qualifiers are actually very similar in format; the levels are just much more difficult.
“Heaven’s Path is a path leading up Mortal Devil Mountain, and it’s basically a path that leads to heaven. The terrain is treacherous, filled with demonic beasts and crawling with venomous insects. Plus, you will face opponents trying to kill you. It will be extremely dangerous. In addition to that, the climate is harsh there, with frequent gales and storms, lightning, and booming thunder. That is why you must be careful on Heaven’s Path.”
Liu Yuan paused for a while, then he continued, “When you embark on Heaven’s Path, all participants will first be divided into ten teams, two people per team. You will all be given two items before you enter.
“First is a signal flare. I’m sure you know what it is; if you encounter a threat that you’re unable to overcome, light up the flare and you will be able to stay alive.
“However, using the flare also means that you’re exiting the qualifiers. Long Chen, don’t use it unless you absolutely have to. Of course, just use it if you truly cannot defend yourself. If you use it, you’ll definitely live.”
“What if the other people are unwilling to let me go even after I release the signal? What if they’re trying to kill me as fast as possible?” Long Chen probed cautiously.
“That’s impossible,” Liu Yuan grinned. “The others know the rules better than you do. If you’ve lit up the flare and they still dare touch you, they will be killed on the spot if the inner family finds out about it. Don’t you get any ideas either, there’s nothing the inner family doesn’t know ...”
Liu Yuan felt an infinite reverence towards the power they held.
Long Chen committed the rules about the flare to memory, then he asked, “Sect Elder, what about the second item you mentioned?”
“The second item is a jade bracelet. It’s a magical object made of a hard material. Even I can’t break it. As long as you have it on, it can sense the health level of your body. If you have sustained a severe injury, it will fall off automatically, allowing your opponent to take it.
“Heaven’s Path is actually a competition to take jade bracelets. Everyone will receive a jade bracelet, so there will be twenty bracelets in total. The more bracelets you retrieve, the more likely you are to pass the first round.
“Passing Heaven’s Path is determined by two conditions: first, you must walk through the entire path to arrive at the Mortal Caves within a day. Second, given that participants have fulfilled the first condition, the four teams with the most jade bracelets will proceed to the second round.
Long Chen easily understood the rules.
The top four teams with the most bracelets would qualify for the next round, given that they had completed Heaven’s Path. The other six teams would be disqualified.
There was one more condition. If a person received the greatest number of bracelets but his teammate went missing, died, or withdrew from the qualifiers, he would also be disqualified.
The first round of the inner family qualifiers didn’t just test a person’s combat skills, but also adaptability to terrain, teamwork, attitude, and other qualities.
“Long Chen, there is one thing that I must speak to you about.”
Liu Yuan’s expression was solemn, though there was a hint of exasperation too.
“Go on, Sect Elder.”
“Participants are free to pair up with whoever they choose. Other than the Gold and Silver families, the rest of the families will only be sending two people, so they will form their own teams. However, the Gold family has three participants. Two of them are a pair of twins, so they will be one team. And then there is Jin Sheng’en, who will be the strongest participant. It seems he wants to team up with Chu Yunxi, who is a good friend of his. And there’s the conflict between you and Chu Yunxi, so ...”
That conflict was Liu Lan’s fault, and Liu Yuan was aware that Long Chen was completely innocent. That was why he was apologetic towards Long Chen.
“I expect your teammate will be one of the prodigies from the Silver family. There are three participants from the Silver family, with one of them also receiving the direct right to qualify, namely Yin Mengyao. The other two are a romantic couple, so if nothing unexpected happens, Yin Mengyao will pair up with you. But I need you to understand this: she received a direct right to qualify, so she will likely be of the proud type. And you know how getting a teammate who isn’t considered strong might be a huge burden ...”
“Sect Elder, are you trying to say that she might hate me?”
“I don’t know, though I think she might at least protest this. Long Chen, you must control yourself even if you feel like your pride is being challenged. Just control yourself for the moment and it will be over; you’ll only need to withstand it for one day. She will definitely do her best to protect you, or she will not be able to pass this round either!”
Long Chen completely understood what he was implying.
So, he means that even if she is disgusted by me, I still have to pretend to be a weak kiss-ass. And when I enter Heaven’s Path, I’ll have to shamelessly beg her to protect me?
I wonder what sort of person Yin Mengyao will be. If it comes to that, I will definitely make her suffer a little too. I can’t let someone treat me like an underling. If Xiao Xi sees me like that, won’t she laugh at me?
Long Chen now understood how Heaven’s Path worked. He was looking forward to it.
“Sect Elder, I’ve mostly understood the rules of Heaven’s Path now. What about the Mortal Caves?”
“Do you remember the second round of the outer family’s qualifiers?”
Long Chen nodded. “Of course, it was a stage duel.”
“The Mortal Caves will be a supercharged version of the stage duel. There are caves of various sizes at the peak of Mortal Devil Mountain. They are all extraordinarily dangerous with unknown threats. Even I am not sure what they are, specifically. I think the Grand Elder will tell you.
“The eight people from the four pairs who passed Heaven’s Path will be separated and divided into two teams of four. Only two slots are available to join the inner family, so each group of four will be competing for one slot. This means that if you’re lucky enough to become one of the eight, you will need to fight twice and win twice to enter the inner family.
“During the two death duels, all participants must enter a separate Mortal Cave and duel within the dangerous environment until there is a winner. While you fight, you will face not only your opponent but also unknown threats. It’s almost impossible to win ...”
It was unfathomably difficult to emerge as one of the two winners among the twenty participants.
After listening to the terrifying rules, Long Chen knew that it was normal that they didn’t hold out much hope for him.
First, I need to make my way through the treacherous Heaven’s Path while defeating my enemies to get enough jade bracelets, and making sure my teammate is safe. Any team who doesn’t get more than four bracelets will likely be disqualified.
Then, I need to enter the Mortal Caves with my opponents and fight two consecutive death duels to join the inner family. If I had joined as I was five days ago, I wouldn’t even stand a chance, but now...
Long Chen's strength had leapfrogged during the past few days thanks to his breakthrough and leveling up his Body Tempering Combat Technique.
With these improvements, I, Long Chen, will surely give you all a huge surprise.
Long Chen clenched his fists and smiled.
When Liu Yuan saw Long Chen’s confident smile, he froze, thinking that the teenager was forcefully comforting himself. He shook his head in exasperation. “Long Chen, don’t feel defeated. You grew up in a small place like Baiyang Town and you’ve only just begun to develop your potential after you entered the Lingwu family. You still have a lot of room for improvement, so it will still be fine even if you can’t join the inner family. With your talent, you will still shine brightly in the outer family. And there will be other chances to join the inner family in the future ...”
Long Chen listened and walked silently, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Liu Lan was still walking ahead and hadn’t turned around once. As he watched her back, he knew he would make her turn and stare at him in shock once more soon, just like before.
The Grand Elder of the Turquoise family was the previous Turquoise Imperial Hall Sect Elder. Since he was from the Turquoise Imperial family, he naturally favored them more. Even his quarters were within their compound.
Long Chen learned from Liu Yuan that the Grand Elder’s name was Chu Tianxiong, and he was Chu Fengqing’s paternal uncle. He was also a relative of Chu Yunxi and Chu Yunyao, so he treated them like grandchildren.
After about an hour, Long Chen arrived at an isolated compound belonging to the Grand Elder outside the Turquoise Imperial Hall. When they approached, the guard yelled sternly, “You three! What are you here for?”
Liu Yuan, being a Sect Elder, was greatly insulted to be yelled at by a guard. He replied coldly, “I am the Sect Elder of Turquoise Sun Hall, Liu Yuan. I am here to bring my disciple to participate in the inner family qualifiers!”
“Oh, it’s you guys?”
The guards snickered and said, “The Grand Elder told us that you all are late and that arriving past the starting time is against the rules. They’ve left already!”
Long Chen was instantly furious, cursing out loud, “That son of a bitch! I woke up early to be here, yet he left already? And he said we’re late? Did he leave at midnight or something?”
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