Chapter 150 - Lowlife Scum!
A hundred million Spirit Stones for a mere fifteen-minute experience! Such affairs of fools parting with their wealth were always the talk of the town among the wise.
By the time Yun Xiao stood by the lake's edge, hundreds of students from the Grand Temple had already gathered, whispering amongst themselves with peculiar glances.
"Jump in!" Red Moon urged, its eyes wide, its barbed tongue hanging out, wriggling impatiently within Yun Xiao's embrace.
"Even a monkey wouldn't be as anxious as you," Yun Xiao replied, wiping sweat from his brow. With a swish of his white robe, he gracefully leapt into the waters of the Noble Dao Sea. The pristine water reached his chest, just the right depth to set Red Moon's mind at ease.
"Let's feast!" Red Moon exclaimed, diving in with a gulp. And then—"Blech!" In an instant, its face turned a shade of purple, expelling the water it had inhaled, its body convulsing.
"What is this? It's revolting! Disgusting!" Red Moon's face scrunched up, completely distraught.
None of this surprised Yun Xiao. "I told you," he remarked with disdain. "This is clearly the bathwater of countless generations of Grand Temple students. Yet you didn’t believe me. What a waste of my precious Spirit Stones!"
"Wah!" Red Moon wailed.
"Poor thing. So starved it's gone mad, seeing everything as food," Blue Star cackled.
"Deceived by these scoundrels! I'll eat everyone in this damn temple!" Red Moon raged.
"Yes, we must," Yun Xiao comforted. He then focused on a gleaming jade slip floating in the clear waters. "Having spent the money, might as well figure out what it's about."
He reached out, taking the jade slip between his slender fingers. Eyes closed, he murmured, "A Lower Star grade daoist spell?" It was at the same grade as Sun Moon Divine Light.
"What do you think?" Blue Star inquired.
After merely holding the jade slip for a moment, Yun Xiao released it with a chuckle, "Not bad. It's a little interesting."
"..." Blue Star remained silent.
Yun Xiao then wandered around the Noble Dao Sea, feeling any jade slips he came across. Every time he touched one, his fingers radiated with magic power, merging with the jade slip. Delicate characters emerged from the jade slip, reflecting against his vibrant energy.
But always, just for a fleeting moment! A single jade slip, and Yun Xiao only held onto it for a mere moment before moving onto the next.
Within the heart of the Noble Dao Sea, the top hundred disciples in the Wind Fire Tribulation Realm, ranked on the Dragon Ranking, usually clutched a single script, lost in deep contemplation. Their reflection sessions typically spanned many days, even weeks.
“What’s he up to?”
“He’s just sampling, right? Getting a feel for it, not really diving deep. Even a Lower Star grade daoist spell can't be grasped in a mere fifteen minutes.”
“Aha!”
To the disciples of the Grand Temple, Yun Xiao's actions seemed pretty standard. Boring, even.
“The esteemed Sword Emperor, spending a whopping hundred million Spirit Stones for a brief jaunt? Not even daring to challenge the daoist spell?” Mu Shuofeng grew more convinced that Yun Xiao was just there to stir the pot.
As Mu Shuofeng predicted, Yun Xiao’s pace of casual browsing quickened. Later on, he even grabbed several jade slips at once, barely touching them before releasing. There were a few times he audaciously reached for jade slips held by others, causing many upperclassmen of the Grand Temple to frown, casting icy glares his way.
And so, he inched closer and closer to the center of the Noble Dao Sea. Naturally, this was where all the daoist spells were of a superior class!
At the very center was Mu Lingyi, surrounded by a mist, beads of sweat on her forehead, tightly holding onto an icy-blue jade slip. Half of the allotted fifteen minutes had already slipped by.
“This young fellow's practically sampled every spell in the Noble Dao Sea, hasn’t he?”
“Only the Elemental Scripture remains!”
“He’s truly taken the term sampling to a whole new level.”
Students of the Grand Temple were caught between laughter and disbelief.
“If he doesn't have a few billion Spirit Stones in his pocket, he wouldn’t be wasting money like this.”
Envy was all they felt. Pure envy.
However, at this moment, led by Mu Shuofeng, a group of students grew tense, for Yun Xiao now stood before Mu Lingyi!
“If he makes any suspicious moves, Daoist Chen Miao, eliminate him on the spot!” Mu Shuofeng's eyes darkened with foreboding.
“Eliminate?” Chen Miaodao glanced at Chen Xi, thinking, "Please don't send me on a suicide mission."
She offered a sheepish grin, “I can't eliminate him, but I’ll gladly join you in condemning him.”
“You, a venerable Daoist, are afraid of a mere student, Chen Xi?” Mu Shuofeng's face turned a shade of angry purple.
Daoist Chen Miao, nervously turtling her neck, said, “My brother wasn't afraid either. Then, he ended up meeting his maker.” She then whispered to Mu Shuofeng, “Young Master, perhaps it's best if you call your father for this one.”
“Useless!” Mu Shuofeng snapped, his voice cold as winter. “What do we even keep you here for? Just prepare yourself to be tossed out of the Grand Temple!”
Daoist Chen Miao seemed to swallow a bunch of sour grapes, speechless.
Meanwhile, amidst their bickering, Yun Xiao had already explored the four jade slips from the metal, wood, fire, and earth series of the Elemental Scripture. These four took a tad longer to experience—about two breaths' time. He'd even raised an eyebrow during the process.
Only one spell remained, resting securely in Mu Lingyi's delicate hands.
Yun Xiao looked up, his gaze meeting a bewitching scene. Amidst the enveloping mist, a breathtaking young woman stood, eyes closed. Dew-like droplets covered her, and the dampness clung to her sheer dress, highlighting her flawless skin, presenting a tantalizing glimpse of her form.
Blue Star remarked, clearly impressed, "Quite the beauty, isn't she? Shame she picked the wrong hero to align with."
Hearts of the onlooking Grand Temple students seemed to leap into their throats.
“Would he dare disrupt her?” one whispered.
“If he does, it's beyond contemptible! We cultivators should act nobly and with integrity. Engaging in such disgraceful acts isn't our way!”
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Yun Xiao, who stood emotionless, just three feet away from Mu Lingyi. And then, just as they feared, he reached out to her... A collective gasp echoed.
“Stop!” Mu Shuofeng's eyes blazed with fury.
“That's low, even for him!”
“Unable to cultivate on his own, he seeks to hinder others? Such an act is a taboo! How could someone so petty be allowed in our Grand Temple's sacred ground?”
But then, all criticisms halted. BUZZ! Yun Xiao's fingers touched the slip, and instantly, streams of water-light spiraled out of Mu Lingyi, flowing like a dragon along Yun Xiao's arm, enveloping him.
“Wha...?!” Mu Lingyi's face turned ghostly pale. Opening her eyes suddenly, she saw the handsome young man in white standing before her.
“Mu Lingyi, I've come to enroll in the Grand Temple. Hope I didn’t keep you waiting,” Yun Xiao said with a slight smile.
She glanced at the water mist surrounding him, then back at the jade slip in her hand. A sudden force propelled from her mouth, and she spat out a mouthful of blood. Recoiling several steps backward, she appeared as though she'd been pulled from deep waters, gasping and choking on its remnants.
"Is that all you've got? You're breaking already?" Yun Xiao taunted.
"You despicable fiend!" Old grudges and fresh anger welled up inside her, and tears streamed down Mu Lingyi's face.
Harnessing the power of her Wind Fire Tribulation Realm cultivation, she instantly summoned a roaring water dragon that broke through the calm seas, lunging directly at Yun Xiao's face—a kill move in a heartbeat.
"Amusing." With a cold smirk, Yun Xiao's fingers danced, summoning a glacial mist which coalesced into a frosty shield before him. Upon that shield, the symbol for water, consisting of intertwining dragons, glared menacingly at Mu Lingyi.
CRASH! The waters erupted, sending tidal sprays to the heavens. Out of the chaos emerged a silhouette, gracefully alighting next to Chen Xi, the moisture on his clothes and hair evaporating instantly, leaving him refreshed.
All of this happened in a mere instant. Everyone saw Mu Lingyi's enraged assault... yet, Yun Xiao survived?
"Sister! He ruined your enlightenment! Why did you hold back? You could've destroyed him then and there!" Mu Shuofeng exclaimed in disbelief.
Drifting ashore from the water, Mu Lingyi stared icily at Yun Xiao, her mind in turmoil. "Was that... a Water Mist Shield?" The surrounding students of the Grand Temple, awed by the monstrous tidal wave, had missed the details. But she saw it.
Despite catching only a fleeting glimpse, the water symbol made of intertwining dragons on the Water Mist Shield was all too familiar. Had it not been for that shield, her enraged attack would have obliterated Yun Xiao—so, where was the mercy?
"It's impossible! He's never been to the Grand Temple before. How could he know the Elemental Scripture? Moreover, his spell was nothing compared to my father's or grandfather's Water Mist Shield—it lacked that earth-shattering aura..." As this realization settled in, Mu Lingyi's heart began to steady, but her fury persisted.
"Yun Xiao..." Past grievances and fresh animosity weighed heavy on her heart. "You, with your underhanded ways, dared to interrupt my enlightenment. Such actions violate the rules of the Grand Temple! I will report you to the Discipline Hall for punishment!" Mu Lingyi declared coldly.
"Exactly!"
"If we let this slide, anyone green with envy could just do the same in the future!"
"Despicable!"
A chorus of angry voices from over a hundred Grand Temple students echoed in agreement, fingers pointing accusingly at Yun Xiao.
"That lowlife! How could he possibly possess the noble demeanor of a Grand Temple scholar?" Mu Shuofeng sneered, his eyes dripping with disdain.
"Are you lot out of your minds?" Chen Xi, standing by Yun Xiao's side, looked coldly at the mob. "He hasn't even officially enrolled yet. He's not bound by the Grand Temple's rules. On what grounds would you punish him?"
Mu Lingyi and the others were suddenly at a loss for words.
"Well, once he's enrolled, he won't escape punishment!" Mu Shuofeng shot back.
"In that case, he simply won't enroll," Chen Xi retorted. She was clearly standing her ground to protect her husband.
"All the better! Such a lowly scoundrel doesn't deserve the sacred grounds of the Grand Temple!" Mu Shuofeng's voice dripped with disgust as he glared at Yun Xiao. "We can't let this one rotten apple spoil the bunch!"
"Right!" the crowd chanted in agreement.
"Shuofeng..." Mu Lingyi's face contorted with internal conflict. Leaning into her brother's ear, she whispered, "Let it go. Father has already set a trap, waiting for him to fall into it."
"There's a plan from the higher-ups?" Mu Shuofeng's steps faltered.
"Exactly." She nodded.
"Fine then..." Mu Shuofeng's face darkened. Without another word, he turned and left.
"Are you still considering joining the Grand Temple?" Chen Xi asked Yun Xiao, a playful arch to her brow.
"What's in it for me if I do?" Yun Xiao pondered.
"The spells, secrets, and treasures of the Grand Temple aren't the exclusive property of the Mu Family. They belong to the Immortal Empire. With you enrolling in the Grand Temple, you can rightfully claim your share," Chen Xi explained.
"Well, in that case, I'm in!" Yun Xiao nodded. The plan remained unchanged.
"But," Chen Xi said with a hint of frost, "the fact that those siblings suddenly backed off implies a catch in the upcoming test."
"A catch?" Yun Xiao chuckled softly, his voice serene. "Then we'll simply level the playing field."
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