Chapter 156: Jade Face Mountain Selection Trials
"You're far too kind, Brother Huang," Chu Qiguang replied as he returned the salute with a smile. "I can tell just from looking at you that you're destined for great things. I'll be in your care going forward in the Demon Vanquishing Department."
Huang Xiangyu was very much taken aback by Chu Qiguang's approachable demeanor. He was the complete polar opposite of Jiang Longyu.
The two of them struck up a conversation, looking as if they had been close friends for years.
Li Chu stared at them with a bemused face.
Huang Xiangyu showed off the intelligence that he had gathered over the past month to Chu Qiguang.
"The Demon Vanquishing Department holds selection trials on Jade Face Mountain every year. Talented young individuals are summoned from all over the empire for a year of training with the purpose of selecting four worthy individuals to be given the four orthodox arts of the Demon Vanquishing Department.
"Those four orthodox arts are the Sumeru Strength Scripture, the Lightning Screech, the Myriad Ghost Journal, and the Silent Shadow Step.
"Anyone who can master any of those four orthodox arts will reach the Dao Comprehension state and stake a place for themselves in the history books.
"It's just a shame that it's already been twelve years since the Demon Vanquishing Department found four people they deemed worthy to inherit the four orthodox arts."
"It's been that long?" Li Chu exclaimed. "Just how difficult are these selection trials?"
"The selection trials are indeed very difficult, but the reward at the end is certainly worth it," Huang Xiangyu said. "The Sumeru Strength Scripture was passed down from the Vajra Monastery five thousand years ago, and it's said that it was created by the Buddha himself. Apparently, only reincarnations of the Buddha can master it.
"As for the Thunder Screech, it was created by the founding emperor after gathering countless martial cultivation arts from all over the world, and those who master it are said to possess unmatched speed."
"What about the Myriad Ghost Journal and the Silent Shadow Step?" Li Chu asked.
Huang Xiangyu revealed awkwardness on his face upon hearing that. These two orthodox Dao arts and their cultivators were too mysterious. It was to the point that even he hadn't managed to gather any information about them.
Just then, a fair-skinned young man dressed in scholarly robes chimed in, "The Silent Shadow Step reigns supreme among the Demon Vanquishing Department's four orthodox arts.
"It was jointly created by all of the Demon Vanquishing Department and the Heavenly Master Religion's Dao Comprehension state cultivators at the time."
Everyone nearby immediately turned to the young man with surprised faces, including Huang Xiangyu, who immediately had a rough idea of who the young man was.
He must be Li He. If I recall correctly, the leader of his clan is a thousand-man commander of the Heavenly Guard. He's a fourth-state martial artist at twenty-five years of age, and he has already passed the martial examinations.
I wonder why he was selected for the Demon Vanquishing Department selection trials instead of being allowed to pursue a political career. Come to think of it, he seems to be the only fourth-state martial artist out of everyone here.
Before long, the attendant who escorted Jiang Longyu up the mountain returned and declared, "It's time to scale the mountain, everyone. However, only you can come up; your entourage must be left behind."
The announcement was met with much dissatisfaction; some people even complained on the spot.
"What's the meaning of this?" a dark-skinned young man complained. "You just took that guy up the mountain along with so much luggage! You think we're blind or something?"
The others also complained. the attendant apologized profusely, but refused to relent.
In the end, everyone was forced to carry their luggage up the mountain on their own.
Chu Qiguang and Huang Xiangyu continued to chat as they scaled the mountain together, but the latter quickly discovered that he hadn't been able to gather any useful information about Chu Qiguang, while Chu Qiguang had learned just about everything he knew.
This guy is way too cunning for Jiang Longyu to handle! The better martial artist between the two has yet to be seen, but Chu Qiguang is definitely going to be more difficult to deal with.
Meanwhile, Chu Qiguang was thinking to himself, This guy ain't half bad. Perhaps I can turn him into a fiend and have him serve me in the future.
All of a sudden, Huang Xiangyu felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine, and he unconsciously slowed down a little, falling behind Chu Qiguang.
Li Chu immediately caught up to Huang Xiangyu and asked, "Why're you trying to suck up to him now? Didn't you say he only managed to defeat Jiang Longyu through underhanded means?"
"So what?" Huang Xiangyu countered. "You can use all the tricks in the book, and you still wouldn't be able to defeat Jiang Longyu."
Li Chu was furious, but he had to concede that Huang Xiangyu was right.
"Besides, everyone here is eager to suck up to Jiang Longyu, so there's far too much competition for me," Huang Xiangyu added.
Chu Qiguang's reputation is in ruins, but he's undeniably a formidable warrior, and he's far more cunning than Jiang Longyu. The fact that he's being shunned by everyone means that no one else is competing with me for his favor, so that also makes him much easier to approach.
Halfway up the mountain was a villa called the Moon Water Villa. After entering the villa, everyone was registered and had their identities as well as their luggage examined. Afterward, they were each assigned their own room.
There were a total of thirty-two people taking part in the Jade Face Mountain selection trials.
Chu Qiguang was curious about what the trials entailed. Upon arriving in his assigned room, Chu Qiguang discovered that there was a large communal bed inside.
Jiang Longyu was sitting in the room with tightly knitted brows, while a dark-skinned young man was yelling at him with a disgruntled face, "Who the hell do you think you are?! What gives you the right to claim an entire room for yourself?"
He was the same dark-skinned young man who had first complained at the foot of the mountain.
He had a fearless, bull-headed disposition about him. It was a wonder how someone so foolhardy was invited for the Demon Vanquishing Department selection trials.
"Chu Qiguang?" Jiang Longyu exclaimed, looking surprised. "What're you doing here?"
"His Majesty chose me to take part in the Demon Vanquishing Department selection trials," Chu Qiguang explained.
"Can you believe this guy?" The dark-skinned young man turned to Chu Qiguang with a furious face and grumbled, "He just told me that this room belongs to him, and that all of us can sleep on the ground outside! I've never met anyone so rude and selfish in my life!"
Chu Qiguang turned to Jiang Longyu and said, "Everyone here has been split up into eight rooms, so four people have to share each room. We all have to sleep on this communal bed together."
"Sleep together?!" Jiang Longyu exclaimed in bewilderment. "Did you hear what you just said? How can so many people sleep on one bed? This room was assigned to me, so it's mine! All of you can go sleep elsewhere!"
Chu Qiguang couldn't help but roll his eyes in exasperation.
***
On a tall pagoda behind the villa, an old man watched with a smile as Jiang Longyu emerged from his room while bickering with the others.
"Why not assign Jiang Longyu a private room, Head Instructor?" a middle-aged man behind him asked with a concerned face. "If His Majesty finds out, he's not going to be pleased."
"While it's true that Jiang Longyu is more important than everyone else here, he needs some polishing to smooth out his rough edges," the old man said.
"Wasn't he defeated by Chu Qiguang? Doesn't that place Chu Qiguang on at least the same level of importance as him?" the middle-aged man asked.
"His Majesty personally conducted divination to find the Eight Han Resurgence Generals, and as we all know, his divination abilities are unmatched," the head instructor said. "Hence, Jiang Longyu is sure to reach lofty heights in the future.
"Chu Qiguang is an impressive prospect in his own right, but his accomplishments are destined to be inferior to Jiang Longyu's. Such is the will of the heavens, and the will of the heavens cannot be opposed.
"Anyway, everything up to this point has come too easily for Jiang Longyu, so it's a good thing that Chu Qiguang is here. He can serve as a whetstone for Jiang Longyu. Once Jiang Longyu surpasses Chu Qiguang, his confidence and mental fortitude will surely improve."
