Chapter 118: Chapter 116: I Became an Inner Mansion True Cultivator?
Deep in the Medicinal Garden, Sun Degui tightly gripped a Spiritual Object he had just pried from some mechanism. It was shaped like a stake and radiated a sharp, golden light. A trace of triumphant joy was still on his face.
But that joy didn’t last long. It froze in an instant, replaced by utter shock and disbelief.
A skinless, blood-red arm covered in vibrant, flowering branches had pierced through his chest like a phantom.
Its five fingers tightened, crushing his still-beating heart.
"How... How could it be... so fast..." Blood gushed from Sun Degui’s mouth as he strained to turn his stiff neck, looking toward his two fellow disciples nearby.
But the sight that met his eyes plunged him into an icy abyss.
One of his companions was locked in the death grip of a skinless flower corpse, its teeth sunk into his neck. Countless tiny roots were emerging from the corpse’s mouth, frantically burrowing into the disciple’s seven orifices. His body was shriveling at a visible rate.
The last disciple was being strangled by another flower corpse’s twisted limbs. Strange, flowering branches were already beginning to sprout from his body as his skin rapidly withered and peeled away.
He was clearly being transformed into a new skinless flower corpse.
CLANG. The Metal Element Spiritual Object in Sun Degui’s hand fell to the ground, rolling into the dust.
At the same time, from behind the Broken Seal deep within the Medicinal Garden, figure after figure stepped out. Their auras were twisted, and they radiated a suffocating stench of rot and death.
One, two, ten, a hundred...
A dense mass of skinless flower corpses gathered silently, like an army crawling out of Hell.
It turned out the true cause of the violent tremor that shook all of Fuluo Province wasn’t Qi Yun taking the altar.
It was Sun Degui and his two companions, who, in their greed for Spiritual Objects, had destroyed the mechanism that Sealed these terrifying beings...
With the Seal broken, it was as if Pandora’s box had been opened.
A tide of skinless flower corpses poured out endlessly from the deepest part of the Medicinal Garden.
Pairs of horrifying, bloodshot eyes, devoid of lids, stared in unison toward the outer regions of Fuluo Province, filled with a craving for Life Essence Qi.
The next moment, the tide of corpses erupted!
It was as if all the skinless flower corpses had received a single command.
They let out a silent, skyward roar, transforming into streaks of blood-red afterimages. With astonishing speed, they charged madly toward the outer areas of Fuluo Province—the places where the breath of living creatures could still be found!
...
Meanwhile, Qi Yun, mistakenly believing he had caused the disaster by removing the altar, quickly stuffed the entire massive altar into his Storage Magic Bracelet.
Fortunately, his Storage Magic Bracelet was of decent quality and had ample space.
Otherwise, an ordinary Storage Pouch would never have been able to hold such a behemoth.
Just as the altar was secured inside the bracelet, before Qi Yun even had a chance to breathe a sigh of relief...
The Taixu Jade Order tied to his waist suddenly began to vibrate violently. A few lines of rapidly flashing text automatically appeared:
[This examination is terminated effective immediately due to force majeure! No Bottom Stream will be designated. Scores will be based on the current number of Blood Floating Luo collected!]
"The examination is terminated?" Qi Yun was stunned for a moment. ’Well, that’s a first.’ He quickly understood what was happening.
’It seems the tremor really did trigger a drastic change. The danger level in Fuluo Province has skyrocketed to a point even the Sect can’t control. If we stayed any longer, I’m afraid all the Outer Mansion Disciples would have been wiped out.’
An image of that Broken and bizarre Medicinal Garden flashed through his mind.
’Is that where the problem started?’
He had no time to ponder it further. The Taixu Jade Order erupted with a brilliant divine light of teleportation. An irresistible, immense force instantly enveloped him and all the other Outer Mansion Disciples scattered across Fuluo Province.
With a flash of light, Qi Yun and the others vanished from Fuluo Province.
Not even a few breaths after they were teleported away, the overwhelming torrent of skinless flower corpses stormed the area.
Finding their prey gone, the skinless flower corpses could only let out furious and savage silent roars at the empty rainforest. They then unleashed their monstrous killing intent on every living thing in sight.
Fuluo Province had been utterly transformed into a land of the dead.
...
「Wuji Holy Sect, Upper Mirror Heaven.」
Xuan Cheng Master, who was in charge of this third Outer Mansion examination, stood in the center of a magnificent hall with a displeased expression.
Dozens of Copper Mirrors, their surfaces as smooth as water, hung on the surrounding walls. They clearly reflected the horrific scenes unfolding across Fuluo Province.
The tide of skinless flower corpses raged, turning the Secret Realm into a wasteland.
"This cohort of Outer Mansion Disciples is truly audacious.
They dare to touch anything and break any Restriction!
The Sect went to great lengths to secure this newly discovered Shiyi Realm as an examination site for them to advance their Cultivation, and they just wasted it like this."
Xuan Cheng Master’s tone was thick with anger as he watched the images in the mirror, showing the three disciples who had destroyed the Seal out of greed for treasure, only to die horribly and trigger a catastrophe.
Hearing this, Qing Li Master, who was casually sipping tea nearby, smiled and offered some words of comfort.
"Xuan Cheng, my junior brother, don’t be so angry."
"The Outer Mansion isn’t like the Inner Mansion. Resources are scarce, and they have to fight for everything. When those kids see something good, it’s only natural they’d risk their lives to get it. It’s a survival instinct."
"However... those three little fellows were indeed far too reckless. They deserved to die."
"In contrast, that dual Champion Scholar, Qi Yun, appears much more composed and experienced. He sensed danger and decisively withdrew. He has the bearing of our Holy Sect."
Hearing Qing Li Master mention Qi Yun, Xuan Cheng Master’s expression softened slightly. "You have a point, senior brother."
"It’s no wonder that kid was able to win Champion Scholar twice. He’s meticulous, knows when to advance and when to retreat, and his strength is quite impressive. He actually managed to pry away a Treasure Medicine Altar."
"The boy is truly exceptional. If I didn’t already have a full roster of disciples, I’d be tempted to take him on myself."
He was quite satisfied with Qi Yun’s performance in Fuluo Province, even entertaining the thought of accepting him as a disciple. He turned to Qing Li Master.
"I recall, Senior Brother Qing Li, that you still have openings for disciples, don’t you?"
"What do you think? Are you interested in this boy?"
"He’s a triple Champion Scholar. A talent like this might not appear in the Outer Mansion for hundreds of years."
Hearing this, Qing Li Master simply waved his hand, his tone tinged with helplessness.
"Forget it, forget it. That Bright Pearl of mine is already more than enough for me to handle. Where would I find the energy to take on another disciple and guide them properly?"
Though he said this, his gaze couldn’t help but drift back to the calm figure of Qi Yun in the Copper Mirror.
A flicker of interest, hard to notice, flashed deep in his eyes.
How could someone like Xuan Cheng Master not see that his words didn’t match his thoughts? He chuckled.
"Well, let me remind you, senior brother. Once his status as a triple Champion Scholar is confirmed and the news gets out, this kid is going to be a hot commodity. I can’t imagine how many of our fellow brothers will have their eyes on him."
"If you want to take him in then, it won’t be so easy."
"We’ll see... Let me think it over." Qing Li Master waved his hand again, a look of calculation and contemplation in his eyes.
...
Meanwhile, Qi Yun, who had easily secured the title of triple Champion Scholar with his "bountiful" harvest, was not returned to the Outer Mansion area like the other Disciples.
Instead, an invisible Guiding force brought him directly to a mysterious region in the Upper Taixu Mirror Heaven.
Before him was a vast, boundless lake, its surface calm and unrippled, like a great Bright Mirror. The water reflected the sky and clouds, creating a scene of extraordinary tranquility.
By the lake, an old man with white hair, dressed in a simple gray robe, was fishing leisurely with what looked like an ordinary bamboo rod.
Qi Yun’s arrival didn’t make the old man turn around. As if he had known all along, he spoke in a calm and detached voice.
"You’re here. Have a seat."
Although he couldn’t sense the slightest trace of a Cultivation aura from the old man, who seemed like an ordinary mortal elder...
...his very presence deep within Taixu Mirror Heaven, and the way he faced him, spoke volumes about his identity.
’This must be a Master from the Inner Mansion with significant authority.’
’And his status is definitely not low!’
A sense of awe filled Qi Yun’s heart. He did as he was told, respectfully sitting down on a nearby Meditation Mat.
"Since my junior brother Ming Huang earned the title of triple Champion Scholar three hundred and seventy years ago, you are the next Outer Disciple to achieve this honor."
The old man continued to gaze at the lake, a hint of admiration in his tone.
"Not bad."
Qi Yun quickly cupped his hands, adopting a very humble posture.
"Master, you praise me too highly. This disciple’s meager skills are entirely thanks to the Holy Sect’s excellent nurturing."
"Heh heh heh..." The old man let out a gentle laugh.
"You’re quite tactful. That makes you much easier to get along with than that stubborn rock, Ming Huang."
"But being tactful isn’t a bad thing."
He paused, then continued, "The triple Champion Scholar is the highest honor in the Outer Mansion. Since you have earned it, the Sect will naturally reward you."
"From this moment on, you are officially promoted to an Inner Mansion True Cultivator of our Wuji Holy Sect."
As soon as the old man finished speaking, the Taixu Jade Order hanging at Qi Yun’s waist burst into a brilliant light.
The Jade Order, originally azure-blue, visibly transformed into a soft, jade-green color. The inscription on its back, which had read [Outer Mansion Disciple — Qi Yun]...
...silently changed to [Inner Mansion True Cultivator — Qi Yun]!
Staring at the completely different color and title on the Jade Order in his hand, Qi Yun was stunned for a moment.
’I... I’m an Inner Mansion True Cultivator now?’
...
