Asura Emperor Venerable

Chapter 120: Chapter 120 Mang Mountain Relics

All the elders wanted to transfer Shi Hao into the Martial Courtyard, and a few even wanted to take him as a disciple.

As to whether they truly wanted to take Shi Hao as an apprentice, or if it was a pretext to uncover the secrets behind Shi Hao’s rapid rise, that remained unknown.

However, Sun Yiming was strongly opposed.

This was a genius of the Pill Yard, how could they let someone snatch him away?

He didn’t care for niceties and went straight to several elders’ residences to slam on their tables and glare at them with beard fuming.

In the end, he even made a fuss in front of the Sect Master, demanding that Bao Dongsheng uphold justice and put an end to this abhorrent practice of poaching talent.

Bao Dongsheng was quite democratic; he threw the matter to Shi Hao, letting him decide for himself.

Since Shi Hao knew how to break into Soul Nurturing, he naturally had no interest in joining the Martial Courtyard and declined outright.

Sun Yiming found this completely reasonable; Shi Hao’s strength in the Alchemy Dao was enough to be his own master, so how could he become a crude martial fighter?

…

The news spread, leaving Chu Xiaotian and his group speechless.

In their view, martial arts were the righteous path. No matter how exalted your status as a Pill Master, wasn’t it granted by martial artists?

Besides, when you go on adventures and encounter danger or ferocious beasts, is shouting “I am a Pill Master” going to help?

You clearly have such high talent in martial arts, so why not join the Martial Courtyard?

Are you stupid?

“He’s not stupid,” Chen Mo nodded. “This further proves that the kid holds a secret treasure, which is why he doesn’t need to enter the Martial Courtyard.”

“Exactly!” The other three slapped their thighs in agreement.

Chen Mo silently pitied himself, feeling overwhelmed by dragging along three others.

“Then why did this kid even enter the White Cloud Sect?” Zhang Ji asked.

Do you really think I know everything?

Chen Mo complained inwardly but certainly couldn’t say that in front of Zhang Ji; he only wondered why someone like this could cultivate to the Other Shore Realm and even be a bit stronger than himself.

Eh, is it because I’ve devoted too much thought to scheming?

He couldn’t help but become slightly distracted.

“I guess,” Chen Mo pondered, “that the kid might be exploiting the ‘invisible under the lamp’ effect to blend into our sect. Another thing, cultivating in our sect allows one to achieve twice the result with half the effort; these are also reasons he stays and doesn’t leave.”

“But why doesn’t he keep a low profile?” Shi Xingwei was also curious.

Do you all think that I can read that kid’s mind?

Chen Mo was getting frustrated, but he still tried to explain, “Maybe it’s because he’s got Sun Yiming and Bao Ya’er backing him, so he’s showing his true colors. After all, that’s just his nature.”

Mmm, Zhang Ji and Shi Xingwei both nodded.

Chu Xiaotian seemed impatient, saying, “Stop talking about these useless things. How exactly are we going to take down that kid?”

Chen Mo’s eyes lit up, “The opening of the Mang Mountain Relics is imminent. Why not give him a spot?”

“The spots for the Mang Mountain Relics are so precious, our own disciples can’t even get enough of them. How could we possibly give one to him?” Shi Xingwei immediately objected.

Are you f*cking stupid?

Chen Mo could hardly restrain the urge to strike him; being a strategist had left him exhausted, and it was sure to shave a few years off his life.

Fortunately, the factions of the Second and Third Elders were much the same—people who cultivated until their brains were left with only a single track, none could laugh at the other.

Thankfully, Chu Xiaotian was not a fool; he nodded, “As long as he enters the Mang Mountain Relics, it will be easy to deal with him.”

“Let Tang Yu press him for the secrets. Since there’s only one exit from the Mang Mountain Relics, as long as we keep an eye on Tang Yu, he wouldn’t dare conceal anything he finds,” Chen Mo said with a smile.

“Alright, let’s do that!”

“`

…

Shi Hao’s peaceful life had not continued for many days before he learned of some major news.

The Mang Mountain Relics were about to open.

What are the Mang Mountain Relics?

Mang Mountain is a place that, long, long ago, belonged to a cultivation sect, but had since been abandoned.

Even so, one can still find amazingly effective Spiritual Medicines, scattered Cultivation Techniques, Martial Techniques, and even Spiritual Artifacts there!

It is said that the White Cloud Sect was nothing more than a Nurturing Soul Level force a long time ago, and it was by harvesting the gains from the Mang Mountain Relics that they slowly stepped into the Other Shore Level force.

Now, those profound Cultivation Techniques and Martial Techniques within the sect were all obtained from the relics.

This ancient relic opens once every three years, and the slots for entry are limited, so every time the Mang Mountain Relics are opened, it triggers a scramble for these slots within the sect.

How many slots are there in total?

Eight.

— Three for the Elders’ Council forces, each controlling two slots, and the last two are held by the Sect Master.

Of course, if Bao Dongsheng were to act unilaterally, he could completely have the final say in all eight slots.

The First Elder and the Fourth Elder, having no desire for power and only focusing on cultivation, never interfere in the sect’s internal power struggles and don’t even have disciples; they can be excluded from consideration.

Usually, the Elders’ Council gives these slots to their own disciples, and they are certainly always in short supply, never offered to outsiders.

If Shi Hao wanted to enter the Mang Mountain Relics, he naturally had to approach Sun Yiming and ask him to speak to Sect Master Bao Dongsheng for one of the two slots in his possession.

But before Shi Hao could ask, he had already received a slot.

It was given to him by Chu Xiaotian and his group.

The reasoning they gave was quite high-sounding, saying it was to cultivate the sect’s geniuses and that they wouldn’t allow personal desires to blind them.

Nobody would believe that!

Shi Hao could refuse, but since he wanted to go, how could he decline?

He was not interested in Cultivation Techniques or Martial Techniques, but he was very interested in Spiritual Medicines and Spiritual Artifacts.

— Chu Xiaotian and his group definitely planned to deal with him in the relic, but the relics had restrictions; only those under forty could enter. At this level, there were no Other Shore Realm powerhouses, not even Nurturing Soul beyond the fifth step.

Therefore, Shi Hao had no fear.

Liu Shixuan?

Heh, with his sudden burst of Dark Force, he might be able to kill this genius in a second.

Soon, all eight slots found their respective owners.

Apart from Shi Hao, all the elders gave their slots to their disciples, and the two slots in Bao Dongsheng’s hands were allocated to his two disciples—one was Liu Shixuan, and the other was a girl named Han Xuan, whom Shi Hao had not met.

Once the slots were decided, Bao Dongsheng personally led the team towards Mang Mountain.

Because of the incident at the Martial Courtyard, many of the young disciples had an unfavorable opinion of Shi Hao and were quite repulsed by him.

And finally, Shi Hao got to see Liu Shixuan, the prodigy of the White Cloud Sect legends.

This man truly had an elegant demeanor, extremely handsome, though of course, could not compare to him.

Standing beside Liu Shixuan was a tall red-dressed woman with a rather beautiful face and a mole on the corner of her mouth.

This woman was Han Xuan.

Her gaze stayed fixed on Liu Shixuan, while he occasionally returned her looks with a faint smile, making her blossom like a flower in full bloom.

Too bad, it was unrequited love—clearly, Liu Shixuan’s heart was not with her.

Shi Hao said this to himself, of course; he wouldn’t say it out loud.

“`