A trembling hand reached out to grab a rock, before hoisting the rest of its own exhausted body. Suddenly, the figure was struck with a violent spasm and tumbled back down.
A while later, the same trembling hand climbed back up with great difficulty. It seemed as though this body would be failing at every moment, having long been pushed passed its limits. Only the gaze remained absolutely firm, focusing on up ahead. It was hard to imagine that such a youthful face could endure this hardship.
The young man stabilized himself for a second, panting heavily, mouth opened unreasonably wide. But he failed to notice his own state, fixedly looking at the far away peak.
But this time, the young man had to lower his head because he was blinded by the rays of sunshine. The sun had just appeared from behind the mountain, and he had looked straight in its direction.
Greeting his teeth, the boy stubbornly continued to climb at a snail's pace.
An unknown amount of time later, the young man reached the summit and laid on his back. His hair previously wet from sweat had solidified in ice. The grey robes were also being pulled down by small ice shards that stuck to its fabric.
The young man felt dizzy, his head spinning. He couldn't move a muscle anymore, his body not responding.
A large shadow suddenly approached, blocking the sun from the young face, with the ice already starting to melt down.
A deep, rumbling voice boomed. "Han Lingyun, is it? You are the weakest among the 8 disciples. Only managing to climb the mountain 7 times before sunrise and being in such a state on the 8th climb. Tsk tsk, to still forcefully climb without a hint of qi left in your dantian, at least I'll give you that. But out of the 8, your intellect seems to be the most lacking. Or perhaps you are just masochistic… Or is it that your teachers are pigs?"
Han Lingyun face showed a hint of a reaction at this last comment. He squeezed out a whisper. "What… does…. Senio Lu…. mean?"
"Heh! Brat, your comprehension of some elements isn't so bad. So, why… are you not making use of it?"
With difficulty, Han Lingyun turned his eyes towards the figure questioningly. The bold bulky man had a wide grin, his left hand playing with a little flame.
In instants, Han Lingyun's eyes went from shock to realization. A faint smile of self-mockery crept on his face.
"Hehe, you regret it, right? There was no need to go through so much hardship because of the cold! Now watch how I break all your bones like for the others; you have arrived way past sunrise. Hmm? Already fainted? Truly a lucky fellow, but you won't escape your bones being broken."
In an instant, the sorry body of Han Lingyun was beaten down further. The bulky man's temperament suddenly changed from his previous aggressiveness to that of a relaxed senior. "Heh? Those bones are a level harder compared to those other brats. It looks like this one's foundation isn't so bad. Climbing 8 times this mountain while at the mid qi condensation realm when all the others are all at the peak of qi condensation, this old man is definitely impressed. His comprehension and dao heart are not too bad either. This old man is looking forward to seeing this one's development these next few months."
…
Somewhere in the 'crater' where the annual SCA competition was held, a large white oval-shaped imposing table was occupying a brightly lit room, with undulating drapes that were arranged between columns of an ancient style, preventing the 16 cultivators around the table from being distracted by the view of the encircling mountain chain.
The gentle breeze that made the drapes flutter languorously eased the heavy silence that had fallen for some time. A man with a white robe stripped by black claw marks was the first one that dared to break the quiet atmosphere.
"Fellow Daoists, White Tiger Sect Leader Zou wants to express his regret for not being able to attend in person and passes on his sincere wishes for all of his fellow sect leaders. I will be his voice for this meeting. Sect."
"Hmm, is Zou Hu seriously injured perhaps? It has been years since we have last seen his face! All of us Sect Leaders came this time, only he dares to avoid the meeting."
"Enough, we are not here to bicker on those unimportant matters."
"Sect leader Zou is doing perfectly well, but is currently cultivating a very stringent martial art. My sincere apologies.
Anyway, back to the topic on hand. For those still in the dark, 6 months ago, the Sword Union unearthed the Necropolis of an Emperor level powerhouse, which has been later found by the Qing Dynasty, then lost once again. In addition, there should be one hundred inheritances from Nascent Soul Elders.
From our information, last night, the Puppet Sect and Sword Union have allied themselves to explore the side paths and try to harvest these precious resources. They cannot force their way into those inheritances though.
But the SCA cannot remain idle and let our enemies silently gain strength. So, we invited you to discuss countermeasures."
At this juncture, the tall old man sitting opposite to the White Tiger Sect protector emitted a hint of his hidden pressure making all the eyes garner on him. He was draped in light purple robe with large ornamental shoulder scales, leaning back on his chair with an amused smile.
"Before discussing countermeasures, Old Shun, I would like to make sure this information is correct. This is all your saying after all. You don't expect us to just believe you and be your dogs in the war you want to launch."
Protector Shun looked back contemptuously. "It seems your Cheng Huang School's information network is rather lacking, not even knowing when continent shaking events are happening."
The tall man's smile froze on his face. But his point was already made and the Sect Leaders started whispering among themselves.
Someone suddenly stood up. On the table arrangement, he was sitting right between White Tiger Sect Protector and the Cheng Huang School Sect Leader. This man looked only in his thirties, dressed in a golden robe so bright in would make mortals close their eyes. The representation of a black dragon meandered between the folds of his golden robe.
The man faintly bowed in unreproachable etiquette and gave an apologetic look at the Cheng Huang School side.
"If I may, our Black Dragon Sect has some news regarding this matter. This intel comes directly from our friends at the Golden Merchant Group. 6 months ago, some of their members just so happened to be in close proximity to this structure apparently rising from the earth."
"Do you expect us to believe such a coincidence? Why would the Golden Merchant Group risk its life outside the Sun Cultivation Alliance anyway?"
"Please fellow Sect Leaders, let me continue. This tomb happens to be only a couple of kilometers from the Xan market, which has become the trading hub of the pearl trade. I believe all of you have heard of this new rising trade. Our brothers of the Golden Merchant Group were naturally trying to have a share, who could blame them? The commotion raised by this structure coming into being greatly aroused our interest, so we began investigating more in depth. As it turns out, I can confirm that leaders from the Sword Union had a meeting last night. However, our information is far shallower compared to what our colleagues from the White Tiger Sect have gathered. Protector Shun, it seems your White Tiger Sect have informants high up in the Sword Union or in the Puppet Sect."
Protector Shun smiled and returned a faint bow. Seeing the frown on the Cheng Huang Sect Leader's face, his smile grew brighter.
But the tall man in purple robe hadn't abandoned yet. "Old Shun, you still seem to forget the crucial point. What is the Black Rainbow Sect's position on the necropolis?"
A man in a black robe suddenly entered, beaming. "Hahaha! Seeing such an Alliance peacefully discussing and not resorting to violence. It truly warms my heart and restores my faith in our cultivation world!
All of you, don't be so vigilant. I am but a mere messenger."
The man threw a token on the table. It depicted a rainbow over black mountains, grey skies and a black sun.
"The black rainbow sect thinks it is time for a unified Edera continent. This necropolis would do well as a prize for the final victor."
With a wave of his sleeves, the token disappeared. When the dazed Sect Leaders shook themselves up from the heaviness of this news, the black cloaked man had vanished. Distant words echoed: "May you extinguish your enemies and usher a new era for the continent!"
After a long pause, Protector Shun fixed all the Sect Leaders one by one. "Now, there shouldn't be any remaining objections. It's either the Sword Union and the Puppet Sect or the SCA. Only one will survive these upcoming trouble times. We have the opportunity to seize the initiative, so let's plan our invasion of the West."