Chapter 410 - 376: The Holy Spirit Disciple Competition Begins

Chapter 410: Chapter 376: The Holy Spirit Disciple Competition Begins

’Hm? Is the spring water all used up?’

The spring water in the two gourds was quickly used up. Far from showing any negative reaction, Nie Tong’s body only grew firmer and more lustrous, as if the Spirit Rhinoceros Spring Water had been tailor-made for him, reaching a perfect one hundred percent compatibility.

’I really don’t know how Nie Tong managed to cultivate the Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique. The difference between us is just so vast!’

I cultivate the Spirit Rhinoceros Body Refining Technique, too, but without any compatibility, I can’t even lift the Spirit Rhinoceros Spring Water. Yet my brother, who also has no compatibility, absorbs it as easily as drinking water. I have no idea how he trained before.

’Perhaps my brother’s physique is just perfectly suited for this cultivation technique, allowing him to master it completely.’

At this thought, Nie Yun felt no jealousy whatsoever. Instead, he felt his brother was truly the best, and his heart swelled with pride.

"Nie Tong, don’t you worry. I’ll find more Spirit Rhinoceros Spring Water for you, and I will absolutely bring your soul back so you can fight by my side!"

Looking at his brother’s face, peaceful as if in sleep, Nie Yun gently stroked his stubborn black hair and murmured softly.

"Nie Yun..."

Seeing the normally smiling youth react this way to his brother’s state, both Mu Qing and Mu Xia felt their eyes redden.

This young man was ruthless and merciless toward his enemies, yet he was nothing but gentle with his family. He had a will of iron but a tender heart.

This was a true man!

"You two look after Nie Tong. They’re here. I need to go out for a bit!"

An unknown amount of time passed before Nie Yun snapped out of his monologue. After a quick word to Mu Qing and Mu Xia, his body flickered, and he returned from the Zihua Cave Mansion to his room in Lixuan Pavilion.

’The Five Great Manor Masters and the City Lord are here!’

’It seems they’ve prepared the 500 drops of Spirit Rhinoceros Spring Water.’

He pushed the door open and stepped out of the room. Sure enough, several people were standing in the courtyard, smiling at him.

Of course, Nie Yun didn’t need to guess to know whether those smiles were genuine.

"Nephew Mu Yun, here are the 500 drops of Spirit Rhinoceros Spring Water you requested. Take them, and you can report back to your master!"

When the young man emerged, the City Lord approached with a smile, holding a massive gourd.

This gourd was different from the previous two. It was carved entirely from the same black stone his Celestial Eye couldn’t penetrate. When the stopper was removed, countless droplets could be seen floating inside. A quick scan with his Spirit confirmed the amount—exactly 500 drops, no more, no less.

"Here." The City Lord presented the gourd, handing it forward casually.

"Heh, then it would be rude of me to refuse."

Nie Yun saw that the City Lord was handing the gourd over directly instead of placing it on the ground, clearly trying to make him look like a fool. He didn’t reach for it. Instead, he chuckled and said, "My master’s wisdom is practically divine. He knew that I wouldn’t be able to lift the Spirit Rhinoceros Spirit Liquid without compatibility, so he gave me a trump card!"

As he spoke, he flipped his wrist, and a jade tablet appeared in his palm. He gave it a light squeeze.

VMM!

A peculiar wave of energy pulsed through the air, coalescing into a giant hand that reached out and snatched the gourd.

WHOOSH!

The hand lifted the gourd, and in the next instant, it vanished from sight.

"Ah?"

"This... How is this possible?"

"He took the spring water without any compatibility? What kind of power is this...?"

The Five Great Manor Masters and the City Lord were all startled by this display. They could see the utter shock mirrored in each other’s eyes.

As far as they knew, it was impossible to so much as lift the Spirit Rhinoceros Spring Water without compatibility. How could he have taken it so easily with just a jade tablet?

They had never even heard of such a technique, let alone witnessed it!

’Unfathomable!’

The same word sprang into all their minds, and a shiver ran through them.

’With a technique like that, it seems we’ve underestimated Mu Yun’s master. He’s probably not just some expert at the Secret Realm Fourth Layer!’

"City Lord, Manor Masters, I’ll accept this generous gift. And judging by the looks on your faces, you’d rather I not participate in the Holy Spirit Disciple Competition. Since that’s the case, I won’t impose any longer. My sister and I will take our leave."

Seeing their strange expressions, Nie Yun knew exactly what they were thinking and gave a faint smile.

’I did that on purpose. If I revealed that I have a compatibility of 60, it would cause a lot of trouble. So, I deliberately created a fake jade tablet and used my "master’s" name to easily suck the gourd into my Storage Dantian.’

’This way, I can both hide my own trump card and make them more fearful of my "master."’

’Right now, it’s all about the bluff. The longer I can keep them intimidated, the safer I’ll be. The moment they see through it, I’m finished.’

"Since you wish to leave, Nephew, I won’t keep you." Hearing the young man say he was leaving, the City Lord’s eyes lit up. With a subtle flick of his finger, a peculiar aura attached itself to Nie Yun.

’Tracking Qi...’

As a Tracking Master himself, Nie Yun instantly recognized it as Tracking Qi. He didn’t let on, pretending to be completely oblivious as he walked across the courtyard and pushed open the door to one of the side rooms.

"Sister, let’s go!"

As he called out, he released Mu Xia from the Zihua Cave Mansion. To any onlooker, it appeared as if she had just finished cultivating and was emerging from the room.

"In that case, we’ll be on our way. Thank you, City Lord and Manor Masters, for your hospitality."

Mu Xia knew Nie Yun must have his reasons, so she didn’t ask any questions. Following behind him, she offered a cupped-fist salute to the others before they both flew away from the Ancient City.

"Heh, no need to be so formal. We won’t see you out..."

"Safe travels. Please send our regards to your esteemed master..."

Watching the two of them leave, Mu Ruo and the others breathed a collective sigh of relief, as if they had just seen off the god of plagues. They exchanged excited glances.

"Alright, now that they’re gone, I say we don’t delay the Holy Spirit Disciple Competition any further. Let’s begin immediately!" Mu Ruo said.

"Yes, let’s start at once. Delays breed trouble. Whichever manor wins the championship and takes control of the Spirit Rhinoceros Spring should relocate immediately to guard against any sneak attacks from Mu Yan and his people."

Another Manor Master nodded in agreement.

"We don’t know who Mu Yan has allied with now. We must be extremely cautious..."

...

"Since we’ve all reached a decision, let’s return to our manors and prepare our disciples. We’ll open the Lingxi Celestial Palace this afternoon and have them enter to complete the trial of death!"

Seeing that they had all decided to begin the trial early, the City Lord nodded in agreement.

"Agreed!"

The other Manor Masters voiced their agreement in unison, then flew up and back toward their respective manors, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

..............................

"Nie Yun, are we really leaving the Ancient City?"

Mu Xia asked, her face full of confusion as the two of them flew through the air outside the Ancient City.

"Heh, of course not. Alright, let’s stop here."

With a flicker, Nie Yun landed on a mountain peak over a thousand kilometers from the Ancient City, a distance that made it impossible to see without the Celestial Eye Talent.

"Mu Jie, come out!"

After they stopped, Nie Yun flicked his wrist. Mu Jie, the man he had turned into a puppet, dropped out of thin air.

"Here, take the Tracking Qi..."

With a faint smile, Nie Yun made a grabbing motion and tore the Tracking Qi the City Lord had left on him away, casually transferring it to Mu Jie.

Since he was also a Tracking Master, he could easily remove the Qi someone else had placed on him without them ever noticing.

"Now, fly straight ahead from here. Don’t stop."

As a Tracking Master, Nie Yun knew that the Qi allowed its caster to sense the target’s proximity and distance. By placing it on Mu Jie and having him fly away, he could mislead his pursuers.

"Yes!" Mu Jie no longer had a will of his own. Upon hearing the command, he flew straight ahead without hesitation, quickly disappearing from their sight.

"Mu Xia, return to the Zihua Cave Mansion. I’m going back to the Ancient City."

With those instructions, Nie Yun sent Mu Xia back into the Cave Mansion. The Disguise Qi in his body shifted, and he took on the appearance of Mu Jie before flying rapidly back toward the Ancient City.

Now thoroughly familiar with the Ancient City, he quickly made his way back to Dieyi Manor. He had just landed when a middle-aged man called out to him.

"Mu Jie, where have you been? Everyone’s been looking for you! Hurry, the Manor Master is waiting for you in his room!"

Seeing "Mu Jie," the middle-aged man’s eyes lit up with excitement as if he’d found a treasure. He quickly grabbed him and pulled him along.

"The Manor Master is looking for me?" Nie Yun asked, startled.

"Yes, hurry up," the middle-aged man urged with a nod.

’Why is the Manor Master looking for me now?’ Nie Yun wondered, confused. ’Didn’t he already give all the instructions? Why would he be looking for Mu Jie at such an odd hour?’

"You haven’t heard? The Holy Spirit Disciple Competition has been moved up. It’s about to start! The Manor Master is looking for you because he has instructions for you, of course!" the middle-aged man said, seeming to be privy to inside information.

"The Holy Spirit Disciple Competition is starting early? This..." Nie Yun was sharp; he understood in an instant.

’It seems these guys are afraid I’ll go back on my word, so they want to start the competition as soon as possible. Once it begins and the Lingxi Celestial Palace is sealed, I won’t be able to participate even if I come back!’

Once he understood, he asked no more questions, instead putting on an expression that was a mixture of excitement and nervousness.

Imitating expressions was simple for him, after all. Not even the most perceptive person would see through his act.

"Hmph! The Holy Spirit Disciple Competition is about to begin, and you’re still running all over the place! Have you decided you don’t want to participate?"

The two of them soon arrived at the Manor Master’s courtyard. Upon seeing "Mu Jie" approach, Manor Master Mu Ruo gestured for the others to leave and let out a cold snort.

"I’m sorry, Manor Master. I didn’t know the Holy Spirit Disciple Competition had been moved up. I went out to cultivate, hoping to achieve a better result in the competition..." Nie Yun lied smoothly.

"Enough. I don’t care what you were doing. The Holy Spirit Disciple Competition is about to begin, and I have a few warnings for you. You must remember them!"

The Manor Master cut off Nie Yun’s rambling with a wave of his hand, his expression turning grave as he spoke.

"Yes!"

Nie Yun immediately adopted a solemn expression and sat bolt upright, eager to hear what the Manor Master had to say.

PS: Today is my dear wife’s birthday. I plan on taking her to a movie tonight. We’ve been together for four or five years, married, and I’ve spent every day writing without ever taking her out. I feel really bad about it.

It’s her birthday, we’re going to a movie... So, I’ll only be updating three Chapters today, for a total of nine thousand characters. I’ll make up for it with four Chapters tomorrow.

The remaining two Chapters will be released at 12:00 PM and 7:00 PM.

Lastly, please toss me a few monthly tickets to wish my wife a happy birthday! I hope you’ll all grant me this, gaga! (To be continued. If you like this work, you’re welcome to come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)