Chapter 674: Agitated
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Zhou Yuncong was expressionless. But right now, his indifference revealed a strong sense of brutality, as if a ferocious blade was about to be drawn.
Zhu Yong laughed coldly and his body was also surging with a killing intent. But he did not reveal it, thus it was not easy to discover.
He had been in the military for a long time and had gone into battlefields with Zhu Hongwu since young. He was used to seeing merciless and brutal characters.
Zhao Huan stopped Zhou Yuncong, "Junior Zhou, calm down, he is provoking you on purpose. He wants you to be disqualified."
"He will lose his qualification too." As Zhou Yuncong said, he was already walking towards Zhu Yong.
Zhao Huan was stunned for a moment, but he soon reacted. Zhou Yuncong meant that he had the ability to kill Zhu Yong and invoke the protective mechanism of the Dharma Hall, causing Zhu Yong to be disqualified along with him.
Zhu Yong laughed while Zhou Yuncong, while his hands had already formed fists. His blood started to surge. Although the Dharma Hall suppressed his cultivation till the Foundation Establishment Stage, just like Zhou Yuncong, Zhu Yong did not seem to panic. Many years of battles had already polished his confidence.
There were those who were yet to enter the Starry Treasure Pagoda. They stopped in their tracks curiously, as they wanted to watch the internal clash between both parties even before the first stage had begun.
But at this point, Zhou Yuncong’s brows raised. His indifferent look turned furious. But this fury was not targeted at Zhu Yong. Instead, it was targeted on himself.
Inside the Grand Heavens Pavilion, Yang Qing kept on observing Zhou Yuncong. At this point, his brows raised too. He revealed a frustrated look on his face, "It just had to happen at this timing. It is relapsing too early."
Xiao Yan, Zhu Yi and the rest looked at one another. They communicated with Yang Qing using their powers, "Fifth Junior?"
Yang Qing shook his head, "Yuncong’s powers are increasing too quickly, thus his relapse intervals are getting shorter and shorter."
Lin Feng was as calm as usual. He said without panicking, "Tianhao is down there, Yuncong will be fine. This gathering is a rare opportunity for him to train. It will be beneficial for him."
Yang Qing nodded his head, "You are right, Master."
Inside the Dharma Hall, Zhou Yuncong’s footsteps paused for a moment. But then, they continued to approach Zhu Yong.
At this point, before the both of them fought, Shi Tianhao appeared beside him. Shi Tianhao pressed down his shoulders.
Zhou Yuncong turned his head quickly and stared at Shi Tianhao furiously. Shi Tianhao used his powers to hold him down, all the way till he sat on the ground. He said, "Go and meditate. If you are going to act blindly now, you will regret it in the future."
Zhou Yuncong remained speechless and he revealed a look of indignance and fury in his eyes. But eventually, he followed Shi Tianhao’s instructions and sat on his knees on the ground. He did not bother about Zhu Yong and was focused on his own cultivation.
Everyone nearby was stunned. After a while, they regained their awareness and revealed weird looks on their face. It was as if they were trying to repress their laughter.
Although many of them tried to control their expressions, as they looked at Zhou Yuncong, they seemed to be scornful of him.
Zhu Yong looked at Zhou Yuncong and could not help but laugh, "Don’t tell me that you have gone crazy? You act so fierce but actually you are a paper tiger. You are better off being a turtle from the start."
Although the rest were not as direct as Zhu Yong, most of them had the same idea in their heads.
Their expressions when they looked at the other Celestial Sect of Wonders’ disciples also became weird.
What’s wrong with the Celestial Sect of Wonders? Why did they send someone like this? He’s even a seeded candidate? (Referring to his direct entry into the last 16)
While he did look the part, he was actually a fraud. Before anyone even laid a move on him, he developed a problem on his own already.
While many of them did not say this, they thought of it.
Inside the Grand Heavens Pavilion, the bunch of Immortal Soul Stage Elders looked at one another and the atmosphere was a little awkward for a moment. They did not reveal looks of disdain though. One Foundation Establishment Stage disciple was not worth their disdain anyway. They were just curious as they looked at Lin Feng and his Immediate Disciples.
It was just that such a look made others embarrassed naturally.
Especially for Yang Qing, who was Zhou Yuncong’s Master.
But Yang Qing remained calm and was not embarrassed. He just felt a little frustrated, "Haiz, the time is indeed not right."
Xiao Yan turned to look at him, "Just let him try to overcome the tribulations. There may be a chance of success!"
Yang Qing shook his head, "The time is not ripe. If he tries blindly, the probability of success is at most 50%."
Li Yuanfang and Luo Qingwu looked at each other. Their understanding of Zhou Yuncong was not that deep.
As Zhu Yi noticed that they were lost, he explained, "Zhou Yuncong is a very special person. When he cultivates, he will meet with a difficult obstacle in his life."
"Once he forms the Aurous Core and promotes to the Aurous Core Stage, he will immediately trigger the Tribulations of the Yin Fire."
Li Yuanfang and Luo Qingwu were shocked, "Doesn’t that mean…"
Zhu Yi nodded his head, "It’s fine if he doesn’t form the Aurous Core, but once he reaches the Aurous Core Stage, if he manages to clear two stages consecutively, he will be in the Intermediate Stage of the Aurous Core Stage."
If he doesn’t succeed, he will die in the hands of the Tribulations of the Yin Fire.
Many cultivators in the Beginner Stage of the Aurous Core Stage were unconfident of overcoming the Tribulations of the Yin Fire. They rather stay in the Beginner Stage of the Aurous Core Stage for their entire lives.
Most cultivators in the Beginner Stage of the Aurous Core Stage had to undergo a long time of preparation – polishing their powers, understanding their mantras and accumulating enough substance to overcome the Tribulations of the Yin Fire. Whereas Zhou Yuncong did not have a choice. He had no time to prepare. Once he formed the Aurous Core, it would be immediately followed by the Tribulations of the Yin Fire.
Zhu Yi looked at Li Yuanfang and Luo Qingwu before saying, "If we calculate the faster time in the cave, Yuncong has been cultivating for around 10 years, even longer than the both of you. But he has been in the Intermediate Stage of the Foundation Establishment Stage for a long time."
"If it was not for this obstacle, he would have been in the Aurous Core Stage like the both of you."
Yang Qing sighed from one side, "Master gave a solution. I have been following this solution to guide Yuncong. At the same time, I have been helping him to accumulate and correct his powers. Once sufficient preparations have been made, he will have a high chance of overcoming this obstacle."
"But it’s just that if we keep on suppressing his cultivation, there are bound to be side effects. Every now and then, he will relapse. As his cultivation increases day by day, the relapse intervals will become shorter and shorter too. Initially, my calculations indicate that he will only relapse after the social gathering. Who knew that it happened so early. It’s totally beyond my calculations."
Wang Lin did not speak and only watched Zhou Yuncong, "This is also a form of training for him, in terms of his state of mind."
Yang Qing laughed bitterly. Wang Lin might say it very easily, but this training was indeed very uncomfortable for Zhou Yuncong.
Initially, he was very motivated to challenge Zhu Yong, but who knew something happened to him. Eventually, everyone treated him like a fraud. He had to face the intensified embarrassment and shame as he was humiliated in the end.
This feeling was not just simply dejection.
Zhu Yong looked at Zhou Yuncong and laughed scornfully. After that, he lifted his head up to look at Shi Tianhao, "Elder Shi, I believe he should be disqualified?"
"Since there’s a problem with his cultivation, he must ensure his safety first and solve the problem. Otherwise, if something happens to him, it will not be beneficial for him and the others.
Shi Tianhao looked at him and reasoned it out, "That’s right, the problem should be settled quickly. That’s why he should meditate now. After he meditates, he can enter the Starry Treasure Pagoda."
"For those who don’t want to wait for him, you can enter the pagoda and wait for him at the top."
Zhu Yong’s expression changed, "How can this be?"
"There’s nothing wrong." Shi Tianhao replied and smiled, "If others were assigned with him, the same conclusion will be made."
Zhu Yong said in a deep voice, "Are you trying to side with disciples from your own sect?"
"If you were the one with a problem, the rest of your group, including Yuncong and Zhao Huan, will have to wait for you. This is the rule. I am treating everyone in the same way. If you don’t want to abide by the rules, you can scram. You are not fit to break the rules yet."
Shi Tianhao turned around and left and did not bother with Zhu Yong anymore. Zhu Yong and Zhu Yi might be brothers, but he was much older. Shi Tianhao did not even treat him like he was on the same level as him.
That was why when Zhao Huan and Zhu Yong squabbled, he did not even interfere. Zhu Yong’s cultivation was suppressed by the Dharma Hall, thus Shi Tianhao let him clash with Zhao Huan. That was also a form of training for Zhao Huan.
Zhao Huan clasped his palm and fist towards the other two cultivators in his group, "Comrades, I’m sorry." After that, he sat on the ground along with Zhou Yuncong and laughed as he looked at Zhu Yong.
Zhu Yong was stunned speechless. He took in a deep breath before he calmed himself down. After that, he looked at Zhou Yuncong. He felt agitated.
If it was someone from another group, Zhu Yong did not mind raising his fists to attack that guy till he was kicked out.
But Zhou Yuncong was in the same group as him, thus he could not hit or scold him. It was fine for him to provoke Zhao Huan and Zhou Yuncong, but he was unwilling to be kicked out with them.
Right now, he could only watch Zhou Yuncong, as if he was protecting him.
This feeling caused him to feel agitated. He wished someone from another group would come to whack Zhou Yuncong until he was eliminated.
But the others were not dumb either. They knew what it meant to do that. With Zhou Yuncong around, it meant that this group had to wait for him. Without Zhou Yuncong, Zhu Yong and the rest had one less burden.
That was why Zhu Yong could only watch as the other 15 groups entered the pagoda. His heart sank.