Chapter 291 - 289: Four Symbols Spirit Gathering

Chapter 291: Chapter 289: Four Symbols Spirit Gathering

The ten-day rest period passed in a flash.

In the blink of an eye, it was time for the Refining Dao Conference to begin again.

「On this day.」

The sky was a brilliant blue, without a cloud in sight.

About fifty contestants stood on Bluestone Plaza.

Among them were Fang Yang and Sen Hui.

They were currently waiting for the third and final round of the assessment to begin.

Based on their current scores, if the two of them completed the assessment successfully, they would be the undisputed champions.

Therefore, anyone else who wanted to claim the top spot would have to eliminate them both.

The September wind was crisp and cool.

Sen Hui said softly,

"Ah Yang, my master put me through some intensive special training during our time off."

"If everything goes well, I think I can actually break through the barrier to become a Tier Five Pill Master and pass the assessment."

As she spoke, a hopeful light gleamed in her eyes.

Seeing this, Fang Yang immediately felt more assured.

"I haven’t been idle during this time either."

Fang Yang’s expression was gentle. "I went through my old talisman system and combined my thunder and fire talismans. Their stacked power will be even greater."

While Fang Yang and Sen Hui were whispering to each other, the other contestants kept glancing their way.

You could say that on Bluestone Plaza, Fang Yang was like a powerful black hole.

Even when Fang Yang stood quietly in a corner, he would, whether intentionally or not, draw everyone’s attention.

"Rumor has it Fang Yang possesses a mysterious Talisman Treasure that can unleash Tier Six power. I suppose we’ll get to see it this time," a handsome young man said wistfully.

He was Chen Chenxing, the eldest son of the seventh house of the Changkong Chen Clan and Chen Ying’s ninth cousin.

"Perhaps. I just hope I can last until the end and make it into the top ten," a beautiful female cultivator replied noncommittally.

She was Jiang Yueyue, the legitimate eldest daughter of the first house of the Changkong Jiang Clan, and more importantly, the younger sister of Jiang Venerable Sword himself.

And Jiang Venerable Sword was the new Sword Saint with the Sword Flood Dragon Sacred Body, capable of transforming into an ancient Sword Flood Dragon.

Chen Chenxing, Jiang Yueyue, Fang Hao, Minghai Nanyou, Muri Guangyao...

One after another, the powerful contestants were all silently observing Fang Yang.

Meanwhile, Yu Qingyun and Caiwei were busy refining their existing plan, intending to end Fang Yang’s legend of invincibility.

’Everyone thinks you have the upper hand, Fang Yang, but these so-called odds are meaningless.’

Yu Qingyun’s expression was calm.

Even though people thought her odds against Fang Yang were two in ten, she never felt afraid.

Over the years, she had lost count of the number of times she had overcome a seemingly stronger opponent!

......

「Above the blue sky.」

Bai Zhi the Medicine Saint, Fu Sheng Fairy, and the other Saints were also silently sizing up Fang Yang and the others.

Bai Zhi the Medicine Saint said, "The third round of the assessment is far stricter than the first two. I wonder who will manage to pass, and who will emerge as the champion?"

Fu Sheng Fairy replied, "It is indeed difficult to predict. A pleasant surprise, however, has been the emergence of prodigies like Sen Hui and Caiwei. That was truly unexpected."

Layman Shuiqing chuckled. "Heh, both of their fathers are Great Saints of this era. As long as they’re willing to work hard, what’s so difficult about it? But in my opinion, the title of champion will ultimately come down to Fang Yang and Yu Qingyun!"

They consciously and quickly moved past the topic of Sen Hui and Caiwei.

After all, the pressure exerted by a living Great Saint was nothing to joke about.

Ultimately, they shifted the conversation to Fang Yang and Yu Qingyun.

They reached a consensus: Fang Yang and Yu Qingyun were headed for a final showdown, one that would involve Tier Six power.

Whichever of the two emerged victorious would be the champion.

HUMMM...

HUMMM HUMMM...

HUMMM HUMMM HUMMM...

A peculiar humming sound echoed across the blue sky.

Immediately, the void rippled like water, and a white-haired old man with a large, red gourd on his back appeared.

Upon seeing him, Bai Zhi the Medicine Saint, Fu Sheng Fairy, and the other Saints all cupped their fists in salute, saying in unison, "Greetings, Dean Wine Lion."

The Thunder Saint Academy had only one Dean and two Vice Deans.

And all of them, Dean and Vice Deans alike, were Great Saints.

This white-haired old man, who looked like a common drunkard, was none other than the legendary Wine Lion the Great Saint!

Wine Lion the Great Saint had an unassuming aura, his gray robes washed until they were faded.

He smiled and said, "Alright, the location for the third round of the assessment has been changed to the Four Symbols Mystic Realm."

The location for the third round changed to the Four Symbols Mystic Realm?

Hearing this, the Saints were quite astonished.

The more astute among them immediately made the connection to the ancient ruins that had suddenly appeared during the previous assessment.

「A moment later.」

Dean Wine Lion took Master Lanwen’s place.

Standing on Bluestone Plaza, he began explaining various matters to the contestants.

Things like "expectations," "hopes," and "rules."

Even though the details were tedious, his explanation never became boring.

Finally, he chuckled and said, "The Four Symbols Mystic Realm holds a universe within and is divided into four major regions..."

Just then, the orb of light for his "Pursue Fortune, Avoid Misfortune" ability flickered within Fang Yang’s mind.

As Fang Yang watched, the orb of light transformed into text:

[Refining Dao Conference, where the Four Symbols gather spirit. Make your move, choose your side; fortune and disaster walk hand in hand.]

Following this were four paths of fate:

[Upper-Mid Fortune: Go to Cyan Dragon Lake. When the moon is full, your Talisman Treasure will expand. A hidden flood dragon will rise and fall, and from this change, a treasure will be born. This path is fraught with peril. Handle it properly to turn misfortune into good fortune, and you may obtain a Tier Six opportunity. Auspicious.]

[Upper-Mid Fortune: Go to the Xuanwu Ocean. When the moon is full, your Talisman Treasure will expand. A spirit turtle will part the waves, and you may obtain a Tier Five opportunity. No hidden dangers, no risks. Auspicious.]

[Neutral Fortune: Go to the Vermilion Bird Cloud Bridge. You will be nourished by Spiritual Qi. There will be no trouble, no extra rewards, and no extra risks. Neutral.]

[Lower-Mid Fortune: Go to White Tiger Valley. You will step into a storm and battle a hoard of dragons. You may obtain a Tier Five opportunity, but a treasure born from this change will be accompanied by great peril and hidden malevolence. Inauspicious.]

The final round of the Refining Dao Conference wasn’t much different from the first two.

The only differences were the duration and the tier of the items to be crafted.

For a Pill Master to pass the final round, for example, there were several requirements.

First, a Pill Master contestant had to refine one type of Tier Four Pill and one type of Tier Five Pill during the assessment.

Second, the Pill Master contestant had to survive for two months, lasting until the very end of the assessment without being eliminated.

’Four Symbols Gather Spirit, huh?’

Fang Yang lowered his gaze, pondering.

He was now considering both the rules of the competition and the paths of fate he had just been shown.

Of the four paths, he would naturally choose one of the Upper-Mid Fortunes, but there were two!

One path was risky, requiring him to handle the situation perfectly to turn peril into prosperity and obtain a Tier Six opportunity.

The other required him to do nothing but wait for the right moment to safely secure a Tier Five opportunity.

If it were possible, he would naturally want to take both.

The problem was that the two paths of fate were mutually exclusive; he had to make a choice.

After a moment of consideration, he decisively chose the first Upper-Mid Fortune, which meant taking Sen Hui to Cyan Dragon Lake.

There was a world of difference between a Tier Six opportunity and a Tier Five one.

For that, putting in the extra effort was completely worth it.

’But I can’t just let the other opportunity go to waste.’

At this thought, he glanced over at his clan uncle, Fang Hao.

Fang Hao didn’t possess a Xuan-Yuan Talisman Treasure, so it wasn’t certain he could obtain a treasure in the Xuanwu Ocean.

But the opportunity was clearly worth a try for Fang Hao.

And...

Fang Yang thought, ’Perhaps in the future, my cultivation will allow me to forge the path for a great Yun Dynasty. When that time comes, I’ll need a core group of people like Sister Min and Fang Hao.’