Chapter 273 - 232: Interference

Chapter 273: Chapter 232: Interference

Jingchu Peak.

The Ten-Peak Competition was a fairly significant event here as well.

As a result, the peak had become much livelier during this time.

Countless cultivators from the other peaks came and went.

After Zhang Ji and the others arrived on their Sky-Breaking Shuttle, they headed to the competition grounds and were assigned their respective lodgings to rest.

The official competition was scheduled to begin the next day.

Zhang Ji didn’t rest. He found Xiao Mingyu and handed him a jade slip.

It contained one of the Eight Marvelous Skills, the Yuzi Skill. However, Zhang Ji had simplified it significantly, making it easier to pick up and learn.

After giving it to Xiao Mingyu, Zhang Ji left.

Xiao Mingyu didn’t understand his intention, but he still followed Zhang Ji’s instructions and examined the contents.

When he used his Spirit to read the information within the jade slip, his expression suddenly shifted.

’To anticipate the enemy and control them at their strongest... the Yuzi Skill?’

Xiao Mingyu was knowledgeable and knew of this Technique’s existence.

After all, some Sect disciples had indeed passed the trials and obtained these skills in the past.

Considering Zhang Ji’s status, he naturally understood what kind of skill this was.

But he never expected Zhang Ji to teach him this skill. Even though it seemed incomplete, he was still astonished.

The Sect forbade the private teaching of Cultivation Techniques—it was a minor taboo. But Zhang Ji was the direct disciple of a Heavenly Lord, so it wasn’t a major issue.

After a moment’s hesitation, Xiao Mingyu began to study it carefully.

He was a genius, and not just an ordinary one.

It was just that compared to the entire Sect, he wasn’t among the absolute top tier.

But in the outside world, some of the smaller sects would have been happy to train him as a Daoist.

Therefore, his learning ability and comprehension were quite formidable. The simplified Yuzi Skill from Zhang Ji was like it had been tailor-made for him. In just half a day, he had grasped the basics. If nothing else, he felt his ability to defend against attacks had at least doubled.

"I’ll have to thank Junior Brother Li properly later," Xiao Mingyu murmured excitedly.

...

Inside his room, Zhang Ji watched the information fluctuate in his vision, calculating the outcome.

’There’s still some fluctuation, but the locked-in result is leaning in that direction. As expected, locking in a specific outcome is a completely different level of difficulty than just pushing things in a general direction.’

As he used the Izakai Skill more, Zhang Ji discovered that the difference in difficulty between raising the probability of something to ninety-nine percent and raising it to one hundred percent was more than a quadrillion-fold.

Completely anchoring an outcome was often a moot point.

This skill could only increase the probability of an event; it couldn’t truly lock in the result.

In fact, only an omniscient and omnipotent being could likely guarantee that things would happen exactly as planned. Otherwise, there were always infinite variables.

According to Zhang Ji’s original calculations, Xiao Mingyu’s probability of becoming the top disciple of the Qingcang Sect’s Merging Realm was less than five percent.

But now, things were different. After Zhang Ji’s intervention, that probability was infinitely close to eighty percent.

That was already very high.

The rest was up to his own fortune.

If he could seize control of a few variables himself, the probability might just increase even further.

After calculating the result, Zhang Ji stopped paying attention to Xiao Mingyu’s affairs and focused on his own cultivation.

Back on Origin Star, the modification plan for the Celestial Intent Seal was complete. It was being manufactured into an Alchemy Organ, and Zhang Ji would personally install it next. Before that, he needed to inscribe a system for using the Celestial Intent Seal into his body. Just like the Sword God Array Body from before, the array body he was creating for himself this time was called the Celestial Will Array Body.

It involved not only Spirit Pattern Technology but also the Demon Rune Curse Seal System.

The entire array body would connect to all the systems in his body, and the Celestial Intent Seal would be installed in his right arm.

At a critical moment, he could raise his hand and blast out the "Celestial Intent Seal."

That one move would be comparable to a super S-class expert unleashing all of their energy in a single attack.

Shattering a continent with one strike would be a trivial matter.

It would be a significant boost to Zhang Ji’s combat power. More importantly, it was the crystallization of a crucial Cultivation Technique and combat method he had calculated and deduced for advancing to the super S-class.

...

...

「The next day.」

On the competition grounds, the top disciples of the Ten Peaks’ Molting Realm had all arrived.

They would compete for the title of First Among Qingcang’s Body Transformation.

Unlike the previous one-on-one duels on the arenas, this competition was a group battle.

All ten people were thrown into a massive battleground, and only the last one standing would be victorious.

For a true prodigy, it wasn’t enough to just be slightly stronger than their peers. Only by dominating their realm and being invincible among those at the same level could one be considered a true prodigy.

The battleground was vast and contained many different types of terrain. The competition would last for five days, with the safe zone shrinking daily. Only those with luck and strength could have the last laugh.

At this moment, Zhang Ji and the others were seated in the audience. The ten contestants were being observed by a giant treasured mirror above the grounds, which projected their images for the countless cultivators of the Qingcang Sect to watch.

Those who hadn’t come to Jingchu Peak could also watch through their hand-mirrors.

The Peak Masters of the Ten Peaks had either arrived in person or condensed a Divine Will Projection to be there, showing the importance they placed on nurturing the next generation.

Zhang Ji’s gaze fell primarily on the Peak Master of Jingchu Peak, who was also the Sect Leader of the entire sect, Chen Hong.

He was a member of the Celestial Eye Race. There was a closed slit on his brow—his third Divine Eye. It was usually kept shut, but when opened, it could release a divine light and see through illusions.

The one here now was just one of his projections; his true body was likely still cultivating in his personal grotto-heaven.

Chen Hong had been the Sect Leader of the Qingcang Sect for over 40,000 years. Back then, he was already at the peak of the Profound Heart Realm and not far from a breakthrough. Zhang Ji, being familiar with the plot, knew that he was about to take that final step into the Void Realm.

Behind Sect Leader Chen Hong and the others were the elders. There were Profound Heart Realm cultivators among them, but their combat power was a notch below that of the Ten Peak Masters.

Further back were the True Disciples.

Among these people, Zhang Ji’s attention was mainly focused on a young man who also had an eye-like slit on his brow.

He was also a direct disciple of a Heavenly Lord.

Ding Zhuoran, the direct disciple of Heavenly Lord Luo Yun of Ding Peak.

His current cultivation was at the Mountain-Splitting Realm.

Perhaps sensing Zhang Ji’s observation, the man suddenly turned his head and gave a slight smile in Zhang Ji’s direction, as if in greeting.

’His perception is quite sharp.’

Zhang Ji made his assessment.

It was indeed no simple feat to become the direct disciple of a Heavenly Lord.

Besides his natural talent, Ding Zhuoran must have some other cheat-like traits.

But Zhang Ji didn’t bother to investigate further.

Characters like him were not uncommon across the myriad worlds, but those who could truly reach the pinnacle were still few and far between.

Until they displayed strength and methods worthy of his attention, such people were not worth wasting his energy on.

Meanwhile, a blue-haired woman from the Lanyou Race beside Ding Zhuoran noticed his unusual behavior and asked, "Zhuoran, did you see a friend?"

As Ding Zhuoran’s Daoist partner, Xu Youjing knew his personality very well.

Most people didn’t even register in his eyes. Even the prodigies who won the top spot in their respective realms within the Sect would struggle to earn a second glance from him.

He rarely showed favor to any of his fellow Sect members. If she hadn’t been by his side from the beginning, she might not have earned his good graces either. Yet now, he had unprecedentedly smiled at someone else.

This surprised her.

"A very interesting person," Ding Zhuoran replied to Xu Youjing.

He had just opened his Celestial Eye slightly and seen a great deal of information about Zhang Ji, but he discovered that it was all fake.

When he tried to see the real information, he found he couldn’t perceive it at all; it was hidden beneath a deeper layer of information.

That person had many secrets and gave him a faint sense of threat. Moreover, he had recently read various internal Sect news and knew that Zhang Ji was a direct disciple of a Heavenly Lord, which made him take notice.

Xu Youjing didn’t understand, but she didn’t press the issue.

She was already used to this dynamic in their relationship.

If Ding Zhuoran was willing to explain, she would listen. If he didn’t elaborate, she wouldn’t ask.

This was the smartest way to stay by the side of a prodigal Daoist partner like him for the long haul.

...

The focus returned to the competition.

The Molting Realm competition wasn’t actually that spectacular to watch. After all, with their limited energy, the commotion they could cause was only so-so.

However, the ten Molting Realm cultivators before them were the strongest that had been filtered from the entire Sect.

Their clash was quite interesting.

Their combat skills, intellect, and luck were all top-tier among their peers.

Some began to shape the terrain, creating a favorable battle environment for themselves. Others relied on their special talents to conceal their aura and lie in wait, preparing to be the fisherman who profits from the conflict.

There were also those who, confident in their unrivaled strength, headed straight for the core area to secure a position and challenge everyone.

Wan Lan was among them. She was from the Guoju Race and preferred jungle terrain, so she immediately hid in the mountain forests at the start.

Partway through, she encountered an opponent. But the two didn’t fight to the death. After a quick exchange of a few rounds, they judged that they couldn’t easily defeat the other and tacitly went their separate ways.

This was also a common occurrence.

Prodigies who truly possessed the strength to dominate their peers were, after all, a minority.

Even in the Qingcang Sect, one might only appear once every decade or so.

Besides, that kind of dominance was usually only possible in the lower realms. The higher the realm, the harder it was to be invincible among one’s peers.

By the time they reached the Mountain-Splitting Realm, they often began to fade into the crowd.

Even the True Disciples couldn’t manage it.

The only ones who could remain invincible in their realm indefinitely were the direct disciples of the Heavenly Lords.

Time passed, and the battle circle began to shrink. Soon, they were forced into frequent clashes.

Wan Lan encountered a Plantfolk prodigy. This race had no gender; they were all hermaphroditic. They had long, root-like hair on their bodies and vine-like strands of hair on their heads. Their skin was covered in fine patterns, and they possessed formidable defense and endurance. Their lifespans were also very long, generally over a thousand years.

Faced with Wan Lan’s numerous attacks, her opponent simply rooted itself into the ground to draw nutrients. Vines coiled around its body, continuously blocking her assault. Wan Lan could only sever some of the vines and was unable to inflict any substantial damage. Moreover, she was gradually being sealed within a cage woven from the dense roots spreading around her, completely cutting off her escape and her space to maneuver.

Her luck was really bad, running into such a difficult opponent right from the start.

The two fought for a long time, eventually bringing out their Magical Artifacts.

The use of Magical Artifacts was permitted in the competition, but they could not exceed one’s own realm.

According to the seven tiers—Void, Nether, Saint, Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow—Molting Realm cultivators could use Yellow Tier Magical Artifacts.

The Plantfolk prodigy’s Magical Artifacts consisted of a defensive inner armor and a dozen or so offensive weapons, maximizing its innate advantages.

At this moment, Wan Lan was practically facing a siege from multiple opponents.

Just when everyone thought she was about to be eliminated, her figure suddenly vanished for an instant. The next moment, a bloody hole appeared in the Plantfolk prodigy’s chest, from which dark green blood flowed.

It was immediately judged to have lost the ability to fight and was teleported out of the arena to receive treatment.

Only then did Wan Lan reappear a short distance behind the Plantfolk prodigy. She was not in good condition; her face was pale and her lips were white. The move was clearly a powerful one that came at a cost to herself, something to be used only at a critical moment. Now that she had been forced to use it prematurely, she likely wouldn’t be very competitive for the rest of the match.

And that was indeed the case. When the circle shrank again, she was quickly eliminated, ultimately finishing in sixth place.

In the end, the winner of the competition was a burly man from the Barbarian Race of Six Clouds Peak. He was a mass of knotted muscle, with defense, strength, and endurance far surpassing his peers. His only weakness was his speed, but he managed to win by relying on his high attack and high defense as the circle closed in.

After Sect Leader Chen Hong’s Divine Will Projection gave some words of encouragement and awarded the prizes, there was an intermission.

The next day, it was time for the Divine Acupoint Realm competition.

It was also a battle with a shrinking circle, only on a larger field.

But they were still only given five days.

However, Zhang Ji had no intention of taking the full five days.

He wouldn’t even need one!