Chapter 123 - 122: The Bigger the Storm, the More Expensive the Fish

Chapter 123: Chapter 122: The Bigger the Storm, the More Expensive the Fish

’Martial Arts!’

’Free for the taking!’

Just hearing those words, to be honest, made Wu Chen’s heart race at the thought of the tournament organized by the four sects.

After all, Martial Arts were exactly what he lacked right now.

If this had happened any other day, or if the competition were to start today, he would have agreed in a heartbeat.

But now, he didn’t immediately give an answer.

’Time is tight...’ Wu Chen muttered to himself.

He had already decided to set off for Purple Mist Mountain in five days to find the Blood Slaughter Sect and participate in the long-awaited Blood Road trial.

And from now until the start of the Blood Slaughter Sect’s trial, he had, at most, about a month.

’Purple Mist Mountain is located among a range of mountains. Past the territories of the four sects, it’s all deep, old forests, treacherous valleys, and ravines.’

’Not only can I not ride a horse and have to travel on foot, but the crucial thing is I don’t even know the way. I’ll waste a lot of time just finding the place.’

’They say it’s seven or eight hundred li, but mountains always look closer than they are. With all the twists and turns, it’ll be well over a thousand li. So, even with a full month, it might not be enough time.’

’Tsk, it would be so much more convenient if there was a main road leading straight to the Blood Slaughter Sect on Purple Mist Mountain...’

’Then I could join the competition first and still make it to the Blood Road trial. I could have it all!’

As he thought this, Wu Chen almost laughed at his own absurdity.

If there were a main road leading straight to Purple Mist Mountain, the four great sects would have likely joined forces with the Demon Suppression Bureau long ago and steamrolled their way there.

Then they would have sat down and carved up the Blood Slaughter Sect’s resources to strengthen themselves.

As vicious as the Blood Evil cultists were, they couldn’t withstand an all-out encirclement by the righteous path and the imperial court. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have made their home in a desolate, uninhabited mountain range.

Wu Chen brought his thoughts back to the matter at hand: the competition in ten days.

’This competition involves tens of thousands of people from four different sects. It’s said to start in ten days, and with one match after another, it would take at least seven or eight days to finish.’

’Delaying my journey for a single Martial Arts manual would mean missing the Blood Road trial.’

’And never mind what treasures might be in the Blood Road trial—hundreds, even thousands, of elite Blood Slaughter Direct Disciples are waiting for me there!’

Weighing the pros and cons, Wu Chen quickly came to a decision.

The Blood Road trial was certainly fraught with immense risk, but the potential rewards were equally great.

The bigger the storm, the more valuable the fish!

And so, Wu Chen gave his answer:

"Senior Brother Zhuang, I have some urgent business to attend to. I’m afraid I’ll have to miss out on the excitement of the four-sect grand competition in ten days."

"Oh, is that so? What a shame!"

Hearing this, Zhuang Bo froze for a moment, then slapped his thigh.

"With your skills, if you entered the Jade Bone Realm competition and fought against those Direct Disciples, getting into the top ten would be a sure thing!"

"Even if you couldn’t pick the very best of the Martial Arts, elixirs, and weapons, you’d still gain something and make the trip worthwhile."

"It’s a pity you’re busy. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"Even though there’s an even grander ’Spirit Road Trial’ after the competition, you can’t participate because you’re not a disciple of our sects!"

"This was your one chance to get your hands on some Martial Arts, and you don’t have the time. What a crying shame!"

Zhuang Bo sighed dramatically, acting as if he were the one missing the competition, not Wu Chen.

"Haha, it’s no big deal. Maybe I can join next time!"

Seeing how genuinely disappointed Zhuang Bo was for him, Wu Chen couldn’t help but chuckle. He was about to offer a few words of comfort when his ears suddenly perked up and his entire demeanor sharpened.

"The Spirit Road Trial? What’s that?"

"Oh, that? It’s a secret realm, an ancient ruin, that belongs to the sects. It opens about twenty days or so after the grand competition."

Since he asked, Zhuang Bo explained. Besides, it was common knowledge, hardly a secret.

"So, this grand competition is also a way to gauge the strength of the disciples within the sects."

"Unfortunately, the Spirit Road Trial is only open to disciples of the four sects. Since you’re not one of us, Younger Brother Wu, you naturally don’t have the chance to join."

Wu Chen ignored Zhuang Bo’s lamentations and straightened his back slightly.

’The Spirit Road Trial? Opens about twenty days after the grand competition?’

Wu Chen’s mind raced. After quickly piecing together the information from Zhuang Bo, he felt that the timing of this ’Spirit Road Trial’ and the Blood Slaughter Sect’s ’Blood Road Trial’ seemed suspiciously similar.

’Could they be the same thing?!’

With that in mind, Wu Chen asked nonchalantly:

"Senior Brother Zhuang, something like a secret realm or ancient ruin... it must be very dangerous to go deep inside, right?"

"It is very dangerous!"

Zhuang Bo nodded, then added, "But danger and opportunity go hand in hand."

After this simple statement, he saw Wu Chen still staring at him with a curious expression. Wu Chen then said, "You sound so serious, Senior Brother Zhuang. Are there Demon Fiends, ghosts, and goblins inside?"

"Haha, not exactly! It’s not that fantastical."

Zhuang Bo replied with a laugh. Seeing that Wu Chen genuinely seemed clueless, and with a bit of alcohol loosening his tongue, he became more talkative.

"This Spirit Road Trial takes place in some unknown ancient ruins that only open once every four years."

"Inside, there are mountains and rivers, a sun, moon, and stars... it forms its own magnificent world, seemingly no different from the outside."

"However, the savage beasts that live there are exceptionally ferocious. Never mind their unrivaled strength—even little critters that are insignificant in the outside world, like spiders and mantises, can grow to the size of a grown man’s arm inside!"

"I went for the first time four years ago. Back then, I was only at the Early Stage of the Meridian Passage Realm. I didn’t dare go deep and could only stick to the periphery."

"Even so, I was almost decapitated by an iron-armed mantis hiding in the treetops."

Speaking of this, Zhuang Bo seemed to still be shaken by the memory from four years ago. He kept rubbing the back of his head, his face a mask of lingering fear.

As for the reason why outsiders weren’t allowed into the secret realm...

There had been similar incidents in the past where outsiders were allowed in. In the end, disputes over the distribution of loot after leaving the secret realm led to brawls and even hostile relations.

So, from then on, the sects learned their lesson and strictly forbade any outsiders from entering.

Hearing his explanation, Wu Chen nodded. He now had a basic understanding of this secret realm he had never heard of before.

The savage beasts in these secret realms were undoubtedly powerful, but their flesh, skin, tendons, and bones, as well as their internal organs, were all treasures coveted by Martial Artists.

Moreover, for such powerful savage beasts to survive, the secret realm must be teeming with precious herbs and treasures.

Only such an environment could support what sounded like a large population of savage beasts. ℯℯ𝑙.

Even if they weren’t just lying all over the ground, it was still far better than foraging for herbs while patrolling the mountains in the outside world.

"If it’s just the savage beasts you mentioned, the Spirit Road Trial doesn’t sound all that dangerous..." Wu Chen muttered under his breath, based on what Zhuang Bo had said.

"That’s because it’s *you*..."

Zhuang Bo, who had still been feeling a lingering fear, was almost driven to laughter by Wu Chen’s comment, which successfully baited him into talking more.

"But you’re not wrong, Younger Brother Wu. Savage beasts are still just beasts at the end of the day. They haven’t transcended their animal nature, and they aren’t very smart. As long as you’re careful, they aren’t that hard to deal with."

Zhuang Bo agreed with Wu Chen, nodding, but then his tone shifted.

"The problem is, it’s not just savage beasts in that secret realm. There are also those motherfucking people from the Blood Slaughter Sect!"

"They can also open a path into the secret realm, and they use it to hunt down disciples from the other sects!"