Chapter 331 - 302: If Thousand Eyes Is Unreliable, Then I’ll Step Up

Chapter 331: Chapter 302: If Thousand Eyes Is Unreliable, Then I’ll Step Up

After taking care of business in Jinyun Valley, Chen Che returned to Earth Element Star for a few days as his summer vacation was coming to an end.

He even attended a few get-togethers before school started.

One was a dinner at Wu Neng’s place. In reality, it was just the three of them having barbecue and beer. Looking at Chen Che, who was on the verge of forming his Golden Core, and then at Wu Rui, who was about to become a high school senior, Wu Neng couldn’t help but drink a little too much.

As it ended, Chen Che secretly gave him a Dragon Fish Pill, claiming it was a Secret Pill from the academy that wasn’t available to the public. Without Wu Neng’s wholehearted support, he would have had a much rougher time in Yunzhou, so he genuinely wanted to help the man out.

The other was a class reunion, which Li Xiaoshuang himself attended. Afterward, Chen Che insisted on taking Old Li for a foot massage, but the latter refused on principle. He hinted that they should wait until after Chen Che graduated, as he was a teacher, after all, and couldn’t lead a student down the Evil Dao.

Chen Che thought to himself, ’I’m planning on going to grad school. Old Li will probably have to wait a few more years.’

When he returned to Zhurong Daoist School, he was surprised to see Zong Yudao had come along. "I’ve got my junior year internship, working in the Capital City," Zong Yudao said. "I’ll have time to come hang out at Zhurong Daoist School."

Chen Che was very curious and asked, "What kind of internship?"

"Selling Yin Nourishing Pills for Life Extension and Longevity over the phone. Eight hundred base pay, plus commission."

"Just promise me you’ll never call."

Chen Che’s mouth twitched as he spoke bluntly.

Finally.

Amidst all the get-togethers, the first day of school arrived.

On the very first day of school, Chen Che learned a shocking piece of news: Ye Zhihan had successfully achieved Core Formation right before classes started.

Suddenly, all the students in their year felt the pressure.

Although life on Earth Element Star was relatively peaceful, it was still a society centered on Cultivation, where top students received a great deal of attention each year. Chen Che’s class was considered a minor peak unseen in decades; because no past competitions had ever produced so many students at the Foundation Establishment Realm, they were under particular scrutiny.

Li Tingyu even called Chen Che to her office specifically. "Not bad. Foundation Establishment Ninth Layer. Your Qi and Blood are abundant, and your True Essence is dense. It looks like you didn’t slack off over the summer. Are you ready for Core Formation?"

"More or less."

Chen Che was quite confident. "If things go quickly, I can achieve Core Formation by the end of the year. If not, I can still do it before my junior year."

Li Tingyu was also quite satisfied. "That’s good. I’ll give you a green light on your courses this year. Strive to achieve Core Formation on your first attempt. You cannot fail."

Only then did Chen Che learn that, to inspire students in their Cultivation, the Immortal Sect was planning a major documentary and intended to interview all the competition participants from previous years.

Of course.

Chen Zhuo had it the worst.

Back then, his failure in Foundation Establishment had made the news. He not only missed the competition but also nearly missed the college entrance exams, ultimately getting into a second-tier university. Although he succeeded in Foundation Establishment by the end of his sophomore year, he had already fallen more than a step or two behind the top students of his cohort.

Even so, within the Immortal Sect, he was still considered a Tier 1 student.

There were also those who had been admitted to the Four Greats but had slowed their Cultivation speed due to complacency.

However, among the many students with Earth Spirit Roots, Chen Che’s own Spiritual Root was considered rather poor. But for that very reason, he was a candidate to be made an example of. If he could successfully achieve Core Formation, it would inspire many students with inferior Spiritual Roots.

Chen Che knew his own situation. "You can probably leave me out of it."

"What’s the big deal?"

Li Tingyu said nonchalantly,

"Don’t sell yourself short because of your Spiritual Root. Our academy’s own patriarch started with a Middle Spirit Root. This comes from the higher-ups; all Four Great Daoist Schools have to cooperate. You’re a student role model—the only one who’s been able to keep up with the Cultivation of a student with an Earth Spirit Root."

The student with the Earth Spirit Root she mentioned was, of course, Ye Zhihan. His pace of Core Formation had even surpassed Li Tingyu’s.

Chen Che had no choice but to go along with it.

The reporters arrived that very afternoon.

It was called an interview, but it really consisted of filming him in class, after school, during his Cultivation, and at various activities. They followed him around for seven or eight days before finally wrapping up, even capturing a scene of him and Ye Zhihan eating together.

Of course, the documentary wouldn’t be limited to that; they also planned to film his Core Formation process. When he heard this, Chen Che was stunned. He had originally planned to undergo Core Formation in Yunzhou...

However.

when he heard that not only would Li Tingyu be present to ensure his success, but Zhurong Academy would also dispatch seven or eight Nascent Soul True Monarchs to act as his Protectors, Chen Che immediately and happily accepted.

...

Another piece of good news came from Huang Daozheng. He had been tailing the Garlic-nosed Elder for over half a month, meticulously recording the man’s daily movements, and had also investigated the origin of the Divine Statues and Paintings.

The elder had indeed collected these items from the Mortal World, though some had also fallen into the hands of Cultivation Clans. After receiving the Spirit Stones from the Ghost Market, the elder returned to his clan and immediately dispatched his kinsmen to the Mortal World to gather more.

This meant one thing:

The supply chain for the Celestial Divine True Master’s items of faith was sufficiently secure.

Of course.

Chen Che didn’t let his guard down, however, and had Huang Daozheng continue the surveillance.

Aside from that, the rest was all bad news:

Ye Juming had successfully achieved Core Formation. Ye Wuchang and Ye Xiuyu had both failed; the former perished, while the latter condensed a Fake Pill. Although their losses seemed immense, the Ye Clan now had a second Golden Core cultivator.

Their strength, far from diminishing, had actually grown.

Ye Juming, having successfully formed his core, remained within the clan, stabilizing his Cultivation Realm.

However, it was said that his clan was preparing a grand Core Formation celebration and had even scheduled it for the same day as Meng Qianxun’s. Many clans had already received their invitations.

But Jinyun Valley and the Meng Family received none.

This meant the Ye Clan was openly forcing everyone to pick a side: either ally with them or be automatically categorized as an ally of Jinyun Valley and the Meng Family. With the Ye Clan now possessing two Golden Core cultivators, many factions would naturally choose the former.

The second piece of bad news was that Thousand Eyes and his retinue had returned from the Black Tortoise Calm Sea.

Apparently, the numerous True Masters had returned empty-handed.

The Golden Core True Masters who had rushed back were invited to Ye Juming’s Core Formation celebration—a total of nine of them. Even those who couldn’t attend sent gifts in their stead. On Meng Qianxun’s side, however, there was only a single True Master: Thousand Eyes.

Those who didn’t attend Meng Qianxun’s celebration only made a token gesture of acknowledgement.

In just a few short days, the once-balanced situation had deteriorated rapidly.

...

After learning this, Chen Che stared at the letter and fell silent for a long time.

It meant they had picked the wrong side.

Perhaps it was because he was a Divine Dao Cultivator, or perhaps because Thousand Eyes had sought a second life, but his being so unpopular was truly unexpected. Even with Thousand Eyes’s powerful support, their side’s position would be far weaker than their opponent’s.

Factional struggles within Major Sects were far more intense than he had imagined. Choosing the wrong side would inevitably lead to a devastating blow.

However.

when it came to choosing sides, personal will was often not the deciding factor.

’If Thousand Eyes can’t be relied upon, then I’ll just have to step up. No one can obstruct my path on the Dao!’

Chen Che rolled his wrists, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.