Chapter 3

Returning to his dilapidated wooden hut, Chen Xi forced himself not to laugh out loud. A slight curve graced the corners of his mouth, so captivating. This time, his smile was not a practiced one but a genuine one from the heart.

The first step, finally successful.

It took three hundred days, much longer than he had anticipated. He knew that after passing by Zhou Jiuzhi so many times, Zhou Jiuzhi would eventually notice his uniqueness. One time might not be noticeable, but ten times, fifty times, he would surely realize that this poor young man was an unparalleled genius!

With this step successful, the next steps would be easier.

Chen Xi sat on the hard bed and took out a handkerchief to wipe away the blood that had been shaken out by his coughing.

He was indeed injured, but not as Zhou Jiuzhi had guessed.

He entered the Cold Water Pond not to suppress the fiery qi injury in his body, but to conceal the fact that he was cultivating fiery qi! To deceive Zhou Jiuzhi, he had to do this. First, he injured himself with his fiery qi cultivation, then he entered the Cold Water Pond every day to suppress his fiery qi. This did not heal his injuries but only made them worse.

If he persisted for another sixty days and Zhou Jiuzhi still showed no signs, Chen Xi would have to leave. By then, the power of the Cold Water Pond and the fiery qi injury would completely drain his body, and no one could save him.

He made Zhou Jiuzhi believe that his enemy was in the Seven Yang Valley, but he had actually learned the basics of his art there.

Because this was not something he told Zhou Jiuzhi but something Zhou Jiuzhi deduced, it was even more credible.

Everything was for revenge.

Chen Xi thought about his conversation with Zhou Jiuzhi.

"Do you have hatred in your heart?"

"Yes."

"What kind?"

"The greatest kind."

The greatest hatred, nothing more than the destruction of one's family.

He had not adjusted his breathing or cultivated for three hundred days, and his injuries were continuously worsening. But he still could not adjust his breathing or cultivate, as he was only one step away from success.

"Father, Mother."

Chen Xi silently said in his heart: "Wait for me, wait for me to save you from the Netherworld Prison. Wait for me to reclaim everything they took from you, and then return tenfold, a hundredfold, the harm they inflicted on us. I am almost successful. Once I enter the Fate Altering Tower, I will have a chance to enter the Inner Courtyard. The world only knows of the Lesser Full Heaven Sect, but there is also a Greater Full Heaven Sect... My enemy is there, and I will definitely enter."

He sat there for a while, then got up, washed his face, calculated the time, and walked out toward the Discipline Hall.

There were only twenty days left until the annual exam, which was very urgent for him.

No one believed that this boy, who was just shy of fifteen, had spent ten years planning his revenge. Because he had a powerful and mature soul. He could not let twenty days ruin ten years of effort; he absolutely could not allow it.

As he walked out of the wooden hut, someone was waiting for him at the door.

Zhao Wu.

This student, who always ranked third in Class A, now had a grim look on his face. Chen Xi understood this person. Although the Zhao family of Qingzhou was not a top cultivation family, it was second only to the Shi family. He ranked third perhaps because he knew that Zhan Qing was one of the core disciples pre-determined by the Qingwu Academy and that the Shi family was not to be offended.

"Don't think you will get anything."

Zhao Wu abruptly said, "I know you are hiding many things. The reason I haven't exposed you is that I wanted to see what you were up to. You can cultivate and your cultivation is not low, right? With your talent, you would be valued in any sect if you entered openly, but you chose to come here as a servant... Chen Xi, you can't fool me."

"Why would I want to fool you?"

Chen Xi asked.

Zhao Wu sneered, "I don't care why, but let me make it clear... There is no limit to the number of students from each class who can enter the Inner Trial. If all thirty-six students in a class are geniuses, they will shine. However, the number of students who can enter the Fate Altering Tower after the Inner Trial is limited. I bet you didn't know that, did you? The Inner Trial actually has two levels. The first level is a competition between the academies, and the winning academy gets to enter the Fate Altering Tower first. The best class can cultivate for three months, the second for two months, and the rest for one month."

He looked at Chen Xi coldly, "But it's not that easy to enter the Fate Altering Tower. The selected students must undergo a second trial inside the tower. The ten strongest can enter the second level of the tower... Don't stand in my way. If you do, the Zhao family will kill you."

Chen Xi couldn't help but laugh, "It's the Zhao family that will kill me, not you?"

Zhao Wu's face changed, and he snorted, "You better watch yourself!"

"Do you have any treasures on you?"

Chen Xi suddenly asked, "A treasure that can alert you when someone with stronger cultivation appears?"

Zhao Wu's steps suddenly stopped, "Don't push me."

Chen Xi smiled and nodded, "The path is wide, ten people wide. Whether I block you or not is not important; what matters is your own ability. You came to warn me instead of directly eliminating me because you are worried about whether I have a powerful force behind me. Since you dare not act rashly, why did you come?"

Zhao Wu turned around, his mouth twitching, "Sometimes, when words are too absolute, it leads to a dead end."

"I heard the Zhao family has been working for Prince Anyang recently... while the Lesser Full Heaven Sect has always been on the side of the Imperial Advisor."

Chen Xi smiled, "Emperor Sheng of the Great Chu is gravely ill, and Prince Anyang is one of the heirs. The Imperial Advisor is on the side of Prince Pingjiang... don't say you have no mission in entering the Fate Altering Tower. The Fate Altering Tower houses the divine spirit, Shen Teng. If you can gain its assistance, the imperial throne seems within reach. We both have some secrets, so it's best not to provoke each other, or... what if you can't beat me?"

Zhao Wu's face turned cold, and he turned to leave.

...

...

In the sixteenth year of the Zhengxing era of the Great Chu, the Emperor saw a large star fall from the sky, and with one hand, he transformed it into a shape spanning thousands of miles, placing the star in the East Sea. No one knew how many lives he saved, but he averted a great disaster. Since then, the Emperor's health has steadily declined, and in just fifteen years, the supreme expert of the Tianfu Continent was on the brink of death.

The princes, of course, would not remain idle, and the number of their secret maneuvers was unknown.

Chen Xi deliberately said those few words to Zhao Wu, making him believe that he also had a powerful force backing him.

Most sects in the world have their own dependencies.

The Lesser Full Heaven Sect relies on the Imperial Advisor, who is said to be both a teacher and a friend to the Emperor, having a significant influence on the Emperor's decisions. The Imperial Advisor has something that is being raised in the Lesser Full Heaven Sect. This thing, known only by its name, Shen Teng, is known only to those at the highest level.

Some say Shen Teng is a supreme treasure that can predict the future, both past and future, with absolute accuracy.

Some say Shen Teng is a person, residing in the Lesser Full Heaven Sect for cultivation, and once this person emerges, they can determine the fate of the world.

Some say Shen Teng is just a decoy, a ruse by the Imperial Advisor to draw attention away from something else. After all, the Lesser Full Heaven Sect is only a mid-level sect and does not have the qualifications to participate in such high-level power struggles.

However, it is widely known that Shen Teng is in the Fate Altering Tower.

The Fate Altering Tower has nine levels, and Shen Teng is on the ninth level.

Chen Xi wants to enter the Fate Altering Tower to find Shen Teng. To avenge his family, he needs Shen Teng's power. His enemy is powerful, and with his current progress, it might take another hundred years to kill him. According to his knowledge, his parents in the Netherworld Prison cannot hold on much longer.

He knows that Zhao Wu wants to enter the Fate Altering Tower to learn about Shen Teng. It's strange that so many great cultivators have not yet taken action. This is because Shen Teng is a matter of great importance. If one side's great cultivator acts first, the other forces will not sit idly by. It's a delicate balance, and no one dares to break it first.

Therefore, a minor character like Zhao Wu has a use.

Chen Xi deduced that among the six external academies participating in the Inner Trial, many are planted by various forces. Zhao Wu dares not act rashly against him because he fears that Chen Xi might have a powerful force backing him. Each of the Emperor's nine sons has some hidden means.

Only Chen Xi himself knows that he has no background.

What he has is only a heart full of vengeance.

Because of this, he is more eager than others to know what Shen Teng is. He remembers that ten years ago, the loyal servant Old Ninth brought him out and told him that to avenge his family, he must obtain Shen Teng.

For ten years, he has worked hard and endured for this goal.

In front of him was the Discipline Hall.

Chen Xi did not hesitate and stepped in.

"I have come to receive the punishment."

He said.

The Discipline Hall was empty.

Chen Xi frowned slightly and looked around. The Discipline Hall was built on the side of a mountain, essentially a large cave. The cave had many passages, with forty-nine stone chambers inside. Each chamber represented a different punishment. Chen Xi looked up and saw a large, smooth, jade-like disk on the ceiling, about two meters in diameter. He could see his reflection in the disk.

"Do you, Chen Xi, willingly take the punishment for the Class A instructor, Ding Mei, of the Qingwu Academy?"

A voice came from nowhere, cold and devoid of human warmth.

"Yes."

Chen Xi nodded.

"Enter the Discipline Hall and sign the life and death agreement first."

The voice spoke again, and suddenly a piece of the ground in front of Chen Xi rose up. On it was a piece of paper with many words written on it, and a brush pen hung beside it, but there was no inkstone or ink.

Chen Xi looked at the words on the paper, which roughly stated that he voluntarily entered the Discipline Hall to receive punishment, and his life and death were in the hands of heaven, with no responsibility on the Lesser Full Heaven Sect. He picked up the brush pen, and his finger suddenly hurt. It was as if the pen had a sharp point that pricked his fingertip, and a drop of blood quickly appeared on the tip of the pen, red and striking.

Chen Xi was surprised but did not show it, and he signed his name on the document with the brush pen.

"Go."

The voice came again, cold and icy. "The first door on the left is the Ice Chamber. You were originally to receive forty-nine punishments, but the Dean changed the order. You only need to endure twelve hours in the Ice Chamber to be considered to have atoned for your sins."

Chen Xi nodded and walked toward the first stone chamber on the left.

The chamber was pitch black, and he could not see his hand in front of his face.

Chen Xi cautiously took a few steps forward and suddenly felt a shock.

A sword pierced through his back.

In a flash.

Without any warning.

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