Chapter 4

This place is the Xiaoman Tian Sect's Law Hall. Although it was empty, Chen Xi knew very well that it must be heavily guarded. The sword that stabbed at his back had actually managed to bypass the huge jade disc in the hall just now, so Chen Xi felt something was amiss. In that split second, he managed to think so much.

Then he did not dodge but turned his head calmly.

The sword stopped less than a centimeter from his neck, the hand holding the sword as solid as a rock, the sword motionless in his hand.

"Although you are a teacher, I still don't like being pointed at with a sword."

Chen Xi said calmly, "If you feel that my coming to take your punishment is a humiliation, then this humiliation will likely follow you... and never leave."

He lightly stepped back, his body floating away like a willow leaf.

The person holding the sword was clearly taken aback.

"You indeed have cultivation."

Ding Mei sheathed her long sword and looked at Chen Xi with cold eyes, "Whose lapdog are you?"

Hearing this, Chen Xi, who was about to enter the ice chamber, paused and turned to look at Ding Mei, "You used the word 'lapdog,' very good."

Ding Mei frowned, she frowned whenever she encountered something she disliked.

Perhaps because her eyebrows were particularly beautiful, her parents named her Mei.

"There are many lapdogs in this Qingwu Academy."

Chen Xi looked at Ding Mei and said word by word, "Prince Anyang, Prince Pingjiang, Prince Runan, Prince Xiangfan... the nine sons of the Holy Emperor, each wants to sit on that throne. But no one dares to ignore the National Master, no one dares to ignore the Shen Teng that the National Master has raised in the Fate Altering Tower. The lapdogs you mentioned are all here for the Shen Teng, and I am too... but I am not a lapdog."

He turned and walked into the ice chamber.

"Teacher, how long has it been since you dressed up?"

Before entering, Chen Xi suddenly asked an unrelated question.

This made Ding Mei frown even more.

"What do you mean?"

She asked.

Chen Xi laughed out loud, "If I help you win first place, would you be willing to dress me up?"

Ding Mei's face turned red, but it was not out of shyness but anger.

"Since you are so confident, I will accept your bet. If you can win first place in the internal test, I will apply a touch of rouge for you."

She turned away in a huff and walked off.

Chen Xi smiled, took a step, and walked into the ice chamber.

The stone cave looked ordinary, with a black rock entrance. Chen Xi could tell it should be a lava cave, but why there was an ice chamber in a lava cave, which was illogical, he could not find an answer for now. The larger the sect, the more mysterious the places they occupied. The mountain occupied by Xiaoman Tian Sect must have its own unique and mysterious qualities. Just like the Qiyang Valley where Chen Xi had lived for ten years, the geothermal flame energy was particularly intense, which was very helpful for cultivating fire-based techniques.

Relatively speaking, Chen Xi knew much more about Qiyang Valley than Xiaoman Tian Sect.

He left too early and for too long.

The stone cave had no door, and strangely, standing at the entrance, he felt no cold at all. This slightly surprised Chen Xi. He deliberately felt for any seals on the stone door, but found none.

Walking into the stone cave, it was pitch black.

Chen Xi took out a firefly from his chest and flicked it, but could not see far. The light was too weak, only reaching a few meters in front of him. He cautiously took a few steps forward and then saw the stone wall.

This showed that the stone cave was very shallow.

Chen Xi focused his senses but felt no cold at all. Under his feet, on the stone wall, and in the area illuminated by the firefly, there was no ice, not even a trace. This so-called ice chamber had no ice. Could the preparation in the Bishui Cold Pool have been in vain?

Or... had Zhou Jiuzhi lifted the ice chamber's punishment ability to let him into the Fate Altering Tower?

Chen Xi looked around but saw nothing.

"Excuse me... is anyone here?"

He suddenly thought of a possibility.

If there was no ice in the ice chamber, perhaps there was a master cultivating cold energy techniques here?

No one answered.

Chen Xi frowned slightly, this place seemed a bit strange.

At this moment, he suddenly heard a very faint buzzing sound. It was like the sound of a mosquito flying by when lying on the grass in summer, but even softer. The sound came from behind him, and Chen Xi turned around sharply. The light from the firefly dispelled the darkness behind him, and then Chen Xi's face changed.

The darkness enveloped him again.

A darkness that was not afraid of light.

In the world, when light shines, darkness is dispelled. But who has ever seen darkness rushing towards light?

Chen Xi now saw a large mass of darkness rushing towards the firefly in his hand.

...

...

After a series of crackling sounds, the firefly went out.

Chen Xi felt as if countless tiny needles were piercing his body. It was not a black mist but countless flying insects. Because the black insects were so small, when they flew over in a dense swarm, it really looked like a thick fog. The buzzing sound filled Chen Xi's ears, and he could even clearly feel that many insects had already crawled into his ears.

The firefly was extinguished by the flying insects. If moths flying towards a flame is a joke, when the number of moths reaches a certain level, no one can laugh.

The flying insects hit Chen Xi's body, each one like a needle piercing his skin. Although there was clothing, the pain was still clear. In fact, it was not pain but cold. Chen Xi was slightly panicked and wanted to activate his internal energy to shake off the insects. But in a moment, he forcibly stopped himself. If he activated his fire-based technique now, he would immediately be exposed.

Endure

Only endure.

He quickly tore off his clothes, blocked his ears, and covered his eyes and nose. The sensation of being hit became more and more intense, like dozens of people constantly throwing grains of rice at him. It was a vast number of insects that had already covered his entire body.

A moment later, Chen Xi was frozen.

The ice chamber had no ice, but it had Winter Perpetual Insects.

These were extremely small flying insects, even smaller than mosquitoes. Although small, these insects were extremely cold and would rush towards any light. Anything with heat was their target. In just a few dozen seconds, Chen Xi was completely enveloped by the insects.

Ten minutes later, he turned into a statue.

A statue that vaguely resembled a human form.

At this point, Chen Xi was still conscious. He had calmed down because he knew what these were. What reassured him was that these Winter Perpetual Insects did not eat flesh. They might just habitually seek out warm things and freeze them. It could be a form of self-defense or a blind attack.

Chen Xi heard a crackling sound, the sound of his clothes freezing and breaking.

The needle-like sensation on his skin gradually disappeared, replaced by a numbing, bone-chilling cold. Numbness is a sensation, and if it reaches the bone, it is unimaginably terrifying.

Thirty minutes later, the layer of Winter Perpetual Insects covering Chen Xi was several feet thick.

Suffocation

Despair

Fear

These feelings all came.

But Chen Xi knew he had to persevere, at least for twelve hours.

...

...

"Dean!"

Ding Mei, with a very difficult expression, stopped Zhou Jiuzhi, "I don't know why you arranged for Chen Xi to participate in the internal test, but I know this person is definitely problematic. His background is unknown, and no one can be sure if he has any hidden motives for coming to Xiaoman Tian Sect."

Zhou Jiuzhi stopped, looked at Ding Mei, and said, "How many of the people entering Qingwu Academy this year don't have hidden motives?"

"But their backgrounds are clear!"

Ding Mei argued, "The others are just here to investigate the Shen Teng, and everyone knows their intentions. The Holy Emperor is old and ill, and the princes are vying for succession. These are matters Xiaoman Tian Sect cannot afford to get involved in, only to endure. So I endured, as these people at least have no ill will towards Xiaoman Tian Sect. But Chen Xi is different!"

"How is he different?"

Zhou Jiuzhi countered.

"He..."

Ding Mei suddenly remembered the words Chen Xi said to her when he entered the ice chamber... "If I win first place, would you be willing to dress me up?"

"He has ulterior motives!"

Ding Mei stomped her foot and said.

Zhou Jiuzhi couldn't help but laugh, "Nine out of ten people in the world have ulterior motives. Those who have never had ulterior motives are extremely rare, either fools or sages. The higher one's status and cultivation, the more often they have ulterior motives. It's the common people who have ulterior motives far less often. Even you, coming to me to complain, isn't it because you want to drive Chen Xi away?"

"I am for Qingwu Academy!"

Ding Mei said loudly.

Zhou Jiuzhi was silent for a moment and said, "I am also for Qingwu Academy... Chen Xi is not yet fifteen, and he has reached the Ninth Rank of Foundation Establishment."

"Is that enough to keep a person with an unknown background?"

Ding Mei, after being surprised, still couldn't help but counter.

"You know, Qingwu Academy hasn't won the internal test for a long time. Although we always make it into the top three, we have never produced a disciple who truly catches the attention of the sect. Zhan Qing in your Class A is a good seed, but he can only barely reach the second level of the Fate Altering Tower. After Fu Jinglun reached the third level, Qingwu Academy has never had anyone shine so brightly again."

Ding Mei's tone softened, "I know all of this, but I still feel that Chen Xi's background is not clear, and his intentions are not pure."

"How long has it been?"

Zhou Jiuzhi suddenly asked.

Ding Mei was taken aback, "How long has what been?"

Zhou Jiuzhi said, "How long has Chen Xi been in the ice chamber?"

Ding Mei calculated, "Eight hours."

Zhou Jiuzhi took out a pearl the size of an egg from his sleeve, crystal clear. The pearl emitted a soft green light, not dazzling but soothing to the mind.

"He actually..."

Seeing the pearl, Ding Mei's expression immediately changed.

Zhou Jiuzhi nodded, "Back then, I deliberately let Fu Jinglun enter the ice chamber to test his abilities. After enduring for seven hours, he had to close his meridians and senses, feigning death to withstand the cold of the Winter Perpetual Insects. It has been eight hours now, and the pearl is still green, not red. This means Chen Xi is still conscious and deliberately sensing the cold of the Winter Perpetual Insects."

"You see now... Chen Xi is stronger than Fu Jinglun."

Ding Mei was speechless, struggling for a while before saying, "Just a little stronger."

As soon as she finished speaking, the pearl in Zhou Jiuzhi's hand flickered a few times, green and red light alternating. After a few dozen seconds, the green light disappeared, and the pearl turned completely red.

Ding Mei let out a long breath, "I said, he might not be stronger than Fu Jinglun."

"No... you are wrong."

Zhou Jiuzhi's expression was difficult, as if he had accidentally broken his most cherished treasure. It was the pain of losing something valuable, unmasked.

He took a step forward, "Follow me."

The two walked to the Law Hall. As soon as they reached the entrance, they saw Chen Xi standing at the door, looking up at the sun, and stretching.

Seeing Zhou Jiuzhi and Ding Mei, he scratched his head awkwardly, "I don't know if this counts as a failure... I accidentally froze all the insects to death."

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