Chapter 28

At the foot of Danling Mountain, the rain continued to pour heavily. Dark clouds pressed down, turning the entire Sudian mountain range into a night even in broad daylight. Lightning flashed, occasionally illuminating the entire sky.

Not far from the entrance of Danling Mountain, two figures stood on a cloud-flipping carriage, gazing at the mountain peak.

"It's already been half an hour. Why hasn't he come down yet? Uncle Xiao, did the one on the mountain really agree? Is there any chance of a change?"

The speaker was a young man, with a handsome face that bore a faint resemblance to Zong Shou. At this moment, his expression was tinged with doubt.

The other person was a middle-aged man in his thirties, with a yellowish complexion. He immediately chuckled, "Young Master Zong Ling, there's no need to worry. Senior Liang Miaozhi is the master of the Jiyong East Hall and a close friend of Young Master Zong Shi's teacher. Since he has agreed, he is almost certain to succeed. A Nine Yin Snow Lotus is enough to make him do his best!"

If Zong Shou were here, he would recognize this voice as belonging to Feng Xiao, who had spoken with Yin Yang a few months ago.

Zong Ling was not reassured, and his brows furrowed slightly. "I know this, but my cousin, although unable to practice Qi cultivation, has been praised by several elders in the clan for his martial talent, which is actually excellent. The Lingyun Sect's entrance examination will likely not be difficult for him. And there's the Lingyun Zhu Ling—"

"Lord Ling, you don't understand the ways of the major sects!"

Feng Xiao sneered, full of disdain. "The larger the sect, like the Danling Sect, the more corrupt it is inside. Even if he passes the examination, a dual-meridian body is enough for the one on the mountain to have a valid reason to reject him. Unless this boy can break the 'Little Luo Tian Sword Array' on the Mingjian Platform, or copy the twelve 'Heavenly Symbols' left by the Lingyun Sect's founding ancestor!"

Zong Ling's expression changed, and he shook his head with a bitter smile. "The 'Little Luo Tian Sword Array' is unbreakable, and as for the twelve 'Heavenly Symbols,' no one below the Dayou realm has ever successfully copied them. Not to mention him, even the geniuses admitted to the inner sect of the Lingyun Sect today cannot do it. My cousin is even less likely to. But this is the first task given to me by Brother Zong Shi, and I really don't want to make any mistakes."

As he spoke, Zong Ling raised his head again, looking at the halfway point of the mountain, muttering, "In the past, when my uncle was around, my cousin was always high above, needing to look up to see him. These years, I've always thought, why should this Zong Shou, a bastard who can't cultivate, be above us? Being able to pull him down from the clouds and drag him into the mud, and then stomp on him, would resolve one of my heartaches."

Feng Xiao felt a bit awkward and wanted to say something to please him. But since he had once been a subordinate of the former demon king, saying such things was somewhat inappropriate and could make him look down on him. After a moment of hesitation, he shook his head slightly, "Prince Zong Shou, in terms of talent and virtue, is not worthy of the position. He really lacks self-awareness. Today's matter is not entirely his fault—"

Following Zong Ling's gaze, Feng Xiao also showed a look of surprise.

It was unclear what had happened up there. The time had indeed been delayed long enough.

※※※※

Inside the Daoist temple on the halfway point of the mountain, there was no one left. All the inner and outer sect disciples, including the fire workers, had gathered under the Heavenly Symbol Platform.

Most people's expressions were mixed, some shocked, some disbelieving, some angry, and some envious. Their gazes, however, were all fixed on the figure on the stone, not daring to look away for a moment.

"It's already the ninth symbol, the 'Earth' symbol. The remaining Heavenly Symbols will likely not be difficult for him—"

"The twelve Heavenly Symbols—Heaven, Earth, Yin, Yang, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth, Wind, Thunder, and Destiny—are the most difficult to draw. This boy did not start with the easiest but chose the most difficult Heaven and Earth symbols, so the rest will be like cutting through bamboo."

"Indeed, I never thought that there would actually be someone in this world who could copy these Heavenly Symbols without using any soul energy! I am truly ashamed—"

"Don't speak too soon! Although Heaven and Earth are the most difficult, the final 'Destiny' symbol is even more challenging! The true meaning of this symbol is elusive. He may be able to draw the first eleven Heavenly Symbols, but he may not be able to draw the 'Destiny' symbol!"

In the crowd, Ge Hanyun's icy eyes sparkled as she stared at Zong Shou on the platform, sighing, "Twelve Heavenly Symbols, nine have been copied. Feibai, what should I do? I like this Zong Shou more and more, and I can't let him go—"

The young man beside her twitched slightly, but quickly regained his composure, "I indeed underestimated him before. His sword skills are excellent, and his symbol drawing is also top-notch. Hanyun, how many of the twelve Heavenly Symbols can you copy now?"

"Eleven, including Heaven and Earth—"

Ge Hanyun lifted her chin, a proud look on her face. Then, she looked at the last stone tablet with a dejected expression.

This tablet was different from the others, silver and shiny, made of Guangyun stone, which, though not as precious as Chongjin, had unique properties.

"Only the 'Destiny' symbol cannot be drawn. The concept of destiny is too hard to grasp. If not for this symbol, I would doubt whether such a rule exists in this world. It will take me two years to master it. It is said that above 'Destiny' is 'Fate,' which is even more profound. To be honest, our founding ancestor's achievement was only this much. He left behind the twelve Heavenly Symbols, but the more profound 'Universe' symbols were never touched—"

When it came to the art of symbols, the young woman was enthusiastic and spoke non-stop.

The young man, however, was satisfied with her previous answer and changed the topic, "I guess it will take me two years to break the 'Little Luo Tian Sword Array.' It turns out Hanyun is the same as me. But these symbols are really ugly—"

The blood symbols Zong Shou had drawn on the stone tablets, even if described as scribbles, would be an exaggeration. Upon closer inspection, they were simply ugly and twisted vines, unbearable to look at.

"You're just a martial artist, what do you know!"

Ge Hanyun snorted, then looked at the blood symbols with the same admiration as one would look at a masterpiece of calligraphy, "Without using any spiritual energy, no matter how skilled the person drawing the symbols is, it is hard to be perfectly accurate. These symbols may be ugly, but they contain the essence of the Heavenly Symbols, with everything that should be there and nothing that shouldn't. This person's mastery of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth is clearly at its peak. I don't know about the Central Cloud Continent, but in the Donglin Cloud Continent, there are no more than five people of his age who can match him—"

Her voice paused, and her gaze returned to Zong Shou on the platform, full of confidence, "I've decided. If he can copy the last symbol, I, Ge Hanyun, will pursue him and make him mine."

The young man chuckled, then quickly stopped, showing no opposition, and continued to watch the platform with a serious and stern expression.

At this moment, Zong Shou was standing in front of the 'Thunder' symbol tablet, touching the starting point of the Heavenly Symbol with his blood-dripping index finger.

The young man was not concerned. Copying the Thunder symbol was only slightly less difficult than the Heaven, Earth, Yin, and Yang symbols. Since the last four symbols had already been drawn, it was likely that the Thunder symbol would not be difficult for this person.

He was just curious whether this person could copy the 'Destiny' symbol, which Ge Hanyun had described as the most difficult.

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