Chapter 91

"Time has come, the Fish Dragon Nine Transformations are about to begin. Those who wish to challenge, quickly come to receive your talisman and enter in order!"

The moment the voice of the Fish Dragon Path guardian elder sounded, Zhou Zhinyuan grinned at Ye Zhen, "Ye Zhen, the Fish Dragon Nine Transformations are open, why don't you go ahead!"

"Don't worry, no need for you to urge me!" As he walked, Ye Zhen gave Jin Yuanbao a wink, "Old Jin, why haven't you opened the betting house yet? Are you crazy?"

Jin Yuanbao was a bit dazed and whispered, "Old Ye, are you really capable? This Heavenly Rank..."

"I don't know either. This is my first time challenging the Fish Dragon Nine Transformations. I'll do my best!"

"First time challenging the Fish Dragon Nine Transformations?"

Jin Yuanbao's mouth suddenly opened wide, his face immediately filled with bitter laughter and helplessness.

Challenging the Fish Dragon Nine Transformations also requires skills. Each level has its own unique illusions and strategies to deal with them. Even a genius like Ren Xihua only managed to reach the sixth level after accumulating experience from multiple attempts.

"Ha ha ha..."

"I've seen fools, but never one as foolish as you." Hearing this, Zhou Zhinyuan burst into laughter.

Ye Zhen remained calm, waiting for Zhou Zhinyuan to finish laughing before saying, "Zhou Zhinyuan, dare to bet with me!" Ye Zhen had already decided that if he was going to play, he would play big.

The greater the pressure, the greater the motivation.

If he succeeds, he can make Zhou Zhinyuan suffer even more.

"Hmph, what's there to be afraid of, speak, how do you want to bet?"

"Bet our entire fortune. If I make it to the Heavenly Rank, all your fortune will be mine. If I fail, all my fortune will be yours. Dare or not?" Ye Zhen glared at Zhou Zhinyuan with eyes as big as bulls.

"Hmph, why not, let's bet! Hey, if someone is giving me silver, why would I refuse." As he said this, Zhou Zhinyuan's eyes darted around and added, "But how do I know how much your fortune is? Is it equal to mine? If your fortune is only a few ten thousand taels or even a few thousand taels, wouldn't I be at a huge loss?"

Ye Zhen smiled. He had planned to do this, but didn't expect Zhou Zhinyuan to offer first.

"Joke, I'm afraid you have less fortune than me, making me suffer!"

"What a joke? Just you, your fortune can't be more than mine..."

Slap!

A thick stack of silver bills was slapped in front of Jin Yuanbao by Ye Zhen, "120,000 taels, I'll put this down first!"

Zhou Zhinyuan's eyes widened, and he immediately stuttered, "120,000 taels..."

As an inner disciple, Zhou Zhinyuan had spent several 120,000 taels, but because of this, he had invested all his assets into cultivation, leaving him with only about 60,000 to 70,000 taels in cash.

He never imagined that Ye Zhen, who had just become an inner disciple not long ago, would have such a substantial fortune.

"What, can't you come up with this much?"

The 120,000 taels Ye Zhen had were given by his family, obtained from Guo Shanfeng, and from killing Li Shui Sect's prospective true disciple Jin Tai. Ye Zhen actually wanted to spend it to improve his cultivation, but he never had the time.

"You wait!"

Zhou Zhinyuan's face was not good. He fumbled around and found over 70,000 taels, then borrowed some from familiar inner disciples, finally managing to gather 120,000 taels. Ye Zhen slapped down another storage bracelet!

"A one cubic meter storage bracelet!"

After killing Jin Tai, Ye Zhen had taken Jin Tai's storage bracelet, thus acquiring an additional storage bracelet.

"A genuine one cubic meter storage bracelet, worth 10,000 contribution points in the sect, equivalent to 100,000 taels of silver!"

As soon as Ye Zhen slapped it down, Jin Yuanbao loudly announced it. Zhou Zhinyuan's face immediately turned black. Every bit of his silver was spent on purchasing cultivation resources, and he had no spare money for such a luxury as a storage bracelet.

"Can't come up with it? You, an old inner disciple, can't even gather this much fortune?"

"Can you still bet? If you can't, forget it, don't waste my time here!"

Under Ye Zhen's pressure, Zhou Zhizhan had no choice but to swallow his pride and borrow more silver from familiar fellow disciples. This time, he had to use all his persuasive skills, even promising to pay back with interest, to finally borrow 120,000 taels!

"Is this enough!"

Zhou Zhizhan slammed 240,000 taels of silver bills in front of Jin Yuanbao.

"Still okay!"

Ye Zhen nodded, "I won't put my Heavenly Crystal Sword as collateral, otherwise, you would have to sell your ass to borrow that much silver!"

Zhou Zhizhan's vision went dark, almost spitting blood from anger, but Ye Zhen was right. If Ye Zhen had put up a lower-grade treasure, he would have been unable to accept the bet.

"Old Jin, take good care of it!"

"Zhou Zhizhan, get ready to sell your ass to pay off your debt!"

Ye Zhen shouted at Zhou Zhizhan, and the many disciples laughed heartily as he strode towards the Fish Dragon Path guardian elder. Perhaps because of the earlier commotion, no one rushed to challenge first, leaving the first attempt to Ye Zhen.

Jin Yuanbao also took this opportunity to open his betting house.

"Activate your true essence to trigger this jade talisman."

The guardian elder handed Ye Zhen a jade talisman, "This jade talisman is your amulet. The illusions inside are made of spiritual energy, but the attacks are real. If you receive a fatal attack during the challenge, this jade talisman will instantly teleport you out, but your challenge will end.

At the same time, this jade talisman will record your score and display it here." The guardian elder pointed to a luminous wall on the Fish Dragon Path stone wall.

Swish!

The moment true essence flowed into it, the jade talisman instantly shattered, and a faint spiritual energy glow enveloped Ye Zhen's entire body, as if a layer of spiritual membrane covered him.

"Go in, pass through the Fish Dragon Path, and you will see the entrance to the first transformation of the Fish Dragon."

Nodding, Ye Zhen's figure flashed, and he immediately rushed into the Fish Dragon Path.

Nearly a year had passed since Ye Zhen last challenged the Fish Dragon Path, but the speed of his challenge was vastly different.

Swish!

His figure moved like a phantom, and the moment the mechanisms inside the Fish Dragon Path activated, Ye Zhen's figure appeared at the entrance of the first transformation of the Fish Dragon.

Slowly pushing open the door, what appeared before Ye Zhen was a ten-meter-wide, several-mile-long passage, similar to the Fish Dragon Path, but with no movement.

Bang!

The moment Ye Zhen took a step forward, the door behind him closed on its own, and the passage of the first transformation of the Fish Dragon was instantly filled with thick spiritual energy.

The spiritual energy, under some mysterious rule, quickly transformed into a pack of Yin Wind Wolves—lower-grade human-stage beasts!

A quick glance revealed that there were at least a hundred Yin Wind Wolves made of spiritual energy.

Roar!

With a hiss, the red eyes of the Yin Wind Wolves immediately fixed on Ye Zhen!

Ye Zhen's figure instantly moved!

Outside the cave.

"Do you think how long it will take Ye Zhen to pass the first transformation of the Fish Dragon Nine Transformations?"

"Ye Zhen has a third-level true essence cultivation, at least a hundred breaths, right?"

"A hundred breaths, impossible! Ren Xihua took eighty breaths on his first attempt. I estimate Ye Zhen will take at least 150 breaths..."

Whoosh!

As they were discussing, the luminous wall above the Fish Dragon Path cave entrance suddenly flickered, displaying a number—1500!

The hundreds of disciples who were discussing immediately froze!

Even the face of the guardian elder showed a hint of surprise, "So fast?"

"My God, 1500 points, 100 Yin Wind Wolves, all killed for 1000 points, and 500 points for completing the challenge, a perfect challenge!"

"A perfect challenge is nothing, the key is the time. Was it ten breaths? I estimate it was less than ten breaths..."

"Three months ago, when Ren Xihua challenged again, the first level took about fifteen breaths..."

"So fast, how did Ye Zhen do it? This is too amazing!"

Hearing the discussion, Zhou Zhizhan bit his lip, slightly losing his composure.

Inside the first transformation of the Fish Dragon Path.

Facing the nearly hundred Yin Wind Wolves charging at him, Ye Zhen took a step with the Star Chasing Step, instantly crossing a hundred meters. As he stepped, two six-foot-long true essence sword fingers emerged from his index fingers!

Swoosh!

The two true essence sword fingers, like cutting machines, sliced through the Yin Wind Wolves, which instantly dissipated into their original spiritual energy as Ye Zhen passed by.

At the entrance to the second transformation of the Fish Dragon Path, the moment Ye Zhen stepped in, a pack of mid-grade human-stage illusions, Flame Tigers, charged at him.

This time, Ye Zhen used the Star Chasing Step again, and the mid-grade human-stage illusions, Flame Tigers, were directly sliced by his true essence sword fingers.

However, this level took Ye Zhen a hundred breaths, which he felt was quite slow.

Unbeknownst to him, the inner and outer disciples outside the Fish Dragon Path, seeing the score refreshed within a hundred breaths, were almost shocked speechless.

"Second level, a hundred breaths, perfect challenge!"

"Damn, I remember Ren Xihua, at the peak of fifth-level true essence, also took this speed..."

"Ye Zhen is too terrifying!"

"Maybe, Ye Zhen can really use the Fish Dragon Path points to enter the Heavenly Rank?"

Hearing this, Zhou Zhizhan's face immediately darkened, "Impossible! Ye Zhen has true essence sword fingers, so the first two levels will be very easy! The later levels get progressively harder!"

Zhou Zhizhan was right!

When Ye Zhen entered the third level, he felt the pressure.

Upper-grade human-stage beasts, Golden Body Bull Demons, could no longer be killed in large numbers. Each Golden Body Bull Demon, formed from spiritual energy, required Ye Zhen's full effort.

A flash of the Star Chasing Step, a Thunder Leopard Punch hit the abdomen of a Golden Body Bull Demon, and it instantly dissipated.

Often, Ye Zhen had to deal with three to four Golden Body Bull Demons simultaneously, but the Star Chasing Step became increasingly fluid, allowing him to deliver a Thunder Leopard Punch with each step!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

After half a moment, the hundred Golden Body Bull Demons were all slaughtered by Ye Zhen.

Outside the Fish Dragon Path, the hundreds of inner and outer disciples stared at the luminous wall. When the numbers on the luminous wall stopped jumping, Jin Yuanbao was the first to cheer.

"10,000 points, already 10,000 points! The third level of the Fish Dragon Path, also a perfect challenge! Another 12,000 points, and Old Ye can surpass the 22,000 points of Wu Ze, the 72nd on the Heavenly Rank, and successfully enter the Heavenly Rank!"

"Such speed, completing the first three levels in less than a moment, it's very likely!"

Hearing this, Zhou Zhinyuan's face, which had been somewhat unpleasant due to Ye Zhen's extremely fast challenge, suddenly roared, "Jin Yuanbao, are you crazy? The fourth level is a peak human-stage beast!

A peak human-stage beast, even a fifth-level true essence cultivator can't easily deal with it!

Even if Ye Zhen barely makes it through the fourth level, the fifth level has lower-grade earth-stage beasts!

Do you know what a lower-grade earth-stage beast is?

It's a beast that only a Spirit Induction Realm inner disciple can deal with! Even I can only kill three or four with all my might, how many can Ye Zhen kill?"

This roar made the joy on Jin Yuanbao's and a few supporters of Ye Zhen's faces disappear, replaced by a layer of worry. Zhou Zhizhan's words were not exaggerated in the slightest.

Seeing this, Zhou Zhizhan's face, which had been somewhat unnatural due to Ye Zhen's extremely fast challenge, immediately relaxed.

"With Ye Zhen's cultivation, dreaming to make it to the fifth level!"

***********

PS: Another 3,000-word chapter, boys, where are the recommendation votes!

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