Chapter 468: The Goose

Chapter 468: The Goose

October 23, 2024

Yue Xi Mountain is a vast mountain range.

Upon their arrival at Yue Xi Mountain, the group could only stay in the outer mountains.

After achieving some results in the outer mountains, they would have to undergo tests and trials to gain access to the inner mountains.

The so-called Heavenly Paradise, with its divine and transcendent cultivation techniques, could only be accessed within the inner mountains.

As he listened to the locals of Yue Xi Mountain explaining these rules, Su Chen felt a sense of impatience.

They had already wasted a considerable amount of time since arriving in this region.

Now, they had to spend even more time in the outer mountains.

Su Chen reminded himself to stay calm and composed as he entered this unfamiliar place, a place that should inspire awe.

Arrogance and overconfidence could lead to defeat, and his own sense of superiority might bring him trouble.

There were seventeen outer mountains in Yue Xi Mountain.

Each outer mountain had a Mountain Lord, and all young disciples who came to cultivate here would be under the jurisdiction of the respective Mountain Lord.

Only after passing the trials set by the Mountain Lord could one gain entry into the inner mountains for cultivation.

After cultivating in the outer mountains for at least a month, one could participate in the trials set by the Mountain Lord.

Lu Xiaonan and Qian Cheng were both aware of these rules.

This was the custom of Yue Xi Mountain.

The mountain assigned to Su Chen and his two companions was named Moonless Mountain.

It was said that this mountain was rarely illuminated by moonlight.

When one saw this mountain, they couldn't help but feel sleepy and fall into a slumber.

On the first day of their stay in the outer mountains, each person received two cultivation techniques.

These techniques had no names, only instructions on how to cultivate, without explaining their purpose.

That very night, everyone was allowed to begin their cultivation.

Su Chen, with the help of his 【Scholar】 Heavenly Destiny, quickly understood the two cultivation techniques.

One was a basic body refinement technique.

The other was quite peculiar; not only did it not benefit the cultivator, but it also seemed to have drawbacks.

The core of the technique required the cultivator to cause their essence blood to surge and condense.

Normally, essence blood circulated throughout the body.

To condense it meant that the cultivator had suffered a severe injury.

Especially when certain parts of the body were eroded by toxins, condensing the essence blood could protect the heart and spirit.

Su Chen had never heard of any benefits of condensing essence blood under other circumstances.

During his time at Zhu Ming Palace, he had also read some medical knowledge.

Even there, it was stated that condensing essence blood served no purpose.

These two cultivation techniques seemed useless to Su Chen.

He feared that he would waste more time here.

After cultivating in Moonless Mountain for two days, Su Chen and the others, guided by the outer mountain attendants, reached the mountain's waist.

At the mountain's waist, there was a massive estate.

The Mountain Lord of Moonless Mountain, Eternal Victory Immortal, resided here.

Su Chen was genuinely surprised to hear this title.

An Immortal?

Someone dared to call themselves the Eternal Victory Immortal? In the outside world, not only in the Great Zhou but even in Jin Kingdom, no one would dare to claim the title of an Immortal.

There were forty people in this group.

Besides Su Chen and the others who had just arrived, there were some who had been here for some time.

Before their arrival, Lu Xiaonan and Qian Cheng had informed Su Chen about this.

They had come to this mountain waist to receive guidance.

The outer mountains of Yue Xi Mountain would provide some instructions.

This guidance would help them improve their cultivation and gain entry into the inner mountains.

As they approached the estate's entrance, a large goose waddled past the doorway.

Upon seeing the goose, the senior apprentices who had arrived earlier all bowed respectfully.

"Don't you see that everyone else is bowing? Don't just stand there.

Disrespecting Goose Senior Apprentice is the same as disrespecting Eternal Victory Immortal.

Our Moonless Mountain's Senior Apprentice is this very goose."

As Su Chen listened to these words, his brows furrowed even tighter, feeling that these people had some issues with their minds.

The Senior Apprentice of a martial arts sect was actually a goose?

It seemed that everyone was accustomed to bowing to the goose.

The goose, unafraid of humans, calmly accepted their respect.

Su Chen looked at the people around him, including Lu Xiaonan and Qian Cheng, who also bowed to the goose.

Su Chen found it rather ridiculous to bow to a goose; it even felt like an insult.

As the goose passed by Su Chen, it seemed to notice that he hadn't bowed.

The plump bird waddled over to Su Chen and pecked at his feet.

The attendant leading the way in front hurried over with a frown on his face, his expression filled with worry.

"Quickly, kneel down! Kneel down!

You've offended Goose Senior Apprentice, you must kneel and beg for forgiveness."

The attendant's tone was heavy and anxious, as if Su Chen had committed some grave mistake.

Seeing that Su Chen didn't move, the attendant grew even more anxious.

"If you don't kneel, this matter will be reported to Eternal Victory Immortal."

"So, you think you can get by without enduring some hardship and suffering, and you think I'm here to harm you?"

Upon hearing these words from the servant, Lu Xiaonan and Qian Cheng hesitated for a moment.

The two quickly walked over to Su Chen's side.

Seeing that Su Chen was unmoved, Lu Xiaonan was about to kneel down.

Su Chen had previously given them guidance, and they had gained a lot from it.

At this moment, they felt a sense of gratitude and wanted to repay him.

However, Su Chen was quick to react and stopped him from kneeling.

He didn't want to kneel to the goose himself, nor did he want others to kneel on his behalf.

The goose, which had been pecking at Su Chen, didn't get the reaction it wanted.

In the past, when it pecked someone, that person would quickly kneel and apologize.

But this time, Su Chen completely ignored it.

He even felt like kicking it away.

The goose pecked harder, and if an ordinary person were to endure a few pecks, their feet would likely swell and turn red.

The nearby servant seemed to anticipate Su Chen's intention to strike, and he stepped forward to block him.

Holding the goose, he pushed it away and glared at Su Chen with a fierce expression.

"If you want to die, don't drag us down with you."

As he spoke, many others also stared at Su Chen with similar expressions, their eyes filled with hostility.

"If you dare to lay a hand on Goose Senior Apprentice, don't blame us if we do the same to you."

Lu Xiaonan and Qian Cheng repeatedly apologized, quickly pulling Su Chen to the back of the crowd.

"Brother Su, Goose Senior Apprentice is greatly favored by Eternal Victory Immortal.

Not only us, but even the other senior apprentices under him, are nowhere near Goose Senior Apprentice's status.

If you displease him, it won't end well for you."

The two whispered, hoping Su Chen would listen to their advice.

However, seeing Su Chen's expression, they knew their persuasion would likely be in vain.

Fortunately, Su Chen didn't argue with them forcefully.

Most of the people present were secretly pleased with Su Chen's reaction.

During every outer mountain training session, the number of participants was maximized.

This rule had never been explicitly stated by the Mountain Lord, but the historical results consistently followed this pattern.

Su Chen's attitude today meant that he had essentially taken on the role of the one to be eliminated.

They wouldn't stand up to advise Su Chen.

As long as Su Chen didn't hurt Goose Senior Apprentice and didn't implicate them in his punishment, they didn't care how he chose to act.

The more Su Chen resisted the arrangement, the more it highlighted their own obedience.

After the commotion with Goose Senior Apprentice subsided, the group followed the leading servant into the manor.

The servant occasionally glanced back at Su Chen, a slight smirk of disdain on his face.

Not far into the manor, there stood an offering altar.

Those who came for guidance had to offer a drop of their essence blood as a price for the opportunity to receive instruction.

The senior apprentices who had arrived earlier were familiar with the process and effortlessly offered a drop of their essence blood.

Then, they waited on the side for everyone to finish before entering together to receive guidance.

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By his side, Lu Xiaonan also whispered instructions to Su Chen, fearing he might not know how to gather his essence blood.

He was worried that Su Chen might not know how to gather his essence blood, so he hurriedly offered more guidance.

But for Su Chen, offering essence blood would clearly damage his physical body.

His qi and blood would be harmed, and it would take a lot to restore them to their previous state.

Moreover, the upper limit of his body's strength would also be significantly reduced.

This was why many people felt that their bodies were never the same after a severe illness.

Even with the best nourishment, it was extremely difficult to return to their peak condition.

Su Chen's foundation in the Martial Way was the Heavenly Dao Mind Decision.

This top-tier technique tempered the body, so the damage from offering essence blood wasn't as apparent.

For the others present, offering their essence blood would undoubtedly cause significant harm.

Hearing Lu Xiaonan's instruction, Su Chen quietly explained the potential harm to the two.

Lu Xiaonan and Qian Cheng's faces turned awkward upon hearing Su Chen's warnings.

Their expressions clearly showed their disagreement with Su Chen's words, but they didn't dare to contradict him directly.

In their hearts, they desperately wanted to receive guidance from Eternal Victory Immortal.

The people in front of them offered their essence blood without hesitation, and none of them showed any signs of reluctance.

At most, some struggled with the technique, not yet skilled in gathering their essence blood, but even that didn't take much time.

Soon, it was Su Chen's turn.

Looking at the blood basin on the offering altar, Su Chen didn't step forward as smoothly as the others had.

During this hesitation, a middle-aged man in his forties emerged, walking leisurely with a strange branch in his hand and a cold expression on his face.

"Second Apprentice Brother," the leading servant called out, and the others followed suit.

Apparently, he was the senior apprentice of the goose.

The Second Apprentice Brother did not respond to the crowd but instead walked directly in front of Su Chen.

"You need not hesitate about offering your Essence Blood."

"Because of your recent actions, you have lost that qualification."

"Keep your stinking Essence Blood for yourself."

The atmosphere was quiet as the Second Apprentice Brother spoke, and no one else dared to speak. Even their postures became more upright than before.

"You two seem to be closer to him, do you share his thoughts as well?"

The Second Disciple of the Longsheng Immortal looked at Lu Xiaonan and Qian Cheng.

He asked calmly.

"Rest assured, you will all be able to participate in the final trial.

Whatever Master Longsheng has to offer, you will not miss out."

"It's just that we won't have the guidance of our Master."

"When someone has intentions towards you, first consider if you have the qualifications for them to have such intentions."

The Second Apprentice Brother's cold gaze fell on Su Chen, his peripheral vision sweeping over Lu Xiaonan and Qian Cheng.

In fact, they were certain that these people had intentions towards them.

But when it came to a specific individual, a little less Essence Blood was of no concern to them.

For this reason, the Second Apprentice Brother even proactively prohibited Su Chen from offering his Essence Blood.

Hearing these words, Lu Xiaonan and Qian Cheng hesitated for a moment, then quickly stepped forward.

They dropped their Essence Blood into the blood basin on the Offering Altar.

"Brother Su, we still want Master Longsheng's guidance."

Su Chen did not find their choice strange and could even understand it.

Compared to their own Essence Blood, they felt that Master Longsheng's guidance was more valuable, and there was no issue with that.

But after Su Chen arrived here, he did not sense that these people had much strength.

Wasting Essence Blood without gaining sufficient benefits would indeed be a pity.

And seeing Lu Xiaonan and Qian Cheng's choice,

The Second Apprentice Brother's cold face also carried a hint of disdainful smile.

"Alright, there's nothing left for you here. You can go back and wait."

"In the latter half of next month, when the Moonless Mountain's trial begins, the sect will notify you."

"Given your arrogance, it's no surprise that you'll surely pass the trial.

If you regret it halfway, go find Elder Goose and apologize."

"If he forgives you, perhaps Master will consider giving you some guidance."

Su Chen heard these words but did not reply.

He turned and left the mountain.

To find an Elder Goose and ask for forgiveness?

What should he do to earn that forgiveness?

Su Chen did not yearn for the guidance of this Master Longsheng.

Just now, the Second Apprentice Brother's display of strength and aura was around the Seventh Stage.

Combined with the arrangements of Master Longsheng, Su Chen truly looked down on them.

It was likely that Master Longsheng himself was only around the Sixth Stage.

Offering Essence Blood for his guidance was indeed harmful and unbeneficial.

Su Chen did not come here for anyone's guidance.

He came seeking the Strange Land and a chance for a Fifth Stage to advance further.

Offering Essence Blood for such guidance was meaningless.

Since they were given the opportunity for the trial, there was no need for further argument.

In the end, it would depend on one's own abilities.

If one truly couldn't pass this trial, it would be their own problem, and they couldn't blame others.

After Su Chen left, the guidance at the mountain's waist continued.

Those who offered their Essence Blood had already gone inside the manor.

But unfortunately, they did not meet Master Longsheng.

Instead, they were guided by Master Longsheng's Fifth Disciple.

Although they were somewhat disappointed, due to Su Chen's recent actions, they dared not speak more.

Meanwhile, on the manor's upper floor, Master Longsheng lay on the armchair, listening to his Second Disciple's report.

The goose, known as the First Apprentice Brother, squatted by Master Longsheng's side, allowing Master Longsheng to stroke its head.

"In these two years, we rarely encounter such hot-heads. The Mountain Lord is considering intentionally picking one."

"This time, meeting one saves us some trouble."

Master Longsheng's voice carried a hint of age, and indeed, he was quite old.

After living for many years, he seemed to have seen through the world, truly like an immortal.

His words and actions all seemed to deliberately add a touch of immortal quality.

"This person will not be given a chance to surrender."

"Killing the chicken to scare the monkeys."

On the Moonless Mountain, there hadn't been a chicken-killing incident in the past two years, but the disciples on the surface seemed well-behaved.

However, in private, they secretly engaged in unclean deeds.

They would regularly pick two hot-heads for punishment during the trial.

For those who were particularly wild, they would be crippled during the trial.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end