Chapter 98: Indeed a Master
Translator: 549690339
“Cough, cough!” Old Man Gu coughed awkwardly, then spoke in a deep voice: “Kid, do you know how many weapon smiths on the Nether State continent want guidance from me?”
Old Man Ci also stood with his hands behind his back, staring at Yang Zhen’s back and said, “Kid, do you know how many people on the Coast of the East Sea bring rare and precious treasures, just to seek a pill from me?”
Yang Zhen shuddered all over and turned around in surprise, looking at the two old men with a face full of admiration.
Old Man Gu and Old Man Ci seemed quite satisfied with Yang Zhen’s reaction. They exchanged looks, flipped their robes and sat down. One looked calm and serene, the other looked like a profound Daoist. They both smiled and looked at Yang Zhen, their eyes as deep as the night sky.
Yang Zhen walked up to them and said uncertainly, “You elders are indeed masters!”
Old Man Gu and Old Man Ci exchanged a glance, their faces broke into hearty smiles, and their aura seemed even deeper and more profound.
Yang Zhen, without waiting for the two to speak, continued: “I, the kid, don’t know how many people desire your guidance and pills, but do you know who I am?”
“Who are you?” The two old men were startled, and they asked in unison.
Yang Zhen laughed heartily, stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze was as deep as the abyss of the Pacific Ocean, staring at the two old men, he asked with a low, husky voice:
“Why did dozens of Golden Core Stage practitioners scream in the middle of the night? Why do countless geniuses fall victim to violent crimes? Why did the royal advisor of Dajiang Country suddenly vomit blood uncontrollably, who was responsible? The door of the old nun’s house gets knocked on every night, who’s that, human or ghost? What’s hidden behind the countless teary nights of celestial maidens? Behind all this, is it the distortion of human nature or the corruption of morality?”
Hearing these series of why’s, the two old men looked stupefied and glanced at each other. They hesitated to look at Yang Zhen, and asked in unison: “Who are you, really?”
“I am Yang Zhen, who specializes in convincing the unconvinced. Also, you two Daoists, could you tell me which way I should head toward the Coast of the East Sea?”
The two old men nodded blankly.
Yang Zhen turned around and walked away: “See you around, Daoist friends.”
“Wait… wait!”
“Hmm?” Yang Zhen turned around and looked at Old Man Ci and asked: “What else do you have in mind, Daoist friend?”
“Are you going to the Coast of the East Sea to participate in the Overseas Trial?” “Exactly!”
The two old men exchanged glances and then burst out laughing, a playful glint in their eyes.
Yang Zhen couldn’t keep up his composure, he stepped on a rock and stared at the two old men, impatiently saying: “Enough with you two old chaps, don’t you have something better to do? My time is precious, okay?”
The two old men didn’t seem angry. Old Man Ci looked at Yang Zhen with a half-smile and said, “Kid, do you know what the Overseas Trial is about?”
Yang Zhen was stunned: “Isn’t it about finding treasures and fighting; the one with the biggest fist makes rules, isn’t it? Or, have the rules changed this year, the one with the biggest chest makes rules?”
Old Man Ci was taken aback as Old Man Gu burst into laughter next to him, saying: “You’re quite an oddball with your devil-may-care attitude. You remind me of someone, he was just like you back in the days, but it’s a pity…”
Old Man Gu sighed, saying: “Never mind, we met by chance today. Take this token, it might come in handy for the Overseas Trial.”
With that, Old Man Gu handed Yang Zhen a palm-sized metal token, on which was carved an ancient-colored Chinese character for ‘Gu’.
Old Man Ci widened his eyes and also took out a dark green wooden token. He threw it to Yang Zhen and said: “Take this token as well. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, come find me.”
Yang Zhen tucked the two tokens close to him, planning to throw them away once the two old men left.
These two were quirky fellows and might not be good people. What if there were some sort of an organization specialized in selling weird stuff in this world? That’d just put him in deep trouble.
Seeing Yang Zhen pocket the tokens, Old Man Gu nodded and said: “The Overseas Trial this time is a bit different from the previous ones. Representatives from Qishan Cave Sky will come looking for disciples and successors. So, they will set up some trials on three islands. Only those who pass all three trials will be able to enter the abyss of the East Sea, and only those who manage to come out alive from the abyss will qualify to become a candidate disciple of Qishan Cave Sky, and that, too, is merely a qualification.”
Yang Zhen was dumbfounded upon hearing this. Once Old Man Gu finished speaking, he sneered: “Qishan Cave Sky is really making a big deal, creating such a fuss, they’re doing all this only to select a few disciples?”
“You’ve never heard of Qishan Cave Sky?” Old Man Ci asked with wide eyes in surprise.
“The only thing I’ve heard of is the Water Curtain Cave Heaven!”
“The Water Curtain Cave Heaven? What kind of place is that?” The two old men were taken aback, clearly having never heard of this place before.
Yang Zhen took a deep breath: “There resides a demon monkey who is capable of anything and everything. It has even broken a hole through the Celestial Palace, and whenever the gods and buddhas of the heavens see him, they respectfully call him ‘Great Sage.'”
Hissss!
The two old men gasped sharply and respectfully said: “So, there’s a Saint Realm powerhouse living in this Water Curtain Cave Heaven. It must indeed be a mighty place.”
Yang Zhen was dumbfounded, the two old men seemed dumber the more he looked at them.
“Although Qishan Cave Sky does not have a Saint Realm powerhouse, the leader is a semi-sacred powerhouse!”
“What?” Yang Zhen exclaimed in shock.
A semi-sacred being, that… could almost stroll around the Nether State continent unhindered. Even if the royal advisor of Dajiang Country was brazen, he couldn’t survive one glare from a semi-sacred being.
Such a powerful being was looking for disciples, no wonder so many people were scrambling to participate in this Overseas Trial. If one could practice in such a sect, wouldn’t his cultivation level skyrocket?
Old Man Gu and Old Man Ci watched Yang Zhen’s reaction, their smiles making them look like crafty foxes.
Old Man Ci stroked his beard with a grin and said: “Every disciple of Qishan Cave Sky is extraordinarily talented. They are well-versed in weapon making and Alchemy. To pass the three challenge, one must not only be a weapons smith but also an alchemist. Also, their inherent talent must not be inferior. Now, how about considering our proposal from before?”
“How about it, are you considering?” Old Man Gu also asked with a smile.
“Not at all!” Yang Zhen shook his head and said: “I appreciate your kindness, but I think you’ve misunderstood something.”
“Which part?” The two glanced at each other.
Yang Zhen smirked: “I don’t want to become a disciple of Qishan Cave Sky at all. What’s the use of being extraordinarily talented and versatile? Do you know what usually happens to such talents in my hometown?”
“What happens?”
“If they’re not locked up in the dark without seeing the light of day, they’re beaten by urban management until they’re crying for their mommy and daddy,” Yang Zhen said solemnly.
“How outrageous, how can this bury such talented people. It’s simply unjustifiable!”
“I know, right!” Yang Zhen deeply agreed.
Old Man Gu straightened himself: “If you don’t want to become a disciple of Qishan Cave Sky, why are you participating in the Overseas Trial?”
Yang Zhen grinned cheekily, saying: “Do you want to hear the truth or a lie?”
“Cut the crap!”
“Cut the crap?” Yang Zhen muttered: “What’s the use of hearing crap? Let me ask you, aren’t all those who want to become disciples of Qishan Cave Sky considered extraordinarily talented?”
“Isn’t that obvious?”
Yang Zhen chuckled evilly and leaned to their ear to whisper: “Just think about it, these extraordinary talents must have quite a bit of good stuff on them, right?”
“What are you planning to do?” Old Man Ci looked at Yang Zhen with weird expression, and Old Man Gu was similarly clueless.
Yang Zhen turned and started walking away, truly leaving this time.. He waved while walking, “I aspire to become the Pirate King!”