"Brother Zhang, how do you know there’s a shortcut here?" Wei Zhuang, holding wine in one hand and a melon in the other, ate like he hadn’t eaten before.
"Just eat, don’t ask too much about adults’ affairs." Zhang Ze looked at the pear in his hand, took a bite, found it not very tasty, and shoved the untouched half into Wei Zhuang’s mouth.
"Tell me, you’re just a kid like me." Wei Zhuang persisted.
"I’ll tell you once we enter the Sword Sect." Zhang Ze wiped his hands on the cushion below him, stood up, and said.
"Then let’s... let’s hurry up and leave, you first, I second." Wei Zhuang finally swallowed the half pear, patted his chest, got up, and was about to leave.
"Don’t go, wait for people." Zhang Ze grabbed him while looking over to the other side of the mountain.
Wei Zhuang nodded and quieted down.
In fact, he wasn’t very interested in mountain climbing, but now he really wanted to know Zhang Ze’s identity.
He didn’t know this place at all. When following Zhang Ze on the small path, he didn’t pay much attention. He thought Zhang Ze planned to give up since they were moving further and further from the finish line.
However, after crossing two suspension bridges and walking through a cave, they found a shrine. Without performing any spells, Zhang Ze fiddled with the shrine a bit and ended up in this place.
The place where Zhang Ze and Wei Zhuang were staying was a small pavilion, suspended in the air, with simple furnishings inside, just a few cushions and some food on a small table.
Outside the pavilion, an array swirled, with misty clouds. The surroundings could change at will with the thoughts of those inside, and the view within fifty miles could be seen.
On the wall behind them hung several tokens, each engraved with the names of various facilities in the Sword Sect.
By touching the tokens and casting a spell, one could be instantly teleported there.
Chen Qin had brought him here before, but back then, they were too busy pulling and tussling to pay attention to its origin. All he knew was that it had been an unused facility since the sect was established.
Only after entering the Spirit Realm did he realize it was used to supervise those being tested in their mountain climbing.
Simply put, this place was one of the surveillance rooms.
Though unknown why, the proctor wasn’t present at the moment.
Zhang Ze, knocking on the surveillance room door as a candidate, wasn’t panicked. He stood by the window, watching the clouds shift outside and the scenes of other candidates climbing the mountain.
One person, trying to save time by taking a shortcut, decided to climb a cliff. Despite his bloody hands, he didn’t give up.
Another used a magical artifact to fly to the finish, but startled the Wind God Eagles borrowed from the Beast Taming Sect. They knocked him down, his artifact confiscated, and he was casually hung on a tree, likely needing to restart his climb.
There were also hidden opportunities on the way. Two candidates likely intended to go to the Beast Taming Sect but ended up in the wrong place, negotiating with the Wind God Eagles, bargaining how much it would cost to bring two people up the mountain...
You have to admit, this mountain climbing is quite reasonable.
Zhang Ze and Wei Zhuang were bored simply because they moved too slowly.
The real test hadn’t yet been seen.
This mountain climbing test seemed ordinary but included trials of strength, luck, perseverance, and eloquence.
But it clearly didn’t include breaking into a surveillance room.
"How did you guys get in here?" A little girl’s voice sounded behind them.
The little girl, in white robes, exuded heroism, with Qi Cultivation level, a sword pointed at them. She hesitated upon seeing Wei Zhuang.
Zhang Ze glanced at the long sword in the little girl’s hand, surprised to see it was her.
But he still spoke first, "Are you Senior Sister Wei Ning?" The rightful source is noveⅼfire.net
"Hey, how do you know me? Who are you, and why are you with my brother?" The senior sister named Wei Ning still didn’t lower her sword, continuing to point at Zhang Ze.
"I am Zhang Ze." He thought to himself, as expected, it’s the two of them.
Zhang Ze was very respectful, and he had no choice but to be, because according to the family records, this Wei Ning was the grandmother of Sect Leader Chen Qianhu.
And the deceptive Wei Zhuang beside him was the mysterious uncle.
The one who vanished on the battlefield wearing the authentic Night Demon Emperor Armor.
Because no one could unlock the Formless, so it’s still unknown if Uncle is alive or dead.
Zhang Ze didn’t know the sect leader uncle’s name, so it was only upon seeing the sword in Wei Ning’s hand that he pieced everything together.
Zhang Ze had been struck by that sword when he was caught holding hands and kissing with his junior sister at the Main Pavilion, and Aunt Mo Jingchun used it to strike him down from the mountain.
According to his junior sister, the sword that struck him was an heirloom, passed down from this very Wei Ning.
Probably similar to a bracelet passed down by an old lady to her daughter-in-law...
As for previous speculations, it was during the second time he was kicked down when he turned back and grabbed.
The silky touch was all too familiar, though he couldn’t be sure, it felt similar to the counterfeit Night Demon Emperor Armor he wore.
Now seeing Wei Ning, he could confirm this Spirit Realm indeed related to this Wei Zhuang elder.
Seeing Zhang Ze lost in thought, Wei Ning asked again.
"Are you Zhang Ze? Why are you here, and how do you know me? Speak up!"
Wei Ning hadn’t forgotten the matter at hand.
He definitely couldn’t say he recognized her from portraits.
"Overheard occasionally, not worth mentioning. It was an accident that Brother was here. I intended to lead Brother Wei through a shortcut but stumbled upon this place instead."
Zhang Ze paused briefly before continuing, "It seems this is Senior Sister’s station for duty, but the assessment has been ongoing for quite some time. Why has Senior Sister just arrived?"