Joining the Joyful Union Sect, My Life in the Grip of My Senior Sister

Chapter 525: The Eve of Selection

For the next three days, Lin Fengmian spent his days with Nangong Xiu and his nights refining his body in the mysterious cave abode.

Although Shangguan Qiong wasn’t there to dual cultivate with him, the abundance of rare treasures pushed Lin Fengmian to the peak of the eighth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm.

This was a speed that Lin Fengmian had never dared to imagine. While he was somewhat satisfied, the mysterious old man seemed rather displeased.

Over the past three days, disciples from the Heavenly Grace King Palace who met the requirements had gradually arrived in Tianze City, making the already busy city even busier.

The selection criteria were quite lenient: participants had to be under sixty years old and at least at the fifth level of the Foundation Establishment Realm. Despite these low requirements, the Heavenly Grace Dynasty was a land of harsh mountains and treacherous waters, and true talents were scarce.

Fewer than a hundred people met the criteria, and only three had reached the Core Formation Realm or higher. Among them was Chen Qingyan, who had taken someone else’s place, further highlighting the lack of talent.

Chen Qingyan, like Lin Fengmian, had been thrust into this situation unprepared. She had arrived in Tianze City under the escort of the Chen family. As a newly advanced cultivator of the Core Formation Realm and one of the favorites for the selection, her arrival caused quite a stir.

With the arrival of these prodigies, undercurrents began to rise in the city. Many noble families began to court these exceptional talents.

Ding Bonan, unaware of the rule changes, continued to rally his friends within the palace, planning to teach Lin Fengmian a lesson during the competition.

Of course, Lin Fengmian couldn’t be bothered with this fool. At the moment, he was deeply puzzled. Tomorrow was the day of selection, but the old ghost still hadn’t made his move. He began to wonder if he had guessed wrong.

But soon, he had no time to dwell on this matter.

Upon learning that he hadn’t visited Consort Xuan, Nangong Xiu was furious and dragged him by the ear to pay his respects.

Consort Xuan’s complexion had improved significantly, though her attire remained as revealing as ever, leaving Lin Fengmian unsure where to look.

She looked at Lin Fengmian and Nangong Xiu in surprise. “Why did you come together?”

“It was a coincidence,” Nangong Xiu replied, subtly glancing at Lin Fengmian who was rubbing his ear. Lin Fengmian immediately bowed respectfully.

“Wuxie pays his respects to Mother Consort!”

Seeing Lin Fengmian’s expression as if a mouse had seen a cat, Consort Xuan understood and nodded slightly.

She looked at Lin Fengmian and hesitated for a moment before speaking softly. “Wuxie, you didn’t have to provoke the queen for my sake. It wasn’t worth it.”

Lin Fengmian waved his hand. “It has nothing to do with you. I just didn’t like that demon beast.”

“You brat, watch your mouth! If you can’t speak properly, then say less,” Nangong Xiu scolded, raising her hand as if to hit him. Lin Fengmian immediately became meek, causing Consort Xuan to laugh.

Lin Fengmian was humiliated, but what could he do? He was no match for her.

“Xuan’er, how is your injury?” Nangong Xiu asked.

“I’ve recovered. Thank you for your concern.”

The two women sat together and talked while Lin Fengmian sat awkwardly on the side.

Fortunately, Nangong Xiu still had to assess the results of his special training, so they didn’t stay long and soon took their leave.

As they were leaving, Consort Xuan suddenly called out to Nangong Xiu.

“Miss Xiu, please help Wuxie if you can. He’s not a bad person at heart.”

Nangong Xiu nodded. “All right.”

I’ve already compromised my principles by leaking the questions. What more can I do?

An hour later, Lin Fengmian emerged from the Ten Thousand Ridges Ten Thousand Demons Pagoda unharmed.

Nangong Xiu gritted her teeth. “Are you really that afraid of getting hurt?”

This guy clearly had more power left, but he stopped at the fifty-eighth floor and refused to go any further.

“Of course! This prince’s body is priceless. How could I risk getting hurt?”

Lin Fengmian’s carefree attitude infuriated Nangong Xiu, and she kicked him.

“You lazy, good-for-nothing!”

Lin Fengmian, who was used to this, changed the subject. “Auntie, do you think I can pass?”

Nangong Xiu didn’t want him to become too arrogant and hesitated before finally shaking her head.

“It’s too late for you to realize it now. Sigh!”

“Forget it. Think of this as a learning experience. You’ll have other opportunities in the future.”

In her opinion, given Lin Fengmian’s current performance, if he continued to hold back, it would be difficult for him to make it into the top ten of Tianze.

Lin Fengmian was shocked. “What? I don’t even have a chance to make the top ten?”

Nangong Xiu deliberately tried to humiliate him, sneering as she began to spout nonsense.

“What do you think? These are the prodigies of the Heavenly Fiend King Palace! They’re not some common rabble!”

“Your meager talent is nothing compared to theirs. To be in the top ten, you’d have to reach at least the seventieth floor.”

I’m not lying to you. I’m just talking about the top ten of the Blood Fiend Trial.

Lin Fengmian was stunned for a moment before nodding in agreement.

After all, he had fought against many prodigies and knew how terrifying they could be.

Luo Xue, the Jun Empire brothers, Moon Shadow Saint Emperor, Xu Tingyu – each of them was a peerless genius.

It seemed that he had underestimated the heroes of the world!

But what he didn’t know was that the prodigies Nangong Xiu was referring to were on a completely different level.

Seeing that he was truly intimidated, Nangong Xiu looked into his eyes. “Wuxie, do you really want to enter the Junyan Imperial Palace?”

Lin Fengmian’s eyes were firm as he seriously nodded his head.

Nangong Xiu asked, “Why?”

Lin Fengmian naturally couldn’t tell her the real reason and simply smiled. “I want to prove myself.”

Nangong Xiu hesitated for a long time before taking out a sealed brocade box, her expression complicated.

“This is the Nether Moon Ten Thousand Demons Pagoda used for this evaluation. I’ll let you use it once, but only once.”

In her opinion, although this kid’s talent was lacking, his comprehension wasn’t bad. He wasn’t beyond saving.

If he missed this assessment, he would waste ten years of his life, and who knew what would become of him?

So she decided to help him.

Even though she knew that even if he made it into the top ten, he would inevitably be eliminated in the Blood Fiend Trial.

But the elders had the right to accept the disciples who had been eliminated, provided that they had the qualifications to participate in the Blood Fiend Trial and survived.

Although they wouldn’t be as prestigious as the true disciples who passed the trial, they could still enter the imperial palace as ordinary disciples.

Nangong Xiu had thought about this for a long time and had finally made up her mind. She stretched out her hand to break the seal.

She couldn’t bear to see him continue on this path of self-destruction.

But her hand was stopped by another one. Lin Fengmian looked at her with a complicated expression on his face.

“Auntie, if there is a seal, won’t you be discovered if you open it?”

Nangong Xiu smiled faintly. “I am the law enforcement elder. In general, I won’t be discovered.”

“As long as I delete the records inside the pagoda, even if they find out that someone activated it, they won’t be able to trace it back to you.”

Lin Fengmian chuckled. “What about you?”

Nangong Xiu said indifferently, “I’m from the Heavenly Fiend Imperial Palace. Even if something goes wrong, the punishment won’t be too severe.”

As she spoke, she was about to tear off the seal, but Lin Fengmian tightened his grip on her hand.

“Auntie, don’t. I want to rely on my own strength to climb up.”

Although he was a scoundrel, he couldn’t bring himself to take advantage of someone who truly cared for him.

Nangong Xiu looked into his eyes and said seriously, “Are you sure? If you miss this, it’ll be ten years.”

Lin Fengmian nodded. “I am sure. I’ll definitely pass the selection. If I have to, I’ll fight with everything I’ve got.”

He grinned brightly. “Auntie, don’t underestimate me. I still want to take the top three spot and hang you up to beat you!”