Chapter 4172 – Not Bad
Translator: Silavin & Jon
Translation Checker: PewPewLazerGun
Editor and Proofreader: Leo of Zion Mountain & Dhael Ligerkeys
Two rays of light were seen heading towards Ice Snow City. After they landed outside the entrance, the figures of two young men were revealed. One of them was burly and ordinary-looking, while the other was handsome and had a noble air about him.
Upon looking up, both of them were stunned.
The burly man exclaimed, “Zi Xiao, there are so many people here!”
The handsome man called Zi Xiao explained, “Senior Void has returned with news regarding the Outer Universe, and he intends to bring some people with him, which is why many people have come over. It has only been ten days since the news was spread, but we can already see so many people gathering together here, which goes to show that Senior Void is truly influential. As time passes, there will be even more people. Xiao Wu, we’ll have to work harder so that we’ll be able to follow Senior Void and make a name for ourselves.”
With a serious expression, Xiao Wu nodded and balled up his fists, “Yes, we can definitely do this!”
“Let’s get into the city first,” Zi Xiao said, then the two of them passed through the main gates.
Looking from outside the city, they could see that the place was crammed with people, but upon entering it, they realised that it was different from what they had thought. The city was actually incredibly expansive and even though there were many people inside, it didn’t feel crowded at all. Instead, the place even appeared somewhat spacious.
The two of them were astounded, not knowing what was going on.
While they were in a dazed state, someone approached them and asked smilingly, “Little Brothers, are you here to register?”
“What?” Xiao Wu scratched his head and hurriedly nodded, “Yes, yes. We’re here to register. You are…”
The person replied with a smile, “I’m a disciple from High Heaven Palace, and my surname is Xu. You can just call me Senior Brother Xu. I’m responsible for bringing people like you to different places to register.”
“You’re a disciple from High Heaven Palace?” The gazes of the two young men brightened as they looked fervently at him, their eyes filled with admiration and envy.
In the past, after Yang Kai obtained the World’s Will and became a Great Emperor, he led the major armies of the Star Boundary to fight against the Demon Race and managed to save the last pure land before turning back the enemy. Since then, High Heaven Palace had become famous throughout the world.
Countless people dreamed of joining High Heaven Palace; unfortunately, over the years, they had never recruited any disciples, which made these cultivators unable to realise their dreams.
The two young men came from humble backgrounds and even though they had heard a lot about High Heaven Palace, it was the first time they visited the Northern Territory and come across a disciple from that Sect.
At that instant, they felt that Senior Brother Xu was indeed different from others. Just like the Sun, he was practically glowing. Furthermore, they could sense that Senior Brother Xu was in the Dao Source Realm at the very least.
[High Heaven Palace is indeed different. Even a disciple responsible for guiding people has such a strong cultivation!] The two young men were astonished.
The young man called Zi Xiao was much calmer though and after a moment of shock, he cupped his fists, “Greetings, Senior Brother Xu. May I ask you a question? Given our cultivation, where do we go to register?”
Senior Brother Xu replied with a smile, “If I’m not mistaken, the two of you are in the Origin Returning Realm.”
An embarrassed Zi Xiao scratched his head, “Senior Brother, this is embarrassing for us. We started cultivating at an older age.” Then, he lowered his voice, “Senior Brother Xu, given our cultivation, do you think we stand a chance to follow Senior Void? I can see that all the cultivators here are quite strong.”
An Origin Returning Realm Master could be considered a top cultivator in a Lower Star Fields, but he would be too weak in the Star Boundary to take note of. The two of them had hesitated for a long time whether they should even come to Ice Snow City. In the end, their desire overcame their sense of inferiority as they paid for the Space Array and arrived at the city nearest to Ice Snow City.
Senior Brother Xu guffawed, “Cultivation isn’t everything how Senior Void chooses the people who will follow him to the Outer Universe. Certainly, cultivation is a part of it, but if you have some special skills or talents, you’ll still stand a chance.”
“Special skills?” Zi Xiao arched his brow.
“Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Spirit Arrays, and so on. As long as there’s something you’re good at, you can show it to us.”
Hearing that, the two of them traded glances and replied in unison, “We’re good at setting up Spirit Arrays.”
Senior Brother Xu nodded his head, “Very good. Come this way. I’ll lead you to the registration place for Array Masters.” As he spoke, he guided them forward.
Walking along the spacious streets, the pair were like two countryside bumpkins as they looked around in amazement. At the same time, they kept pointing at whatever they saw.
Suddenly, Zi Xiao asked, “Senior Brother Wu, when we were looking from outside, Ice Snow City didn’t seem to be this big. Why does it feel different after we’ve come in?”
With a smile, Senior Brother Xu replied, “You’ve sensed it? Not bad. Your perception is pretty sharp. Ice Snow City really isn’t this big. Initially, this city could only accommodate a million people, but currently, there are more than 10 million inside. With that said, there’s still room to accommodate another 10 million people. This is all thanks to Senior Void.”
“Is he using some kind of Secret Technique?” Zi Xiao turned solemn as if he suddenly thought of something.
Senior Brother Xu scratched his head, “I have no idea, but Senior Void is a Master in the Dao of Space, so he might have used some kind of technique. In any case, Ice Snow City is very spacious now.”
“Senior Void is indeed powerful.” Zi Xiao appeared fervent.
Xiao Wu guffawed, “There will come a day when the two of us will become just as powerful!”
Senior Brother Xu said, “You two are certainly ambitious. Good, that’s where you can register. Just walk over on your own as I have to lead the way for other people. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Many thanks, Senior Brother Xu!” They bent their backs to thank him.
Senior Brother Xu waved his hand and disappeared into the crowd.
After he was gone, the pair turned to look at the Grand Hall where many people were seen entering and leaving. Apparently, just like them, these people were here to register.
Then, they encouraged one another for a bit before going in.
They swept a glance over the Grand Hall and realised that it had been divided into several dozen areas. Every area was overseen by a cultivator who was dressed in High Heaven Palace’s uniform, and many cultivators were lined up in front of every area.
The two young men chose a place with relatively fewer people and waited patiently.
Soon, it was their turn. They walked up and cupped their fists, “Greetings, Senior Brother.” They sported extremely solemn expressions.
The High Heaven Palace’s disciple behind the desk took a glance at them and said with a smile, “There’s no need to be nervous. You’ll just have to register and go through a test.”
Despite that, the two young men still appeared anxious. Following the disciple’s instructions, the two of them announced their names, ages, and special skills.
The disciple gazed at them in shock, “You’re able to achieve such cultivation after cultivating for only 12 years, so your aptitudes are truly incredible. More importantly, you’ve even studied the Dao of Spirit Arrays. In that case, why don’t you set up an Aura Gathering Array here?”
The two young men nodded and started working. It was just a simple test that the cultivators before them had gone through, not something targeted at them; therefore, they immediately got busy. The Aura Gathering Array was one of the simplest Spirit Arrays, so basically every Array Master could arrange one.
Those from High Heaven Palace wouldn’t provide any materials, so the two of them had to come up with a solution on their own. Fortunately, they had already set up the Aura Gathering Array countless times in the past, so they were familiar with it.
While they were working, a person stepped into the Grand Hall with his hands behind his back as he looked around the various areas. All the cultivators who had registered were required to arrange an Aura Gathering Array and this man would stop and observe each test area. Sometimes, he would nod with an approving look while at others he would simply shake his head.
Soon, he reached the area where Zi Xiao and Xiao Wu were. Seeing him, the disciple in charge of this area hurriedly rose from his seat, but just when he was about to salute this newcomer, the man waved his hand to motion for him to calm himself.
The disciple smiled and took a seat again.
That person took a glance at the Aura Gathering Array that was being set up by Zi Xiao and Xiao Wu, and his gaze brightened as observed attentively.
The disciple was slightly shocked. Others might have no idea who this person was, but he was certainly aware. In the entire Star Boundary, no one could surpass him when it came to Dao of Spirit Arrays. Since his interest had been piqued, did it mean that there was something special about the Aura Gathering Array being built by these two youngsters?
In fact, the disciple knew a thing or two about the Dao of Spirit Arrays, which was why he was stationed in this registration place, so after a moment of observation, he realised that the Aura Gathering Array set up by these two young men was a little different from the other ones that he had seen.
There were many kinds of Aura Gathering Arrays, but they all followed roughly the same pattern. There were 49 optimal methods to arrange such an array in total, but to his surprise, the Aura Gathering Array before his eyes wasn’t one of them.
[What kind of a set-up is this?]
While he was puzzled, Zi Xiao and Xiao Wu had stopped as they let out a breath. Zi Xiao then said, “Senior Brother, we’ve set up the Aura Gathering Array. Please examine it.”
Looking up, the disciple gazed at the person behind them. With this person around, it wasn’t his place to examine this work.
Sensing something, Zi Xiao and Xiao Wu turned their heads, only to see a person standing behind them.
The person stroked his beard and squatted down in an inelegant manner. Staring fixedly at the Aura Gathering Array, he commented, “The materials used have been reduced by 10%, and there are two array bases that can be excluded this way. However, the effectiveness has increased by 20%. This kind of technique leans more towards ancient methods and is not common to see nowadays.”
Hearing that, Zi Xiao and Xiao Wu were stunned.
The person went on to say, “The way this array is set up is unique, but the execution is somewhat lacklustre. It seems you were not personally taught by a Master. If you can improve your skills, the effectiveness of this Aura Gathering Array will be increased by 10%.”
At this point, the man got up and nodded, “It’s not bad.”
Then, he looked smilingly at the two of them, “You must have obtained the inheritance of some ancient Senior, right?”
Instantly, Zi Xiao and Xiao Wu became vigilant, for what the person in front of them had said was right. They were the sons of a common hunter, and when they were young kids, they accidentally lost their way on a certain mountain and eventually came across a cave, only to find a skeleton inside it, a skeleton they obtained something precious from.
Without any teacher, they used what they had obtained to become cultivators on their own.
This was their greatest secret, but it was exposed by some stranger they had never met before. At that instant, they felt the urge to silence him in order to keep their secret safe.