Chapter 445 - 437: Everyone
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Perhaps the question was too abrupt. Wu Yue didn’t react at first. It was only after feeling countless strange gazes on him that he suddenly snapped out of it.
But after coming to his senses, he felt Mu Chen’s question was rather redundant. The Guide should have explained this from the start. However, under the immense pressure, he had no choice but to answer.
"Uh... you have to last more than three days in the Mist Forest without us taking your Jade Token, or... walk directly out of the Mist Forest and enter Holy Tomb Mountain... But isn’t this question..."
Before Wu Yue could finish, Mu Chen cut him off with a very ’friendly’ smile.
"That’s right. Elder Bai already told us. Since you all came from Holy Tomb Mountain, you must know the way back, right?"
Wu Yue, on the other hand, was terrified by that smile. He had seen it on Mu Chen’s face more than once, and every time, it brought an unexpected result—a result that was never friendly to them.
"We know the way... but Holy Tomb Mountain has rules. We can’t lead you inside. Otherwise, we’ll be punished for bending the rules and showing favoritism."
Wu Yue’s voice grew quieter and quieter, until he sounded completely resigned to his fate. It wasn’t that he was trying to shift the blame to Holy Tomb Mountain. Rather, to prevent any favoritism, Holy Tomb Mountain’s assessment had extremely strict rules. If they were broken, not only would the new members’ assessment be voided, but the person who showed favoritism would also be expelled from Holy Tomb Mountain. In terms of consequences, this was even more severe than being sent to the Holy Punishment Field.
"No, no, no. I’m certainly not asking just you to lead the way." Mu Chen shook his head, a playful look on his face. He looked up in what he presumed was the direction of Holy Tomb Mountain and smiled. "I mean all of you."
HISS...
Hearing this, Long Xiaotian and Shi Mu Hua couldn’t help but gasp. Making nearly a hundred Emperors lead him into Holy Tomb Mountain... what an incredibly high-profile way to pass the test.
If it were anyone else, they might have thought the person was just showing off! But to show off like this, you absolutely needed the capital to back it up. At the very least, since the founding of Holy Tomb Mountain, absolutely no one had ever been able to pull off such a flex.
But what surprised and confused them was why Mu Chen, a man known for his calm, composure, and low-key nature, would make such a high-profile move. There were advantages to doing this, but the disadvantages were even greater. The benefit was that it would make those who looked down on new members or wanted to make things difficult for them open their eyes, saving him a lot of trouble. It would also allow powerful factions to notice his existence early on, potentially gaining him a strong backer.
However, the disadvantages were immense. One misstep, and he could very well antagonize some of the monstrous geniuses in the Inner Holy Tomb Mountain, who would then go out of their way to suppress him when he entered the Inner Mountain. The more arrogant ones might even cause him endless trouble, teaching him a lesson or two to embarrass him and making him a laughingstock within Holy Tomb Mountain, which would in turn affect his Cultivation and Mental Realm.
Looking at it this way, the cons far outweighed the pros. It was an utterly irrational move. Shaking her head, a conflicted and complex look filled Shi Mu Hua’s eyes.
But that was only what Shi Mu Hua thought. Long Xiaotian, in contrast, was filled with excitement and exhilaration. After a moment of shock, he had already understood the meaning behind Mu Chen’s actions, and the admiration in his heart grew even stronger.
’He’s already started making his move... to create a new member faction, something unprecedented in Holy Tomb Mountain’s history. He’s making a miracle happen!’
"Lead the way... or don’t..."
A statement that allowed no room for doubt...