Chapter 150 - 148: The Main Becomes the Alt
Bei Tianya’s proposed plan was completely different from Chen Yuan’s original one.
Originally, Chen Yuan wanted to hijack the fated opportunity of the Martial Artist who was supposed to obtain the Divine Pill.
But now, the plan was to snatch it directly from the Shennong Cauldron.
This approach would certainly be faster and less troublesome, but it also meant he would be exposed as a member of the Great Brightness Sect to countless Jianghu People. The risk was just as great.
Chen Yuan said in a low voice, "Mr. Bei, please don’t think me a coward, but my identity with the Ming Sect is sensitive. Is it truly safe to reveal myself before everyone at this time?"
Bei Tianya waved his hand. "Don’t worry. There are no real powerhouses at this opening ceremony. I’ve scanned the area; they’re all just Martial Dao Eighth Realm Divine Platform practitioners.
Unaccomplished as I am, I have yet to cultivate the Cyan Heaven Dragon Transformation Technique to the true Dragon Transformation stage, but I’m confident I can handle all the Divine Platform Realm Martial Artists present.
Heck, forget the Divine Platform Realm. If my life were on the line, I’d dare to fight even a Ninth Realm Celestial Profound expert!"
An air of extreme self-assurance emanated from Mr. Bei.
It wasn’t arrogance, but confidence.
His strength was naturally no match for the Cyan Wood Hall’s Hall Master during the Great Brightness Sect’s peak, but he could still afford to look down on other Eighth Realm Divine Platform Martial Artists.
"Then I am relieved. When the time comes, I will follow your commands, Mr. Bei."
Bei Tianya looked at Chen Yuan with a hint of admiration.
Chen Yuan wasn’t being cowardly or overly cautious; he was being strategic, not just recklessly agreeing to the plan.
"We can make a move, but our public identities were hard-won. It’s best not to expose them if we can avoid it.
Take this. It can conceal your aura. When you use the Celestial Fire Secret Manual, you can go all out without needing to use Demonic Qi for cover."
With that, Bei Tianya handed Chen Yuan a small, golden iron sliver, densely engraved with runes.
"This is a Secret Treasure from the Thousand Mechanisms Hall for concealing one’s aura. With it, not even a Ninth Realm Celestial Profound expert will be able to see through you."
Chen Yuan took the Nether King Mask from his Qiankun Bag.
He had bought this mask along with the General Yun mask back in the Qiu Family’s town. It depicted the Netherworld King worshipped in Qing Province. Legend had it that on the fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month, the Netherworld King would open the gates of the underworld, releasing countless ghosts into the mortal realm.
After affixing the iron sliver to the mask, Chen Yuan put it on and immediately felt a profound aura envelop him.
Mr. Bei nodded in satisfaction. "With this, no one will be able to recognize you.
Oh, and don’t use that saber of yours. It has a significant background, and being one of a kind, it’s easily recognizable.
The Celestial Fire Secret Manual includes swordsmanship. Have you ever practiced it?"
Chen Yuan shook his head. "I haven’t. But to me, there’s not much difference between saber techniques and swordsmanship. They’re just weapons for killing."
"Good. Take this sword."
Mr. Bei tossed Chen Yuan a black and red long sword.
"This Black Flame Sword was also a Weapon from your Celestial Fire Hall back in the day. It’s perfect for you.
Also, you need to pick a name to use within the Ming Sect, so our brothers don’t call you by the wrong name and expose your identity.
For example, outside, I’m Bei Tianya of the Heaven’s Edge Sea Pavilion, but in the sect, everyone calls me Ju Mang."
Chen Yuan accepted the Black Flame Sword and mused for a moment before saying, "Chen Yuan."
Since the name Chen Jiutian had already made a name for itself in the Jianghu, the name Chen Yuan would have to walk in the shadows.
’I never expected things to unfold like this. The side alias I used to hide my identity has become the famous one in the Jianghu.’
’And my real name has become one that can only walk in darkness, never to see the light of day.’
Bei Tianya nodded without saying much more. Sharing a surname was no big deal. It wasn’t a rare surname, so no one would make the connection.
"Alright, then. We’ll play it by ear. As soon as chaos breaks out in Medicine King Valley, you follow my lead."
Chen Yuan nodded, put on the mask, and left.
With this aura-concealing Secret Treasure, his clandestine activities would be much safer and more convenient in the future.
Back in his room, Chen Yuan did a crash course on the swordsmanship from the Celestial Fire Secret Manual.
Chen Yuan used a saber not because it was the only weapon he knew, but because his very first weapon had been a saber, and he had simply gotten used to it.
For Gu Lichuan, the Sword Dao was everything.
But for Chen Yuan, weapons existed only to kill. The difference between a sword and a saber wasn’t that great.
The core of the Celestial Fire Secret Manual was the Power of Burning. Its swordsmanship was the Burning Earth Sword Technique, an extension designed to complement the Celestial Fire Power.
Its might was fierce beyond compare, its momentum magnificent, and it could display the Celestial Fire’s Power to its fullest extent.
After a night of practice, the sound of a tolling bell came from outside. It was Medicine King Valley’s reminder that the second day of the opening ceremony was about to begin and it was time to prepare.
Medicine King Valley had also provided meals. After eating, Chen Yuan and the others returned to the Martial Arts Arena.
During this time, Chen Yuan carefully observed the people from the South Sea Pavilion.
Although there was no proof yet, Chen Yuan was about eighty percent certain that they were the ones who had plotted against Medicine King Valley and altered the Array yesterday.
But whether their goal was revenge or the Shennong Cauldron itself, he couldn’t know.
After a group of people had been eliminated from the opening ceremony yesterday, the entire Martial Arts Arena felt much more spacious.
Some of the eliminated Martial Artists had left directly, having no interest in staying to watch others compete for the Divine Pill.
In the morning, it was Cui Xuanye’s turn to compete. He relied on a Secret Technique from Qimen Dunjia to defeat his opponent with ease.
Besides Cui Xuanye, the strongest contender to appear that morning was Lu Qingchen of the Divine Feather Sect, and his opponent was Yan Wuqi of the South Sea Pavilion.
The man was very similar to Yan Jiuyi. His strength was that of an ordinary Sea Realm Late Stage practitioner, and his Cultivation Technique was unremarkable, but his Poison Technique was terrifying.
Lu Qingchen had witnessed the power of his opponent’s Poison Technique yesterday, so he immediately created distance between them.
The Divine Feather Sect’s Divine Feather Celestial Flight Scripture was ethereal and profound; strictly speaking, it was a branch of a Daoist Sect.
Once the match began, an unusually vast True Qi erupted from Lu Qingchen’s body. An overwhelming Palm Force surged across a dozen yards toward Yan Wuqi.
Even a Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artist would feel inferior before such a powerful, ranged Palm Force. The depth of his foundation was almost beyond imagination.
But Yan Wuqi simply dodged while using his Poison Technique to contaminate Lu Qingchen’s True Qi.
The corrosive power of this Poison Technique was unbelievably potent; it actually used Lu Qingchen’s own True Qi to erode him from within.
After a dozen or so exchanges, Lu Qingchen was completely entangled by this power and had fallen into a disadvantage.
Everyone present looked at each other in dismay.
What was the deal with this South Sea Pavilion? How could they cultivate disciples who were so wicked?
They could just pull out anyone and they’d be able to topple a prodigy from the Hidden Dragon Rankings.
At this rate, wouldn’t the Hidden Dragon Rankings be filled with people from the South Sea Pavilion?
Cui Xuanye frowned. "What’s the origin of this South Sea Pavilion? This Poison Technique they practice is a bit too powerful."
Lu Chuanshan couldn’t withstand this power, and neither could Lu Qingchen of the Divine Feather Sect. If he were to face it, he probably couldn’t either.
"The origins of this South Sea Pavilion are indeed quite mysterious."
A voice suddenly came from behind them.
Everyone turned to see that the speaker was Xu Que, the master of the Danyang Prefecture branch of the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower.
As a "wind-bearer" for the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower, he wouldn’t leave even if he lost. He naturally had to stick around until the very end.
Xu Que chuckled. "I sent a message to headquarters yesterday specifically to look into this South Sea Pavilion.
The South Sea Pavilion isn’t located in the Central Plains. It rose to prominence on a South Sea Island and started doing business in Overseas Spiritual Medicine.
There’s nothing wrong with that. The problem is, the South Sea Pavilion has been around for about ten years, but they only do business with Medicine King Valley.
When other factions took the initiative to buy Spiritual Medicine from them, the South Sea Pavilion refused their business.
But according to my Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower’s intelligence, the South Sea Pavilion only accounts for twenty percent of Medicine King Valley’s Overseas Spiritual Medicine procurement.
How can a mere twenty-percent share support a faction of this size? I get the feeling this South Sea Pavilion was established specifically for Medicine King Valley."
A look of intrigued curiosity appeared in Xu Que’s eyes.
He had originally come to this opening ceremony just to advertise for the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower, but now it seemed there might be a big story brewing.
Xu Que then turned his gaze to Chen Yuan and chuckled. "This South Sea Pavilion Martial Artist’s Poison Technique is certainly horrifying. But since Inspector Chen was able to expel the poison from Young Hero Lu’s body yesterday, I imagine you must have some confidence in facing them, right?"
Chen Yuan watched the two in the center fight as he said, "Their Poison Technique is indeed bizarre and wicked, but there’s no need to be overly afraid of it. As long as your own strength Attribute is powerful enough, you can naturally dissolve the power of their Poison Technique.
The venom of a five-pace snake is potent, but can it poison a whale? When a strength Attribute becomes powerful enough, one can become completely immune to all poisons.
Furthermore, these Martial Artists from the South Sea Pavilion aren’t cultivated. They’re likely... refined."
"Refined?"
Cui Xuanye and the others were stunned.
That word didn’t seem to have any connection to Martial Artists.
"Most Poison Techniques in the Jianghu involve refining toxins externally. The Martial Artist then uses various methods to control these toxins, much like Hidden Weapons.
But these South Sea Pavilion Martial Artists are different. They have completely integrated the poison into their bodies, merging it with their Inner Strength True Qi.
If other Martial Artists can’t withstand this poison, how can they themselves endure it?"
Chen Yuan watched the South Sea Pavilion Martial Artist with cold eyes. "Rather than calling them Martial Artists, it’s more accurate to say they are vessels. Vessels designed to contain this deadly poison.
If people like this were to make it onto the Hidden Dragon Rankings, the rankings would be ruined."
Xu Que’s expression also grew grim.
The Hidden Dragon Rankings were the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower’s signature product. The list might have some inaccuracies due to intelligence errors, but it was never fabricated.
If, as Chen Yuan said, these South Sea Pavilion Martial Artists were artificially "refined," what credibility would the rankings have left if they were allowed on it?
’The Hidden Dragon Rankings are for hidden dragons, not venomous snakes!’