Chapter 32:I Was Just a Little Frightened.
The Heart-Questioning Stone test continued.
A green-robed youth with a grim, sinister-looking face quickly stepped out of the crowd and stopped before the Heart-Questioning Stone. As instructed, he placed his palm against its warm, smooth surface.
Elder Zhang asked the first question.
Nothing happened.
Then he asked the second.
"Did you come here today at the behest of another sect or faction?"
The youth shook his head again, his answer firm and decisive.
"No—"
Before the word had even left his mouth, the light within the Heart-Questioning Stone visibly dimmed. In the blink of an eye, it went out.
Wisps of black mist began to churn within the stone. Like ink dropped into clear water, they rapidly spread and coiled through it, staining the translucent, milky-white stone with an eerie darkness. Soon, nothing remained but thick black mist roiling deep within.
From a distance, it looked almost like a lifeless black stone.
The youth’s face went deathly pale. He hurriedly waved his hands.
"Wait, wait! Elder, please hear me out! It’s like this... I... I really did meet a mysterious master. I wanted to take him as my master, but he refused to accept me. He was the one who told me to come and try my luck at the Falling Cloud Sect... It was a recommendation! A recommendation, that’s all! Not an order..."
The more he spoke, the more frantic he became. Cold sweat poured down his forehead, and his voice began to tremble.
In one corner of the pitch-black stone, the dense black mist slowly parted, just a little, revealing a patch of the warm, milky-white glow beneath.
It was like a break in the dark clouds, revealing a sliver of clear sky beyond.
Elder Zhang glanced at the Heart-Questioning Stone.
"Take him away."
He spoke only two words, his tone flat.
Two Falling Cloud Sect disciples immediately stepped forward and seized the youth by the arms, one on either side.
Unexpectedly, the youth offered no resistance. His whole body went limp as they took hold of him. The color had drained completely from his face, yet he continued muttering under his breath.
"It was a recommendation... It really was a recommendation..."
"Take him to the Punishment Hall. Question him thoroughly."
"Yes."
The two disciples acknowledged the order and dragged the youth away.
The hall erupted into a murmur of discussion.
Standing at the back of the crowd, Qi Tian’s gaze fell upon the Heart-Questioning Stone, which had already returned to its original milky-white state.
This Heart-Questioning Stone probably has some kind of limitation.
Perhaps there’s a limit to how many times it can be used. Otherwise, why not simply have him keep his hand on the stone and ask him one question after another? The truth would reveal itself immediately. Wouldn’t that be far more convenient?
Pei Yi cleared his throat and was just about to call the next number—
when a gray-robed young man near the front of the line suddenly shot backward like an arrow loosed from a bow, charging straight toward the hall’s entrance.
Two Falling Cloud Sect disciples immediately lunged after him. Sword light flashed as they moved in from both sides, sealing off the young man’s escape. Their coordination was flawless, their sword strikes interweaving into a net.
A palm-sized bronze shuttle suddenly slipped from the young man’s sleeve. With a surge of spiritual energy, it erupted with brilliant azure light, transforming into a streak of azure radiance more than a zhang long. With a piercing shriek, it shot toward the interwoven sword net.
Clang!
The azure streak slammed head-on into the sword net, sending sparks exploding like a waterfall.
The disciple on the left felt a tremendous force travel through his sword. The webbing between his thumb and forefinger split, and his sword was knocked from his hand.
The disciple on the right was sent flying along with his sword, crashing heavily onto the floor.
The sword net shattered on the spot.
The azure streak swept around, carrying the young man’s body forward as he shot toward the hall’s entrance.
"Stay."
A cold, clear female voice rang out.
A frosty-white sword beam flashed like a startled swan, striking with pinpoint precision at the azure streak’s seven-inch mark.
Crack—!
The bronze shuttle let out a sharp, mournful cry. Its azure light went out instantly, and it dropped straight from the air, hitting the floor with a metallic clang.
A sword scar now ran straight through its body, and every trace of spiritual light had vanished.
Yet the frosty-white sword beam did not slow after breaking through the bronze shuttle. Like a startled swan cutting across the air, it continued straight toward the young man’s face.
The young man was horrified. In his panic, he crossed his arms to block.
But the sword beam was simply too fast and too sharp. It tore through his protective spiritual energy in an instant and slammed into his chest.
Boom!
The young man cried out and was sent flying backward like a kite with its string cut.
By sheer coincidence, he landed exactly three feet in front of Qi Tian.
Qi Tian’s eyes flickered.
He had recognized the man even before the sword beam appeared.
It was the same female disciple from the mountain gate plaza—the one who had reached the threshold of Foundation Establishment.
At that moment, she twisted her wrist, and with a sharp clang, the sword slid smoothly back into its sheath.
Qi Tian lowered his gaze to the young man sprawled before him, covered in blood and looking utterly battered.
The young man struggled to raise his head, his eyes meeting Qi Tian’s.
Their gazes locked.
A vicious glint suddenly flashed through the young man’s eyes—
Oh, great.
Don’t tell me he’s planning to use me as a hostage?
The thought had barely crossed Qi Tian’s mind when the young man suddenly exploded into action. The last remnants of spiritual energy within him flared wildly, his five fingers curling into claws as he lunged straight for Qi Tian’s throat.
It happened so suddenly that there was barely any time to react.
Qi Tian could have dodged with ease. With nothing more than a single finger, he could have put the young man down on the spot.
But he wanted to keep a low profile.
He also wanted to see how the Falling Cloud Sect would deal with something like this.
So he didn’t move.
There was no way the young man could actually hurt him anyway.
"Careful!"
"Stop!"
Several disciples cried out in alarm and drew their swords, including the female disciple who had just sheathed hers.
Bang!
The young man’s fingers clamped around Qi Tian’s throat like an iron vise. With a twist of his body, he pulled Qi Tian in front of him, using him as a shield.
"Back off! Let me go! Or I’ll kill him!"
The female disciple in the moon-white dress tightened her grip on her sword ever so slightly. A cold glint flashed in her eyes, but beneath it was a trace of frustration.
If I’d struck him a little harder and simply crippled his ability to move, none of this would have happened.
The young man kept his grip on Qi Tian’s throat as he forced him toward the hall’s entrance.
He was fairly confident the Falling Cloud Sect would be reluctant to act for fear of harming their hostage. If they simply ignored the hostage’s life or death, it would only discourage the other new disciples.
Who would dare join a sect like that afterward?
At that moment, a chill suddenly ran down the young man’s back.
A mountain-like pressure silently crashed down from behind him, so heavy that even his bones trembled.
Foundation Establishment!
I can’t get away!
A trace of madness flashed through his eyes. His five fingers tightened violently, intending to crush Qi Tian’s throat—
Qi Tian made no attempt to resist.
The instant he felt the grip around his throat tighten, the fingers clamped around his neck suddenly went limp, as though every bit of strength had been drained from them. They fell uselessly to the side.
Thud.
A muffled impact sounded behind him.
Qi Tian turned around. The young man was already lying face-first on the floor, blood trickling from his seven orifices as he lay unconscious.
Elder Li came rushing over, and everyone hurriedly moved aside.
Qi Tian secretly chuckled.
The kid really was naïve. A mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivator actually thought he could escape under the noses of more than a dozen Foundation Establishment elders? What a pipe dream.
He just hadn’t expected Elder Li to move so quickly.
Elder Li was frantic for one simple reason: this kid had just reached the four-hundred-and-ninety-eighth step of the Heaven-Ascending Ten Tribulations Formation. He had also learned from the other elders that even the Spirit Testing Stele had been unable to determine Qi Tian’s spiritual root.
Someone like this wasn’t merely worth recruiting into the Formation Hall.
He had to be taken as a personal disciple.
Elder Li absolutely could not allow him to suffer even the slightest injury.
Elder Li reached Qi Tian and asked in a low voice, "Are you all right?"
Qi Tian remained composed and cupped his fists.
"Thank you for saving me, Elder Li. I’m fine. I was just a little frightened."
Elder Li’s mouth twitched.
Your expression hasn’t changed. Your breathing is steady. There’s not even the slightest ripple in your eyes. What part of you looks frightened?