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Chapter 682

As the ship started spinning around violently, the people onboard already began to lose hope. Although there was no lack of mighty figures on board, they were in the middle of the sea after all. If their ship sank, perhaps as a result of encountering a powerful Heavenly Beast, even a Heavenly King would not be able to fly all the way back to land with his cultivation strength without stopping to rest.

However, after their ship stabilized from all the vigorous spinning, the giant turtle stopped delivering its attacks.

W-What happened? Why did that giant turtle stop attacking? When everyone was still trying to figure out what had happened, they heard a cry for help coming from the ocean.

The leader of the large ship was an old man dressed in a grey coat. He looked like he was in his 70s or 80s. He was the one who had cast the protective shield over the ship. If it wasn't for him, the ship would probably have sunk.

A dozen Heavenly Jewel Masters stood beside him, and the moment they heard the sudden call for help, the old man waved his hand and ordered, "Go have a look!"

Immediately, someone went to the side of the ship and looked toward the sea. Two figures could be seen flailing in the water, and they looked like they wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer.

"Master Gu Yu, there are two people in the sea. It seems like they won't be able to hold on for much longer," the sailor quickly reported.

The old man dressed in a grey coat whose name was Master Gu Yu frowned slightly. "Two people? How can there possibly be two humans in the middle of the sea? Save them first!" As he said that, he led the group of Heavenly Jewel Masters to the side of the ship as they looked into the sea.

At first, he was still somewhat worried that they would encounter enemies at sea, but the moment he saw Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er, the tension in his face vanished.

The reason was because he could guess their ages at a glance. Most Heavenly Jewel Masters had their ages and cultivation bases intricately tied together. The two of them looked like they were in their twenties. Even if they were both Heavenly Jewel Masters, how strong could they be anyway? He immediately waved his hand and ordered his crew to rescue the two of them with a rope.

Zhou Weiqing's and Bing'er's bodies could not help but tremble when they stood on the deck. It looked like a sign of frailty to the people on the ship. This was made more apparent since the duo had used their Heavenly Energy to make themselves look paler. However, in truth, both of them were feeling touched! Even though they were still on a ship, being able to step on solid ground felt wonderful.

Zhou Weiqing immediately sat on the floor as he exclaimed sincerely, "Finally, we're saved! Thank you! Thank you so much!"

The gray-dressed elder looked at them skeptically before he asked, "Hello there young friends, where do you hail from? How did you get stranded in the middle of the sea?"

Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er had already discussed this beforehand, so without any hesitation, Zhou Weiqing smiled wryly as he said, "My wife and I came out to the sea to hunt for Heavenly Beasts, but unfortunately, we came across a Dreadfiend Sea Naga. Even though our ship was merely hit by the waves that the Dreadfiend Sea Naga stirred up, the ship was immediately destroyed. The two of us have been floating in the sea ever since. It's fortunate that we are both Heavenly Jewel Masters, so we're much stronger than most people. Otherwise, I believe we wouldn't have been able to last that long. Once again, thank you very much for saving our lives."

There was a twinkle in the old man's eyes. "Both of you are Heavenly Jewel Masters too?" At the moment, he was the only one whose eyes remained relatively calm. The moment everyone around him heard the words 'Dreadfiend Sea Naga', each and every one of them went pale at once. After all, the Dreadfiend Sea Naga was like a god in the ocean. Encountering it would be no different from encountering Death itself.

Nodding his head, Zhou Weiqing replied, "Yes! My wife and I are both Heavenly Jewel Masters, but we've used up too much of our Heavenly Energy, so we can't prove it to you now. Please may you take us back to the mainland? I give you my word that we'll definitely reward you!"

As Zhou Weiqing spoke, he observed the people around him too. The old man seemed ordinary, but his eyes radiated vigor. His Heavenly Energy was converged, and he was no doubt a Heavenly King Master. It was no wonder they dared to journey so far out into the sea, they an expert at that level presiding over them.

Other than the old man, there were five middle-aged men whose Cultivation Bases were in no way weak. They were at least at the Seventh Jewel realm. The remaining seven or eight Heavenly Jewel Masters consisted of both young men and women. They looked at Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er mostly out of curiosity, and in general, they were not hostile at all. It seemed that they were quite decent people.

Then again, this was just a simple conclusion he made from their appearance. While Zhou Weiqing was observing them, the crew was observing him as well. The sincere gratitude glowing in Zhou Weiqing's and Shangguan Bing'er's eyes gradually lowered their guards.

Of course, Zhou Weiqing was not putting on a facade at all. He was really feeling grateful! After all, being able to talk to another living person again was such a wonderful feeling. He was close to tears after seeing people again after being out at sea for so long. He had only lasted this long thanks to his strong spirit. Had it been some other person who was in his shoes, they would probably not have been able to last for more than ten days.

The old man slowly walked to Zhou Weiqing and extended a skinny hand to him. He was stunned by the gesture, but he immediately understood the old man's intention. Zhou Weiqing extended his hand as well and let the old man hold his wrist.

A rich and strong Heavenly Energy suddenly flowed from the old man's hand into Zhou Weiqing's body, causing his body to tremble ever so slightly. Soon, the look of gratitude on his face became even more pronounced.

Zhou Weiqing was protected by the Saint Energy. In addition, he had the ring that Tang Xian had given him. It was more than enough for him to conceal his own strength. Unless there was a fight, even a Heavenly Emperor would not be able to identify his true strength if Zhou Weiqing really wanted to conceal it, let alone a Heavenly King.

After a brief examination, a look of surprise appeared on the old man's face. "Young lad! What a good cultivation base you have! You're so young but you're already at the Fifth Jewel Stage! What a limitless future you have ahead of you. It's fated that we met, and since we've rescued you, you might as well stay with us for now. Someone give this couple a cabin and some food. We'll talk after you two have settled down."

"Yes!" Instantly, a sailor came forward and led Bing'er and Zhou Weiqing, who barely managed to stand up. They walked into the ship with wobbly feet and their arms around each other.

When they had disappeared into the ship, a middle-aged man standing to Master Gu Yu's side whispered, "Master, did you find anything suspicious about them?"

Shaking his head, Gu Yu replied, "The young man's cultivation technique is just an orthodox method, and his cultivation base is quite good. Besides, even if somebody wanted to harm me, they wouldn't send someone all the way out here just to do that. I think it's pure coincidence that we ran into them. His cultivation base is only at the Fifth Jewel Stage, so he can't cause much of a storm even if he has malicious intentions. This time luck doesn't seem to be on our side. It's shocking that we actually came across a horrible creature like the Devilish Black Tortoise. I think we've harvested quite a lot already. Pass the order down to the captain to set sail for the mainland."

"Yes, Master."

Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er had no clue what arrangements the crew had made for them. When they arrived at the cabin prepared for them, both of them could not help but cheer aloud while hugging each other tightly.

There was no doubt that they were very close to the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland. Now that they had met other humans, their loneliness had also abated. Because Zhou Weiqing had concealed his strength, he believed that the crew would not pay much attention to them as long as they lay low and behaved appropriately. Clearly, traveling to the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland on a big ship was much more comfortable than traveling there on their own. On top of that, there was no need for them to worry about the crew having malicious intentions towards the both of them.

Soon after, someone delivered food to them. There was even hot fish soup, which deepened Zhou Weiqing's liking towards them. After all, even if the drowning was just an act, the crew did save their lives in the end.

The duo lay on the bed and rested for a while. Although the cabin was spartan, the simple wood furniture was more than enough to fill their hearts with joy. Oftentimes, one would only know how to appreciate and cherish a thing after they had lost it.

The sky gradually darkened. When Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er were fast asleepsomebody knocked on their cabin door.

Zhou Weiqing woke up and opened the door. He saw a young man that he had seen earlier in the day standing outside the door. "Mister, can you and your wife follow me, please? Master Gu Yu would like to meet the both of you."

The young man was not exceptionally polite but he was not stand-offish either. Instead, there was more curiosity in his eyes when he looked at Zhou Weiqing.

Zhou Weiqing quickly responded politely. Bing'er also woke up due to the minor disturbance. After they freshened themselves up, they left the cabin.

The moment the young man saw Bing'er, who had changed into a set of clean clothes and simply made up, he immediately gawked at her, seemingly forgetting himself. His feet were nearly glued to the ground. It was only when Zhou Weiqing finally gave a small cough that he snapped out of his trance.

With a red face, the young man quickly lowered his head and shyly led the way. Zhou Weiqing secretly chuckled in his heart as he thought, 'This boy must be a young virgin! Usually, it's the virgins that fall for Bing'er's beauty the hardest.'

When Bing'er had just gotten together with Zhou Weiqing, she was already very beautiful and eye-catching. At that time, she still had an adolescent look. After three years, she had completely transformed into a truly stunning beauty. Although the three Shangguan sisters looked similar, their temperaments were completely different. Bing'er's gentleness and elegant beauty were the most alluring among the three sisters. Presently, she was wearing a long, green dress without any makeup on her face; it made her look like the rarest beauty, filled with an air of elegance. In other people's eyes, it was a real pity that she only had her sights on Zhou Weiqing. She did not even notice that the young man was looking at her.

Under the young man's lead, the two of them entered the hull of the ship.

The ship was really huge, spanning more than three hundred meters in length and over eighty meters in width. Such a gigantic ship was rare even in the Boundless Mainland. Even a storm could hardly shake it, and it could sail rather stably across the ocean, but its speed could not be compared to the Neptune Shuttle. At the very least, it could carry more than one to two people.

After they entered the hull of the ship, they continued to make their way towards the huge berth area ofthe ship.

Inside the berth area were a few table banquets that were filled with dishes Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er had never seen before. The unique and novel-looking dishes clearly could not be found in Boundless Mainland.

Master Gu Yu was sitting at the head seat by the main table, and there was a middle-aged man in his forties sitting next to him. Zhou Weiqing had not seen the man earlier, but judging from his attire, he was likely someone important. He was probably a captain or something.

There was a total of three tables. Other than the Heavenly Jewel Masters Zhou Weiqing met during the day, the rest of the people present were likely important figures on the ship.

Beckoning to Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er, Master Gu Yu motioned for them to come to his table. Zhou Weiqing knew that the most crucial moment was here. These people definitely wanted to figure out his and Bing'er's origins.

When he first entered the berth area, his face was already filled with a deep sense of gratitude. After all, he was one of the best actors in the Boundless Mainland.

Holding Bing'er's hand, Zhou Weiqing walked towards Gu Yu's table and bowed respectfully. "Master."

Gu Yu nodded his head at them, gesturing for them to take a seat. The two young men sitting beside him had their eyes fixed on Bing'er. Although their gazes contained no lust, it was still strange. At this moment, Bing'er, who had changed into new clothes, was like a beautiful valley filled with flowers, outshining the beauty of the other women on the ship.

Bing'er seemed oblivious to the gazes that were trained on her. She only lowered her head slightly and leaned against Zhou Weiqing, showing everyone that she only listened to him.

As Gu Yu's gaze swept past Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er, he smiled and said, "I was in a hurry when we rescued you earlier. Might I know where you're from? Can you tell us what exactly happened to you earlier? After all, I'm responsible for everyone onboard while at sea."

Gu Yu had was careful with his words, but it was apparent that he really wanted to know where the duo had come from.

Tears of sadness flowed out of Zhou Weiqing's eyes as he nodded. Even Bing'er, who knew it was all an act, could not help but be infected by the seemingly genuine sadness that came from him, let alone the people in front of him. "Master and everyone here had a hand in saving our lives. Of course I'll tell you where we come from. My wife and I come from a small family near the port of Ubaatar. We hitched a ride on a large ship—both our families have declined. It's just me and my wife. At first, we wanted to use this opportunity to hunt down some Sea Beasts and trade their Nucleus Cores for some money. It would allow us to buy some Consolidated Equipment Transformation Scrolls for ourselves. Who would've thought we would encounter an overlord of the sea like the Dreadfiend Sea Naga? We did not even have any idea just what was happening. All I heard was people shouting 'Dreadfiend Sea Naga!' and before we knew it, the ship was smashed into pieces. We were quite lucky to be swept up by the waves, and we've been drifting around in the sea ever since. If it were a few days later, we probably would have drowned. Oh, that's right, my name is Zhou Weiqing and my wife is Shangguan Bing'er. We're very grateful for the help that we received today. We'll remember this life-saving deed and hope that we can find a way to repay all of you in the future."

Other than sincerity and truth, there were no other words that could be used to describe Zhou Weiqing's account. His story perfectly matched his identity as a shipwreck survivor; at the same time, he made his and Bing'er's identities known. As for the Ubaatar port, it was actually the end destination recorded in the Neptune Shuttle's seamap. Other than that, Zhou Weiqing only knew about the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland's name. Still, it never crossed their minds that the two of them were from the Boundless Mainland. It was sufficient to gloss over the details and get away with the mere mention of a location's name.

After looking at Zhou Weiqing's miserable appearance and listening to his story, almost everyone present had a sympathetic look on their faces.

Master Gu Yu was the only one who did not even bat an eyelid. He said indifferently, "If that's the case, does that mean the both of you are unaffiliated? The two of you look like you're in your twenties. It's not easy to reach the Fifth Jewel level at your age."

Zhou Weiqing let out a deep sigh. As though he had not heard the skepticism in the elder's tone, he continued, "Although my family is poor, we still have some cultivation techniques that have been passed down from generation to generation. Master, how about this? My wife and I owe our lives to you. If you're interested, I'm willing to pass my family's technique to you. It would be a token of gratitude from me and my wife."

Even if there were still any doubts remaining about the couple, their doubts completely vanished the moment this statement was made. Everyone could feel his deep sincerity.

Be it the Boundless Mainland or the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland, a technique that was handed down from ancestors was extremely precious to any Heavenly Jewel Master. Since Zhou Weiqing was willing to hand over the technique he inherited, it was more than enough to prove his sincerity. This was because every technique had its own characteristics and many things could be gleaned from it. Since Zhou Weiqing was willing to expose the secrets of his most precious possession, it meant that he had completely opened himself up to all of them.

Sure enough, the moment Gu Yu heard his statement, his expression immediately softened greatly. Waving his hand, he said, "We can have an exchange when we have time. For you to cultivate to the Fifth Jewel at such a young age means that you're indeed a promising talent. I'm willing to give you a pointer or two."

Although Zhou Weiqing's had delivered a beautiful speech, Master Gu Yu obviously would not believe him so easily. He thought to himself, "Since you want to give me your technique so willingly, then I should not waste this chance to see how powerful your technique really is. The technique should be pretty good considering the fact that you managed to cultivate to the Fifth Jewel by your twenties alone."

Mind games were invisible, but they were also the most dangerous ones. One wrong step, and all decorum could be lost instantly. Zhou Weiqing could express himself so calmly because there really weren't any hidden intentions in his heart. He had no intention of harming anyone onboard. Moreover, with his cultivation base, he did not have to worry about the situation taking a turn for the worse. With the Neptune Shuttle in his hands, they could still reach the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland safely even without the ship. However, if they could reach the mainland onboard this ship, they would at least have an official identity they could use during their stay. At the same time, they could use this opportunity to investigate the situation in the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland. There was no doubt that it would be very helpful to him in his mission.

The meals served onboard mainly consisted of seafood. Ships of this size would only bring sufficient vegetables and fruits, as well as limited quantities of meat and grains, when out at sea. Most of their food was obtained from the sea because it was easier to ensure their supplies would suffice for a long voyage that way.

Even though the dinner was not particularly sumptuous, it was more than enough to whet Zhou Weiqing and Shangguan Bing'er's appetite. Regardless who it was, having steaming hot food to eat would feel extremely blissful after eating just dry grains. This also served to further prove that they had met with a catastrophe at sea. However, Master Gu Yu did not intend to let Zhou Weiqing off just like that. He invited Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er into his cabin immediately after the meal.

Compared to Zhou Weiqing's cabin, Gu Yu's cabin was way better. His cabin alone occupied the entire upper level of the ship. Apart from being spacious, there was also some space for other activities. Standing in here allowed one to observe the situation in the sea.

Bing'er waited outside the cabin while Zhou Weiqing was brought inside. The two young men who had abnormal looks on their faces were both Gu Yu's disciples. At the moment, they were ordered to stay outside as well, and they had used the opportunity to hit on Bing'er. If it was Fei'er who was standing here, their secrets would probably have long been dug out by her. However, Bing'er was different. No matter what they said, she listened to them with a faint smile on her face and seldom spoke. It made the two young men try their best to show off. However, they managed to maintain some restraint and did not try to do anything excessive.

In less than an hour, Master Gu Yu's voice was suddenly heard from the cabin. "This is a nothing but a suicide technique! How lucky you are to be able to cultivate it to such an amazing level! What Immortal Deity Technique? It should be renamed to Suicide Deity Technique instead!"

When the door opened, a helpless-looking Zhou Weiqing and Gu Yu walked together. Apart from the stunned look on his face, the way Gu Yu looked at Zhou Weiqing changed as well.

Bing'er immediately understood what had happened. Suppressing the laughter that was bubbling up in her chest, she lowered her head and stood next to Zhou Weiqing, eliciting jealousy from the two young men.

Gu Yu sighed and said, "Weiqing, I've never seen or heard of such a technique before, so I really can't give you any pointers. Why don't the two of you go back to your cabin and rest? We've already begun our return. On the way back, if we come across any danger, we'll have to trouble the two of you to help out."

Zhou Weiqing politely replied, "It'll be my pleasure." After the exchange, both of them had obviously gotten the old man's approval and were considered part of the crew.

The voyage continued. It was a boring journey for those who were originally onboard, so they would occasionally hunt some weak sea creatures to add to their harvest.

However, for Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er, this life was much more comfortable than the one led on the Neptune Shuttle. They did not have to do anything and would progress forward anyway. More importantly, they gained a huge amount of knowledge about the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland while onboard the ship.

Zhou Weiqing was exceptionally good at adapting to any environment and befriending others. Through his exchange with the people onboard, he quickly obtained a lot of useful information.

Chapter 683

Compared to the Boundless Mainland, the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland was much smaller. It was probably only 1.5 times the size of the Fei Li Empire and was much smaller compared to the Zhongtian Empire. This was the reason why people from the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland placed so much importance on the ocean compared to those from the Boundless Mainland. Because of this, people from the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland were significantly better at navigating the ocean.

Heavenly Jewel Masters were divided into different sects in the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland. However, unlike the Great Five Saint Lands from the Boundless Mainland, the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland only had one great sect which was the the Mysterious Heavenly Palace. With it as its backbone, the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland had managed to unify the entire continent 1,300 years ago. There were no splintering of countries, and a small number of Heavenly Jewel Masters were even at the mercy of the palace.

Because of this, things were fairly simple on the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland. Everything was decided by the Heavenly Palace of the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland. Neither the people nor the countries had any objections. However, even though this allowed the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland to flourish and prosper, they eventually became complacent and a little lazy in terms of their development because of the lack of competitors and adversaries.

As expected, Zhou Weiqing was uninterested in any of that. The most useful piece of news he managed to obtain was a way to join the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland.

The Mysterious Heavenly Palace was at the highest level of existence on the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland, and there were only two ways to get in. The first was to go through a selection process by the Mysterious Heavenly Palace before the age of ten and if the candidate was chosen, only then would they be allowed entry to the Mysterious Heavenly Palace. Then, the candidate would have to go through multiple rounds of screening in the palace. At this point, their cultivation talent and progress of awakening the Heavenly Jewels were all taken into consideration, and only the truly outstanding youngsters would have an opportunity to join the ranks of the Mysterious Heavenly Palace.

Other than this, there was still another way for a person to join the Mysterious Heavenly Palace. It was also one of the differences between the Five Great Saint Lands of the Boundless Mainland and the Mysterious Heavenly Palace of the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland. Perhaps, it was due to the fact that there was only one Saint Land in the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland, so there was no need for them to fear infiltrations by their enemies. Because of this, the Mysterious Heavenly Palace also recruited unaffiliated cultivators. Of course, they would only recruit the very best. For this reason, the Mysterious Heavenly Palace would hold a Mysterious Heavenly Selection annually.

The talent selection would be held in every major city in the Mysterious Heavenly Empire. The top three unaffiliated cultivators from each major city would successfully enter the Mysterious Heavenly Palace in the end to participate in the final match. The number of unaffiliated cultivators that could join the Mysterious Heavenly Palace every year was not fixed but instead, determined by one's strength and potential.

The first requirement for the recruitment was age. Usually, the palace would only recruit those who were below the age of thirty to join the outer palace of the Mysterious Heavenly Palace. These people would have to work their way up from the bottom, slowly accumulating merit while learning the Mysterious Heavenly Palace's Jewel techniques. If one showed outstanding potential and passed the numerous tests from the palace, then they would be promoted to the inner palace.

Of course, the age limit did not apply to those who were at the Heavenly King-tier or above. Anyone at this level who wanted to join the Mysterious Heavenly Palace would have to go through a different assessment. As to what the assessments were, nobody on the ship knew the answer to that.

Without a doubt, Zhou Weiqing's and Bing'er's age meant that they had no other choice but to go for the second option.

To the Heavenly Jewel Masters on the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland, being able to join the Mysterious Heavenly Palace was not only a great honor but also a great source of monetary benefits. All the disciples in the inner palace of the Mysterious Heavenly Palace had unrestricted access to Consolidated Equipment sets and Heavenly Jewel Stones. Even the disciples from the outer palace would get numerous benefits as well.

All of the Storing Palaces on the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland were owned by the Mysterious Heavenly Palace. One could easily imagine just how powerful the Mysterious Heavenly Palace was. If a new emperor wanted to ascend the throne, even he would need the approval of the Mysterious Heavenly Palace.

Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er's goal was to obtain the Spatial Teleportation Stone. After obtaining the information about the Mysterious Heavenly Palace, he was quite certain that he would have to declare war against the entire Mysterious Heavenly Mainland! It seemed like he had underestimated the difficulty of obtaining the Spatial Teleportation Stone.

However, Zhou Weiqing managed to come up with a good solution. In any case, he would have to join the Mysterious Heavenly Palace before he could put his plan into action. As the saying goes, a person in a favorable position gains special advantages. He needed to infiltrate the palace to have a greater chance of success. Otherwise, they would not even know where the Spatial Teleportation Stone was located.

The last leg of their journey to the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland was uneventful. Perhaps, it was because there was a Heavenly King onboard presiding over the ship. As long as they did not come across the Devilish Black Tortoise again, it was unlikely for the ship to encounter any danger.

Zhou Weiqing was an easy-going man, while Shangguan Bing'er was a beautiful girl. In just a short time, they managed to blend in with the Heavenly Jewel Master crew. The elevated status of a Heavenly Jewel Master was the same on the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland; a normal crewmember would not dare to show any disrespect towards them.

The ship was given the name The Pearl, and it was owned by Master Gu Yu. However, Master Gu Yu was not a part of the Mysterious Heavenly Palace. Instead, he was the patriarch of one of the few powerful clans that were not part of the Mysterious Heavenly Palace on the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland.

Of course, they were still under the governance of the Mysterious Heavenly Palace. Otherwise, they ran the risk of being wiped out. This time, they had reaped quite a bountiful harvest from the sea. Their main purpose was to search for precious gifts to send to the Mysterious Heavenly Palace so that the children from their clans would have a higher chance of entering the inner palace during the selection.

On the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland, instead of battling it out physically or comparing wealth and resources to demonstrate their superiority, clans competed by seeing whose disciple had a higher position in the Mysterious Heavenly Palace. Such a peculiar situation would never happen on the Boundless Mainland.

At first, Master Gu Yu had the intention of recruiting Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er into his sect. However, the moment he saw Zhou Weiqing's Immortal Deity Technique, he immediately changed his mind. After all, which clan would be willing to train a person who might die at any moment during his cultivation?

Therefore, when Zhou Weiqing looked for Master Gu Yu and asked for his help to write a recommendation letter for him and Bing'er so that they could join the Mysterious Heavenly Selection, Master Gu Yu happily agreed to it.

Zhou Weiqing performed very well on the ship. Every time they came across middle-level sea beasts, he would help the other Heavenly Jewel Masters without any hesitation. Not only that, he politely rejected all the rewards that were offered to him. The reason he gave them was that he wanted to repay the life-saving debt that he owed them. With his appropriate conduct, nobody was suspicious of him. Even Master Gu Yu was happy to do him a favor by writing him a letter of recommendation. After all, it was not impossible for Zhou Weiqing to fully cultivate the Immortal Deity Technique. And if by chance, he really managed to cultivate this technique, he would probably be monstrously strong.

Little did he know, Zhou Weiqing was already monstrously strong back on the Boundless Mainland which was far larger than the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland.

The ship continued to sail for another month before they finally saw a dark coastline ahead of them.

After a long time on the sea, even the Heavenly Jewel Masters could not help but cheer out loud the moment they saw the coastline. The fact that they were able to return safely with their lives intact after sailing the treacherous and uncertain sea was truly a cause for celebration for everyone onboard.

Zhou Weiqing held Bing'er's hand while he stood on the deck. He was also looking at the distant coastline. At the moment, his heart was filled with heroic pride as he thought to himself excitedly, "Yes! Here we come, Mysterious Heavenly Mainland!"

After another hour, The Pearl finally reached the port. The instance the ship docked, the port became lively from the crowd around the area.

"It feels good to return alive." Gu Yu's voice rang out from behind. Zhou Weiqing turned back to look at him and happened to see the Heavenly King Master slowly making his way towards him.

After spending quite some time with him, Master Gu Yu left quite a good impression in Zhou Weiqing's mind. Even though this elder was a little strict, his temperament was mild. Right now, he was at the Heavenly King-tier. Although there was no hope for him to make a breakthrough to the Heavenly Emperor-tier, he was still considered a powerful master in Mysterious Heavenly Mainland.

"Master, even though you have such a strong cultivation base, you're afraid of the sea as well?" Zhou Weiqing chuckled as he asked.

Master Gu Yu laughed and then replied, "How can I not be afraid? Well, pardon me for saying something so disrespectful, but even the Palace Master of the Mysterious Heavenly Palace would be prudent and cautious if he heads out to the sea."

Curious, Zhou Weiqing queried, "Even people from the Mysterious Heavenly Palace would head out to sea?"

Gu Yu nodded his head as he replied, "Of course! The ocean is an endless treasure vault. I heard that many years ago when the Mysterious Heavenly Palace was newly established, they managed to hunt down a Dreadfiend Sea Naga that was badly injured for unknown reasons. Because of that, they benefited immensely from its body. This kickstarted the Mysterious Heavenly Palace's establishment, allowing the palace to finally achieve where it is today after many years of development."

Smiling, Zhou Weiqing suddenly announced, "Master, I'm afraid we'll have to bid you goodbye for now."

Gu Yu nodded his head. "Have a safe journey. If you fail the Mysterious Heavenly Selection, you're always welcome to join my clan."

"Thank you, Master." Zhou Weiqing bowed to him again. He held Bing'er's hand before the both of them disembarked from the ship.

Gu Yu's two disciples were standing behind him when Zhou Weiqing and him were talking. One of them suddenly chimed in, "Teacher, I find Zhou Weiqing a little peculiar. He doesn't seem to really care about anything around him."

Gu Yu smiled and nodded in satisfaction. "The fact that you noticed this means you've improved a lot. Let alone you, even I could not completely see through this young man. His origin is certainly not as simple as he made it out to be. Still, it's always better to make an additional friend rather than an additional enemy."

Of course, Zhou Weiqing was unaware of Gu Yu's appraisal. After leading Bing'er off the ship, they finally made their way out from the swarming crowd.

A ship that sailed out to the deep sea like The Pearl would definitely be filled with a lot of treasure as long as it returned safely. The crowd was mostly made up of traders who were interested in buying valuable goods from the ship so that they could sell them.

After they left the crowd of people behind, Zhou Weiqing continued to lead Bing'er directly into the port city.

"It feels great to be able to step on solid ground again!" Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er felt like it had been ages since they experienced solid ground as they reveled in the rich smell of earth.

"I feel like staying at this Mysterious Heavenly Mainland forever without worrying about anything else. Nobody knows us here, and there's neither necessity nor trouble that I need to solve here!" Zhou Weiqing exclaimed out loud.

With a faint smile on her lips, Bing'er looked at him as she asked, "Are you really willing to do that?"

Chapter 684

"Err…" Zhou Weiqing gulped. "L-Let's enter the city. We should look for the venue of the Mysterious Heavenly Selection. Master Gu Yu said that it will be held in Ubaatar City."

When Bing'er saw him changing the topic in a rush, she did not press the issue. She only chuckled lightly in response. He tightened his clutch on her hand as he thought to himself, 'Bing'er is really thoughtful.'

Ubaatar was a port city. It was the final destination that was recorded in the navigation system of the Neptune Shuttle. Now that they had finally arrived in the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland, it was quite a good feeling.

The first thing Zhou Weiqing did was purchase a map. Although he did not have any currency from the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland, Nucleus Cores were a form of universal currency. After selling a few Nucleus Cores he obtained from Zun-tier Heavenly Beasts, the gold coins that he obtained were sufficient to cover their expenses for a period of time.

After wandering around Ubaatar City for a while, Zhou Weiqing noticed that there were not many differences between the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland and the Boundless Mainland. Other than the way they dressed, everything else was essentially the same.

After they found a hotel to stay in, a simple query about the Mysterious Heavenly Selection gave them all the information they needed.

Ubaatar was a strategic port city in the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland. Naturally, the Selection would be held here. Somehow, it seemed like lady luck was on their side. This year's Selection would be held in a month's time.

After they received confirmation of the news, Zhou Weiqing decided to temporarily go into closed-door cultivation. Although he did not come across any real danger during their journey, he and Bing'er had suffered terribly during their time at sea. For this reason, both of them gained a deeper understanding of themselves, and they even managed to raise their cultivation bases. It was a good opportunity for them to use the experience they had gained to fuse with their cultivation while waiting for the day of the Selection to arrive.

Needless to say, Bing'er cultivated together with Zhou Weiqing. She had plenty of Saint Energy in her body, and with him by her side, she could use his Saint Energy to help with her cultivation. After she had used up some of her own Saint Energy, all she needed was for Zhou Weiqing to inject a little bit of his Saint Energy to her. This allowed her to raise her cultivation base extremely quickly. On the third day of their closed-door cultivation, she had already broken through to the Seventh Jewel stage.

Zhou Weiqing's cultivation progress was also advancing rapidly. Despite the fact that the Immortal Deity Technique had been completed, the speed at which his Saint Energy was raised did not seem to slow down at all. Because of that, through the continuous condensation and solidifying process, his cultivation base slowly progressed and increased as the days went by. His Saint Energy was now only a step away from the 37th tier.

However, because he had completed the Immortal Deity Technique, he did not know how to break through to the 37th tier at all. He could only hope that by continuously accumulating energy, and through this accumulation process, his Saint Energy would automatically experience a breakthrough.

In the blink of an eye, a month had passed. Apart from cultivating, Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er would occasionally go out and enjoy the local sights and culture of the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland to further understand it.

Their closed-door cultivation proved to be effective. Over the course of a month, thanks to the powerful effect of the Saint Energy, Shangguan Bing'er managed to raise her cultivation base by one full tier to the 29th tier. And even though Zhou Weiqing did not manage to break through to the 37th tier, not only did the Saint Energy in his body solidify, a little more after a month of experience and cultivation, he had a deeper understanding of the Saint Energy. It seemed like he was just a tiny step away from the 37th tier. Even though he did not know how he should take this last tiny step, he understood that, as long as he kept accumulating and accumulating, he would be able to break through eventually.

…

The city square of Ubaatar city.

The day of the annual selection had finally arrived. The mayor of Ubaatar City had long taken his seat of honor on the podium, eagerly waiting for the celebration to start. The platform that was temporarily erected was swarmed with a huge crowd of people. A large number of soldiers had ensured order among the crowd.

"Lord Mayor, this is the list of participants for the Selection this year." A guard handed over the list to him.

After taking the list from him, the mayor of Ubaatar did not immediately look at it. Instead, with a respectful look on his face, he passed it over to an old man who was sitting beside him. "Master Er Chun, please have a look."

"Alright," the man addressed as Er Chun replied. He wore a blue robe with a silvery crescent moon embroidered near his heart.

Er Chun opened the list and swept through it with a glance. After he was done, he said indifferently, "There are more than 100 participants this time.There are too many people. Pass down the order. Those with a cultivation base of fewer than four Jewels are automatically disqualified."

Taken aback, Sang Tan said hesitatingly, "M-Master, isn't this a little too harsh? The rule that we set earlier clearly states three Jewels as the minimum requirement."

Er Chun glanced at him coldly. Sang Tan instantly felt chills running down his spine. "I don't want to waste my time here. Just tell them that this is an order from the Mysterious Heavenly Palace. Perhaps, you're trying to imply that the Mysterious Heavenly Palace have to answer to these unaffiliated cultivators? What's the point of participating in this selection if they're not talented enough?"

"O-Okay!" Wiping the beads of sweat on his forehead, Sang Tan thought to himself, 'Naturally, the Mysterious Heavenly Palace is not afraid of anything! But I, the mayor of Ubaatar, am afraid of those Heavenly Jewel Masters that will complain and create trouble for me later!'

The requirements to participate in the Mysterious Heavenly Selection were extremely harsh. They would not accept Physical Jewel Masters or Elemental Jewel Masters. They only wanted Heavenly Jewel Masters. The original requirements of being below 30 years old and having at least three Jewels were already considered harsh. Now that they had increased it to four Jewels, the masters would obviously be unhappy and unsatisfied. With that being said, nobody would dare to object directly. After all, was there anyone who dared to offend the Mysterious Heavenly Palace?

Sure enough, the moment the announcement was made, a riot immediately broke out among the participants. Cries of discontent could be heard from the Heavenly Jewel Masters who have unlocked the Third Jewel, had above average Consolidated Equipment sets and Stored Techniques. After all, those people had already paid the registration fee. However, just as the mayor thought, although they were complaining and voicing out their dissatisfaction, nobody dared to do anything or create any trouble. Indeed, who dared to go against the Mysterious Heavenly Palace? Er Chun was only a delegate from the Mysterious Heavenly Palace, but he was so arrogant that even his jaw was practically pointed to the direction of the sky.

At that moment, Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er were standing among the crowd. Listening to the voices of dismay among the participants, he whispered to her, "Looks like this Mysterious Heavenly Palace is not that popular among the people even though they're very powerful."

Bing'er replied, "Of course. The Mysterious Heavenly Palace is a powerful entity. It's natural that their disciples are arrogant. It's no surprise that the people don't like them. However, because the Mysterious Heavenly Palace is so powerful and influential, these people can only grumble quietly. The Mysterious Heavenly Empire would split eventually if the Mysterious Heavenly Palace were unable to handle matters properly."

After the announcement was made, there were about 30 participants left after the cut.

On the podium, Sang Tan said to Er Chun, "Master, can we start now?"

Er Chun did not say anything nor did he move, he only snorted in assent.

Sang Tan proceeded to rise up and announce, "The annual Mysterious Heavenly Selection is officially starting now. Experts of Ubaatar, show us your strength and strive to enter the finals in Tian City. Good luck, everyone! For the first round, we'll be testing your Heavenly Energy!"

On the stage, five stone pillars that were about a meter high each were transported over and erected. A transparent crystal ball was embedded into each pillar. This was obviously used to evaluate the aptitude of the participant's Heavenly Energy.

Master Er Chun slowly rose up from his seat. Showing off, he walked on air before he descended from the stage. The moment he appeared in front of the crowd, absolute silence fell over the audience.

With his hands held behind him, the arrogant old man instructed nonchalantly, "Participants who have four Jewels or more will come up to the stage one by one to have their Heavenly Energy tested. Let's start. Five people at once. Record the strength of their Heavenly Energy."

When he appeared on the stage, a middle-aged man dressed in similar blue robes walked up from the side as well. If one were to look carefully, one could see a silver star embroidered on his chest. It was obvious that his status was not as high as Er Chun's. He was holding a tome in his hands that was obviously going to be used to record the results.

After that, the disciples below the stage quickly organized the 30 plus participants into teams of five.

Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er we're standing toward the back. As soon as the first five participants got on the stage, each of them began to place their right hands on the crystal balls that were embedded in the stone pillars. The moment the man with the silverish star embroidery shouted "Start!", all five of them simultaneously released their Heavenly Energy.

Without warning, the five crystal balls lighted up at the same time. It cast a faint white light on the surrounding area. With the continuous infusion of Heavenly Energy, the white lights gradually rose, exuding the differences between their powers at a glance. The higher the light beam went, the higher the cultivation base.

After about five minutes, when the light columns could not go any higher, the man with the one-star embroidery gestured for them to stop. The second team was quickly ushered on to the stage to be tested.

Zhou Weiqing was laughing slightly as he turned to Bing'er and said, "It's quite interesting that they are testing our Heavenly Energy first. Anyway, that test is not enough to assess the strength of a Heavenly Jewel Master. I'm sure there'll be more comprehensive tests later on."

Bing'er nodded. Just as she was about to say something, a slightly rude voice suddenly interjected from behind, "So what if there are other tests later on? They have nothing to do with you anyway. You two will never be selected."

His words sounded somewhat biting, causing the listener to feel uncomfortable. Frowning slightly, Zhou Weiqing turned back to have a look. The person he saw was a young man in his twenties who was staring lecherously at Bing'er's ass. When he saw Zhou Weiqing staring at him, he quickly held his head high and put on a condescending look.

A flash of coldness flashed in Zhou Weiqing's eyes, but he maintained a smile on his face. "What do you mean, bro? We haven't even been evaluated yet. How do you know if our cultivation bases will fail to meet the mark?"

Chapter 685

The young man was not that tall. He was only about 1.7 metres in height. He was thin, with recessed eye sockets and slightly blue eyebags. Even then, he still looked quite decent. However, it was obvious to everyone with discerning eyes that this man had been indulging too much in alcohol and sex. Prior to this, Zhou Weiqing did not notice his existence at all. It was actually surprising that someone like him would participate in the Mysterious Heavenly Selection.

"Is there anything that I don't know? I will be able to qualify! You two are not locals, right? You must not know who I am!"

As he was saying that, he looked at Bing'er's body lasciviously. His eyes were trained on her body, slowly scanning from top to bottom. He was completely unaware that he had crossed Zhou Weiqing's bottom line.

Zhou Weiqing maintained his curious facade and continued asking, "I thought the objective of the selection is to select new talents for the Mysterious Heavenly Palace? Whether we're selected or not depends on our strength and capability, right? What does it have to do with our identity?"

The young man snorted derisively. He did not deign to answer Zhou Weiqing. Instead, he leaned towards Bing'er with a smiley face. "Hey, pretty girl! Look at how beautiful you are. Why don't you let me treat you to a meal after the selection? The top three participants have already been decided, so you have no chance. Don't worry! You're still young after all. As long as I help you ahead of time, you'll probably stand a chance next year. My father is the mayor of this city. My name is Sang De. Let's get to know each other more, shall we?" As he was speaking, he reached out to grab Bing'er's little hand.

Well, he did manage to grab something. Unfortunately, it was not Bing'er's hand. Instead, he was holding on to a huge and sturdy hand. When he looked up at the hand's owner, he saw Zhou Weiqing's face that had a cheerful smile plastered on it. Shaking his hand hard, Zhou Weiqing chuckled. "Ahhh, so you're the mayor's son! I'm sorry for being so disrespectful!"

"You asshole! Let go of my hand now!" Sang De tried to retract his hand from Zhou Weiqing's grip, but his grip was too strong. It was almost like an iron tong. No matter how much Heavenly Energy he used, it was all in vain. In the end, he was still unable to break free from Zhou Weiqing's grip. Not only that, Zhou Weiqing was gradually tightening his grip until a sharp intense pain gradually spread through his hand.

At this moment, a somewhat stern voice shouted, "What are you doing? It's your turn to go up the stage!"

It seemed like during their brief exchange, a few teams had already completed their test. It was finally their turn to get tested.

Only then did Zhou Weiqing release Sang De's hand. After all, he was on their turf. And more importantly, they still needed to pass the selection in order to enter the Mysterious Heavenly Palace. Zhou Weiqing had no choice other than to tolerate it. Of course, with his personality, he would never let Sang De off so easily.

Other than the three of them, two other people in front of him went up the stage together. Each of them stood in front of the circular pillar.

From the beginning, Master Er Chun stood at the same spot, expressionless and with his hands clasped behind him. He did not even bother to look at the participants in the eye. It was as if everything that happened in front of him had nothing to do with him at all.

The instance the officer yelled "Start!", all five of them began to infuse their Heavenly Energy into the crystal balls.

Instead of hastily infusing his Heavenly Energy into the crystal ball, Zhou Weiqing turned his head to look at Sang De. To his surprise, his Heavenly Energy was actually decent. Even though his body showed signs of decline from his debauched lifestyle, he actually managed to display the strength of five Jewels. The white light rose up steadily.

Zhou Weiqing sneered inwardly. He probably did not cultivate the power himself. Although the white light rose up very quickly, it was very obvious that the light was murky and tainted. Not only that, the light was unstable as well. This was enough to prove that his Heavenly Energy had been enhanced by some sort of drugs or he had some special help from another expert. Although this enhancement method allowed him to increase his strength in a short amount of time, it would be detrimental to him in the long run. Putting other possibilities aside, he would probably never be able to cross the threshold of the Zun and Zong-tier in the future.

Zhou Weiqing turned his head again as he nodded slightly in Shangguan Bing'er's direction. At the same time, he converted his Saint Energy into Heavenly Energy. He then proceeded to release it into the crystal ball. He released just the right amount so that his light would always be a fraction higher than Sang De's light.

At this moment, a glimmer flashed across Bing'er's eyes. The rich intense Heavenly Energy burst out from her body at once. Amidst all the gasps and yells from the audience, a white light shot out of the crystal ball in front of Bing'er as it skyrocketed up in a straight line towards the sky. In almost an instant, the light surpassed the other four participants' light. When it was about five meters high, a cracking noise could be heard coming from the crystal ball in front of her. It seemed like crystal broke because it could not withstand her enormous Heavenly Energy.

Er Chun, who had remained detached the entire time, was shocked to his core. Looking at the broken crystal ball, he could not help but exclaimed loudly, "S-Seventh Jewel?"

At this moment, the haughtiness in his face had completely vanished. Instead, it was replaced by a look of astonishment.

This young girl looked like she was only in her twenties! How was it possible that her cultivation base was at the Seventh Jewel? T-This was impossible! Even the promising young experts that were carefully nurtured by the Mysterious Heavenly Palace could not possibly achieve this!

Little did he know that even among the younger generation in the Boundless Mainland, Bing'er's cultivation base was famous for being above all others. Although the Mysterious Heavenly Palace was considered a saint land in the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland, it was still slightly lacking compared to the Boundless Mainland.

Bing'er smiled softly as she retracted her delicate little hand. She did not look exhausted at all. In fact, she looked like she had just completed a simple task.

Currently, the brilliance that radiated from her body had completely enveloped the rest of the participants. A cultivation base of seven Jewels might have been seen before in the Mysterious Heavenly Selection, but it was usually only happened during the final round of the selection. Not only that, such a feat was usually done by those that were entering their thirties. Not only was Bing'er gorgeous, she also looked like a weak young lady who could easily be knocked down. How could she not surprise them with cultivation base she had attained?

Taking a deep breath, Er Chun nodded his head towards Bing'er. "May I know what your name is?"

Smiling, she answered, "I'm Shangguan Bing'er."

After listening to her name, Er Chun found that he had no recollection of this name. Apart from nodding his head, he did not say anything more. However, he was in currently in a very awkward position.

Just asSang De had alluded to earlier, the Mysterious Heavenly Selection was just a big show for the public. The three participants who would be entering the finals had long been decided in private. Of course, this was deeply related to the gifts sent by those people. Only those who sent the best gifts would be given the candidature to enter the finals. These people were not stupid. As long as they could enter the Mysterious Heavenly Palace, even if they were just a disciple in the outer palace, they no would longer need to worry about their food and clothing. Besides, with their power, was there a need to be afraid that their investment would not yield results?

Zhou Weiqing had his reason for letting Shangguan Bing'er demonstrate her true strength. After all, unlike him, she could not conceal her own cultivation base, and she would definitely raise suspicion from her tone if questioned. In that case, he might as well let her unleash her full power. With a talent like Bing'er, it would only increase their chances of getting into the inner palace of the Mysterious Heavenly Palace. Without a doubt, this would be very helpful to them in stealing the Spatial Teleportation Stone.

This was the first step in Zhou Weiqing's plan. He would only act if he was sure the plan would succeed. The next step of the plan had already been arranged too.

Soon after, all participants had completed the first round of the Heavenly Energy test.

Er Chun swept the participants below the stage with a glance as he said indifferently, "Only the top ten participants of the Heavenly Energy test can enter the second round of selection. Announce their names."

As soon as the statement left his mouth, the participants immediately burst into an uproar.

The fact was most of the participants had more or less the same cultivation base. Simply relying on Heavenly Energy for the selection was unfair. Besides, this was not the original rule set by the Mysterious Heavenly Selection.

"Master Er Chun! This is a little inappropriate. The Heavenly Energy is only a small part of a Heavenly Jewel Master's strength. It doesn't represent everything! Besides, according to the rules set by the Mysterious Heavenly Selection, this Heavenly Energy test was only a measurement tool for us to see whether the someone is eligible to participate in the selection or not. It's not a real elimination match!"

Rolling his eyes, Er Chun replied, "Do I need you to educate me on how I should conduct myself? Every place has their own set of rules, okay? In Ubaatar, my rules are the rules of the Mysterious Heavenly Palace! Strike off his name right now!"

Although the atmosphere below was boiling, nobody dared to voice out their objections anymore.

"See! It's useless! No matter how strong you are, it's impossible for you to enter the finals!" Standing beside Zhou Weiqing, Sang De sneered in a somewhat eccentric manner. However, this time, he did not dare to leer at Bing'er anymore. The strength that she had demonstrated terrified him. Although his father was the mayor, they would never dare to offend a Heavenly Jewel Master who had entered the Zong-tier.

Chuckling, Zhou Weiqing nodded toward Sang De and said, "Let us wait and see."

As they were announcing the ten shortlisted participants, Bing'er was naturally selected. As for Zhou Weiqing, since his Heavenly Energy cultivation base was much better than Sang De, not mentioning the fact that he was also one of the very best among the participants, he was obviously shortlisted as well. Apart from that, Sang De also successfully entered the top ten as he said he would.

After the ten of them went on the stage, they stood in a line in front of Er Chun. Needless to say, out of all the participants, Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er looked the youngest. On top of that, Zhou Weiqing actually looked much older than his actual age.

Er Chun announced in a deadpan manner, "If anyone thinks that the rules that I set are unfair, you can opt to pull out from the test now. You can't even make it into the top ten! What right do you have to make your demands here? That's right! The Heavenly Energy test is only a part of the Heavenly Jewel Master assessment, but it is also the foundation of a Heavenly Jewel Master. Without robust Heavenly Energy, what can you do even if you have a great Storing Skill technique? There'll only be three people who enter the finals. It's only natural that we'll choose someone with the most Heavenly Energy and talent. Still, some of the things you said are right. For example, Heavenly Energy is not everything! Real combat skills are important as well! In order to save time during the selection, I'll personally enter the stage to evaluate the ten people here!"

Chapter 686

"A lot of time will be wasted if we follow the original rule of the competition by drawing lots. Besides, it might be a little unfair to leave things up to chance by drawing lots. I would rather take the trouble to maintain the fairness in the Mysterious Heavenly Selection myself. Whoever dares to question my decision will be punished for being disrespectful to the Mysterious Heavenly Palace."

Er Chun's voice was slightly bleak with a hint of coercion. The sense of coercion was still bearable for the Heavenly Jewel Masters. However, it was more than enough to scare the commoners. When he finished talking, the commoners thought it over and surmised that his words made sense as well. The protest from below the stage gradually came to a halt.

After he motioned for the first Heavenly Jewel Master to stand in front of him, Er Chun explained indifferently, "The test will be the same for everyone. It doesn't matter what technique you use, as long as you can withstand my blow and not fall off the stage, you'll be able to advance to the second round. If by chance, only three participants manage to withstand my blow, those three will instantly advance to the finals. If there are more than three participants that successfully pass this round, the third round of assessment will be conducted."

The ten selected participants nodded to indicate that they understood. Seeming magnanimous, Er Chun nodded at the young man in front of him, gesturing for him to get ready.

Naturally, the young man did not dare act carelessly. Having a five Jewels cultivation base, he released his four-piece Consolidated Equipment all at once. As an unaffiliated Heavenly Jewel Master, it was not an easy task to possess so many pieces of Consolidated Equipment. He focused as he waited for Er Chun's blow.

"Careful!" Er Chun took a step forward. Heavenly Jewels intrinsic to him immediately materialized on both of his wrists. Both sides were impressively equipped with nine bright and shining Heavenly Jewels. Without making any unnecessary movement, he delivered a direct punch.

The young man quickly defended by casting an ice shield as he used all his might to maintain it.

Crack!

A muffled sound resonated as the ice shield shattered into pieces. The young man was thrown back until he dropped off the stage.

Zhou Weiqing stood on the stage. A twitch could be seen on the corner of his mouth. He almost burst out laughing.

It was normal for the commoners to be fooled by the gimmick, but how could it possibly escape his eyes? It might look fair, but how was it fair, exactly?

Er Chun indeed had pretty good strength, especially coupled with his Heavenly Zong cultivation base. How could someone who was at the Fifth Jewel-tier defend against a punch from a Ninth-tier? To top it off, the amount of Heavenly Energy infused in this blow was entirely controlled by him, was it not?

Under such circumstances, it was obvious the situation they were in was absolutely unfair. At the moment, Zhou Weiqing completely believed the words that Sang De uttered earlier. It was completely out of his expectations for the Mysterious Heavenly Palace to stoop so low and degenerate to such a state. In this aspect, the Five Great Saint Lands on the Boundless Mainland were much better than them. At the very least, nobody had ever heard of such sordid deeds in the Five Great Saint Lands in the past.

One blow after another was exchanged. Within a short period of time, the first four participants were blown off the stage by Er Chun.

When it came to the fifth person, the situation changed all of a sudden. The young man looked unremarkable, but when Er Chun threw his punch, the young man managed to stop himself and stabilize his body just a meter away from the edge of the stage.

A faint smile slowly crept onto Er Chun's face. Nodding his head, he said to the young man, "That was a quite good way of negating strength. You've passed."

The muscles on Zhou Weiqing's face twitched uncontrollably for a moment. He almost could not help himself from swearing out loud. 'What a f*cking fake!'

The sixth person was none other than Sang De. Bing'er and Zhou Weiqing were ranked at seventh and eighth respectively, so her turn would come first.

Sure enough, things went according to his expectations. Sang De was not thrown out of the stage after he had taken the punch. Better yet, he even managed to stop himself one meter ahead of the man who passed earlier. After receiving a 'smile' from Er Chun, he remained on the stage.

Finally, it was Bing'er's turn. The entire audience now turned their attention to focus solely on Er Chun. With a faint smile, Zhou Weiqing looked at him. He was interested to see how Er Chun planned to deal with Bing'er. After all, the cultivation base that she demonstrated earlier was at the Seventh Jewel-tier. Aside from her, none of the remaining participants were at the Sixth Jewel-tier.

Looking at Bing'er, a smile suddenly flashed across Er Chun's face as he said, "Having cultivated to the seventh Jewel cultivation base at such a young age is more than enough to prove the extraordinary talent that Lady Shangguan possesses. Naturally, you deserve a spot in the finals as well. However, as your cultivation base has already far exceeded the other participants. As such, I will gladly make an exception and get you an additional spot. Please step down and wait below the stage. You don't have to participate in the next round."

Taken aback, Bing'er could not help but turn to look at Zhou Weiqing.

Zhou Weiqing could not keep himself from smiling. Er Chun was not a fool after all! He did not dare cheat in front of so many people.

Sure enough, after hearing Er Chun's statement, even the Heavenly Jewel Masters who were dissatisfied with his actions just now were at a loss for words. Bing'er proceeded to walk down from the stage when she received Zhou Weiqing's signal from his eyes.

The eighth person was none other than Zhou Weiqing. There were two other people after him.

Er Chun had naturally seen the look Zhou Weiqing and Bing'er exchanged a moment ago. Still, there was not even the slightest change in his expression.

"Are you ready?" Er Chun asked him nonchalantly.

Nodding his head, Zhou Weiqing replied, "Yes, I'm ready. Please, sir."

Er Chun stared at him in surprise. This was because Zhou Weiqing had answered him casually without even releasing a single piece of Consolidated Equipment.

Er Chun sneered secretly in his heart. He did not care at all. He took the same step forward before punching straight at Zhou Weiqing.

His fist contained Heavenly Energy. Although its might could not be seen on the surface, the moment his fist punched out, a strong oppressive force came pressing at Zhou Weiqing's chest. The punch left him a little stifled.

With this attack, even a Seventh Jewel-tier master could not guarantee not being struck out by the punch, let alone a Fifth Jewel-tier master. The difference in their Heavenly Energy was just too enormous.

A smirk suffused Zhou Weiqing's face. Facing Er Chun's fist, he struck with his palm.

Bam!

A loud noise resounded on the stage. A scene that left the audience below staring with their mouths agape happened. Accompanied by a humming resonance, Zhou Weiqing remained standing in the same spot. He did not even take a step back. He just swatted Er Chun's fist away.

"Huh?" Chun Er was dumbfounded, and he immediately fixed his gaze on Zhou Weiqing. This guy was someone who was on the fifth-tier! He only had Five Jewels! He could see five pairs of Heavenly Jewels on Zhou Weiqing's wrist.

I-Impossible! Instinctively, he wanted to throw another punch but Zhou Weiqing suddenly interjected, "Master, I've passed, haven't I?"

Filled with resentment, Er Chun stopped himself from raising his hand again. Instead, he put on a curious facade and asked Zhou Weiqing, "Young man, how did you manage to block my strike?" After all, there was absolutely no theatrics to his earlier blow.

Chuckling toothily, Zhou Weiqing replied, "Oh, my strength is relatively stronger, Master. I used to be told that I'm gifted with superhuman strength!"

Er Chun cursed his bad luck inwardly. Still, he did not think too much of it. After all, Zhou Weiqing had come together with the genius, Shangguan Bing'er. It was not peculiar at all for him to have a special skill or two under his sleeves. After nodding his head, he held his tongue and continued with the test.

This was only the second round. Er Chun was confident that Zhou Weiqing would not be able to ruin his plan.

Another person was eliminated between the remaining two participants, leaving an additional person on the stage. Needless to say, Zhou Weiqing was clear that apart from himself, these three remaining people had long been decided to be the winners before the competition began.

Looking at the remaining four people, Er Chun shot a gaze at Zhou Weiqing for a moment before he announced, "Since the four of you have passed the assessment earlier, we'll now proceed to the third round. Being able to withstand my blow doesn't mean that you'll be able to withstand it another time. Just like before, this round will be personally conducted by me."

Without a doubt, the first two participants were naturally able to withstand his 'attack' again. Then, it was Zhou Weiqing's turn once again.

Smiling, Zhou Weiqing looked at this so-called 'Master' before him. In front of Zhou Weiqing, Er Chun's expression looked relatively normal, as if everything was fair and just. He even specifically said to him, "Be careful, young man."

Zhou Weiqing smiled as he said to Er Chun, "Please go ahead, Master."

A cold glint flashed in Er Chun's eyes. As he stepped forward, he punched his right fist out. His fist was charging straight at Zhou Weiqing's chest. A cold sensation erupted from his fist. However, what was peculiar was the fact that the cold wave did not dissipate but it started to condense instead. Like an invisible icicle, it shot straight at Zhou Weiqing's chest.

'A skill? This fellow actually cast a skill? And look at how he good he is at covering it up! What a f*cking 'amazing' person!' Zhou Weiqing thought to himself. He still maintained the smile on his face as he retaliated in the exact same manner he did earlier, with a slap on Er Chun's hand.

Bam!

Amid the resonating hum, Er Chun fell into a daze. This was because once again, his fist was smacked away by Zhou Weiqing. Not only that, Zhou Weiqing was still standing there, perfectly fine at the same spot like nothing had just happened.

"Thank you, Master, for showing me mercy!" Zhou Weiqing chuckled lightly.

Er Chun stared at Zhou Weiqing and finally, he was unable to conceal it any longer. His face clearly turned sullen. This young man was not a simple person. His strength was just too strong! He had used 80% of his energy in the punch from earlier! Though he did not unleash much of his strength in order to conceal his skill, even Seventh Jewel Heavenly Jewel Masters would not be able to block his attack so easily! The superhuman strength he was born with seemed a little overboard.

In all honesty, Zhou Weiqing did not use much of his Heavenly Energy. He only maintained it at the five Jewels cultivation base level. However, his physical strength had already reached an extremely horrifying level. He was at the Ninth Jewel-tier, had experienced improvement from the Saint Energy, and possessed Dark Demon God Tiger Bloodlines and great dragon bloodlines from the dragon. All the various boosts had allowed him to reach a rather terrifying level with just his own physical strength. As for the attack skill from Er Chun with the ice attribute earlier, what damage could it do in the face of Zhou Weiqing's Saint Energy?

Er Chun gloomily tested the fourth candidate again, and naturally, he passed again.

Four people! There were still four people left on the stage, but there were only three places available for the finals. There were four remaining people after two consecutive rounds of testing. Even though the commoners did not sense anything out of the ordinary, the Heavenly Jewel Masters below the stage had begun to smell something fishy.

The person that appeared the greatest phony was none other than Zhou Weiqing. After all, he did not even take a step back at all. However, his overly contrived action appeared genuine to those with discerning eyes. They took another look at the remaining three other than Zhou Weiqing, and soon, they recognized them.

Chapter 687

One was the son of the mayor; the other was the son of Ubaatar City's financial officer while the last one was the son of a famous merchant. The Heavenly Jewel Masters knew who they were and their abilities as well. They calmed down as they thought to themselves, "Why would these three men who are clearly not very powerful be on the stage?"

Er Chun was concerned. He knew that the longer he took, the chances of them finding out the truth about the competition would increase. However, there was nothing else he could do. He had used 80% of his strength in the punch. To be fair, in his disguise, he could not use any more Heavenly Energy. After all, the Heavenly Jewel Masters who were watching were not dumb. Although the Mysterious Heavenly Palace was powerful in the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland, Er Chun was not the one who called the shots. If the news spread, he would have to pay a significant amount of money to settle the matter.

Er Chun decided to try one last time. If it did not work, it would be unfortunate for those people who had paid. "Good, I'm happy that you guys passed the third assessment. Unfortunately, only three will advance to the final round where one of you will be disqualified. I've watched your performance earlier and have a rough understanding of all your abilities. The fourth assessment is something extra that I came up with to showcase each and every one of your abilities. You'll draw lots to decide who goes first. The one who goes first will be surrounded by the remaining three people. The goal here is to see how long you'll last when you're fighting against three people. The one who gets kicked out the fastest will be disqualified."

Zhou Weiqing thought it was funny how Er Chun set up something so elaborate just to get rid of him. Instead of exposing him, Zhou Weiqing decided to just go along with it.

Er Chun proceeded to speak, "Everybody knows that a simple fight will not be enough for a Heavenly Jewel Master to showcase his skills. Therefore, you're allowed to attack in whatever manner you see fit. I'll be the judge and stop the fight if I think you can't continue any further. Alright, let's draw lots."

Er Chun then turned around and waved at Sang Tan.

It was not Sang Tan's first time meeting Er Chun. He knew what he was trying to say and was secretly happy. Although Master Er Chun was greedy, he was good at what he did. However, Sang Tan was a little worried. His son was not very powerful. Would he be able to get away when it was his turn to go against three people?

As expected, Zhou Weiqing was the 'lucky' one who was chosen to go first. When Er Chun was drawing lots, he was glaring at the three of them at an angle where Zhou Weiqing could not see him. The three brats were not dumb. How could they not understand what he was trying to say? Moreover, with their powerful family backgrounds, their abilities were not that bad even though they were spoilt rotten.

Zhou Weiqing did not complain as it still looked fair on the surface. Although the Heavenly Jewel Masters knew that it was a setup, most of them were timid and did not dare to speak up. Er Chun retreated to the side and nodded to Zhou Weiqing. "Young man, show us your skills. Everyone, please remember that I'll be looking out for your well-being. Don't be afraid to attack. Let's start."

Zhou Weiqing cursed him inside for reminding the brats to attack him with all they got at such a critical time. If they actually killed him, all Er Chun had to do was say that he did not manage to save him in time. If Zhou Weiqing died, there would only be the three of them left, and they would advance to the final round directly. What a thorough plan! No blame could be placed on Er Chun even if the plan was exposed.

Unfortunately, luck was not on Er Chun's side because he encountered Zhou Weiqing this time around. Little did he know, the young man before him was one of the most powerful individuals among the younger generation of the Boundless Mainland. His cultivation base was probably superior to Er Chun's.

As per Er Chun's instructions, the three brats surrounded Zhou Weiqing from three different directions as they released their Consolidated Equipment sets. All three of them had 5-piece Consolidated Equipment sets with them. Out of the three, Sang De had the best 5-piece set. Apart from the sword, he had a breastplate, helm, waistband and a pair of gloves. Those were considered to be the better pieces of equipment available. Although the other two were slightly less well-equipped than Sang De was, they had Consolidated Equipment sets with them as well.

The three of them knew each other well, and it was not their first time doing a dirty deed together. As Sang De and the other man with a spear shouted, they simultaneously charged towards Zhou Weiqing. Sang De's jewel was imbued with the Wind Attribute which created a cyclone out of the sword in his hand. It looked glorious and covered a wide area. Although his cultivation base was unstable, the power of his attacks was considered to be quite good with the help of the Consolidated Equipment pieces he had on him.

Sang Tan smiled as he watched his son from his seat. The brat who wielded a spear had the Fire Attribute. With the help of Sang De's Wind Attribute, he stabbed his spear towards Zhou Weiqing's stomach. With his agility jewel, his speed and attack abilities were not bad. Although their Consolidated Equipment sets were good, their skills were truly lacking. Zhou Weiqing knew that it was related to their willpower. The level of one's skills was closely related to willpower. The stronger the willpower, the higher the level of one's skills. Looking at the brats who surrounded him, he wondered if they even possessed any willpower?

However, the three of them were sly. As two of them attacked Zhou Weiqing directly from the front, the man behind him stayed silent. The man held a black dagger in his hand and then lowered his body to the ground. Like a poisonous snake, he slithered towards Zhou Weiqing. He had obtained the skill from a snake beast. Because he had the Darkness Attribute, it complemented his skill perfectly, and since the three of them had done dirty deeds together regularly in the past, their teamwork was pretty good.

Chapter 688

Zhou Weiqing seemed unaware that someone was trying to sneak up on him. As he faced the two people that were advancing toward him, he took a few steps back as if he was afraid. He even noticed the smug look on Sang De's face. How could it be possible that they were more cunning than him, Little Fatty Zhou?

In their delight, Sang De and his partner increased their speed and the might of their attacks as they charged toward Zhou Weiqing. At that moment, Zhou Weiqing seemingly was stumbling around in panic, flailing his right hand subconsciously. He tripped and raised his right foot which struck the ground heavily.

The strange scene played out at that moment. Even Master Er Chun did not react at all.

With two light thuds, amid a dazzling silverish light, Sang De and his partner's bodies were split into two. Their upper bodies stagnated and a smug and gruesome look remained on their faces from their impending win. Their lower bodies were still moving but their bodies were no longer whole.

Blood and organs splattered everywhere. Sang De was momentarily confused. Why did it seem like Zhou Weiqing was getting taller while he was feeling weaker? Something did not feel right, and as he looked down subconsciously, he let out a tragic scream.

The man that was sneaking up on Zhou Weiqing had it even worse than his friends. When Zhou Weiqing was pretending to stumble around and then tripped, he stomped his right leg on the ground to release a terrifying shockwave. Because that man kept close to the ground, the intense shockwave was instantly transferred into his body. All his bones and internal organs were instantly destroyed due to Zhou Weiqing's stomp, causing him to spew out blood violently.It was impossible for him to survive that attack.

Instant kill! The three men who had the absolute upper hand were instantly killed by Zhou Weiqing in such a gruesome manner. The entire place was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. Sang Tan who was sitting on the head seat was stunned into silence, while Er Chun's mouth was wide open in shock.

"Oh my! How did this happen? They're all so easily defeated. Master Er Chun, you should've been able to tell that they were no match for me. Why didn't you stop me!" Zhou Weiqing screamed in panic. Shangguan Bing'er had knitted her brows when she saw the gruesome scene on the stage. However, when she saw Zhou Weiqing putting on a show so flawlessly, she almost burst out laughing. What a mischievous guy…

Zhou Weiqing initially did not want to make a scene, but Sang De's sinister glare and Er Chun's dirty schemes had infuriated him. He was not one to suffer in silence. For them to scheme against him, how could they have a good outcome? Besides, he had follow up plans to deal with the situation.

"You… You killed them?" Er Chun snapped out of his trance when he heard Zhou Weiqing's screams. The spectators exclaimed.

However, Zhou Weiqing maintained a look of innocence with fear on his face. "I didn't know this would happen. Didn't you ask us to fight with everything we had? With your cultivation base, you should have been able to stop me!" Although he did not say it directly, he was pushing all the responsibility to Er Chun.

It was not easy for Sang Tan to find his breath but he remained silent. He had given Sang De everything he could get his hands on in Ubaatar City so that his son could join the ranks of the Mysterious Heavenly Palace. He did not expect the plan that was bound to succeed smoothly would have such an unexpected change. His only son was now dead, and as he glared at Zhou Weiqing who was still on the stage, his eyes turned red.

"Bastard, you deliberately came here to mess things up. This is a serious provocation against the Mysterious Heavenly Palace. Men, lock him up!" Er Chun was incensed. Although he had a high standing in Ubaatar City, the three men who died were no ordinary people, and he had accepted a large bribe from them.

As he spoke, he showed no regard to everything else. He attempted to slap Zhou Weiqing. The temperature on the stage plummeted so suddenly that they could see ice fractals forming in the air.

Zhou Weiqing stood still as Er Chun came at him. "Nice. What an impressive Mysterious Heavenly Palace."

A dark gold glow lit up as a loud thud was heard. Zhou Weiqing stood still without even moving his fingers as the Dual God Strength Hammers appeared in both of his hands.

"A Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura?!" Er Chun exclaimed. He recognized the weapons, so he stopped moving immediately. A Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura was rare both in the Boundless Mainland and in the Mysterious Heavenly Palace. Er Chun had seen them many times during Heavenly Jewel competitions, and he knew that everyone who had a God Tier Consolidated Equipment Set. It had to be emphasized that those who used such sets were elites among the younger generation in the Five Great Saints Lands, carefully nurtured by each Saints Land. It was already difficult to obtain a regular Consolidated Equipment set for an ordinary Heavenly Jewel Master, let alone a Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura.

No matter how much Er Chun hated Zhou Weiqing, he immediately stopped and did not dare continue taking action when he saw the Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura and Zhou Weiqing's young age. Anyone on the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland who possessed a Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aurat must surely have come from a powerful background. Even the Mysterious Heavenly Palace that represented the city did not have Consolidated Equipment of such caliber.

Zhou Weiqing looked at Er Chun scornfully. "You also know about the Consolidating Equipment God Protective Aura too? Then do you know what a Strength Legacy is?" He was an expert in tricking people. There was a moment in the past where he tricked a Heavenly King into backing out of a fight. He was now much more powerful, and with great confidence, it was even easier for him to trick someone. Who on the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland would know about the Strength Legacy?

Er Chun shook his head subconsciously while Zhou Weiqing sneered "You don't even know about the Strength Legacy. It seems like us God Tier Masters are being forgotten by the world."

The rest of his words were secondary. When Zhou Weiqing said 'God Tier,' even Sang Tan who was feeling the extreme hate from the loss of his son trembled from a cold chill. He got a hold of himself.

���What did you say? You're a God Tier Master?" Er Chun's eyes were filled with disbelief. As a Mysterious Heavenly Palace inner disciple and an Upper-Level Ninth Jewel Heavenly Zong Master, he knew a little about the God Tier Masters. He knew that a God Tier Master would need to be at the Lower Level Heavenly King stage. The young man standing in front of him only had a cultivation level at the Fifth Jewel, but he called himself a God Tier Master as though it was fact.

"You don't believe me?" Zhou Weiqing stood with his hands behind him. He deliberately painted himself as a person exuding an immortal air. "I initially came out of seclusion in a bid to build a good relationship with the Mysterious Heavenly Palace so that we can help each other. I didn't expect to encounter your shameless schemes. I'm not going to explain any further. Facts speak louder than words. Just watch."

Zhou Weiqing waved his left hand as he spoke and a Consolidated Equipment Paper appeared, floating before him. The soft paper was the best Consolidated Equipment Paper there was. Just one sheet alone was worth more than a hundred gold coins. The Mysterious Heavenly Mainland also used the same currency with the difference being the different images engraved on the gold coins.

The soft Consolidated Equipment Paper came to a stop as it floated in front of Zhou Weiqing while he stood with his left hand at his back in a composed manner. The title of God Tier Master was just too amazing. Everyone had their eyes on him, waiting to see what he would do next. Suddenly, a silver light flashed on it, and the Consolidated Equipment Paper slightly shook without Zhou Weiqing doing anything. Another silver light flashed suddenly, and as soon as the glow faded, Zhou Weiqing waved his hand while the Consolidated Equipment Paper flew towards a Heavenly Jewel Master who was sitting below the stage.

The Heavenly Jewel Master grabbed the Consolidated Equipment Paper subconsciously. His eyes immediately widened in shock as he exclaimed, "This… This is a Consolidated Equipment Scroll. Heavens! It's a Master Level Consolidated Equipment Scroll."

Just like what Zhou Weiqing had said, facts speak louder than words. When the truth was presented so clearly, there was nothing that needed saying.

The Heavenly Jewel Master who grabbed the Consolidated Equipment Scroll looked at Zhou Weiqing passionately. Yes! He was a Heavenly Jewel Master, but all Heavenly Jewel Masters would have the same emotional reaction when they see a Consolidated Equipment Master. Moreover, the Consolidated Equipment Master who was standing before him was not just an ordinary one but a legendary God Tier Master from the Mysterious Heavenly Mainland!

The Heavenly Jewel Master did not doubt Zhou Weiqing's identity as a God Tier Master because he managed to summon a Master Level Consolidated Equipment Scroll with just a single wave of his hand. Aside from a God Tier Master, who else could have done so?

Zhou Weiqing smiled indifferently and said to the Heavenly Jewel Master, "This Consolidated Equipment Scroll is yours. It doesn't mean much to me. However, I'd like all the Heavenly Jewel Masters here to bear witness. I've immersed myself in Consolidated Equipment Scrolls for the past 20 years. I spent all my energy in the production of this Consolidated Equipment Scroll. If we're here to talk about cultivation levels, I'm nothing compared to Master Er Chun. If I don't get to the finals, please inform the Mysterious Heavenly Palace of what you've seen today. I believe the Mysterious Heavenly Palace will give me the justice that I deserve."

The moment this was said, it was immediately met with approval from the Heavenly Jewel Masterst. They did not like Er Chun since the very beginning. Besides, Zhou Weiqing was a God Tier Master, and they were eager to get Zhou Weiqing's approval! It was a path that led to greatness for any Heavenly Jewel Master! Moreover, rules failed when violaters are legion. The Heavenly Jewel Masters present numbered more than a hundred. All of them had some background. No matter how obnoxious Er Chun was and even with the support of the mayor, Sang Tan, he would not dare to offend so many Heavenly Jewel Masters at the same time.