Chapter 4207: Not So Smooth

Lu Siyu gave Hong'er a thumbs-up, despite also being rather puzzled. “Third Sister, didn’t we agree to just watch? Why did you suddenly get serious about this contest?”

Ming Xiaolong leaned closer. “We tried scaring these Frightened Sparrows long ago. Third Sister, you used an old trick. I thought that, as soon as you made a move, you would definitely become the winner. I’m surprised that there are actually two who could match you.”

Hong’er glanced over at Ning Xiao and then at Chu Yuan. The second man was from the Tianyuan, and according to the legends, he had been a former era’s Dao Chosen, which meant that he had been the most outstanding genius of his time. He had once fought against Mr. Lu, and he had even surpassed him for a time.

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Chu Yuan was the third person to cause a Frightened Sparrow to fly twelve laps around the terrace.

That was a surprise to even Lu Yin.

Scaring the birds was not something that relied on combat strength.Since the participants were not allowed to harm the birds, raw power meant very little. Many people instead relied on clever tricks, including both Ning Xiao and Hong’er.

Those who tried to intimidate them with sheer strength were usually the ones who achieved nothing.

Chu Yuan had similarly resorted to a trick, but he had used a visualization method to manifest a copy of the Arkfish.

He had initially tried everything that he could think of, but nothing worked. His Frightened Sparrow had flown no more than three laps around the terrace, which could not even match Gu Xiao’er’s attempt. As the days passed and the event started to near its end, Chu Yuan had made a desperate attempt and visualized the Arkfish. The effect had proven astonishing. The moment the bird saw the Arkfish, it shot high into the air and flew a full twelve laps, stunning even Chu Yuan himself.

He had never imagined that the Arkfish would cause such a reaction.

The Arkfish was a truly obnoxious fish, and its mouth was even more obnoxious than the rest of its body. During the ancient Heavens Sect era, the fish had endlessly tormented the Divine Eagle, Ancestor Python, and many others. Even the Three Realms and Six Daos had been verbally abused by the Arkfish. Who could possibly like such a creature?

No one had anticipated the Arkfish to have such a powerful impact on the creatures of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. It made no sense.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate was the one to offer an explanation. “Creatures restrain one another in cycles. The natural predator of the Frightened Sparrows is a certain kind of fish. The Arkfish that the child visualized happens to closely resemble that fish, which is why the sparrow was genuinely frightened.”

Lu Yin pursed his lips. The gathering was just supposed to be a time for the birds to play with the humans, and yet three birds had been genuinely frightened by the winners.

One of the winners had used the Awe Gate itself, another had used the aura of a foreign megaverse, and the last had used the Arkfish.

The Frightened Sparrows were bound to have nightmares in the future.

Even Greater Sancte Awe Gate felt helpless. All she could say was that the birds had been unlucky.

Qing Yun asked, “May I ask, Greater Sancte Awe Gate, given that three have tied for first place, who will you choose?”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate looked at Ning Xiao, Hong’er, and Chu Yuan. “All three of them.”

The other competitors were astonished. Was there not going to be an additional contest to determine the winner? It seemed that the outside rumors were indeed true: human civilization was not the same as it had been in the past. Previously, the Greater Sancti had always looked down on the rest of humanity from on high, unseen by ordinary people. Cultivators had shut themselves away, fighting and scheming between themselves. But in recent times, one powerful expert after another had stepped forward to guide the younger generation.

It was the best age for cultivation.

Qing Yun turned to the three victors. “As the winners of this Terrace Gathering, you three are allowed to present your questions regarding cultivation to Greater Sancte Awe Gate. Please.”

Ning Xiao was the first to step forward. He faced Greater Sancte Awe Gate and Lu Yin and offered a slow bow. Once he straightened back up, his nonchalant demeanor was entirely gone, replaced by a solemn attitude. “May this junior pose his question?”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate nodded. “You may.”

Ning Xiao took a deep breath. “I would like to ask, Senior: if one’s path is too smooth throughout their entire journey, can they still achieve Immortality?”

Everyone who heard Ning Xiao’s question felt that he deserved a beating.

Too smooth a path? Yet that was also a fact. Ning Xiao’s cultivation had indeed proceeded very smoothly. The discovery of his innate gift had caused him to become the focus of countless people’s attention, especially since he was an independent cultivator who stubbornly refused to join a powerful faction. He had become a beacon of hope for other unaffiliated cultivators, and those people had helped him, intentionally or otherwise. The major powers had also helped him, in their attempts to win him over. The man had once slept in the Scion Spire, having received the recognition of the Greater Sancti. With that, no one had dared to provoke him again. His path of cultivation had been unobstructed.

He had truly been incredibly lucky.

His story was completely different from what other independent cultivators typically experienced. Many barely progressed forward at a crawl as they schemed and overcame multiple brushes with death.

This was also why Ning Xiao possessed such a detached, unruffled bearing.

Looking at the young man, Lu Yin felt as though he was seeing a second Xiang Siyu.

Despite feeling as though Ning Xiao was begging for a beating, his question grabbed everyone’s attention.

The Immortal realm—who did not yearn for it? Everyone wanted to hear an answer from Greater Sancte Awe Gate’s lips that involved the Immortal realm.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate looked at Ning Xiao for a long time. “Everyone’s path to Immortality is different. Some bloom late. Some take clear shortcuts that should never allow them to succeed, and yet they somehow do in a natural manner. The Immortal realm does not belong to any given type of cultivators, any defined way of thinking, or any specific type of opportunity.

“Everyone present in this place has a chance to one day become an Immortal.”

The crowd stirred with excitement. Could they also reach that realm?

Greater Sancte Awe Gate continued, “Mortals are like ants, and yet every cultivator is born a mortal. Even we who are Immortals could have died as infants. Whether a creature can become an Immortal or not is impossible to predict.

“As for you, Ning Xiao, the answer I can give you is this: when everything goes smoothly, you must turn against the flow. When the road is too straight, you must turn back.”

Ning Xiao’s eyes flashed. He stared at Greater Sancte Awe Gate, and then glanced over at Lu Yin. “Cultivation is a circle?”

Greater Sancte Awe Gate also glanced at Lu Yin, knowing that those were his words. He had spoken them to countless people throughout the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, yet very few had truly understood.

“Very smart.”

Ning Xiao felt a bitter taste in his mouth. It was not an answer, and yet it was.

“This junior understands.” He was about to step back, but something suddenly occurred to him. He offered another bow to the front. “May I ask. Since Mr. Lu is present, does that mean that, during this Terrace Gathering, we may also ask him questions?”

Lu Yin arched a brow.

How did I get dragged into this? I only came here to watch the show.

Greater Sancte Awe Gate also had not expected Ning Xiao to pull Lu Yin into things. This was a tricky question, particularly since Lu Yin was standing at her side.

Everyone turned to look at Lu Yin as they started whispering among themselves.

Ning Xiao stared at Lu Yin with blazing eyes. Who would not want to seek the guidance of this man? He was a legend, a true legend. His history was even more famous that those of the Greater Sancti.

Everyone was staring at Lu Yin. He said, “I am only a passerby here to watch the excitement.”

Ning Xiao gave another, deeper bow. “This junior went to such lengths to startle the Frightened Sparrow precisely so that you could enjoy a better spectacle, Mr. Lu. Since you have already enjoyed the show, might you be willing to grant a small something in return?”

Lu Yin could not help but laugh. The man’s words placed Lu Yin on a pedestal, but he did not mind. “Very well. In that case, just like Senior Awe Gate, I will answer one question from each of you.”

Ning Xiao was thrilled. He had only happened to consider the possibility, but he had not expected his request to work.

The others grew equally excited. Mr. Lu would answer their questions. They could only hope that Ning Xiao and the other two would not squander this opportunity on something foolish and ask something useful.

Qing Yun was also caught off guard by this sudden development, but things were much better this way, more entertaining.

Everyone eagerly focused on Ning Xiao, waiting to hear his question.

Facing Lu Yin, Ning Xiao bowed yet again. “Mr. Lu, may I ask how one can become your disciple?”

The crowd erupted. Did Ning Xiao want to accept Lu Yin as his master?

Even Greater Sancte Awe Gate was caught off guard by Ning Xiao’s attempt.

There was no denying that it was a shrewd move. Rather than waste this opportunity on a single question, it was far better to try to become one of Lu Yin’s disciples. Success would mean being able to ask for whatever he wished in the future.

Given the man’s talent, Ning Xiao was not unqualified to seek to become Lu Yin’s disciple.

He also had not simply demanded to be accepted. He had left room for Lu Yin to test him, while also praising Lu Yin.

No matter how people considered the matter, Ning Xiao’s chances of success did not appear low.

Everyone stared at him with envy. If he did become one of Lu Yin’s disciples, he would soar straight into the heavens.

It was no wonder why Ning Xiao had refused to ever join any faction or accept any master. He had been waiting for this kind of opportunity, hoping to submit himself to the strongest of all.

In that case, why had he not instead chosen to submit to Greater Sancte Awe Gate?

Ning Xiao kept his head bowed, nervousness filling his heart. It was not that he did not want to become Greater Sancte Awe Gate’s disciple, but rather that she did not suit him. Someone like Lu Yin, who had also climbed up from the very bottom, was a far better fit.

Lu Yin calmly observed Ning Xiao. Everyone had their own way of surviving. Ning Xiao had climbed up by using his own wits, and in at least that much, he was very similar to Lu Yin.

His question was not despicable, but rather part of the man’s struggle to survive.

Unfortunately, Lu Yin had little interest in Ning Xiao.

When considering Lu Yin’s followers, Ku Wei had been accepted early on, and only because Lu Yin had to do so to save him. On top of that, Ku Wei was only a lockbreaking apprentice. Hui Can had been accepted in part due to the fact that Lu Yin had taken something from the man, and partly to repay Progenitor Hui’s kindness to humanity. Tuo Lin had been accepted due to his own dogged persistence, Lu Yin’s pity for the man, and his relationship with the Sixverse Association at the time.

Not one had been like Ning Xiao.

“You are very accomplished, but unfortunately, you are not suitable to become my disciple.”

Lu Yin’s words plunged Ning Xiao’s heart into the abyss.

Some nearby let out quiet sighs of relief, while others felt a pang of regret.

Ning Xiao was unwilling to simply give up. “Mr. Lu, will you not even grant me a trial?”

Lu Yin shook his head. “With or without me, your path will remain the same. Still, I can give you a push and allow you to experience what it is like to walk a path that is not as smooth as the one you have taken.”

Ning Xiao understood that Lu Yin would not accept him as a disciple, but receiving any help at all from Lu Yin was not nothing.

He respectfully replied, “Then I will have to trouble you, Mr. Lu.”

Lu Yin waved a hand, causing his Champions' Stage Purgatory to appear. “If you are willing, then go in.”

Everyone stared at the Champions' Stage, fear blossoming in their eyes.

Lu Yin’s legends were inseparable from his innate gifts. Of those, the one that the Spirit Nidus feared the most was his Champions' Stage Purgatory. It was a place that forced a person to live painful lives again and again in an endless cycle. Whether the one who entered was an ordinary person or a Dukkhan, so long as a creature possessed emotions, they would fear that place.

Too many people from the Spirit Nidus had entered the Champions' Stage Purgatory. With the passing of time, the Nine Odysseys Megaverse and the Tianyuan had also learned that Lu Yin possessed an ability of endless torment.

No one had expected that the “help” Lu Yin offered would be pure torture.

The gathered people all directed looks of sympathy towards Ning Xiao. Would he enter or not?

If he went in, he would experience pain. As the people of the Spirit Nidus had explained it, the Champions’ Stage Purgatory inflicted not an ordinary pain, but rather an emotional agony. It ripped open the emotions that a person had accumulated throughout their entire life again and again.

If Ning Xiao refused to go in, it would mean taking a step back. There were so many eyes on him, and he had even personally asked Lu Yin for his help. While retreating might not outright offend Lu Yin, at minimum, it would ensure that he lost Lu Yin’s respect forever.

Not only that, but it would cause the entirety of their human civilization to look down on Ning Xiao as well.

The price was too great. Ning Xiao had no choice.

He never intended to hesitate. As soon as Lu Yin’s Champions' Stage Purgatory appeared in his sight, the man steeled his gaze and stepped inside it.

Many people had heard of the Champions' Stage Purgatory, but few had ever seen it.

At this moment, everyone was staring, as though trying to memorize every detail.

Even Greater Sancte Awe Gate was carefully watching. She knew that Lu Yin’s Champions' Stage Purgatory was able to increase Lu Yin’s karma, as well as the fact that more than one Immortal had already entered it. It was a ruthless place.

The Immortals had already discussed among themselves that, if the day came when their human civilization needed Lu Yin to quickly increase his karmic reserves, they would enter themselves and see how much they could strengthen him.

Greater Sancte Green Lotus had even praised Lu Yin’s Karmic Dao as the perfect tool for making great leaps forward.

Everyone waited for Ning Xiao to emerge once again.

It did not take very long for him to be released. His condition greatly resembled Lu Hui’s upon his release. The man’s entire worldview seemed to have been turned upside down.

Ning Xiao’s life had truly been too unobstructed, to the point where experiencing his various other possible lives had granted him an entirely new understanding of reality.

Seeing the man’s reaction, people could easily imagine how Lu Hui had felt.

Lu Hui’s life had not been something that could be summed up with a single word like “smooth.”