Chapter 187: Welcome to the Team

"Teaming up with me?" Chu Liang stared at him with a strange expression. He then asked, "Do you not have friends on the Jade Sword Peak?"

Jade Sword Peak has over a hundred disciples. With Lin Bei's personality, he shouldn't be someone who has no friends.

Logically speaking, no matter what, he wouldn't have to resort to finding team members on Jade Sword Peak.

"

Hehehe!

" Lin Bei chuckled and said, "You are my best buddy."

"Tell me the truth." Chu Liang said.

"

Sigh.

Don't mention it," Lin Bei sighed and continued, "Everyone on the Jade Sword Peak knows that I have a good relationship with you. Whenever I ask anyone to team up with me, they get worried that I might be a spy from the Silver Sword Peak."

"..."

By the end of the day, I am the cause of this?

Chu Liang thought about it and agreed.

After all, the Mountain God Memorial Ceremony differed from regular missions. It served as a competition among the disciples of various peaks, essentially acting as the appetizer for the Mount Shu Summit.

During the treasure hunt of the Mountain God Memorial Ceremony, extensive exploration and decryption will be required. It would be really important to gather information during this time. Actions such as gathering information through other teams or even having spies were common occurrences during every Mountain God Memorial Ceremony.

The Jade Sword Peak and the Silver Sword Peak were arch rivals, and Lin Bei was quite talkative. If he inadvertently leaked any information to Chu Liang that led to the failure of the team, it would have been disastrous.

"Actually, they're not only targeting the Silver Sword Peak. The teams on my peak are on high alert against spies. Every team is worried about spies from another team. They don't even trust anyone in the peak," Lin Bei says.

"The Jade Sword Peak isn't united," Chu Liang commented emotionally.

"In terms of unity, it is true that we are doing worse than the Silver Sword Peak," Lin Bei said.[1]

"Actually, they don't have to worry about you being a spy. If they haven't kicked you out, I won't be able to find even one teammate, let alone gather four other people," Chu Liang shrugged indifferently as he spoke. "The thought of participating in the Mountain God Memorial Ceremony never crossed my mind."

"How can you not participate in such an interesting event?" Lin Bei exclaimed hurriedly. "And the winners of the Mountain God Memorial Ceremony always get very generous rewards, either a large amount of sword coins or an enchanted tool for each person. Such rewards are rare in the Mount Shu Sect!"

"

Hmm...

" Upon hearing about the lucrative rewards, Chu Liang immediately felt tempted.

"Now that you have returned from the Immortals' Marsh, you should be preparing to form your core, right?" Lin Bei suddenly asked.

"It is done," answered Chu Liang.

"

Oh.

" Upon hearing that Chu Liang had become a cultivator at the Golden Core Realm, Lin Bei wasn't surprised.

He then asked again, "What core did you form?"

"An ultimate-tier Golden Core," answered Chu Liang.

"

Oh

," Lin Bei responded, unfazed upon hearing that it was an ultimate-tier Golden Core.

Chu Liang, however, was surprised by Lin Bei's reaction. He chuckled and asked, "Why such calm reaction this time?"

"I feel numb to it. You won't surprise me anymore," Lin Bei said as he shook his head.

After being surprised time and time again, he had become immune to Chu Liang's astonishing performances.

"Is that the case?" Chu Liang inquired. "What if I were to tell you I've cultivated two ultimate-tier Golden Cores?"

"

Ah?

" Lin Bei's mouth dropped open as his composed facade crumbled. "Are you serious?"

"Of course not," Chu Liang replied, a playful grin on his face. "How could one possibly have two cores?"

"

Phew...

" Lin Bei breathed a sigh of relief. "You scared me. I almost believed you."

Although this matter sounded absurd, Lin Bei would believe it to be true if it were to happen to Chu Liang.

Could there truly be someone in the world with two Golden Cores?

Lin Bei wondered.

"Alright, let's get back to business," Chu Liang continued. "With just you and me, we don't have enough members for a team."

The Mount Shu Sect likely aimed to enhance their disciples' teamwork skills through the Mountain God Memorial Ceremony. Without adequate team members, registration was prohibited. Exceptions were only made if all other disciples had already formed teams, a circumstance that left only a few exceptional individuals without partners.

Chu Liang didn't have many acquaintances on Mount Shu.

"What's there to worry about? Each peak couldn't possibly have the exact amount of people for the event. There must be some extras," Lin Bei said with a smile. "In our team, you represent wisdom and courage. With me in the team, our duo already embodies those qualities. We just need to find a few other idiots to fill the empty spaces."

Great. I represent wisdom and courage while the other four are just there to cheer me on, right?

Chu Liang chuckled wryly and asked, "But where can we find the three idiots to fill the empty spaces on the team?"

As soon as Chu Liang said that, he heard a voice calling from outside.

"Big Bro! Are you there?"

...

Previously on the Cloud Horizon Peak...

It had been an early morning.

Shang Ziliang and his lackeys were eating breakfast.

"Boss, they're announcing the topics for the Mountain God Memorial Ceremony today. Are we registering?" Lackey A asked.

"I was grounded for a while and almost missed it," Shang Ziliang said. "Are you asking around for teammates?"

"

Mhm

," Lackey B muttered softly, then returned his focus to his meal.

"I have contacted two," Lackey A said. "Senior Brother Qian, who is at the Golden Core Realm, and Senior Brother Wang, who is at the pinnacle of the Spiritual Awareness Realm. These two are the strongest ones the Cloud Horizon Peak could find."

"Very good." Shang Ziliang praised and said, "With us three in the team, the team from the Cloud Horizon Peak will be the strongest team. Let's go and challenge the best from the other peaks!

"

Mhm

." Lackey B responded and returned his focus on eating.

Lackey A suddenly said worriedly, "But I heard that the Azure Falling Peak formed a team with all cultivators at the Golden Core Realm. Senior Sister Jiang is the leader of that team. I also heard that Senior Brother Xu of the Jade Sword Peak had gathered a team of cultivators at the Golden Core Realm. If we were to compete with them, we won't stand a chance, will we?"

"

Hmm...

" Shang Ziliang pondered for a moment and said, "But the Mountain God Memorial Ceremony is not solely a competition of cultivation levels. Intelligence plays a crucial role, and I believe we won't fall short in that aspect."

"

Mhm

," Lackey B responded, then resumed focusing on eating.

"

Eh?

" Lackey A suddenly said, "Yesterday, I heard that Chu Liang..."

"Chu Liang? Should you be calling him by his name?" Shang Ziliang glared.

"

Oh.

Yesterday, I heard that our big bro has already formed the ultimate-tier Golden Core! He might be at the Golden Core Realm," Lackey A said. "He is the only one on the Silver Sword Peak. Why don't we get him to join the Cloud Horizon Peak's team?"

"What a good idea!" Shang Ziliang nodded emphatically. "With his help, the Cloud Horizon Peak might have a chance to compete with the Azure Falling Peak and the Jade Sword Peak!"

"

Mhm.

" Lackey B responded and continued eating.

Lackey A suddenly lowered his voice and whispered, "Boss, I've been wanting to ask you this all along: are you genuinely considering him as a big brother, or is it some kind of tactic to infiltrate the enemy's camp?"

"It's definitely genuine!" Shang Ziliang declared. "I sabotaged him a couple of times, yet he still saved my life! I owe him."

"And..." A wise gleam flickered in his eyes, "Do you remember how long it took him to progress from the beginning stage of the Spiritual Awareness Realm to the Golden Core realm? Now, he has even formed an ultimate-tier Golden Core. I believe he's no weaker than Xu Ziyang or Jiang Yuebai, the contemporary prodigies! It was incredibly foolish of me to have even thought of opposing him before. I can foresee that he will definitely have a place in the high ranks of the Mount Shu Sect in the future!"

"

Mhm

," Lackey B responded, then resumed focusing on eating.

"Amazing!" Lackey A exclaimed, clapping his hands in approval. "Indeed, our big bro has already shown remarkable talent, and there aren't many who have recognized it yet. We should follow him early on. When he rises to power in the future, we will rise alongside the dragon!"

"

Hehe.

" Shang Ziliang urged, "Finish up your meal quickly. Once we're done eating, we'll head to the Silver Sword Peak and invite him."

"

Mhm

." Lackey B wiped his mouth and responded.

"What are we eating?" Lackey A suddenly asked, looking puzzled.

"Eating? Just the food here," Shang Ziliang, feeling bemused by the question, replied.

"Where's the food?" Lackey A looked around, bewildered.

Shang Ziliang glanced down at the table, only to find four or five pristine porcelain plates, with no food in sight.

"Hey, this is weird," he exclaimed as he glared around. "Where's the food?"

Lackey B scratched his head. "Did someone steal the food?"

...

Without bothering to search for more food, Shang Ziliang, accompanied by his two lackeys, swiftly left the room and soared through the air towards Silver Sword Peak.

Hearing the call from outside, Chu Liang stepped out and saw the trio approaching.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Big Bro!" Shang Ziliang stepped forward. "We've come to see you to discuss the team formation for the Mountain God Memorial Ceremony."

"Eh?" Chu Liang lifted his eyes, a hint of surprise crossing his features.

What a coincidence.

He then smiled and asked, "You want to team up with me?"

"Yes." Shang Ziliang said.

"That would be awesome," Chu Liang said, extending his hand. "Welcome aboard! Happy to have you all join my team."

1. You don't say? Chu Liang is the only disciple of the Silver Sword Peak. ☜