"We've arrived." Jun Wudi slowly brought the airship to a halt at the junction between the inner and outer sects. "It's said that stepping through the mountain gate counts as passing the trial, but in truth, it's far more difficult than it sounds. "There are one hundred and eight cultivators stationed along the mountain gate stairway, each one stronger the higher you climb. At the same time, your resources dwindle with every step. It's going to be a war of attrition. "The Discipline Court holds a huge advantage in guarding the gate. From core disciples to outer disciples, anyone you face will claim your cultivation resources for the next year if you lose to them. That's why they usually hide their true strength and stay within the academy. But the moment challengers appear, they reveal everything, doing whatever it takes to ensure those attempting the trial fall before them." Jun Wudi laughed and opened the airship doors. "Now, it's your turn to challenge them." He turned to look at Jun Laoye. "But don't push yourselves too hard. Your true battles lie in the future, not in this Mountain Gate Trial." Jun Laoye eyed the open passage, shrinking back. "Yourselves? Isn't it supposed to be Little Lu who takes the Mountain Gate Trial? Second Uncle... you said 'yourselves,' not 'you.' Could it be..." "I never said Little Lu was going alone. Aren't you sworn brothers? Of course, you'll go together." Jun Laoye shook his head quickly. "No, no, no. I'm only at the first level of the Qi Regulation Realm. I'm not going through the mountain gate. They're after Little Lu. The gatekeepers will be even stronger than usual. I'm not going." "Enough," Jun Wudi said as he tossed Jun Laoye off the ship with a wave of his hand. "Hesitant and cowardly. How could the Jun clan have someone so useless?" "No... Second Uncle!" Jun Laoye cried out as he fell headfirst, "Second Uncle... you've set me up again..." Lu Chen leaned over the side of the airship, watching Jun Laoye plummet headfirst into the ground. "Heh, Uncle Jun, Little Jun may lack your steadiness, but he has the same righteous spirit." Jun Wudi looked down at Jun Laoye crawling out of the mud and sneered. "Don't praise him. I've watched him grow up. How could I not know what kind of brat he is?" He shook his head and turned to Lu Chen. "If he had even half your wit and steadiness, he wouldn't have come running to me. Enough. You'd better head down too, and make sure nothing happens to you." Lu Chen nodded solemnly. "Understood, Uncle Jun. Wait for me at the mountain peak. Today, we will restore the honor of the Serene Void Academy." Carrying Nantian Wan'er, he leapt from the airship. "Uncle Jun," Nantian Yijian stood at the doorway and saluted. "Boss has grown even stronger these past few days. He never loses. You'll see for yourself." He glanced at the disciplined disciples of the Serene Void Academy lined up on deck. "We will restore the academy's honor." With that, he lifted the Thirty-Six Cosmic Sword Guqin and rushed after Lu Chen. "Boss! Wait for me!" Nantian Yijian accelerated midair, catching up to him. "We'll hunt together." Jun Wudi looked down at Lu Chen, delight flashing in his eyes. "Oh, he's improved again? I underestimated him this time. With such backing and talent, I'll need to adjust my plans..." He called out, "Song Ping, go with them. Keep watch, and don't let anyone know Little Lu is the Serene Void Academy's chief disciple." Song Ping stepped forward and saluted, "Yes, sir." With that, he jumped down. As he left, Sun Xiaohu slowly came forward and bowed. "Sir, I... I have a request." Jun Wudi glanced at him. "Speak." "This may break the rules, but I want to test how much I've improved these past few days. So..." Sun Xiaohu bowed again. "I dare to request permission to leave the Serene Void Academy temporarily, and attempt the mountain gate as an outer disciple to prove my strength." "Oh? Truly?" Jun Wudi sized him up. "You have courage and ambition. Go, then. Let's see who among you truly has what it takes to pass the Heavenly Mandate Hall's Mountain Gate Trial." "Thank you, sir. I won't fail." Sun Xiaohu saluted once more and leapt from the airship. "Sir, I also want to—" Jun Xiaohu and Wang Xiaolong saluted, "We will never forget the Grandmaster's kindness." They took their enchanted artifacts and descended toward the mountain gate stairway. "Who else?" Jun Wudi's voice boomed like thunder as he swept his gaze across the trembling crowd. "Step forward if you dare. But remember, never give anyone the chance to look down on the Serene Void Academy." "Yes, sir!" The remaining cultivators on the deck shouted in their standardized armor and saluted in unison. "We will never tarnish the Serene Void Academy's reputation. Today, we will restore its honor!" Lu Chen glanced at the steps of the mountain gate, then back at Song Ping and the others behind him, confusion flickering in his eyes. Just then, a deafening roar thundered from the airship. "Boss Lu, let us test the strength of the gatekeepers first." In the next instant, more than two hundred enchanted artifacts shot out from the airship, streaking straight toward the mountain gate. The cultivators of Serene Void Academy shouted in unison, "Serene Void disciples, Unified Spear Formation! Attack!" Their artifacts converged midair, streams of light weaving together into a colossal spear. With a roar, it plunged upward along the stairs toward the first gatekeeper. "Boss... they're..." Nantian Yijian's eyes widened as the giant spear shot skyward. "They're storming the mountain gate too!" "The Serene Void disciples truly have spirit." Lu Chen's voice was low but steady. "Since they press us with numbers, we'll answer with unity and see whose hearts hold stronger." "Brothers, ready yourselves!" Lu Chen drew the Hunyuan Greatsword and shouted toward the front. "Horse-Hunting Legion... It's time to hunt!" Sun Xiaohu, Jun Xiaoma, Wang Xiaolong, and Fei Zhu all roared, "The Horse-Hunting Legion has assembled, requesting immediate deployment!" They rode their enchanted artifacts straight toward the steps of the mountain gate. "Hahaha! The Horse-Hunters are here!" Lu Chen shouted, pulling Nantian Wan'er into his arms as he unleashed the second form of the Nantian Dragon-Slaying Sword—Nantian Dragon Ascension. Red light burst from the Hunyuan Greatsword, enveloping Lu Chen in the phantom of a giant dragon. The blade itself became its fangs and claws. The crimson phantom turned its gaze on Nantian Yijian and Jun Laoye. "Little Jian, Little Jun, come. Let them see the true strength of the Horse-Hunting Legion." The two nodded sharply. "Alright. Let's move!" ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ ⓝovelFire.net They followed Lu Chen's dragon phantom, and each unleashed their most powerful techniques. "Thirty-Six Swords of Nantian, Three Swords Open, Offense Break, Three Swords into One!" "Earth-Shattering Spear, Heavenly Dao Command: Lightning Shock Sutra, Lightning Giant!" "Boss, my cultivation is the lowest. Let me clear the left path for you," Nantian Yijian gripped his Thirty-Six Cosmic Sword Guqin and charged ahead. Jun Laoye raised his twin spears, the lightning giant following close behind as thunderclouds crackled overhead. "I'll take the right. Lightning Giant, move!" "We'll be moving too! Nantian Dragon Ascension, charge!" Lu Chen roared, and the red dragon shot up the steps of the mountain gate. The ten-meter-long dragon coiled onto the steps, its sudden appearance stunning everyone at the gate. "What... what is that red dragon? Such terrifying power!" "And since when did the Serene Void Academy grow this strong? How could they wield the Unified Spear Formation so effortlessly?" "It's not just the dragon and the giant spear. There's a giant sword, and even a lightning giant!" A scarred middle-aged man narrowed his eyes, fingers brushing the old wound on his cheek. "The dragon's the strongest of them all. The others... only at the level of high-ranking inner disciples." "Lightning Giant?"A ragged old Daoist among the crowd opened his eyes and whispered. "That's the Heavenly Dao Command of our sect. The Second Master is going all out this time. His injuries must be close to fully healed."[1] "The Nantian Sect's Dragon Ascension isn't bad. But that lightning giant is still clumsy. That should be the Second Young Master." The old Daoist quivered as he rose, brushing the dust from his tattered robes. "For the Eastern Mountain to dare sever the Second Master's cultivation foundation... they've gone too far. Perhaps it is time I return to the world and take action." 1. Second Master refers to Jun Wudi, while Second Young Master is Jun Laoye. ☜