Chapter 954: To Keep a Low Profile

The white light gradually dispersed, and a bone-chilling cold assailed from all directions. Yun Che opened his eyes to a world blanketed in snow, pure white from sky to ground with almost no other colors. Around him were other examinees. Though their location was cold, the air was remarkably silent.

However, directly ahead of them, a sharp, almost piercing howling sound continuously echoed.

This was the "Blizzard Realm," the second stage of the Snowfall Hall's examination. To pass this stage, one had to be among the first thousand to traverse the blizzard and reach the finish line. The finish line was three hundred miles directly ahead.

Three hundred miles was a relatively short distance for cultivators of their level, and the task itself was remarkably simple and straightforward. Although their current location was cold, it was not unbearable, let alone oppressive.

However, this was an examination of the God Realm, so it would never be as simple as it appeared.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The surrounding profound energy surged, and countless air explosions erupted almost simultaneously. Only a thousand individuals would pass this examination, with over nine thousand others facing ruthless elimination. Given that most of them had similar strengths, a single breath's delay could lead to vastly different fates. Consequently, the cultivators who entered the storm realm had no time to admire the scenery like Yun Che. The moment they appeared, they immediately confirmed the direction of the finish line, then surged their profound energy and sprinted at top speed towards the blizzard world to the north.

Over ten thousand cultivators at the Divine Origin Realm erupted simultaneously, creating a truly earth-shattering momentum. The surrounding flying snow and ice layers were violently churned up.

However, not everyone immediately rushed towards the finish line. Three individuals remained in place: Yun Che, Li Mingcheng, and the young cultivator who had just been reprimanded by Ji Hanfeng.

Although he had been teleported to the Blizzard Realm, he remained slumped on the ground, his face pale, clearly having suffered a tremendous blow. No one paid him any attention from beginning to end; his presence was almost entirely forgotten.

Li Mingcheng turned around, a sneer on his face, and looked at Yun Che. He knew better than anyone what lay ahead in the Blizzard Realm, and he was supremely confident that even if he intentionally held back, no one could reach the finish line before him.

Seeing Yun Che remain in place, he wasn't surprised in the least. In his eyes, such "trash" would only end up at the bottom even if they gave their all, making an attempt pointless. He stared at Yun Che and sneered, "Yun kid, I originally thought you were a smart person who knew how to act, but unexpectedly, you're a complete fool! Do you know that for me, crushing you is simpler than stepping on an ant! I just gave you a kind opportunity, but you didn't appreciate it and even dared to insult me!"

"However, I'm not so narrow-minded. I can give you another chance. If you obediently kneel and admit your mistake right now..."

Before he could finish speaking, Yun Che had already turned and walked towards the young cultivator still slumped on the ground, completely disregarding Li Mingcheng's words without even glancing at him.

"..." Li Mingcheng's face stiffened. He quickly glanced north and said coldly, "Forget it, I'm wasting my time with trash. Yun Che, you're courting death. Just wait for it!" As his voice faded, he leaped into the air, moving with lightning speed. Although he possessed ample confidence, he dared not be overly complacent, for his goal was not merely to pass the examination, but to be first!

Yun Che had indeed kept the Three Laws given to him by the Little Demon Empress firmly in mind. If this were the Profound Sky Continent, he would never have chosen to ignore Li Mingcheng's repeated insults. He walked up to the young cultivator and extended his hand: "Get up. It must have been very difficult to come here from the lower realm. It would be a great pity to be defeated just like this."

The young cultivator looked up and saw Yun Che. He was visibly startled for a moment but still took Yun Che's hand and stood up, though his smile was a little stiff: "Although it's hard to believe these words coming from you... you're right."

"The examination has only just begun. Although it's unfair, at least... I can't fall before I've even started!" he gritted his teeth, then his profound energy burst forth: "My name is Feng Mo, and I come from a star realm called 'Huanze Realm'. And you?"

"Blue Pole Star... a planet?" The young cultivator was slightly astonished. On a hierarchical level, a planet was below a star realm. He nodded: "Although I despise your 'defection' just now, based on what you just said... if anything happens in the Ice Phoenix Realm later, you can try to find me. I might be able to help once or twice."

"Although I cultivate earth-element profound energy... here, I might not necessarily lose to those from the Snow Song Realm!" he gritted his teeth fiercely, preparing to rush forward.

"Your target should be Ji Hanfeng," Yun Che suddenly said. "He was able to humiliate you so wantonly because he is stronger than you and holds a higher status. Among all the participants in this examination, you were the only one who dared to question him, which is enough to prove you're a person with a strong character. You surely won't be able to let go of today's humiliation, will you? But if you can't even take this first step today, you won't be qualified to talk about the future."

Feng Mo's gaze shifted slightly. He gave Yun Che a deep look, and the profound energy surrounding his body suddenly surged again. He transformed into a faint yellow stream of light and shot abruptly towards the north.

"Sigh," Yun Che muttered to himself, "Am I meddling again? *Phew*, forget it, forget it. I have to listen to Caiyi: be low-key, low-key, absolutely low-key. Before meeting Jasmine, don't provoke anyone or anything..."

After repeating it several times, Yun Che finally got up and flew forward. He had barely flown half a mile when he felt the temperature drop sharply. A powerful cold wind suddenly blew, as if a large, icy hand had struck him head-on, trying to push him backward.

This was only the beginning. As he moved forward, the temperature continued to fall, and the strong breeze intensified into a gale. After advancing for several tens of miles, the surroundings had abruptly transformed into a world of blizzards, and the wind had become a terrifying storm.

The extreme cold stiffened everyone's bodies, freezing their profound energy. Flying snow obscured their vision and perception, and the storm swept them in different directions. Combined, these three elements formed a world capable of driving even cultivators of the Divine Way to despair with every step.

However, there was one exception: Yun Che. This was because the extreme cold and blizzards had no effect on him; the only thing that could hinder him was the storm. However, since his body and profound energy would not weaken due to the severe cold, resisting the storm was far easier for him than for other cultivators.

Before the one hundred-mile mark, all the cultivators could still cope with ease. However, beyond that point, their speeds plummeted. By one hundred and fifty miles, some lower-realm cultivators with weaker foundations or those who didn't cultivate ice profound energy were already purple with cold. They could barely circulate half of their profound energy, gradually finding it impossible to move. Some were even swept into sudden storms, thrown to unknown locations, letting out terrified screams.

Beyond two hundred miles, screams echoed one after another. More and more cultivators were swallowed by the swirling blizzard, and for those remaining, every step forward was incredibly difficult.

Yun Che unleashed his full profound energy, moving swiftly through the blizzard. The further he went, the more ferocious the wind and snow became. It was impossible to distinguish anyone; he could only see blurred figures either struggling desperately or being swept away by the storm. The continuous screams were quickly swallowed by the blizzard.

Leveraging his immense advantage of being unaffected by the extreme cold, Yun Che moved through the wind and snow, swiftly passing wave after wave of people. Simultaneously, he roughly calculated the number of cultivators he had overtaken in his mind. Later, he deliberately slowed his pace, gradually reining in his profound energy, and walked slowly against the terrifying storm.

To pass the examination, one needed to be among the first thousand to reach the finish line. Within that thousand, the lower the rank, the better for him. This was because his goal was simply to pass the examination while remaining as low-key as possible. Passing the examination with profound energy below the Divine Way was already surprising enough; if his rank were too high, it would be impossible to remain low-key in the future.

In the main hall of Snowfall Hall, one hundred and eight massive profound formations were shimmering with white light. Time quickly passed, approaching the moment when results would be revealed. The Snowfall Hall disciples overseeing the examination focused their gazes on the profound formations. They only wanted the results; although they could observe what was happening in the Blizzard Realm, they couldn't be bothered to watch. After all, it was the same every year.

"Sigh, just end already," Mu Xiaolan muttered, squatting on the ground with a melancholic expression. Nearly two *ke* (quarters of an hour) had passed since Yun Che and the others entered the Blizzard Realm, and the results should be imminent. During this time, she had several times wanted to just abandon Yun Che, but she had managed to force herself to stay. Mu Bingyun had also remained silent, and Mu Xiaolan didn't dare to transmit a message proactively... after all, she was currently with the Great Realm King.

As for the outcome of Yun Che's participation in this examination... was there even a question!? The mere thought of it made Mu Xiaolan want to cover her face and run away from him.

Flash!!

A white light suddenly flashed in front of the profound formation. Ji Hanfeng, who was presiding over the examination, narrowed his eyes. Seeing the first figure appear, he stepped forward and laughed heartily: "Truly an unsurprising result. As expected of the Palace Master's nephew, even though I estimated as high as I could, the time taken was still significantly shorter than I predicted."

The first person to emerge from the profound formation, and simultaneously the first to pass the second stage of the examination, was precisely Li Mingcheng!

Ji Hanfeng's words carried a subtle hint of flattery. This was because, given Li Mingcheng's talent and his status as the Palace Master's nephew, his position within Snowfall Hall after joining would certainly not be lower than Ji Hanfeng's.

Li Mingcheng chuckled and said, "Brother Hanfeng, you flatter me. However, if not for a minor delay, Brother Hanfeng's waiting time would have been even shorter."

"Oh?" Ji Hanfeng smiled: "A minor delay? Could it be that someone overestimated themselves and provoked Junior Brother Mingcheng in the Blizzard Realm?"

"Just a jumping clown; no need to pay him any mind," Li Mingcheng said with a smile.

A full hundred breaths after Li Mingcheng emerged, the second cultivator to complete the examination finally appeared. Subsequently, the white light in front of the profound formation began to flash with increasing frequency: from a dozen people to several dozen, then over a hundred... several hundred... Many of the cultivators who passed the examination collapsed directly onto the ground, panting heavily, overwhelmed with uncontrollable joy.

More and more people completed the examination. Within the Blizzard Realm, when the one thousandth cultivator passed through, the profound formation at the finish line would automatically close, ending the examination. By this point, over nine hundred people had already emerged, and the closer it got to the end, the more frequently the profound light flashed.

The nine hundred sixty-sixth person...The nine hundred sixty-seventh person...The nine hundred sixty-eighth person...

Li Mingcheng stood nonchalantly beside Ji Hanfeng, surveying the cultivators he had left far behind with a kingly gaze. When the nine hundred seventieth person emerged and the examination profound formation was about to close, Li Mingcheng's eyes suddenly twitched, then widened slightly in an instant.

This was because the nine hundred seventieth figure to walk out of the profound formation was someone who absolutely should not have appeared.

Yun Che!