Chapter 960: 摘星石

“Senior Sucheng, you…” Mu Xiaolan was instantly dumbfounded.

Mu Sucheng stepped forward and said solemnly, "Yun Che, in the history of my Ice Phoenix Sect, no one has ever passed the Ice Snow Palace's assessment with profound energy before entering the Divine Path, let alone achieving a score higher than everyone else! While cheating in the Ice Profound Realm assessment is inherently impossible, this result will be questioned not only by those present but even if the Great Realm King were to personally attend. I'm sure you understand this yourself."

Yun Che: "..."

"Therefore, as the Chief Steward of the Ice Snow Palace, I order you to prove that you did not cheat in the Ice Profound Realm assessment, and you may not refuse!" Mu Sucheng's brows furrowed slightly. "Because this is no longer simply an issue with the assessment results. If you cannot prove it, you will not only lose the qualification to enter the Ice Snow Palace but also face severe punishment!"

"Senior Sucheng, y-y-you... how could you... ugh!" Mu Xiaolan stomped her foot in exasperation.

Li Mingcheng immediately grinned triumphantly, his gaze at Yun Che full of pity. Most other profound practitioners also showed more schadenfreude. This time, after all, the Chief Steward himself had spoken.

"Senior Sucheng is our revered Chief Steward of the Ice Snow Palace. His status in the Ice Snow Palace is almost on par with the Palace Master himself. Every word Senior Sucheng speaks carries immense weight! How could my Ice Phoenix Sect, such a sacred place, allow small-minded individuals to defile it?! Yun Che, what do you have to say for yourself now?" Ji Hanfeng declared sharply.

Yun Che gave Mu Sucheng a deep look. He didn't sense any hostility or animosity from him; instead, it seemed to be a deep curiosity and scrutiny.

"Alright, how do I prove it?" Yun Che said, looking at Mu Sucheng with a helpless expression.

"Naturally, by proving your strength," Mu Sucheng said with a faint smile. "Li Mingcheng's suggestion is quite good. If you truly stayed in the Ice Profound Realm for so long by your own power, there's no reason you wouldn't be a match for Li Mingcheng. You will spar with Li Mingcheng, and the outcome will be clear after five exchanges. Li Mingcheng, since you were the first to question Yun Che's cheating, I'll entrust this verification to you."

Hearing Mu Sucheng's "approval," Li Mingcheng was instantly flattered. He quickly said, "This disciple will certainly give his all. Please rest assured, Senior Sucheng."

Then, straightening his face, he turned to Yun Che and mocked, "Come, Yun Che, unleash your full power and let me witness the strength of the top scorer in the Ice Profound Realm assessment! I won't retract my previous words: you only need to withstand five moves from me to win. If you didn't cheat, then given your assessment score, which surpassed mine, this should be the simplest thing in the world."

Yun Che ignored him, his gaze still on Mu Sucheng. "Senior Sucheng, you hold an extraordinary position. In this place, I naturally have no power to resist your command, and I truly cannot refute what you just said. However, there is one thing I must clarify."

"Oh?" Mu Sucheng looked at his expression with interest.

"It's simple," Yun Che said calmly. "If I spar with Li Mingcheng and lose within five moves, I'll not only be stripped of my qualification to enter the Ice Snow Palace but also face the 'severe punishment' you mentioned. The consequences are so dire, they're frankly chilling. However, if I win and prove I didn't cheat, then everything that's happening to me right now is baseless questioning and extremely unfair treatment! Since the Ice Phoenix Sect is so just and strict, shouldn't there be some compensation for me?"

"..." Mu Xiaolan was dumbfounded.

"Hahahahaha," Ji Hanfeng burst into uninhibited laughter. "Yun Che, if you had admitted it earlier, Senior Sucheng might have given you some leniency and slightly reduced the punishment. But now, with your death imminent, you're still dreaming impossible dreams. It's utterly laughable! I'm suddenly immensely curious: what kind of lowly lower realm could have possibly raised such a colossal joke as you?"

"..." Yun Che gave Ji Hanfeng a second, faint glance.

"Senior Brother Hanfeng, he's clearly desperate and trying to cling on by any means," Li Mingcheng sneered.

"Hehehe," Mu Sucheng chuckled faintly, yet nodded slightly. "I, Mu Sucheng, have been in this Ice Snow Palace for thousands of years, and I've never encountered a disciple bold enough to proactively demand 'compensation,' let alone a new disciple who hasn't even officially entered the Palace. However, there is indeed some logic to your words. Very well then..."

Mu Sucheng extended his hand, and a streak of blue light flashed before him. In an instant, a perfectly square jade stone, three feet across, shimmered with a starlike, dreamlike radiance as it floated above him.

"Star... Star-Plucking Stone!!" The moment this peculiar stone appeared, Mu Xiaolan practically shrieked.

"S-s-s-s-star... Star-Plucking Stone!!" Ji Hanfeng's reaction was far more exaggerated than Mu Xiaolan's. He looked up at the dreamlike starlight, his jaw nearly hitting the ground in shock.

Upon hearing the name "Star-Plucking Stone," Li Mingcheng's entire body trembled. His mouth hung wide open, and his eyes bulged almost to the point of popping out. Half of the other profound practitioners looked bewildered, while those who knew the name "Star-Plucking Stone" were all wide-eyed, speechless, and unable to breathe.

Star-Plucking Stone? What was that?

Yun Che heard the name for the first time and saw such a jade stone for the first time. But the peculiar light it emitted proved that it was absolutely no ordinary item. And judging by the reactions of Mu Xiaolan and those around him, this jade stone was clearly even more precious than the "Jadefall Ice Soul Pellet."

"Indeed, this is the Star-Plucking Stone," Mu Sucheng said with a slight smile. "A single Star-Plucking Stone requires exposure to starlight for at least three thousand years, at an altitude of over ten thousand feet, to form. It is something one can only encounter by chance, never seek out. Its power and rarity far surpass the Jadefall Ice Soul Pellet. Not to mention the Ice Snow Palace, even disciples of the Ice Phoenix Palace rarely receive such a reward. Now, if you can remain undefeated against Li Mingcheng for five moves and prove you didn't cheat, not only will you still receive the Jadefall Ice Soul Pellet as a reward, but this Star-Plucking Stone will also be granted to you. Are you satisfied with this?"

"Ah? Senior Sucheng, this... this..." Ji Hanfeng's mind was momentarily thrown into disarray by shock. But then, he suddenly realized that Yun Che's chances of winning were nonexistent. A mere fifth-level Sovereign Profound Realm practitioner stood no chance against Li Mingcheng, not even for a single move. In other words, this astonishing reward, enough to make even Ice Phoenix Palace disciples salivate, was nothing more than a feint, purely meant to shut Yun Che up.

At this thought, Ji Hanfeng quickly changed his tune. "Senior Sucheng truly upholds clear rewards and punishments! Yun Che, a divine stone like the Star-Plucking Stone—even I, after so many years in the Ice Snow Palace, have never even touched one. Senior Sucheng is giving you immense face with this! Now, what more do you have to say?"

Li Mingcheng's breathing was ragged. It took him a long time to tear his gaze away from the Star-Plucking Stone, as he secretly mused, *This Chief Steward of the Ice Snow Palace not only seems easy to talk to, but he's also incredibly generous. It looks like once I enter the Ice Snow Palace, I'll have to curry favor with him a lot...*

"Good," Yun Che nodded, then turned to Li Mingcheng. "Let's begin."

At this point, holding back had no meaning whatsoever.

"Yun Che, you..."

"Xiaolan, come over here." Mu Xiaolan was about to say something more to Yun Che but was interrupted by Mu Sucheng's voice. She had no choice but to retreat obediently and stand by Mu Sucheng's side.

In her heart, she regretted a thousand times over bringing Yun Che back from the Azure Cloud Continent.

Alas, he just happened to be her master's savior.

What should I do...?

The Ice Snow Palace assessment was nearing its end, and most other groups had also finished. More and more people were drawn by the commotion and gathered around. Among them were profound practitioners who had just passed the assessment, as well as Ice Snow Palace disciples supervising and maintaining order.

"Hey! Let's make this clear first, you two are just sparring. You absolutely cannot... absolutely cannot hurt anyone!" Mu Xiaolan shouted. The situation was unstoppable, and all she could do now was try to prevent any accidents during Yun Che's match. After all, a mid-stage Sovereign Profound Realm practitioner was too fragile before the power of the Divine Path... If Li Mingcheng were to strike even a little harder, Yun Che would surely be dead or severely injured.

"Since it's a fight, naturally one must go all out. How can injuries be avoided?" Ji Hanfeng said with a stern expression. "However, what Senior Sister Xiaolan said did remind me: Li Mingcheng, Yun Che, this is the Ice Snow Palace. When you two spar, even if you gain the upper hand, you absolutely must not lose your sense of proportion and deliver a killing blow, or you will certainly not be forgiven! But injuries are unavoidable. Whatever the outcome, however severe the injuries, neither party shall pursue repercussions. Otherwise, *heh*, you might be looked down upon by everyone."

Yun Che was, after all, brought by Mu Bingyun. Although he absolutely didn't believe Mu Bingyun valued Yun Che much, he certainly didn't have the guts to let him be killed.

However, his implied meaning was that as long as Yun Che didn't die, it didn't matter how badly he was injured.

Li Mingcheng instantly understood, and a faint smirk played on his lips.

"You... Ji Hanfeng, you're doing this on purpose!" Mu Xiaolan cried out angrily.

"Enough," Mu Sucheng interjected, raising a hand in front of Mu Xiaolan. "Ji Hanfeng isn't wrong. Injuries are inherently difficult to avoid in a sparring match. If even getting injured isn't allowed, then the match would be meaningless. Begin."

Mu Sucheng's words clearly showed his displeasure with Yun Che. The smile on Li Mingcheng's face grew even more unrestrained as he unhurriedly stepped in front of Yun Che. "Yun Che, don't be nervous. Rest assured, I will 'sufficiently' go easy on you. Bring out your weapon. Oh, it'd be best if you brought out all your profound artifacts and treasures too. Things that can be used to cheat in the Ice Profound Realm must be incredibly powerful, right? Show them to me, let this defeated opponent of yours broaden his horizons."

Laughter immediately erupted around them.

"..." Mu Xiaolan covered her face with her hand.

But Mu Sucheng, standing beside her, kept his gaze fixed on Yun Che, unwilling to shift it for even a second, his eyes deep.

Yun Che's profound energy aura was only at the fifth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm—Mu Sucheng had repeatedly confirmed this, and it couldn't be wrong. It was absolutely impossible for Yun Che to conceal his profound energy under his watchful eye, not even with the help of profound artifacts.

But, both his gaze and his aura exuded a certainty and calmness, as if he had experienced a hundred lifetimes of vicissitudes and countless encounters with life and death. This, too, was something that absolutely could not be faked.

This young man...

"Heh... heheh..." Li Mingcheng suddenly burst out laughing. "A paragon like you, it's probably rare to see one in ten thousand years. Truly eye-opening. Alright, alright, I'll humor you then."

With a sinister chuckle, Li Mingcheng leaped up. His left hand nonchalantly swept towards Yun Che's chest. The moment he struck, a frigid aura instantly converged in the space around Yun Che, freezing everything within it solid.

He had proposed "five moves," initially intending to toy with Yun Che, but Yun Che's "feigned" composure was simply intolerable. Moreover, with more and more spectators gathering, this was an excellent opportunity for him to display his strength and establish his authority among the new disciples.

He was determined to make Yun Che lose in the most humiliating way possible, in an instant!