Chapter 1317: This Mountain Was Opened by Me

Wind Rises in Kyushu

That something could be described as "interesting" by a Sun-Gazing cultivator was clearly no small matter, and both Chen Xuanhai and Wu Qimo showed curious expressions.

Su Yuqing didn't keep them in suspense. "Roughly less than two years ago," she said directly, "the Primal Beginning Realm at the Reincarnation Tree opened for its centennial event. Prodigies from various realms in the Divine Sea Stage gathered there, all vying for supremacy."

Wu Qimo counted on his fingers, did a quick calculation, and nodded. "It indeed opened nearly two years ago." He then added, with a touch of regret, "It's a pity that our Little Human Race from Square Inch Mountain has never had the opportunity to participate in such a grand event."

Logically speaking, any large realm should be qualified to request a clone from the Reincarnation Tree. Not to mention a top-tier realm like Square Inch Mountain; the Reincarnation Tree was never stingy with its gifts.

However, due to some special reasons, Square Inch Mountain did not have a Reincarnation Tree clone. Therefore, throughout history, there was no precedent for the Little Human Race to participate in the Divine Sea competition at the Reincarnation Tree.

This was also why Lu Ye was surprised when he saw Begonia's true form. In the Primal Beginning Realm, he had encountered many strange and wonderful races, but he had never seen the Little Human Race.

"What interesting thing happened in this Divine Sea competition? Was it perhaps the emergence of an unexpected dark horse?" Wu Qimo asked.

"Precisely so," Su Yuqing nodded, and proceeded to relay everything she had heard from Narcissus that day.

A moment later, Chen Xuanhai showed a thoughtful expression. "According to you, the one who gained fame at the Reincarnation Tree was Lu Yi Ye from the Nine Heavens Realm. The one who came to our realm with Begonia this time is named Lu Ye. Are these two connected...?"

Su Yuqing said, "They should be the same person! Because Begonia said that the realm this Lu Ye originated from is the Nine Heavens Realm. There's no reason for there to be two Nine Heavens Realms in the world by such a coincidence. As for the difference in names, there might be other reasons. His early Constellation Stage cultivation lines up."

Someone who was at Divine Sea Stage Level 8 nearly two years ago, a prodigy of that caliber, should indeed have advanced to the Constellation Stage after two years.

"A Divine Sea Stage Level 8 cultivator capable of overpowering a multitude of Divine Sea Stage Level 9 prodigies from top-tier realms, and who swept through the Blood and Insect races... if this child really is that Lu Yi Ye... then there's potential!" Wu Qimo's eyes brightened.

Generally, prodigies capable of fighting above their cultivation level cannot be judged by their realm alone. For instance, Gu Yu Lou from the Yellow Dragon Realm, if he were to advance to the Constellation Stage, would certainly still be able to fight above his level.

Lu Yi Ye could surpass the former Gu Yu Lou, and after advancing to the Constellation Stage, he would likely be even more formidable than Gu Yu Lou. So, even though he is only in the early Constellation Stage now, the power he can exert is at least equivalent to someone in the mid-Constellation Stage.

Chen Xuanhai was also somewhat intrigued. "The crucial question now is, is this Lu Ye really that Lu Yi Ye?"

The three Sun-Gazing cultivators exchanged glances. Wu Qimo smiled slightly. "Want to verify it? It's simple! Just find someone to test him!" This matter was of great importance. Although Su Yuqing's deduction seemed sound, it was best to confirm it carefully to be safe.

Halfway up Immortal Spirit Peak, Lu Ye was flying upward with Begonia when he suddenly realized something. "Senior Sister Begonia, I participated in a Divine Sea competition at the Reincarnation Tree about two years ago. Why didn't I see any of your Little Human Race there?"

If he hadn't seen them within the Primal Beginning Realm, it would be understandable, as the Primal Beginning Realm was vast and opportunities to meet were scarce. But on that white jade platform, Yang Qing had taken him on a tour to broaden his horizons, and Lu Ye still hadn't seen any Little Human Race figures.

This was a bit strange. As a top-tier realm, why wouldn't Square Inch Mountain participate in such a grand event?

Begonia smiled faintly. "This matter is rather regrettable. Our Little Human Race actually very much wanted to participate in that grand event of the Reincarnation Tree, but we didn't have the opportunity. To participate, one needs to be teleported using a Reincarnation Tree clone, but within Square Inch Mountain, the Reincarnation Tree clones cannot survive. This might be related to Square Inch Mountain itself being a treasure of the starry sky, and the Reincarnation Tree is also a treasure of the starry sky. There might be some mutual repulsion between them. Many years ago, strong cultivators from our Square Inch Mountain also sought clones from the Reincarnation Tree, but they didn't thrive after being brought back."

"So that's how it is!"

No wonder he hadn't seen any trace of the Little Human Race back at the Reincarnation Tree; there was such a reason behind it.

He asked this question precisely because he was worried about his identity being exposed. After all, he had caused quite a stir at the Reincarnation Tree and gained some notoriety. If there had been any strong cultivators from the Little Human Race present, they might not have failed to recognize him.

Now it seemed his worries were unnecessary.

As they were talking, a swirling mist surged toward them. At first, Lu Ye didn't notice anything unusual, but as he followed Begonia into the mist, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Because in an instant, he had lost sight of Begonia!

"Senior Sister Begonia?" Lu Ye stopped, calling out, but received no reply. He called again, still no reply.

However, the mist came quickly and dispersed just as fast. In just three to five breaths, the surrounding scenery reappeared. Begonia was gone, nowhere to be seen. But not far ahead, an unfamiliar figure had appeared.

He was stout and chubby, yet his face was fair and clean, not showing any fat. His expression was kind, making him quite likable.

He appeared abruptly before Lu Ye, without any prior warning before the mist arrived.

When Lu Ye saw him, the man was scratching his head, looking very troubled.

He couldn't help it; his master had told him to find an excuse to spar with this human and test his abilities. The order came so suddenly, with no psychological preparation, that he was at a loss for what excuse to use.

He looked at the human before him. His face was young, clearly not old, but his cultivation was impressive, at the Constellation Stage. That made sense; without Constellation Stage cultivation, one couldn't travel the starry sky, let alone reach Square Inch Mountain.

Unable to find a suitable reason for a moment, he simply shouted at Lu Ye, "Halt, you human boy! This mountain is mine, and this tree I planted! If you wish to pass, hehe, leave behind your toll!"

In the great hall, Su Yuqing and Chen Xuanhai, who were quietly anticipating the show, both turned to look at Wu Qimo. Wu Qimo was furious. "This scoundrel! Where did he learn such nonsense? I told him to test the boy's skills, not to act like a mountain bandit! I'll teach him a lesson later."

That胖子 was Wu Qimo's disciple, one of the candidates for the Black Abyss Martial Arts, and second only to Begonia in strength among all of them. It could be said that his strength had reached the peak of the early Constellation Stage, making him the most suitable person to test Lu Ye.

Since it was just a test, it wouldn't be appropriate to find someone with a higher cultivation level than Lu Ye. A contest at the same cultivation stage would make the situation clearest. If the chubby man was no match for Lu Ye, it would mean Lu Ye had the strength of a mid-Constellation Stage cultivator, and could be recruited as an external aid. If Lu Ye was defeated, then all talk would cease.

Meanwhile, halfway up Immortal Spirit Peak, Lu Ye's thoughts raced.

He couldn't figure out what was going on. He had been following Begonia, preparing to meet her master, but after a burst of mist, Begonia vanished, and this fellow popped out...

This clearly wasn't an accident.

A Sun-Gazing cultivator was present at the peak, and since he had been summoned, there was no reason for a disciple to block him.

Adding to that, Begonia had disappeared... So, everything here was likely condoned by the Sun-Gazing cultivator, who probably removed Begonia on purpose to avoid putting her in an awkward position.

A test? But for what purpose?

What was certain was that Begonia's Sun-Gazing master was definitely watching this area.

The chubby man yelled for a while, seeing no reaction from Lu Ye, and then shouted again, "Boy, are you deaf? I'm robbing you! Hand over your spirit jades quickly!"

Lu Ye raised his hand, slowly pressing his right hand against the Panshian Blade. His eyelids lowered slightly, and his voice was deep. "Coming!"

"Huh?" The chubby man hadn't heard clearly.

But the next instant, he knew what Lu Ye had said. With a sudden surge of violent spiritual power, Lu Ye transformed into a streak of light and shot towards him.

The speed astonished the chubby man. "Kid, that's not honorable! You're ambushing me!" he shouted. Even as he spoke, he swiftly activated a magic formula, sending a series of spells flying towards Lu Ye.

When he first saw him, Lu Ye felt that this guy was probably a spell cultivator, because all the chubby people he knew in Kyushu were basically spell cultivators; only spell cultivators would develop such a physique.

Now, it seemed to be true. But to Lu Ye's surprise, this guy's mastery of spells was remarkably high; numerous spells were cast effortlessly, one after another.

What astonished Lu Ye even more was the sheer variety of spells this guy unleashed.

Logically speaking, the spells wielded by spell cultivators have inherent limitations, rooted in their elemental affinity. Everyone has different affinities, and cultivating and casting spells that align with one's own affinity often yields twice the result with half the effort, and possesses great power. However, if one cultivates spells that do not align with one's own affinity, the situation would be reversed.

Yet, despite his somewhat臃肿 physique, this chubby man seemed to have no elemental shortcomings. For a moment, the spells he unleashed were multicolored and dazzling.

Lu Ye dragged his blade, his body swaying and dodging, occasionally striking out to block spells he couldn't evade. The distance between them rapidly closed. In a life-or-death battle, he had his own methods for dealing with spell cultivators, using his imperial artifacts to get close and suppress them. But this was ultimately not a life-or-death battle, and there were certainly Sun-Gazing cultivators watching in the dark, so some of his methods were not suitable for exposure.

He could only face it head-on! This was also the most conventional way for blade cultivators to confront spell cultivators.

Fortunately, after advancing to the Constellation Stage, his strength had greatly increased, and he could handle such fierce attacks. Of course, this might also be related to the fact that the opponent was not using his full power.

Since it was a test, the opponent naturally wouldn't aim for a fatal blow.

Amidst the surging torrent of spells, Lu Ye was like a fish swimming upstream, his figure weaving through the colorful, vibrant lights.

The chubby man was startled!

He genuinely hadn't used his full strength, but he thought that, given the same cultivation level, his spell barrage wouldn't be so easily breached. Yet, the unfamiliar human boy opposite him had stubbornly pushed through.

What kind of profound foundation, what pure spiritual power, and what kind of stubbornness did that require?

Seeing the distance rapidly close, he leaped, quickly retreating while continuing to frantically cast spells.