Chapter 557: Chapter 233: A Sheep Among Wolves, Prejudice as Unyielding as a Mountain!

"Huh, Luo Cheng actually caught up with Senior Sister Qi Yue and the others, am I seeing things?"

"How can he be so fast!"

The moment Luo Cheng caught up with Qi Yue and the others, he immediately drew the attention of many Luoxia Sect disciples, each wearing a look of disbelief.

On the vast lake, Luo Cheng was running neck and neck with the seven Top Ten Seed Disciples of the Luoxia Sect, leading the other competing disciples by a mile.

Behind the eight were Yan Qingshuang and dozens of other disciples.

Further back, there were about two hundred more people, densely packed, creating waves on the lake’s surface.

On the reef platform, the elders of Luoxia Sect also witnessed this scene, engaged in lively discussions.

"That Luo Cheng seems to have some tricks up his sleeve, being able to catch up with our sect’s Top Ten Seed Disciples. No wonder he once suppressed Yan Qingshuang and Hua Jingyang, winning first place in the Three Sects Martial Arts Competition."

"He’s a swordsman who has comprehended the Sword Intent Prototype, with spiritual self-generated sharpness. It seems he has also cultivated a very powerful speed-increasing secret technique, so it’s reasonable for him to catch up. However, reaching the top of Mimeng Zang Mountain is more than just about speed."

"Yes, the real test begins once they set foot on the island. By then, it’s a contest of personal spiritual will and talent. What’s happening now is just an appetizer."

Although the elders were surprised that Luo Cheng could catch up with Qi Yue and the others, they did not take it too seriously.

After all, the most difficult part of climbing Mimeng Zang Mountain begins after reaching the island, and being in the lead now only indicates speed, which means little.

"Elder Bi, I heard that Luo Cheng boasted about entering the top three in this assessment."

Elder Lin, who was most strongly opposed to Luo Cheng’s participation in the assessment, suddenly smiled at Elder Bi Qiushui beside him and said, "What do you think about this?"

Elder Bi Qiushui, knowing Elder Lin had strong opinions on this matter, smiled slightly and replied with a question: "Elder Lin, what do you think?"

Elder Lin looked toward the lake, gently tapping his cane, and said leisurely:

"This Luo Cheng may have some skills, but he is a bit too arrogant and ignorant. Except for Yu Lanxin, other Top Ten Seed Disciples might not dare to claim they can securely enter the top three. His arrogance shows his ignorance and lack of self-awareness."

"After this, I will suggest to the Sect Master that this should not be allowed to happen again, to prevent every kind of person from coming to our Luoxia Sect, causing chaos!"

Bi Qiushui frowned slightly.

She couldn’t miss the fact that these words, seemingly disparaging Luo Cheng, were actually directed at her implicitly. However, due to the seniority of the other party, she had to suppress her anger and said:

"It’s easy to succeed in favorable conditions; it’s hard in adversity. Luo Cheng can rise up on a path strewn with thorns, indicating his potential should not be underestimated. Competition fosters progress, and his presence will certainly inspire the younger generation’s growth."

"Heh, potential?"

Elder Lin’s wrinkled face showed a trace of disdain, his cloudy eyes flashing bright:

"What potential can there be in someone who awakened a Wasted Martial Soul? How can a sheep thrown into a pack of wolves talk about competition? Elder Bi, do you still think he can pass the Mimeng Zang Mountain test?"

Bi Qiushui frowned deeply and glanced at the other elders.

Everyone remained silent.

The vast majority shared Elder Lin’s opinion, holding biases against the Wasted Martial Soul. They looked down on Luo Cheng from start to finish, believing he could never achieve great success, nor could he pass the test.

Such bias is like an unshakable mountain...

Letting out a long breath, Bi Qiushui looked at Luo Cheng on the field and thought to herself: Luo Cheng, you must pass the test and, hopefully, make it into the top three! Prove yourself and show that I have judged you correctly!

Wow!

Just as the atmosphere became a bit awkward, the clouds above suddenly dissipated, and a fierce cold wind mixed with snow flew in.

Subsequently, a tall figure slowly descended onto the platform.

The newcomer was a woman in her twenties, extremely beautiful, with black hair dancing lightly, her neck slender, exuding a serene beauty. Her arrival instantly drew everyone’s attention.

She was none other than Yin Li, one of the Top Ten True Disciples of Luoxia Sect.

"Yin Li, you’re here to watch this assessment too," an Inner Sect Elder familiar with Yin Li smiled and said: "What? Are you here to see if anyone can break your record?"

Upon hearing this, someone immediately shook their head and said: "How can that be. Passing the Mimeng Zang Mountain test within four incense sticks’ time, even someone with eighty percent Perfect Sword Intent like Yu Lanxin can’t do it. This record will probably stand for a long, long time, for a hundred years perhaps untouchable by anyone."

Other Inner Sect Elders nodded in agreement, openly praising Yin Li.

When Yin Li trained at the Seven-Colored Spring, the test she took was also climbing Mimeng Zang Mountain.

At that time, Yin Li passed the test within four incense sticks’ time, setting a new record and causing a sensation!

"Thank you all for your compliments. I’m just here to see the excitement out of boredom."

Yin Li smiled gently. Seeing the numerous figures darting across the lake, she showed a bit of emotion:

"It’s the first time I’ve seen so many people take the Seven-Colored Spring test simultaneously, truly spectacular... Oh!"

Suddenly, she noticed Luo Cheng flying at the front, her expression slightly changing, showing an incredible look.

An elder laughed and said: "No one knows what kind of secret technique Xuanyuan Sect’s Luo Cheng has cultivated. His speed is astonishingly fast. However, once they reach the island and essence energy is restricted, these secret techniques will be useless. At that time, it’s a test of personal spiritual will, talent, potential, and insight! Whether one is a true dragon or a worm will be clear."

His words were clear, implying that Luo Cheng was like a crawling worm while the Top Ten Disciples of Luoxia Sect were true dragons.

"They’re almost ashore!"

A call brought everyone’s attention back to the lake.

A dozen miles away, at the very front, Yu Lanxin, Luo Cheng, and the others were less than a mile from the small island!

With the distance so far and the fog so thick, it had become difficult to see the competition clearly.

Immediately, a Core Elder of Luoxia Sect, whose aura was as deep as an abyss and as vast as the sea, stepped forward. She circulated her essence energy and swept her hand over the lake in front of her.

Wow!

An amazing scene unfolded—suddenly a large water curtain rose from the lake, swirling into a vortex of several dozen feet, gradually stabilizing like a round water mirror suspended there.

"Reflect!"

With the Core Elder’s soft command, an image gradually appeared in the round water mirror, initially blurry but soon becoming clear.

It was a bird’s-eye view of the entire Mimeng Zang Mountain!

A dozen miles away.

As they neared the island, the intensely oppressive aura grew increasingly terrifying, severely restricting the operation of essence energy for Luo Cheng and the others, reducing their speed to less than ten percent of their peak state, forcing them to skim above the water.

Initially, Luo Cheng was neck and neck with the seven Seed Disciples.

However, as time went on, Luo Cheng gradually gained the upper hand, about to surpass Qi Yue first.

"No way!"

Luo Cheng’s ability to catch up had already angered Qi Yue greatly. Seeing that Luo Cheng dared to try to surpass her, she couldn’t bear it, her delicate body shivering.

Buzz!

A Martial Soul, containing eight stars and radiating a dim glow, emerged.

To prevent Luo Cheng from surpassing her, Qi Yue directly released her Martial Soul, withstanding the pressure from Mimeng Zang Mountain, boosting her speed to the peak, widening the distance from Luo Cheng, and she turned to give him a cold smile:

"Do you think that just by cultivating a speed-augmenting secret technique, you can compare with us? Utterly delusional! Let me tell you, you’re still a hundred years too young for that!"

A clay figurine has its limits. Hearing this, a gleam flashed in Luo Cheng’s eyes, and he smirked slightly: "You’re making your conclusion too early!"

As he spoke, a sudden burst of fierce energy swirled in his eyes. A cluster of essence energy vortex formed beneath his feet, and his energy surged several times more violently.

"Explode!"

With a forceful boom, the Essence Energy Vortex exploded, creating a towering wave.

Swish!

Like a soaring crane, Luo Cheng sliced a great rift across the water, shooting forward hundreds of feet in an instant, quickly overtaking Qi Yue.

"""

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by lotustale.com