Chapter 955 – “Crisis”
Chapter 955 – “Crisis”
Before Ji Hanfeng had even finished his sentence, the profound formation suddenly flashed with a profound light. A ball of white light separated itself from the profound formation and slowly fell. After it touched the ground, the white light disappeared, before Yun Che’s silhouette emerged.
The other profound practitioners had either been ejected from the profound formation or ruthlessly thrown out, battered and miserable looking. However, Yun Che had been gently sent out and landed smoothly.
This was because the others had been ejected by the profound formation after “dying” and Yun Che had given up while still alive.
The first thing Yun Che sensed was that his body didn’t seem to hurt or have sustained any injuries. In fact, he didn’t feel like he had used up any profound energy at all. However, he immediately sensed that the surrounding atmosphere didn’t seem quite right and quickly opened his eyes to survey the area.
Mu Xiaolan still remained a distance in front of him yet her mouth was wide open. Mu Sushan, who stood beside her, had an extremely odd look in his eyes. Beside him, a group of profound practitioners were neatly arranged in order with Ji Hanfeng standing before them. At the same time he saw Ji Hanfeng, he also immediately saw Li Mingcheng, who stood at the very front of the group.
And among these people, each and every one of them were wide-eyed stupefied, as though they had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
Yun Che had not “died” out of the Ice Profound Realm so his mental state was not in disorder. After his instant of being stunned, the surrounding situation, the atmosphere, as well as the expression on everyone’s faces immediately caused him to realize that something had happened.
What happened… was there a problem with the exam?
There shouldn’t be! Then the only thing possible is…
I’m the last f*cking person that came out!?
Clang!!
Ripples of profound energy were produced as an immense sound rang from the back. The light of the profound formation instantly retracted and in just a short moment, the entire profound formation disappeared. The space within the boundary of the profound formation was completely empty, without a single trace of a human figure.
The final exam of Freezing Snow Hall had truly ended at this very moment.
And the number one of this final exam, in other words, the last person who left the Ice Profound Realm, was actually Yun Che!
Looking at Yun Che who appeared from within the white light and the disappearance of the profound formation, everyone present felt as if their brains had crashed. Even after staring for a long while, they were still unable to believe their own eyes at all.
Li Mingcheng’s result was extremely extraordinary. If he had obtained number one, no one would have felt it was unexpected. However, Yun Che’s profound strength was clearly just at the fifth level of the Sovereign Profound Realm. Putting aside entering the divine way, even if he was in the Sovereign Profound Realm, he was only at the middle stage of it. Furthermore, he was even a profound practitioner who came from the lower realm and was far weaker than profound practitioners of God Realm of the same level. With his profound strength and birth, forget about Freezing Snow Hall, entering the Snowfall Palace would be extremely difficult as well.
Him being able to participate in the exams of Freezing Snow Hall, was just a “special permission” given by the Main Hall Master as a form of ridicule and even a little embarrassment. Him accepting her proposal was just a joke in everyone’s eyes. And it was exactly this “joke”, who had actually surpassed Li Mingcheng in the final exam and had surpassed every single one of them!!
“Yun Che, Y… Y-Y-Y-Y-You… “ Mu Xiaolan was unable to adjust her state of mind from this huge sense of disparity. “You’re… actually… number one… Ah…”
Yun Che looked at Mu Sushan. From the present situation, how could he fail to understand that he was actually tricked by this general manager of Freezing Snow Hall!? Furthermore, that rather meaningful look carried by Mu Sushan was clearly a huge confession.
In the Ice Profound Realm, he had suspected if “fifteen minutes” was a little short.
But never did he expect that, it was actually… too long!!
It seemed like Mu Sushan had realized something from Yun Che’s various behaviors and the results of the Snowstorm Realm exam and thus “tricked” him a little. Not to mention, it was done without a trace. Even with Yun Che’s shrewdness, he was unable to sense anything strange.
As someone who could hold a high status even in God Realm, how could he possibly be an ordinary person?
However, looking from another perspective, this result made Yun Che realize that he had severely underestimated his present level of strength. When he first stepped into the Sovereign Profound Realm, he was able to kill Xuanyuan Wentian whose profound strength had already reached the level of gods. Presently, his profound strength had reached the middle stage of Sovereign Profound Realm. Most likely, the level of strength of the divine profound practitioners whom he could go toe-to-toe with, had far surpassed his initial predictions!
Looking at things now, it seemed like it was no longer possible for him to remain low key even if he wanted to.
“Haah,” Yun Che sighed, as he silently muttered to himself in his mind. “Someone like me is like the sun hanging in a night sky. No matter how much effort is put in, it’s impossible to cover this overly brilliant light.”
Turning around, Yun Che faced the dazed crowd and spoke to Ji Hanfeng. “Now, I should have the qualifications to become a disciple of Freezing Snow Hall, right?”
“Not only that.” Before Ji Hanfeng could reply, Mu Sushan was already chuckling as he spoke. “You were the last person to leave the Ice Profound Realm and have without a doubt become the most excellent newcomer among the disciples. Not only will you have the qualifications to become an official disciple of Freezing Snow Hall, you will also receive a Jadefallen Ice Snow Pellet as a reward. With your present cultivation level, if someone were to aid you in completely refining this Jadefallen Ice Snow Pellet, your entire being will be reborn and you will experience immense growth from then on. Hohoho.”
“Wait a minute!!”
An anxious voice suddenly rang out. Li Mingcheng stepped out of the group, his face was solemn as he loudly exclaimed. “He can’t receive the Jadefallen Ice Snow Pellet! Anyone will be able to see that the result of this exam is unusual! This Yun Che brat… has clearly cheated!”
Under the instructions of Mu Fengshu, he had delayed his entry into the Freezing Snow Hall for so many years in order to obtain the “Jadefallen Ice Snow Pellet” that was especially being bestowed in the exams this year. For today, he had endured for many years and had prepared for many years. The “Jadefallen Ice Snow Pellet” was already within his reach, how could he allow it to land in the hands of someone else…? Not to mention it was being awarded to trash that did not know his place.
“I cheated? Where’s the evidence?” Yun Che helplessly said. With how the situation had developed, it was no longer possible for him to remain low key. He had no choice but to follow through with this outcome.
“Evidence? Heh!” Li Mingcheng coldly laughed, as he walked towards Yun Che, one step at a time. “Is there even a need for evidence for this? As long as it’s someone who isn’t blind, it’s plain to see that you have definitely cheated! Every single one of the Winterfrost Direwolves in the Ice Profound Realm is a profound beast at the first level of the Divine Origin Realm and they possess extremely powerful offensive abilities. Even I had to be especially careful when dealing with them. You, however, are just trash at the middle stage of the Sovereign Profound Realm. Your only possible outcome is to be killed instantly in the face of a Winterfrost Direwolf, so how could you possibly stay in the Ice Profound Realm for such a long period of time!?”
“Junior Brother Mingcheng is right.” Ji Hanfeng said, his eyes fixated on Yun Che. “I believe it’s not just Junior Brother Mingcheng, every single person here is unable to believe this outcome. Yun Che, you sure have huge guts! Freezing Snow Hall’s trial is designed to pick out excellent disciples for Divine Ice Phoenix Sect. In the face of such divine majesty, you actually dare to cheat! You are but a mere lowly person from the lower realms, what kind of place are you making the Divine Ice Phoenix Sect out to be!?”
“Ji Hanfeng!”
Yun Che was slightly enraged by the term “lowly person from the lower realms”, as he unceremoniously named him out. “Before the exam, you once said that it’s still possible to pass the Snowstorm Realm exam through tricks but it’s impossible for anyone to cheat through the Ice Profound Realm exam. This is what you personally said! Right now, on what basis are you suspecting me of cheating?”
“That’s right! On what basis!? Since you’re saying Yun Che cheated, show some evidence at the very least!” Mu Xiaolan charged out and stood next to Yun Che, as she said a little imposingly. Actually… in her mind, she was very nervous. Very, very nervous. Because even she was absolutely certain that… Yun Che must have cheated!
Otherwise, with his level of profound strength, how could he possibly stay in the Ice Profound Realm for so long!?
However, Yun Che was brought here by Mu Bingyun, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and stand on his side. Furthermore, he must~~ must not admit to cheating! Though she did not know what method Yun Che used, cheating in Freezing Snow Hall’s exam was a huge scandal. If it were to turn out to be real, she was not concerned about the consequences that would befall Yun Che but there was a huge possibility that it would affect Mu Bingyun’s reputation. No matter what, she could not allow such a thing to happen.
“It’s absolutely easy to determine if Yun Che has actually cheated,” Li Mingcheng said with confidence. “During the exam earlier, Yun Che stayed in the Ice Profound Realm for exactly fifteen minutes! I, Li Mingcheng, admit that I am incapable of achieving such a feat but Yun Che is actually able to do it. Then, if he did not cheat, his strength must definitely far surpass mine.”
When these words were spoken, the surrounding profound practitioners instantly broke into laughter. Li Mingcheng was at the third level of the Divine Origin Realm and was even at the late stages. Adding his innate gifts, he was definitely capable of going toe-to-toe with an opponent at the fourth level of the Divine Origin Realm. As for Yun Che, he was someone of the lower realms who had not even stepped into the divine way. He was the joke of this exam and had no qualifications to even be compared to Li Mingcheng at all. How could he possibly be stronger than Li Mingcheng?
“Then,” Li Mingcheng raised his hand towards Yun Che, his expression carried relish and scorn. “Whether he has cheated or not, we will know once we exchange blows. Yun Che, since you claim that you did not cheat, then let us spar it out. Oh, you don’t have to completely beat me, as long as you are able to hold out against five of my attacks, I, Li Mingcheng, will admit that you did not cheat. However, if you are unable to get through five attacks from someone whose results can’t even compare to yours… Heheheheh…”
“Hahahaha, what a great suggestion from Junior Brother Mingcheng!” Ji Hanfeng laughed. The surrounding crowd of profound practitioners either gave Yun Che pitiful or smug glances. In their hearts, all of them believed that Li Mengcheng was truly thinking too highly of him for proposing “five attacks”… Or, he was just trying to toy with him.
“Yun Che, did you hear that?” Ji Hanfeng said in a cold, commanding tone. “If you wish to prove that you did not cheat, then exchange blows with Li Mingcheng to prove your innocence! If you truly have the capabilities to stay in the Ice Profound Realm for such a long time, dealing with just five blows from Li Mingcheng should be a piece of cake, right?”
“No!” Mu Xiaolan tugged onto Yun Che’s sleeves and said with a stern look. “Yun Che was exempted from the first exam because of Main Hall Master’s ‘special’ permission. For the Snowstorm Realm and Ice Profound Realm exams, Yun Che followed the same procedures as the rest of the participants and entered the same profound formations for the exams. You lot do not have any evidence and are just throwing out your own guesses, so on what basis are you claiming that he cheated!? The reason why Yun Che was personally brought here by my master, was because he possessed such strength. So on what basis does he have to suffer from all your constant suspicions!?”
“Furthermore, Ji Hanfeng, you seemed to have forgotten.” Mu Xiaolan raised her voice a little. “The exams of Freezing Snow Hall are all completed by the profound formations. You are just a supervisor and recorder and you do not have the qualifications to intervene in the process or outcomes of the exams. The outcomes of the exams are already determined in the instant after the disappearance of the profound formations. You basically do not have the qualifications to have Yun Che prove that he did not cheat.”
“…” Ji Hanfeng was speechless for a moment, without a word to rebut. Because what Mu Xiaolan said was exactly right. He was just a supervisor and recorder. The outcomes and process of the exams were all determined and undergone by the profound formations themselves. He, a single disciple of Freezing Snow Hall, basically did not have the qualifications to intervene.
Li Mingcheng hurriedly stepped forward and said in a righteous tone. “The matter of Yun Che cheating is no longer just a problem concerning the outcomes of the exams but a problem concerning the Freezing Snow Hall and even the fairness and reputation of the entire Divine Ice Phoenix Sect! If…”
“Hmph! You’re making it sound so extravagant but in truth, isn’t it all just for the Jadefallen Ice Snow Pellet!?” Mu Xiaolan’s single sentence had instantly pierced through Li Mingcheng’s thoughts and she urged, “Ji Hanfeng, the exam has ended so long ago, why have you yet to announce the results and hand over the Jadefallen Ice Snow Pellet to Yun Che!? This is what you should be doing!”
Presently, Mu Xiaolan felt as if her buttocks were on fire, as she simply wanted to immediately settle the matters here and bring Yun Che over to Mu Bingyun. They would then think of countermeasures after that. She must… must not allow this case of cheating turn into reality right on the spot.
“Xiaolan is right. Ji Hanfeng indeed does not have the qualifications to intervene in the process and outcomes of the exams. Naturally, he does not have the qualifications to have Yun Che exchange blows with Li Mingcheng to prove his innocence.”
A calm voice resounded from the back. The person who spoke was naturally Mu Sushan. Hearing Mu Sushan coming to her rescue, Mu Xiaolan heaved a huge sigh of relief in her heart. Just as she was about to cast a grateful glance, Mu Sushan’s next words had almost made her jump.
“But, I do.”