Chapter 950: Keep a Low Profile
The white light gradually dissipated, and a bone-chilling cold surged from all directions. Yun Che opened his eyes to a world of white snow—the sky and ground were pure white, almost without any other color. Around him were other examinees; although the place was cold, the air was eerily still.
But ahead of them, sharp, almost piercing howls continuously came from the front.
This was the "Blizzard Realm" of the second stage of the Cold Snow Hall examination. To pass this stage, the first thousand people had to traverse the blizzard and cold wind to reach the finish line… the finish line was three hundred li straight ahead.
Three hundred li was an extremely short distance for profound practitioners of their level, and the content seemed straightforward. The place they currently stood was cold, but far from unbearable—let alone oppressive.
But this was an examination by the God Realm; how could it be as simple as it appeared?
Whoosh!!!
Profound energy surged around them, and countless explosive sounds erupted almost simultaneously. Only a thousand could pass this stage; the remaining nine thousand-plus would be cruelly eliminated. Moreover, most of them were similar in strength; a single moment's delay could mean two completely different fates. Thus, the profound practitioners who entered the Blizzard Realm didn't bother to admire the scenery like Yun Che. Instead, as soon as they appeared, they confirmed the direction of the finish line, channeled their profound force, and charged at maximum speed into the blizzard world to the north.
The simultaneous eruption of over ten thousand Divine Origin Realm profound practitioners was so grand it could shake heaven and earth. The flying snow and ice layers around them were violently thrown up.
But not everyone rushed toward the finish line with all their might. Three people remained where they were.
Yun Che, Li Mingcheng, and the young profound practitioner who had been disciplined by Ji Hanfeng earlier.
Although he had been teleported to the Blizzard Realm, he still sat slumped on the ground, his face pale, clearly devastated. No one had paid him any attention the entire time; they had almost forgotten his existence.
Li Mingcheng turned around and sneered at Yun Che… He knew better than anyone here what lay ahead in the Blizzard Realm. He was utterly confident that even if he deliberately held back, no one else could reach the finish line before him.
Seeing Yun Che stay put, he wasn't surprised at all. In his eyes, a "trash" like that could only be dead last even if he tried his hardest; there was no need to even attempt it. He stared at Yun Che with a cold smile and said: "Young Yun, I originally thought you were a wise man who knew how to adapt. Little did I expect you to be a complete fool! Do you have any idea that crushing you is easier for me than stepping on an ant? I kindly gave you an opportunity earlier, but you failed to appreciate it—and even dared to curse me!"
"However, I'm not such a petty person. I can give you one more chance. If you kneel down and admit your mistake right now…"
Before he could finish, Yun Che turned and walked toward the young profound practitioner still slumped on the ground, completely ignoring Li Mingcheng's words, not even glancing at him.
"…" Li Mingcheng's face stiffened. He quickly glanced north and said coldly: "Forget it. I'm wasting time on trash. Yun Che, you're asking for death. Just wait to die!"
With those words, he leaped into the air, his speed like thunder. Although he was confident, he didn't dare to be too arrogant—because he didn't just want to pass; he wanted first place!!
Yun Che was indeed keeping in mind the three rules Xiao Yaohou had listed for him. If this were back in the Tian Xuan Continent, he would never have chosen to ignore Li Mingcheng's repeated insults. He walked over to the young profound practitioner and extended his hand: "Get up. It must have been hard coming from the lower realm. If you let yourself be crushed just like this, it would be too much of a waste."
The young profound practitioner looked up. Seeing it was Yun Che, he was clearly startled, but he still grasped Yun Che's hand and stood up, his smile somewhat stiff: "Even though it's hard to believe coming from your mouth… you're right."
"The examination has only just begun. It's unfair, but at least… I can't fall before it even starts!" He gritted his teeth, and profound energy burst from his body: "My name is Feng Mo, from a star realm called 'Huan Ze Realm.' And you?"
"Yun Che, from Lan Ji Star. But you probably heard earlier—I was brought here by Fairy Mu. On my own, I couldn't make it here." Yun Che said.
"Lan Ji Star… a planet?" The young profound practitioner was slightly surprised. On the level, a planet was lower than a star realm. He nodded: "Although I despise your earlier 'defection,' because of what you just said… if anything happens in the Binghuang Realm in the future, you can try to come to me. I might be able to help once or twice."
"Even though I cultivate earth profound force… here, that doesn't mean I can't surpass those from the Yin Xue Realm!" He gritted his teeth and was about to rush forward.
"Your target should be Ji Hanfeng," Yun Che suddenly said. "The reason he could humiliate you so casually is because he's stronger than you and has higher status. Among all the examinees, you were the only one who dared to question him. That's enough to prove you have a strong personality. There's no way you can just let today's humiliation go, right? But if you can't even take this first step, you're not qualified to talk about the future."
Feng Mo's eyes flickered. He gave Yun Che a deep look, and the profound energy enveloping his body suddenly exploded further. His entire figure turned into a pale yellow streak, shooting northward.
"Sigh," Yun Che muttered to himself. "Am I meddling again… Ah, forget it. I have to listen to Cai Yi. Keep a low profile, keep a low profile. I must keep a low profile. Before I see Mo Li, don't provoke anyone, don't get involved in anything…"
After muttering several times, Yun Che finally rose and flew forward. He hadn't even gone half a li when he felt the temperature plummet. A fierce cold wind suddenly blew, as if a broad, icy hand slammed into his face, pushing him backward.
And this was only the beginning. As he advanced, the temperature continued to drop, and the strong wind turned into a gale. When he reached a few dozen li, it had become a world of blizzard, and the wind had transformed into a terrifying hurricane.
The extreme cold numbed everyone's bodies, freezing their profound force. The flying snow blinded their vision and perception. The storm swept them in different directions… Combined, these three factors created a world that could drive even divine path profound practitioners to despair.
But one person was an exception: Yun Che.
Because the extreme cold and blizzard had no effect on him. The only thing that could hinder him was the storm. However, since his body and profound force wouldn't weaken due to the cold, resisting the storm was far easier for him than for other profound practitioners.
For the first hundred li, the examinees could still handle it. But after a hundred li, their speed plummeted. At a hundred and fifty li, some of the lower-realm practitioners with weaker foundations and who didn't cultivate ice profound force were turning purple from the cold, unable to even mobilize half their profound force. They gradually became unable to move, and some were swept away by sudden storms, thrown to unknown places, letting out terrified screams.
After two hundred li, screams rose one after another. More and more profound practitioners were swallowed by the raging blizzard. Those remaining struggled to take even a single step forward.
Yun Che activated his profound force fully and moved quickly through the blizzard. The further he went, the more violent the wind and snow became. He couldn't tell who was who; he could only see blurred figures either struggling desperately or being swept away by the storm. The screams that kept echoing were soon buried by the blizzard.
Taking advantage of his immunity to the cold, Yun Che weaved through the wind and snow, rapidly overtaking wave after wave of people. At the same time, he roughly counted the number of profound practitioners he had passed. Later, he began to deliberately slow down, gradually restraining his profound energy as he trudged forward against the terrifying storm.
To pass the examination, he needed to be among the first thousand to reach the finish line. Among those thousand, the lower his rank, the better… because he wanted to pass while keeping a low profile as much as possible. Passing the examination with profound force that hadn't even reached the divine path was already enough to surprise people. If his rank was also too high, he wouldn't be able to stay low-key in the future.
In the main hall of the Cold Snow Hall, a hundred and eight massive profound formations flickered with white light. Time flowed quickly, approaching the moment when results could be determined. The disciples of the Cold Snow Hall who were overseeing the examination focused their gazes on the formations. They only cared about the results; they had ways to see what was happening in the Blizzard Realm, but they couldn't be bothered to watch.
After all, it was the same every year.
"Sigh, let this end quickly." Mu Xiaolan squatted on the ground, looking dejected. Nearly two quarters of an hour had passed since Yun Che and the others entered the Cold Snow Realm, and the results should be out soon. During this time, she had been tempted several times to just abandon Yun Che, but she had managed to force herself to stay. Mu Bingyun remained still, and she didn't dare to actively send a voice transmission… after all, she was currently with the Great Realm King.
As for the outcome of Yun Che participating in this examination… did she even need to ask!? Just thinking about it made Mu Xiaolan want to cover her face and run away.
Clang!!
Suddenly, a white light flashed in front of the profound formation. Ji Hanfeng, who was overseeing the examination, narrowed his eyes. Seeing the first figure that emerged, he stepped forward and laughed loudly: "Truly an unsurprising result. As expected of the Chief Palace Master's nephew. Although I already tried to overestimate, the time you took was still shorter than I predicted."
The first person to emerge from the formation—the first to pass the second stage—was Li Mingcheng!
Ji Hanfeng's words carried a hint of flattery. Given Li Mingcheng's talent and his status as the Chief Palace Master's nephew, once he entered the Cold Snow Hall, his status would certainly not be lower than Ji Hanfeng's.
Li Mingcheng smiled and said: "Brother Hanfeng flatters me. However, if not for a small matter that delayed me, the time you waited would have been even shorter."
"Oh?" Ji Hanfeng chuckled. "A small matter? Could it be that someone overreached and provoked Brother Mingcheng in the Cold Snow Realm?"
"Just a clown. No need to mention it." Li Mingcheng said with a grin.
A full hundred breaths after Li Mingcheng emerged, the second examinee to complete the stage finally appeared. Then, the white light in front of the formation flashed more and more frequently—from a dozen people to dozens, to over a hundred… several hundred…
Many of the examinees who passed immediately collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath while being ecstatic beyond control.
As more people completed the examination, in the Blizzard Realm, when the thousandth examinee crossed the finish line, the formation would automatically close, and the stage would end. By now, over nine hundred had come out. The closer it got to the end, the more frequently the light flashed.
The 966th…
The 967th…
The 968th…
Li Mingcheng stood arrogantly beside Ji Hanfeng, looking down with a kingly gaze at the examinees he had left far behind. When the 970th person approached, and the examination formation was about to close, Li Mingcheng's eyes suddenly twitched, then widened.
Because the 970th person to step out of the formation was a figure that absolutely shouldn't have appeared.
Yun Che!!