Chapter 4: By Accident

He quickly tore off his clothes, plugging his ears and covering his eyes, mouth, and nose. The sensation of being struck on his body became increasingly intense, as if dozens of people were continuously throwing grains of rice at him. There were countless flying insects that had already covered his entire body.

With a slight movement of his foot, his body floated backward like a piece of willow fluff.

Entering the cave, it is pitch black

The principles of the world are such that fire ignites and dispels darkness. Yet, who has ever witnessed darkness rushing towards the light of fire

Is it really worth taking in a person of unknown origin for this reason

This is a type of extremely small flying insect, which is twice the size of a winter mosquito. Although small, this insect is incredibly cold and will rush towards any source of light. Anything that has temperature becomes a target for their attack. In just a few short seconds, Chen Xi was completely enveloped by the insects

Zhou Jiu Zhi took out a bead the size of an egg from his sleeve, which was crystal clear. The bead emitted a soft green light, not dazzling, yet it brought a sense of tranquility to the mind.

Ten minutes later, he became a statue

No... you are mistaken

Fear

Ding Mei's face flushed, but it was not out of shyness; rather, it was out of anger

Upon seeing the bead, Ding Mei's expression immediately changed

The flying insects struck against Chen Xi, each impact felt like a needle piercing into his body. Although there was a layer of clothing, the sensation of pain remained vivid. In fact, it was not pain, but rather a chill. Chen Xi felt a slight panic and considered using his internal energy to shake off the insects. However, in a moment of reflection, he forcibly held back. If he were to activate his fiery energy technique at this moment, he would immediately reveal his vulnerability

Despair

Upon hearing this, Chen Xi, who was about to enter the Ice Chamber, paused for a moment and turned to Ding Mei, saying: "You used the term 'running dog,' very good"

There is no ice in the cold ice chamber; could it be that a master practicing the art of cold energy is here

She asked

It seems that it is precisely because her eyebrows are particularly beautiful that her parents chose to give her a name containing the character for "eyebrow"

Still ...? ... In order to allow oneself to enter the Tower of Transformation, Zhou Jiu lifted the punitive ability of the Ice Chamber

This made Ding Mei's brows furrow even tighter

Before entering, Chen Xi suddenly asked an unrelated question

Ding Meili contended: "The others have merely come to seek knowledge of the divine ascension; their intentions are well understood by all. The Holy Emperor is ill, and the princes vie for the throne; these matters are beyond the reach of the Xiaoman Tianzong, which can only endure. Thus, I have tolerated it, as these individuals at least harbor no ill will towards the Xiaoman Tianzong. However, this Chen Xi is different!"

However, Chen Xi knew that he must persevere, at least for twelve hours

Dean

The person holding the sword was clearly taken aback for a moment

The sword halted less than one centimeter in front of his neck, and the hand gripping the sword was as steady as a rock, the sword remained motionless in his hand

What do you mean

There are many lackeys in this Qingwu Academy

Chen Xiquan was fully immersed in his feelings, yet he did not sense a trace of coldness. Beneath his feet, on the stone wall, where the faint light of the fire stick reached, there was not a hint of ice, not even a trace. This so-called Ice Chamber had no ice; had all the preparations made by soaking in the cold pool of Bi Shui been in vain?

Zhou Jiu pointedly questioned

He stepped forward and said, "Follow me."

Zhou Jiu couldn't help but laugh: "In this world, 99% of people have ulterior motives at some point. Those who have never had such motives are extremely rare; they are either fools or sages. The higher one's status and cultivation, the more often they tend to have ulterior motives. In contrast, ordinary people have far fewer instances of such motives. Even you, coming to me to complain about these matters, do you not wish to drive Chen Xi away?"

He turned around and walked into the ice chamber

Ding Mei was taken aback: "How long has it been?"

He actually ... ...

But their path is just

Zhou Jiu's expression was somewhat unpleasant, resembling that of someone who had accidentally shattered their most cherished possession, as if they had lost something valuable. The pain of loss was evident, with no attempt to conceal it at all

The stone cave appeared ordinary and unremarkable, with a dark rock entrance. Chen Xi could tell that this was likely a lava cave, but he could not find an explanation for the existence of an ice chamber within a lava cave, which seemed illogical. In the world, the larger the sect, the more extraordinary the places they occupy. The Xiaoman Tianzong sect's mountain must possess its own unique and mystical qualities. It was similar to the Qiyang Valley where Chen Xi had lived for ten years, where the geothermal flames were particularly intense, greatly aiding the cultivation of fire-based techniques. The Xiaoman Tianzong sect's mountain must possess its own unique and mystical qualities. It was similar to the Qiyang Valley where Chen Xi had lived for ten years, where the geothermal flames were particularly intense, greatly aiding the cultivation of fire-based techniques.

Suffocation

He suddenly thought of a possibility

Zhou Jiu pointed out: "How long has Chen Xi been in the Ice Chamber?"

Chen Xi looked around but found nothing at all

One can vaguely discern the sculpture of a human figure

At that moment, he suddenly heard a faint buzzing sound. It was like the sound of a mosquito flying by while lying on the grass in summer, but even quieter. The sound came from behind him, and Chen Xi abruptly turned around. The light of the fire starter dispelled the darkness behind him, and then Chen Xi's expression changed.

I am here for the Qingwu Academy

Chen Xi now sees a large mass of darkness rushing towards the fire stick in his hand

The sensation on the skin, akin to being pricked by needles, gradually fades away, replaced by an overall numbing that is excruciating. Numbness is a type of sensation, and when it reaches an excruciating level, one can only imagine how terrifying it is

Chen Xi heard the cracking sound, which was the noise of his own clothes breaking due to being frozen too stiff.

Darkness once again enveloped.

... ...

The fire starter was extinguished by flying insects. If the moths flying into the flame is a joke, when the number of moths reaches a certain point, I fear that no one will be able to laugh.

Ding Mei stamped her foot and said a sentence

As soon as she finished speaking, the bead in Zhou Jiu's hand suddenly flickered a few times, alternating between green and red light. After several dozen seconds, the green light disappeared, and the bead completely turned red

The darkness that is unafraid of the flames

Zhou Jiuzi suddenly asked a question

Now you understand, right... Chen Xi is stronger than Fu Jinglun

May I ask if there is anyone there

What is different about him

After the crackling and popping sounds, the fire starter went out

This place is the Discipline Hall of the Xiaoman Tianzong. Although it is empty, Chen Xi is well aware that it must be heavily guarded. The sword that has been thrust at him from behind has surprisingly evaded the enormous jade plate in the main hall just moments ago, which makes Chen Xi feel that something is amiss. In this fleeting moment, he actually thought of so much.

Endure

Ding Mei exclaimed loudly

Two individuals arrived at the Hall of Discipline, and upon reaching the entrance, they unexpectedly saw Chen Xi, the subject of their earlier debate, standing at the doorway. He was gazing up at the sun and stretching lazily.

Relatively speaking, Chen Xi's understanding of Qiyang Valley is far greater than that of Xiaomantian Sect

Chen Xiyu spoke in a calm tone: "If you feel that my taking the punishment for you is a form of humiliation, then this humiliation will likely accompany you... and will be inescapable."

He felt a bit embarrassed as he scratched his head upon seeing Zhou Jiuzi and Ding Mei arrive: "I don't know if this counts as a failure... I accidentally froze all those bugs to death."

Since you are so confident, I will accept your wager. If you can secure the top position in the internal examination, I will apply a touch of rouge for you

The cold ice chamber contains no ice, but rather the eternal winter worm

The stone cave had no entrance, and strangely, even standing at the threshold, one could not feel the slightest chill. This surprised Chen Xi slightly; he made a deliberate effort to sense it, yet there was no sign of any seal on the stone door.

At this moment, Chen Xi was still able to remain clear-headed; he had calmed down. This was because he had realized what these creatures were. What reassured him was that these winter eternal insects did not consume flesh. They might simply be instinctively searching for warm objects, and then freezing them. This could be a form of self-defense, or it might be a blind attack.

How long has it been

She turned around in anger and walked away

Ding Mei furrowed her brows; she would frown whenever she encountered something displeasing

... ...

It can be seen that this cave is quite shallow

Ding Mei inexplicably recalled the words that Chen Xi had said to him when he entered the cold ice chamber... If I were to take the first place, would you be willing to groom me?

He has malicious intentions

... ...

All these feelings have come

Ding Mei was at a loss for words, and after struggling for a while, she finally said: "It's just a little stronger, that's all"

No one answered

"Instructor, how long has it been since you last dressed up?"

Chen Xi took out a fire stick from his pocket and shook it, but he could not see far ahead. The light was too dim, only illuminating two or three meters in front of him before fading away. He cautiously took a few steps forward and then saw the stone wall.

Only endure

Chen Xi looked at Ding Mei and said word by word: "Prince Anyang, Prince Pingjiang, Prince Runan, Prince Xiangfan... the nine sons of the Holy Emperor, each one desires to sit on that throne. However, no one dares to disregard the National Master, and no one dares to ignore the divine steed nurtured in the Tower of Transformation. Those lackeys you mentioned are all here for the divine steed, and so am I... but I am not a lackey.

Zhou Jiu paused in silence and said: "I am also doing this for the Qingwu Academy... Chen Xi is not yet fifteen years old, and he has already reached the realm of the Ninth Grade of Foundation Establishment."

Then he did not evade, but calmly turned his head.

Moments later, Chen Xi was frozen.

Zhou Jiu nodded and said: "Back then, I deliberately allowed Fu Jinglun to enter the Cold Ice Chamber to test his abilities. After enduring for seven hours in the Cold Ice Chamber, he had no choice but to close off his meridians and sensory perception, feigning death to withstand the cold of the Eternal Winter Worm. Now, it has been eight hours, and the pearl is still emitting green light instead of red, which means that Chen Xi is still conscious; he is intentionally sensing the coldness of the Eternal Winter Worm."

After being surprised, Ding Mei could not help but retort.

Chen Xifang laughed heartily and said, "If I help you win first place, would you be willing to groom me?"

Chen Xi frowned slightly, as there seemed to be something strange here

Zhou Jiu paused his steps and glanced at Ding Mei: "In this realm, how many who enter the Qingwu Academy do so without ulterior motives?"

... ...

You truly possess great skill

Chen Xi smiled and stepped into the ice chamber

Thirty minutes later, the winter eternal insect covering outside Chen Xi has already accumulated to a thickness of several feet

Chen Xi felt as if countless tiny needles were piercing his body. It was not black mist, but an uncountable swarm of flying insects. Because the black insects were so small, when they flew over in dense clusters, it truly resembled a thick fog drifting by. The buzzing sound filled Chen Xi's ears, and he could even distinctly feel that quite a few of those insects had already crawled into his ears

He ... ...

Ding Mei let out a long sigh: "I said, he may not be better than Fu Jinglun."

Ding Mei, with a very unpleasant expression, stopped Zhou Jiuzhi and said: "I do not understand why you arranged for Chen Xi to participate in the internal examination, but I know that this person is definitely problematic. His background is unclear, and no one can ascertain whether he has come to Xiaomantian Sect with any ulterior motives."

Ding Mei sheathed her long sword and looked at Chen Xi with a cold gaze: "Whose lackey are you this time?"

It has been eight hours

He left too early and has been gone for too long

You are also aware that the Qingwu Academy has not claimed victory in the internal trials for a long time. Although it consistently manages to secure a place among the top three, there has yet to be a disciple who truly captures the attention of the sect. Zhan Qing from your Class A is a promising candidate, yet he can barely ascend to the second level of the Fortune Tower. Since Fu Jinglun entered the third level of the tower, no one from the Qingwu Academy has shone so brightly.

Ding Mei paused to collect her thoughts after listening: "I am aware of all this, but I still believe that Chen Xi's background is questionable and his intentions are not pure"

Although you are an instructor, I still do not appreciate having a sword pointed at my throat