Chapter 3, The Turtle Crawls

At the foot of the mountain, Nie Yuanshan, Ji Yuxing, Ji Yusheng, Ji Wanyun, and others looked up at the Ji family sons charging up the mountain.

... ...

"My lord, look here," Shao Kang gently exhaled and pointed upwards

Following Ji Changsheng, Ji Changle, and Ji Yueqing, there are the collateral descendants of the Ji family. Most of these individuals have only cultivated their primordial energy to the extent of circulating it through their flesh, tendons, and internal organs. However, each of them is tall and robust, with broad waists and long arms, and under the influence of primordial energy within their bodies, they quickly catch up.

"I am fine, after all, Uncle Nie is watching over me." Not far above, Ji Chang Kong responded briefly, disregarding the sweat trickling down his body, and continued to climb up slowly with great effort, using both hands and feet.

Although both are Celestial Masters of the Six Harmonies, Shao Kang's true strength is undoubtedly above that of Ji Yuxing, the head of the Ji family

With a single command from Ji Yuxing, the young men of the Ji family charged towards the summit of Qingyan Mountain like wild horses that had broken free from their restraints

If others are unaware of Shao Kang's strength, how could Nie Yuanshan be oblivious to it

Last year's champion, Ji Changxiao, took the lead with remarkable agility, his body as nimble as a monkey. With a light push of his foot against the protruding green rock, he was able to propel himself upward by one zhang. Then, with both hands pressing down on another piece of green rock, he exerted force and pulled himself up another zhang. In an instant, he had left everyone else far behind.

At the perilous steep, Ji Chang Kong gripped a piece of blue rock tightly with both hands, his veins bulging from the exertion. He first stabilized his body before placing his foot on another protruding piece of blue rock. Then, taking a deep breath, he cautiously shifted his body, transferring his weight onto the foot resting on the blue rock, freeing his hands to select another protruding piece of blue rock for support.

All the young men of the Ji family were exerting themselves to the utmost, desperately rushing towards the summit of Qingyan Mountain. In order to stay in the Sutra Repository for three days, their years of arduous cultivation had now ignited all their enthusiasm, as they scrambled to ascend.

"Whoever dares to gossip again, I will be the first to not spare them!" Ji Yusheng snorted coldly, her dark eyes glaring at Ji Haoguang, and then she cast a sweeping glance at the Luo and Zhao families not far away.

At the age of fifteen, Ji Xiaolian, participating in the assessment for the first time, performed remarkably well. As she climbed, she kept giggling, seemingly finding the swaying posteriors above her head very amusing

In addition to his exceptional skills, Shao Kang's composure is also something that Nie Yuanshan greatly admires. Normally, Shao Kang remains unfazed by any situation, but this time he took the initiative to call him, which naturally struck Nie Yuanshan as quite strange

As he watched his grandson Ji Changxiao charging ahead towards the summit, Ji Yuxing's lips curled into a faint smile of satisfaction. He then glanced at Ji Changkong, who was moving at a snail's pace, and noticed that after only covering a distance of a dozen zhang, he was already drenched in sweat. Even now, he was still not far from them. Ji Yuxing furrowed his brow, feeling as though Ji Changkong was deliberately embarrassing the Ji family in front of Nie Yuanshan.

The external triad consists of the eyes, hands, and body, while the internal triad comprises essence, energy, and spirit. Shao Kang has already mastered these! He only needs to use his own essence blood, will, and soul to cultivate a divine weapon that belongs to him. With this, Shao Kang will be able to advance further with the books and reach the realm of the Seven Stars.

Ji Yuxing, upon hearing this, smiled as he stroked his beard and nodded with satisfaction, saying: "Chang Xiao has not been idle in these three years; his skills this time are much more agile than three years ago, and his speed in reaching the summit has nearly doubled."

"Third Master, please calm down; I was just joking," Ji Haoguang said with a forced smile upon seeing Ji Yusheng's furious expression. However, judging by his demeanor, it seemed he was not particularly afraid of Ji Yusheng.

It is evident that the direct descendants of the Ji family in this generation possess significantly greater overall strength compared to the collateral branches

After a moment of contemplation, Ji Yuxing said somewhat impatiently: "Chang Kong, if it really doesn't work, just come down early. You have been weak since childhood, and this level of training is truly not something you should participate in"

Ji Changxiao was still lingering in the realm of the Two Instruments, while the opponent had already broken through to the realm of the Three Talents, a full realm apart. If the two were to engage in battle again, he would undoubtedly be defeated

I heard that two years ago, Ji Changxiao was defeated by Jiu Lingxue. Hehe, I am somewhat aware of the grievances between your Ji family and the Jiu family of Yinshan, and I do not wish to express any opinions on this matter. However, if Ji Changxiao truly wants to compete with Jiu Lingxue, his current strength is likely still lacking by a considerable margin

Indeed, in order to compete with that girl from the Jiu family, I have been practicing my long howl to the point of neglecting sleep and food!" Ji Haohong said with a smile. As a father, he was naturally pleased with his son's achievements

Previously, he was somewhat indifferent, but when Shao Kang's fingers landed on Ji Chang Kong and suddenly paused for a moment, Nie Yuanshan seemed to realize something

"My lord, please come and take a look." Just as Ji Yuxing and his son Ji Haohong were silent, the butler Shao Kang, who had come with Nie Yuanshan, suddenly waved to him from a distance

Ji Yuxing's lips no longer held even a hint of a smile, his face filled with embarrassment

As Shao Kang's fingers moved, Nie Yuanshan's eyes followed suit

The direction of Shao Kang's finger is precisely the starting point that Ji Chang Kong chose to climb

From this point onward, Ji Chang Kong was still struggling to move several dozen zhang above. As Shao Kang's finger moved across the ground, the direction he indicated ascended from the starting point. When Shao Kang's finger passed over the still-struggling Ji Chang Kong, it suddenly paused for a moment before continuing to move upward, ultimately stopping at the peak of Qingyan Mountain.

He first appeared taken aback, then silently calculated in his mind, and suddenly his expression became serious

Grandfather, I have arrived! At that moment, a powerful shout from Ji Changxiao echoed from the summit of Qingyan Mountain. By the time Ji Changle and Ji Changsheng had covered two-thirds of the distance, Ji Changxiao had already reached the top.

The least capable son of the Ji family is still several dozen zhang faster than him

Ji Chang Kong steadily and cautiously made his way towards Qingyan Mountain, taking one step at a time, slowly 'climbing' up the mountain

Ji Changsheng, Ji Changle, and Ji Yueqing closely followed behind. Although these three were not as agile and vigorous as Ji Changxiao, they were also skilled members of the younger generation of the Ji family. By channeling their elemental energy into their limbs, Ji Changsheng, Ji Changle, and Ji Yueqing were able to firmly grip the green rock with their hands and feet, using just the strength of one hand and one foot to support their entire bodies, steadily positioning themselves behind Ji Changxiao

The lord of Qingyan City, Nie Yuanshan, furrowed his brows, seemingly displeased with Ji Haoguang's words. However, he appeared to regard this as a matter of the Ji family and did not interject.

Ji Yuxing and Ji Haohong, upon hearing Nie Yuanshan's words, suddenly had their smiles freeze, their faces turning as if they had swallowed a fly, becoming difficult to look at... Their eyes revealed unmasked horror, indignation, confusion, and tension

The gap between realms is as vast as a chasm; the celestial beings of the realm of the Two Instruments aspire to surpass the celestial beings of the realm of the Three Talents, a challenge that cannot be described by the single word "difficult"

Among these individuals, Ji Chang Kong, who was far behind, appeared somewhat strikingly out of place. In comparison to Ji Chang Xiao's speed, which was faster than lightning, his speed could only be described as "turtle crawling"

"He really doesn't resemble the men of the Ji family!" Ji Haoguang muttered softly to himself, saying, "The men of the Ji family are robust in appearance, tall and broad, each one a true man. Yet here I am, thin and frail, fair-skinned, falling ill every three days and suffering from major ailments every week. I really don't know if Haotian picked me up from somewhere and threw me into the Ji family..." He is indeed thin and frail, fair-skinned, falling ill every three days and suffering from major ailments every week. I really don't know if Haotian picked me up from somewhere and threw me into the Ji family..."

Nie Yuanshan was taken aback, smiled apologetically at Ji Yuxing and Ji Haohong, and then walked over to Shao Kang. Upon reaching Shao Kang, Nie Yuanshan asked in confusion: "What’s wrong? What could possibly surprise you?"

While Ji Chang Kong was still moving slowly like a snail, the fastest Ji Chang Xiao was about to reach the summit

His breath was uneven, indicating his unstable state of mind. Nie Yuanshan, who had spent many years with Shao Kang, naturally understood what this small gesture from Shao Kang represented. Over the past few years, Shao Kang had rarely shown signs of an unstable mind. Therefore, Nie Yuanshan's confusion deepened, and he involuntarily followed the direction of Shao Kang's finger.

The Three Talents Heaven... The Three Talents Heaven. This year, that girl should just have turned seventeen, right? How is this possible? Two years ago, that girl had just reached the Two Instruments Heaven realm, and now, only two years have passed! She has actually managed to break through again! This... This truly is a distance that evokes despair. Ji Haohong muttered to himself in a daze.

In comparison to the four individuals at the forefront—Ji Changxiao, Ji Changsheng, Ji Changle, and Ji Yueqing—their breathing during action is somewhat unsteady, and some individuals have begun to perspire on their foreheads, which is a characteristic of insufficient depth of elemental energy

In this world, there exists a type of person known as a prodigy! That girl, Jiu Lingxue, is one such individual!" Nie Yuanshan defined.

Seeing that these two father and son seemed quite satisfied with Ji Changxiao, Nie Yuanshan's lips curled in disdain as he coldly remarked: "Half a month ago, I was a guest at the Jiu family in Yingshan and met that girl Jiu Lingxue. If my judgment is correct, that girl Jiu Lingxue should have already broken through to the realm of the Three Talents!"

Yet even so, she did not lag behind too many people. Participating in the trial for the first time, she followed closely behind Ji Yueqing, giggling all the way, with only a distance of a dozen or so zhang between them

"Haoguang!" Ji Yusheng shouted angrily, saying: "What did you say? Chang Kong was personally entrusted to me by Haotian. Is he not my grandson? Am I still unable to distinguish this?"