Chapter 942 - 27: I Want to Challenge! (Three Updates)

Chapter 942: Chapter 27: I Want to Challenge! (Three Updates)

Spirit Cave Realm First Layer!

Zhuang Shan was utterly shocked; he stared at Mu Qingge in disbelief, as if he couldn’t believe it.

Was it that he couldn’t believe Mu Qingge had really broken through to the Spirit Cave Realm First Layer, or couldn’t believe his own eyes? Perhaps at this moment, even he couldn’t tell.

"Brother Zhuang Shan, what are you saying?" Tong Teng was equally shocked, especially after hearing Zhuang Shan’s words, he couldn’t help but confirm once more.

He thought his boss should make a breakthrough, but he didn’t expect her to jump three levels at once!

Now, despite his strenuous cultivation efforts to close the gap between them, it turned out that the distance had widened further.

Tong Teng felt a bit discouraged.

However, this feeling of discouragement didn’t last long as he immediately became invigorated again. His gaze burned as he looked at Mu Qingge, filled with fighting spirit.

’Having such a good target to chase right in front of me is the best encouragement for me!’ Tong Teng thought to himself.

"Spirit Cave Realm First Layer." Zhuang Shan’s voice betrayed whether it was filled with loss or bitterness.

He recalled himself, a person of the Divine Land, born with a Divine Status, and not a weak one at that. At the age of a hundred, he joined the Huan Yue Domain, starting as a Green-robed Disciple, and after a thousand years, finally ranked among the top ten Palace Disciples.

Back then, how long did it take him to break through from the Spirit Void Realm to the Spirit Cave Realm?

While Mu Qingge’s aura gradually calmed, Zhuang Shan reminisced. It seemed to have taken three hundred years, right? Three hundred years, Ninth Layer, in others’ eyes, he was already very powerful.

But Mu Qingge?

Zhuang Shan smiled bitterly to himself. Mu Qingge was someone he personally received from the Ascension Platform onto the airship two years ago, someone who ascended from the Lower Realm. Moreover, she was the person from West Divine Land and North Divine Land, whom those two families once sneered at and discarded as a Wasted Spiritual Root.

Yet, this person whom others regarded as trash spent one and a half years walking out of the small celestial domain. But once she emerged, she possessed the power of the Seventh Layer of the Spirit Void Realm, crushing all the prodigies who ascended from the Lower Realm. Even her monstrous talent crushed many local elites.

Especially during the assessment in Huan Yue Domain, where she comprehended countless truths, causing the phenomenon of myriad lotuses blooming and the convergence of the great Tao, a spectacle that was unforgettable for a lifetime.

Still, that wasn’t enough, she actually leapt from the Seventh Layer of the Spirit Void Realm directly to the Spirit Cave Realm First Layer in just half a year!

Monstrous! Truly monstrous!

No! This can no longer be described as monstrous! This is simply defying the heavens!

Things that no one had ever accomplished, all happened on her, completely disregarding the celestial rules!

The shockwaves in Zhuang Shan’s heart rose and fell, unable to settle for a long time.

It wasn’t until Mu Qingge opened her eyes that he collected his thoughts, and with a somewhat complex expression, spoke to her: "Qingge, congratulations on becoming a Spirit Cave Realm disciple."

Yes, a Spirit Cave Realm disciple.

This means that Mu Qingge can remove her white robe and change into her preferred attire, and her treatment will improve accordingly.

Most importantly, becoming a Spirit Cave Realm disciple gives her the qualification to challenge the top ten Palace Disciples!

A brilliant light shot through Mu Qingge’s clear eyes. She smiled at Zhuang Shan, "Thank you, Brother Zhuang Shan. However, I have one more thing I’d like to ask Brother Zhuang Shan’s help with."

"You want to challenge the top ten Palace Disciples now?" Mu Qingge’s thoughts were never hidden; Zhuang Shan guessed it right away.

Mu Qingge nodded, "I want to challenge them now."

Zhuang Shan pursed his lips and lowered his eyes, appearing to be deep in thought.

Only then did Tong Teng squeeze next to Mu Qingge, winking playfully at her: "Boss, you are truly amazing! You must protect me in the future! But rest assured, your little brother will not disgrace you, I will also work harder, become a White-clothed Disciple as soon as possible, then a Spirit Cave Realm disciple, and eventually, I’ll compete to become one of the top ten Palace Disciples!"

Mu Qingge laughed, "Work hard, I have faith in you."

Ascending to the Spirit Cave Realm was something Mu Qingge had long prepared herself for, so she didn’t appear overly excited. Her calm demeanor impressed Tong Teng even more.

"Qingge, I don’t mind you going to challenge now." Zhuang Shan ended his contemplation and seriously looked at Mu Qingge.

Mu Qingge raised her eyes to him, raising an eyebrow. Tong Teng also calmed down and became serious.

The three of them sat back on the ground, but the atmosphere had changed from the previous leisurely ease.

"Certainly, you have a strong talent. You’ve become a master of the Spirit Cave Realm only two years after entering the East Divine Land, and just six months after entering the Huan Yue Domain. But how much do you know about the top ten Palace Disciples in the Huan Yue Domain?" Zhuang Shan seriously asked.

He first affirmed Mu Qingge’s abilities but also subtly suggested that the top ten Palace Disciples were not simple.

Mu Qingge honestly shook her head, "I’m not familiar with them. However, I must have a place among the top ten Palace Disciples."

Her determination made Zhuang Shan sigh and patiently explain to her. "To become one of the top ten Palace Disciples, two conditions must be met. The first is the cultivation level of the Spirit Cave Realm. You meet this. The second condition is that you must defeat one of the current top ten disciples. If you win, you take their place. If you lose, you cannot challenge again for three years."

’There is such a rule!’ Mu Qingge frowned in thought.

She didn’t know before that if she failed the challenge, she would have to wait three years to challenge again. She didn’t have the time to wait three years, so it meant she had to succeed once.

"Even if you luckily win, it doesn’t mean you stabilize your position. The Divine Emperor decreed that any new top ten disciples cannot accept challenges for the first six months, but after six months, anyone can challenge them. Although your talent is astonishing, you’ve been in the Huan Yue Domain for too short a time. Do you know how many disciples there are in the Huan Yue Domain? At that time, you’ll become the obvious target for others among the top ten Palace Disciples, and they’ll all endeavor to challenge you," Zhuang Shan analyzed thoroughly.

He continued, "Also, do you know the current abilities of the top ten Palace Disciples?" He paused, taking a deep breath and then seriously said, "My current cultivation is at the Spirit Cave Realm Third Layer, putting me at the bottom of the top ten disciples. Do you know what this bottom position represents?"

Mu Qingge looked at him with a calm expression.

Tong Teng whispered, "The weakest." As soon as he said it, he hastily apologized: "I’m sorry, Brother Zhuang, I didn’t mean that."

Zhuang Shan shook his head indifferently, not minding at all, and instead said, "Yes, it’s indeed the weakest."

Speaking, he looked at Mu Qingge and asked, "Do you think with your First Layer of Spirit Cave Realm cultivation, you can challenge who? Me? A cross-level challenge is usually just one level up at most, do you want to surpass two levels? How sure are you of winning?"

Mu Qingge slowly raised her eyes, looked at him, and asked, "Brother Zhuang Shan, if I challenge the ninth-ranked and win, what will you do?"

Zhuang Shan understood her meaning, shook his head and said, "I won’t do anything. In the challenge among the top ten disciples, whoever is kicked out is just that person’s matter, others’ positions remain unchanged. Even among us ten, if I am confident, I can also challenge those ahead of me, win, and exchange places, without affecting others."

Mu Qingge understood.

Zhuang Shan had helped her greatly and always treated her well, taking care of her with dedication. So, she also did not want to kick Zhuang Shan out of the top ten disciples because of her own matter. Zhuang Shan’s explanation reassured her a lot.

"Brother Zhuang Shan, please tell me about the other nine top disciples." Mu Qingge said.

Zhuang Shan frowned and said puzzledly, "I’ve already made it clear, yet you’re still unwilling to give up?"

Mu Qingge smiled and said, "We’re all people of Huan Yue Domain, it’s good to know more about the top ten disciples. Now that we have nothing to do, we’re just chatting, so please give me some insights."

Zhuang Shan sighed and said helplessly, "Actually, with your talent, waiting for another two to three years, you will definitely break through again. At that time, going to challenge, won’t your chances be greater? Why rush now? However, you’re right, as fellow disciples of Huan Yue Domain, there are things you should understand."

He compromised. His temperament had always been gentle and easy-going, rarely forcing anyone to do anything. So, even though he opposed Mu Qingge’s decision at this moment, her insistence made him give up persuasion.

"You want to know about the other nine, I’ll tell you. Maybe after you hear it, you’ll give up this unrealistic idea." Zhuang Shan shook his head as he spoke, "I regret it a bit, I shouldn’t have told you about the top ten disciples early on. Actually, as long as you stay in Huan Yue Domain, your surname won’t bring any trouble."

If back then he hadn’t told Mu Qingge about the top ten disciples on the airship, how would Mu Qingge know about these?

"Thank you, Brother Zhuang Shan! Some things must be done sooner or later, better early than late. Please rest assured, Brother Zhuang Shan, I won’t act impulsively." Mu Qingge nodded.

Helpless, Zhuang Shan said, "Among the top ten disciples, there are nine males and one female. Besides me, you probably don’t know the others. The strength of the nine is about the same, but for you, they are already hard to match. The eldest young master is at the Sixth Layer of Spirit Cave Realm, the ninth young master is at the Fourth Layer of Spirit Cave Realm; others are within this range. If you really want to challenge, come challenge me, your brother."

After saying that, Zhuang Shan spread his hands and said.

"Moreover, they are all long-established figures, each with their signature skills, and have a deep understanding of principles and know many magic arts. You just entered the Spirit Cave Realm and haven’t even learned the basics of magic arts, fighting with them is really..." Zhuang Shan said and shook his head again.

This time, Mu Qingge finally fell silent.

Before, what Zhuang Shan said never daunted her. Because she had attempted cross-level challenges before. Rather, before this, almost all her battles were cross-level.

Every cross-level battle was indeed arduous and exceptional.

But she always won in the end.

However, when he mentioned magic arts, Mu Qingge recalled Mu Tianyin’s actions at Cold Inch, disregarding interface suppression, releasing his cultivation from Divine Demon Continent, and using magic arts on her.

She burned her lifespan, and Yuanyuan died because of this. The power of those magic arts couldn’t be overcome by sheer determination.

But should she give up for now and wait a few years?

’No! I can’t wait any longer!’ Mu Qingge said firmly in her heart.

The days in Huan Yue Domain, simple and leisurely as they were, never made her forget her responsibilities or what she needed to do and avenge.

Yuanyuan was still sleeping in the Linglong Spear, and Jiang Li’s whereabouts were unknown. How could she let Mu Tianyin continue to roam freely?

Mu Qingge took a deep breath, gazed steadily at Zhuang Shan, "Brother Zhuang Shan, please help me prepare for the challenge to the top ten disciples."

"You still want to go?" Zhuang Shan suddenly felt a headache, pained by Mu Qingge’s stubbornness.

Even Tong Teng advised, "Leader, we’re still newcomers, no rush. How about waiting two more years?"

Mu Qingge shook her head, looked at Zhuang Shan, and said, "Brother Zhuang Shan also said, waiting another two to three years will increase my chances of winning. If I challenge now and lose, I can just wait those three years. Since the outcome is the same, challenging now gives me an extra chance, why wouldn’t I?"

Zhuang Shan was stumped by her words, leaving him speechless for a while.

Finally, he nodded helplessly, "Alright, since you insist, I will help you with this."

"Thank you, Brother Zhuang Shan." Mu Qingge sincerely expressed her gratitude.

...

That night, Mu Qingge once again arrived at the small pavilion atop the mountain.

The elder saw her and his eyes lit up, joyfully saying, "You’ve broken through to the Spirit Cave Realm!"

Mu Qingge nodded calmly, directly saying to him, "Senior, I’ve come tonight to ask you for a favor."

"Oh? It’s rare for you to ask me for something. Go ahead." The elder nodded with a smile.

Mu Qingge said, "I am ready to challenge the top ten disciples before the palace. However, I know they all know magic, and I don’t, which gives me a small chance of winning. I hope you can lend me a helping hand to win this round."

"Since you know your weak point, why are you so eager to compete for this spot among the top ten disciples? Waiting a few years, with your talent, learning any magic will be easy." The elder said playfully.

Mu Qingge shook her head, "I have very important matters to do, and I can’t delay in Huan Yue Domain. I was told that if I become one of the top ten disciples, this status will make other places on the Divine Land not too sensitive to my surname. So, I must fight for it."

"I see," the elder said smilingly, "Indeed, becoming one of the top ten disciples before the palace in the Divine Domain will allow you to freely come and go in the Four Seas Divine Land without anyone questioning your identity."

Mu Qingge pressed her lips together.

After a while, the elder finally said, "Winning is not impossible."