Chapter 388: 2 Prodigies

’Oh, so there are real masters here!’

Hearing this, Shen Daoxing grew even more curious. He glanced over while continuing to sweep with his broom.

"So between Jun Wushuang and Fairy Muyun, who’s actually stronger?" someone suddenly asked.

A nearby disciple from the Cyan Nether Sword Sect immediately spoke up with pride:

"Of course Jun Wushuang is stronger. You have to understand, even though he’s only at the Fifth Layer of the Earth Profound Realm, our Jun Wushuang has already grasped the power of Divine Techniques. That’s a power supposedly only cultivators in the Refining Dust Realm can master! Not long ago, he even deciphered the secrets of an Ancient Stone Stele on an Immortal Island and grasped the Supreme Power within. To comprehend an Ancient Stone Stele from an Immortal Island at such a young age... the only other person who could do that was that prodigy, Dugu Sheng, from five hundred years ago. They say that right now, Wushuang is on Yingzhou Immortal Island, working on a second Stone Stele."

He paused, then slowly continued, "In any case, a few years ago, Jun Wushuang and Fairy Muyun battled on Fusang Immortal Island. It’s said they fought for three days and four nights. In the end, Fairy Muyun dropped her weapon and left. She went into seclusion for an entire year after that. It goes without saying who won."

Hearing this, the crowd was filled with astonishment.

Someone couldn’t help but exclaim, "Tsk, tsk. What a pair of prodigies."

Meanwhile, back on the training grounds, a good while passed before Ouyang Cheng slowly picked himself up. He stood, looking utterly dejected, and left without a word, his thoughts unreadable.

As Shen Daoxing swept, he continued to listen to the gossip from the Inner Sect Disciples nearby.

It turned out that Jun Wushuang, Gu Muyun, and Ouyang Cheng were the Direct Disciples from the lineages of the three Immortal Islands—Fusang, Yingzhou, and Tan Yuan. They were the three strongest cultivators of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect’s younger generation, known collectively as the Three Prodigies of Cyan Nether.

Among the three, however, Ouyang Cheng, despite having the highest cultivation realm, was ranked last. Before Gu Muyun’s meteoric rise, Ouyang Cheng had always been outshone by Jun Wushuang. Now, he was being overshadowed by a young lady as well. His situation was nothing short of miserable.

The battle between Fairy Muyun and Ouyang Cheng had started quickly and ended just as fast. The training grounds soon returned to normal as the spectating disciples all departed.

Only a few disciples at the Spirit Transformation Realm remained, sparring with one another.

Shen Daoxing found this boring, so he quickly finished sweeping the training grounds, then used Sword Control to fly back to his residence, preparing to continue cultivating his Venerable Body Refining.

However, when he returned to the Suspended Island where the outer sect disciples lived, he found the residences empty. It seemed not a single outer sect disciple had returned yet.

After asking around, Shen Daoxing learned that they had all gone to the Martial Arts Hall to listen to a lecture from an Inner Sect senior.

Although outer sect disciples couldn’t formally enter the Martial Arts Hall, they were allowed to listen from outside. Having finally gotten the chance to enter the Inner Mountain, they naturally wouldn’t let any opportunity slip by.

Shen Daoxing was happy for the peace and quiet. With a leap, he placed a single finger on the ground and inverted his body, balancing on that one finger in the center of his room. At the same time, the one hundred and eight apertures in his body opened, frantically absorbing the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, washing over and refining his physical body again and again.

Before he knew it, Shen Daoxing’s body had turned crimson again, with wisps of shimmering heat rising from it.

An unknown amount of time passed before Wan Hai’s voice sounded from outside. He seemed to be looking for someone.

Shen Daoxing stopped his cultivation, opened the door, and stepped out. "Wan!"

Outside, Wan Hai, who had been searching for someone, immediately went to Shen Daoxing’s side when he finally emerged. "Junior Brother, you’re just in time. There’s something urgent I need you for. Please, come with me."

With that, Wan Hai flew off the island on his sword.

Shen Daoxing flicked his sleeves, summoned the Great Ming Demon Sparrow, and followed close behind.

Shen Daoxing followed Wan Hai, flying out over Yun Meng Lake.

One Sky Island after another brushed past Shen Daoxing as the two of them quickly left the Inner Mountain region.

After a short while, Wan Hai came to a sudden stop above a desolate stretch of the lake. He raised his fingers to his lips, muttered a series of incantations, then pointed forward, sending out a beam of blue light.

The next moment, Shen Daoxing saw ripples spread across the space before them, and a majestic Sky Island slowly materialized in front of them.

Shen Daoxing couldn’t help his curiosity. "Wan, where is this?"

Ahead, Wan Hai said flatly, "You’ll know once you go inside."

Saying this, Wan Hai flew on his sword toward the Suspended Island. He didn’t land on the summit, however, instead descending into a cave on the mountainside.

Shen Daoxing followed close behind. Inside was a long, dimly lit tunnel, with only the faint light from sconces on either side to illuminate the way.

As the two walked deeper, Shen Daoxing saw cells separated by iron bars, but they were all empty.

But Wan Hai didn’t stop. He continued inward, finally stopping before the very last cell.

This cell was very different from the others. The entire door was sealed with slabs of mysterious black-gold stone, as if housing an extremely important prisoner. It was airtight, with only a small slot in the middle, just large enough for a bowl of food to pass through.

Wan Hai pointed to the cell. "Junior Brother, from now on, you will be responsible for bringing him food."

He paused, then added a warning, "But if you don’t want to accidentally lose your life, then no matter what the person inside requests, you must not agree. And no matter what the person inside does, you must not get close."

Wan Hai then added, "Of course, you won’t be doing this for free. From now on, the Sword Sect will grant you an extra two hundred Merit Points each month."

Shen Daoxing nodded. "Yes, Senior Brother!"

Merit Points functioned as currency within the Cyan Nether Sword Sect. With enough Merit Points, one could exchange for anything in the sect’s Merit Hall—top-grade Magical Artifacts, Celestial Tier Cultivation Techniques, and all sorts of cultivation resources. Even a spot as an Inner Sect Disciple was not out of the question.

Therefore, Merit Points were extremely important to the disciples of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect.

After explaining this, Wan Hai picked up a food box and handed it to Shen Daoxing.

Shen Daoxing opened the food box and placed the meal inside through the small slot.

He had just extended his hand when a large, rough, blackened hand suddenly shot out from within and snatched the meal from him.

A series of ravenous, gulping sounds followed.

Beside him, Wan Hai was silent for a moment before continuing, "Right. Also, you absolutely cannot mention anything about this place to anyone outside, not even other sect disciples. When you come to deliver meals in the future, you must not be seen."

Shen Daoxing nodded and peered into the small slot. He felt a deep, frenzied aura surging like a tidal wave. It was as if a terrifying beast was hidden inside, ready to burst out at any moment.