Chapter 153 – I Said It's Not Suitable, Then It's Not Suitable

In an office at the Linjiang Shanhai Bureau.

“Old Yu, what brings you here this time? I thought headquarters assigned you to look after that young master from the Myriad Enterprises Immortal Sect. Has your mission ended?”

Yu Tianqi accepted the tea offered by the other party and said with a smile, “Who said my mission ended? I brought that young master and a promising junior I’ve been mentoring to participate in this Agent trial.”

“Oh?”

Upon hearing Yu Tianqi’s words, Zhong Yaojun, the Scripture Master of the Linjiang Shanhai Bureau, immediately showed a curious expression.

“That young master is also participating in this Agent trial? What’s his cultivation level?”

“Qi Condensation Stage Perfection.”

“Qi Condensation Perfection? But given that young master’s circumstances, even at Qi Condensation Stage Perfection, completing the trial shouldn’t be difficult. What about that promising junior you mentioned?”

“Foundation Establishment Stage, first layer.”

“Foundation Establishment first layer… Wait, Foundation Establishment?!”

Zhong Yaojun, who happened to be drinking tea at that moment, paused and asked, “A Dao Academy student?”

“A high school senior.”

“What?!”

Zhong Yaojun stared at Yu Tianqi in shock, as if trying to confirm he wasn’t joking.

Yu Tianqi seemed to enjoy his old friend’s astonished reaction, smiling as he took a sip of his tea.

Seeing this, Zhong Yaojun immediately understood that his old friend had come specifically to show off.

“That high school student you mentioned… wouldn’t happen to be the kid who nearly cut Bailing down with one sword strike back when he was at Qi Refining stage, would it?”

Yu Tianqi put down his teacup and smiled. “That’s right, it’s him.”

Good heavens, it really is that kid!

Hearing this, Zhong Yaojun immediately became more interested.

“If I remember correctly, that incident happened less than half a year ago?”

“Did that kid have some extraordinary encounter? To breakthrough to Foundation Establishment in less than half a year.”

“You didn’t neglect to tell him about Foundation Establishment quality, causing him to rush his breakthrough, did you?”

“If that’s the case, you’ve really done him a great disservice.”

Yu Tianqi glared at his old friend and said irritably, “Do I seem that irresponsible? His breakthrough was a natural progression.”

“Although I don’t know the specific quality of his Foundation Establishment, based on my observations, his Foundation Establishment quality… is at least higher than yours.”

“At least higher than mine? Are you sure?”

“Absolutely certain.”

Hearing that the kid’s Foundation Establishment quality surpassed his own, Zhong Yaojun was even more astonished.

After all, his own Foundation quality back then was a fifth-grade Earth Dao Immortal Foundation.

If that kid’s Foundation quality was higher than his…

Didn’t that mean the kid had at least a fourth-grade Earth Dao Immortal Foundation, or possibly even higher?

Thinking this, Zhong Yaojun immediately pulled Yu Tianqi up from his seat.

“Hey, hey, what are you doing? I haven’t finished my tea yet!”

“Never mind the tea, come with me to watch this trial.”

“What’s there to see about this trial? The kid and the girl I brought will definitely pass. I’d rather drink more of your precious collection tea than watch some trial.”

“You can drink as much as you want after we’re done watching!”

“You said it yourself – no taking it back!””Go back on my word? If that kid you brought is really as impressive as you claim, forget about my treasured tea leaves—I’d even fetch the spiritual tea that the Grand Scripture Master has treasured for you!”

“You mean it?”

“Of course!”

“Well then, I suppose I can reluctantly accompany you to take a look.”

“Enough chatter, hurry up! Any later and I’m afraid we’ll miss the good show.”

Inside the special Secret Realm for the Agent trial.

“Seriously, don’t those two ever get tired? Why aren’t they using Spiritual Power yet?”

“That girl is one thing—after all, she’s a Body Cultivator. Even with the Red Gravity Ring restricting her, it’s not surprising she has good stamina.”

“But what about that Dao cultivator guy beside her? Why isn’t he tired either?”

“No idea. All I know is if this keeps up, I’m about to collapse from exhaustion.”

In a dense jungle within the Secret Realm, several trial participants watched Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye, who had already pulled ahead of the main group, feeling utterly drained both physically and mentally.

From the start of the trial until now, these two had been maintaining an astonishing pace alongside examiner Yan Lei, as if they didn’t know the meaning of fatigue.

At this speed, two-thirds of the participants had already been left behind prematurely.

Among the remaining third, aside from a few exceptionally gifted Body Cultivators, most were already gasping for breath, completely worn out.

It was worth noting that the trial had only just passed the halfway mark—they had moved from the initial cave area to the current dense forest region.

After traversing the jungle, everyone still had to cross a Great River to reach the finish line.

Cave, dense forest, and Great River—these were all the areas of the first stage assessment.

It was precisely because of the unique nature of the third stage that most participants dared not use Spiritual Power recklessly.

If they expended too much Spiritual Power in the first two stages, it would increase the weight of their respective Gravity Rings.

Then, even if they reached the final Great River area, the Gravity Rings would prevent them from swimming across.

Perhaps realizing that keeping up with Lu Chen’s pace would jeopardize their chances of passing the trial, many participants accepted reality during the mid-to-late stages and stopped competing with the duo, consciously slowing down.

After all, the trial requirement was simply to be among the first hundred to reach the finish line to pass.

So even if they lagged behind Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye, as long as they could reach the end before others, they would still pass the assessment—there was no need to rush.

By now, they had figured it out: Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye weren’t just being impulsively competitive; they were genuinely exceptional, which was why they accelerated the trial’s pace from the start to finish early.

However, those feeling the pressure weren’t just the left-behind main group of participants—it also included the leading examiner, Yan Lei.

Yan Lei had long lost his initial ease, with beads of sweat appearing on his forehead unnoticed.

To ensure fairness, Yan Lei himself was also wearing a Gravity Ring.

Moreover, to demonstrate the examiner’s strength, he wore a Purple Gravity Ring.

Its base weight was not only three times that of the Red Gravity Ring, but the gravity increase after absorbing Spiritual Power was also three times greater.

In other words, he had been running while bearing three times the gravity Mu Xiaoye was carrying.Even though he was a Body Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Stage, and even though he was exceptionally gifted.

At this moment, he still felt somewhat fatigued.

But to defend his dignity as an examiner, he simply couldn’t admit it.

Because he didn’t want to show weakness in front of these two young trial-takers.

However, after persisting for a while, Yan Lei suddenly spoke up.

“You two are not bad, actually able to keep up with me at this speed.”

“But considering your subsequent trials, I think you two shouldn’t push yourselves too hard. You can slow down a bit and adjust your pace, otherwise I’m worried you won’t make it through the final stage of this first trial.”

Yan Lei had thought that after his words, Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye would take the opportunity to slow down and rest a little.

Unexpectedly, Mu Xiaoye seemed to have no concept of humility, smiling as she said, “Examiner, are you tired? If you’re tired, you can slow down a bit. Little Lu and I can accommodate you.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Yan Lei reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, becoming agitated.

“Me, tired? Ridiculous!”

“Since you two want to compete, I’ll give you a proper match!”

With that, Yan Lei’s speed surged once again.

And this time, it was twice as fast as before.

Clearly, this was no longer a speed achievable through physical means alone.

Yan Lei must have used some kind of Divine Ability.

Seeing this, Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye immediately accelerated as well.

Mu Xiaoye’s face began to show red patterns, and her hair gradually turned red, as if burning like flames.

Lu Chen, however, didn’t go through such complications. He directly executed the perfected Flowing Cloud Movement, increasing his speed to match the other two.

But soon, Lu Chen noticed something unusual.

That was, while his and Mu Xiaoye’s Gravity Rings had noticeably increased in weight, Yan Lei’s Gravity Ring seemed completely unaffected.

After some observation, Lu Chen quickly figured out the reason.

He then conveyed his discovery to Mu Xiaoye through divine sense transmission.

Upon hearing Lu Chen’s message, Mu Xiaoye seemed to understand as well.

As a result, her speed decreased considerably, briefly falling behind the other two.

Seeing the situation behind him, Yan Lei secretly laughed to himself.

Can’t keep up, can you? I told you youngsters not to be so arrogant! I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice!

But soon, Yan Lei couldn’t laugh anymore.

Because he saw that Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye only fell behind briefly before immediately catching up.

And this time, their speed was even faster than at the beginning.

Witnessing this, Yan Lei was greatly shocked.

What? They discovered the secret of the Gravity Rings and successfully countered it this quickly?

Are these two monsters?

Yes, while the Gravity Rings absorb the Spiritual Power emitted by Cultivators, thereby increasing their own weight and restricting the Cultivators’ movements,

There is one technique that doesn’t count as cheating.

That is, as long as you can prevent the Spiritual Power within your body from leaking out when casting spells,

Then even if you use spells, the Gravity Rings on your body won’t increase in weight.

While this sounds simple in theory, it’s actually quite difficult to execute.

Because it requires a Cultivator to have extremely high control over their Spiritual Power.Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye being able to discover this in a short time didn’t surprise Yan Lei.

But the fact that they managed to accomplish it so quickly left Yan Lei utterly astonished.

This could only mean their foundational skills were exceptionally solid.

They could precisely control every bit of Spiritual Power within their bodies.

Good physical stamina, solid foundations, and so young—this was why Yan Lei was amazed.

He felt he might have underestimated these two.

As Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye also shook off the restraints of the Gravity Rings, the three-way speed competition shifted from a test of physical endurance to a contest of techniques and Divine Abilities.

Over ten minutes later, the three emerged from the Dense Forest Area one after another, arriving before a Great River.

Seeing the spot on the opposite bank that symbolized the finish line, Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye didn’t need Yan Lei to tell them—they knew reaching it meant completing the trial.

Thus, they held nothing back, unleashing their full speed.

Mu Xiaoye’s body became covered in red patterns, her hair turning completely crimson, and her surface temperature rapidly rose. Like a cheetah in full sprint, she transformed into a red blur, charging toward the finish line on the opposite shore.

Though her display was impressive, Yan Lei’s was even more striking. He seemed to activate some secret technique, causing purple lightning to crackle around his body. Bolstered by this lightning, his speed reached an astonishing level—covering dozens of meters in the blink of an eye.

With less than five hundred meters to the finish line, he could reach it in just a few breaths at this pace. However, during such an all-out sprint, Yan Lei couldn’t prevent his Spiritual Power from leaking out. Combined with wearing the Purple Gravity Ring, which subjected him to significantly greater gravity than Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye, his initial burst only allowed him to pull ahead briefly.

By the time he reached the center of the Great River, the other two had caught up to him one after another. Yan Lei could only watch helplessly as they overtook him, skimming across the river surface toward the finish line.

Moments later, a fiery figure crossed the finish line first. Mu Xiaoye stopped immediately, jumping for joy. “I won!”

Lu Chen, who had been half a step behind her, smiled and said, “Yes, I was a bit slower.”

Unconcerned about whether Lu Chen had gone easy on her at the last moment, Mu Xiaoye placed her hands on her hips and declared, “You’re treating me to dinner! I want a feast, and this time I’m going to eat you broke!”

Lu Chen nodded with a smile, offering no argument. After all, he was no longer the poor boy he once was. Following the Black Lotus Sect incident, Chen Fugui had not only provided him with cultivation resources but also given him a “Fortune Group Credit Card.”

When Lu Chen had asked about the card’s limit, Chen Fugui’s response was, “Spend freely, and let me know if it’s not enough.” While Lu Chen wouldn’t splurge recklessly, he wasn’t about to be stingy either. After the Black Lotus Sect attack, he and Chen Fugui had developed a bond that was both mentor and friend.

Besides, treating Mu Xiaoye to a lavish meal—what could that possibly cost?”No way, which Dao Academy or major sect are you two from? How come I’ve never heard your names before?”

Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye turned around to see Yan Lei, who had been trailing about three body lengths behind them, finally reaching the finish line.

Hearing his mistaken assumption that they were disciples from some Dao Academy or major sect, Mu Xiaoye spoke up before Lu Chen could respond.

“What Dao Academy? Little Lu and I are still in our third year of high school.”

“Whaaat?!”

Hearing that Lu Chen and Mu Xiaoye were only high school seniors, Yan Lei froze.

Then he looked at Lu Chen with astonishment and said, “You… a high school senior?”

Lu Chen nodded.

Getting this confirmation, Yan Lei patted his own cheeks as if questioning reality.

“Wait, let me process this. You say you’re a high school senior, which means you definitely can’t be over nineteen this year. Doesn’t that mean you achieved Foundation Establishment before nineteen?”

“What’s wrong with achieving Foundation Establishment before nineteen? Little Lu is a genius just like me – I’m not even eighteen yet!”

“I…”

Yan Lei looked at the two of them, momentarily speechless.

He had always considered his own Foundation Establishment quite fast, having achieved it at twenty-one.

Moreover, the quality of his Foundation Establishment was Five-Tier Earth Dao Immortal Foundation.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have qualified to join the Shanhai Bureau.

While he didn’t know the quality of Lu Chen’s Foundation Establishment, judging from the spiritual power he sensed from him…

This kid’s foundation quality definitely wasn’t low – at minimum Earth Dao quality.

Thinking this, Yan Lei suddenly felt that his former genius status wasn’t so genius after all.

After all, he could tell Mu Xiaoye was just one step away from breakthrough.

Given the right conditions, she could break through at any time.

The fact that she was holding back now surely meant she was aiming for high-quality Foundation Establishment.

And if it were just good cultivation aptitude, that would be one thing.

But these two’s mastery of arts and divine abilities seemed equally impressive.

At the very least, they weren’t the type who had cultivation but couldn’t utilize it properly.

For a moment, Yan Lei felt deeply frustrated.

Compared to these two, he seemed more like an ordinary person.

Perhaps trying to salvage what little dignity he had left, Yan Lei could only stubbornly say: “It’s just that this trial only tests physical strength, and I happened to be wearing special Gravity Rings.”

“If it were real combat, there’s no way you two could beat me.”

To this, Lu Chen just smiled without responding.

Meanwhile, Mu Xiaoye retorted indignantly: “As if I only have good physical strength!” My innate divine ability’s true power couldn’t be fully displayed in this trial either.Hearing this, Yan Lei proudly lifted his chin disdainfully: “Then we’ll spar later – let me see this innate divine ability of yours.””

The hot-tempered Mu Xiaoye couldn’t accept such provocation, immediately countering: “Why wait? We can take off our Gravity Rings right now and have a match.”

As she spoke, Mu Xiaoye started to remove her Gravity Rings, ready to show Yan Lei the power of a Phoenix Calamity Cultivator.

But before she could act, Lu Chen pressed down on her hand.

“Enough, Little Yezi. We’re still in the trial – this isn’t appropriate.Yan Lei, hearing this, said casually: “What’s inappropriate?” Don’t worry, I know how to hold back, I promise-“

“I said, it’s not appropriate.”Before Yan Lei could finish speaking, Lu Chen abruptly cut him off.

Simultaneously, Yan Lei felt a Sword Intent locking onto him.

Immediately after, Yan Lei saw a massive Flood Dragon formed from sword momentum materialize above Lu Chen’s head, its gaze icy as it stared at him.

It seemed that if he continued speaking, this sword momentum Flood Dragon wouldn’t merely be watching him.

Sword… Sword Intent…

Staring at the sword momentum Flood Dragon above Lu Chen’s head, Yan Lei felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his mind.

Although he himself had stepped into the Entering Dao Realm, for some reason he felt his own Entering Dao Conception wasn’t even on the same level as this youth before him.

Thinking this, Yan Lei instantly calmed down.

Then he looked at Lu Chen’s expressionless face and suddenly spoke.

“Indeed, I still need to monitor the other trial participants right now. I really shouldn’t casually spar with you, girl, or it would be neglecting my duties.”

Mu Xiaoye glanced at Yan Lei, then at Lu Chen.

Though she hadn’t entered the Entering Dao Realm, Mu Xiaoye instinctively felt that Lu Chen must have done something to make Yan Lei abandon the idea of sparring with her.

If anyone else had made such a decision for her, Mu Xiaoye might have gotten angry.

But since it was Lu Chen, not only was she not angry, she actually saw it as an expression of his concern for her.

So in response to Yan Lei’s concession, Mu Xiaoye politely said, “Alright, we can discuss it after the trial ends.”

Then she directly pulled Lu Chen to a shaded spot nearby and sat down to rest.

While Yan Lei appeared to be observing the other trial participants from a distance, his peripheral vision kept drifting toward Lu Chen sitting under the tree – the young man who wore a gentle smile and seemed mild-mannered.

Foundation Establishment before nineteen, and comprehending Sword Intent too.

Just where did this monster of a youth come from?

Interesting. It seems this trial is going to get interesting.

(End of Chapter)