CH 19

Everyone turned to see who the man had pointed at, one after another nodding their heads in agreement. That person’s appearance really was top notch among the male cultivators and easily set all the women’s hearts aflutter.

A white jade face with features finely carved as by a knife, his was a perfection that could only have been bestowed by the Heavens, yet it wasn’t the slightest bit unmanly. Even though his expression was currently gloomy, it didn’t diminish his charm one bit and his domineering aura had already caused many of the female cultivators to blush. 

“To tell you the truth, my experience with women is lacking as I haven’t had close contact with them. In my opinion, Brother Chu’s rich experience makes him the best candidate for this task.” Gu Feng spoke and cupped his hands in a salute to the other man.

“Brother Gu is too modest. When it comes to charm I am inadequate, wouldn’t the rest of you agree?” Chu Feng gloated. Just a moment ago he was purely preoccupied with trying to flirt with a beauty. As for the matter of testing the daoxin of a crowd of female cultivators, he was happy to pass on the opportunity.

Although the female cultivators didn’t directly reply, many of them nodded. Afterall, compared with the suave and romantic Chu Feng, they still preferred the simple and upright Gu Feng a bit more. All in all, though a beautiful man is nice, how can it be more tempting than the inheritance of a Celestial Monarch?

“Excellent, then it’s decided. I have an artifact named Mother and Child. When the Mubao is worn on one’s person, they can pass information to their partner who wears the Zibao, and who will experience everything as though they were present in person.” He tossed the artifact to Gu Feng, and in a tone that brooked no argument, commanded, “Choose someone to wear the Mubao.” 

Gu Feng silently accepted the Mubao. Its appearance was similar to an octopus sucker. He hesitated a moment but in the end put it on Su Mujin’s head.

Su Mujin’s eyebrows rose and he smiled at Gu Feng.

Everyone stared at the two of them in horror while Chu Feng’s expression was subtle. Chu Feng had only hit on that man because his face was as beautiful as a woman’s, but it was impossible for him to actually take ambiguous action toward him. Gu Xiong was a truly courageous man! Chu Feng regretfully admitted that he was not his equal.

That man’s gaze showed surprise, but he wasn’t too concerned. Selecting a male cultivator was truly benevolent toward the female cultivators. With a wave of his hand, all the female cultivators donned a Zibao. Then, he turned to Chu Feng and said, “With your rich experience, you should give him some advice!”

Chu Feng was immediately giddy with delight. This was exactly his intention. He made a beeline for Gu Feng with a vulgar grin on his face, deliberately ignoring the fact that the other was looking daggers at him.

“Brother Gu, don’t be so ferocious. You must treat ladies gently. Come on you two, follow what I tell you.” Chu Feng looked around, his gaze brightening as he called Gu Feng and Su Mujin over to a tree . . .

Su Mujin leaned against a large tree, while Gu Feng stood with one hand propped against the tree and one tree on his waist, seeming to hold him in an embrace. The two of them weren’t yet pressed close, but the temperature of the surrounding air seemed to rise.

“Brother Gu, you’re too stiff. How many times do I have to tell you before you get it — you must smile as you gently approach.” Gu Feng was undaunted as he gave instructions. 

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It felt as though a feather was lightly brushing his heart. The itchy feeling slowly spread to cover his entire body and without realizing it, Gu Feng’s expression grew gentle as his lips raised in an unconscious smile that eventually reached his eyes. It was as though spring had come and begun to melt the winter ice, resulting in a breathtaking contrast.

Su Mujin was awestruck, and stood motionless as though he’d been caught by an immobilizing spell. He’d never seen this side of his ge. From the corners of his eyes to the tips of his eyebrows, his expression seemed full of . . . affection? Yes, if he wasn’t mistaken, it was indeed affectionate. 

With that gentle gaze directed at him, it seemed as though he was the only person that existed in those eyes. His heart started galloping, and the voices of the surrounding crowd faded into the background. For a moment, Su Mujin felt he had left his body. His eyelashes quivered and gradually his cheeks were covered by a blush.

Gu Feng’s heart slightly moved. He hooked his partner’s chin with a single finger and slowly approached the other’s slightly parted lips. Su Mujin became increasingly nervous as his eyes opened wide to stare at Gu Feng and he slightly trembled. But just as their lips were about to meet, he turned his head to the side.

“Does this suffice?” Gu Feng asked. In a split second he constrained his smiling expression and returned to normal.

“Absolutely! Gu Xiong, be honest with me. You’ve flirted with countless women, haven’t you? That expression, the perfect timing! Even I’m not as practiced as you. To reach this level, you must have had at least fifty girlfriends.” Chu Feng clapped his hands in appreciation as he looked at Gu Feng with a face full of curiosity. 

Gu Feng spared him a haughty glance and laconicly replied, “Natural talent.”

Chu Feng was speechless.

Not until Gu Feng removed the Mubao did Su Mujin return to his senses. Gu Feng’s teasing had caught his heart and immersed him in a feeling of anticipation, but now he just felt a crushing sense of shame, and wished he could find a hole to bury himself in. He dejectedly turned his head away as he didn’t have the courage to face his gege.

Gu Feng’s eyes flashed a trace of a mischievous smile. Even though the relationship between the two of them had grown a bit subtle, it was still as enjoyable as ever to tease his companion. 

“You did very well, and shall receive an extra reward from the Celestial Monarch.” The man praised him, obviously pleased by Gu Feng’s performance.

“Many thanks to qianbei,” Gu Feng put on a false smile as he replied. He was still feeling resentful about the man’s arbitrary demands.

More than half of the female cultivators were eliminated by the test just now, and lost the chance to obtain an inheritance from the Celestial Monarch. The pain of this failure was truly hard to bear! Under the bitter stares of the crowd, Gu Feng entered the audience hall.

The audience hall was even grander than he had imagined. There were numerous floating cushions for sitting on. Each cushion emitted a holy glow, and at the far end of the hall one cushion emitted the most brilliant glow of all. Presumably that cushion was where Yan Jun himself had usually sat in the past. 

Observing the hall, it was possible to imagine the past when Yan Jun sat there, delivering his teachings to the vast hall. It must have been a sight to behold. But even someone as impressive as he had long since fallen from power and disappeared, like a meteor streaking across the heavens. Thinking of this, the mood was somber, though everyone was still curious. What could have possibly happened that such an awesome figure was unable to escape calamity?

“The Celestial Monarch’s test is starting. Each of you shall choose a cushion to sit upon. Only one of you can receive his true legacy, but the rest of you need not despair. The Celestial Monarch has prepared many treasures, and as long as you pass the test, you may select one,” that man informed them in his clear voice.

Gu Feng didn’t dally, and immediately chose a cushion to sit on. Originally, he was going to drag Su Mujin to sit beside him, but Su Mujin refused to look him in the eye, and chose to sit behind him.

“Close!” With the sound of the man’s voice, the doors of the great hall slowly began to shut, and the light grew dim. 

As it grew darker and darker, Gu Feng became aware of his consciousness separating itself from his body and arriving in a new location that was entirely empty of matter and uncannily silent.

“Open!” Accompanying this command, Gu Feng saw his surroundings undergo a dramatic transformation. Innumerable stars floated within his reach, slowly moving in accordance with some unknown algorithm. This was . . . a clue to divining the Dao?

It seemed as though Yan Jun had entered the Dao through deduction, so no wonder he was always carrying around that divination disc with him. Unfortunately, Gu Feng had no understanding of divination, so could only just sit there and helplessly watch the stars.

But as time slowly slipped by, Gu Feng began to feel short of breath and his chest began to ache. Within his daoxin a crack started to form, and from the darkness came a voice urging him to give up, as the path to immortality was already closed off . . . 

He immediately sealed up his five senses and the feeling of suffocation disappeared. But he was still highly suspicious. Was this part of Yan Jun’s daoxin evaluation, or a final message from Yan Jun?

If the latter, why should Yan Jun choose this method? Gu Feng couldn’t help feeling that a massive plot was slowly being revealed, with just the tip of the iceberg visible for now.

After a long while, Gu Feng felt his consciousness slowly return to his body, and he surreptitiously took a look at the people surrounding him, but saw only calm expressions. Could it just have been him overthinking things?

“Xiao Jin, during the test, did you feel anything . . . strange?” Gu Feng transmitted his query. 

“No, I didn’t feel anything, Gege.” Su Mujin answered a bit evasively.

Gu Feng set aside his misgivings. It seemed it really was just him overthinking.

Su Mujin quietly sighed. Because of his overwhelming shame, he had completely missed out on receiving the Celestial Monarch’s inheritance. But could he admit such a thing to his gege? Of course not.

“The Celestial Monarch’s inheritance has been passed on, and the successor is . . .” the man’s eyes twitched as he forced himself to complete his announcement, “Chu Feng.” 

That’s right. Previously, Chu Feng had brazenly insisted upon implementing his ‘sage’ advice for ensuring the fairness of the test in exchange for securing a chance at obtaining the inheritance. Because the man didn’t think he was qualified to start with, he didn’t prevent him from trying.

Everyone was speechless.

The others stared at Chu Feng in disbelief, while Chu Feng himself was taken aback. How did he not have any clue as to how he obtained the Celestial Monarch’s inheritance? But since Qianbei had spoken, it must be so. It seems he would have to take some time to carefully review what he’d experienced.

“Much obliged,” Chu Feng’s revealed a bit of a gloat as he cupped his hands in salute to the crowd. 

But nobody offered him a salute in return. Everyone was exerting themselves to remain calm and resist the impulse to give him a wallop.

That man’s mood was low as he weakly said, “Everyone else, follow me to select a treasure.”

Gu Feng and the others followed that man toward a hidden corner of the room. Pushing open the door, on the other side was a whole other realm.

The space was a void, and in the darkness hung a multitude of floating glowing orbs. No wonder the Hidden Treasures Pavilion had only been full of ordinary artifacts. All the good stuff was actually hidden here. 

“The treasures have consciousness and must agree to be chosen. You cannot force them. Aside from Gu Feng, who may choose two, the rest of you may only choose a single item.”

Su Mujin planned to take advantage of Gu Feng’s distraction to quietly sneak off, but his hand was grasped by that person, who then interlaced their fingers securely.