Zhao Yang is just an ordinary ghost in the City of the Dead.
Early in the morning, just as it was light outside, bursts of shouting came through the old window frames and reached his ears, preventing him from falling asleep.
"What is this doing?"
He muttered something in a drowsy state and opened his eyes irritably, his chin was already full of blue stubble.
A ray of sunlight came into his eyes.
He had been drinking with a few friends last night, and his cultivation level was not very high, so he could not hold on at all. Now he had not slept enough, and there was a lot of noise outside. Zhao Yang's eyes could not help but turn bloodshot.
"Fuck it, it's just a quarrel. What the hell is going on?"
He was in a bad mood and started cursing. He threw the quilt on the ground and stood up suddenly!
The furnishings in the room are very simple.
There was a bed, a square table, four stools, a wardrobe, and a small formation for practicing. There was also a Ruyi bell hanging by the window, which was put there by some unknown owner.
Houses like this are the most common in the City of the Dead.
For a ghost cultivator with no background and no money, being able to live in a place like this is actually quite good.
At this moment, there was a crumpled piece of paper on the table, which still had a faint smell of alcohol from last night.
Zhao Yang took a look. His head was dizzy at the moment and he was not very close to the paper, so naturally he could not make out the handwriting on the paper clearly.
It seems like a few friends handed it to him yesterday
It seems to be the Ding Zheng Zheng Ji released on the 18th floor this year
I can only vaguely remember that those friends said there would be a lot of fun this year.
But he was quite drunk at the time, and he kept saying "OK" and took the bottle directly and put it in his arms, so it looked wrinkled.
Tripod fight
snort.
What else is there to see in this thing
Zhao Yang had not actually been in the City of the Dead for very long, only about thirty years, but Ding Zheng had already seen it several times and came here every few years.
At first, Zhao Yang tried hard to join in the fun, but later he found that there was no way he could stand out, so his enthusiasm faded.
Especially the two most recent fights for the throne were nothing more than killing.
Today you are more cruel than me, tomorrow I am more ruthless than you, after all the scheming, the stronger one will always win...
After watching so many times, Zhao Yang could tell who would win and who would lose and how they would die with his eyes closed.
There are so many people in the entire Jiyu, why can't the competition be made more distinctive
Therefore, Zhao Yang was too lazy to pay attention to the competition this year.
Zhui Dingzheng also wants Xuanyu. Although he has enough money to spend, he really doesn't want to waste it on such a boring thing.
"Well, let these talented people fight each other slowly... Anyway, I won't take out a penny from my pocket."
Zhao Yang said this to himself and also to Bafang Yandian who could not hear his words.
"Ahaha..."
He stretched himself, yawned, staggered to the table, reached out and grabbed the piece of paper on it, glanced at it casually, and was about to crumple it up and throw it away.
"It's the same every year, boring—huh?"
Zhao Yang's voice suddenly had a hint of surprise at the end.
The five fingers that were about to rub also stopped at this moment.
A pair of sleepy, bloodshot eyes slowly opened at this moment, and even the mouth opened.
"Did I see it wrongly because I was not awake yet?"
I quickly raised one hand, rubbed my eyes, and looked again—
Oh my god!
The words above haven't changed
Did you not knead it carefully enough? Try kneading it harder and see!
Still those two lines of words!
"… "
Zhao Yang, who had slept for at most two hours that night, was shaken awake.
He held the crumpled paper and could hardly believe his eyes.
After a long moment of confusion, he suddenly cursed: "Fuck, the Eight Directions Hell Palace is so shameless just to make money!!"
How dare you use such ridiculous things as a gimmick
Even though my cultivation level is low, it’s not like I don’t know how to practice!
Damn, who are you kidding?!
"The Extreme Realm Transformation Realm cultivator is the weakest in the world!"
“Unprecedented, subverting the past!”
"The microscopic soul bead shines like a firefly!"
"A weak female cultivator, in the battle for the cauldron, is it life or death?"
… Life or death for your whole family!
Such exaggerated descriptions and descriptions are really shameless!
Zhao Yang felt that if he knew the person who made this thing, he would definitely roll up this piece of paper and stuff it into his mouth without mercy!
The soul bead of dust, its light is like a firefly!
Can you show me how to cultivate such a small soul bead
He doesn't even need to draft his lies, he's just bragging to the sky!
"It's really hopeless. It seems that he is really desperate for money..."
Zhao Yang shook his head and sneered, not believing it at all.
It's nothing more than trying to trick people into paying attention.
He spat at the page of paper, cursed "sensationalism" in his heart, and finally crumpled the thing into a ball and threw it under the table.
There was still a commotion outside.
Zhao Yang wanted to lie down and sleep, but he felt it was difficult to fall asleep due to the noise.
"Isn't it just a start? What's so interesting about the written test? It's not exciting at all! Really..."
Um
etc.
Written test.
Only then did Zhao Yang realize that he had overlooked something.
Yes, this is the written test.
Generally speaking, there is nothing interesting about the written test. People pay attention to it just to know who will participate in the real battle in the third round.
Whether it is the Eight Directions Yama Palace or the Ten Directions Ghost Clan, in this round, relevant information will be provided to all ghost cultivators in the Extreme Domain for free.
In other words, it doesn’t cost anything to pay to follow round two.
Zhao Yang stood in front of his simple bed and saw the quilt he had thrown on the ground. He was too lazy to bend down to pick it up.
He swore that he would never waste a piece of black jade for Ding Zheng again.
But this year, several big shots in Jiyu have boasted so much that he is really curious. Are there really people with soul beads as small as these
This is totally against common sense!
"… It doesn't cost any money anyway, it's just a waste of a day to go and have a look, it's not like anyone will die…"
Zhao Yang touched his chin and began to think.
"The important thing is, are there really such monks?"
By the way, where did the monks who participated in the cauldron competition come from
Zhao Yang suddenly thought of this and turned around to see that he had thrown the paper ball away.
“It’s really your own fault!”
He cursed again, walked over feeling very ashamed, crawled under the table, and took out the paper ball that he had thrown away earlier.
The already wrinkled paper became even more messy after being crumpled again.
Zhao Yang muttered to himself, and unfolded it impatiently.
The handwriting on it is very heavy, but it is still clearly legible.
"The First Qin Guangwang Palace, the initial stage of transformation, the City of Wrongful Death, Jianchou, a female cultivator."
Haha!
Not only did he come from the City of the Dead, he also occupied a place in the Palace of Prince Qin Guang!
So exciting!
"And she's a woman..."
Zhao Yang's eyes suddenly lit up.
Because there is a city king named Jiang Chang in the Eight Directions Yama Palace, who is a female cultivator herself. She has always been unwilling to see other female cultivators die in vain in the Ding Zheng. Therefore, her subordinates are rarely selected from the Ding Zheng, and most of them come directly to the Wrongful Death City to choose first.
The City King has always been special among the Eight Directions Hell Palace, and no one has ever said anything about his behavior.
But this leads to a problem -
There were very few female cultivators participating in the fight for the tripod, especially in the City of the Dead.
Most of the other female cultivators who participated in the fight for the tripod came from the ten major ghost clans.
Zhao Yang couldn't help but think back to the previous sessions...
There were female cultivators with fish gills, female cultivators with leopard tails, female cultivators with bull heads, female cultivators with horse faces, and female cultivators with skin that turned dark after fighting and holding tridents...
It’s not that they are not beautiful. It’s mainly because Zhao Yang himself originally lived on an isolated island and had a normal human aesthetic.
The ten great ghost clans were established by the ten great Yin Marshals. They were all born in this extreme domain. They were different from humans, and their cultivation methods were also the same.
The male cultivators of the ten major ghost tribes are ugly, and the female cultivators are not much better.
Especially during battle...
There is no aesthetic appeal.
When he thought about getting up, Zhao Yang couldn't help but shiver all over and felt a chill.
Now this person turned out to be a female cultivator from the City of the Dead, and there was no indication after her name that she belonged to one of the ten great ghost clans, which meant that she was cultivating on her own.
So…
This person must be a normal female cultivator!
I just don't know what it looks like...
The person who wrote this is so immoral!
Can't we just put a portrait on it
Really!
In his heart, Zhao Yang couldn't help but start to criticize those guys who were responsible for creating momentum, but at the same time, his mind couldn't help but wander.
Although he had sworn before that he would not spend a penny for Ding Zheng, he would not spend any Xuanyu in the second round!
So, if I pay attention to it myself, it won't be considered as going against my oath, right
“Bang!”
He suddenly clasped his hands together and pressed the page of paper together.
Zhao Yang nodded affirmatively: "Yes, it doesn't count as breaking the oath! I just went to see if it was true, I won't break the oath by paying for it for the third time..."
Very good, that’s settled.
Zhao Yang finished debating with himself in his mind. When he heard that the situation outside was already in an uproar, he felt like a cat's claws scratching his heart. He rushed to the door, grabbed his outer robe, opened the door and walked out.
The streets were already crowded with people, and everyone was walking in groups of three or five towards the eighteenth floor.
There is a fairly large square over there. The second round of each competition is held here, which is very similar to the literary examination in the imperial examination, and the results are basically announced on the spot.
The monks from the City of the Dead took the written test in the square of the City of the Dead, and the same went for those from other cities.
Only after the second round is over will everyone pass through the entrance to the Eighteen Levels of Hell and enter the same venue.
Zhao Yang put on his outer robe as he walked.
A thin day-tripper came over and was very surprised to see Zhao Yang: "Brother Zhao? Judging from the direction you are heading, you are also going to see Ding Zheng? Aren't you..."
During the dispute over the cauldron two years ago, Zhao Yang spent hundreds of black jades just to see who would win the cauldron in the end.
As a result, as soon as the fight was over, he started cursing and swore to his group of friends that he would never spend a penny on Ding Zheng again.
The guy from the Day Travel tribe in front of him was one of the people present at that time.
When Zhao Yang heard the other party greet him, he felt guilty for no reason.
He laughed dryly and said calmly, "I just went to watch the second round. You know, this round is free..."
“That’s true.”
Friends who travel by day didn’t pursue the matter too much.
But he quickly got together with Zhao Yang and was particularly excited: "You must be disappointed with Ding Zheng and didn't pay much attention to it. Let me tell you, there is a very special female cultivator in Ding Zheng this year. I heard that her soul bead is the weakest and smallest in the history of the Extreme Domain!"
"I also… "
fart!
As soon as he opened his mouth to say the word "also", Zhao Yang wished he could slap himself in the face!
I almost revealed that I am also very concerned about the essence of this issue!
He coughed quickly, and tried to make amends after the fact, "I haven't heard of this. Is there such a thing?"
Something seems to be wrong...
However, the surroundings were too noisy, so the day tripper didn't hear clearly the half sentence that Zhao Yang cut out earlier.
He just maintained an excited curiosity and wanted to talk to Zhao Yang to get things clear.
"Really, I just don't know what it looks like. The news has been going viral in the city these days, and you actually didn't know. It's really... Let me tell you, someone said they saw her in Shanhai City. The soul bead is really that small. If you don't look carefully, you can hardly see it. It's like the tip of a needle!"
"Hey, are you going to see that female cultivator too?"
A voice interrupted from the side. It turned out to be a sturdy man from the Minotaur tribe who was a complete stranger to me. His face was flushed and he was very excited. When he opened his mouth, it seemed as if his entire chest was making sounds, making people's ears buzz.
Zhao Yang felt really fucked up.
He was just about to answer his friend's question when someone else interrupted him
"I… "
"Yes, yes! You too, brother?"
Before Zhao Yang could open his mouth, the Sun-Dwelling Clan cultivator seemed to have found a confidant. He floated up directly and put his arms around the broad shoulders of the Bull-Headed Clan cultivator who was much taller and stronger than him.
"I'm telling you, some people are talking about a beauty. Do you know a beauty?"
The bull-headed man seemed unaware of this, his eyes lit up: "I haven't heard of this before, is it a big head and long horns?"
"… "
The thin man from the day trip tribe suddenly felt that his arm around the other person was getting a little stiff.
Different races have different aesthetic standards!
What the hell does this have to do with horns
After spitting out a few words in his mind, the skinny guy didn't know what to say.
Zhao Yang, who had been left aside for a while, sneered and cursed in his heart: vulgar!
Among the ten major ghost tribes, the ones ranked last, such as the Ox-Head, Horse-Faced, and Fish-Gill, are all damn ugly!
"What's wrong?"
The Minotaur man didn't know what he had said wrong and was a little confused.
The thin man from the day trip tribe quickly shook his head, laughed twice, and decisively changed the subject: "Anyway, she should be very beautiful. How do you think she got the quota given by His Royal Highness Prince Qin Guang?"
Unexpectedly, before the Minotaur man had time to answer, someone else on the street interrupted him.
"Is that even possible? What if he's a genius?"
"Bullshit! I think they are just trying to trick us into taking out the Xuanyu!"
“That makes sense!”
"But this time, the Eight Directions Hell Palace and the Ten Great Ghost Clans have made a mistake, right? They released the news so early. Hehe, the second round is free! I will watch the fun and leave, but I will not pay for the third round."
"Haha, me too..."
"I want to see Master Li of the Ghost King Clan, and the one with a dead face. Who is he called?"
"Zhang Tang, I died at his hands! Ling Chi, do you know that..."
…
Suddenly, the whole street became bustling.
The thin man from the Sun Travel tribe, the man from the Bull Head tribe, and Zhao Yang all looked at each other, not knowing what expression to make.
It turns out that there are so many people, all going for the "weakest female soul cultivator in history"
…
The same conversation and the same scene actually happened in other corners of the Polar Region.
The seventy-two cities in the underworld all held the second round of the written examination for the tripod competition at the same time, and the piece of paper on Zhao Yang's desk had already been scattered throughout the underworld.
Almost everyone was frightened by this year's gimmick.
Some people believed it and thought that King Qin Guang was not so unreliable; some people thought it was ridiculous and that it was even more fantastic than ascending to heaven in broad daylight and was simply impossible.
Of course, some people also start a gambling game, betting on whether it is "true or false".
Most people actually hold the same idea as Zhao Yang.
Anyway, the second round of the Ding competition can be watched without Xuanyu, and the situation of the literary examinations in other cities can be seen in any central square of the seventy-two cities, so an unprecedented and strange scene appeared in Jiyu.
For example, when the people of Fengdu City rushed to the square, they did not talk about the monks of the city, but frequently mentioned two words -
See sorrow.
"Seeing sorrow..."
Beside the square of Wrongful Death City, Xing Wu looked at the page in his hand that he had read countless times. His expression changed again and again, with an indescribable complexity and even inexplicable fear.
For the first time, he felt that the name of this female cultivator was very appropriate.
When he suddenly saw this page of paper, he couldn't believe his eyes.
The female cultivator in the Pinzi Building in the past, the female cultivator in the deep alley in the past...
Indeed, it completely fits the characteristics described above: the soul bead is so small that it is unbelievable!
She actually came to the Dingzheng...
Moreover, like that disgusting Zhang Tang, he got a place in the Palace of King Qin Guang
To Xing Wu, this was just like a dream, a...
Nightmare.
At this moment, there is not much time left before the second round of the competition begins.
The ghost cultivators who had obtained places in the City of the Dead had already gathered here one after another. The cultivators from the ten major ghost clans generally stood very close to each other.
Xing Wu is from the Wuchang clan, and he followed the clan elders here today.
Several of his fellow tribesmen, the brothers Xing Fei and Xing Feng, the capable Xing Zhan, and the fat Xing An, were all standing far away from him, chatting and laughing together.
"Hey, is that what you call seeing sorrow real?"
The one who spoke was the older brother of the two brothers, Xing Fei, a guy who had quite a few conflicts with Xing Wu.
Hearing him speak, especially hearing the word "Jianchou", Xing Wu turned his head and pricked up his ears.
Xing Feng snorted contemptuously: "It couldn't be more fake! Look at those people around you, they all said they came here to see that woman, stupid and superficial!"
"You can't say that, can you?"
Xing An is quite obese, but he looks like an honest man.
"Your Highness Prince Qin Guang doesn't seem like the type of person who would make a stupid move. I think..."
"No matter how much of a gimmick it has, he's just a small soul bead cultivator who can be crushed to death with just one finger. Why bother about it?"
Before Xing An could finish his words, Xing Zhan, who was standing next to him with a tough face, had already raised the corner of his mouth with an evil smile and made a contemptuous conclusion.
"Jianchou? This name is indeed very good. With such a cultivation level, I'm afraid he would be worried about anyone he sees, right?"
"Hahaha… "
Xing Zhan said this very loudly, and many people around heard it.
For a moment, everyone started laughing, making a lot of noise.
Xing Wu remained silent and did not speak.
His hand, as if he still remembered the pain of the serious injury in the past, slowly and subconsciously reached for his chest...
Once upon a time, there was a black sword that he had his eyes on, which passed through here.
The strange scene of the fight that day flashed through his mind.
Just when he was about to touch the almost healed wound, Xing Wu suddenly felt something strange. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and it seemed like someone in the crowd was looking at him.
He raised his head and saw a pair of eyes with clear black and white!
That is…
The outstretched hand seemed to be frozen, and stopped stiffly in the middle of the journey.
Xing Wu's pupils constricted and he suddenly felt that he couldn't breathe.
At the edge of the bustling crowd, not too far from where they were.
A female cultivator in a blue robe, holding a sheathed sword in her hand, with a plain face and clear eyes, was looking at the Wuchang clan.
The arrogant laughter was so harsh, but she didn't seem to be very angry, and looked calm and relaxed.
When she noticed that Xing Wu was looking at her, she slowly turned her gaze and met Xing Wu's eyes.
As if she recognized him, a hint of surprise and astonishment flashed across her eyes, but then it turned into other subtle emotions, hiding a feeling that made his scalp tingle.
Then, she nodded slightly and gave him a polite smile as if she was greeting an old acquaintance...
A creepy smile.