World of Cultivation - Volume 01 - Money Grubbing Madman

by Fang Xiang

  As to the fight between Luo Li and Zuo Mo, in the eyes of everyone, it was a fight with a pre-determined outcome. The value in its existence was to lure out Wei Sheng Shixiong. Now that it seemed that Wei Sheng Shixiong wasn’t going to come, the value of the fight was much smaller. Everyone was guessing how Luo Li Shixiong would humiliate Zuo Mo.

  The annual sect assessment of Wu Kong Sword Sect finally started.

  All the disciples were gathered at the plaza outside Wu Kong Hall.

  Pei Yuan Ran stood at the very front. Looking at the outer sect disciples and inner sect disciples below him, he couldn’t help but sigh. This year, it was especially important for Wu Kong Sword Sect. A ling plant farmer like Zuo Mo had appeared and also a genius sword cultivator like Wei Sheng!

  “Shixiong, let’s start.” Yan Le reminded Pei Yuan Ran. For the sect assessment, he had especially rushed back from Dong Fu.

  Pei Yuan Ran came back from his wanderings and nodded his head. Facing everyone else, he slowly opened: “This year, the sect has had many outstanding people. I am very comforted. Cultivation is like swimming against the current. If one doesn’t progress, it is falling behind. You can’t slack off.”

  “Yes!” The disciples under answered synchronously.

  “Start the assessment!”

  The first to undergo the tests were the sect’s outer sect disciples. And the ones responsible for testing them were all the inner sect disciples. Zuo Mo was responsible for ling farming. Xu Yi was responsible for forging. Like so, everyone was responsible for a certain area. This was the first time that Zuo Mo saw the Eldest Shijie, Gongsun Qing.

  Eldest Shijie’s appearance was proper, mature and extremely dignified. She didn’t say very much. Most of her words were gentle and tactful, but everyone was still very respectful of her. Supposedly, Eldest Shijie was going to marry soon. Her fiancé was a disciple from a large sect. She was the only one of the inner sect disciples that wasn’t responsible for an exam. Her duty was to patrol the entire location. From this, it could be seen the trust the sect leader and the other shishu had in her.

  Seeing the familiar faces now filled with awe, Zuo Mo was reminded of himself. Last year’s sect assessment, he was still among them. Now, he was their examiner. His heart felt slightly strange.

  Compared to the other disciples, Zuo Mo was much more familiar with these outer sect disciples. He was clear to each one’s cultivation. As a result, he was very efficient.

  He was the first inner sect disciple to finish his examination.

  Carefully sealing the results in a jade scroll, he then handed it to the sect leader.

  “Oh, Little Mo’s speed is very quick.” The sect leader smiled at Zuo Mo as he took the jade scroll.

  “This disciple is very familiar with all the shidi so it was a bit faster.” Zuo Mo carefully answered.

  “En, not bad.” The sect leader scanned the results and then nodded in confirmation. He turned and gave the jade stick to Yan Le who was at the side and smiled at Zuo Mo: “Little Mo, I heard you were swept away by the river when you were practicing?”

  If Zuo Mo didn’t have a zombie face, he would certainly have been very red at the moment. Being asked by the sect leader in front of the shishu, even though Zuo Mo’s skin was thick, he still found it hard to deal with.

  “This disciple wasn’t attentive and will be careful next time.” Zuo Mo could only answer.

  “En. Pay attention, otherwise, your master will worry.” The sect leader said.

  “Have a clean death.” Shi Feng Rong coldly took over.

  Zuo Mo knew what kind of temper his master had and wasn’t concerned.

  After that, the other exams were also completed, the seal jade sticks handed over to the sect leader. Here, the sect assessment was put on hold. All the disciples were quietly waiting for the sect leader to announce the rewards. The first three of each year’s sect assessment would always get prizes.

  The sect leader scanned all the jade scrolls before raising his head.

  “Not bad, everyone improved this year. I’m very comforted.” The sect leader’s voice wasn’t loud but could be heard across the plaza.

  “The person that improved the most this year really surprised me, Yu Xiao Guo!” As the sect leader announced it, the female disciples of the Eastern Peak cheered.

  Zuo Mo was surprised. He hadn’t thought that Xiao Guo would make such big improvement. His eyes found Xiao Guo in the crowd. Xiao Guo didn’t seem to have thought that she would be first in the sect assessment this year. Her face instantly turned red like an apple, her head almost touching her chest. The female disciples surrounding her were very excited.

  A happy expression also came onto Li Ying Feng’s face. She had always liked Xiao Guo.

  Xiao Guo suddenly raised her flushed face, her eyes searching among the inner sect disciples on the stage. When she saw Li Ying Feng smiling at her, the smile on her own face became even brighter. When her gaze swept towards Zuo Mo, and saw Zuo Mo Shixiong give her a thumbs up, her nose suddenly went sour, her eyes misty. At this crucial time, she actually started to cry!

  Zuo Mo’s thumbs-up was paralyzed. He hadn’t thought that his action would make Xiao Guo cry. This little girl, she really was a headache! Zuo Mo muttered inside.

  Second place was Guo Lu. After he had recovered, he had rapidly improved. The third place was a disciple that Zuo Mo had never heard of before. He was called Zhu Peng.

  These three people were going to receive a heavy reward from the sect.

  Some were disappointed, some were happy. All the possible expressions of people could be seen.

  For the outer sect disciples, the annual sect assessment had passed. No matter the outcome, it was like a load off their chests. Thinking of the inner sect disciple assessment that was next, they instantly became excited. Each year’s inner sect disciple assessment was always spectacular.

  There were the fights between the shixiong and the explanations from the sect’s shishu. Usually, this was something they couldn’t see or hear. If they could digest even a bit, it was more than enough for them to benefit.

  And this year, they had something else to look forward to – how would Luo Li Shixiong torment Zuo Mo?

  The outer sect disciples instinctively stepped back, empting out the plaza for the inner sect disciple battle and waited for the fireworks.

  “Alright, usual rules.” The sect leader didn’t waste words: “Start.”

  Luo Li was the first to stand out. Entering the sect, he faced Zuo Mo and said coldly: “Zuo Mo Shidi should have prepared already.”

  As expected, what was supposed to come did come!

  Zuo Mo wasn’t timid. He stood up and entered the plaza, his mouth not showing weakness: “Shixiong is still as chatty as usual!”

  The people below instantly started to murmur.

  左莫和罗离两人的实力，完全不在一个层次上，左莫竟然还如此嚣张，那岂不是等着被罗离师兄虐么？

  Zuo Mo and Luo Li’s power completely were on different levels. Yet Zuo Mo was still so arrogant. Wasn’t he just asking for Luo Li Shixiong to humiliate him?

  Luo Li’s face instantly turned green. Having been taunted by Zuo Mo in front of this many people, he laughed angrily: “I hope that Shidi’s sword is half as sharp as your words!”

  “Shixiong will know if he tries.” Zuo Mo found that he wasn’t nervous at all.

  “Humph!” Luo Li said: “You first.”

  Zuo Mo was eager for Luo Li to underestimate him. It fit his desire that the other let him attack first. Without hesitation, the ice crystal sword disappeared in front of him, leaving behind a clear ripple.

  [Flowing Water]!

  The crux of this move was for the sword to act as though it was falling like water from a high altitude, the water essence was smooth without a hint of presence!

  “It seems that Shidi has worked hard recently!” Luo LI smirked. Since he was planning to humiliate Zuo Mo, naturally, he wouldn’t let thi
s battle end so quickly. He wanted Zuo Mo to understand just how great the gap was between them. He wanted Zuo Mo to realize that the two wasn’t on the same level, that he could kill Zuo Mo as easily as killing an ant!

  Ding!

  The sound of impact was as clear as glass.

  Ten steps in front of Luo Li, invisible vibrations spread out!

  Luo Li acted as though no one was present as he started to walk towards Zuo Mo. His face smiling coldly: “What? Does Shidi only have these little moves?”

  Zuo Mo’s entire mind was on controlling the ice crystal sword and didn’t hear the words.

  The sword suddenly changed as though it became countless little flows, wrapping around in layers as dense as cloth. The little flows spun quicker and quick, producing soft hissing sounds. Just two steps from Luo Li, these revolving small flows multiplied in size and started to ring!

  Seven whirlpools suddenly appeared around Luo Li!

  The sword was soft yet sticky, the seven whirlpools trapping Luo Li in the middle like a cage made out of whirlpools. Luo Li had no place to escape! Each whirlpool was made up of countless tiny sword energies. These hair-thin, weak looking sword energies were full of a silent danger!

  [Li Water Sword Scripture]’s [Seven Whirlpools]!

  Chapter 64: Caught it!

  [Seven Whirlpools]!

  The outer sect disciples simultaneously sighed in shock. Those that had been spectating instantly became alert. Zuo Mo Shixiong really had concealed himself deeply!

  Yan Le was slightly surprised as he looked at the plaza: “Little Mo has something like this?” he had just returned and didn’t know what had happened with Zuo Mo. Seeing Zuo Mo releasing such an exquisite attack, he was very shocked.

  Pei Yuan Ran said: “Don’t rush. There might be even bigger surprises later.”

  The situation suddenly changed. Zuo Mo, who had been thought as destined to lose, suddenly revealed a very strong sword move and also raised everyone’s interest.

  Trapped between seven sword energy whirlpools, Luo Li’s face was still indifferent. He didn’t seem to make a motion, but the seven roaring sword energy whirlpools suddenly paused, the strands of sword energy flailing chaotically but not one sword energy could enter the area five paces from Luo Li.

  “Luo Li didn’t slack off either.” Pei Yuan Ran had a satisfied expression. Turning, he asked Xin Yan: “This move [Extinguish], what level?”

  “The fifth.” Xin Yan said.

  “En. Luo Li’s talent isn’t bad, but it’s a pity he met Wei Sheng.” Yan Le said aimlessly.

  The others all had a slightly discomforted expression. Wei Sheng’s talents was much greater than Luo Li. Based on the perspective of the sect, the unequal treatment was natural. But the time that Luo Li spent with them was much longer than Wei Sheng, and much closer in terms of feelings.

  Pei Yuan Ran said: “This isn’t something that can be dealt with. We, as sword xiu, uphold the rule of the strong and weak. Ambition is good, but what is needed is to understand one’s own abilities.”

  “Qin Cheng asked for [Shapeless Sword Scripture] from me.” Xin Yan said.

  “Must be for Luo Li.” Yan Le was extremely intelligent and said with a smile: “[Shapeless Sword Scripture] and [Empty Sword Scripture] come from the same origin. Qin Cheng’s conduct, it’s very interesting.”

  Shi Feng Rong’s brows furrowed as she said: “Isn’t that making the situation worse?”

  Pei Yuan Ran said: “Shimei, don’t worry. Competition is a good thing. They are still very young. We can look over them and slowly polish away. Maybe one or two of them will become accomplished and we will not fail our masters.”

  Hearing this, the other three nodded their heads in agreement.

  The fight between Zuo Mo and Luo Li intensified.

  Luo Li was very shocked inside. Three months to reach this level of skill, his talent wasn’t weaker than his own. Thinking about it, his heart felt like it was bursting, as though a fire had been lit. In the last decade, he was the most favoured, most talented disciple in Wu Kong Sword Sect! But there suddenly was a Wei Sheng who had an apparition at zhuji. To nurture him, the sect elders had actually opened the sword cave.

  That was a benefit that he didn’t even dare to think about.

  One Wei Sheng came out, and now there was a Zuo Mo!

  He had never heard that the sect had such a fine water sword scripture. Did the Shishu pass on a new sword scripture? Once the thought formed, his heart felt like it was bit by a snake, his eyes dark!

  Zuo Mo couldn’t attend to Luo Li’s mood. All of his attention was on controlling the sword.

  [Li Water Sword Scripture]’s first six sword moves, he had practiced numerous times. The person who had created this sword scripture might not be as familiar as he was. After he comprehended the sword essence, he had done some minor adjustments to the sword moves again. The method he used for adjustment was extremely simple. Wherever the sword essence would pause, he would fearlessly change it, change it until the sword essence would move as he wished without any blockage.

  This sword scripture, it had been transformed a long time ago!

  If it had been someone else, would they have dared to adjust like so? But Zuo Mo didn’t have any restraints. In the area of the sword, he had no fundamentals, and naturally wouldn’t be restained. When he had been learning the five element spells of a ling plant farmer, due to the fact that much of the contents in the jade stick had not been detailed, it had required him to speculate on his own. Over time, he was used to making adjustments to spells and had his own method.

  To use the sword essence as the model to change sword moves. If Xin Yan knew of the idea, he would certainly have praised it.

  He had seen Luo Li kill people in the jade scroll. It was mysterious and hard to detect. Up until now, he basically hadn’t seen Luo Li Shixiong’s flying sword.

  [Empty Sword Scripture] was truly amazing!

  Xu Yi Shixiong had once said that [Empty Sword Scripture] was the finest in the third grade sword scriptures. From what he had seen today, it really was powerful!

  Couldn’t see the flying sword, couldn’t see the sword energy, you never knew where the other’s attack would come from. Couldn’t defend, couldn’t see, couldn’t guess, that kind of things were the ones that most easily created terror.

  Zuo Mo was slightly frightened.

  Compared to Luo Li’s untouched and leisurely state, Zuo Mo was increasingly nervous. Zuo Mo’s battle experience was pitifully thin. After two continuous sword moves were deflected, it was a heavy blow to his confidence.

  However, he didn’t want to admit defeat like this.

  Gritting his teeth, he released the third move!

  Countless sword energies formed a dense curtain of swords like a tide. Gleaming with the shine of water, it swayed like the waves!

  The third move, [Layered Tide]!

  The first move [Flowing Water] was light and clean, like sheep climbing a cliff, untraceable. The second move [Seven Whirlpools], dense and sticky with hidden danger.

  And this move [Layered Tide] was continuous, becoming stronger as it continued. The layers of sword energy were like waves, layers of little waves merging together. The curtain made of swords, which had been like a drizzle of rain, suddenly became fierce and turbulent!

  Luo Li seemed to be right next to the water, the giant turbulence about to swallow him.

  Shocked gasps came from the surroundings. The past two moves might have surprised people but it wasn’t as intimidating as [Layered Tide]! In their eyes, a giant wave came down from the sky, unable to be dodged. Those outer sect disciples at odds with Zuo Mo paled in fright, their legs weak!

  This giant wave wasn’t water, but composed of layers of countless sword energies. Once one was swallowed, then they should wait to be cut up into pieces!

  It seemed that he had truly understood this sword scripture!

  Luo Li’s eyes became even darker. Staring at the sword curtain a
s it came down, killing intent flashed through his eyes. He decided to give the zombie a blow, a blow that would completely destroy the other’s confidence!

  He faced the sword curtain full of danger and turbulence and stepped forward!

  Another step! A third step!

  “Break!”

  The voice rang out over the entire plaza. Everyone felt their chests compress and then shock came onto their faces.

  Hiss!

  Like a small knife cutting cloth, not dissonant but a clear sound.

  The giant sword energy wave was cut in half!

  Seeing the sword curtain forcefully broken in two, Zuo Mo jumped in fright. Just as he was about to change moves, he suddenly detected a hint of danger. His heart alarmed, he didn’t have time to think as his body fell down to the left.

  Even though he hadn’t seen anything, but Zuo Mo could clearly feel something brush tightly next to him! He was like a frightened cat, all the hair on his body standing up!

  Zuo Mo, having dropped to the floor, couldn’t care about the pain on his body, and scrambled to distance himself from Luo Li.

  “Oh my, my heart almost jumped out! It seems that Zuo Mo Shixiong isn’t weak. Pity that he encountered Luo Li Shixiong.” One of the surrounding disciples couldn’t help stating.

  “That’s right! Look at Luo Li Shixiong, that’s the composure of a strong person! That stride, that expression, Zuo Mo Shixiong is still a bit weak!” Someone else in the surrounding followed.

  “Yes. If Wei Sheng Shixiong could come out, then it might be enough.”

  “Ha ha, don’t be impatient. In any case, the battle between the two will happen.”

  “Really?”

  “Think about it, can one mountain have two tigers……”

  Zuo Mo couldn’t hear any sound. He could only hear the beat of his heart. He furiously panted, his chest a heaving bellows. He stared with wide eyes at Luo Li, his mouth dry!