Chapter 72: Zhi Mo
Chapter 72: Zhi Mo
As the Creator, Zuo Meng saw this world as his personal garden. He could overturn the table or end the world, but such acts meant nothing. Destroying the world once was enough—like a farmer trampling his own crops. Destruction brought no harvest. Chopping seedlings yielded nothing! The real world still needed to grow. Unless Zuo Meng wished to stay eternally invincible in dreams while withering in reality…
But Young Hero Zuo was no aimless man. True invincibility meant dominating both dreams and reality.
His plan involved extending the Creator’s authority into the real world, but gaps in cultivation and perception hindered this. Bridging these gaps alone would take epochs. Yet with an entire world aiding him, he could harvest grown minds each epoch, accelerating understanding until the missing pieces clicked.
Only by letting crops grow could a farmer reap autumn’s bounty.
This epoch’s “crops” neared maturity. A few pests lingered, but the harvest remained secure.
Three days after Zuo Meng emerged from seclusion, Emperor of Chu arrived with his National Master, Prime Minister, and all high officials to seek Master Xue. They waited half a day at the mountain’s foot only to hear:
“Busy.”
After they left, countless Tai Chu Immortal Gate disciples returned to greet their ancestor. None saw Master Xue.
Two weeks later, Heaven List’s top-ranked Prince Xing Zhao Zheng and second-ranked Du Fan returned with hidden strong individuals—all Zuo Meng’s former students.
😦😦😦Golden Novel translates the best Chinese web novels for you!😦😦😦
“Master, six hundred years have passed, yet you remain unchanged.”
Zhao Zheng looked up, ambition flickering beneath his gaze.
Though first on the Heaven List, few acknowledged him as the strongest. “Master Xue” still loomed large. After six centuries, Zhao Zheng had reached Transformation God’s peak—half-step into harmony with the Dao. He could now crush a Golden Core Cultivator from Suzhou to the capital with one strike.
“Disciple Du Fan pays respects.”
Still youth-faced in scholar’s robes, the former Black Cow Village cowherd now carried a chessboard as the Chess Sage, second on the Heaven List.
“Disciples Wang Jiang, Ma Yu… greet Master.”
Over eighty percent of core disciples returned. The rest had either died or abandoned their master’s legacy.
“All here? Good. The Tai Chu Immortal Gate’s entrance examination begins today. Let’s observe.”
Zuo Meng rose, timing his move perfectly.
At the mountain’s base, children under twelve gathered. After six centuries, entry requirements had stiffened—no longer the loose trials of old. Age and talent now dictated fate.
“Will I pass? They say the exam’s brutal.”
“We’ll make it! Times changed since Master Xue fell from Heaven List’s peak. Now Zhao Zheng’s Sword Gate rules!”
“The Chess Sage’s Tianyi Sect’s good too, but stricter than Tai Chu.”
“Still, Tai Chu remains top-tier. Few sects have Heaven List elites.”
“Black Cow Village kids join Tai Chu or nothing!”
Children parroted adult gossip, puffing chests to seem worldly—until asked specifics left them mute.
“Exam’s late. Mom said Grandpa Xue was flaky. She wasn’t wrong.”
Among the chatter, little Zhi Mo lurked unseen.
He ultimately chose to rely on his own strength for the entrance examination rather than using connections to sneak in. Zhi Mo believed he wasn’t inferior to anyone, and this conviction earned his elder sister Zhi Xin’er’s approval.
To ensure fairness, Zhi Mo had parted ways with his sister outside the city. Along the journey, he befriended several youths preparing for the Tai Chu Immortal Gate’s entrance examination like himself.
“Brother Mo, d’you think we’ll see Heaven List celebrities during this test?”
Beside him, the little beggar in tattered clothes stared yearningly at the mountain peak. This city urchin from the foot of the mountain only came to glimpse the Heaven List luminaries, wanting to brag about it later.
“Definitely! Old Lei the storyteller at Wangxiang Tavern says all immortal methods originate from Tai Chu. Nearly half the Heaven List are Tai Chu Immortal Gate disciples anyway.”
Another companion was a young monk from Cold Mountain Temple. Though six centuries had passed and countless abbots had come and gone, the temple maintained ties with Tai Chu Immortal Gate through Zhang Tu – formerly known as Jie Nian. This young monk was Cold Mountain Temple’s most gifted contemporary disciple.
“Examination begins!”
A voice boomed from the mountain.
Everyone at the foot suddenly felt dizzy. When their vision cleared, they stood in an entirely different realm.
“Blessed Ground!!”
“I’m inside the Blessed Ground!”
The Tai Chu Immortal Gate’s Blessed Ground wasn’t secret. With countless disciples passing through annually, its features were common knowledge, shared with every new generation of examinees.
BOOM!!
Before the youngsters could finish marveling, a colossal demon ape rose from the forest. Its hill-sized head loomed over the trembling examinees.
“M-monster!!”
Nearly half the children froze in terror.
From the crowd:
“W-why’s there a monster? Did monsters eat Tai Chu’s Heaven List High Persons?”
“We’re doomed! I never spent those three coins under City God Temple’s seventh brick!”
The little beggar burst into messy tears, mucus dripping down his face.
“Brother Mo… any chance we’ll survive? Brother Mo?… Mo…”
When no comfort came, the weeping boy looked up in confusion. Someone new now stood beside Zhi Mo – a stern-faced man carrying a Long Sword.
“Little Mo. My master sent me to fetch you.”
Sword Gate of Zhao Zheng?