novelraw Chapter 371 371: 344 Jade Void Palace, Part 2
Chapter 371 371: 344 Jade Void Palace, Part 2
"....." Zhang Rongfang glanced around, feeling faintly like he had been set up.
But since he was already here, there was no turning back.
He took a deep breath and immediately smelled an extremely strong scent of blood and flesh.
The fragrance was so intense, like leaning towards a plate of braised pork and taking a deep sniff. The richness of the aroma far surpassed everyone Zhang Rongfang had ever encountered before!
His spirits lifted immediately.
He turned to look at the Dao Palace.
The aroma was being carried from there by the wind.
Taking a deep breath, Zhang Rongfang lifted his foot and walked step by step towards the gate of the Dao Palace.
In any case, he should first pay respects to the Palace Master.
There was no one in the plaza. It was empty with only the sound of the wind.
Standing before the gate of the Dao Palace.
Zhang Rongfang reached out a hand and pushed.
With a creak, the door slowly opened inward.
Inside was an extremely long and wide grand hall.
A pure white floor, pure white walls, and a pure white ceiling.
The most eye-catching aspect was the densely packed rows of white figures kneeling on both sides of the hall.
Each figure wore heavy white armor and helmets that completely covered their faces, making it impossible to discern their gender.
But there were many of them, at a glance, probably no less than a hundred.
Like guards, they knelt on both sides, naturally forming a straight path to the throne at the end of the hall.
Involuntarily, Zhang Rongfang looked up, following the path upwards.
The throne was enormous, five meters high, three meters wide, with armrests and a backrest adorned with unknown mythical beast head patterns.
Seated right in the center was a slender figure.
"Are you the best candidate chosen by Yue Dewen?"
The figure spoke down from above.
It was a woman!
Zhang Rongfang was certain; her voice was like a clear spring in the deep mountains, cold and stern, making it impossible to discern her thoughts.
He looked closely at her.
He saw that the person seated on the throne was a black-haired woman in a pure white dress with gold thread.
The woman appeared to be only in her twenties, with snow-white skin, and her long hair draped over her body and the throne.
She wore a golden crown, with one eye reflecting a faint blue light, while the other was a normal black pupil.
Upon closer inspection, Zhang Rongfang realized that the eye emitting the blue light was actually a sapphire embedded in the eye socket, reflecting sunlight.
Apart from these striking features, what caught his attention was her exceptionally full and upright chest.
Zhang Rongfang had seen many women with good figures before, but none could compare to the person before him.
The key was that she naturally exposed quite a bit yet bizarrely did not give off a sense of wantonness.
Noble, sacred, beautiful, she was perfect, almost like a goddess.
"I am the humble Daoist Qiankun, may I ask if it is the Master Uncle in person?" Zhang Rongfang stepped forward a few paces and bowed respectfully.
"Master Uncle?" The woman slowly stood up, lightly tapping her foot, and floated over twenty meters to land in front of Zhang Rongfang.
Only upon getting closer did Zhang Rongfang realize that the extremely strong scent of blood and flesh was emanating from this Master Uncle!
He felt a chill in his heart, understanding from previous experience that his current blood and flesh completion could be seen as a talent assessor.
The stronger the talent, the more he lacked, and the more intense the scent of blood and flesh.
And this person before him....
"I am who you referred to as the Master Uncle, Jin Yuyan the Palace Master of Jade Void, Daoist name Celestial Law. You may call me Master Uncle or Palace Master, as you wish." The woman spoke in a calm tone.
"Yes." Zhang Rongfang nodded respectfully.
"I understand why Yue Dewen sent you here. But to gain recognition here is difficult." Jin Yuyan circled Zhang Rongfang while speaking.
"This disciple merely came to assume the position of Prefect of the Provincial Capital of Ze Province; beyond that, I am not aware." Zhang Rongfang replied honestly.
"It's good not to know. Our Jade Void Palace also has Daoists, but here, we focus mainly on martial arts, not literary cultivation. To serve as a Daoist here and gain recognition, you must ascend the martial path." Jin Yuyan said blandly. "Are you willing?"
"Martial path?" Zhang Rongfang's heart stirred slightly.
"Precisely." Jin Yuyan suddenly leaned in close, her chest almost pressed against Zhang Rongfang's back.
She gently placed her hands on Zhang Rongfang's shoulders and then began squeezing downwards along his arms.
"Interesting, such a physique, such Hard Skill...."
Her eyes gleamed slightly as if she suddenly discovered something.
"Yue Dewen knew my rules here and still sent you over... it seems..."
Her expression gradually changed as she quickly moved her hands over Zhang Rongfang's body.
"Master Uncle...." Zhang Rongfang felt uncomfortable all over, wanting to flee but worried about being disrespectful.
"Do not fear, if just the appearance of the flesh moves your heart, it shows your mind is not strong enough!" Jin Yuyan paid no heed.
"Master Shishu, please maintain your dignity!!" Zhang Rongfang felt the hands of the other person increasingly moving downward, and immediately stepped back decisively to avoid the other's grasp.
"What's wrong with letting me touch? How can I assess your aptitude without touching? How can you prove that you can take on the identity of our Daoist??
Besides, heaven and earth are natural, all things grow, we human shapes are nothing but shells, mere mortal bodies, what is there to care about? Sooner or later, we all have to ascend to immortality."
Jin Yuyan nonchalantly.
"If you can't see through it, it just means your cultivation is insufficient, that's all!"
Zhang Rongfang was speechless.
He had already figured out that this Master Shishu seemingly had a mental issue.
No wonder there was no one else in this place, probably everyone knew this person had issues and thus kept their distance.
"Speaking of which, earlier Yue Dewen also sent a Daoist over here for me to train." Jin Yuyan recalled, "The kid was small when he came, only half your height. After my careful testing, his constitution was too weak, he could only follow the Cultivation of Literature path and couldn't stay here."
"That must be Senior Brother Zhang Qingzhi?" Zhang Rongfang felt relieved seeing them not following him anymore.
"Seems like that's the name, but I've forgotten." Jin Yuyan said casually, "Pity though, that kid also valued appearances. Just had him strip and run around outside with weights, and he feigned illness after only two sessions."
"..." Zhang Rongfang was dumbfounded. What kind of strange training method is this???
The key point is that Senior Brother Zhang even actually trained twice!?
"What kind of look is that??" Jin Yuyan's beautiful eyes widened, instantly glaring at Zhang Rongfang.
"It's returning to nature! Like all things, humans too were originally children of heaven.
With nothing extra on the body, that's the best way to feel nature.
Feel the wind, everything external, contact and friction with your own skin, that kind of wonderful feeling, you wouldn't understand!"
"...." You're the boss, everything you say is right.
Zhang Rongfang was already unable to retort.
"Alright, since Yue Dewen has sent you to me, if you want my approval to become the Jade Void Palace Daoist, it will depend on whether you can endure my tests!" Jin Yuyan said seriously.
"....." I don't want to endure your tests....
Zhang Rongfang really wanted to say this.
But ever since Jin Yuyan's chaotic groping, his gaze on Zhang Rongfang had completely changed....
"May I ask, back then, what teachings did Senior Brother Zhang receive from you?" Zhang Rongfang suddenly asked.
"Very simple." Jin Yuyan raised three fingers. "There are three items in total."
"First, Life and Death.
Second, Copulation.
Third, Desire."
The names already sounded a bit off...
"Dare I ask Master Shishu... could you elaborate a bit more...?" Zhang Rongfang's smile was already strained.
"Considering your decent aptitude, I could." Jin Yuyan stood with hands behind his back, looking out at the sky.
"The first, Life and Death, differs person to person, so I set up a Life and Death chamber for Zhang Qingzhi.
In the human world, struggling and fighting, heart nature is paramount. So I locked him inside, for forty-nine days, with daily food provided. Then every hour, releasing a starving fierce beast slightly stronger than him at the time, for a life-and-death struggle."
"At that time he was young, about eleven or twelve, I started with just wolves, gradually increasing their numbers. Then switched to leopards, bears, tigers, and such, allowing him to be tempered in life and death."
Zhang Rongfang: "..."
"Then the second was Copulation." Jin Yuyan paused, showing dissatisfaction.
"Actually, I was quite satisfied with his performance on the first. But on the second, he was completely unqualified.
This kid's Qi and Blood would accelerate, mentally exhilarated each time he saw me. So I had him go out naked, inviting everyone to come and watch, to help him cut off his troublesome desires from the heart.
Pity, he turned out even more useless.
So I brought various beautiful women to torment him, beat him, to destroy his impulses on this matter.
Pity....." She shook her head, clearly indicating it ended in failure.
"..." Zhang Rongfang had already understood why this Master Shishu was avoided like the plague by those around....
No wonder Senior Brother Zhang was so thoroughly subdued by the gentle and tender Lin Qianhe....
Perhaps originally Senior Brother Zhang wasn't so twisted, but ever since leaving this place, from the moment he stepped out of Jade Void Palace, he was already not normal....
"Since he failed the second, naturally the third wasn't necessary to test. However, despite his failure, you have great promise!" Jin Yuyan intensely stared at Zhang Rongfang.
"Uh....." Zhang Rongfang stiffened. "That....aside from this method, are there other ways to become a Jade Void Palace Daoist?"
This Master Shishu's mental state was clearly a trap.
So if there's another way, seek another way....
"There is, but you can't do it." Jin Yuyan shook her head.
"What method!?" Zhang Rongfang perked up, there actually is?
"Very simple, two conditions.
First: Render all other Daoists useless, so you are the sole Daoist. Our Jade Void Palace emphasizes martial arts and killing, the Celestial Law is ruthless, the closer to heaven one is, so it is as well." Jin Yuyan spoke calmly.
"The second?" Zhang Rongfang felt he could try.
"Second, just as I did back then, kill all your relatives, thereby severing weaknesses and attachments. Only thus can you achieve absolute strength." Jin Yuyan's expression returned to coldness.
"Can you do it?"