Chapter 2790 — On the Road to the Trial

It was much the same as the training in the Ice Palace had been. After Wei Zhao drove through several cities, the signs of human life grew sparse, until at most a few villages could be seen; and as they pressed farther on, even the villages vanished. The climate here, however, was rather pleasant—nothing like the Ice Palace, where snow filled the sky and the roads were all but impassable.

Though the roads here were nothing but dirt tracks, the dry climate meant they did not slow the journey in the least. Another afternoon of driving brought them, by nightfall, to the very place named on the invitation: the Tiandan Inn.

Yes—there at the foot of a desolate, unpeopled mountain, a grand and lavishly built inn had suddenly appeared. This was the registration site for the Xuandan Sect's trial, prepared expressly for the trial's participants.

Unlike the Ice Palace, there were no ordinary residents here; the inn stood entirely alone. No doubt the Xuandan Sect's remote location was why no village had ever formed nearby—or perhaps the sect simply did not care to have common folk living in its vicinity.

Wei Zhao parked the car in the lot and got out with Zhao Qilei. A few other vehicles were scattered across the parking area—whether they belonged to other trial participants or to the Xuandan Sect itself, he could not tell.

"You two—this is no ordinary inn. If you have no invitation, I must ask you to turn back," said a man in coarse cloth, stepping forward to bar their way the moment they entered the lobby. His tone was courteous.

"We're here for the trial," Wei Zhao said flatly. "What wandering cultivator would have an invitation?"

"Oh? I see." The man in cloth showed no irritation; he merely nodded at Wei Zhao. "In that case, please demonstrate your strength, both of you, and I will register you."

Wei Zhao and Zhao Qilei both circulated their mental techniques and oral formulas, revealing their strength. Wei Zhao was late Earth Rank, while Zhao Qilei stood only at the peak of mid Profound Rank.

The rules of this trial, however, were simple: any expert of Profound Rank or above might take part, with no ceiling set. The man in cloth nodded in satisfaction. "Since you are both cultivators, there is no need to check your invitations. Please show me your identity documents, and I will issue your room cards."

Wei Zhao and Zhao Qilei handed over their papers. Only then, having watched Zhao Qilei circulate his internal technique, did Wei Zhao abruptly recall the man's strength: a mere peak mid Profound Rank expert—far too weak.

He was also one of the very few among Wei Zhao's followers who had never received any benefit. And yet, without any benefit, Zhao Qilei had remained utterly loyal, passing word to Wei Zhao at every turn—a rare and precious thing.

The trouble was that when Wei Zhao first met him, they had both been peak mid Profound Rank experts; there was no way he could have raised Zhao Qilei's strength then. Afterward Zhao Qilei had been placed under house arrest, and by the time Wei Zhao became an Earth Rank expert, he had no chance to help him advance. All along the road Wei Zhao had given it no thought—only now did he feel it necessary to strengthen Zhao Qilei somewhat.

Once their papers were registered, Wei Zhao and Zhao Qilei took their room cards and headed for the stairs. They had just turned the corner onto the staircase when footsteps and voices came drifting down from above—other cultivators, it seemed, who had arrived before them.

"Did you hear? The Mingqie Fuming Ri sect has brought in a ruthless one. On the way here, a disciple of the Divine Fist Hall clashed with him and came off none the better. They say two came, and one's already gone back without even entering the trial!" said one of those descending the stairs.

"What? No way. Really? That strong? As expected of the number one demonic sect!" another exclaimed in astonishment. "Is the man called Zhang Naipao? But I heard he's not all that impressive—at the Ice Palace trial, he was beaten into a cripple!"

"Shh—the walls have ears. Don't let word of this reach Zhang Naipao and bring trouble down on us!" the first man said hastily. "Never mind whether the rumors from the Ice Palace trial are true. Even if they are, the affairs of the strong are not for the likes of us drifters who muddle along for experience to comprehend."

"Damn, you're an early Heaven Rank expert yourself!" The other man started; he had not expected his companion to be so timid. "And that Zhang Naipao—I heard he's only at the peak of late Earth Rank. There's still a big gap between him and you!"

"That's true enough. But Zhang Naipao's mental technique and oral formula are deeply sinister, and his martial skills are just as sinister. He's hailed as the foremost man below mid Heaven Rank—they say he's more than a match even for mid Heaven Rank experts. And I'm only early Heaven Rank!" The man smiled indifferently, not in the least embarrassed.

"Fine, truly formidable. But I wonder—at the Ice Palace trial, will that legendary Feng Nitian of the ancient Feng family, the one said to rival Zhang Naipao, be coming back this time? Will those two clash again?" the other said expectantly. "By the way, brother, your surname is Feng too, isn't it? Do you know the ancient Feng family?"

"Tha—let's not talk about that..." The first man shook his head. He was about to say something more when he suddenly said, "Someone's coming."

It gave him a convenient excuse to drop the subject.

In truth, Wei Zhao had heard everything they said. Though the man coming downstairs was an early Heaven Rank expert, he was plainly inexperienced and knew nothing of caution—he had talked for ages before thinking to guard his tongue. Had Zhang Naipao truly overheard, it would already have been too late.

Wei Zhao had no interest in carrying tales to Zhang Naipao, of course; he was merely puzzled. What strange new martial art had Zhang Naipao mastered this time, to have become the foremost man below mid Heaven Rank?

Was that not roughly on par with himself? Wei Zhao could not help shaking his head. Zhang Naipao truly was a ghost that would not stay buried—no sooner had Zhong Yongliang departed than he appeared. He and they were old adversaries indeed.

Zhao Qilei's expression, however, shifted, and he shot Wei Zhao a worried glance. He himself had no quarrel with Zhang Naipao—he had turned coat from Feng Nitian's side—so he did not fear Zhang Naipao's vengeance. But Wei Zhao had beaten Zhang Naipao into a wreck last time. Would Zhang Naipao let the matter rest this time?

Seeing that Wei Zhao wore no particular expression, as though he had not taken the pair's conversation to heart at all, Zhao Qilei relaxed—and then it occurred to him: was Wei Zhao not now the foremost man below mid Heaven Rank as well? He could kill mid Heaven Rank experts in an instant. He should be about as formidable as Zhang Naipao, surely?