Druid Fairy

Chapter 182 Take action
Li Mengjin let the knife-like wind blow against his body.

"He's gone mad! Has this kid gone insane?"

"He dares to go onto the bridge without using his protective aura? He's courting death!"

The people on the shore all thought they had seen a fool who overestimated his abilities.

But the next moment, everyone shut their mouths, their eyes wide open like saucers.

The gale, powerful enough to tear steel, seemed to encounter some invisible barrier when it reached three feet in front of Li Mengjin, automatically splitting to both sides without even stirring his clothes!
"What...what's going on?!"

"Sword intent! It's sword intent protecting the body!" An old cultivator with some knowledge exclaimed in a trembling voice, "This young man has actually cultivated sword intent to the point of being able to control it at will, forming his own domain! My god, such talent in swordsmanship is something I have never heard of before!"

Li Mengjin ignored the commotion on the shore. With a calm expression, he walked steadily forward step by step on the swaying iron chains as if walking on flat ground.

He didn't walk fast, but each step he took carried a unique rhythm, as if he were in harmony with the pulse of heaven and earth.

Those invisible forces, powerful enough to shake one's mind, invaded his sea of ​​consciousness, but only an ancient sword shadow hung there, impervious to all magic.

For him, the so-called "Bridge of Inquiry" was nothing more than an ordinary mountain path.

In less than a hundred steps, he completed the entire journey, landing lightly on the opposite cliff. Throughout the entire process, his clothes remained intact and his breathing remained unchanged.

He turned around and smiled slightly at the people on the other side.

The entire Broken Soul Cliff was completely silent.

On the opposite bank, the state official in charge of recording paused, his pen scribbling, leaving a large ink blot on the rice paper.

His eyes were filled with horror and disbelief.

"Who is this boy?!" he asked his adjutant in surprise. "Is he on the roster?"

The adjutant hurriedly flipped through the roster in his hand, and after searching for a long time, he finally found the corresponding name in an inconspicuous corner: "Reporting to...Reporting to my lord, this person is named Li Jin. He is from no sect or school and is a rogue cultivator reported by Yunshui County. He is...fifteen years old this year."

"A rogue cultivator? Fifteen years old?" The official gasped, finding the combination of these words utterly absurd.

At fifteen, his sword intent protected his body, forming its own domain!
Such a prodigy is extremely rare, not to mention the small Songling Prefecture, even in the entire Great Yu Dynasty!

Even among the arrogant princes and nobles in the capital, how many could do that?

He quickly drew three heavy circles after the name "Li Jin" with a vermilion pen, secretly deciding that this boy must not be offended and that he must report it!
After a brief period of deathly silence, the clamor at the cliff's edge erupted completely.

"My God! What did I just see? He actually walked right past it!"

"Li Jin? Never heard of him! Where did this monster come from?"

"This is true skill hidden in disguise! Compared to him, that young master Zhang who just fell down is nothing but a clown!"

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, there was a mixture of awe and envy.

They all speculated about the origins of this suddenly appearing young man. Some said he was the personal disciple of a reclusive master, while others said he had inherited the legacy of an ancient sword immortal. There were all sorts of theories, but no one believed that he would be an ordinary rogue cultivator.

Li Mengjin seemed oblivious to all of this. He found a clean rock, sat cross-legged, placed "Shadow Fang" across his lap, closed his eyes to rest, as if everything around him was irrelevant.

He was not aloof; he was simply following his father's teachings.

His display of sword intent today was already a last resort; if he were to attract further attention, it might bring unnecessary trouble.

Just then, a loud, boisterous voice came from the direction of the suspension bridge.

"Oh my god! I'm exhausted! Who designed this lousy bridge? It's absolutely inhuman and utterly monstrous!"

A fat man, dressed in a flamboyant brocade robe and wearing a golden crown, with a rather handsome face, but whose hair was disheveled by the strong wind and whose clothes were torn in several places, was scrambling down the iron chain, looking as disheveled as could be.

As soon as he stepped onto solid ground, he plopped down on the ground, panting heavily.

"Brother Han, you've finally arrived!"

"Young Master Han, your charm is as undiminished as ever!"

Several equally well-dressed scions of prominent families immediately surrounded them on the shore.

This fat man was none other than Han Youwei, the only direct descendant of the Han family in Qinghe County. The Han family started as merchants and became one of the wealthiest families in Songling Prefecture.

Han Youwei was a troublemaker since childhood. He disliked business and preferred to play with swords and spears. Relying on his family's massive resources, he managed to reach the Qi Refining cultivation level. He was good at making friends, generous and righteous, and had an exceptionally good reputation among the younger generation in Songling Prefecture.

"Go away! Stop making sarcastic remarks!" Han Youwei waved his hand impatiently. His gaze swept across the crowd and immediately locked onto Li Mengjin, who was dressed in a blue robe and had an outstanding temperament.

His eyes lit up, and he plopped down next to Li Mengjin as if they were old friends, giving him a thumbs up and saying, "Brother! You're awesome! You're the most awesome person I've ever met! The way you were on the bridge just now, the way you were so elegant and imposing, it was like a celestial being descended to earth! My name is Han Youwei, from the Han family of Qinghe, want to be friends?"

Li Mengjin opened her eyes, looked at the enthusiastic, chubby face in front of her, and frowned almost imperceptibly.

He wasn't used to being so close to strangers.

"Li Jin." He uttered two words succinctly as a response.

"Li Jin? What a great name!" Han Youwei slapped his thigh. "Brother, which family are you from? Who is your master? Another day, I'll treat you to the largest restaurant in the prefecture, Wangjiang Tower, and I'll treat you to 'Immortal's Intoxication' that's been brewing for three hundred years!"

Looking into his shrewd yet utterly maliceless eyes, Li Mengjin's initial resistance lessened somewhat. This fat man was quite a charming person, without a trace of guile.

"Rogue cultivator."

"Rogue cultivator?"

Han Youwei was stunned, then his eyes showed even more admiration as he looked at him. "Brother, you're really a rogue cultivator? Your talent is simply one in a million! No way, I'm definitely going to be your friend! From now on, in Songling Prefecture, if anyone dares to mess with you, just mention my name, Han Youwei, and I'll teach them a lesson!"

This fat man does resemble his elder brother Li Yuanhu somewhat; they share the same generous and righteous spirit.

A faint smile appeared on Li Mengjin's lips. Although she didn't speak again, she didn't get up to leave either, which could be considered as tacitly acknowledging Han Youwei's existence.

After the first round of assessments, only about a hundred people were able to pass the "Bridge of Inquiry".

More than 90% were eliminated.

The results of the second round of assessments were announced soon after.

The location is behind the Broken Soul Cliff, in a vast mountain forest called "Black Mist Forest".

The test was very simple: all candidates would be randomly placed in various parts of the Black Mist Forest, which contained not only poisonous insects and ferocious beasts, but also various monsters "raised" by the organizers.

The candidates must survive in the forest for three days, hunting down "demon cores" from monsters as proof. After three days, the final ranking will be determined by the quantity and quality of the demon cores. Upon hearing this rule, everyone understood that the real test had begun.

This is not just a battle between humans and beasts, but a slaughter between humans!

Stealing someone else's demon core is much faster than painstakingly hunting demon beasts yourself!

With the sound of a gong, more than a hundred examinees were disrupted by the teleportation array and fell into the Black Mist Forest.

Li Mengjin looked around. Towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, and the air was filled with a damp, rotten smell, making visibility extremely low.

Instead of rushing to find the monster, he found the tallest ancient tree, and with a swift movement, silently climbed up, like a gecko that had become one with the tree trunk, concealing all his presence.

What he needs to do first is to observe.

Beneath this seemingly peaceful forest, undercurrents were already surging.

There were groups of three or five young masters from noble families, forming small teams; there were lone rangers who moved through the forest like ghosts; and some had even begun to set traps, preparing to "wait for the rabbit to run into the tree stump".

Li Mengjin's gaze quickly settled on a "familiar face"—Han Youwei.

The fat man seemed to be having bad luck; he was currently peering out from the edge of a swamp. He held a compass in his hand, seemingly searching for something.

"Hey, found it!" Han Youwei's eyes suddenly lit up, and a smug smile appeared on his face. He took three steps at a time and ran to an inconspicuous mound in the swamp. He took out a small shovel from his storage bag and started digging excitedly.

A moment later, he carefully dug out a spiritual herb that was entirely green and emitted a faint fragrance.

"Jade Marrow Grass! And it's a hundred years old! I'm rich!" Han Youwei was overjoyed. This thing could easily sell for over a hundred spirit stones, enough for him to drink "Immortal's Intoxication" several times.

But before the smile on his face could fade, a sudden change occurred!

Behind a large tree not far behind him, a pair of eyes were fixed on him!

A slender, gray-robed monk with cold eyes quietly took out a black flute, placed it to his lips, and blew out a silent sound wave.

The next moment, the swamp in front of Han Youwei suddenly surged, and a huge black shadow burst out of the mud!
That was a monster comparable to the fourth level of Qi Refining—a giant swamp frog!
"I rely on!"

Han Youwei was terrified. He never expected that picking herbs would lead him to stumble upon the lair of a demon beast!

Without a second thought, he turned and ran.

But the giant swamp frog wasn't about to let him go, and charged at him!
Han Youwei hastily summoned a money shield magic weapon, barely managing to block the giant swamp frog's tongue strike, but the immense force caused his blood to surge and he staggered.

"It's all over! This young master is going to die young here today!" Han Youwei felt utterly hopeless.

At this critical moment, a clear and cold sword cry, as if from the heavens above, suddenly rang out!

"Qiang!"

A dazzling cyan sword light, like lightning slicing through the night, descended from the sky!

The sword light was incredibly fast, carrying an unstoppable and domineering momentum. In just a flash, it severed the giant frog's tongue!
Green, foul-smelling liquid splattered all over the ground.

The giant swamp frog let out a painful screech, its massive body crashing back into the swamp, stirring up a cloud of mud.

The gray-robed cultivator who had launched the sneak attack was struck dumb, letting out a muffled groan as blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He stared in disbelief at the sword light descending from the sky, his eyes filled with horror.

Having survived the ordeal, Han Youwei, still shaken, turned around and saw that Li Mengjin had appeared behind him at some point, holding a long sword, his clothes fluttering, like a sword immortal descending to earth.

"Li...Li Jin, brother!"

Han Youwei was so excited he almost cried. He scrambled over to his side, saying, "Thank you so much, brother, for saving my life! I can't thank you enough. From now on, you're my brother!"

Li Mengjin ignored his agitation, only looking coldly at the tree where the gray-robed cultivator was hiding, and uttered a single word: "Get lost."

The gray-robed monk felt a chill run down his spine; he knew he had met his match.

This young man's swordsmanship is unfathomable, far beyond my ability to match.

Without the slightest hesitation, he vanished into the black mist in a flash.

"Who is this bastard? Do I even know him? Why did he try to harm me?" Han Youwei cursed as he looked in the direction the gray-clad man had disappeared.

"He was the one who discovered that Jade Marrow Grass first," Li Mengjin said calmly, sheathing his sword.

The reason he made a move was that the fat man was indeed to his liking; he was generous, had no ill intentions, and was much more pleasing to the eye than the gray-robed cultivator.

"So that's how it is! No wonder I've been so lucky!"

Han Youwei suddenly realized what was going on, and then said with a righteous expression, "But you can't blame me! Treasures of nature belong to the virtuous! I, Han Youwei, am of noble character, and this herb should belong to me! He attacked me in the back and is of depraved character, so he deserves not to get it!"

Li Mengjin was amused by his absurd reasoning.

After this incident, Han Youwei became Li Mengjin's "shadow," calling him "Brother Li" affectionately. Li Mengjin found him noisy but didn't actually send him away.

The two traveled together and hunted down many monsters, collecting a lot of monster cores.

The assessment ended three days later.

With Li Mengjin's exceptional strength and Han Youwei's luck, which was comparable to that of a treasure-hunting rat, the two of them undoubtedly ranked among the top in terms of the quantity and quality of the demon cores they collected.

Less than thirty people passed the second round of assessment.

These people are all outstanding young people in Songling Prefecture.

Just as they were taking a short break and preparing for the final round, a gold-embossed invitation was delivered to each of them.

The invitations were sent by the Wang family, the local tyrants of Songling Prefecture.

The Wang family is a family of generals, with several outstanding generals who guarded the frontier. They are deeply rooted in Songling Prefecture and wield immense power. Even the prefectural governor has to give them some respect.

Wang Tianba, the head of the Wang family, invited all the "talented individuals" who passed the second test to a banquet at the Wang family mansion tonight, euphemistically called a "welcome feast."

As night fell, the Wang family mansion was brightly lit.

Li Mengjin and Han Youwei arrived together. As soon as they stepped into the Wang family's gate, they felt the overwhelming luxury and power.

(End of this chapter)