Yuantian Pidao

Chapter 428 Under the Shadow
Outside the Tower of Inquiry, the hustle and bustle had largely subsided, and the setting sun cast a twilight hue, adding a touch of melancholy.

At that very moment, rays of spiritual light burst forth from within the Tower of Inquiry, forming a gate of light.

The next instant, Xuan Jiaozi's figure emerged from it.

"My long and arduous patience has finally paid off; I have overcome this final hurdle."

Despite his disheveled appearance, Xuan Jiaozi was invigorated and could hardly contain his joy.

Although the mysteries within the Tower of Inquiry were still a secret in the eyes of most disciples, he, backed by the Dragon and Snake Society, already knew them.

That is why, in order to break through the barrier, he deliberately held back in the first few levels of the Tower of Inquiry, and did not reveal his trump card even at a certain cost.

He only revealed all his cards in the final level, and the result was as he had expected. After a hard-fought battle, he successfully passed the level.

"I broke through the barrier in six hours, which is not slow among the disciples of past generations. At least it ranks in the middle."

With thoughts racing through his mind and his heart filled with joy, Xuan Jiaozi prepared himself to be greeted by the cheers of the crowd.

But in the next instant, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

The expected cheers, exclamations, and compliments did not arrive; instead, there was only silence.

The floating island, which had been surrounded by disciples, was now deserted and quiet.

There are still some disciples left, but at most one-tenth.

Even the one-tenth of his disciples were not as enthusiastic as expected when they saw him come out. But that's normal. After all, they had just witnessed history, and what they saw before them was just a small scene. It was hard for them to have any big feelings about him.

"What's going on here?"

Realizing something was wrong, Xuan Jiaozi frowned.

At that moment, his supporters finally gathered around.

"Congratulations, Senior Brother, on breaking through the Dao Tower. You are now on the path to receiving true teachings."

With joy on their faces, everyone congratulated Xuan Jiaozi. However, although they were elated, there was always a hint of worry in their eyes.

Taking in all these changes, Xuan Jiaozi's unease grew stronger.

"Tell me, what happened?"

His expression turned cold and stern. Xuan Jiaozi turned his gaze to Jiao Ze, the number two in his team. Jiao Ze was a bit stronger than him in terms of cultivation, with the strength of a perfect Dao Foundation. However, his foundation was a bit weak, and the possibility of him becoming a Purple Mansion was extremely slim.

Upon hearing this, Jiao Ze, who looked mature and appeared to be around forty years old, stopped hiding his true feelings and told Xuan Jiaozi everything that had happened.

Upon hearing this, Xuan Jiaozi's expression changed repeatedly.

At this moment, looking towards the spot where Jiang Chen had stood, Xuan Jiaozi felt the afterglow of the setting sun receding from him, and darkness descending, completely enveloping him.

"Jiang Chen..."

Gritting his teeth, Xuan Jiaozi was both shocked and furious.

Through the lingering echoes of the previous strange phenomenon, Xuan Jiaozi vaguely saw a blurry figure—it was Jiang Chen. At this moment, Xuan Jiaozi felt a chill spread through his heart. Although he was standing at the highest point of the Dao Inquiry Tower, he felt as if he were shrouded in Jiang Chen's shadow.

"I have painstakingly planned and schemed to achieve this day; how dare a mere illegitimate son act in this way?"

Thinking that the momentum he had painstakingly built up had been easily taken away by Jiang Chen, Xuan Jiaozi's hatred reached its peak. In the competition for the true discipleship, one either advances or falls behind. Without sufficient support, it would be extremely difficult for him to pass the true discipleship trial with his methods. Or rather, before the trial even started, he had probably already lost a lot of points in the eyes of the sect's higher-ups.

After all, a true disciple represents the face of the sect, and the sect's higher-ups would not allow an incompetent and shameless person to ascend to the position of true disciple.

Understanding these crucial points, a surge of frustration welled up within him, and a flush rose to Xuan Jiaozi's face, making him almost vomit blood.

"This matter cannot be left unresolved. We must regain both face and substance, otherwise my chances of becoming a true successor are slim."

Suppressing the metallic taste in his throat, Xuan Jiaozi barely managed to keep himself from losing his composure.

While silently watching this scene from the crowd, a strange light flashed in Wu Jun'an's eyes.

"I lost my composure, but I still retained my rationality."

Seeing Xuan Jiaozi's condition, Wu Jun'an lowered his head.

He was also a member of Xuan Jiaozi's camp, and because of his previous defeat to Jiang Chen, he was even further accepted by Xuan Jiaozi. It was normal for him to be here at this moment. Of course, the reason he stayed was not to wait for Xuan Jiaozi to break through his cultivation, but because a voice in his mind told him to do so.

"Today I have broken through the barrier, and soon I will be challenging the true lineage. You should begin your preparations according to the original schedule."

With a resounding voice, Xuan Jiaozi demonstrated his determination: his commitment to breaking through to the true lineage was absolutely unwavering.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of those present varied. Some breathed a sigh of relief, some were quite excited, and some were worried. As for all of this, Xuan Jiaozi had no time to pay attention to it.

"Jiao Ze, Huang Liangcai, Chai Hao..."

With a cold voice, Xuan Jiaozi began to recite one name after another. These people were the core figures in his camp, his right-hand men.

However, just as his gaze swept over everyone and landed on Wu Jun'an, for some reason, he suddenly felt a sense of shared misfortune. Originally, Wu Jun'an was just a pawn and not a true core member, but at this moment, he suddenly had the idea of ​​pulling Wu Jun'an into the core.

"Wu Jun'an, come with me."

After a slight hesitation, Xuan Jiaozi still read out Wu Jun'an's name.

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the others shifted, but they remained silent. In terms of cultivation, they might be higher than Wu Jun'an, but in terms of aptitude and talent, none of them could compare to Wu Jun'an, after all, Wu Jun'an possessed a precious physique.

However, precisely because Wu Jun'an's aptitude is too good, it is difficult for him to become a true core member. After all, the center of their group is Xuan Jiaozi, and it is difficult to accommodate someone who can rival him, unless Wu Jun'an is willing to play a supporting role, but that is very difficult.

After all, if given the chance, who wouldn't want to be the brightest star?
As Xuan Jiaozi and his group departed, the grand spectacle of breaking through the Tower of Inquiry finally came to an end. Although Xuan Jiaozi did successfully break through in the end, the result was far from what was expected, and it would be an understatement to say that it started strong but ended weakly.

Upon receiving news of Xuan Jiaozi's successful breakthrough in Diancui Mountain, Jiang Chen smiled.

"It was almost inevitable that Xuan Jiaozi would break through the barrier, but I stole the limelight from him, and he lost his composure for a moment. That was enough. What I need to do next is to take this opportunity to plant a seed in his heart."

With a sudden thought, Jiang Chen placed a chess piece on the chessboard.

Sitting opposite Jiang Chen, Nianhua caught a glimpse of the smile on his face and, for some reason, felt a chill creep into her heart.

(End of this chapter)