Chapter 143: History Always Seems Astonishingly Similar
Lin Zhongyu’s mind was swirling with thoughts. Mu Jixue noticed her dazed expression and tilted her head to scrutinize Lin Zhongyu.
“Little Yu?”
“Uh… Ah! Sorry, I just heard some commotion from here, and I came over worried.”
Worried, huh… Well, she really was worried.
Worried that you all would sneak off to rank up without me and leave me behind!
It felt like being the last person in a dormitory when your two roommates, who were supposed to play together, suddenly duo up and reach the top rank without you.
The rank difference was too great, and the system forbade team formation.
The person left behind would definitely feel disappointed and angry.
Why didn’t you bring me along? I can pull my weight in assists (shoving forward) or tanking (getting Mu Jixue killed), I’m ready for anything!
What am I not doing right?
Of course, these little thoughts were buried deep in Lin Zhongyu’s heart.
“Oh, you mean that?” At that moment, Yun Zhonghe calmly pointed his thumb at Mu Jixue. “Jixue was just trying to grab the highest-level secret manual and accidentally tripped.”
“Is that all?”
Lin Zhongyu blinked in disbelief.
Mu Jixue was about to speak when Yun Zhonghe sharply cut in: “Yes, after all, she’s so short.”
“Y-You call me short?!”
Mu Jixue was suddenly furious, kicking Yun Zhonghe in the calf.
Yun Zhonghe could only smile bitterly.
He was well aware of how poor this white-haired loli’s performance skills were, and considering Lin Zhongyu had known her for so long, any hint of something sneaky from Mu Jixue would immediately be perceived by Lin Zhongyu. She simply couldn’t hide anything from Lin Zhongyu.
Thus, Yun Zhonghe definitely wouldn’t let Mu Jixue explain and even took the opportunity to poke at this white-haired loli. Her anger was genuine; it couldn’t be faked.
Though Yun Zhonghe was a bit clueless when it came to emotions, he was very precise about handling the situation with Mu Jixue.
And sure enough, Lin Zhongyu, completely oblivious to the undercurrents, seemed to gradually buy the story.
Her worries vanished in an instant, and she smirked, “Xue’er, if you really can’t reach it, don’t be shy about asking Brother Yun for help! He definitely won’t mind a small favor, right, Brother Yun?”
Yun Zhonghe nodded, “Yeah, of course.”
Lin Zhongyu seemed delighted, realizing it was all in her head.
Of course, there’s no way Brother Yun and Xue’er would leave her behind; she just needed to have more confidence.
No more doubts in the future!
At that moment, Mu Jixue’s face was filled with difficulty, but the situation was improving, so she reluctantly agreed to Lin Zhongyu’s wishes.
In truth, that was a close call; if she had waited even a moment longer, explaining to Lin Zhongyu would have been impossible.
Reflecting on what had just happened, Mu Jixue felt as if a little deer was bouncing around in her heart, but she was also curious about what really happened when her consciousness was disconnected.
She had no recollection.
Only Yun Zhonghe knew what incredibly embarrassing things happened at that moment. If he hadn’t cleverly spotted the secret manual Mu Jixue had picked, learned it on the fly, and saved the day, it would have ended very differently.
Not only would her relationship with Lin Zhongyu crumble, but so would her bond with Mu Jixue.
Then, Yun Zhonghe’s gaze fell once more on the secret manual he just handed to Mu Jixue—Spiritual Spike!
This was an incredibly rare spiritual attack manual.
As everyone knows, spiritual energy typically has only auxiliary effects, but some ancient experts who delved into spiritual energy developed a few rare spiritual attack techniques.
Spiritual attacks can bypass spiritual energy and directly target the opponent’s Sea of Consciousness. If a cultivator’s Sea of Consciousness is harmed, no matter how high their cultivation level, they could faint on the spot and become a sitting duck.
Yun Zhonghe had quickly learned this spiritual attack technique and compressed his scant spiritual energy into a spiritual needle, which he jabbed into Mu Jixue’s Sea of Consciousness.
Admittedly, once one’s spiritual level surpasses the initial understanding stage, it becomes easier to learn cultivation methods, spells, and sword techniques.
Yun Zhonghe’s spiritual level had reached the mid-initial understanding stage, and even with just a cursory glance at the spiritual attack manual, he could manage to condense it.
At that time, Mu Jixue’s consciousness was still in slumber when suddenly a needle jabbed in. Her Sea of Consciousness trembled, and she completely woke up.
Though she couldn’t recall what happened midway, when she woke up, she found herself sitting on Yun Zhonghe’s lap.
Even though Yun Zhonghe quietly told her that she had tripped and caused him to fall too, so nothing happened between them, Mu Jixue still felt something was off.
Did… nothing really happen?
Yun Zhonghe finally let out a sigh of relief, feeling he was safely back on land.
Remember back in the forest outside Cangzhou City, right before he awakened his past life’s memories, he almost jabbed a needle into Lin Zhongyu and nearly got caught by the rushing Mu Jixue.
Now, in the Myriad Path Divine Tower, he nearly got caught by Lin Zhongyu while jabbing a spiritual needle into Mu Jixue as well.
History does repeat itself, doesn’t it?
Of course, he knew well that Mu Jixue’s strange behavior was just a temporary lapse in judgment. Although Yun Zhonghe admitted he felt a bit moved at that moment, reason told him they were just good friends.
He wouldn’t entertain any misguided thoughts; this unexpected incident would remain buried in the depths of his memory.
“Eh?”
Mu Jixue was in disarray, Yun Zhonghe felt relieved, and Lin Zhongyu suddenly noticed a detail on Yun Zhonghe’s lips.
Were Brother Yun’s lips… that reddish?
Previously, while taking the Spirit Boat back to Cangzhou City from Qingzhu Town, Lin Zhongyu had observed Yun Zhonghe’s lips in detail, and she felt the color was different from what she’d seen before.
She couldn’t help but start to wonder again, but reason urged her to stop her train of thought.
“Brother Yun must have exhausted himself during the trial, hence the redness in his lips isn’t unusual.”
That said… does exhaustion make lips redden even more? Is that reasonable?
Lin Zhongyu quietly tucked away her doubts.
The three of them each had their own thoughts.
“Have you both picked out your manuals yet?”
At that moment, Yun Zhonghe finally composed himself and asked the two girls.
Both Mu Jixue and Lin Zhongyu nodded. Yun Zhonghe mentioned he still had one manual left to choose from but already had a selection in mind, telling them to follow him.
In another part of the thirty-fifth floor, Yun Zhonghe picked a manual on a magical eye technique.
“This ‘Ice Shield’ spell manual is for you, Miss Jixue, and this ‘Magic Eye’ technique is for you, Miss Zhongyu.”
Yun Zhonghe handed the two manuals to the girls, and both pairs of beautiful eyes sparkled in shock.
“Wait, what are you doing? Are you crazy, giving away manuals like that?!” Mu Jixue’s eyes widened.
Lin Zhongyu quickly added, “Brother Yun, absolutely not! You need to retract that!”
“Not possible? Why not?”
Facing the girls’ vehement objections, Yun Zhonghe appeared unconcerned, his tone laced with an undeniable insistence.
Whenever he was about to give them such wonderful benefits, Yun Zhonghe always got a bit pushy, determined to inject his sincerity straight into their systems.
This is from Dad’s heart; you better accept it.
“I told you before, it’s all for you two. And this time, the trial wasn’t just me putting in the effort.”
“When facing Elder Xia Wudi’s challenge, without your observations, Zhongyu, and your suggestions, Jixue, I wouldn’t have figured out the key to clearing it.”
“The fruits of this victory belong to the three of us!”
Yun Zhonghe didn’t talk about personal interests but focused on their collective benefit, amplifying their contributions so much it warmed their hearts.
Also, their growth would eventually benefit Yun Zhonghe too, wouldn’t it?
The stronger Jixue became, the more resources she could acquire, speeding up her cultivation, and as her cultivation soared, Yun Zhonghe would grow stronger too. It was a win-win!
No one calculated better than Yun Zhonghe!
He had been working so hard on this trip to the Myriad Path Divine Tower for them.
Moreover, now that Yun Zhonghe had learned Elder Xia Wudi’s sword technique, he felt the sword techniques here were no longer that useful to him.
“Compared to me, I think you two need this more.”
Yun Zhonghe’s words deeply pierced the hearts of Mu Jixue and Lin Zhongyu, igniting a warm tremor of emotion in them.
Suddenly, Mu Jixue felt a pang of guilt.
She’d doubted if Yun Zhonghe had done anything strange to her during her subconscious interval.
How could I have doubted him! I shouldn’t have!
Lin Zhongyu bit her lip, feeling a bit remorseful.
She often worried that Jixue and Brother Yun were keeping secrets from her and would eventually leave her out, but that now felt impossible! How could Brother Yun give away something so important?
I really shouldn’t have doubted him!
“Well, alright then, I’ll treat it as borrowing it first. I don’t like feeling indebted to anyone, so if you ever see something good, make sure to let me know.”
Mu Jixue’s cheeks reddened slightly as she accepted Yun Zhonghe’s kindness, her previous resistance fading away tremendously.
Now this is the real Huang Aotian, graciously accepting the sincerity of the yellow-haired guy, getting fully charged with experience points, and she’d surely smash through everything in the future!
Seeing Mu Jixue’s shy demeanor, Lin Zhongyu secretly rejoiced and then also accepted the technique Yun Zhonghe had chosen.
The technique “Magic Eye” enhances the eye’s powerful abilities through spiritual energy and has the added benefit of disrupting enemy spellcasting.
However, Yun Zhonghe chose this manual for Lin Zhongyu primarily for its eye-enhancing effects, helping her Golden Emperor Sacred Eyes operate more effectively and last longer.
Both manuals were meticulously selected and tailored just for them by Yun Zhonghe!
Such attentiveness was almost more than a father would show!
Even Yun Zhonghe couldn’t help but pat himself on the back.
This time, he’d definitely gained some favor, right?
Once the three confirmed their selected manuals, the Myriad Path Divine Tower was ready to send them out.
This trial was about to wrap up, and all three felt they had gained a lot, noticeably transformed from when they entered the tower!
Before leaving, Yun Zhonghe suddenly remembered something and cautioned them, “By the way, once we’re out, if anyone asks what happened inside the tower, you both act like you know nothing. Just tell them you exhausted your strength and fainted—it’s better if I handle the rest.”
Yun Zhonghe was quite perceptive; he anticipated that this incident would raise quite a stir, so it was best to prepare the girls.
Mu Jixue was left with a big question mark on her forehead, clearly too naive to grasp Yun Zhonghe’s implication.
But clever Lin Zhongyu immediately understood and told Mu Jixue to follow Yun Zhonghe’s orders.
The three of them had formed an exceptionally perfect triangular relationship.
Boom—!
The gates of the Myriad Path Divine Tower were about to open. Though the three had spent a day inside, it felt like they had lived for eons.
They were all psychologically prepared to face the upcoming storm, but when they stepped out, they were stunned by the scenery outside.
A myriad of Transformation Gods in the sky were staring at them with intensity, a dark sea of figures! There were even ancient ferocious beasts, mounts of Transformation Stage monsters, and Spirit Boat battleships akin to fortresses…
The three of them felt their heads buzzing, as if they’d wandered into an astonishing place.
“They’re out! They’re out!”
“So these are the young ones from the trial? They definitely give off an extraordinary aura.”
“Can you guess which one is the current Xia Wudi?”
“I think that white-haired one looks like her; her talent and spiritual root are quite extraordinary…”
Yun Zhonghe and the others felt like animals in a zoo, being examined and pointed at.
Yun Zhonghe took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure and calm.
Seems like the hole he dug was bigger than he anticipated.
“You three must be the ones from this trial.”
Just when the three were still dazed, a gentle voice floated down from above.
Mo Xiangsi landed gracefully before the trio. When her ethereal and celestial face came completely into view, they were all instantly stunned.
So angelic! They’d never seen such a stunning beauty!
To be honest, Yun Zhonghe had encountered quite a few gorgeous girls before, including Mu Jixue, Lin Zhongyu, and Qin Hongye, all top-notch beauties. Even his slightly fierce Tao Jiu’er wasn’t lacking in beauty.
It was rare for a girl to make Yun Zhonghe’s heart flutter, but this one was special. With her noble, cold beauty resembling a banished fairy, every smile and frown made her seem more captivating, as if the whole world dimmed in her presence.
In terms of looks, she was probably on par with Mu Jixue and the others but exuded an unmatched air, a staggering disparity in aura.
Yun Zhonghe felt a bit dazed.
Somehow, she looked familiar… as if he’d seen her somewhere before…
