Volume One: A Thousand Years of Streams - Volume One, Chapter 45: Passing the Trial

Not allowing him to spend the night at the "Peace Pass," Sun Zikai immediately hurried back to the Yanming Sect.

Fu Zhe and Cui Qingrui were nearly driven mad with waiting. Hearing of Sun Zikai's return, they immediately had him seized. All the sect masters had already arrived, alongside every single core disciple spanning the four previous generations.

Jiang Yujin stretched her neck anxiously behind the crowd, searching for Sun Zikai. Before long, Sun Zikai was escorted in, bound hand and foot.

Cui Qingrui demanded in a stern voice, "Did you tamper with anything in Mount Xiake?"

"No," Sun Zikai replied decisively. "Disciple and Cheng Xu, a disciple of the Dust-Moving Sect, acted on impulse and went together to hunt down a Ghost-Horned Rhinoceros, but we suffered a disastrous defeat. I was fortunate enough to survive, while Cheng Xu was injured. After greeting an elder of the Stream-Holding Sect, I carried Cheng Xu on my back and set off for the Dust-Moving Sect, making no delays along the way."

Ma Dairan’s face was gloomy as he said, "How is it that by such coincidence, the moment you left, the Ghost-Horned Rhinoceros advanced and evolved?"

"Master Ma, watch your phrasing," Fu Zhe said. "He left together with Cheng Xu of the Dust-Moving Sect."

"No difference, his hands are in this one way or another!" Guan Zheng was the most furious of all. His fine daughter-in-law, Luan Yu of the Heavenly Medicine Sect—who had reached the ninth stage of Qi Refining at the age of thirteen—had also perished in that catastrophe. He had paid a heavy price and invested immense effort to bring about the marriage between their two families.

Wu Lanmu interjected, "Let the boy finish speaking! The Sect Master is the one doing the questioning!"

Only then did Ma Guanzheng shut his mouth. Sun Zikai looked at Cui Qingrui and repeated, "This disciple dares to stake his life that he has never committed any act of harming disciples from other sects."

Cui Qingrui was silent for a moment before asking, "Since you couldn't defeat the Ghost-Horned Rhinoceros, how is it that you managed to survive?"

Sun Zikai answered, "Cheng Xu of the Dust-Moving Sect possesses a technique called the 'Heaven-Blessing Gate.' Relying on that art, he managed to trap the Ghost-Horned Rhinoceros for about ten breaths of time, which allowed the two of us to escape."

Ma Dairan sneered, "You really did spend the journey back figuring out your story, didn't you, Sun Zikai? By your account, I have a question: what kind of abilities did that Ghost-Horned Rhinoceros display?"

Sun Zikai described the Ghost-Horned Rhinoceros's attack patterns in detail, telling everything that needed to be said except for the final outcome where he brought it down with a single blade strike. After finishing, he took a deep breath and observed the spiritual currents of everyone present. At a single glance, he knew things had gone poorly. Even though he had stuck to the truth, loopholes had still appeared. The truth had not been altered, but it had not been presented in its complete form.

Ma Dairan wore a half-smile as he said, "You might not be familiar with the Ghost-Horned Rhinoceros. Sect Master Wu, you know beasts best—why don't you explain it to us?"

Wu Lanmu glanced at Cui Qingrui, who nodded slightly. Wu Lanmu turned back to look at Sun Zikai and said, "The Ghost-Horned Rhinoceros is a high-tier beast belonging to the category of battle beasts. The more it fights, the fiercer it becomes. It is one of the rare high-tier beasts that either fights to the death or emerges victorious in every single battle. Everything you just said about its combat style is correct, but there is one detail: even if the Dust-Moving Sect's 'Heaven-Blessing Gate' could trap the Ghost-Horned Rhinoceros for ten breaths, once it broke free, it would undoubtedly have pounced on you again. Pursuing you relentlessly for hundreds of miles would have been entirely possible. How could it possibly have allowed you to leave Mount Xiake safely?"

Sun Zikai secretly thought to himself that things were looking ominous. Ma Dairan picked up the thread, saying, "Originally, when the Stream-Holding Sect elder informed us of the foolish stunt the two of you pulled, we thought about it and assumed these two brats had simply bitten off more than they could chew and rushed into Mount Xiake, only to get chased back out by ordinary beasts without ever encountering the Ghost-Horned Rhinoceros. Yet the scene of the battle with the Ghost-Horned Rhinoceros you just described was so vivid. As far as I know, there are no Ghost-Horned Rhinoceroses in the Primordial Garden of the Yanming Sect. Could it be that Sect Master Wu tipped you off in advance?"

Before Wu Lanmu could speak, Ma Dairan added, "I suspect not, because everyone knows that once you reached the shores of Lake Dor Duo, that Stream-Holding Sect elder would certainly have provided a much more detailed introduction to the Ghost-Horned Rhinoceros, making any prior briefing redundant. Yet you left in such a rush, which means..."

Before he could finish, Sun Zikai interrupted him. "Does Sect Master Ma mean to imply that I fabricated a story?"

"No, no, no. You simply didn't tell the whole story," Ma Dairan probed meaningfully. "You really did encounter the Ghost-Horned Rhinoceros alongside Cheng Xu, but the beast wasn't trapped by the 'Heaven-Blessing Gate,' was it? Could there have been an outsider present?"

The corners of Sun Zikai's mouth ticked upward as he grasped Ma Dairan's implication. He replied, "Sect Master Ma, I don't understand your meaning. If there truly were an outsider, how could I have failed to notice? Besides, if such an expert truly existed, why would the two of us be worth saving? Tsk... though... that Ghost-Horned Rhinoceros indeed did not pursue us. I only felt wave after wave of heat at my back, but in my frantic haste to flee, I didn't look back. Perhaps, just as you said, some expert was secretly assisting us in the shadows. Ah, come to think of it, disciple has had this feeling for a long time—ever since stepping out of the Yanming Sect, I felt as though someone was following me, though after walking a few miles, the feeling vanished. Heh, who knows what that was all about."

Sun Zikai stared unblinkingly at Ma Dairan. Ma Dairan harbored deep wariness toward the mysterious person behind Sun Zikai; he was desperately eager to uncover that individual's background, yet he dared not push Sun Zikai too far. After all, if that fellow could silently appear right beside his bed, the next head to be lopped off might well be his own.

Cui Qingrui spoke up. "I will give you one final chance. If you do not tell the truth, or if your story contradicts itself, I shall personally look into what is inside your head."

At this, Fu Zhe reminded Sun Zikai, "The Sect Master is capable of probing a person's memories. Do not utter another falsehood; report the truth as it happened."

After pondering for a moment, Sun Zikai finally spoke. "Everything this disciple has said is the absolute truth, but... this disciple truly does not know why the Ghost-Horned Rhinoceros did not give chase. If you don't believe me, come and inspect my memories. Disciple has not lied; every word is true."

Cui Qingrui let out a cold snort and flashed instantly before Sun Zikai. Showing no mercy, he pressed his hand directly down upon the top of Sun Zikai's head.

Sun Zikai remained completely calm. Wisps of cloud-like mist appeared around Cui Qingrui's hand, but after a few breaths, Cui Qingrui's brow furrowed slightly. A moment later, he withdrew his hand and sat back down in his chair.

The various sect masters eagerly asked Cui Qingrui what the truth was. Gazing at Sun Zikai, Cui Qingrui let out a long sigh and said, "The child is not lying. What he said is true; the Ghost-Horned Rhinoceros truly did not follow them."

Wu Lanmu was the most perplexed. She was well aware of the temperament of a Ghost-Horned Rhinoceros—once that creature entered a battle state, how could it possibly let two brats off so easily? Qu Hanrong asked doubtfully, "Could it truly be as Sect Master Ma suggested, that an expert was secretly assisting them on the spot?"

Zhi Weici remarked, "It is also possible that that particular battle happened to provide the Ghost-Horned Rhinoceros with the catalyst it needed for evolution. It was too impatient to evolve, which is why it spared these two children."

Even though Wu Lanmu utterly detested Zhi Weici, she nodded at this and said, "That possibility exists. The evolution of beasts is frequently linked to combat."

Hu Xincheng had remained silent throughout. He had no interest in any of this and simply wished for it to end quickly so he could return to guiding his disciples in cultivation.

Ma Dairan thought to himself, "Just as I suspected. That powerhouse has been guarding this brat all along. This scourge is not simple at all."

A tempest of conflicting emotions churned within Cui Qingrui. The reason he had lied was because his probe had yielded nothing whatsoever; his technique had inexplicably failed to penetrate Sun Zikai's skull, let alone capture the memories within his mind. Weighing his options, he decided to conceal this fact. Sun Zikai had clearly anticipated this outcome, making this little brat all the more baffling to him.

What followed next no longer concerned Sun Zikai. After half an hour, even the two newest generations of core disciples were driven outside. The sect masters, leaders, core elders, and key disciples began discussing methods to resolve the matter. No matter how one looked at it, the Yanming Sect was in the wrong. Replacing Ma Yuhong right before the appointed pact was the most glaring flaw—why on earth replace their finest disciple with a boy in the first stage of Qi Refining at a time like this? Even though everyone within the Yanming Sect now knew just how powerful the brat was, the other sects would never believe it. The Yanming Sect had to provide those three sects with a reasonable explanation; otherwise, someone would have to bear the blame for slaughtering the strongest new generation of other sects. If necessary, they might even have to push Ma Yuhong forward to atone for his crimes with his death.

Sun Zikai broke free from his bindings, and Jiang Yujin dragged him toward the outer courtyard, lowering her voice the entire way to demand, "What on earth did you do?!"

Sun Zikai replied, "I beat that thing into a pig's head with a single move. It was terrified of me and ran away."

In a panic, Jiang Yujin covered Sun Zikai's mouth and scolded playfully, "You really dare say anything! Keep your voice down."

"I told you I wasn't lying to you. Heh, how about that? Did I give you a fright?"

"Not at all," Jiang Yujin said petulantly. "I know your hide is thick enough that even if that rhinoceros stepped on you, it couldn't kill you, but I'm afraid of what kind of huge disaster you'll stir up. Look at you—trouble has truly come of it."

Sun Zikai leaned in close to Jiang Yujin's ear and whispered, "That thing had one of its horns chopped off by me. Perhaps stimulated by that, it suddenly evolved. Ah, that was something I didn't anticipate. Oh right, I have something wonderful I want to show you."

"Show me what?" Jiang Yujin's face flushed a rosy pink, her breath growing gradually warmer. Unaware that the two of them were standing far too close, Sun Zikai cast a mischievous glance around and said, "Actually, after leaving the Dust-Moving Sect, I went to a small town. There was an abandoned minor sect there called the Qingyi Sect—don't tell anyone else about this—and I dug up a great treasure from within the sect grounds. Come to my room tonight and I'll let you look at it. The two of us can check out that treasure together."

"What kind of foolish nonsense are you spouting?"

"Really, I'm not tricking you." Among peers, a girl's mind truly matured far earlier than a boy's. Sun Zikai's thoughts were completely innocent; sensing nothing unusual, he repeatedly urged Jiang Yujin to keep it a secret, because the items hidden within that wooden plaque would be considered earth-shattering treasures on these lands. Yet he still wanted to share them with Jiang Yujin.

From goodness knows where, a small white dog came running over, sinking its teeth into the hem of Sun Zikai's trousers.

"Shoo, shoo, shoo! Where did this dog come from?" Sun Zikai muttered, then turned back to Jiang Yujin with a chuckle. "Oh right, heh, I learned a story related to my master and Sect Master Wu. Let me tell you." Cupping his hands around her ear, Sun Zikai whispered about the tangled love triangle among Fu Zhe and the two maidens.

Jiang Yujin covered her mouth in shock, her eyes brimming with sheer amusement as she eagerly urged Sun Zikai to tell her more.

At last, hand in hand, the two of them walked out of the narrow path. Full of spirited energy, Jiang Yujin said, "If your master ever finds out about the kind of stunt you've pulled..."

Sun Zikai suddenly froze in his tracks, breaking out in panic. "Oh no, I forgot about that!" He looked down at his feet, only to see that the small white dog had transformed into Feng Yueyi, whose face was flushed bright red.

"Hey, hey, hey! You eavesdropper again!"

"Rest assured, my lips are sealed tight; I'll never tell my master, hahaha..." Turning into a white rabbit, Feng Yueyi bounded away with leaps and bounds.

That very night, the person who kicked open Sun Zikai's door was not Jiang Yujin, but Fu Zhe.