We Agreed On Experiencing Life, So Why Did You Immortals Become Real? - Chapter 776

Chapter 772: The First Human Emperor Candidate Test

. In Jiuzhou, before the Nameless Secret Realm, cultivators began arriving one after another.

A close look revealed that the cultivators arriving were all exceptionally talented individuals, young yet possessing cultivation far exceeding their peers.

These exceptional individuals eyed each other warily, considering them future rivals. Only by defeating them all could they succeed Human Emperor Lu as the new Human Emperor.

“Gui Banshan, the last disciple of the Driving Corpse Sect’s leader; Meng Youyou, the senior sister of the Joyous Alliance Sect; Xuanyuan Gang, who shares the Sword Master’s spiritual roots with the Sword Master… they were all familiar faces.”

The exceptional individuals quickly recognized the others. They were all peers renowned in the legends of the martial arts world, each possessing unique strengths that made them the leaders of their generation.

They puffed their chests slightly, confident of defeating all opponents and becoming the 72nd Human Emperor.

An imposing young man in white, a sword slung at his waist, attracted the attention of many cultivators upon his arrival.

“Look! That’s Dao Sect’s walking disciple, Bai Hongtu. I knew he was on the list of candidates for Human Emperor!”

“I heard he’s hailed as the most outstanding prodigy in Dao Sect’s nine thousand years. He’s proficient in everything from formations to alchemy and weapon forging, and his swordsmanship is unmatched. A while ago, he shone at the Sword Lord’s Sword Tomb

. After three days of meditation, he emerged with two golden rays emanating from his eyes. Sword energy spanned thirty thousand miles, severing six of the eighteen stone tablets. Even Xuanyuan Gang of the Sword Pavilion was utterly defeated!” Bai Hongtu was a dignified man, with a confident smile and a radiant spirit. He was the object of admiration for countless female cultivators, worthy of the title of Dao Sect’s most outstanding prodigy.

Soon, another aloof female cultivator arrived, quickly attracting everyone’s attention.

Her peerless beauty had deterred many who sought to establish a close relationship from her, her aloof aura.

Bai Hongtu and the aloof female cultivator exchanged a nod, a gesture of greeting.

“That’s Yu Yin, the Tianyuan Crown Princess. I heard she’s no longer a peer within the Tianyuan Empire, and even against the older generation, she’s won numerous battles!”

Yu Yin, upon hearing someone talking about her, gave them a cold glance, frightening them into silence.

“Yu Yin, if you keep this temper, you might not make any friends,” a young man, an unfamiliar face, observed and smiled.

Most people had never seen the unfamiliar young man: “Who is that? Do you know him?”

“No, but he has undoubted talent to be a candidate for the Human Emperor. There are two possibilities if you haven’t seen him. He is either a hidden disciple of some force, or a casual cultivator. The latter is more difficult to deal with than the former.”

Yu Yin was not surprised by the arrival of the unfamiliar young man: “Jiang Li, as expected, you have also become a candidate for the Human Emperor.”

Jiang Li smiled and said, “The Earth Vein likes me.”

“Jiang Li? I have an impression of this name. I heard that he was the best student who graduated from the Great Zhou Royal Academy. After graduation, many forces wanted to recruit him, but he refused on the grounds that he was traveling around. After that, I don’t know where he went.”

“It seems that he went there when the sword tomb was opened.”

“Could he be a sword cultivator too?”

“It’s very likely. Sword cultivators are difficult to deal with in close combat. Be careful.”

Jiang Li turned to see Bai Hongtu and greeted him warmly. “Old Bai, you even managed to get in with your skill level?”

Bai Hongtu, seeing Jiang Li, walked over and responded with equal enthusiasm. “When I become the Human Emperor, I’ll definitely promote you to Commander.”

The two laughed heartily. Yu Yin was a little confused, unsure whether they were close or not. “Do you know each other?”

“Yes, I do. I went to the Sword Tomb a few days ago for the fun and met Old Bai. Old Bai, this is Yu Yin, a friend I met in the secret realm.”

“I know Yu Yin, a prodigy of the Tianyuan Dynasty. Hello.” With Jiang Li as their relationship was established, Bai Hongtu and Yu Yin’s greeting was no longer the distant nodding acquaintance they had just been.

Yu Yin was a little unaccustomed to Bai Hongtu’s enthusiasm.

“When you were at the Sword Tomb, you were still in the Golden Core stage. Now you’re in the Nascent Soul stage. Your cultivation is quite fast.” Bai Hongtu sized Jiang Li up. One of the requirements for becoming a candidate for the Human Emperor was to reach the Nascent Soul stage.

“It’s rare that you’ve become a candidate for Human Emperor. Don’t waste your talent. After this trial, I’ll introduce you to Master and see if I can allow you to study for a while at Dao Sect.”

Jiang Li was deeply moved. “Thank you very much.”

Bai Hongtu waved his hand. “It’s only right to be courteous to one of the most virtuous.”

“Get lost,”

Yu Yin said seriously. “I was inconsiderate. You and I fought together in the secret realm, and you’ve done me a favor. If you need it, I can copy you a copy of the Tianyuan Imperial family’s explosive cultivation techniques.”

In the secret realm, Yu Yin had witnessed Jiang Li’s astonishing combat prowess and had forgotten that he was a casual cultivator with no roots and no cultivation techniques. Only after Bai Hongtu’s explanation did she realize this.

“Isn’t it a secret?” Jiang Li asked cautiously.

“Don’t ask too many questions.”

“Do you know all three of you?” Another voice rang out. It was Ji Zhi, the final candidate for Human Emperor.

Jiang Li rolled his eyes at Ji Zhi. “You rely on your double pupils to see the future, and you always arrive before the teacher.”

As Ji Zhi arrived, a kind old man appeared in the air.

Everyone bowed and shouted in unison: “Greetings to the Human Emperor.”

The 71st Human Emperor, Lu Yu.

Lu Yu looked at the newly selected candidates for the Human Emperor with a smile, feeling very pleased.

They are all the future of Jiuzhou.

“There is no other meaning in calling everyone here today. First, it is to let everyone know that if you want to become the Human Emperor, you have to go through many tests. In the future, you will have to deal with each other more.”

“Second, it is to test everyone’s ability. The secret realm in front of you is an unnamed secret realm that I discovered accidentally. Later, I will give each of you three wooden cards. You can compete with each other. After each victory, you can get a wooden card. Whoever gets the most wooden cards will be the winner.”

Everyone found that three small wooden cards appeared on their waists and could not be put into the storage ring.

Others walked into the nameless secret realm one after another. Jiang Li and the other four were the last to enter.

Before entering, the four were stopped by the Human Emperor Lu.

“Jiang Li, do a good job.”

A year ago, Jiang Li was traveling in the Wuhuang Dynasty when he encountered an outer disciple of the Qingtian Sect who was bullying the weak. An argument ensued, leading to his encounter with Lu Renhuang, who was on an incognito visit.

Lu Renhuang was quite impressed with Jiang Li, and later, while they were eating noodles together on the street, Jiang Li even gave him a few cloves of garlic.

“Bai Hongtu, the Immortal Elder told me about you. He said that if the Heavenly Ladder to Immortality still existed, you might become the second Dao Ancestor.”

There was one more thing Lu Renhuang didn’t say. The Immortal Elder also told him that if he disliked Bai Hongtu, he could beat him up, and the Dao Sect would have no objection.

Lu Renhuang found it strange; he had a good impression of Bai Hongtu and wondered why the Immortal Elder said so.

“Yu Yin, I understand your background. The Human Emperor Palace can help you sever your ties with the Tianyuan Imperial Family.”

“Thank you, Emperor Lu, for your kindness. Yu Yin can handle this matter on her own.”

“Ji Zhi, your father told me that your double pupils are too powerful. Using them won’t test your true abilities. I suggest you only use them during combat.”

“Yes,”

Emperor Lu said, then let the four of them enter the secret realm.

The secret realm was vast, encompassing lakes, jungles, and mountains. Once inside, it would be difficult to find again.

“It seems like a secret realm left behind by someone who has transcended the tribulation period or an immortal. It’s so ancient that even its original function has disappeared.”

Ji Zhi analyzed, “Retrieving the wooden token will inevitably involve combat. The secret realm is complex, and once engaged, it will test your ability to react quickly.”

Without another word, Yu Yin flew directly into the dense forest, disappearing from sight. Soon, the sounds of fighting could be heard from that direction.

“I’ll go ahead,” Ji Zhi, realizing the urgency of time, vanished.

“I was originally thinking of working with four people, but how come everyone’s gone in the blink of an eye?” Jiang Li was a little dissatisfied, lacking any team spirit at all.

“What’s the plan?” Bai Hongtu asked.

Jiang Li explained his plan, and Bai Hongtu nodded frequently, agreeing that it was very much to his liking.

Soon, Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu also chose to split up and seize each other’s tokens.

Battles broke out frequently in the secret realm. The realms of the Human Emperor candidates were all suppressed by Lu Renhuang, who was at the early stage of the Nascent Soul. But in actual combat, none of them were as

powerful as those in the early stage of the Nascent Soul. Yu Yin was the most ferocious among them. Once they met, they would fight no matter who the opponent was. After three consecutive victories, everyone chose to avoid Yu Yin, not wanting to waste energy on him.

“Xuanyuan Gang, we meet again. Come, show me how much of the Sword Lord’s moves you have mastered.” Bai Hongtu chuckled, sword drawn. He already had five tokens on his waist.

In just half an hour, Bai Hongtu had already grabbed two tokens.

Xuanyuan Gang, possessing a sword spirit, believed his swordsmanship talent was unmatched. But after the battle at the Sword Tomb, he realized there were always better people.

The Daoist sect lived up to its reputation!

“Let’s fight!”

Two swordsmen engaged in a fierce battle in the dense forest, bringing down massive trees. Bai Hongtu, superior in skill, defeated Xuanyuan Gang once again and claimed a token.

Bai Hongtu’s swordsmanship defeated even Xuanyuan Gang of the Sword Pavilion, forcing him to steal a wooden token.

“See you later,”

Bai Hongtu said, hurrying to the rendezvous point.

“Are you Jiang Li? You’ve only earned your reputation by rote memorization. Better behave yourself… Don’t hit my storage ring! Do you know how many spirit stones I spent on it from Mount Xumi… my wooden plaque!”

“Let’s have a fair fight. Don’t hit the storage ring… Don’t steal the wooden plaque!”

“Wait, I shouldn’t be wearing it on my chest… Don’t you know there’s a difference between men and women?”

Jiang Li’s attempt to seize the wooden plaque went smoothly. The only problem was that he had stirred up so many people.

He had never seen such a shameless attack. Without a word, he attacked the storage ring, taking advantage of their attention and stealing the plaque.

Jiang Li’s actions sparked outrage, and the victims followed him one after another.

“Catch up! Don’t let this bastard get away!”

Jiang Li ran for his life. Judging by the momentum of the group behind him, he suspected that if he was a step slower, he would be pinned to the ground and hammered.

Fortunately, Jiang Li was very experienced in being chased and could not be caught.

“That bastard is too fast! Let’s split up and surround him. My Hehuan Sect has a secret method that allows us to transmit sound over short distances without being detected!” Meng Youyou, the Hehuan Sect’s senior sister, commanded the other victims.

Everyone agreed with Meng Youyou’s advice and spread out to form a circle.

The circle gradually narrowed, finally surrounding a lake, the meeting point for Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu.

“Want to attack?”

“Bai Hongtu’s here. Let’s wait and hear what they’re saying.”

In terms of fame, Bai Hongtu was undoubtedly the most renowned of the candidates for the Human Emperor. The Dao Sect was the strongest of all the sects, so one could only imagine the immense power of the Dao Sect’s actions.

…

“Luckily I ran fast, or I would have been caught up.” Jiang Li panted heavily. Being chased by a genius of his own level naturally required a full effort.

“Tsk tsk, you’re not so popular.”

“Stop talking nonsense, how many wooden signs did you get?”

Bai Hongtu proudly took out a few wooden signs from his arms: “If we compare the number of wooden signs, you can’t beat me… Hey, it fell into the lake!”

Accidentally, a wooden sign slipped from his palm and fell into the lake. Just as Bai Hongtu was about to go into the lake to pick it up, a strange phenomenon appeared. The

calm lake surface was rippling, and a golden spring as if flowing with gold gushed out, holding up two wooden signs.

“How could there be two!” Bai Hongtu was very surprised.

Jiang Li frowned: “Did you slip and drop two?”

After that, Jiang Li also threw down a wooden sign. Miraculously, the golden spring held up two wooden signs again.

Jiang Li lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up and exclaimed: “Golden springs gush out, all things come in pairs, could this be the treasure lake left by the treasure-gathering immortal in ancient legends?”

Bai Hongtu was stunned, then he suddenly realized: “I remember that there is a book called “Strange Stories of the Immortal World” in the Taoist Scripture Pavilion, which records strange stories and unusual events in the immortal world. There is an earth immortal in the immortal world who became an immortal through wealth. His name is the Jubao Immortal. His cornucopia can copy all things, which is very strange.”

“Jubao Immortal was an immortal who lived 160,000 years ago and died 60,000 years ago. If this secret realm was left by him, it is reasonable that it has become deserted after 60,000 years.”

Jiang Li nodded: “After all, this is the secret realm selected by Emperor Lu Ren himself, so it is normal for it to have such an origin.”

“I am narrow-minded. I thought that Emperor Lu Ren wanted us to fight each other to test our ability to perform on the spot. Now it seems that competing in knowledge and exploring the roots of the secret realm are also part of the test.”

“Emperor Lu Ren is meticulous, and we can’t just look at the surface.”

“You are right.”

Jiang Li threw two more wooden signs in, but no four wooden signs appeared, so he had to fish out the two wooden signs.

“It seems like each person can only use the Treasure Pool once. You and I have no chance. Yu Yin and Ji Zhi don’t know about this place yet. Let’s contact them separately. They have plenty of wooden tokens and can copy them.”

Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu separated, but Meng Youyou and the others didn’t try to stop them.

…

After they left, Meng Youyou and the others looked at the lake, their hearts pounding.

What a good thing.

“Jiang Li’s extensive reading is certainly useful. Has anyone heard of ‘Immortal Strange Stories’?” asked the Corpse Driving Sect’s Ghost Moving Mountain.

Several people shook their heads.

“Well, there are so many books in the world. It’s normal not to have heard of it. Our sect’s collection of classics can’t compare to the Great Zhou Imperial Academy or the Dao Sect.”

“I still need to read more in the future,” Meng Youyou resolved.

“Let’s not talk about this anymore. Let’s quickly throw the wooden tokens in.”

“That’s absolutely right. That’s what matters.”

“Jiang Li just proved with practical experience that each person only has one chance. So let’s all throw our wooden tokens in. That way, we’ll get the most.”

“Okay.”

Several candidates for the Human Emperor threw their wooden tokens in.

The lake calmed down for a moment, and then the formation under the lake started to shine, gathering the wooden signs together into a package shape, leaping out of the water and flying towards Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu who were hiding not far away.

The two hugged all the wooden signs in their arms and ran away. If they were caught this time, they would not just be beaten up.

Everyone’s face changed drastically, and they immediately realized that they had been tricked.

“Chase! When I catch them, I will strip them n*ked and hang them on the trees!”

The battle for life and death began. Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu ran for their lives, and everyone chased them for their lives, determined to chase them to the death.

When the test was over, everyone still had not caught up with Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu.

“Lu Renhuang, help us, they are going to sell us to the Hehuan Sect!” The two saw Lu Renhuang at the exit and shouted.

Lu Renhuang’s eyes twitched, he witnessed the whole process.

Bai Hongtu set up his plan beneath the lake, while Jiang Li attracted the enemy. The two met at the lakeside, pretending it was the Treasure Pool of the Treasure-Gathering Immortal. They put on a show. To maximize their profits, everyone had to throw all their wooden tokens out. The formation activated, and everyone’s wooden tokens fell into the hands of Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu.

He finally understood what the immortal master meant by “fight if

they want.” Not only did the Human Emperor candidate want to fight,   but he wanted to fight too

! I asked you to demonstrate your adaptability in this test, but your ability is just a lie!

Despite this, Emperor Lu still protected the two behind him, like a hen protecting her chicks. “Alright, stop messing around. You’re not as skilled as them. Be more careful next time,”   Emperor Lu said, and everyone had to endure it.   This test was only for ranking, not rewards, so everyone didn’t suffer any actual losses.   But they were angry.   ”And you two, stop making faces to anger them.” Emperor Lu smacked Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu hard. He couldn’t stand the two guys making faces behind him.   ”Don’t do that next time.”   The results of the trial were based on the number of wooden plaques. Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu tied for first place, with Yu Yin in third.   Yu Yin frowned slightly, wondering how Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu managed to do it. She had fought and won constantly, so she should have the best results.   ”This trial is over. I hope everyone will reflect on their shortcomings, adjust their mindsets, and keep working hard. This trial was just a small warm-up. The next one will be held in a month. Disband.”   Emperor Lu Renhuang concluded, glaring at Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu as they boasted about their results to Yu Yin and Ji Zhi.   The rules of the next trial must be adjusted; they can’t be allowed to exploit loopholes again.   …   In the morning, Commander Liu noticed that the lights in the Scripture Library of the Human Emperor Palace were still on, as if someone had been reading from late at night and forgot to put out the candle.   ”Kong Hu finally wants to read?” Commander Liu was delighted. The Scripture Library was full of serious books, and Ma Zhuo and his wife wouldn’t be there.   He entered the Scripture Library and found it was Emperor Lu Renhuang who was flipping through the books.   ”Palace Master, what are you doing…”   Emperor Lu shook his neck. “Oh, it’s Commander Liu. Those two little bastards, Jiang Li and Bai Hongtu, said there’s a record of a treasure-gathering immortal in ‘Immortal World Strange Stories’. I think their story is very detailed and doesn’t seem fake, but I’ve been searching all night and can’t find the book or the treasure-gathering immortal.”   ”Do you think I should go to the Dao Sect’s Sutra Library to look for it?”   Commander Liu was silent for a moment, then tentatively said, “Maybe, I mean maybe, they even made up ‘Immortal World Strange Stories’ and the treasure-gathering immortal.”   Emperor Lu was stunned and said through gritted teeth, “Those two little bastards!”   (End of this chapter)