The atmosphere in the hall instantly changed as the words were spoken, and everyone fell silent, afraid to speak freely.
"May I ask the name of this fellow daoist?"
Xi Yao's delicate brows furrowed slightly, but she maintained a gentle smile. She only knew that the young man who had spoken earlier hailed from the Death Spirit Valley; beyond that, she knew nothing.
"You Ming!"
Towards Xi Yao—no, it should be towards the people of the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion—You Ming's gaze seemed to carry a hint of coldness.
"You Ming?"
Upon hearing the name, the other four exchanged glances, silently acknowledging that they had never heard of it. Seeing this, You Ming let out a cold chuckle, offering no explanation. His existence was known to very few, not even many core members of the Death Spirit Valley, let alone those present. This included You Chuan. Yes, as the former Young Valley Master, You Chuan was unaware of such a person within the valley. What's more, he wouldn't know that this person was his… brother.
...
The Death Spirit Valley encampment, with the arrival of a new batch of disciples, had finally regained the semblance of a super-force. However, they were all curious about the identity of this young man who claimed to be the new Young Valley Master of the Death Spirit Valley.
"Have you seen Young Valley Master You Ming before?"
"No... No! I've been in the valley for nearly ten years, and I've never heard of Young Valley Master You Ming's existence."
"But his identity was recognized by the Valley Master, I don't know..."
"Hush! Let's not speculate! Since the Valley Master has announced it, we will obey!"
"Indeed! That's sensible!"
"..."
As they were still discussing, a chilling aura of true qi suddenly emanated from behind them.
*Bang!*
In an instant, those who were just discussing were all crushed to the ground, spitting out bright red blood and groaning in agony.
"Valley Master, spare us! We dare not do it again!"
"Yes! Spare... spare our lives!"
"..."
Cries for mercy erupted instantaneously.
"Cross me again, and you die!"
With a surge of true qi, everyone was sent flying dozens of meters away, falling unconscious. From the rear, You Li walked out with a somber expression. He didn't even glance at the disciples he had sent flying, his pupils filled with indifference. Then, his gaze shifted to You Ming on the testing platform, and the coldness on his face softened slightly.
"Ming'er! You are my most proud creation. Do not disappoint me!" he murmured.
His most proud creation? What did that mean?
"This time, let the ancient martial world witness the terror of my Death Spirit Valley!" Looking at his most proud creation, You Li revealed a peculiar smile. No one knew how much effort he had poured into making "You Ming," his masterpiece, even more perfect.
As is widely known, the most infamous and feared technique of the Death Spirit Valley is their Corpse Puppet art. For other sects, the demise of their powerful figures represented a significant loss of combat strength. But for the Death Spirit Valley, it was not so. They possessed the art of refining Corpse Puppets. The death of a strong individual did not mean a loss of power, but rather their continued service to the sect in another form. Furthermore, they would go to great lengths to steal the corpses of strong individuals from other sects and refine them into Corpse Puppets to serve them. It was precisely due to this method that the Death Spirit Valley was able to stand as one of the four super sects and survive to this day.
However, when the position of Valley Master passed to You Li, a crazed idea was born in his mind. Corpse Puppets! Although they possessed formidable combat power and immense physical resilience, they were, ultimately, lifeless objects. Without a controller, they were useless. And the demands placed upon those who controlled War God-level Corpse Puppets were exceptionally high. If one was not careful, it could even lead to a backlash. Therefore, from a certain perspective, Corpse Puppets were a double-edged sword.
Thus, after You Li became Valley Master, he attempted to imbue Corpse Puppets with sentience, allowing them to act freely and follow commands. But! Corpse Puppets were refined from the dead. How could they possess sentience? Eventually, after dozens of failed experiments, You Li's attempts ended in predictable failure. It was precisely because of this that a wild thought began to grow in his mind. If the dead could not grant sentience to Corpse Puppets, then what if… it were living people?
The moment this idea was conceived, You Li felt as though he had discovered a new continent, and he became completely ecstatic. What happened next hardly needed to be said. In short, after conducting inhumane experiments, he finally succeeded. Corpse Puppets with sentience had indeed been created by him. No! This could no longer be called a Corpse Puppet! You Li bestowed upon it a sacred name: "Divine Slave!" It meant a servant of the gods. And he himself was the sole… god.
...
"Ming'er! You are the most complete in sentience among the many Divine Slaves I have created, almost indistinguishable from a normal person!" You Li grinned. "This time, you will be the focus of everyone's attention!" But as he smiled, it became increasingly sinister, even terrifying. "Chuan'er! Rest assured, your father will not forget your revenge! One day, I will make him and everyone connected to him, pay you tribute!"
...
On the testing platform, after the somewhat oppressive atmosphere had slightly eased, the representatives of the four super sects finally began their tests.
"Senior Sister! I'll go first!" Jiang Gu said solemnly beside Xi Yao.
"Mm!"
Xi Yao nodded but still cautioned, "Do not let your heart be disturbed! Understand?"
Hearing this, Jiang Gu nodded heavily, his fists clenching involuntarily. Since witnessing Ye Ming's terrifying methods, his Dao heart had suffered considerable blows. His former arrogance had been greatly tempered. Taking a deep breath, Jiang Gu walked towards the bead that tested strength and placed his hand upon it.
The next moment! A blood-red light shot up into the sky, illuminating the surroundings, reaching a height of two zhang.
"Heavens! This seems even more spectacular than Shao Yu's test earlier!"
"As expected of a Dragon Son of the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion; his talent is truly formidable."
"Judging by the height of this light, I feel there's a possibility of breaking eighty points!"
"Mm! I agree!"
"..."
Looking at the magnificent sight before him, Jiang Gu's anxious heart finally settled. In fact, from the beginning, he had been worrying too much. As a Dragon Son of the Dragon Phoenix Pavilion, his talent was naturally beyond question. The reason he had been demoralized earlier was a matter of comparison. Ye Ming! Compared to that monstrous individual, not only this small ancient martial world, but perhaps even the monstrous talents of the secluded realms would pale in comparison.
Subsequently, Jiang Gu opted out of the other three tests. He knew very well that his advantage lay in the path of strength.
"With a talent score of eighty points, you have obtained one Purple Inheritance Token, ten drops of Innate Sacred Body Liquid, a set of Unyielding Armor, and a long sword named 'Piercing Rainbow'!"