The Romantic Cultivator



Soon Ji Yuan was leading his team into the hot desert again.

Toward the end of the day 2, he smiled to say to his team. "We are now 900 miles away from the desert fire now and 100 miles to completing this trial. As long as we hurry, it is even possible that we can finish this trial today."

Xiao Muhan was getting tired and he could feel his profound strength depleting in the hot sun, "Hopefully we can finish this trial by today and we can have a good rest. I am so exhausted by this journey. This damn trial has no night for us to even regain our profound strength in this burning hot desert."

Yi Ling was nodding too and she looked a little dazed too; the continuous walking under the hot desert sun had sapped away plenty of her profound strength to provide herself a protective animus against the hot desert sun. Without this protective animus, she would have died of thirst and dehydration in this desert. 

But this hot burning desert was daunting even to high level cultivators like Xiao Muhan and Yi Ling; they were saints but now they felt like an ordinary cultivator.

As for the Spirit Consort Miao Humei, even though she was the lowest cultivation realm in the team but she was able to cope better than Yi Ling and Xiao Muhan. Perhaps, this was due to her spirit cultivation that allow her to withstand the elements better than them.

But even then, she looked tired.

Ji Yuan sighed softly, "From a team of 10, we are now left with 5. This trial is really hard. I feel that some unknown powers are trying to kill us all…"

"I am sure that you have offended the mighty Goddess Ai Tina somehow," Xiao Muhan muttered.

Ji Yuan laughed, "Rubbish! Worry about yourself first. Even if we don't have any encounters, the 3 of you may not last till the 3rd day of this trial since the 3 of you have the lower cultivation."

When Ji Yuan had said this, the 3 of them were quiet; it was because they know that Ji Yuan was right. Even though they have profound pills with them but the effects of the profound pills diminish rapidly and it had almost no effect on them anymore. The burn rate of their profound strength really could not allow them to survive till to the end of the 3rd day especially with their current conditions.

Ji Yuan had realized that he had cracked a bad joke and he said gently to the 3 injured cultivators, "Just follow me tightly and I'll get all of you out of here."

As he said that, he began to nod at encouraging at his Senior Sister Chu Lixue as well; they can all depend on him to get out of this situation. 

"Don't worry. It is only the last 100 miles journey. I'll get all of us out of this desert in no time…"

All of a sudden Ji Yuan had missed his footing and he had slipped down the sand slope of the sand dune!

This startled everyone as they gasped almost at the same time, "Ji Yuan…"

As Ji Yuan lost his balance to slip down the sand slope, there was a sudden movement in the sand slope below that caused all the sands around it to be swallowed up, worsening the sand slide that Ji Yuan was upon!

A big mouth had opened just below Ji Yuan, attempting to swallow him!

Ji Yuan was stunned; the most cultivator in this team would actually soon to be dead instead of the 3 weaker cultivators!

Even Anyang and Xiang Li were also horrified! 

Xiang Li screamed: We are doomed now!

The spirit Hundred Blazing Rose could also sense the disturbances and was also screaming in broken tongues: We are dead soon…

Chu Lixue was about to jump down to help Ji Yuan when a powerful profound animus had exploded over him; this was Ji Yuan demonic cherubim and he had quickly hovered upward to where she was.

Ji Yuan laughed weakly, "Haha. I almost forget that I can hover. Or else I will surely perish. Haha…"

Chu Lixue: …

She was actually about to jump in with her seraphim profound animus to fly Ji Yuan out of the sand pit when Ji Yuan had suddenly remembered he could hover too.

Everyone: …

Yi Ling and Spirit Consort Miao Humei were both in awe of Ji Yuan because at this moment, his cultivation realm had suddenly increased to the upper 8th cultivation realm level.

To them, this was an unimagined existence already. 

Moreover, this desolate cherubim was a 9th rank desolate demonic beast too and capturing one to be used as one's spirit entity was unimaginable hard, if not outright impossible.

Yi Ling was stunned by the cultivation prowess of Ji Yuan and she had regretted looking down upon Ji Yuan at the very start; this Ji Yuan was not a sword cultivator that got lucky with a powerful divine sword but he was also a powerful super cultivator that could easily rival all the other cultivator powerhouses.

Ji Yuan however had a bitter look, "Crap. I'm forced to consumed so much of my inner spiritual sea just to display the profound strength for my spirit animus. If I cancel it now, it will be such a waste…"

Then he had a sudden idea as he turned to say to Spirit Consort Miao Humei and Yi Ling, "Why don't you hold on to my shoulder while I give the two of you an easy ride through the burning desert?"

Xiao Muhan asked weakly, "How about me then?"

"You can run after me, haha…" Ji Yuan chuckled.

Xiao Muhan: …

Chu Lixue turned to look at Ji Yuan and asked coldly, "How about me then?"

Ji Yuan smiled bitterly, "Senior sister, erm… can also run after me."

Chu Lixue: …

Chu Lixue: …

Chu Lixue: …

"You are not going to give anyone a lift. We are all walking in the desert… together!" Chu Lixue hummed coldly.

In the end, Ji Yuan sucked his thumb and heartachingly dispelled his desolate cherubim spirit animus to walk together.

3 hours of forced march later, the voice of the Trial Spirit said to them. "Congratulations on being the 5th team to complete the first trial."

Ji Yuan was startled, "What? We are not the first team to complete this trial?!"

He was not the only one that was also surprised; the rest of his team had thought that they were the first too.

Chu Lixue said bitterly, "There are many blessed sons and daughters of the heavens taking the trials of the Spiritas Tower. So, their results are not surprisingly. Also, our team overall strength setup isn't that strong in the first place and we have 5 casualties."

Ji Yuan smiled weakly, "Actually if our team does not go after that Hundred Blazing Rose, we just have 3 causalities. So our result isn't that bad."

However, Xiao Muhan, Yi Ling and Spirit Consort Miao Humei was not listening at all; they had all simply collapsed on the ground in great exhaustion.

The voice of the Trial Spirit said above them, "You have earned 2 days of rest. Plus you have completed the trial a day earlier, that means you have earned 3 days of rest in total."

When the Trial Spirit had said that, a golden light began to descend upon to send them all away. 

When Ji Yuan blinked his eyes again after the golden light had descended upon him, he found himself back to the starting platform for the champions of the Snowy Pavilion City. 

Chu Lixue and Xiao Muhan had also appeared in the same location too. 

They were not the first; there were 5 other champions in the arena too and among them, was Yang Batian the old champion of Divine Consort Ding Jie'Er and also the one that had asked him for help with his Heavens Annihilation Profound Arts.

Yang Baitian laughed when he saw Ji Yuan, "Brother Ji Yuan, I know that you won't die so easily. Muhahaha…"

Ji Yuan laughed too, "I know old brother also won't die so easily. Haha. So what the ranking of your team and how many champions survive in your team?"

Yang Baitian smiled wryly, "We are actually first though and no one dies."

Ji Yuan: …

"How about you, Brother Ji Yuan?"

Ji Yuan weakly answered, "We are 5th but luckily no one has died under my brilliant leadership."

Xiao Muhan, Chu Lixue: …

Xiang Li and Anyang covered their faces when they had heard Ji Yuan.

Ji Yuan asked with a bitter look, "Say, who is the one that is leading your team? I just want to know who is capable leader is. You know. It is to prepare myself for a fight with this brilliant leader of yours later." 

I am going to shit on this 'brilliant leader' later on.

Xiang raised her fists angrily when she had heard Ji Yuan: Yeah! Let's shit on this brilliant leader together! 

Yang Batian pondered for a while, "Our leader is a heavenly maiden whose great beauty is no less than Maiden Chu Lixue here. She is a champion that is fighting for Great Divine Consort Long Fenghuang from the city-state of Aiel. Her name is Maiden Ling Feiyue."

Ji Yuan blinked his golden eyes with a startled look: Feiyue is a champion here?!

Fairy Anyang reminded Xiang Li and Ji Yuan: Don't forget to shit on her.

Ji Yuan, Xiang Li: …

Both Ji Yuan and Xiang Li pretended not to hear Anyang; in this shameless aspect they were experts in pretending not to hear.

Chu Lixue on the other hand was smiling, "Alas, so it is Maiden Ling Feiyue. Then I am not surprised. She is better in the trials than Ji Yuan here."

Ji Yuan: …

What the heck? Feiyue is better than I am?! 

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Author Note:

1. I'd really appreciate it if the readers can contribute power stones to this story as a show of support even if you are reading from other websites. Your spirit stones are crucial for motivations and releases. Also, it means alot me/ story, Many love and thanks! ლ(⌒▽⌒ლ)