The Prodigies War

Chapter 1686: Straw-Shoe Boy and Plain-Dress Girl

Today, the shores of Star Chess Sea were still packed with cultivators.

There were clanless cultivators who walked around with their swords on their person. There were clan disciples riding spirit birds. There were also heirs of dao lineages who had left their sects to travel for experience in groups.

Almost all of them were here on a pilgrimage, wanting to see for themselves what kind of a holy and blessed land that was the abode of the legendary Big Saint Lin Xun.

But more were young girls and boys who were tagging along with their parents and elders. The older ones were at most sixteen years old, and the younger ones only children of five or six.

Their elders had brought them here in the hope that these juniors could cultivate under Lin Xun’s guidance!

Of course, their chances were destined to be very slim.

In these past few days, numerous juniors of clans had come with the intention of becoming Lin Xun’s disciple, but not to mention expressing their idea to him, they hadn’t even been able to see his face.

But even so, it still couldn’t stop those who had great hopes for their offspring from coming in a stream.

There was no lack of children from prestigious clans and major sects among them, whose both intelligence and aptitude were considered top-quality.

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that in the hearts of cultivators below the Saint stage, Lin Xun was like a god from the heavens.

He alone could already compare to a whole dao lineage!

Moreover, Lin Xun was currently the only supreme Big Saint in the Ancient Wasteland Domain!

If one could cultivate under his tutelage, they would never have to worry about their future accomplishments again!

As a result, cultivators could be seen in every nook and cranny of Star Chess Sea and its vicinity these days. They came from all over the world, bringing their own juniors. It was a spectacular event.

While no one had been able to see Lin Xun so far, who would give up just like that?

After all, there was still hope. What if it came true?

If their juniors hit heavenly luck and got noticed by Lin Xun, then it would be equal to reaching the sky in one step!

It was out of this kind of thinking that many still came to try their luck despite knowing the hopes were slim. Since there was no stopping them, the area of Star Chess Sea had become incredibly lively.

This sea was covered in a dream-like mist, as if wearing a mysterious veil.

On the shore, many cultivators were waiting in eager anticipation.

“Alas, we traveled over a hundred thousand miles from Dreamlight City in the South Wonder World and have been waiting here for forty-nine days, but we haven’t had the chance to see Senior Lin Xun so far,” sighed a middle-aged man in luxurious clothes.

Next to him was a teenage boy with an extraordinary aura.

“Hmph, forty-nine days is nothing. This old man has been waiting here for three months. As long as my grandson has a glimmer of hope to cultivate under Senior Lin Xun, I can even wait three, five years, and it would still be worth it.”

The snort came from a purple-robed old man who clearly had a pampered life, as could be seen from the group of powerful escorts behind him. Beside him stood a child that was about seven or eight years old.

“Well said! Senior Lin Xun is as powerful as a god. How can studying under him be anything simple? Let’s just wait patiently, only then can we show our sincerity.”

Many people nodded as they agreed with the purple-robed old man’s words.

Someone suddenly said, “But this is just our wishful thinking. What if…Senior Lin Xun has never had any thoughts of taking in disciples?”

The question caused the crowd to look at each other in silence.

Then, someone couldn’t help but say, “But what if someone really catches his eyes?”

What if?

These two words were like a blurry ray of hope, but even so, it was still enough to encourage many to pour in their effort and refuse to give up.

For a while, everyone in the area was having different thoughts.

The wait was torturous, but no one was willing to give up.

Among the cultivators present, there was no lack of big names that could shake a region, those with noble identities, or high-status experts with great power.

But on this shore, they could only wait obediently. No one dared to cause a scene or barge in.

Compared to Lin Xun, they were just a bunch of ants!

These cultivators were still wise enough to understand this reality.

After all, who didn’t know what happened to the Golden Crow Clan? They had been extremely powerful, but still ended up getting destroyed by Lin Xun.

“Su Bai, why aren’t you going?” asked a young girl as she looked at her companion who had stopped walking.

The young girl was dressed in plain clothes. Her long, pale purple hair[1] was coiled into double buns sitting diagonally just above her delicate ears. Her eyes were like two autumn lakes, clear and crisp. She looked pure and beautiful.

When she spoke, her hands were placed on her back, and her small waist slightly bent backward, giving her a naive and bubbly feel.

The young girl’s companion was a youth in gray clothes and straw shoes. He seemed to be from a poor origin, but his clothes were washed very clean, and he had tidied up himself well. He seemed like a simple and honest person.

The straw-shod youth looked in the distance with a worried face. “There are so many people, and every one of them looks a lot stronger than me. I’m feeling uncertain, Big Sis Chong. How…how about we just go back?”

Displeased by his timidity, the young girl slapped his shoulder. “Su Bai, have some ambition, okay?”

The straw-shod youth blushed. “I’ll do as you say, Big Sis Chong.”

The young girl revealed a delighted and beautiful smile. Her lavender hair fluttered. She looked like a lively little fox as she said, “Now that’s more like it. Your talent may fall short of others’, but that’s exactly why a stupid bird must learn to fly earlier than the rest.”

The straw-shod youth took a deep breath and firmly said, “It doesn’t matter whether the stupid bird learns to fly first or not, but I will definitely keep working hard!”

While talking, the two arrived at the area where the crowd gathered.

Suddenly a brocade-clad teenager sneered, “If you have no talent, it’s useless no matter how hard you keep working. This world never lacks ambitious good-for-nothings who think diligence will be rewarded and can make up for clumsiness, but in the end, they still fall far behind the other cultivators and fade into the masses. Such is the cruel reality of the Great Dao race. It’s definitely delusional for idiots to turn around their fate.”

The straw-shod youth was stunned. He knew that these satirizing words were aimed at himself, but he didn’t retort. Only his eyes slightly dimmed.

In the end, he was only a young boy from a poor background. No matter how tough his mind was, it was still impossible to remain indifferent to such sarcasm.

More people just swept a glance at the straw-shod youth before landing their gaze on the plainly dressed girl, and that was when their eyes flashed with a strange light.

What a pure and pretty young girl, and her bearing is outstanding too!

Quite a few young men revealed a look of interest as they looked her up and down in an unbridled manner.

Rich, noble people from famous clans were a dime a dozen in this crowd, and they had all seen their fair share of beauties.

However, the plain-dressed girl was so stunning that their eyes lit up.

“She should be a descendant of the Azure Hill Sky Fox Clan. Their members are born with an innate charming beauty that can topple cities and wreak havoc on countries. If this young girl cultivates her power to perfection, the charm she will emit will sway even Saints’ hearts and make it hard for them to restrain themselves.”

A big shot had recognized the girl’s origin and informed it to the others with a fervent gaze.

It raised quite a clamor in the area. The surprised audience then looked even more strangely at the plain-dressed girl, many eyes filled with burning greed.

As if already accustomed to these kinds of strange gazes, the girl looked nonchalant as she led the straw-shod youth toward the seashore.

While walking, she whispered, “Pull yourself together, Su Bai. Back then, Big Brother Lin Xun was just like you, unsupported and unknown, but look at him now, who in this Ancient Wasteland Domain doesn’t know his great name?”

The straw-shod youth whispered back, “Big Sis Chong, I can’t compare to Senior Lin Xun.”

“Looks like you still have self-awareness. Your stupidity isn’t beyond redemption, then.” That brocade-clothed teenager opened his mouth to mock again. He seemed to be the type that loved to spew sarcasm and ridicule, seeing how his tongue was so guileful and vicious.

However, no one dared to openly criticize him.

The bigwigs and their sharp eyes had already recognized this brocade-clothed teenager to be Xue Yong, a direct descendant of the Xue Clan, which was a major Saint Clan in the East Victory World.

Xue Young was only around fifteen years old, but his exceptional aptitude and intelligence made him a highly valued heir by the Xue Clan.

It was rumored that many ancient sects had offered to take Xue Yong in as their direct disciple, but without exception, they had all been rejected. For a while, it had been an impressive tale that was widely discussed.

The straw-shod youth clenched his fists. A flash of anger surged in his gaze, but he endured it.

It had become apparent to him long ago that survival was not easy for a poor child who was all on his own. He simply didn’t have the right to be angry as it could bring upon him big troubles.

The plain-dressed girl frowned as she glanced at the brocade-clothed teenager. Then, she looked at the straw-shod youth beside her and couldn’t help but sigh in her heart.

She transmitted to the straw-shod youth, ‘‘Su Bai, you are right to hold back. It is a fact that you are weak, and there is no denying it. But you have to remember that if you want to be taken seriously, you must become stronger than them. At that time, they can only be jealous of you, in awe of you, and respect you!”

The straw-shod youth nodded fiercely. His eyes brightened considerably as he said, “I won’t let you down, Big Sis Chong.”

The plain-dressed girl patted his shoulder with a pleased smile. “Just don’t let the future you be disappointed in the current you.”

Seeing this, Xue Yong scoffed and spoke leisurely, “Miss, you’re pouring your heart out to this idiot, but as far as I can see, his life has long been capped with no hope of rising to prominence in cultivation. It would be better to tell him to give up now so that he can while away his life blissfully in the mundane world.”

Although these words were harsh, the crowd all quite agreed with them.

It was not a bad thing for an ordinary person to have ambitions, but if he didn’t have the talent to match his ambitions, then it was bound to be a curse rather than a blessing and would only serve to harm him!

Countless bloody stories had long proved this. Who could have failed to see the bones buried on the road of seeking the Great Dao?

Bam!

Xue Yong suddenly slapped his forehead like he had just remembered something. With an odd look, he asked, “Miss, don’t tell me you’ve brought this idiot here to ask Senior Lin Xun to be his teacher?”

He then couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of it, “How can someone of Senior Lin Xun’s caliber be interested in this idiot?”

His voice was exaggerated to a high pitch.

Many people around laughed with derisive expressions.

The straw-shod youth lowered his head, his cheeks beet-red as he tried to suppress the anger in his heart.

The plain-dressed girl’s face grew cold.

1. When she was first introduced, her hair was pale blue, not sure why it is now pale purple. Maybe the author will explain later. ☜