Translator: Subudai11 Editor: Chrissy

  If the rules of this filial piety trial were cleared up from the beginning, it was not difficult to find that the method of clearance was very simple.

  The key to passing the trial was: to do one’s filial duty. If the act of doing one’s filial piety is the only requirement, children giving two folds gift to the parents could be considered as doing one’s filial duty, it was quite probable that many people’s first reaction was to make a relationship chain, the parents correspond to the children, and the children correspond to the children’s children, and so on, forming a chain. However, as a matter of fact, this was also the correct solution to pass this trial; at most, only the first person who can’t perform the filial duty, and considering the stipulation of ‘there are three ways to be unfilial, having no sons is the worst’, mostly the last person in the chain could be excluded. Therefore, at the expense of two people, the remaining twelve people could all pass the trial.

  What about the disastrous approach of sacrificing half of the people? Moreover, when did filial piety turn into a fraud? What exactly was the test on this filial piety gate?

  However, this also could not be blamed at the Shengjing Sect people’s inability to think outside the box, because the designer of the chamber itself was no doubt filled with malice. Outside the core rules, it designed a large number of misleading rules: like the setting of the identity card, which was completely misleading. On the stone table, there were parents and children cards that were stacked into two piles so that people subconsciously isolated the two, unable to think that both identities were on the same card.

  In fact, if there were no identity card, solely on the concept of parents and children alone, anyone would come to the same conclusion that, parents must be the children of others and most of the children would be the parents of others.

  In addition, the one on one correspondence of parents and children, each person could only hold one card… and other such rules, intentionally or otherwise, all of them hinted that this trial would eliminate half of the people.

  Coupled with Wang Lu fully displaying his professional adventurer quality from the beginning to the end by using various means of deception and misleading, it was no wonder that Shengjing Sect cultivators were blinded from the truth.

  However, they also could not blindly blame everything on Wang Lu’s craftiness and scheme, because everyone basically entered the stone chamber at the same time and read the rules. Then, how could Wang Lu recognize the correct solution from the start and wasn’t misled by the misleading rules? And instead, added fuel to the fire and cheated the Shengjing Sect?

  It was because their way of thinking was different. When Wang Lu discerned out the core rules and found out that the most suitable way to complete the trial was to make a chain of parents and children, the next thing he did was to try to find a way to convince himself that all the other obstacles to the chain could be excluded using suitable methods.

  For example, the identity card. An identity card and a type of identity card have a very subtle difference. Another example was the parent and children one on one correspondence. It didn’t mean one parent card and one children card one on one correspondence… Such explanations could not violate the rules under the circumstances of achieving the initial predetermined target: to string together into a chain.

  Then, since he could persuade himself, it was natural for him to explain the problem in the best way possible. Moreover, from the academic spirit consideration, the less it depended on the circumstance, the more it could be relied on. The linking into a chain method only needed to assume there was one character on each side of the metal card while the method of dividing into two actually needed to assume that the test of filial piety was a fraud.

  When compared, the linking into a chain method was obviously more credible.

  If there was no interference from Wang Lu, and that everyone thought independently, at least half of the Shengjing Sect people could quickly come up with the right answer. Unfortunately, just as what Wang Lu said, this was a competition game; from the beginning, they have no time to smoothly think it over.

  Wang Lu said, "Then, we’ll complete the parenting and filial piety in this order."

  Then, he made his arrangement. The simple list was like this: Zhuo Mumu (Parents)—Liu Li (Children)—Wang Lu (Parents)—Hai Yunfan (Children)—Ye Feifei (Parents)—Shengjing Sect’s passersby (Children).

  In this way, Only Kunlun Sect’s Zhou Mumu and Zhang Li were eliminated. However, Kunlun Sect people actually accepted this arrangement graciously, saying, "It doesn’t matter. I’m already happy that I’m able to pull the people of Shengjing Sect to the back."

  Towards this, Wang Lu returned the gesture by ordering Liu Li, in doing her filial piety process, to give back to Zhou Mumu thirteen Mysterious Sky Crystals!

  As the lead disciple of one of the sects in the Five Uniques of the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals, Zhou Mumu certainly didn’t lack any money. However, thirteen top grade Mysterious Sky Crystals were not something that could be underestimated. Therefore, Zhou Mumu graciously accepted them. Though, compared to Mysterious Sky Crystals, she would rather render Wang Lu assistance in the next several tests.

  In fact, Ten Thousand Arts Sect got it easy this time. Were it not for Wang Lu’s scheme to trick Shengjing Sect people, under the pressure of the people of the Shengjing Sect, it would be difficult for the two people to smoothly pass the trial.

  After completing the filial piety process, the cold voice sounded once again, but it was not the merciless elimination, but rather, "Congratulations, Liu Li, Wang Lu…for passing this trial!"

  In the envious eyes of Shengjing Sect people, the round metal cards that were attached to the few people in front of them turned into several light balls and integrated with Wang Lu and the others.

  Wang Lu felt warm as power surge all over his body and his primordial spirit uncontrollably shook. Each shockwave set off an excitement and joy.

  It was like taking an extremely pure hallucinogenic pill. A moment later, Wang Lu felt that this boundless pleasure was also mixed with a trace of pure, inexplicable energy, far purer than the ordinary surrounding spiritual energy. Although it was small in amount, when poured into the body, it aroused a wonderful reaction. Wang Lu could sense that the vegetation and buildings in his Jade Mansion grew into another level under this stimulation. Furthermore, the Void Core in the middle of his Jade Mansion also absorbed this energy, gradually condensing into a more real stage… After a long time, the tide of pleasure gradually disappeared, and the turmoil in the Jade Mansion subsided. And then, Wang Lu’s cultivation base rose by half a level.

  It might not seem like much, but this was equal to Wang Lu’s more than a year of painstaking effort. If he successfully passed all the tests in the eight virtues gate, wouldn’t it mean that his cultivation base could be improved by four levels?

  … Was this the benefits of moral excellence? It was indeed a good method to let people pursue moral excellence. At least that was how it seemed.

  After thinking about it, Wang Lu could not help but smile. Wang Lu swept his gaze and found out that other people’s face was also flushed; obviously. they appreciated the taste and benefits of moral excellence. With that, Wang Lu was ready to lead Liu Li away from this stone chamber. However, when he turned around, he heard the voice of Wangyue Luanyu as she gnashed her teeth, "Wang Lu, you may win this time, but Senior Brother Jianglu would not let you get away!"

  "You should let Jianglu come to me and say those words, you don’t have the qualifications to provoke me."

  From the beginning, Wang Lu actually didn’t put Wangyue siblings in his eyes. In terms of position, he was the Lead Representative of the Spirit Sword Sect, one of the Five Uniques, therefore, the one who was equal to him should be the Lead Representative of Shengjing Sect, or someone with similar qualification with the Lead Representative. Even Jianglu who was currently the team leader was really not that equal with Wang Lu, much less the Wangyue siblings.

  As for offending Shengjing Sect? What about it? Before this, perhaps there were some scruples, but after this trial, the cohesion of the three teams would be greatly strengthened, and Spirit Sword Sect has managed to get the dominant position. Therefore, in terms of overall team strength, they definitely could contend with Shengjing Sect team.

  The next game should be even more interesting.

  —


  After stepping out of the filial piety gate, the four sects’ cultivators that waited outside immediately stepped forward, impatiently wanting to inquire everything that happened inside the gate.

  They all felt incredulous at the strange and bizarre trial rules inside the gate of filial piety, causing them to make new guesses for these trials of the eight virtues. However, in any case, since they have come to this, even if they would face tremendous dangers and difficulties ahead of them, they would still march ahead; no matter how absurd the rules would be, they would try to pass the trial first.

  Then, when they learned that Wang Lu had almost single-handedly dominated the whole filial piety trial and successfully got rid of the eight members of Shengjing Sect team, the people that waited outside reacted differently.

  Bai Shixuan just faintly said her congratulation and appeared indifferent to the filial piety trial. Zhan Ziye wholeheartedly cupped his fists and bowed to Wang Lu. For this always arrogant Ten Thosuand Arts Sect representative, this was a rarely seen show of respect. The feelings of cultivators from Kunlun Sect were mixed. After all, Zhou Mumu and Zhang Li failed to pass the trial. However, considering that Wang Lu was able to defeat Shengjing Sect team… He could still be regarded as a respectable teammate.

  However, in Shengjing Sect camp, they could not wait to tear his bones apart and smash them into pieces.

  Over the years, have Shengjing Sect ever suffered such a setback and insult? Even if Shengjing Sect was a big enterprise with a lot of assets, unavoidably, they would encounter bumps all over the Nine Regions. Towards this, Shengjing Sect was also relatively magnanimous; unless they were key issues, otherwise, they would let it go, even if they were taken advantage against. However, these twenty-five people represented the elite disciples’ team of the Shengjing Sect, but unexpectedly, they were easily played at in other people’s hand and maliciously tricked, how could they possibly tolerate this?

  "Senior Brother, forgive our incompetence. We are willing to be punished by the Sect."

  "Humph!" Regarding Wangyue siblings, Jianglu only gave them a cold humph. "You’ll get your punishment when we’re back at the Central Region. Now I want you to fully concentrate on the current matter!"

  "Yes!"

  For their failure, Jianglu didn’t criticize Wangyue Siblings too much. In the final analysis, it was ultimately his blunder for letting his two assistants to face the much reputed Wang Lu; at that time, he should’ve personally come forward. However, who would’ve thought that the trial would turn out to be like that? According to Jianglu’s speculation, if the competition were based on spell casting and combat ability, Wangyue siblings would not lose to Wang Lu, but who would’ve thought that it was a pure competition in the game of scheming! Moreover, at that time, they did make a relatively standard choice. In the handbook issued by the Shengjing Sect to its disciples, it was indeed written that if they were to tread an unknown path, they should as far as possible avoid the team leader to personally venture to explore.

  However, such a thing could only happen once. From the second trial, Jianglu would personally challenge the next seven trials, and would not give Wang Lu the same opportunity.

  Of course, on scheming, he knew that he was not Wang Lu’s opponent, but in his many years of Immortal Cultivation, he had a lot of experience in dealing with many opponents that were extraordinary in scheming—otherwise, he would not be selected as the team leader.

  Let’s see what happens in the second trial.

  Jianglu’s gaze firmly locked on the not far away Wang Lu.

  —


  "Tsk, feels like I’m being stared at by a pervert."

  Wang Lu suddenly frowned, sighed, and then looked up to the sky. A layer of haze has gradually enveloped the mountains.

  "Brother Wang’s talent is outstanding, thus, inevitably, you’ll become everyone’s target." Hai Yunfan smiled for a moment, and then became serious and said with a sinking voice, "Brother Wang, I always feel like there’s something strange with this trial of the eight virtues. For example, on the filial piety trial, although there’s indeed the concept of filial piety, but…"

  Wang Lu waved his hand. "Let’s not think about this first, even if they were just gimmicks, the trial is after all placed in front of a level passage that we can’t just skip through. This is nothing more than a reminder that, to pass these trials, one might not necessarily need moral virtues."

  Then, Wang Lu passed his voice through primordial spirit.

  "Moreover, I feel like the victory in the filial piety gate is not a victory at all because I’m better than the others, but instead, it’s because Shengjing Sect has more people than us…"