Nanming and Chen go around the camp, introducing Nanming to Chen's subordinate and by extensions his friend. Though not all of them were so keen on wanting to know Nanming, given what he just did.
"Why does everyone keep on avoiding us?" Chen said, it's unknown whether he wanted to cheer his brother up or is it because he too, do not understand the reason on why everyone kept on avoiding him.
"Maybe it's because of me…" Nanming said, to which Chen lightly jab his shoulder and smile.
"Nah, maybe because we are both so cool that others naturally wanted to stay away from us" he said with the same cheerful energy Nanming has known him as, no matter how cold it was beneath it was still genuine.
"…Is that so" yet he cannot utter a word other than that.
"Oh, that's Ni Len" Chen points his fingers towards a boy who is currently sitting under shaded tree.
"…" Nanming cannot remember him, maybe he isn't there when he lost control.
"Boss" Ni Len said as he stands up and walk to greet Chen, upon realizing that Nanming is beside him he stops abruptly. Almost as if he tried to escape, yet Chen swiftly grabs his shoulder as he smiles.
"How are you doing?" Chen asks, his eyes closed as his lips parted into a big smile.
"Umm, I-I'm fine... B-boss" Ni Len stammered his words, his gaze darted hurriedly towards Nanming while occasionally flicking it away as if he was afraid that Nanming might interpret his gaze as insulting.
"Really? What got you so awkward?" Chen asks, his face faded into neutral curiosity.
"M-Maybe because I was tired? Oh anywayIJustRememberedThatXiuAskMeForHelpAndThereforeIshallLeave" He blurted out those words while profusely sweating, as he does so he hurriedly ran away from the scene whether to truly met Xiu or not is unknown.
"Hmm, that's strange, we'll meet our sister then" Chen said, his smile is evident that he doesn't want to make Nanming felt isolated or left out.
"…" Nanming said nothing, he complied with Chen's word regardless of his silence.
'It's disheartening, but I grew accustomed to such loneliness' Nanming utter to himself, but then he looked at Chen who smiles as he goes on and on about the many members of his camp. To think that there is another who would still go out of their way to accompany a monster like him.
Just for a second longer, Nanming wished that this moment would stretch long enough that it would consume all the memory of him being lonely.
.
.
.
"I wanted to ask something, Gu Liang" a sweet female voice calls out from beneath a shade. Wu Yuen, she stays just far enough that her forms remain hidden just slightly.
Gu Liang, who is currently resting on the ground after helping around, can't help but to be surprised at her sudden appearance. Wu Yuen, the first adoptive child of Wu Clan, is shrouded in mystery.
He remembered his father Gu Tientiang scrambling back and forth to the multitude of Information Brooker both Orthodox and Not in the Jianghu, even going as far to visit the Beggar Sect at Ginkgo Stone Forrest.
Yet to no avail, the Demonic Sect were simply too tight lips, Gu Liang never understood why his father would come to such degree of wanting to know the identity of Wu Yuen and he never bothered to ask.
It's just that now that he is meeting her in this place, he can't help but recall his father wish to know about her. And this is the perfect opportunity to dig into her identity.
"Of course," he said lightly, beckoning her as he stands up and properly talking to her as if they are peers.
Wu Yuen smiles, yet there is no sincerity beneath it, she just reciprocates Gu Liang approach.
"I wanted to ask about my brother constitutions, Nanming to be exact" she said, not moving an inch from her position. It's like watching a ghost, she is quite terrifying and cold despite her beautiful outlook.
"…Why?" Gu Liang decides to beat around the bush, after all he wanted to know more about her.
"Because he is my family, and yet for the past week he is in the manor I never learnt anything about him" Wu Yuen counters as she shyly looks at both directions, as if expecting someone. Gu Liang failed to notice her gesture, because he is distracted by her straight to the fact statement. But Liang avoided answering it once more.
"Then why don't you ask Wu Chen? Or your other siblings?" Truth be told, Gu Liang is also curious about the dynamics of the Wu Clan, not because he wanted to have a strategic leverage over them, his reasoning is purely personal.
"You joking right? All of them fears me… I don't know why" she said with solemn look as she placed both her hand behind her back and playing around with her fingers.
'Because you are really terrifying' Gu Liang thought yet dares not to say it out loud.
"So, are you going to keep avoiding the questions or will you answer it?" Wu Yuen finally had enough of Gu Liang useless words, to which Gu Liang instantly answered her question.
"…I had my own hypothesis" Gu Liang said, immediately shifting into his intellectual self as he clutches his chin and looks at the ground in deep contemplation.
"It'll probably sound absurd, but I suspect Nanming constitutions is the mythical Twisting Tree" he said, so absurd and so unreasonable for him to immediately go towards the constitutions that is famous for being unobtainable.
Twisting Tree constitutions is a type of Body Constitutions where One continuously regenerates their flesh, bone, skin, organ and even cloth that they wear. They become practically immortal if they have energy to maintain it, which is by no means a small amount.
But still, the mere fact that it allows the user to be 'Immortal' caused it to be extremely coveted by everyone, Gu Liang come to know of the fact since his grandfather devoted his entire life trying to find those who were born with it.
"…There is a lot of other regenerating body constitutions you know" sure enough, Wu Yuen isn't convinced.
"Twisting Tree can only be used by a Mahasattva like Dragons or Divine Spirit" Wu Yuen said.
"But no matter how you look at it, Wu Nanming regeneration is too fast and too powerful" Gu Liang debates her view of the matter, presenting his argument.
"Like, he managed to fend off both me and my sister who is both at the Celestial Realm, the third Level of Internal Stage" Gu Liang explained, Wu Yuen was about to dispute his argument but later hold her words and think about it herself.
It certainly does make sense, and even Wu Chen himself, who is in the Post-Celestial Realm, is still having a hard time fighting Nanming. If she must take a guess, Nanming probably is already in the Divine Realm, or even Peak-Internal Realm.
"…I see, well I take your hypothesis in mind" Wu Yuen shifted her looks towards Gu Liang and smiles with her eyes wide open, such scene gives Gu Liang hearts more rhythm in its beat.
And just as sudden as she appears she is gone almost instantly.
"…Hahhhhh" Gu Liang sink into his knee, Wu Yuen has such a menacing and terrifying presence that he almost wonders how most of the boys idolized her like she is among the Fairy.
'Fairy my ass, she's like a Shura' Gu Liang thought. But certainly, there is an air of loneliness around her much like Nanming, perhaps it was true…
That the strong are always alone, whether they want to or not.
In between his contemplation, he finally felt the exhausting grip of the trial. His body is sore all over, his energy is drained almost completely. Had it not been for the intense pain his father and uncle subjected him to during training; Gu Liang would almost certainly collapse anytime now.
For once, he is grateful for that accursed training. And perhaps, this trial too.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the camp is where the girl gathers around, well it's just Gu Tian and Namgoong Hien.
"Huff Huff Huff" Gu Tian is currently performing a Martial Arts.
Her fist is fast and agile, her footwork too is full of her atypical dexterity, her knees and feet kick around dust and air as she performs an overhead kick and axe kick. No technique is involved and yet each one has enough force to crush a Jade Turtle back armor.
A martial art of passion and hard work rather than simple technique, there is a uniqueness in her style that immediately screams 'Gu Tian'.
Namgoong Hien who watches from the sideline can't help but to be in awe, she herself is considered a prodigy, but Gu Tian is a level above her. Which is fitting for Gu Tian alongside Gu Liang is a runner-up for this generation Dawn Stars.
"Impressive feat Miss Gu Tian!" Namgoong Hien praised Gu Tian movements, while her face is still deadpan a slight hint of emotion is etched ever so slightly in her face. A gesture Gu Tian finds cute.
Namgoong Hien then scoops out the soup meant for Wu Nanming. Gu Tian gives up trying to find him and gives it to Namgoong Hien instead.
"Hehe, you think so?" Gu Tian can barely contain her smiles from the praise, she averts her gaze and rubs her fingers under her nose, clearly flustered.
"Ever since I fought Wu Nanming, I felt considerably faster" she said as she jumps around and zips across the field.
But her words do hold some truth, Namgoong Hien also felt that her energy has increased slightly ever since she fought Nanming briefly. Something that only happens if you consume an Elixir or Breaking through the next realm of cultivation.
Strange as it might be, Namgoong Hien appreciates the strangeness, she wanted to grow stronger anyway so every chance where she could get stronger, she will be quick on the uptake.
'There's no way I will be married off to some random male, let alone be a concubine of some perverted old man' She quickly reminder herself on why she decided to be here.
If she can become strong enough, she could reasonably compete in the Succession Clash for the Namgoong Clan. Even if she failed to become the Clan Head, she would have enough power to ignore politics and go live on some mountain and play with cats.
'I'm sorry sis' Namgoong Hien mind visualizes the 50 sisters she had, age-wise she is the upper middle in term of the oldest but still, she has no intention of not fighting until the very end.
'I love all of you but let me be selfish for once'.
And the final day of the Trial begins, 4 days of nightmare has ended. And as quickly as it happened, the surrounding skies suddenly darken before a flash of blue light blinds all the children. And before they realized it, they were back in the Courtyard of the Demonic Sect.
"What?" Gu Tian, who is about to perform a kick, awkwardly pausing mid-stance as she takes in the new scene.
"We're… back?" Namgoong Hien, who is still in a sitting position, looked around only to find the same children in the same confused expression as her.
The courtyard is filled with murmur and confused remarks, before all the cacophony of children's voice was silenced by a single word…
"Silence"
Immediately all the children looked up towards a raised platform where a single figure wearing a White blank mask can be seen. His figure is shrouded in thick reddish black mist that falls into the floor, creating a silhouette akin to a liquid robe.
His hair is deep black, yet strangely it did not react to the blowing wind making his presence supernatural and imposing, behind him is a middle-aged man with his long black hair that is tied with ornate crown, Musashi Gen, the man who is responsible for the Trial.
But what's more surprising to the children is that the ones from the Demonic Sect, including the Wu Siblings, immediately bow their heads to the figure's presence.
"WE GREET THE DEMON KING!" They all said in unison, sparking immediate shock and tension among all the Children.
"That's the Demon King?"
"He's scary…"
"Such imposing stature"
Gu Tian, on the other hand, wasn't too shocked at the presence. She once met the Demon King when she was still 3 years old, apparently her mother was once friend of the Demon King and he personally came to congratulate her for something, she cannot remember the specific scene.
Namgoong Hien, however, immediately hides behind Gu Tian. Her face is usually so composed and calm cracks into a terrified expression.
Gu Liang, who is on the way over to Gu Tian, stopped in his track at such an insane presence. Cold sweat drops from his temple as his pupil blown wide from both awe and terror.
"…A Xiantian?" Gu Liang has yet to know that the Demon King has finally become a Xiantian, let alone seeing one in the first place. But the sheer presence he exudes and the fact that he felt that the Demon King aura has manifested despite the absence of technique being used is exactly what he learnt about Xiantian.
'Signified by the constant manifestation of Aura regardless of any method being used'
The words in the textbook are perfectly replicated inside of his mind and there is no doubt, in front of him is someone that will one day ascend towards Heaven and cast his lazy gaze to earth.