Death… and me

1248 I will Assess You

Chu Yang’s words sounded like a joke, or maybe not.

However, these few Lan Clan members seemed to have really great patience and self-restraint. After hearing these words, they broke into laughter, as if Chu Yang had cracked an extremely interesting joke.

However, everyone was startled in their mind. Ever since Chu Yang sat down until now, the initiative of the discussion had changed rapidly from the Lan Clan to Chu Yang. Furthermore, Chu Yang appeared freely at ease taking the initiative.

By this stage of the discussion, it seemed that the Lan Clan’s initiative was completely lost and almost impossible to reverse.

“Our Lan Clan was forced as a last resort to take such an action.” Lan Ruo confided with absolute sincerity, “Brother Chu, hope that you will understand.”

Chu Yang knew that he was talking about how Lan Clan, more than a year, had arranged for people to wait around beforehand. He waved his hands and said, “Let’s not talk about this matter anymore. I still have to thank you guys for protecting Iron Cloud.”

Lan Ruo smiled with his eyes gleaming faintly. He drank a few cups of wine heartily. In the pretense of talking while being drunk, intentionally or unintentionally, he said, “I really didn’t think that the King of Hell Chu, who caused an upheaval to the Heaven and Earth a long time ago, is actually the world-renowned Nine Tribulations Sword Master who would determine the fate of the world… This is really big news.”

Chu Yang smiled indifferently and did not say a word.

However, he knew that the main topic of discussion for today was finally unveiling.

Seeing how Chu Yang did not deny, the various Lan Clan members brightened their eyes and they threw a significant look at each other.

Looks like it’s him!

Lan Xinhua smiled and said, “Ruo’er is still young, he should have thought of it long ago. Other than the Nine Tribulations Sword Master, who else in this world has the ability to cause such a shocking event of reversing the fate of victory or loss for two big nations all but empty-handedly?”

“You are right, Elder Master!” Lan Ruo smiled and replied.

Chu Yang let out a bitter smile and then stared blankly. Looking at his expression, it seemed like he wanted to say something, but then held back. He shook his head as if he wanted to say something again, but then just gave a bitter smile.

Chu Yang held up his wine cup and sipped a tiny mouth, looking as if he was in deep thoughts. Faintly, he appeared a little perplexed.

Lan Ruo, Lan Xinhua and the others were stunned. They felt like there was something not right with Chu Yang.

Indeed, the next moment, Chu Yang let out a long and bitter sigh.

Lan Ruo’s eyes glimmered and he laughed out loud. “Brother Chu, one should enjoy his success to the most; why the sigh?”

Chu Yang smiled and replied with some self-mockery, “Nine Tribulations Sword Master? Ke ke… such great fame! Ai…”

Lan Ruo, Lan Xinhua and the others looked at each other. Their hearts were all thumping loudly.

A sword simply came from nowhere and appeared on the right hand of Chu Yang. The sword light was bright and dazzling, like the Emperor of all swords, descending to the mortal world.

The Nine Tribulations Sword!

The five of them muttered quietly, their gleaming eyes all looking at the sword. Within their eyes, it was full of earnestness and admiration.

The identity of Chu Yang as the Nine Tribulations Sword Master was finally confirmed! All the preparations for the past one year or so had finally paid off! At this moment, all five of them had this same thought in their mind.

No one realized when the Nine Tribulations Sword appeared, a colorless and scentless mist had already mixed into the dishes on the table.

The mist had already dissipated.

Chu Yang let out a long sigh and with a wave of his hand, he kept the Nine Tribulations Sword. With a desolate look, he said, “It’s not wrong to call this thing a treasure. Since nobody here is an outsider and you have all basically confirmed my identity, then I shall not hide anything. It’s just that you all may not know… this identity of being the Nine Tribulations Sword Master is actually the number one fraud in history.”

“Number one fraud in history?” Lan Ruo and the others were all startled.

“You are right.” Chu Yang drank a few cups of wine and said with melancholy, “Possessing the Nine Tribulations Sword allows you to rule the world, which is not wrong; However… If you do not have the capabilities, what could you do even if you have the Nine Tribulations Sword? It was after I got the Nine Tribulations Sword that I realized there was actually a backlash to it!”

“Backlash?!” Lan Ruo and the others were shocked. They thought in their mind, ‘There is a backlash from the Nine Tribulations Sword? This is the first time hearing it… it is indeed mysterious.’

“You are right, the Nine Tribulations Sword has its own mission. The mission will begin as soon as the Master of the sword is identified. If the mission cannot be completed, the sword master’s soul would dissipate and be unable to reincarnate forever.”

Chu Yang had a serious expression as he said, “It is like a whip, continuously lashing at its own master to move forward. However… to complete the mission, it would require the unification of the Nine Heavens… To unify the Nine Heavens, it would mean to face the Nine Super Clans! Ke Ke… that is almost impossible to achieve.”

Lan Ruo consoled him sincerely. “There will always be a way.”

“It’s tough….” Chu Yang let out a bitter smile.

The five Lan Clan members were burning in their hearts.

They thought, ‘Difficult? Of course, we want you to feel that it’s difficult, then it makes it easy for us to work.’

“There is nothing too difficult in this world; as long as you put your mind to it, there is nothing which cannot be done!” Lan Ruo consoled. “Do not be anxious, Brother Chu; It will definitely succeed.”

“It’s so tough!” Chu Yang only shook his head.

“Brother Chu, this…” Lan Ruo felt that the time was almost ripe. He jumped directly to the main topic and said, “Brother Chu, you and us, we can collaborate!”

He looked at Chu Yang and continued, “And Brother Chu should have guessed the reason why we had stayed and prepared for so long in the Lower Three Heavens. Our only reason for staying was to get a chance to work with you, Brother Chu!”

Chu Yang sighed and said, “Of course, I’m aware of this. However, this mission is extremely dangerous. Even with the Lan Clan supporting me, the final result might likely be that the entire Lan Clan would be implicated… Brother Lan, this matter, you have to be really careful!”

Lan Ruo smiled with confidence and said, “This matter, Brother Chu need not worry. How can there be no sacrifice for those who want to do great things?”

He paused before asking anxiously, “But, may I ask the Sword Master… how many brothers have you got already?”

Chu Yang revealed a warm smile and said, “There are seven brothers at the current moment.”

Two more vacancies!

Lan Ruo was thrilled, but at the same time, he was also frightened on second thoughts: So fast! Ever since there was news of the Nine Tribulations Sword Master appearing, it was only less than two years and there’s already seven out of the Nine Tribulations!

If Lan Ruo himself had been slower by even one step…

That would really be too late to even do anything.

In the eyes of Lan Xinhua and the rest, it was shining brightly at the same time.

There was hope for the Lan Clan!

Lan Ruo wanted to contain his own excitement but was unable to do so. He raised his cup and said, “If Brother Chu does not despise, I would be willing to follow beside you, accompany Brother Chu on your path to greatness!”

Chu Yang hesitated and kept quiet for a long time.

The crowd did not haste him for an answer. They were just quietly waiting. However, everyone was holding on to their breaths.

It was normal for Chu Yang to have such a reaction. Everyone was rest assured of that. On the contrary, if Chu Yang had agreed without any hesitation, then the crowd would worry.

The Nine Tribulations!

How could it be so easily determined?

After a long while, Chu Yang smiled awkwardly and said, “Brother Lan, you have given me a tough question… My previous brothers, I had never got to know them intentionally. It was all through the common passage of tough times that we came to acknowledge each other… To directly suggest as Brother Lan did, this is the first.”

Chu Yang shook his head with a bitter smile.

Lan Ruo also gave a bitter smile and said, “I also have no choice… Brother Chu should understand my difficulties…”

Chu Yang nodded. “Of course I understand. However… this matter, could you let me consider it for a while? In any case, we are unable to get up now. Let’s just have some fun in the Lower Three Heavens. After a period of time, we can decide again, shall we?”

Lan Ruo was delighted. “That would be great!”

He knew that since Chu Yang had said that, Chu Yang was already not rejecting him. In the remainder of the time, it was purely a time for Chu Yang to assess him. It would be up to Lan Ruo himself to perform.

Lan Xinhua and the rest were also rest assured.

Talking of the ability to socialize, as the Lan Clan First Young Master skilled in dancing, Lan Ruo couldn’t be bad at it. With such a long period of time and intentionally getting into the good books, if Lan Ruo still failed to be acknowledged by Chu Yang, it would really be a failure on his part and he ought to just kill himself.

After this, the atmosphere became really warm and enthusiastic. Everyone was exchanging drinks, eating and drinking heartily. Even their choice of words had become more intimate.

The performance of Lan Ruo was really remarkable.

He neither appeared too eager nor too flattery. He was sincere. As compared to just now, he obviously had a few more degrees of closeness. However, he gave people a feeling that he was behaving like himself, he was uniquely him.

This kind of feeling was the most soothing in the eyes of people.

Lan Ruo had his own plans in mind. Judging from the current situation, he was indeed confident of becoming one of the Nine Tribulations. However, even within the Nine Tribulations, there was also a difference in the rank.

He thought in his mind, ‘How should I upgrade my own status to fight to become the top three… Or rather, to be the number one amongst the Nine Tribulations…’

‘In that way, in the future of Upper Three Heavens, I would be like the current Ye Clan. As for the other clans… our Lan Clan is already so strong now. By the time the Nine Heavens had been unified, we would definitely be a hundred times stronger than those newly established clans!’

‘By then… where would there be a place for the Nine Super Clans? I shall just combine and assimilate all the other clans…’

During the meal, Chu Yang occasionally glanced over at the neck of Lan Ruo and then stopped looking. Everyone thought that he was just assessing Lan Ruo and they were all looking forward to it.

For Lan Ruo himself, every time Chu Yang glanced over, he would pretend as if nothing had happened and continued his way of talking. He appeared literary talented with broad knowledge, graceful and charming.

In the depths of Chu Yang, a tiny glimpse of heartache flashed by. He smiled and said, “All the Nine Super Clans, their strengths are really great.”

An intelligent person would know the underlying intentions when he heard the talk.

As soon as Chu Yang’s sentence came out, Lan Ruo immediately realized that the real assessment was here!

Chu Yang was obviously testing his own knowledge of the Nine Super Clans.

In order to achieve success in battles, one has to know himself and also the enemies!

“Big Brother, you are right.” Lan Ruo was very natural in changing the way he addressed Chu Yang. He smiled and said, “Each of the Nine Super Clans has a long history of ten thousand years, that is definitely not a trivial matter.”

Chu Yang appeared really interested as he listened on. “Oh?” To Chu Yang, this was the first time a core member of a clan amongst the Nine Super Clans was introducing the strengths of the various Nine Super Clans to him, without any reservation.

Chu Yang listened on with all his attention!

Lan Ruo became really excited as he said, “Let’s take our Lan Clan as an example…” He began to introduce his own clan eloquently, including the number of Supreme Martial Artist, their various gradings, the amount of wealth, their manpower status, how many of their people were meant for great things, how many people were strong in both mind and body, the names of the ones really important… amongst other information. Lan Ruo talked about all aspects of their clan, coming totally clean, without any reservation!