Chapter 308: The Later a Freakworld Opens, the More Vicious It Is!
Zhang Yangqing had always been playing the long game. Making people fear you and making people respect you are two entirely different things.
With the rise of the Daoist tradition, he needed real skill to stay firmly on his feet amidst this massive wave. What he was doing was telling the whole world that his position in the cultivation world was unshakable.
No matter who Zhang Yangqing compromised with, no matter what the reason—if he gave ground even one step, his standing would plummet. Even if a lot of people were unhappy with him now, everyone already knew he was an unfeeling man who meant what he said. From now on, he’d have fewer and fewer troubles.
To say he was doing this just to slack off—well, that wouldn’t be entirely wrong either.
The first batch of visitors already had ties with Longhu Mountain, and they’d all hit a wall. Who would dare come after that?
Zhang Yangqing understood human nature well. He knew that if the first batch got what they wanted, the second batch would show up soon after. So he might as well shut it all down in one go. Let’s see who dares to bother me now.
Under his senior brother’s persistent questioning, Zhang Yangqing actually bothered to explain for once.
Why didn’t Zhang Yangqing accept those exceptionally gifted disciples?
The reasoning was simple: no matter how talented they were, could they be more talented than him?
He was still young, more than capable of dominating an entire era. So what was the point of seeking out the most gifted? Having obedient ones was plenty good enough.
Usually, it’s only when you’re approaching your twilight years and looking for a successor as Heavenly Master that you’d worry about talent.
Right now, what Zhang Yangqing needed was stability. As Longhu Mountain grew larger, he needed full control over everything.
Once those people’s descendants got in, they’d inevitably find ways to split power and profit. To prevent that, Zhang Yangqing absolutely could not agree.
Looking further ahead, he’d only offended a few old men with one foot in the grave. But in the eyes of the vast majority of young cultivators, his prestige would be at its zenith.
Zhang Yangqing was steering the entire cultivation world of the country, making them actively gravitate toward him. As long as he was alive, he would be the absolute core of the nation’s cultivation world.
Right now, who in the cultivation world didn’t want to curry favor with Zhang Yangqing? Luo Hao of the Xiaoyao Sect was just an acquaintance, yet he’d already reaped such benefits. Others were definitely thinking of ways to win Zhang Yangqing’s favor too.
This would lead to a situation where, wherever Zhang Yangqing appeared, everyone would instinctively watch his expression. Over time, Zhang Yangqing would no longer be the frightening young man, but the revered Heavenly Master.
After all, I never forced you. You’re the ones sucking up to me—what am I supposed to do?
And this had been his plan ever since he “revealed his strength.”
Whether in words, actions, or social dealings, he maintained a cold, awe-inspiring distance. People gradually forgot he was still young, remembering instead that he was the unimpeachable Supreme Heavenly Master who matched his deeds to his words.
There was real strategy to this. Zhang Yangqing understood it all too well.
Does a Heavenly Master have to draw a clear line between himself and others?
That depends on who we’re talking about.
If Zhang Yangqing were a seventy- or eighty-year-old Heavenly Master, he could occasionally mix it up with the youngsters, and people would think he was warm and approachable. The young ones would respect him all the more because of his age and seniority.
But Zhang Yangqing was only in his twenties. If he acted chummy with the young crowd, they’d get too familiar and their elders would take advantage of that.
So he had to maintain this image to keep everyone in check.
That’s also why he never cracked a smile in front of his fellow disciples.
If he went around grinning all day, the things he said wouldn’t be taken seriously by his martial brothers. Now, every word he spoke was practically memorized as sacred doctrine—no one dared to disobey in the slightest.
Even Xiao Xuan knew that while Zhang Yangqing was easygoing in private, he had to show absolute respect in front of others. Back in the day, he’d slack off whenever he could, relying on the Old Heavenly Master’s favor. Now, how could he dare? To earn Zhang Yangqing’s praise, he’d been training harder than ever.
This even amazed the other martial brothers, because cultivation was something you couldn’t force—sometimes pushing too hard backfired. But if he was doing it willingly, that was great.
Zhang Yangqing explained in detail the benefits of his approach, and Su Muyu finally understood: So this kid’s been hiding his depth all along.
And since Zhang Yangqing wasn’t the type to joke around casually anyway, Su Muyu now saw why everyone held him in such deep reverence.
Meanwhile, the web Zhang Yangqing had woven was starting to take effect.
Near the Kunlun mountain range, a small sect was now bustling with activity.
The Xiaoyao Sect had also become a gathering place for cultivators.
The older generation’s influence was waning, and the new Heavenly Master wouldn’t give them an inch. They were helpless, and their prestige plummeted as a result.
As a rising young powerhouse, Luo Hao was also in an awkward spot.
Sects he’d never even heard of before were coming to pay visits. Young people who’d never gotten along with him started sending gifts.
The goal was simple: get close to him to get close to the absolute core of the cultivation world—Zhang Yangqing.
Some even begged Luo Hao to use his connections to get their sect members into Longhu Mountain for training.
Luo Hao was speechless. “If you want to suck up to Zhang Yangqing, go to Longhu Mountain! Why come to my little temple? Do you really think Zhang Yangqing gives a damn about me?”
But then it hit him.
Oh crap. I’ve become his stand-in!
So that’s why that kid gave me that favor—he wanted me to handle this kind of work.
As more and more people came knocking, Luo Hao’s status would quickly rise. They’d come to him hoping he’d put in a good word with Zhang Yangqing so they could get some benefit.
Even if he didn’t want to fawn over Zhang Yangqing, he couldn’t go against everyone’s wishes. So he became the collective conduit through which people tried to please Zhang Yangqing.
To use a simple analogy: if Zhang Yangqing were the emperor, and no one could see him directly, they’d have to find the eunuch by his side to put in a good word. Luo Hao had clearly become that eunuch—and he couldn’t refuse to pass along their messages.
In the end, he got all the hassle, while Zhang Yangqing reaped all the benefits.
“That kid’s something else. This way, Longhu Mountain doesn’t come off as some closed-off, insular place, and its status rises even higher. Absolutely brilliant.”
Even though he’d figured it out, Luo Hao had no way out—after all, he’d been the one to voluntarily send someone to Longhu Mountain.
From now on, no matter how high Luo Hao climbed, everyone would see him as just Zhang Yangqing’s mouthpiece. And he’d have no choice but to firmly stand by Zhang Yangqing’s side.
Because if he lost that connection to Zhang Yangqing, he’d have little value left to the other powers.
This meant that if anyone ever spoke ill of Zhang Yangqing, Luo Hao would have to step up and deal with it.
Zhang Yangqing wouldn’t even need to make a move himself. In everyone else’s eyes, that was just what Luo Hao was supposed to do.
Luo Hao knew perfectly well he’d fallen right into Zhang Yangqing’s trap. But standing at the center of this storm, there was nothing he could do.
That’s why he felt like all the trouble was his, while Zhang Yangqing, operating from the shadows, just kept climbing in status.
As Luo Hao’s influence continued to expand, in a few years, he’d become the head of the Kunlun Mountain Association. And naturally, the Kunlun Association would become one of Zhang Yangqing’s supporters.
That would complete Zhang Yangqing’s strategy.
The other associations would follow the same pattern. By dangling small rewards, Zhang Yangqing could make certain young prodigies rise meteorically and take the position of association head. Before long, all seven major associations of the country would be under Zhang Yangqing’s complete control.
Dig a little deeper, and all seven associations would proactively help Zhang Yangqing solve his problems. As long as he maintained that control, Longhu Mountain would stand unshakable.
If people only feared his martial prowess, resentment would fester and eventually erupt into conflict. But with Zhang Yangqing steering things this way, he could legitimately slack off in the future.
A situation would arise where “I may not show up much in the cultivation world, but the cultivation world is full of my lackeys.”
Only with internal stability could Zhang Yangqing move on to the next phase: outward expansion. Spreading the Way across the world was Zhang Yangqing’s true ideal.
Those Western religious groups could come preach here—why couldn’t he go abroad and spread the Dao?
But that would have to wait. For now, the top priority was developing the sect and producing more strong cultivators. Only by farming more resources could Longhu Mountain become a true sacred ground for cultivation.
That afternoon, Chosen Ones began checking out of the Freakworld one after another.
These were people who’d either given up on hidden quests or felt something was off and decided to bail. Better to stay alive—getting out in one piece was already good enough. Gaining experience and avoiding injury was a smart move too.
Going into the Freakworld multiple times was different from going in just once. Those who could hold out until tomorrow were basically fighting for hidden quests.
As for those slower Chosen Ones, the dangers they faced kept growing. The Freakworld saw frequent deaths among them. In the final stage, the biggest danger came from the taboo rules attached to the identities mentioned. Once you triggered a taboo, death was almost certain.
Experienced Chosen Ones, sensing they’d spent too long in the Freakworld, would find ways to check out. Some stronger ones had experimented before, trying to see how long they could last. But they quickly found that once the rules were gone, danger came in waves. If you didn’t check out fast, even more powerful beings would come for you.
Given the current situation, aside from Zhang Yangqing, a few other Chosen Ones might still farm some resources.
The Chosen One from Eagle Nation had decent luck this time, but too much good luck can backfire. He ended up provoking a noble and had no choice but to check out with tears in his eyes. He thought to himself, I didn’t finish the hidden quest, but I must’ve been one of the first out, right?
But when he came out, he was dumbfounded. The Celestial Dragon’s Heavenly Master had checked out a whole day early and completed the hidden quest. It made him cringe, recalling all the trash talk he’d spewed inside the Freakworld.
Miller, the expert from Eagle Nation who’d cleared it before, comforted him, saying he’d performed well overall and just got careless at the end. This showed that Eagle Nation’s research into the Freakworld was still fairly advanced.
Next, Miller would enter another Freakworld, becoming one of the few Chosen Ones to make a fourth entry. He now had two decent skills, and he was confident he’d succeed steadily in the next round.
Miller was no longer the same man—his physical condition had been enhanced to the level of a superhuman, making him a true superhuman of Eagle Nation.
Eagle Nation had many labs that extracted blood from powerful ability users to create serums. After being injected with mixed serums, “Muscle Doctor” Miller now possessed powerful regenerative abilities and terrifying physical toughness.
He also had strong resistance to diseases, poisons, anesthesia, and other negative effects. But that resistance was to things on Blue Star—whether it worked in the Freakworld remained to be seen.
Many other Chosen Ones shared his confidence.
The next day, Chosen Ones who’d completed hidden quests started checking out one by one. Those who hadn’t finished either checked out fast and survived, or hesitated too long and died.
This Freakworld’s most grueling part had been the night-road segment. Later on, the Chosen Ones were much steadier. Of course, the most tragic deaths happened in the final stage.
When the last Chosen One checked out, this Freakworld—”The Mysterious Villa”—came to an end.
A total of 72 Chosen Ones had passed through the Freakworld.
Four of them received ratings of SSSS or higher.
Zhang Yangqing unsurprisingly earned an SSSSS, drawing cheers from the Celestial Dragon audience once more.
This was a true clearance powerhouse. Undisputedly, a pillar of the nation!
Aside from Zhang Yangqing, only three Chosen Ones received an SSSS rating.
One of them, at the very start of the final stage, had summoned an S-class demon, making their clear relatively simple. An S-class demon was practically a strategist—having it to judge situations was indeed better than the Chosen Ones playing on their own. Even so, they’d barely survived, sacrificing their guide dog to complete the hidden quest.
It was a sobering sight for the audience. Sure enough, the first thing a blind person does when about to gain sight is toss away their “crutch.” The loyal guide dog was just another sacrifice.
Perhaps many Chosen Ones had always seen it as just a tool. Even though it toiled without complaint, in the end, it was only a stepping stone for its master to climb higher.
The second and third were a Chosen One from Rainbow Nation and a superhuman from Kangaroo Nation.
They shared one common trait: in the latter half of the night road, they’d found ways to trade for all four items from the couple-passersby. In fact, those items were all useful. Anyone with a brain that could keep up with Zhang Yangqing would realize this stage had a huge connection to treasures.
Their smart move was understanding that if an item appeared as part of the process, it must be useful. Even if it wasn’t, getting your hands on it increased your resources. Though the final stage was perilous, they still had an advantage over other Chosen Ones.
As for the heavy favorites, Ramirez and Sidney, both only managed SSS-rank clears.
They’d stumbled in the same way: they met the requirements for the hidden quest, but the king was assassinated, so they couldn’t claim the reward.
Ramirez was frustrated. One SS, one SSS—you’d have to say that was impressive. Most Chosen Ones couldn’t even reach S, and he’d scored SSS. But he’d missed the special resource reward for SSSS by just that much. He couldn’t accept it. He’d go in again—just not this time; he’d rest first.
After all, he was a highly adaptable Chosen One with a clear edge in the Freakworld. Many expert groups and major powers had noticed this. Plenty tried to poach him, but his status in Argentina was too high for others to lure him away.
Sidney had been steady throughout, making virtually no mistakes. Who’d have thought that such a powerful king would end up dead?
Even the usually composed Sidney cursed: “If I’d known you were this useless, I’d have killed you myself when I got that royal coin. I risked my life for that hidden quest, and now I get nothing.”
When Sidney came out, he looked apologetic, feeling like a sinner in the eyes of the Church. He’d entered the Freakworld twice without farming any resource rewards, feeling he’d let down the Pope’s expectations. But the Pope didn’t mind and comforted him.
After all, Sidney had performed far better than last time. Plus, just bringing himself back alive was a huge boon to the Church. More clears meant more experience and special skills. The Pope wanted to cultivate more clearers like Gregori.
One notable thing in this Freakworld: among the later Chosen Ones, someone actually summoned an SS-class demon. But he still only got an A-rank rating. He’d wasted too much time and made too many mistakes.
That person was none other than Jafar, the superhuman from Malaya Nation. He’d essentially been doomed—his guide dog dead and unable to move by day. But he didn’t give up. He kept playing pitiful in the roadside grass, using his blindness to get kind NPC passersby to help him. He’d pick those with weaker auras, trick them into taking him “home,” then murder them in secluded spots to summon demons.
He summoned over a dozen like that—all paid for with his own lifespan. But at that point, he knew he couldn’t hold back; he had to gamble everything. In that desperate situation, he unexpectedly summoned an SS-class demon. It was a true survival miracle. If that SS demon hadn’t appeared, he’d have starved to death by day, let alone made it to the palace.
After the Freakworld ended, expert groups from various nations did detailed analyses. Overall, the heavy favorites hadn’t performed well.
Of the top four hot picks, only the Celestial Dragon’s Heavenly Master was rock solid. One of the other three died, and the other two fell just short of the reward.
So, aside from Zhang Yangqing, everyone else’s performance still came down to on-the-spot judgment. If you figured things out at the right time, you’d do well; if not, just getting out was a win.
And then, an unexpected development occurred.
The last Chosen One checked out at 5:00 PM.
But at 6:00 PM, news of another Freakworld descent suddenly appeared.
[The Freakworld will open at 10:00 PM sharp. Current difficulty: 6.5 stars. Chosen Ones from all nations, prepare yourselves.]
The expert groups hadn’t even finished compiling their data, and the Freakworld was starting again? Normally, it wasn’t supposed to start until tomorrow.
This caught all the expert groups and superhuman forces off guard—they didn’t even have time for a meeting and could only rush to submit their candidates.
Still, based on past Freakworld intervals, this kind of thing had happened before.
But this time, registration wasn’t nearly as enthusiastic. Because those familiar with the Freakworld knew one rule all too well:
The later a Freakworld opens, the more vicious it is!
