I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 559 - 559 558. Am I the first one_1

Chapter 559: 558. Am I the first one?_1 Chapter 559: 558. Am I the first one?_1 Seeing Lu Ban’s appearance, the Inheritors of the Ninth River looked at one another in dismay.

“???”

Seventh Master was full of question marks.

He had originally thought that Dai Yuanyang was the first to arrive.

He, relying on his skill in Divining Gold and Determining Burial and his familiarity with mountain paths and geomancy, found the correct way up the mountain, avoiding dangers, and had thought he would be the first to arrive; yet, he discovered that Dai Yuanyang had already been standing in the courtyard.

One must know that, when it came to finding paths, in this domain of Mountain-moving Dragon Seeker, the Ninth River should have been the strongest, capable of finding the correct way out when facing those sinister entities, truly the eyes of the team.

Yet Dai Yuanyang was even faster than himself!

Could it be that foreigners’ technology has really systematized the supernatural abilities of the Ninth River and enhanced them?

As more people arrived in succession, and everyone was discussing who had arrived first, Lu Ban’s voice suddenly came.

“Stop arguing, come and eat.”

Hearing this familiar young voice, even Blindman Zhang could not help but turn his head slightly.

“Young Lu, we thought you had gone missing. How come you are here… eh, wait a minute, that’s not right.”

Just as Seventh Master was about to ask, he sensed something amiss.

“Brother Lu, when did you arrive?”

He Chong immediately asked.

“I’m not quite sure myself; I got here and saw no one around, and I was hungry, so I went into the kitchen to see if there was anything to eat. Since there were ingredients, I just cooked something for myself.”

Lu Ban told the plain truth.

“?”

Hearing this, Dai Yuanyang also couldn’t help but be filled with question marks.

He, with the help of a professor, had grasped some of the enigmatic rules of Jiangcheng Mountain through a combination of science and supernatural means. Only this allowed him to ascend the mountain at the fastest pace, and even so, it still took him over half an hour and he encountered certain dangers. Yet this young man, calculating the time, had arrived even a quarter of an hour before himself, and had even cooked a meal?

Is that possible?

Is this something a human could do?

Dai Yuanyang doubted for a moment that Lu Ban was lying; he must have used some other means to get up the mountain early.

“Mr. Lu came with us, stepping onto the mountain just before us. To have arrived so early, he must also possess unique skills.”

Du Ming stepped forward to explain for Lu Ban at that moment.

“Mr. Lu, can you tell us about your experiences along the way?”

Upon hearing this, Lu Ban recounted his entire journey in detail. He was somewhat vague about how he dealt with the zombies at the end, but he did not conceal anything else.

“…Indeed, this mountain path is about confronting the Heart Demon and overcoming oneself. If you can’t maintain your original intention, those illusions encountered on the path will become obstacles.”

Du Ming made a reflective remark.

In life, how could one not have some obsessions or aspirations?

This mountain path could peer into one’s heart, display the weaknesses of human nature, and create illusions to bewitch the mind. If one’s will isn’t strong enough, they would be barred at the gate, and struggling with indecision also took time. Finally, after overcoming the Heart Demon, one might still face attacks from illusory monsters, and without real ability, completing the path smoothly is uncertain.

But Lu Ban’s speed was as if he had cheated.

He was completely unaffected by those illusions, and even dispatched the final illusory monsters with great speed?

If Lu Ban had been just a few steps faster than them, it could have been considered within the bounds of normal, but Lu Ban had even finished cooking the meal, which was not just a step or two ahead.

“Maybe I was just lucky and didn’t encounter too many dangerous things.”

Lu Ban speculated casually.

“Perhaps, returning to simplicity is the direct path to the Mysterious Monarch.”

Seventh Master murmured to himself.

“Let’s not talk about this anymore, eating is what matters; these ingredients should all be fine, right? I tried some, and they tasted pretty good to me.”

Lu Ban called everyone to eat.

Looking at the table of dishes with somewhat strange preparation, everyone was even more speechless.

Was Lu Ban truly treating this as a spring outing?

Nobody started eating, and Dai Yuanyang was sitting on the side with a cold gaze, only Blindman Zhang was the first to reach for the chopsticks, grabbing a piece of meat.

“The taste is not bad,”

he said after chewing and swallowing.

The others then started using their chopsticks too.

After everyone had their fill of drink and food, Seventh Master cleared his throat.

“In this first challenge, the fastest should be our young brother Lu Ban; second place goes to the Dai Family, I’m third, Old Zhang should be fourth, and Mr. Shi Buwen is fifth, so let’s tally up our scores.”

To Lu Ban’s surprise, aside from Seventh Master, who was skilled in finding the path, Blindman Zhang had actually arrived earlier than the swift Shi Buwen.

Recalling Lu Ban’s glimpse of Blindman Zhang lying by the roadside and the paper decoy he had used to escape, this veteran who could participate in the Mysterious Monarch’s contest for the fourth time might not be as frail as he appeared.

“The second challenge is to spend a night here and search for an item hidden in this place, which is a jade pendant passed down from our ancestors. This jade pendant is divided into nine pieces. Once everyone has gathered them, we will record scores based on the number of jade pendant fragments in hand.”

Seventh Master explained briefly.

“I am good at searching for things,”

Lu Ban remarked.

The others looked at him one after another.

Strong youths are feared in a fight, and as the youngest among them, Lu Ban might have some special tricks up his sleeve.

His performance in the first phase of the mountain trail had already made others wary; it now seemed that Lu Ban would be a formidable opponent on the path to becoming the Mysterious Monarch.

“Speaking of which, Seventh Master, why do we have to stay overnight to search? Can’t we look for the jade pendant pieces right now?”

Lu Ban, curious as ever, asked again.

“It’s tradition,”

said Shi Buwen curtly from the side.

“Oh.”

Lu Ban responded, and then he scanned the room with True Sight.

In an instant, he saw a corner of the room oozing with dense black fog, similar to the pollution on the hiking trails but even more intense and thick. This pollution seemed to slowly seep out, flowing outside, and it looked like the pollution on the mountain trail originated from within this dojo.

There were certain points where this pollution was concentrated, and Lu Ban surmised that these could be the locations of the jade pendant pieces.

However, it was bright daylight now, not the time for him to act. So, Lu Ban merely memorized a few positions he had noticed.

In the afternoon, everyone started to move, looking for clues.

Only Blindman Zhang remained seated in his original place.

“Old Zhang, aren’t you going to check out the courtyard?”

Lu Ban inquired.

“I’m just a blind man; I can’t see the courtyard’s layout. I’ll leave it to you younger folks,”

Blindman Zhang spoke as if he had given up, but his actions were not aimless, as if he had already seen through the location of certain items.

The old man picked up his teacup and took a sip.

“If you’re interested in this place, I suggest you take a look at the prayer hall; you may find something valuable there.”

Blindman Zhang pointed to the slightly out-of-place structure within the courtyard.

Lu Ban thanked him, crossed the yard filled with decaying leaves, glanced at the structure, and then went inside.

Inside, Lu Ban saw a Divine Idol.

“This is definitely not any respectable deity,”

Lu Ban muttered to himself looking at the idol’s appearance.

*

There will only be two updates today, as I’ve got too much work and family matters these past two days. I’ll catch up later!

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