Trials of the Abyss

Rogue cultivators, noble families, and sects, Pang Jian mused as he observed the cultivators converging from all over.

From his past conversations with Luo Hongyan and Gao Yuan, he had a rough understanding of the cultivation landscape in the Third World.

The most powerful forces in the Third World were the five major sects; the Radiant Sun Sect, the Blood Moon Sect, the Red Mountain Sect, the Star River Alliance, and the Sinister Soul Temple.

Following the sects were the noble families. The noble families of the Third World were mostly based on the Cosmic Skies Continent and the Dark Abyss Continent. They built cities and governed the common folk.

These noble families were dependent on the five major sects!

Any child with cultivation talent in these families would be sent to the major sects. The elders of these major sects would also select suitable talents from the cities controlled by these families.

When catastrophe struck the Fourth World, the five major sects claimed the scattered fragmented lands in the Third World for the seven major clans of the Fourth World to live on.

The noble families did not permit the seven major clans to stay on the Cosmic Skies Continent and the Dark Abyss Continent, fearing they would compete with them for resources.

Below the five major sects and noble families were the rogue cultivators.

Those not in the major sects or part of a noble family were collectively referred to as rogue cultivators. Their status in the Third World fell below cultivators in major sects and noble families. Only highly renowned rogue cultivators like Cao Mang and Lei Kun were exceptions to this.

No wonder Yuan Fei met such a tragic end and Gao Yuan feels so insecure.

Pang Jian's thoughts were a whirlwind as he watched the continuous stream of participants climbing the mountain.

After some time, he noticed that prominent figures from sects like the Radiant Sun Sect, the Star River Alliance, and the Blood Moon Sect on the other peaks, were not hurrying to the First Peak. He supposed the early stage of the trade fair could not attract them.

As he was about to ascend the mountain, Pang Jian realized Han Ting was no longer with him.

Curious, he turned to see Han Ting glaring resentfully at a group of rogue cultivators. Four men and one woman were in the group, each holding participant tokens. They arrived from a valley beside the First Peak to climb up from the first floor. It appeared they were going to participate in the trade fair too.

The leader was a man with a short beard, large eyes, and thick eyebrows, seemingly in his early thirties. A spatial pouch hung from the waist of his blue robe. As the group climbed, he chatted and laughed with a petite woman beside him.

The petite woman was quite attractive but had a flat figure and was far less voluptuous than Han Ting. She appeared meek as she daintily covered her mouth and laughed softly as she spoke with the man in blue.

The other three men followed behind, having a lively conversation and occasionally nodding or greeting other rogue cultivators they recognized.

Han Ting's resentful eyes intently followed the group of five. Her attention was entirely focused on them, and she made no move to ascend the mountain.

Pang Jian pieced together what was happening.

"Pang Jian, let me borrow your cave dwelling for a minute!" Han Ting gritted her teeth. Without waiting for Pang Jian's permission, she pushed open the stone door, went inside, and locked it from within.

Not long after, Han Ting stepped out in a light blue dress with a touch of makeup. Her narrow waist was cinched with a belt, accentuating her curves. Exquisite hairpins pinned up her flowing black hair to reveal her alluring face.

"Let's go!" She pulled Pang Jian to one of the stone steps further away that extended from the base of the mountain to its peak then turned to say pleadingly to him, "Please wait for me."

Pang Jian nodded.

"Hey, Han Ting!"

"Isn't that Han Ting?"

"I heard you stole Zhang Bin and his group's share of the loot and fled to the First Peak after getting injured. Did you know Zhang Bin is here too?"

Rogue cultivators greeted Han Ting one after another. Most male rogue cultivators were staring lustfully at Han Ting's alluring figure. Meanwhile, the female cultivators were polite on the surface but held an undertone of malice in their greetings.

Han Ting remained composed, evidently used to it. She did not bother to explain and let the other cultivators gossip until the group of five she had been staring at noticed her from a distance.

When that happened, Han Ting's breath became uneven and her calm facade slipped.

"Sister Ting," The petite woman timidly greeted from the lower steps. She shrank back slightly to let the bearded man in blue named Zhang Bin step forward.

"Sister? I don't deserve that title!" Han Ting said with a sneer. "I got these severe injuries thanks to you. When I found the Fiery Poison Palm technique for you, I never imagined you'd mix in different poisons and strike me with it when I wasn't expecting!"

"Sister Ting, don't slander me. You wanted to take all the loot for yourself, so..." The petite woman shook her head.

"You know exactly what you did!" Han Ting said coldly.

Many cultivators climbing the stone steps paused and looked in their direction due to the dispute. Even disciples from noble families above them watched the commotion with keen interest.

"That woman...what an enticing figure!"

"Indeed, her looks may not be top-notch, but her body is drool-worthy."

"It's too bad, She's just a rogue cultivator with no sect background. Her status is quite low."

The disciples from the noble families whispered between themselves.

Zhang Bin stopped climbing and turned to the petite woman named Fang Xin to ask, "Do you know the young man in black standing next to Han Ting? You never mentioned she had such a rogue cultivator friend."

Fang Xin sighed inwardly. Zhang Bin was still hung up on Han Ting. When he saw her standing with a man, the first thing he did was inquire about the man's identity.

"I don't recognize him. I've never seen him before." Fang Xin glanced at the young man in black.

The young man appeared to be only sixteen or seventeen. He was taller than Han Ting and had a refined physique, a rugged face, and a pair of calm eyes.

Fang Xin could not help but compare him to Zhang Bin.

Although Zhang Bin's appearance and demeanor were not as striking as the young man's, he was in the late stage of the Innate Realm and was on the verge of breaking through to the Profound Abode Realm.

Nothing else matters. Only a high cultivation realm holds any value in this world.

Fang Xin had always been secretly competing with Han Ting. Although she was scoffing inwardly, she maintained her timid facade and said to Zhang Bin, "I'm worried she's found a powerful backer and will use their strength to get revenge on us."

Zhang Bin knitted his brows in contemplation then climbed the stone steps.

Soon, he was standing in front of Han Ting. His deep gaze lingered on Pang Jian before he shifted his attention to address Han Ting, "As long as you return our share of the loot you took, we won't make things difficult for you."

"I nearly died. You call that not making things difficult?" Han Ting sneered. "Don't play games with me! Zhang Bin, do you think I don't know what you're after? You want both me and the loot, right?"

"I'm not arguing with you," Zhang Bin said, shaking his head before continuing his ascent.

"Heh, he wants both the loot and the person. That's how brutal and shameless competitions among rogue cultivators can be."

"If it were me, I'd only want the person. The loot wouldn't matter."

"Let's move on, there's nothing more to see."

The noble family disciples above loudly commented. Then, seeing that the show was over, they quickly lost interest and continued climbing.

Han Ting did not move. She watched silently as Fang Xin moved to a different set of stone steps and rejoined the other three rogue cultivators in their group. They gradually ascended higher up the First Peak.

After taking a deep breath, Han Ting turned to Pang Jian. "Sorry for wasting your time and making you witness that embarrassment."

Pang Jian shook his head but remained silent.

Rogue cultivators...

He roughly understood the situation after listening to the comments of the noble families' disciples and taking in Zhang Bin's and Fang Xin's reactions. He also gained insight into life of rogue cultivators in the Third World.

Pang Jian and Han Ting started to climb the stone steps.

Han Ting was lost in thought and did not speak on the way.

Meanwhile, Pang Jian was preoccupied with his own worries and also remained silent throughout the journey.

When they reached the thirty-fifth floor, the two presented their tokens and were ushered to the summit of the First Peak.

On the summit, Pang Jian was greeted with the bustle of activity. Hundreds of early arrivals were scattered around and engaging in conversation.

"You two know the rules, right? Always keep your tokens on you so we can monitor your conversations. For every transaction, you must give us ten percent regardless of whether you're buying or selling," a woman in white explained to Pang Jian and Han Ting. She sat in a wooden tower at the end of the stone steps. "Also, the trading halls aren't open on the first three days, so you can only trade outside the halls."

"I know the rules. This isn't my first time participating," Han Ting said.

"Good." The woman in white nodded with a smile.

Glancing around, Pang Jian noticed many wooden towers nearby, each with a woman in white sitting inside, explaining the rules to the participants.

Many participants listened attentively, nodding repeatedly throughout the explanation as if afraid of missing any details. It was clear this was their first time attending such a grand event.

Peering down at the stone steps, Pang Jian saw cultivators swarm toward the summit like an army of ants.

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