Pursuit of the Truth

Chapter 52: By the Side

2

Before long, the rest of the representatives from the other tribes arrived. These people either came with their tribes, or alone.

Gradually, the amount of people in the field increased. The place bustled with activity as the people talked among themselves.

After all, the grand ceremony was only held once every few years. The number of people joining the test this year was also much higher compared to the previous years.

Su Ming used the chance when there were a lot of people around to take a few quick steps forward to avoid the old man who kept bothering him. The old man’s constant chattering was giving Su Ming a headache. Once he avoided him, he saw – from between the gaps formed by the people – the old man looking around the crowd for him. Su Ming quickly lowered his body, not wanting to be spotted.

There may be a lot of people gathered in the field, but Su Ming did not recognize most of them. His appearance was also very normal among the crowd so no one paid any attention to him.

In truth, Su Ming was not the only who was trying to be unassuming. There were quite a large number of examinees who were not from Wind Stream Tribe entering the test for the first time.

"Look, that’s Wu Sen! I heard that he’s one of the prodigies from Wind Stream Tribe."

"Isn’t that Chen Chong? His name is like thunder. I heard of him before, but I didn’t expect him to look like that. He really does have quite the presence, though."

"Did you see Dark Mountain Tribe’s Bei Ling? I heard that he’s also an extraordinary one. He got a place within the top 50 in the previous test. If we can befriend him, it’ll be good for us. There’ll be a lot of people who will be jealous of us when we return to the tribe later as well."

The ones besides Su Ming did not seem like first timers. They were whispering to each other while their faces were filled with admiration.

"This might be our chance. If we can catch either Wu Sen or Chen Chong’s eyes and stay by their side, then our position in the tribe will surely be different."

"Ha. There’re plenty of those who have the same thoughts. Can’t you tell that there’re a lot of people who want to approach them to talk? Why don’t we try it as well? Hey, you, I see that you’re alone. This must be your first time, right?" an honest looking young man by Su Ming’s side smiled and said to him.

Su Ming’s lips curled up into a polite smile, and he nodded at the young man.

"Brother, not everyone has arrived yet, but it looks like the first stage of the test is about to begin. Why don’t we go to Chen Chong and try talking to him? How about you all? Let’s go together. If we go alone, he might ignore us," the young man quickly spoke as he tried persuading Su Ming and the people around him.

"Look at Wu Sen, his face is like thunder. I’m pretty sure his mood his terrible. We shouldn’t go and bother him. That Chen Chong looks like a straightforward person, he should be easier to approach." Some of the people around him were swayed by the young man’s words and he managed to gather about seven to eight people to go towards Chen Chong.

Su Ming did not want to go, but he was dragged along by that enthusiastic young man, so he had no choice but to follow the crowd.

Just as they were moving forward, the space outside the field twisted once again, attracting everyone’s attention. As the space twisted, five people appeared. The person who led the team was a man in his forties. The man wore a sackcloth and looked incredibly strong. There was a shocking presence of Qi surrounding his body.

There was a clear scar on his face that stretched from his left brow diagonally until it reached the right corner of his lips, causing him to look extremely ferocious and terrifying.

"It’s Black Mountain Tribe. That person… Could it be Black Mountain Tribe’s tribe leader? I heard that there’s a terrifying scar on Black Mountain Tribe’s tribe leader’s face, so it must be him."

"That’s right. I heard that the Elder from Black Mountain Tribe is absent this time. Their tribe leader is leading the team."

There were four people behind the man. They slowly walked into the field. At first glance, the four people seemed normal, but if someone looked closely, then they would easily find that among the four three were young men about the same age, while the last one was a sturdy-looking man in his forties.

Strangely, the man and the other two youths following behind the tribe leader were surrounding one of the young men like they were his subordinates. They even instinctively did not surpass the young man as they walked.

That young man was about 18 to 19-years-old. He wore a black hide shirt and had long hair. His face could not be clearly seen because the collar of his black shirt was pulled up to cover his entire face besides his eyes. He also had his head lowered, thus preventing anyone from seeing his face clearly.

That young man was silent. He ignored the gazes that fell upon him and walked towards the crowd with his tribe leader. They sat down cross-legged at a corner far away from Dark Mountain Tribe.

It could also be seen by how he sat down that the young man was different. He sat alone, not mixing with the other members of his tribe. Nonetheless, once he sat down, he lifted his head slightly and looked towards Dark Mountain Tribe. Disdain appeared briefly in his eyes.

Su Ming’s eyes also fell upon the people from Black Mountain Tribe, just like the others’. He paid special attention towards their tribe leader and the unsociable young man.

Su Ming was not surprised by the tribe leader of Black Mountain Tribe’s power, but that unsociable young man made him feel a faint sense of danger. He could almost be certain that this person was extraordinary.

But in his heart, he hated this sort of behavior, of pretending to be much more intelligent and powerful than other people. Compared to him, Su Ming even felt that Wu Sen was much better than that person. At the very least, Wu Sen did not pretend to be mysterious.

Black Mountain Tribe’s arrival did not incite much discussion. Compared to them, the people were much more interested in the prodigies of Wind Stream Tribe. After all, the reputations of these people were very impressive around the region.

Su Ming went with the crowd to Chen Chong under the very enthusiastic young man’s persuasion. He did not stand out as he stood among so many people. No one would notice him because he looked so normal.

"I’m telling you all, I never go to those places in the tribe, and even if I went, I only go there to watch the fun. Don’t you believe me?"

As he got nearer, Su Ming saw Chen Chong gesturing with his hands and talking with the people around him, eliciting laughter from them. But it was clear that most of the laughter was just to humor him.

There were even some laughing instinctively because they wanted to become friends with Chen Chong. It was as if they wanted to use laughter to fit into the group.

The young man and the rest of the people besides Su Ming were doing just that. They were laughing non-stop. Su Ming stood there and smiled. He felt calm. He looked at Chen Chong, who was surrounded by all these people, and knew that Chen Chong’s status was very high, and it was something he could not compare.

He looked at the people beside him, who were laughing in order to try to join the group. They even used the chance to introduce themselves. They may not look as if they were trying to flatter Chen Chong, but no matter who it was, it was clear that they wanted to get closer to Chen Chong.

Dark Dragon Tribe walked into the field at that moment. When the tribe appeared, they did not incite much discussion. After all, Dark Dragon Tribe was really small. They could not even compare with Black Mountain Tribe’s fame.

But the moment Dark Dragon Tribe appeared, all the people, even Chen Chong, who had been talking and laughing, and Wu Sen, who had been meditating and fuming, lifted their heads and looked towards them.

The young man in black from Black Mountain Tribe, who was pretending to be mysterious by covering half of his face, also looked in their direction.

They were looking at a girl in white with unparalleled beauty walking among Dark Dragon Tribe! There was a fragment decorating the center of her brows glowing brightly as it reflected the light from the sun. There was a certain wildness to her beauty that made hearts race as people looked at her.

She was Bai Ling.

Bai Ling blushed slightly because she was under so many people’s scrutiny but did not lower her head. Instead, she swept her gaze quickly among the crowd. Once she found Dark Mountain Tribe, happiness appeared on her face, but once she looked carefully, the happiness disappeared. She did not find Su Ming.

Bai Ling lowered her head and followed behind the Elder of Dark Dragon Tribe towards the field. She did not notice a normal looking teenager watching her quietly from among the crowd in the distance. She also did not notice the looks of desire and greed from the young man in black from Black Mountain Tribe, who was pretending to be mysterious, once he saw her.

Wu Sen only looked at Bai Ling for a moment before closing his eyes again. Bai Ling may be unparalleled in beauty, but he was completely unmoved. At the moment, he was feeling anxious, and he couldn’t spare another thought for anything else.

Su Ming looked at that beautiful face and stood quietly where he was. He suddenly felt that the distance between him and Bai Ling was incredibly large…

"Bai Ling!" A voice that suggested that the speaker was smiling spoke up from where Su Ming was. The voice was not loud, but it spread around the area and travelled to Bai Ling’s ears.

"Brother Chen Chong." Bai Ling lifted her head and saw Chen Chong walking towards her from the crowd. There was a smile on her face, but there was also sadness hidden underneath that smile.

Chen Chong laughed loudly. The people in front of him immediately retreated. Su Ming stood there and did not move. He looked at Chen Chong walking by him towards Bai Ling.

As he watched, Su Ming closed his eyes. He did not know what he should be feeling at the moment. There was only calmness within him.

When he closed his eyes, it was as if he ignored everything around him until someone snapped him out by grabbing his arm and swinging it excitedly.

"Ye Wang! It’s Ye Wang!"

"Look, that’s Ye Wang, the most powerful person among the younger generation in Wind Stream Tribe! Ye Wang!

He is the Ye Wang who won 1st place in all three stages of the test for two consecutive times! That person has incredible talent and he’s the strongest of the younger generation around the region! I heard that he has the highest hopes for reaching Transcendence realm among the younger generation! He’s also currently being trained by the entire Wind Stream Tribe! He’s the future Elder of Wind Stream Tribe!"

Su Ming opened his eyes and saw a person walking towards the field from a distance.

That person was wearing a red shirt. He did not have Wu Sen’s sullenness, Chen Chong’s popularity, nor the fake mysteriousness from the young man in black from Black Mountain Tribe. He was alone, and he walked by his lonesome self towards the field.

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