Chapter 419: Chapter 416: A Strong Desire to Survive

In the end, Huangfu Yu didn’t actually fight Qian Duoduo.

For one, the preparations for the Spirit Pool were nearly complete. He had to adjust his condition beforehand and get ready to enter for the baptism.

For another, because of Mo Qi, the experts from the Feng and Liu Families would never allow Qian Duoduo to be injured.

If a fight did break out, it would undoubtedly end in a stalemate.

There was no need to waste his energy on such a pointless exercise.

"Brother Mo, why don’t you use the Liu Family’s spot to receive the Spirit Pool’s baptism?" Liu Ruyan said, coming to Mo Qi’s side.

"I heard from my grandfather that since people from every major Sub-Palace have a chance to enter the Spirit Pool, no one is holding back. Not a single Sub-Palace is being secretive; they’re all contributing their most precious Spirit Medicines. The effects of the Spirit Pool will be extraordinary."

A warmth spread through Mo Qi’s heart. This girl was as adorably naive as ever.

He fondly ruffled Liu Ruyan’s hair and said, "You go. Brother Mo doesn’t need the Spirit Pool’s baptism."

"Hmph! If Brother Mo isn’t going, then Ruyan won’t go either!" Liu Ruyan pouted and huffed, glaring fiercely at the experts from the other Sub-Palaces.

’If it weren’t for these annoying people interfering, I could have entered the Spirit Pool with Brother Mo for the baptism.’

Seeing this, Mo Qi smiled faintly. "Be good, Ruyan. Brother Mo truly doesn’t need it."

"But... but if Brother Mo isn’t there, I don’t want to go in alone," Liu Ruyan said, hugging Mo Qi’s waist tightly and pressing her face against his chest.

Mo Qi wrapped his arms around Liu Ruyan and gently patted her back.

A special wave of Energy flowed from Mo Qi’s hand into Liu Ruyan’s body.

"Ruyan, you have to go in, because Brother Mo has prepared a great gift for you!"

...

The Spirit Pool opened, and the vast amount of Cultivation Resources had been arranged.

One hundred Sub-Palaces, representing a total of 836 factions, meant that 836 people were qualified to enter the Spirit Pool.

"All of you, pay attention! You should know how accurate that intelligence report was, and you’ve seen for yourselves how formidable Mo Qi’s subordinates are. I imagine you’re even more interested in the man himself!"

The Immortal Ancestors of the various Sub-Palaces that had been targeting Mo Qi from the very beginning all sent out reminders via voice transmission.

"We have provided you with this opportunity for a baptism in the Spirit Pool. Whether or not you can defeat Mo Qi and seize the great fortune he possesses is all up to you!"

Meanwhile, the Immortal Ancestors of the many neutral Sub-Palaces also had their own schemes.

"This Mo Qi is no simple character. He must be harboring a great secret; otherwise, the other Sub-Palaces would never have ganged up on him."

"Nor would he have been able to gather so many geniuses to his side."

"Therefore, I demand that you break through as much as you possibly can during the Spirit Pool’s baptism. If there are truly benefits to be had, we will take a piece of the pie!"

While everyone’s attention and discussions were focused on Mo Qi, he himself had leisurely sought out the Pig Emperor. He stood to the side, watching with great interest as it lectured the nine disciples of the Five Poison Sub-Palace.

"This Emperor feels that you may hold some prejudice against the word ’pig.’"

The Pig Emperor clasped its trotters behind its back, stood upright, and paced back and forth before the nine green-robed individuals with a solemn expression.

The nine green-robed disciples of the Five Poison Sub-Palace stood shoulder-to-shoulder in a neat line, their heads held high and chests puffed out. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Facing the Pig Emperor, not a shred of their previous arrogance remained. They were as docile as naughty children awaiting a scolding.

The scene was comical no matter how you looked at it.

"Do you think that all fat people in the world can be described as ’pigs’?"

Before the green-robed men could reply, the Pig Emperor changed its tone. "Hmph! That is a misunderstanding! It’s discrimination! Are all pigs necessarily fat? Or are you saying you find the appearance of a pig unappealing?"

"No, absolutely not!" the lead green-robed man said, shaking his head repeatedly. "Pigs are much more handsome than fat people!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the green-robed man regretted it. He wanted nothing more than to slap himself twice across the face.

’What the hell did I just say?’

’Jin Sanpang is watching from the side!’

Sure enough, upon hearing the green-robed man’s comment, Jin Sanpang glared at him with an unfriendly gaze.

He stared so intensely that the man’s hair stood on end.

In that instant, the lead green-robed man’s thoughts raced as he desperately searched the depths of his memory for a way to handle this...

"Actually... there are many types of handsomeness. There’s the tough guy type, the cute type, the macho type, the scholarly type, the gentle and considerate type, the decisive type, the obedient type, the mature and steady type, the playboy type, and so on."

"Lord Pig Emperor, you are a combination of the tough guy and the scholar—a mature handsomeness born from the blend of two types!"

"And you..." The green-robed man turned to Jin Sanpang. "You are a combination of the cute and the mature and steady types, leaning toward a youthful handsomeness. Therefore, what I meant just now was not that you are inferior to the Lord Pig Emperor, but that you each have your own unique brand of handsomeness!"

By the time he finished, the green-robed man was drenched in sweat.

It was clear his will to survive was strong.

In the second just before, his thoughts had spun hundreds, even thousands of times before he finally found the most reasonable explanation (a path to survival).

Mo Qi, watching from the side, was dumbfounded.

’Aren’t the people from the Five Poison Sub-Palace supposed to become as cold-blooded as the venomous creatures they associate with?’

’So what’s with this ridiculous categorization of "handsome"?!’

Mo Qi thought this was the climax of the absurdity, but he hadn’t expected that there was always a higher level. The Pig Emperor’s next words were the true essence of it all.

"Oh? It seems you’ve done quite a bit of research on handsomeness," the Pig Emperor said, glancing at the lead green-robed man. "In that case, please compose a poem on the topic of ’handsome.’"

The nine green-robed men: "??!!"

Mo Qi: "???"

Jin Sanpang: "..."

Different people, different reactions.

What what what?

Compose a poem?!

The green-robed man thought he had misheard.

What kind of strange request was this?

Those on the Martial Dao barely have enough time for Cultivation. Who would have a hobby of composing poetry?

"What, is it too difficult? Or was everything you just said complete nonsense to deceive this Emperor?" the Pig Emperor asked, its face full of suspicion.

"No, absolutely not!" the green-robed man vehemently denied.

"If not, then please compose your poem. This Emperor is waiting," the Pig Emperor said. Behind its calm and unperturbed expression hid a sliver of deep anticipation.

’I hope this kid knows what he’s doing!’

The green-robed man was utterly bewildered. ’Do I really have to compose a poem?’

’But I grew up in the Five Poison Sub-Palace, surrounded by things related to poison. How would I know anything about composing poetry?’

Aside from knowing that "poems" existed, he didn’t even know what one looked like.

Even the classification of "handsome" he had just made up was something he had accidentally overheard from a storyteller when he passed through a mortal town with his martial brothers as a child.

Asking him to compose a poem was practically a death sentence.

"Um... Lord Pig Emperor, this junior is untalented and unlearned. I’ve wracked my brains, but I truly cannot think of how to compose a poem."

At this point, whether because he wanted to flatter the Pig Emperor or because his brain short-circuited, a sentence inexplicably popped out of his mouth.

"This junior observes that the Lord Pig Emperor is full of literary talent and must be a great master of letters. I implore the Lord Pig Emperor to teach this junior how to compose a poem."