Ye Feng had a very bizarre dream.
In the dream, he seemed to have returned to the Tianyun Sect decades ago, seeing many of the sect's elders in their younger days.
Even more inexplicably, guided by a mysterious voice, he ran to the back mountain of the sect and planted a Spirit Essence Grass in the hollow of an old tree.
Then, Ye Feng woke up.
He originally thought it was just an ordinary dream, but he quickly discovered two very strange things.
Generally, people forget most of their dreams within minutes of waking up, leaving only vague fragments. However, Ye Feng could recall the entire dream clearly and completely.
Moreover, it was extremely vivid.
So vivid that Ye Feng could clearly picture the flowers and plants he passed while running in the back mountain.
The second thing was even harder to explain.
After getting up, Ye Feng found clear traces of dirt on the soles of his feet.
He remembered that in the dream, he was barefoot, running to the back mountain. Although his body was no longer susceptible to being scratched by stones, the dust from the run still clung to his feet.
Now, that dust was actually still on his feet.
What on earth was going on?
Could it be that he had developed the legendary 'sleepwalking', wandering outside in the middle of the night?
Ye Feng stared at the dirt marks on his feet, stunned for several seconds, then shook his head with a wry smile, trying to shake off the strange dream from his mind.
"It seems the pressure has really been too much lately!"
Ye Feng looked up at the night outside the window, the moonlight was bright, and the moon had only moved a little since he had just lain down.
"For the past ten days, I've barely slept an hour each night, no wonder I'm having such strange dreams."
Ye Feng chuckled to himself, ignoring the weariness that enveloped his entire body and the bloodshot eyes, he sat up straight and continued to cultivate.
He took out a herb emitting a faint green spiritual light from a small pouch beside him, his eyes filled with hope.
"This is the last Spirit Essence Grass. Whether I can break through to the Profound Realm depends on you!"
With that, Ye Feng swallowed the herb in one gulp and closed his eyes to meditate.
Whoosh.
The crystalline herb melted as soon as it entered his mouth, instantly transforming into a pure stream of Profound Qi that flowed into his dantian.
Profound Qi is the foundation for martial artists on the Qiwu Continent to transcend in martial arts.
Martial artists use martial arts to connect with the profound, refine their bodies, open their profound veins, birth a spirit sea, transform myriad laws, and achieve supreme divine abilities, this is the pinnacle path every martial artist dreams of.
At this moment, Ye Feng was trying to use the Profound Qi contained in the Spirit Essence Grass to take the crucial step from the Body Realm to the Profound Realm.
Ye Feng's dantian was already filled with Profound Qi like a vast ocean. If a martial arts senior were to observe, they would be astonished by the massive amount of Profound Energy stored inside.
It was like a sea of Profound Qi, far exceeding the amount a Body Realm martial artist should have. For an ordinary person, such a large amount of Profound Qi would have burst their dantian dozens of times, but Ye Feng's dantian was like a fortress of iron and copper walls, tightly confining the massive Profound Qi inside, only allowing entry, not exit, unable to break through.
Even more astonishing, the Profound Qi cultivated by most martial artists is milky white, but the Profound Qi in Ye Feng's dantian radiated infinite golden light, turning the entire dantian into a golden ocean, with divine light shining and faint thunder sounds emerging. Anyone witnessing such a phenomenon would be amazed, yet Ye Feng's body surface remained calm and undisturbed.
"Break for me!"
Ye Feng let out a low shout, trying hard to draw the massive golden Profound Energy from his dantian into his meridians, but despite the Profound Energy in his dantian being turbulent to the extreme, roaring like a torrential flood against the thin barrier between the dantian wall and his meridians, it still couldn't break through this final barrier.
After a stick of incense's time, as the last trace of Profound Qi from the Spirit Essence Grass was exhausted, the once turbulent dantian regrettably returned to calm.
"It's still not working..."
Ye Feng slowly opened his eyes, a bitter smile on his lips:
"Clearly, I'm already on the verge of breaking through to the Profound Realm, but the Spirit Essence Grass is used up... I say, my dantian, what kind of monster are you, that I can't satisfy you even after eight years?"
Ye Feng's bitter smile ultimately turned into a self-deprecating sigh.
Yes, eight years.
Eight years of arduous cultivation, hundreds of Spirit Essence Grass, a massive amount of Profound Energy far exceeding the limits of an ordinary Body Realm martial artist, none of it had helped Ye Feng break through the threshold of the Profound Realm.
No one knew how difficult these eight years had been for Ye Feng, in the Tianyun Sect where martial prowess determined one's worth, the ridicule and mockery he had to endure to persist to this day.
When the disciples who entered the sect with him had all soared high, he was like an earthworm struggling on the ground, trying everything but only able to helplessly gaze at the sky.
Eight years were enough to turn a once dazzling genius disciple into an unnoticed ordinary miscellaneous disciple, and it had also worn down Ye Feng's once sharp personality into one of calm indifference.
Facing failure after failure, Ye Feng had long become accustomed, only the unquenchable flame of determination in his heart supported him to keep trying, trying, and trying again, but despite this... fate seemed to have finally given him a hopeless conclusion.
Because, in three days, the Inner Disciple Assessment of the Tianyun Sect would be Ye Feng's last chance.
Having reached the age of 16, if he still couldn't break through the Profound Path, he would be mercilessly expelled from the sect, forever severed from the great path.
***
As the sun rose, the morning glow like fire ignited the vibrant life of the Tianyun Mountains.
Ye Feng, who hadn't slept all night, left his dormitory and went to the Herb Hut where he needed to work during the day.
According to the tradition of the Tianyun Sect, new disciples have a three-year Secluded Cultivation Period to temper their bodies and break through the Profound Path. Once the three years are up, disciples who haven't broken through are deemed 'average talent' by the sect and need to undertake various miscellaneous tasks to contribute to the sect.
Ye Feng had already become such a 'miscellaneous disciple', working for five years.
Every year before the Inner Gate Assessment begins, places like the Herb Hut are filled with a gloomy atmosphere, as each batch of soon-to-be-cleared miscellaneous disciples lament the unfairness of fate or discuss their future paths after leaving the Tianyun Sect.
For five years, Ye Feng thought he had gotten used to such scenes, but when it was his turn, his mood wasn't as light as he had imagined.
"Brother Ye, you're here!"
As soon as he reached the herb field, Ye Feng heard calls.
He had been here for five years, during which he had taken care of the later miscellaneous disciples, earning him the status of a 'senior' among them, with considerable prestige and popularity.
Ye Feng smiled lightly, hiding the gloom in his eyes, and as usual, assigned tasks to everyone before heading to the herb field area he was responsible for to start his daily planting duties.
However, today it was clear that no one was in the mood to work, and many people started chatting in the herb field:
"Damn it! I've trained hard for four years, and in the end, I still can't break through the Profound Path. Damn it, I've been planting grass here for a year, the heavens are truly blind!"
Some were indignant, while others, stuck in the same mire, found solace in seeing others in the same plight:
"Heh heh, you think that's blind? Some people have been here for four or five years and still have to leave with us."
"Zhang Xiaowu, what nonsense are you spouting!" At this, a dark-faced disciple stood up, glaring angrily.
"Uh... no, Li Xiang, I wasn't talking about Brother Ye!" The person quickly explained, realizing his mistake: "With Brother Ye's skills, even if he's not in the Tianyun Sect, he can live carefree outside..."
"Shut your filthy mouth!" Li Xiang snorted coldly, coming over to squat beside Ye Feng.
He had come to the herb garden a year after Ye Feng and had been a miscellaneous disciple for four years, making him one of the few true friends Ye Feng had made in the Herb Hut.
"Brother Ye, don't listen to Xiaowu's nonsense."
"That guy can't control his mouth, haha, it's fine!" Ye Feng was weeding the spirit herbs at his feet, giving Li Xiang a faint smile, but for some reason, his smile felt particularly heavy today, unable to lift.
"Hey, Brother Ye, but Xiaowu did say one thing right, with your skills, you won't have to worry about making a living even if you leave the Tianyun Sect. My family has a security agency in the city, why not come back with me, I guarantee you'll become a head guard, living the good life!"
Li Xiang's family had some fame in Fengxiang County City at the foot of the Tianyun Mountains, being one of the top security agencies within a hundred miles. Originally, Li Xiang thought he was helping Ye Feng, but little did he know these words felt like needles to Ye Feng's heart.
Had he worked hard for eight years just to become a head guard?
That would be a fucking tragedy.
Just then, a commotion erupted outside the herb field, and a cry of surprise came through.
"Ah~~ you, how dare you hit someone!!"
What's going on?
Ye Feng and Li Xiang were both taken aback, rushing towards the source of the sound.
In the clearing in front of the Herb Hut, three youths in outer disciple robes were surrounding a miscellaneous disciple on the ground. Two stood in front, their gazes fierce, while the one behind stood with hands clasped, appearing only thirteen or fourteen years old, with long black hair. Despite his young age, his face was full of an arrogant expression, looking down at the miscellaneous disciple on the ground as if he were a prince.
"So what if we hit you?" The tall youth on the left sneered: "Do you know who we are? This is Ji Fanchen, the champion of this year's Newbie Competition. We came to collect the competition's reward herbs, and you dare tell me there aren't any?"
"Hmph!" The other was cold as ice: "You better quickly get the herbs for Young Master Ji, or I'll make you regret being born!"
That's Ji Fanchen!
Ye Feng's ears were filled with low exclamations.
Ji Fanchen, this name had become well-known among the outer disciples of the Tianyun Sect in the past two years.
In just one year after joining the sect, he had reached the peak of the Body Realm, and in less than two years, he broke through the Profound Path. At the mere age of fourteen, he surpassed many older disciples, winning the outer disciple competition held a few days ago, becoming the most dazzling new powerhouse of this session, basking in glory!
However, Li Xiang beside Ye Feng spat quietly:
"Bah! What strongest newcomer, just an empty shell propped up by his family's wealth in Fengxiang, using spirit pills and treasures!"
Ye Feng also observed the arrogant youth from afar. Although the other was already exuding a strong Profound Path aura, his demeanor and bearing were indeed inferior to some true prodigies Ye Feng had seen over the years.
"Indeed." Ye Feng responded to Li Xiang: "This person has a body full of cultivation, but his demeanor is far inferior to the likes of Li Huayu and Yun Qianqian back in the day."
Hmm?
Ye Feng and Li Xiang's words were not loud, yet the cold-faced youth nearby's ears twitched, and his cold gaze swept towards the two of them.
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan