Atop Purple Bamboo Peak, Gu Changge retracted his palm, patted the Little Black Bird on the head, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.
"To think there would be an unexpected harvest. Someone else is taking the blame, which saves me quite a bit of trouble."
"The Myriad Laws Pavilion thinks highly of itself, and the Burning Heaven Palace will seek revenge for the smallest grievance. There's going to be a good show to watch now, heh heh heh..."
The Little Black Bird tilted its head, as if to say, "Sinister."
Gu Changge laughed heartily and flicked away a spirit fruit pit with his fingertip.
In the distance, Xiao Ruobai was cultivating facing the morning sun, his golden battle aura intertwining with the dawn's light.
He vaguely sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy coming from the south, but he didn't think much of it. He simply clenched his fists and circulated the God of War Art even more fiercely.
Little did he know that the casual palm strike from his master had already dropped a stone among the Seven Great Sects of Xuanzhou, one capable of kicking up monstrous waves.
Gu Changge looked over at Xiao Ruobai, who was cultivating nearby.
"Ruobai, come here."
Xiao Ruobai had just shattered a black iron bamboo in front of him with a single punch. Hearing his master's call, he hurriedly retracted his stance and turned around.
Beads of sweat from his forehead slid down his pale cheeks, dampening his collar.
He quickly walked up to Gu Changge and respectfully cupped his hands. "Master."
Gu Changge lightly tapped his fingertip, and a gentle stream of spiritual energy landed on Xiao Ruobai's shoulder, instantly soothing the restless aura in his body caused by his eagerness for quick success.
"You have cultivated the God of War Art quite solidly, having already reached the mid-stage of the Foundation Establishment Realm. However, you are too focused on explosive power and have neglected the flow of your aura."
He flicked a finger toward Xiao Ruobai's wrist.
"When you threw that punch just now, the spiritual energy here clogged for half a breath. If an opponent caught this flaw in actual combat, it would be enough to severely injure you."
Xiao Ruobai suddenly realized the issue and looked down at his wrist. "This disciple was only focused on breaking through boundaries and ended up neglecting these details."
"Cultivation is like sailing against the current; you must advance bravely, but you must also know when to tense up and when to relax."
Gu Changge stood up and paced around. The leaves of the black iron bamboo brushed against his fingertips, yet not a single one fell.
"You have buried your head in bitter cultivation these past few days. Although your punching power has increased significantly, your actual combat experience is practically zero. If you truly encounter an enemy, you won't be able to handle them calmly."
Xiao Ruobai's cheeks reddened slightly. "I beg Master for guidance."
Gu Changge stopped pacing and looked toward the mist-shrouded back mountain.
"Actual combat doesn't always have to be about fighting and killing. Sparring, breaking through formations, and even dealing with demonic beasts are all ways to accumulate experience."
He turned around and patted Xiao Ruobai's shoulder, a meaningful smile curling the corner of his mouth.
"Come with me."
With that, Gu Changge took the lead and walked toward the back mountain.
His pace was not fast, his azure robes faintly visible amidst the bamboo shadows. His seemingly casual footsteps perfectly landed on the nodes where spiritual energy flowed the most vigorously.
This caused the surrounding bamboo leaves to lean toward him one after another, as if paying their respects.
Xiao Ruobai hurriedly followed.
He had been at Purple Bamboo Peak for over a month but had never been to the back mountain. He had only heard the Little Black Bird mention it with its chirping, suggesting that something strange was hidden there.
Every time his master returned from the back mountain, he would bring back some demonic beast meat.
Now, following his master deeper into the area, he felt the spiritual energy in the air becoming increasingly dense.
It even condensed into spots of light visible to the naked eye. When he inhaled it into his lungs, the spiritual energy within his dantian spontaneously began to circulate, feeling even more comfortable than sitting in meditation to cultivate.
"Master, the back mountain is..."
"You will know once we get there."
Xiao Ruobai quickly kept up. The further they went into the back mountain, the more he felt something was wrong with the surrounding air. It was clearly a familiar bamboo forest, yet there were faint streams of light flickering between the branches and leaves.
The stone-paved path beneath his feet shimmered with strange patterns. Taking three steps felt like stepping across some sort of invisible boundary.
"Is this... an array formation?" Xiao Ruobai exclaimed in surprise.
Gu Changge flicked his fingertip in the void. Ripples suddenly appeared ahead, and three floating gates of light emerged.
They radiated crimson, cyan, and golden halos of light respectively.
He pointed at the crimson gate of light on the far left. "Go in and take a look."
The moment Xiao Ruobai stepped into the gate of light, a fierce gust of wind slammed into his face.
When he opened his eyes, he immediately gasped. How was the sight before him the back mountain?
It was clearly a vast, boundless world. The distant mountain ranges crouched like giant beasts, and the nearby ancient trees were so thick it would take ten people to encircle them. The air was thick with the scent of blood, mixed with the roars of demonic beasts.
Those sounds carried a fierce brutality, as if ancient, evil beasts were lying dormant in the darkness, waiting for their prey.
The Little Black Bird cheerfully flew up from Gu Changge's shoulder, circled twice above the stone gate, and let out a chirp. That crisp call seemed to be cheering Xiao Ruobai on.
"Where... where is this?"
Xiao Ruobai asked, his face full of confusion.
"I raised some live creatures for you to practice with."
Gu Changge absentmindedly toyed with the jade pendant at his waist, his gaze sweeping across the mist-shrouded mountain peaks ahead.
"Do you see those mountains?"
He raised his hand and pointed at the dark cyan mountain range on the far left.
"From here to there, the highest cultivation level among these demonic beasts is the Core Condensation Realm."
He spoke vaguely, yet with unquestionable certainty.
"I am giving you one day to kill a hundred demonic beasts above the Foundation Establishment stage. Remember, only those at Foundation Establishment and above count; anything lower does not."
Xiao Ruobai's heart jolted.
Demonic beasts at the Foundation Establishment Realm already possessed sentience, and their combat prowess far exceeded that of human cultivators at the same stage. Killing a hundred in a single day was a practically impossible task.
But looking at Gu Changge's calm profile, he swallowed the words he wanted to ask. Since his master arranged it this way, there had to be a reason.
"This disciple understands."
At this moment, Gu Changge waved his hand. A flash of light passed, and the Ultimate Emperor Weapon, the Nine Heavens Dragon Soul Halberd, appeared in front of Xiao Ruobai.
Gu Changge had already placed several seals on this Emperor Weapon, so it currently only displayed the might of a Heaven-Human tier weapon.
It was temporarily enough for Xiao Ruobai to use. Once his cultivation was sufficient, the other seals would be slowly undone.
If he truly encountered an invincible foe, the Emperor Weapon could unseal itself to protect its master.
Although the Nine Heavens Dragon Soul Halberd was sealed down to the Heaven-Human tier, its sharpness was still soul-stirring.
"Take it. Don't fight recklessly; if you can't win, run. Although this halberd is extraordinary, you still need to act according to your abilities."
Xiao Ruobai only felt a majestic power rushing at his face, pressing down on him so hard he could barely breathe.
His eyes widened as he received the long halberd with trembling hands, his eyes full of shock and awe.
The instant Xiao Ruobai grasped the long halberd, the spiritual energy in his body spontaneously boiled, as if resonating with the dragon soul within the halberd!
Although he did not know this was an Ultimate Emperor Weapon, he could still sense that this weapon was extraordinary. It was as if by holding it, he was holding a power capable of destroying heaven and earth.
His heart was shaken. Although he did not know the origin of this weapon, it was absolutely far beyond any magical treasure he had ever seen!
"Thank you, Master!" he excitedly cupped his fists.
The Little Black Bird perched on the shoulder immediately let out a chirp. It flapped its wings, flew to the top of Xiao Ruobai's head, and smugly rubbed against his hair, as if encouraging him to bravely march forward.
"I will wait for you outside the mountain. If you don't return before dark, there will be no dinner for you tonight."
"Rest assured, Master. This disciple will definitely not fail his mission."
He took a deep breath, turned around, and stepped into the edge of the dark cyan mountain range.