At the foot of the mountain peak, the three of them looked at each other. Ye Tianyi’s face was dark, truly at a loss for words.
Lin Po also shook his head helplessly and said, “Changsheng, your Senior Brother has been traveling the world with your Master for ten years and has only just returned. From now on, you must listen more to your Senior Brother’s guidance!”
“Don’t worry, Martial Uncle!”
Lu Changsheng waved his small hand and responded earnestly.
For a moment, Ye Tianyi did not know what to say.
Seeing this attitude, he felt it wasn’t entirely hopeless. His expression softened slightly.
After pondering for a moment, he prepared to have a proper talk with the boy.
But before the words could leave his mouth, a sound echoed from within the Sect.
“Clang…”
A dull bell toll reverberated in all directions. The moment Lu Changsheng heard it, his entire demeanor changed.
Without a second word, he casually snatched up a burlap sack and charged down the mountain.
“Senior Brother, I have matters to attend to. I’ll welcome you back later!”
With that, he was gone without a trace.
Ye Tianyi furrowed his brow and asked, “What is he going to do?”
Lin Po was at a loss for words. He sighed, “The Sect is distributing Spirit Grass to the inner disciples today…”
“I…”
For a moment, silence fell all around. Ye Tianyi remembered the man-sized burlap sack Lu Changsheng had just grabbed, and he sank into deep thought.
“Tianyi, I know you are anxious, but calm down!”
Lin Po did not say much more. This was not a matter he could help with.
However, before leaving, he remembered something and turned back.
“There is one thing I forgot to tell you. From now on, absolutely never walk alone at night!”
“Why? Are there ghosts or something?” Ye Tianyi was puzzled.
“Far more than that. It is far more terrifying than ghosts!” Lin Po said, his brow furrowing involuntarily. “Starting about eight or nine years ago, a Night Demon appeared in the Sect. Every so often, it shows up and mercilessly beats someone. At first, it only targeted inner disciples, then it moved on to Direct Disciples. In recent years, it has become increasingly deranged. Not long ago, it even set its sights on the masters of each peak…”
The more Lin Po spoke, the more outrageous it sounded. Seeing the sky growing dark, he hurriedly bid farewell and left.
Ye Tianyi did not pay it much mind. His attention remained fixed on Lu Changsheng.
Gathering his thoughts, he resolved to properly instruct his little Junior Brother.
Yet, thinking back on the things he had seen today, he simply could not calm down.
What was that about a monthly allowance of Spirit Stones? Was it protection money? Or was he using his status as a Direct Disciple to extort mortals?
Soon, Lu Changsheng returned. He was carrying a burlap sack taller than himself on his back. A sweep of divine sense revealed it was entirely filled with Spirit Grass.
An inner disciple could only receive one or two stalks a month, yet he had hauled back an entire sack…
Seeing this, Ye Tianyi’s expression grew even darker. What kind of nonsense was this? He was purely bringing disgrace to Qingyun Peak!
Just as he was about to open his mouth to reprimand him, a graceful figure arrived via Sword Riding from behind Qingyun Peak, landing gently before the two of them.
“Greetings, Senior Sister!”
Ye Tianyi immediately restrained his emotions and bowed to the woman.
Lu Changsheng, however, smiled and said, “It has only been half a month, yet Senior Sister looks even more beautiful and ethereal!”
“You and your sweet talk!”
The woman chided with a laugh, her fondness for this little Junior Brother overflowing.
The woman was named Liu Qingcheng, the Senior Sister of Liuyun Peak. True to her name, she possessed stunning beauty, her every smile and frown enough to captivate the soul.
“When did Junior Brother Ye return?” Liu Qingcheng finally noticed Ye Tianyi.
Ye Tianyi said, “I just returned today.”
“Ten years traveling must have been arduous.”
“Not at all!” Ye Tianyi remained highly respectful. “Senior Sister coming here so late at night, is there something you need from Eldest Senior Brother?”
Liu Qingcheng said, “No, I came to find Junior Brother Changsheng. I wanted to ask him for a favor!”
“What kind of help could he provide?”
“There is a problem with a Formation. I want him to take a look at it!”
“A Formation problem… have him look at it?”
Ye Tianyi stared blankly at Lu Changsheng, who was still carrying the massive burlap sack.
Liu Qingcheng lightly raised her jade hand and flew toward the back of the mountain, taking Lu Changsheng directly along with her.
This action left Ye Tianyi stunned.
After a long moment, Liu Qingcheng slowly walked back, a faint smile on her face.
“Senior Sister, is the Formation problem resolved?” Ye Tianyi tentatively asked.
“Mm, it is resolved!”
“My Junior Brother resolved it?”
“That’s right!”
“But he…”
Ye Tianyi wanted to say something, but Liu Qingcheng interjected, “It seems you have heard some of the rumors within the Sect and misunderstood Junior Brother Changsheng. He is not what you think.”
“Senior Sister has a different view?”
“Get along well with him, and you will slowly understand in the future. Treat him well, you won’t lose out!” Liu Qingcheng did not elaborate further.
Still puzzled, Ye Tianyi said, “I will go have a talk with him.”
Liu Qingcheng said, “Leave it for another day. He has gone to cultivate.”
Hearing this, Ye Tianyi’s expression softened slightly. It seemed the boy wasn’t completely hopeless after all; at least he knew to cultivate.
But just as he turned around, he saw Lu Changsheng rushing out frantically from behind the mountain.
Without a word, he charged straight toward the old pine tree at the foot of the mountain.
“Is he done cultivating?” Ye Tianyi looked at his Senior Sister and inquired.
Liu Qingcheng, however, ignored him and instead called out to Lu Changsheng, “Junior Brother, run slower, don’t fall!”
“burly?”
Ye Tianyi was utterly bewildered. From the moment Senior Sister came out and said he was cultivating until now, only a few sentences had been exchanged. He was already done cultivating?
At this speed… even taking a dump took longer.
Liu Qingcheng, however, seemed accustomed to it. Looking at Lu Changsheng, a smile appeared in her eyes.
“Junior Brother Changsheng should be about fully grown by now, right?”
“Huh?”
Ye Tianyi was taken aback. What did that mean?
At the same time, Lu Changsheng arrived beneath the old pine tree. His brows were tightly furrowed, his face grave, and his body trembling slightly, as if enduring immense agony.
Beads of sweat the size of beans already covered his forehead, soaking his clothes.
A gentle breeze blew from afar, rustling the treetops. The old pine tree scattered specks of starlight down upon him, and only then did his expression ease slightly.
“Can I please not have this Myriad Tribulations Immortal Physique? Every time I cultivate and break through, it feels like dying. How can there be such a disgusting physique…”
Lu Changsheng was helpless. Before stepping onto the path of cultivation, he had thought his bone structure was extraordinary, that he was absolutely a one-in-ten-thousand cultivation prodigy.
The reality was just as he thought; he truly possessed the one-in-ten-thousand Myriad Tribulations Immortal Physique.
Others cultivated by drawing the Spiritual Qi of heaven and earth into their bodies, circulating it through their meridians, and transforming it into their own cultivation in a repeating cycle.
But his cultivation felt like swallowing razor blades, having boulders smashed over his chest, or plunging his bare hands into a boiling cauldron of oil!
Every cultivation session was pure torment, and breaking through was even more life-threatening. His entire body had to endure endless agony. Just like the name of his physique, it truly felt like enduring myriad tribulations.
Not only that, but the Spiritual Qi he required to cultivate was several times, even over a dozen times, greater than others. As his realm continuously advanced, the amount needed only grew more terrifying.
However, his spiritual power was also several times vaster than anyone at the same realm.
Up to now, he had been cultivating for ten years.
On the path of cultivation, Qi Condensation was the beginning, Spirit Accumulation was the foundation, followed by Essence Condensation, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Void Transformation.
He had already reached the eighth layer of Core Formation.
Thinking of this, he could not help but glance at a distant mountain peak. That was Cangyun Peak, the residence of the Sect Leader.
“I heard that after the Sect Leader broke through to the eighth layer of Core Formation, he started slacking off in his cultivation. I wonder if I can beat him now.”
Lu Changsheng pondered, changed into a set of black clothes, took a single step into the air, and soared off into the night sky.
…