Shen En: "This is my senior brother Chu Wen!"
Of those menial workers from back then, only Xu Ning and Shen En remained. Naturally, Shen En and Xu Ning had the best relationship.
Xia Ming nodded to Xu Ning: "Hello, Junior Brother!"
Xu Ning cupped his hands in greeting: "Greetings, Senior Sister!"
Xia Ming: "Then I'll head over first!"
Inner disciples had special viewing spots, which Xu Ning and the others couldn't compare to, so Xia Ming went straight there.
Shortly after she left, the Golden Core Elders began to enter.
"Senior brother, it seems there are more Golden Core elders attending this sect competition than last time!" Shen En couldn't help but say, looking at the figures constantly flying in the sky.
Xu Ning: "The top ten in the competition can become disciples of the Golden Core Elders. The Elders must be here to take on disciples!"
Shen En nodded: "That's possible. I've heard that because the number of cultivators in the Qingdong Mountains has suddenly increased, resources are becoming scarce, and the sect is trying to find ways to reform."
"Perhaps these Golden Core elders came here because they were pressured by the sect leader."
As they were speaking, another figure flew across the sky.
It was a woman, dressed in yellow and draped in green silk ribbons, flying across the sky, the ribbons fluttering as if she were dancing gracefully.
"Wow! That's our Peak Master of Wood Spirit Peak!" Shen En couldn't help but exclaim.
Xu Ning was stunned. Peak Master, Lin Lu!
Damn, he finally remembered why the Flowing Cloud Sect sounded so familiar.
He remembered in the village where he became Zhao Datou's apprentice, the cultivator who came to take him as a disciple was from the Liuyun Sect.
She even asked Xu Ning if he wanted to come to the Liuyun Sect to work as a handyman.
Xu Ning said at the time that once he finished dealing with matters in the mortal realm, he would definitely come to the Liuyun Sect as a menial disciple.
Surprisingly, this prediction actually came true.
Counting the time, it had been more than a hundred years, almost two hundred years, since that time. Lin Lu had already reached the Golden Core stage and become the master of a peak.
The peak master was a key figure in the sect. No matter how the disciples and servants below changed, as long as the peak master didn't fall, the entire sect would not be in chaos.
Later, because of Lin Lu, Xu Ning specifically looked at the other people to see if there were any acquaintances.
It turned out to be true; Hu Chen, the cultivator who once went to take on disciples, was now sitting in the position of sect leader.
Indeed, in the cultivation world, only those who were decisive in killing could ultimately reach higher levels.
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Back then, the other party killed the child who didn't come to test his spiritual root.
It may seem too cruel to ordinary people, but in the eyes of cultivators, mortals were really too insignificant. A single seclusion could last for decades or even centuries, which was the entire life of a mortal.
Xu Ning searched again but did not find Zhao Xiao, who had come with Lin Lu that year.
Perhaps he was in seclusion, or perhaps he was already dead.
The sect competition began soon, and Shen En bid farewell to Xu Ning to participate.
That's right, this guy had signed up, which was why he strongly requested Xu Ning to come and watch him dominate the battlefield.
However, this guy didn't disappoint Xu Ning in the end, and came in tenth place.
This ranking was really quite good for Shen En, who had just become an outer disciple; calling him a dark horse wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Of course, his martial arts skills also played a role in achieving this ranking.
Later, Shen En successfully became a disciple of a Golden Core elder.
"Senior brother, how am I? Am I handsome?" Shen En couldn't help but ask proudly as soon as he saw Xu Ning.
Xu Ning nodded sincerely: "It's really great!"
He felt genuinely gratified; his previous guidance hadn't been in vain.
Back at his lodgings, Xu Ning called Tie Dan over: "Hey buddy, I saw Lin Lu!"
Upon hearing this, Tie Dan was stunned, then jumped up on the spot: "Xu Ning, quick, take me to see her!"
Xu Ning shook his head: "Dude, do you want to hear what you're saying? Once you see her, we'll be exposed. Do you know the consequences?"
After hearing this, Tie Dan calmed down, his head drooping, looking utterly dejected.
Xu Ning sighed, "There's nothing we can do. We're too weak, and we're always powerless to control our own destiny!"
Tie Dan nodded dejectedly: "I understand."
After Tie Dan left, the communication talisman in Xu Ning's storage bag made a sound.
When Xu Ning took it out, he was pleasantly surprised to find that it was the one his master had given him.
Speaking of which, Xu Ning hadn't used this communication talisman since his master gave it to him.
Eleven years had passed, and his master had finally remembered that he still had a disciple.
Miao Yunyi: "Disciple, are you still alive?"
Xu Ning was speechless: "Master, are you hoping I'll die?!"
Miao Yunyi: "Don't even mention it. I just escaped here. Can you imagine? When I came out of seclusion, the entire Red Sea Mountain Range had been taken over by the demon race."
"I was worried about you, so I carefully made my way back to Tianbao Sect, only to find it in ruins!"
"Later I was discovered and was constantly hunted by the demon race. I finally escaped to the Qingdong Mountains."
Xu Ning: "Master, you've worked hard!"
Miao Yunyi: "Where are you now? I'm at the new sect of Tianbao Sect!"
Xu Ning: "Um, Master, I'm trapped in a secret realm and can't get out anytime soon!"
Actually, there was nothing wrong with telling his master the truth, and he could leave Liuyun Sect and return to Tianbao Sect at any time.
However, a new problem arose after returning to Tianbao Sect.
Now that Miao Yunyi was a top-tier Golden Core cultivator, his disciples were bound to receive a lot of attention.
Xu Ning used his real name at Tianbao Sect. What if Lin Lu or Hu Chen heard about it?
Although they may have long forgotten the name Xu Ning, what if they did remember it?
Considering all this, Xu Ning felt that he could not return to Tianbao Sect for the time being and would continue to live a life of hiding in Liuyun Sect.
If things didn't go well, he'd run back to the Red Sea Mountains to collect manure, returning to his old ways.
Miao Yunyi: "Trapped in a secret realm? When can we get out?"
Xu Ning: "It could take three to five years, or even more than ten years!"
Miao Yunyi: Alright! Then be careful. By the way, who made your batch of alchemy equipment?
Xu Ning: "The person is long dead and can't be found. By the way, Master, do you have the blueprints for the Spirit Gathering Array and the Teleportation Array?"
Miao Yunyi: "We do have a spirit-gathering array, but not a teleportation array. That's an ancient array that's been lost for a long time!"
Xu Ning: "Then give me the Spirit Gathering Array blueprint!"
Miao Yunyi: "Okay, I'll tell you and you'll remember!"
After finishing, Xu Ning ended his contact with Miao Yunyi and then entered a state of cultivation.
A few days later, Xu Ning finally prepared the materials to upgrade the formation.
It was time to go out and undergo his tribulation.
After leaving the sect, he changed his appearance and began his search.
What distressed Xu Ning was that, due to the surge in the number of cultivators in the Qingdong Mountains, it was impossible to find a single deep mountain that met the required standards.
That wouldn't do! If it was a tribulation, it would inevitably bring unnecessary trouble.
"Can a thatched hut withstand tribulation in the mortal realm?" After thinking it over, Xu Ning couldn't help but ask.