A moment later, Liu Xuan, clad in a flowing white gown, descended upon the peak of the Spirit Pool, her long, graceful legs moving with purpose. Instantly, the surrounding female disciples bowed. "Senior Sister Liu Xuan, greetings!"
Liu Xuan nodded and headed toward her master's cave. She had a few cultivation doubts to clear up, but afterward, she planned to head straight for Azure Mystery Peak to challenge Junior Sister Fuyao once more! Suddenly, countless brilliant divine petals bloomed beneath her feet, and she soared into the sky.
The disciples were astonished. "Senior Sister Liu Xuan, where are you going?"
Liu Xuan smiled faintly. "To Azure Mystery Peak!"
Hearing this, the female disciples quickly emerged from the Spirit Pool, wrapping their delicate bodies in robes, and followed. The sky was instantly filled with streaks of divine light, shooting toward Azure Mystery Peak like meteors.
***
Sword Peak. Zheng! A crisp sword chime echoed through the void, and terrifying sword energy radiated outward. In the next instant, a Saint Soldier spirit sword shot into the sky, circling constantly. Profound Venerate Stage Four!
Immediately, the spirit swords at the waists of the Sword Peak disciples began to tremble, humming in resonance. Luo Lingkong, dressed in a long blue robe, stepped out of his cave and onto his flying sword. He stood with his hands behind his back, exuding a calm, transcendent aura of sword intent.
The female disciples of Sword Peak covered their mouths, their faces flushed. "It's Senior Brother Luo Lingkong!"
"He's emerged from seclusion! He actually broke through to Profound Venerate Stage Four!"
"Senior Brother seems even more captivating than before!"
The disciples were utterly shaken. As expected of the man hailed as the Grand Dao Sect's foremost sword cultivator of the younger generation! Though he had lost to Ji Fuyao, he had only grown stronger because of it!
Luo Lingkong gazed toward Azure Mystery Peak. "Ji Fuyao," he murmured. "I've grown stronger. What about you?"
He recalled his failure during the Inner Sect Trial. His ultimate strike, the "Instant Void Sword," had been effortlessly annihilated by Ji Fuyao, who told him he lacked the resolve to go all-in. Now, he had finally found that feeling: the ultimate sword strike must be a matter of life and death! "I have one sword, once unsheathed, it is invincible!" He had achieved enlightenment.
Luo Lingkong muttered, "We sword cultivators must view life and death lightly!" With a thought, he mounted his sword and flew, his sword energy whipping like a gale, heading straight for Azure Mystery Peak.
Moments later, hundreds of divine rainbows rose from Sword Peak, disciples flying on their swords like a magnificent torrent of meteors.
***
Body Tempering Peak. Boom! Endless, brilliant spirit runes exploded, shattering the seal on a cave dwelling into dust.
Fang Yan slowly walked out, his upper body bare and radiating a golden light. His blood surged within his body, emitting a resounding roar. His Body Tempering Realm was approaching Great Perfection!
"Junior Sister Fuyao," Fang Yan boomed with a laugh. "I've made my triumphant return. Are you ready?"
The entire Body Tempering Peak erupted. The disciples were stunned. "Senior Brother Fang Yan's Body Tempering Realm is approaching Great Perfection! Who can possibly stand against him?"
Fang Yan smirked, looking at his disciples. "Body Tempering Peak disciples, follow me to Azure Mystery Peak!"
The disciples paused for a moment. Fang Yan stomped hard, shaking the ground, and soared into the air on a divine rainbow, rushing toward Azure Mystery Peak.
Instantly, hundreds of figures from Body Tempering Peak followed.
***
Meanwhile, on Azure Mystery Peak, Lu Xuan and Ye Chen were enjoying a meal.
Ye Chen, savoring every bite, said, "Master, I've successfully entered Profound Sovereign Late-stage Great Perfection!"
Lu Xuan nodded. "Excellent. Keep up the good work."
"Yes, Master!" Ye Chen replied.
Just then, Boom! Boom! Boom! Countless divine rainbows, blazing with light, surged from all directions in the distant sky.
From the east, a group of stunning women, their robes fluttering, their graceful feet stepping on rainbows, flew toward Azure Mystery Peak. Liu Xuan led the way, a charming smile on her face.
From the west, hundreds of sword cultivators flew on their blades, the air tearing with the sound of their passage. Luo Lingkong stood with his hands behind his back, his blue robe billowing, looking incomparably detached and ethereal.
From the north, hundreds of massive men charged forward, their bodies like small, moving mountains.
From the south…
Ye Chen was utterly dumbfounded. What in the world was happening? He had been on Azure Mystery Peak for months, and this was the first time he had seen so many Grand Dao Sect disciples arrive!
Lu Xuan glanced up, then returned his focus to his food.
Soon, Liu Xuan landed, her jade feet resting on shimmering petals above Azure Mystery Peak. Behind her, the beautiful disciples from Ethereal Peak curiously observed Lu Xuan and Ye Chen.
The next moment, Luo Lingkong descended. Fang Yan descended! And several other top-tier True Disciples arrived as well!
The sky above Azure Mystery Peak instantly became a crowded mess. A dozen top True Disciples, each bringing hundreds of their peak's followers—thousands of people in total! They had completely surrounded Azure Mystery Peak.
The combined auras of thousands of Profound Venerate and Profound Sovereign realm cultivators gathered above, vast and terrifying.
Liu Xuan, Luo Lingkong, and the others exchanged glances. Peak Master Lu is… eating? And where is Ji Fuyao? Who is this handsome young man? They had just emerged from seclusion and were completely unaware of the recent events in the Grand Dao Sect.
Seeing the overwhelming display of force, Lu Xuan took a bite of food, looked up, and asked casually, "Are you all here to attack my Azure Mystery Peak?"
Liu Xuan let out a soft laugh. "Peak Master Lu, we've come to spar with Junior Sister Fuyao."
Lu Xuan replied flatly, "Spar? Fuyao isn't here. She's out on a mission."
Liu Xuan and Luo Lingkong were momentarily stunned.
A few disciples frowned. "Senior Sister Liu Xuan, I think I remember seeing Junior Sister Fuyao take a mission from the Mission Hall two months ago."
Disappointment flashed in Luo Lingkong's eyes. "I didn't expect her to still be gone after two months."
Liu Xuan then smiled charmingly, her eyes full of curiosity, and pointed at Ye Chen. "Peak Master Lu, who is this disciple?"
Lu Xuan said simply, "My second disciple."
Liu Xuan, Luo Lingkong, and the others were stunned again. What? Peak Master Lu took another disciple?
A disciple quickly explained the situation to Liu Xuan and the others. The top True Disciples were utterly shocked. This young man was an Earth-tier Alchemist who had won the competition! So much had happened in the Grand Dao Sect while they were in seclusion!
Liu Xuan looked at Ye Chen. "Junior Brother Ye Chen, since your soul power was strong enough to annihilate a dozen Supreme Profound Sect disciples, I imagine your spiritual strength is formidable."
Ye Chen took a bite of food. "Senior Sister, you flatter me."
Liu Xuan smiled. "Since Senior Sister Fuyao isn't here, why don't you and I spar? My attack is illusionary, and with your strong soul power, perhaps you can break my illusionary realm?"
Ye Chen felt a surge of excitement. "Sounds good." He had been planning to fight the sect's True Disciples anyway to test the power of the Desolate Heaven Art. They came at the perfect time!
Liu Xuan smiled faintly. "When should we begin?"
Ye Chen replied, "After I finish eating."
Everyone: "..."
Liu Xuan's beautiful chest rose and fell as she laughed. "Very well."
Ye Chen then looked at Luo Lingkong and Fang Yan. "Senior Brothers, since my Senior Sister isn't here, why don't I take her place and spar with all of you?"
Luo Lingkong and the other True Disciples were taken aback. Ye Chen was only at Profound Sovereign Late-stage Great Perfection! They were already in the Profound Venerate realm!
Luo Lingkong said calmly, "Junior Brother Ye Chen, you are not my match."
Ye Chen chuckled. "Senior Brother, don't jump to conclusions so quickly!"
Luo Lingkong paused, then nodded. "Fine. I accept. But I will use my full power!"
Fang Yan spoke in his coarse voice. "Senior Brother Ye Chen, I'll fight you too! Since Junior Sister Fuyao isn't here, I guess I'll just have to 'bully' you a little to scratch this itch."
Ye Chen nodded. "Accepted."
The surrounding disciples struggled to hold back their laughter. Haha! What kind of honest truth is Senior Brother Fang Yan spouting? Everyone knew that while alchemists like Ye Chen possessed extraordinary talent in pill refining, their combat power was usually weak. He was clearly setting himself up to be bullied!
Ye Chen and Lu Xuan continued their meal, completely unbothered. For a moment, thousands of people were forced to stand in the air, watching two people eat. Lu Xuan was completely oblivious to the crowd.
Liu Xuan finally couldn't help but ask, "Junior Brother Ye Chen, you're almost a Profound Venerate now. Why haven't you entered the state of Bigu (abstaining from grain)?"
Ye Chen smiled. "Senior Sister, eating is extremely helpful for my cultivation."
Everyone was stunned. Liu Xuan tilted her snow-white neck, shaking her head slightly. Clearly, Ye Chen had been led astray by Peak Master Lu. Everyone knew that Lu Xuan was the only person in the entire Grand Dao Sect who hadn't entered Bigu! He was truly one of a kind!
At this point, Lu Xuan finished his meal. He stretched out on the recliner in front of the thatched hut and immediately went to sleep.
The faces of the onlookers twitched. One disciple muttered, "Peak Master Lu is truly incorrigible."
A female disciple from Ethereal Peak whispered, "Peak Master Lu is already done and lying down. Why is Junior Brother Ye Chen eating so slowly?"
Ye Chen was carefully chewing, absorbing a trace of the "Dao and Essence" contained within the food. The spiritual rice, cooked in the Dao Profound Iron Pot and infused with the power of the Azure Nether Celestial Water, contained a profound, subtle energy. The reason he ate so slowly was that his body simply couldn't handle too much power at once!
Ye Chen chewed slowly, occasionally closing his eyes and exhaling softly. To the thousands of disciples watching, his movements looked bizarre.
A female disciple covered her mouth and whispered, "Isn't that just common spiritual fish? Why does Junior Brother Ye Chen look like he's eating a Heaven and Earth treasure? What exactly is he eating?"
Even Liu Xuan was tempted to ask, "Is the food really that delicious? Why does he look so satisfied?"
Beside her, Luo Lingkong and Fang Yan watched with forced interest. No rush, no rush. Honestly, they weren't in a hurry at all.
But seriously, they just want to throw hands!