In the secluded courtyard, Hong Yu was at a loss for words as he watched Yun ngyao. With a salted duck egg in one hand and a small bowl in the other, she was gobbling down her food, looking anything but ladylike.
"Slow down. Look at you, you're a ssy little kitten."
Hong Yu took a handkerchief and wiped the grains of rice from the corner of her mouth, chiding with a smile.
Yun ngyao stuck out her tongue playfully, her starry eyes crinkling as she giggled. "But that's what Big Brother is for, to wipe my mouth for !"
Ever since Hong Yu had once made her salted duck eggs with plain congee, the little girl had fallen in love with the seemingly ordinary combination. To her, as long as Hong Yu was the one who made them, salted duck eggs and congee were more tempting than the finest delicacies in the world!
"You... you always act like you'll never grow up."
Hong Yu shook his head helplessly.
Yet, his words held no reproach, only doting affection and love.
Beside them, Xue Butong, also holding a small bowl and relishing the novel food in his hands, smacked his lips in praise. "Little Friend Hong Yu, I never would have thought! In addition to your uniquely profound insights into pharmacology, you're also such a talented cook!"
"Hee hee, my big brother is the best!"
Before Hong Yu could say anything, Yun ngyao had already given a proud thumbs-up.
"Yes, yes, your big brother is the best!"
Xue Butong chuckled and slowly rose to his feet. "Little Friend Hong Yu, I must get back to refining the Breaking Forbidden Spirit Pill, so I might be in seclusion for a while. If you need my help with anything, just take this token to the Spirit Pill Pavilion to find . As long as it is within my power, I will go through fire and water for you!"
As he spoke, Xue Butong handed Hong Yu a black Jade Order.
Hong Yu carefully put the Jade Order away and said, "Take care, Master Xue!"
"No need to see out!"
Xue Butong left with a smile.
After seeing Xue Butong off, Hong Yu went back inside. He waited until Yun ngyao had fallen asleep before returning to his own room.
Hong Yu sat cross-legged on his bed, carefully analyzing the situation. 'The Cyan Nether Sword Sect is only accepting four disciples this ti, which ans I have to place in the top four to qualify. What's more, that Master Zhu is an Elder in the Cyan Nether Sword Sect. If I want to get close to her quickly, I have to reveal enough talent and strength to attract the attention of the higher-ups. The most important thing is to secure a spot in the top four, and if possible, I'll fight for first place!'
'The Four Kings, Three Prodigies, and One Overlord... These eight are widely acknowledged as the strongest generation of talents Shishui City has seen in a century. The Four Kings from my very own Hong Family are especially like dragons among n, but they're already disciples of the Cyan Nether Sword Sect, so they can't be my rivals. The problem now is the Three Prodigies and the One Overlord…' A sharp glint flashed in Hong Yu's eyes as he sank into thought.
The Three Prodigies and the One Overlord were the four great talents second only to the Four Kings.
Wang ng of the Wang Family, and the two great talents of the Lin Family, Lin Hai and Lin Tao—these three have been famous for a long ti. Take Wang ng, for example. Though only eighteen, he reached the Early Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm a year ago. It's impossible that he hasn't made any progress in the past year.
His current strength was at least at the Peak of the Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm, and he might have even touched the gateway to the Earth Soul Realm.
As for Lin Hai and Lin Tao, they were twins, and their cultivation levels were similar. They were as famous as Wang ng, so their strength was most likely comparable as well.
However, neither Wang ng nor the Lin brothers were enough to make Hong Yu too wary. After all, he was also at the Early Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm. Furthermore, with the spoils worth hundreds of thousands that he'd taken from the Demon Blood Squad, he had enough to refine more pills for himself. Breaking through to the Earth Soul Realm was a long shot, but he was confident he could reach the Mid-Ninth Layer before the inter-family tournant.
Once he broke through to the Mid-Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm, with his Rising Dragon Fist at the Realm of Sublimation and Perfection and his other techniques, he would be able to put up a fight even against an opponent at the Peak of the Ninth Layer.
He wouldn't be in such a pathetic state as when he faced Hong Luàn in the Valley of the Dead, needing to rely on external power to win!
'Those three won't be too much of an obstacle, but that Hong Hu... he won't be easy to deal with!'
The re ntion of Hong Hu gave Hong Yu a headache.
As a disciple of the Hong Family, he naturally knew of Hong Hu's fa.
Hong Hu was the grandson of the Fifth Elder, which was why he was ranked fifth among the younger generation of Direct Lineage Disciples. In terms of age, he was a year younger than Hong Luàn, but his strength far surpassed him.
A year ago, he had already reached the Late Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm. Afterward, not content with arduous training in the Hong Family, he left Shishui City alone to gain experience in the outside world. With his talent, he had to be at least at the Peak of the Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm by now, and it wasn't impossible that he had already advanced to the Earth Soul Realm.
No matter how strong Hong Yu's combat power was, even if he could look down on all enemies within the Essence Realm...
...if his opponent were a powerhouse of the Earth Soul Realm, the outco of the battle would be beyond doubt. Hong Yu would definitely be no match for them.
'Unless I can reach the Peak of the Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm, and combine it with my Rising Dragon Fist at the Great Perfection Realm, maybe then I'll have a sliver of hope of defeating an Earth Soul Realm expert.' Hong Yu's expression was pensive. The imnse pressure brought on by the Three Prodigies and One Overlord felt like a heavy weight on his shoulders, making him exceptionally uncomfortable. 'Strength... It all cos down to strength. I must break through as soon as I can!'
So might think that even if Hong Yu was no match for Hong Hu, he only needed to secure one of the top four spots to qualify for the Cyan Nether Sword Sect.
But in the world of martial arts, there's no room for second place.
The law of survival in this world was incredibly cruel. Especially within families and sects, this law of survival of the fittest was taken to the extre.
The resources and attention given to soone who entered the Cyan Nether Sword Sect in second place could never compare to the glory of first place. And Hong Yu needed to attract the attention of the sect's higher-ups as quickly as possible, to use that as a chance to get in contact with the National Guardian Spiritual Craftsman, Elder Zhu Linna.
This ant he had no choice but to fight for first place!
'My cultivation has advanced too quickly recently. I haven't had ti to let it settle and accumulate, which will be detrintal to my future progress. Moreover, my cultivation has reached a bottleneck; breaking through again can't be achieved by simply training arduously.'
A Martial Artist's cultivation was a journey against the heavens themselves. If one only trained in a comfortable environnt, they obviously wouldn't get very far on this path.
This could be seen from how the talented disciples of the major families all chose to venture out for training after reaching a certain level of strength. While Hong Yu's rapid progress in cultivation was certainly related to the Profound Celestial Tower, a greater reason was his experiences in the Underground Alliance over the past year or so.
'Tomorrow morning, after I get Yaoyao settled, I'll make another trip to the Dead Soul Mountain Range!'
Having made his decision, Hong Yu felt his heart relax, and he slowly entered a state of cultivation.
The night passed in a flash.
「The next morning.」
Hong Yu left a hundred Gold Coins for Yun ngyao, saying, "Yaoyao, I'm going to be away for quite a while this ti. Take these hundred Gold Coins. Don't go to your embroidery lessons or do any more work. Just stay ho, rest up, and wait for Big Brother to return!"
"Okay. You have to be careful too, Big Brother!"
Yun ngyao said obediently.
Hong Yu looked at the sweet smile on Yun ngyao's face, his own expression softening. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will be!"
"Goodbye, Big Brother!"
The little girl waved her small hand.
Bathed in the morning sun, the girl's face held a sweet, knowing smile. A soft halo of light surrounded her, making her look exceptionally captivating.
Hong Yu nodded solemnly. "Goodbye!"
He turned away resolutely, the softness in his eyes replaced by unyielding determination. A quiet but firm voice, audible only to him, murmured, 'No matter the cost, I *will* cure your illness! I'll fulfill our promise. When you're healthy, I'll take you to find Dad and Mom... I'll take you... to the Sea of North Netherworld to see the Black Tortoise…'
...
「Dead Soul Mountain Range.」
Within a dense forest.
SWISH SWISH!
Two figures, swift and ethereal as ghosts, were tearing through the dense thickets.
"You beast! You think you can ambush and just run away? Get back here!"
The figure in the rear suddenly let out a sharp roar.
His sprint ca to an abrupt halt. With a THUNK, he plunged one hand into the trunk of a nearby thigh-thick tree. Exerting his strength, he uprooted the ten-ter-tall tree with a great RUMBLE. Hoisting the trunk over his shoulder, the young man violently hurled it forward.
Wherever the massive log passed, an endless series of CRASHES and SNAPS echoed.
Its imnse force violently cleared a path through the obstructing jungle undergrowth until, with a loud THUD, it smashed into the back of the fleeing figure.
"YOWL!"
The log itself weighed over five hundred pounds, and with more than nine hundred pounds of force behind the throw, the destructive impact was unimaginable. The figure's back was struck, and its body instantly went rigid. Arching backward from the impact, it plumted to the ground like a teor.
BAM!
With a dull thud that sent dust and stones flying, the figure was finally revealed.
It was none other than a jet-black Black Cloud Leopard, a formidable Tier One Advanced Desolate Beast. Black Cloud Leopards were incredibly fast, masters of concealnt, and treacherously cunning, with a penchant for ambushing their prey. It was no less of a threat than the Red Yin Poison Scorpion and was likewise considered an Overlord-Level Desolate Beast in the Dead Soul Mountain Range.
The Black Cloud Leopard loved to lie in wait and ambush its prey. This hunting thod had been foolproof for it, ti and ti again.
Quite a few human powerhouses at the Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm had died by its claws.
Unfortunately for it…
Today, however, it had ssed with the wrong person!
With his Profound Celestial Tower, Hong Yu's perception was sharp. How could he be so easily ambushed by it?
Not only had its ambush failed, but it had also been relentlessly pursued by Hong Yu, ending up in this pathetic state. The spine is the most vulnerable part of any feline, and the log's impact had snapped the Black Cloud Leopard's. This Overlord-Level Desolate Beast now lay helplessly on the ground, trembling. The slightest movent sent a gut-wrenching pain through its back; its suffering was indescribable.
"Haha, let's see you run now!"
Hong Yu landed beside the Black Cloud Leopard with a wicked grin.
He had already been in the Dead Soul Mountain Range for ten days, constantly tempering himself in life-and-death combat. The aura of his cultivation at the Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm grew increasingly primordial and stable, and he even showed faint signs of advancing to the Mid-Ninth Layer.
Pinning the cunning beast with his foot, Hong Yu wore a faint smile. "Tsk tsk, a pelt like this could probably sell for a lot of money!"
"Whimper…"
The Black Cloud Leopard whimpered weakly.
Hong Yu sneered. "So now you know how to beg for rcy? Damn it, you didn't show any rcy when you ambushed earlier!"
"..."
The Black Cloud Leopard instantly deflated.
When this beast had ambushed Hong Yu, it had swiped its claw directly at his heart. If Hong Yu hadn't been prepared, his heart would have been gouged out, and he'd have beco a al in this creature's belly.
Hong Yu took out a gleaming dagger. "Be good now. Don't struggle. Big Brother will make it quick for you."
With one strike of the dagger, the Black Cloud Leopard breathed its last.
Hong Yu skillfully skinned the Black Cloud Leopard, carefully packing away its most valuable pelt.
He slowly looked up at the sky and muttered to himself, 'Ten days have already passed. There are only five days left until the inter-family tournant. I'll end my training here for today. I need to find a safe place to enter seclusion before dark and try to break through to the Mid-stage Realm before the tournant begins!'
Hong Yu cut off a large piece of leopard at and prepared to look for a place for his seclusion.
Just then, a world-shaking roar suddenly echoed from the dense forest in the distance. The mighty presence of the sound caused the blood and qi in Hong Yu's body to churn. Hong Yu's expression changed instantly, and he stared grimly in the direction the sound had co from…
'What was that? To have such an imnse and terrifying presence…'
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