In the days that followed, Hong Yu continued to cultivate diligently.
To save ti, he simply made camp in the Beard Iron Tree Forest. Aside from bringing food to Liu Liyun each day, he spent nearly all his ti there.
After more than ten days of rest, Liu Liyun's injuries had fully healed, and he accepted his own Sect mission. He wasn't deliberately targeted, but the task he received was unremarkable: watering and fertilizing the vegetable garden.
On this particular day, Liu Liyun was just returning from his duties in the vegetable garden.
As he walked, he overheard two Outer Disciples whispering to each other. His curiosity piqued, he moved closer.
"Have you heard? That new Outer Disciple, Hong Yu, offended Senior Brother Hong Long from the Inner Sect, so he got assigned to chop down Beard Iron Trees..."
"Haha, that's old news. The Beard Iron Trees are incredibly hard. Forget a re Half-Step Earth Soul Realm cultivator; even a Late Stage Earth Soul Realm Powerhouse would be lucky to fell seven or eight in a month. But Hong Yu's task is to fell a hundred. There's no way he can finish!"
"Hong Yu must know he can't complete the mission. I heard that for the past twenty-so days, he hasn't even tried to cut down the trees. He just cultivates in the Beard Iron Tree Forest all day!"
"Cultivating? More like he's given up!"
"He's got so rotten luck, offending a senior brother from the Inner Sect. The mission deadline is in a few days. When he can't turn it in, he's going to be in for a world of hurt."
"I heard Senior Brother Hong Long already had a word with Senior Brother Chen Xing at the Task Hall. They're plotting so nasty punishnt that's just waiting for him!"
Liu Liyun's expression flickered.
Forgetting all about washing off the pungent stench of fertilizer, he bolted straight for the Beard Iron Tree Forest on the back mountain.
When Liu Liyun reached the back mountain, he saw Hong Yu in the distance, sitting cross-legged atop a giant boulder, quietly cultivating in the Five Hearts Facing Heaven posture. Liu Liyun's expression darkened even further. The rumors he'd just overheard weighed heavily on his mind as he frowned and walked toward Hong Yu.
When he was still about thirty ters from Hong Yu, Liu Liyun suddenly froze in his tracks.
The grave expression on his face was gradually replaced by shock and astonishnt.
Even from this distance, as Liu Liyun looked at Hong Yu, he felt an inexplicable, suppressive aura.
Though Hong Yu was perfectly still, he exuded an incredibly suffocating pressure.
'Brother Hong's cultivation...' Liu Liyun stared, his eyes wide.
BOOM!
Ahead of him, Hong Yu's entire body trembled.
A powerful Qi Vortex ford above his head. As it spun, it frantically devoured surging waves of Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. The absorption rate accelerated, and the converging Spiritual Qi ford a spiritual storm, creating a vibrant, multi-colored whirlwind above Hong Yu's head.
A constant stream of dense Spiritual Qi poured into Hong Yu's body.
'Is Brother Hong breaking through to the Earth Soul Realm? But... I've never seen a breakthrough to the Earth Soul Realm cause such a spectacle!' Liu Liyun was inwardly shocked.
ROAR!
The seated Hong Yu suddenly let out a low roar.
The roar was like that of a Wandering Dragon soaring through the heavens—imnse and powerful, shaking the very world like the toll of a great bell or a crack of thunder.
KRAKA-KRAK!
With a series of sharp cracks, the giant boulder beneath Hong Yu could no longer withstand the pressure of his aura. Jagged fissures appeared, spreading out like a spiderweb.
At last, the boulder reached its breaking point. With a loud BOOM, it shattered, sending fragnts shooting in every direction.
'Not good...'
Liu Liyun saw dozens of rock fragnts hurtling toward him. His expression changed as he hastily activated his Profound Skill to block the projectiles.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
After blocking more than thirty projectiles, Liu Liyun was struck by one in a mont of carelessness and staggered to the ground. He saw another fragnt, weighing several hundred pounds, bearing down on him. Grunting, he prepared to brace for the impact. But just as the rock was about to hit, it jerked to a stop, hovering in mid-air right before his eyes!
'What's happening?'
A line of cold sweat trickled down Liu Liyun's forehead as he stared at the fragnt, which had stopped just short of his nose.
"What are you doing here?"
A calm voice sounded from behind the rock, which then slowly moved aside.
Hong Yu tossed the fragnt aside and looked at Liu Liyun with a puzzled expression. "Don't you have a Sect mission in the vegetable garden? What brings you here?" As he spoke, Hong Yu extended a hand and pulled Liu Liyun to his feet.
Liu Liyun gave a wry smile. "Brother Hong, you can really sit here and cultivate so peacefully?"
"Uh..."
Hong Yu paused, confused. "The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi is quite dense here. Wouldn't it be a waste not to cultivate?"
Liu Liyun brushed the dust from his clothes and smiled wryly. "Brother Hong, the entire Outer Sect is buzzing about what kind of punishnt you'll face in a few days when you can't complete your mission. And here you are, cultivating like you don't have a care in the world..."
"Hahaha, so that's what this is about! I've known for a while!"
Hong Yu let out a hearty laugh. "So, does everyone think I won't be able to complete the mission?"
Liu Liyun nodded.
Hong Yu asked playfully, "What other rumors have you heard?"
"I heard that Senior Brother Hong Long from the Inner Sect has already made arrangents with Senior Brother Chen Xing of the Task Hall. They've devised a vicious punishnt, just waiting for you to fail the mission." As he spoke of this, anger flared on Liu Liyun's face, and he added indignantly, "They're despicable! Even an Inner Sect Disciple couldn't complete a mission like this. They're deliberately trying to fra you."
An ordinary person, upon learning that Hong Yu was being targeted by Inner Sect Disciples, would most likely have abandoned him.
But Liu Liyun had remained steadfastly by Hong Yu's side.
This was enough for Hong Yu to see him in a new light and truly accept him as a friend.
Hong Yu smiled and patted Liu Liyun's shoulder. "Don't worry. It's just a petty sche, right? Heh, in fact, I'm actually looking forward to the mission deadline in a few days!"
"Brother Hong, could it be that you..."
Liu Liyun was startled, but then he shook his head. "That's impossible. These Beard Iron Trees aren't ordinary trees. Besides, you've been cultivating this whole ti and haven't cut down a single one..."
Hong Yu chuckled. "Alright, head back and don't worry about it! In a few days, you can just sit back and watch wipe the smug looks off those treacherous villains' faces!"
His every word and action exuded an effortless confidence and an unhurried calm.
His confidence was infectious. Liu Liyun pumped his fist and nodded firmly. "Yeah! I believe Brother Hong can work a miracle!" There was one more thing Liu Liyun didn't say aloud: 'Even if it cos to being punished, I'll face it with Brother Hong!'
So people, once they accept soone as a friend, are willing to give their all for them, no matter the cost.
Liu Liyun was clearly one of those people.
As Liu Liyun's figure vanished from sight, the smile on Hong Yu's face slowly faded. He gazed into the distance, toward the Task Hall. His eyes glinted with a star-like depth and a playful light, while his lips curled into a cold, blade-sharp arc. 'A vicious punishnt? You really will stop at nothing to deal with , huh. However, I'm afraid you're in for a disappointnt!'
Hong Yu slowly turned to face the vast Ironwood Forest, a playful look on his face.
After more than twenty days and nights of arduous cultivation, he had finally reached the Sixth Layer of the Nine Refinents of the Primordial Spirit today, condensing six Qi Vortexes.
Six Qi Vortexes gave him a full six tis the Spiritual Qi reserves of other cultivators at the Half-Step Earth Soul Realm. This also ant he could unleash six tis the power of an ordinary powerhouse at the sa level. A single all-out strike from Hong Yu now surpassed the mark of 20,000 jin, approaching a force of 30,000 jin.
Once he condensed a seventh Qi Vortex, he would have the strength to face even Hong Long head-on.
As for defeating Hong Long, he would likely have to wait until he formally broke through to the Earth Soul Realm.
The Nine Refinents of the Primordial Spirit grew more powerful with each successive layer. Once all nine refinents were complete and his Primordial Spirit was fully condensed, he would be nine tis stronger than any powerhouse at the sa rank. At that point, Hong Yu could even contend with a genius at the Late-stage Earth Soul Realm—a level of power comparable to that of a True Disciple!
'The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi in the Beard Iron Tree Forest is no longer enough to support my cultivation. I hear there will be a group activity for new disciples after the missions are turned in. I wonder what it will be.'
Slowly closing his eyes, Hong Yu once again entered a state of cultivation.
...
「A month passed in the blink of an eye.」
The ti for the new disciples to turn in their first mission had finally arrived.
The Task Hall was once again a sea of people, bustling with activity.
Among the thousands of new Outer Disciples, so were joyful and others were worried. Sect missions were largely random; good luck led to high completion rates, while bad luck ant you could only curse your fate. Of course, few were like Hong Yu, who had been secretly targeted and his mission tampered with. For that very reason, he had beco the main focus of everyone's attention today.
"Let tell you, I could tell from the beginning that Hong Yu was a blockhead. That's why Brother Li and I saw the light and switched sides early on!"
"Looking back, the decision Brother Zhao and I made was brilliant," Li Que said with a smug, relieved expression. "As soon as we cut ties with Hong Yu, we gained Senior Brother Chen's favor. Now, with Senior Brother Chen as our backer, we even got the cushiest Sect mission: guarding the dicine courtyard."
Zhao Lin nodded, then shot a disdainful glance at Liu Liyun, who was standing alone in the crowd. "See that idiot over there? We told him to side with Senior Brother Chen with us, but he refused and insisted on sticking with Hong Yu. And what was the result? Not only did he get beaten half to death by Senior Brother Hong from the Inner Sect, but he also got stuck with the filthiest, most exhausting Sect mission. How pathetic!"
"That's why I say, following the right person leads to a bright future, but following the wrong one leads to ruin!"
Li Que said this loudly on purpose.
Liu Liyun frowned and snorted. "A pair of despicable, shaless bootlickers. Why didn't you talk about 'seeing the light' back when you were shalessly fawning all over Brother Hong?"
"You..."
Furious, Zhao Lin and Li Que were about to attack.
But at that exact mont, a loud bell chid within the Task Hall.
Chen Xing, the one in charge of the Task Hall, had arrived.
His cold gaze swept over the crowd as he announced indifferently, "The deadline for the new disciples' first Sect mission has passed. You may all report your results!"
The tally was completed quickly. An Outer Disciple at the Ninth Layer of the Essence Realm stepped forward and reported, "Senior Brother Chen, the count is finished. Three thousand four hundred sixty-seven people completed their missions, one hundred thirty-two failed, and one is absent!"
"Who?"
Chen Xing asked coldly.
The disciple replied, "Hong Yu!"
Chen Xing's brow twitched, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He sneered, "Hong Yu? Well, well. A re new disciple dares to be absent for his very first Sect mission. What nerve. You lot, head to the Beard Iron Tree Forest imdiately and drag that audacious fool back here."
Several Task Hall disciples stepped forward in unison, ready to march nacingly out of the hall.
Just then, the sound of a light chuckle drifted in from outside the Task Hall doors, causing the nacing disciples to pause in unison...
"Sorry I'm late. The weather was so nice today, I accidentally overslept!"
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