Chapter 8: Rising to Prominence with Ease

  "What? You're going to Qingyun Peak?"

  Lingyun Peak, outside the Tengyun Hall, a tall black and white disciple stared at his little junior brother in front of him... Oh no, considering the other's red and white Taoist robe, he should be called senior brother instead.

  Hong Bai Shixiong listened to his astonishing question and only nodded: "Uh-huh, I heard Shifu say that he wants to find you, Yueshi Xiong, to sign up, right?"

  Hei Bai Dizi let out a wry smile: "Indeed, I was the one responsible for organizing this trial on Qing Yun Peak. However...I didn't expect any true disciples to sign up. And, forgive me for being rude, elder brother, but usually, the minimum requirement for participating in this trial is at least having reached the Qi Refining stage of cultivation. At the very least, I've never heard of a Body Tempering stage disciple participating before."

  And Hei Bai disciple still has one sentence that hasn't been spoken yet.

  Even if it's the Body Tempering stage, you should at least cultivate to the peak of Body Tempering before coming here. Now... no matter how I look at it, it doesn't seem like the level of a congenital martial artist!

  Forget it, it's not worth arguing about, and it's not a clear rule anyway. A black-and-white disciple like him who has only been in the sect for four years and has a cultivation level of six grades doesn't have the right to make decisions on this matter. I'll just go back and report to Master, let him decide what to do.

  ——

  "Oh? You're saying Wang Lu's kid is also going to participate in the trial?"

  At the top of the misty peak, Liu Xian was inquiring of his disciples below with a somewhat astonished expression.

  "Returning to Master, he indeed said so. This matter is not in line with reason, it's rare for a true disciple to participate in such a trial, and his cultivation realm is also not up to standard. According to the disciple's observation, at most he only has a physique of two or three grades, still needing some time to cultivate to reach the peak of physique refinement, let alone meet the standards of the Qi Refining stage. But after all, he is a true senior brother, and I'm not in a position to refuse him, so..."

  Just as he was halfway through speaking, Liu Xian waved his hand and interrupted him, saying: "No need to refuse, let's just consider it a favor to him."

  The disciples under the hall looked up in surprise: "But, Master, I and Sister Huo are already struggling to take care of four new people. If we add another member in the tempering period, we won't be able to guarantee safety."

  "Don't worry, there's no such thing as a completely safe and risk-free experience. If everything is taken care of, what's the point of even having an experience? It would just be a pure tour! Moreover, since Wang Lu is a disciple of Mount Wuyou, his life or death doesn't need your concern. At that time, focus on taking good care of the other four junior brothers and sisters, you and Huo Ying should be enough."

  Tang Xiaoyin was shocked: "His life and death have nothing to do with me!?" How can this be!? Although I had heard that Master and the Fifth Uncle of Wuxiang Peak were not on good terms, but this...this is implicating an innocent person, it's really too...

  "Alright, Yue Yun, this trip to Qingyun Peak is also a trial for you. There are many things that require careful planning and attention. You should go down now and prepare well. If there's anything you don't understand, ask the senior brothers who have experience. It doesn't have to be someone from our own sect, even disciples of Piaoyu Peak can help. Make sure to handle everything properly, understood?"

  "Yes, Master!"

  ——

  "Senior brother, your application has been approved by Master. So, let's gather here again next week at this time and head to Qingyun Peak together."

  Yue Yun hesitated for a moment, then added, "For this week's time, please ask Shixiong to prepare well and intensify his cultivation. Although we won't go too deep into Qingyun Peak, at most only to Qinglong Gorge, there will still be risks. I and Huo Ying Shimei entered the sect only two years earlier than you, our cultivation is not high, and at that time, there may be places where we can't keep up."

  "Don't worry, I'll definitely lend a hand when the time comes. We're fellow disciples after all. If you need help, just speak up directly, no need to be polite."

  Yue Yun: "...Then I wish you all the best, Brother."

  Turning his head, the black and white disciple couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart: It's really no wonder he came from Mount Wuyue. Back then, he walked the Immortal Ascension Road with such elegance and composure, but just two short years later, something went wrong with his brain.

  ——

  For the next week, Wang Lu didn't waste a single moment, and his cultivation of the No-Sword Bone continued to advance. Although he clearly encountered a bottleneck in his progress, and the eighth joint remained stubbornly unopened, the effects of the first seven joints were gradually beginning to manifest. Every day during his usual cultivation, he would feel a warm energy spreading throughout his limbs, waiting for the right moment to break out and astonish everyone with a single move.

  Although this opportunity still seems far away, Wang Lu had already vaguely understood that the No-Phase Sword Bone was indeed not a single-mindedly deceitful technique.

  Apart from this, it was heard that Wang Lu was going to ascend Qingyun Peak, so the boss's wife passed on a sword technique to him, called Soft Cloud Sword.

  "This sword technique has a deep connection with your good friend - the earliest sword technique was created by a member of the imperial family of the Cloud Tai Empire who had reached the realm of martial sainthood. It was then passed down as a secret imperial sword, and after thousands of years of improvement, it became the present-day Soft Cloud Sword Technique. This sword technique has no other special features except for its emphasis on defense and toughness. If paired with the Cloud Tai's unique soft sword, it is almost like having a talisman for survival. Of course, I don't have any divine-level weapons in my hands at the moment, but... this Purple Wei Soft Sword can also be used temporarily. If you can master this sword technique, then at least this trip to Qing Yun Peak will have a few more guarantees."

  The old saying goes, "A hundred days to practice the knife, a thousand days to practice the gun, and ten thousand days to practice the sword." In just one week, even if Wang Lu's natural talent was astonishing, he could only make his swordsmanship proficient. But this level was already sufficient.

  "Because by the time you've finished cultivating your sword bone, when you start practicing your Qi, there will already be a Wuxiang Sword Manual to practice. This Ruyun Sword Technique can be eliminated unless you have the leisure to comprehend the intent of the sword, but the intent of the Ruyun Sword doesn't have much flavor anyway."

  The boss's wife gave a mediocre evaluation of Ruyun Swordsmanship, but carefully selected and passed it on. Its value wouldn't be ordinary, would it? Wang Lu was surprised to find that the Ruyun Sword and the Wrapping Silk Steps were an absolute match. The two superimposed weren't simply one plus one; this swordsmanship, which excelled at dissipating force, when combined with the tenacity of the Wrapping Silk Steps, would exponentially increase defensive capabilities!

  The day the sword technique was completed, Wang Lu went to Wuxiang Peak's Black Bear Cave to find his old neighbor for a match. The black bear had been defeated by Wang Lu last time and had been working hard for a week, constantly gathering spiritual herbs and eating them, and when they met again, its body had grown stronger, seeing Wang Lu it let out a loud roar and pounced, its speed almost twice as fast!

  Of course, after a week had passed, Wang Lu's silk reeling steps also showed improvement. If they were to engage in a fierce battle, he would still not be afraid. But at this moment, with the intention of testing his sword, he did not dodge or evade, instead using his sword to block the attack head-on!

  A loud crash, the black bear's overwhelming force was completely dissipated by a purple soft sword. Wang Lu himself stood holding the sword, although his body suffered from the shock of the massive force, but his face remained unchanged, and his figure did not move!

  With this round, the subsequent results are self-evident. Half an hour later, the ferocious black bear was beaten into a ball, resembling a meat mountain, and then had a white cloth pulled over its head, as if it were crouching in surrender.

  He vented his desires on the black bear... Oh, no! Found confident King Lu, holding a soft sword, jogging slowly all the way to the Cloud Hall of Xuanxuan Peak.

  At this time, five or six people had already gathered in front of the hall, among whom the tallest one was Yue Yun, the organizer. This black and white who had just entered the door for four years was chatting happily with several fellow disciples, and when he saw Wang Lu running over, Yue Yun hurriedly called out: "Wang Lu Shixiong, here, here!"

  Yue Yun called out like this, and everyone else also turned their heads. With this turn of the head, Wang Lu was delighted.

  "Hey, isn't this Zhu Qin and Wen Bao?"

  Zhu Qinpi smiled and nodded: "Good morning, Wang Lu Shixiong."

  Then, others followed suit and paid their respects — no matter what they thought in their hearts, the rules of the sect could not be disobeyed! Especially in front of the bustling Chunyundang, if caught by Zhangmen's elder for being disrespectful to his senior brother, he would definitely be punished severely!

  After the warm-up, Yue Yun specially introduced to Wang Lu the experienced team and itinerary. This time on the Qingyun Peak trip, two slightly more senior black and white disciples, Yue Yun and Huo Ying, led the team, and the participants included two blacks and two blues, all of whom were newcomers who had entered the mountain together two years ago.

  It turns out that two years ago, when Wang Lu had just passed the Golden Bridge, he met two monks from Xianyun Peak. At that time, they said that although Xianyun Peak was an outer sect, the disciples of the sect were not necessarily inferior to those of the inner sect. Now it seems that this is indeed the case. Among the two blue and white participants in this trial, both are actually at the Qi Refining stage, one of whom is a quiet and taciturn woman who has even broken through to the eighth rank of Qi Refining! Although her realm is unstable, the actual amount of spiritual energy she can use may not be much more than that of a ninth-rank cultivator, but eighth rank is still eighth rank after all! It's simply astonishing. According to Yue Yun's introduction, this woman named Yue Xianyao has a second-grade water-type spiritual root! Just based on this point alone, she is stronger than most inner sect disciples, unfortunately lacking a bit of drive and adventurous spirit, and did not take the path of ascending to immortality in the back, so she had no chance of entering the inner sect.

  This team of Qingyun Peak's training, including Wang Lu, has two Qi Refining Sixth Grades, one Qi Refining Eighth Grade, three Qi Refining Ninth Grades and one Body Tempering Second Grade. It is a mid-tier low-level cultivator team that many low-level cultivator sects in the Nine Provinces Continent often send out for external missions. The team's composition is clear-cut and ordinary, but the appearance of a certain red-and-white figure ruined everything.

  When it comes to cultivation, the two of them are undoubtedly worthy of respect as the strongest in the sect. However, when it comes to status, the red and white Daoist robes dazzle people's eyes, and even a team leader like Yue Yun has to respectfully call out "Shixiong!" (senior brother). What's worse is that due to Wang Lu's existence, even designing the formation of the team becomes troublesome.

  Logically, the one with the lowest cultivation should be arranged in the second to last position and taken care of by Huo Ying, but according to another theory, the highest-ranking Red and White True Transmission should take the lead alongside Yue Yun!

  Yue Yun and Huo Ying discussed it for a while, but couldn't come up with a plan. As a result, Wang Lu volunteered: "I'll take the lead! Watch me, this senior brother, protect everyone!"

  Yue Yun immediately blew up, okay, anyway this is your own choice, I don't care!

  The group lined up in a row, with Yue Yun and Wang Lu leading the way on horseback, followed by Zhu Qin and Wen Bao. The two outer sect disciples walked ahead of Huo Ying, and the seven people formed a vague Big Dipper formation, calling out to each other from afar.

  Then, the team set off from Tunyundang and arrived at Qingyun Peak through the shrinking land formation.

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