Chapter 5: The Grand Assembly of Heavenly Winds

  Xiao Ling Tianyu sat quietly, feeling the flow of air. He took a deep breath, and the refreshing morning air made him feel exhilarated. The birds chirping in the trees beside his ears seemed to be singing joyful songs, and Xiao Ling Tianyu's heart was immersed in a state of harmony with nature. As he felt everything around him, a drop of dew fell onto a flower by the small path, making it even more vibrant where it had touched. The dewdrop slid down the petals and into the soil, which seemed to become lively after being nourished. The scent of the earth filled his heart. Xiao Ling Tianyu felt that this world was so wonderful, as if he were a child of nature, returning to its embrace. Everything seemed so harmonious and comfortable.

  Unbeknownst to him, Xiao Ling Tianyu's soul had undergone a subtle transformation, and a faint yellow glow began to emanate from around him. Xiao Ling Tianyu slowly opened his eyes, delighted to discover that his mental state had once again advanced to a higher realm. He had progressed from the initial stage of a second-rate expert to the intermediate stage. Xiao Ling Tianyu nodded in satisfaction. In just one short morning, he had actually advanced to a new mental state, an achievement that would be difficult for anyone to accomplish. It's worth noting that cultivation is arduous, and what's truly challenging is not the realm of true energy, but rather one's mental state. Once the mental state has been cultivated, it can then freely advance without obstruction, much like a bucket filled with water - the bucket represents the mental state, while true energy is likened to water. When the water overflows, it cannot be contained; only when the bucket expands can it hold more water. Of course, Xiao Ling Tianyu's rapid progress was also due to his own entry into the advanced stage of unity between heaven and humanity, a realm that is extremely difficult to attain - who knows when he will next have the opportunity to enter this state?

  At this time, Xiao Ling Tianyu had just gotten up to pour himself a cup of tea from the table. "Knock knock knock!" Someone was knocking on his door.

  "Who is it?" Ling Tian asked curiously. "It's me, Ling Tian Xue..." "Ling Tian Xue? Isn't that my own cousin Ling Tian Xue? What does she want with me?" Ling Tian Yu thought to himself. "Come in!" A petite girl walked in, and upon closer inspection, Ling Tian Yu saw that his cousin had a pale face with a hint of pink, and a pair of large, dark eyes that sparkled with cuteness. He thought to himself, "I didn't know I had such an adorable cousin."

  Ling Tianxue said to Ling Tianyu: "Cousin, I didn't expect you to be so amazing. My dad told me that you were weak and sickly since childhood, saying that you couldn't even get out of bed. I've never seen you before, but it turns out you're a great master, haha..." After finishing speaking, her eyes still shone with admiration. Hearing his lovely cousin's praise, Ling Tianyu also scratched his head in embarrassment and smiled: "It's not as amazing as Cousin said, Cousin is overpraising me. By the way, what brings you to find me?"

  "This time I came to find you, mainly to take a look at my powerful and formidable cousin, and then tell you that the next time we meet will be five years later. Five years later is when we can meet again. My father saw how powerful you are, so he hopes that my cultivation won't fall behind. Therefore, in these five years, I must work hard to cultivate. In these five years, every young disciple from each family will work hard to cultivate, all for the sake of participating in the Tianfeng Continent's once-in-a-decade Tianfeng Conference." Ling Tianxue explained.

  "Sky Wind Conference?" Ling Tianyu asked curiously. Ling Tianxue chuckled and said: "You really don't know, the Sky Wind Conference is a martial arts exchange conference held by our five super families in the Sky Wind Continent - our Ling family, then the Wang family, Lu family, Mu family, and Chu family. All young people under the age of 30 from these five families can participate. I heard that among the younger generation, each of our five families has a master with acquired boundary realm. Be careful, brother-in-law. Let's talk about our Ling family - my uncle's two sons, you've already met Ling Tianyang, who is 12 years old and a third-class expert. The other son is our big brother, who is 22 years old and has already reached the middle stage of acquired boundary realm. And then there's my brother, who is 17 years old and not to be underestimated either - he already has first-class peak strength and has one foot in the acquired boundary realm. He's the most promising person in our Ling family to enter the acquired boundary realm before the age of 18... that was before you were born, of course."

  "Oh, then what's the benefit of participating in the Tianfeng Conference?" Ling Tianyu asked curiously. Ling Tianxue replied: "I heard that the person who gets first place can get a top-grade treasure, second place is high-grade, and third place is medium-grade."

  "What's the difference between a top-grade treasure and others?" Ling Tianyu scratched his head and asked. Ling Tianxue was taken aback, then explained: "You really don't know anything, do you? Alright, never mind, even though I'm only six years old this year, I know quite a few things. Today, I'll give you a crash course in knowledge. Not just cultivation realms, but also equipment and elixirs are divided into grades. Equipment is divided into low-grade treasures, mid-grade treasures, high-grade treasures, and top-grade treasures. If you can get your hands on a low-grade treasure, it can raise your combat power by two levels, mid-grade by five levels, high-grade by eight levels, and top-grade by ten levels! Having a top-grade treasure means you can challenge someone of a higher level, but remember, knowledge is one thing, winning or losing still depends on your own abilities, not everyone is as abnormal as you." "Heh heh..." Ling Tianyu scratched his head awkwardly.

  Ling Tianxue picked up the teapot on the table, poured a cup of tea, and drank it in one gulp. Then he continued to explain: "Similarly, elixirs are also divided into grades. Different elixirs have different effects, such as healing injuries, cultivating, replenishing true yuan, and the rarest type that repairs spiritual consciousness. However, spiritual consciousness is only possessed after reaching the Later Heaven realm, which we can't use yet. The higher the grade of the elixir, the more obvious its effect. Take the cultivation-type elixirs for example. A low-grade one can save a person seven days of bitter practice, mid-grade one month, and high-grade one year of bitter practice. Top-grade elixirs are even more powerful, saving a person ten years of bitter practice! High-grade top-grade elixirs are extremely rare, some are even more precious than magic treasures, some reverse-heaven elixirs can make an ordinary person come back to life, but only for ordinary people, the higher the realm, the harder it is to achieve this effect."

  Ling Tianyu listened with relish on the side. Until Ling Tian finished speaking, Ling Tianyu suddenly stood up and said: "It's decided, I'm going to participate in the Tianfeng Conference, I must get that extreme treasure, best if it's a long spear...". While saying this, Ling Tianyu was also imagining himself holding an extreme treasure long spear, standing against the wind, majestic and powerful, and couldn't help but hehe... foolishly smiled.

  Ling Tian Xue walked over and slapped Ling Tian Yu on the head with a loud "smack!" "Idiot, you're too arrogant! You're only at the early stage of being a second-rate cultivator. The Sky Wind Continent is full of talented people, and you're only three years old. Even among the young generation of the five families, it's not impossible for someone to reach the peak of their potential. What are you so proud of?" Ling Tian Yu felt depressed: "I know, sister, I'll work hard and strive to be first." Ling Tian Xue put her hands on her hips, nodded in satisfaction, and said: "Mmm, that's right! Keep up the good work!" Ling Tian Yu couldn't help but shake his head and think: "This older cousin of mine is only three years older than me, yet she speaks to me like a grown-up. It's really unbearable, I don't know what to do with her."

  "By the way, let me tell you about the other four families' outstanding geniuses. When you meet them at the conference, be careful and fight with caution." Ling Tianxue said. Upon hearing Ling Tianxue's words, Ling Tianyu straightened his expression and his eyes became serious. The smile from earlier was gone, and he listened carefully. Although Ling Tianyu had absolute confidence in his own talent, his father had once told him that even a lion must use its full strength to catch a rabbit, and he must not underestimate his opponents. He might not be the most talented person after all. Ling Tianxue saw Ling Tianyu's expression and continued with satisfaction: "Among the younger generation of the Wang family, the most outstanding one is Wang Li. He's a simple-minded but physically gifted person, and his talent for cultivation is very good. Like your brother, he's twenty-two years old and in the middle stage of the Houtian realm. Mu family's Mu Yichen is a girl, also twenty-one years old. I heard she recently broke through to the middle stage of the Houtian realm and is an extraordinary genius as well. Chu family's Chu Xiangyu is someone you should pay special attention to - he's only nineteen years old but already a high-ranking expert in the middle stage of the Houtian realm. Finally, there's Lu family's Lu Yun. He's your biggest obstacle - at just eighteen years old, he's already reached the late stage of the Houtian realm." "Hiss!" After hearing Ling Tianxue's introduction, Ling Tianyu couldn't help but take a deep breath. It seemed that this world wasn't just about him being a genius after all. He needed to work even harder - with his high starting point, he could definitely surpass them in a short amount of time. The two chatted until noon, when Ling Tianxue reluctantly left. As she bid farewell, she said: "Cousin, see you in five years..." Although they hadn't spent much time together, Ling Tianyu still liked his lively cousin very much. He nodded silently and watched as his cousin walked away.

  Just as Ling Tian Xue had left, a tall and majestic figure entered Ling Tian Yu's room. Wasn't this Ling Tian Yu's father, Ling Feng? Ling Tian Yu asked: "Father, why have you come?" Ling Feng replied: "I believe Snow has already told you that five years later, the matter of the Tianfeng Continent... originally I didn't plan on letting you participate, but your affairs have already spread, so I and your Grandfather have decided to let you go and train, after all flowers in a greenhouse cannot truly grow up." Ling Tian Yu's eyes were firm as he said to Ling Feng: "Don't worry, Father, I will definitely obtain the final victory, I won't disappoint you or Grandfather."

  ……