Chapter 41: Signing Up for the Mountain Institute (Part 1)

  Li Ruo Knife cautiously made his way through the Misty Valley, fortunately not encountering any other branches. On this day, he once again saw the exit of the valley illuminated by a faint green light in front of him, and he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief in his heart. He sprinted forward a few steps, and the next moment, he was already outside the Misty Valley.

  Li Ran didn't dare to be careless, identified the direction and quietly hid into the depths of the mountain.

  In the woods by the stream, Li Fenger washed off the disguise medicine with herbal medicine bit by bit. He suddenly felt refreshed on his face, and when he looked in the water, he was slightly surprised to find that after several months, he had grown stronger, no longer feeling weak, his muscles were well-proportioned, and his skin was crystal clear and radiant.

  It's as if I've been transported to another world after being reborn these past few months.

  In just over four months, he directly advanced from the second heavy power of Jingyuan to the fifth heavy, and also grasped the sword intent that had not been touched in his previous life. There were many spiritual medicines on his body, and there was a small sword-like treasure. This was unimaginable at this time in his previous life.

  If there was no rebirth, Li Ruo Yan would still be struggling to get a mouthful of food.

  His physical strength increased, and with the nourishment of the wild spirit honey, Li Ran's body developed extremely fully. He took off all his clothes, entered the stream, and washed himself clean, then took out the clothes in his package and put them on again, transforming back into a young boy.

  Thinking of Gong Sun Hong's jealous and hateful gaze, Li Ran's heart secretly laughed.

  That pale and thin old man was never found again, Gong Sun Hong's anger had nowhere to vent.

  Everything was ready, and Li Fu stepped onto the mountain road leading to Wanghe Village.

  The three hundred miles of mountain road did not stop for a day, and after traveling by dawn and lodging at night, on this day, the long-awaited hometown finally appeared in front of his eyes. The small town nestled in the mountains was quite prosperous, and it was early morning, with many people carrying knives and bows coming and going on the streets. The aroma of breakfast made Li Fenger's mouth water, having eaten dry rations for several months.

  Li Ran stood up from the stall, wiped his mouth and walked onto the main street, heading towards Wanghe Mountain Villa standing in the distance between the mountains.

  Wang He Shan Yuan is the only institution in Wang He Ji that specializes in guiding young people in their cultivation, and its head teacher, Wang Shou Dao, is a powerful figure with eightfold strength of Jing Yuan Jin. In the entire Wang He Ji, he is considered a top-notch person.

  Wang Heshan Institute adopts a relaxed management model, offering daily lectures on mental cultivation methods, swordsmanship, alchemy secrets, and other essential knowledge for spiritual growth. Interested students can attend the lectures for 10 copper coins per day, come and go as they please, and also ask the instructors about their experiences in spiritual practice.

  In his previous life, Li Ruo Nan deeply loved this place and spent every day lingering here, filled with intense interest in the teachings, but after his father was caught, Li Ruo Nan had no ability to enter here again.

  Every town has a mountain institute, which is also the registration place for the Xuanji sect to select disciples. Standing at the foot of the mountain, looking at the mountain institute located on the high and majestic mountain, Li Ran had a kind of long-lost familiarity in his heart. After tidying up his clothes, he strode towards the mountain institute.

  The mountain road was steep and difficult to walk, but Li Ran's knife didn't rush. He followed the stone path and climbed up step by step. It wasn't until half a time that he arrived at the outside of the deep red courtyard wall. Along the wide mountain gate, he entered inside, where he saw a large martial arts arena with an area of hundreds of feet in diameter. On the flat sandy ground, many young men were practicing their spear and stick techniques under the morning sun.

  Li Ran's eyes were slightly moist, thinking of the past when he was also one of those young men. That was his most cherished memory. However, now, although still youthful, he could use a lofty and detached gaze to evaluate the naive actions of those young men.

  "Reika, is that really you?"

  Li Ruo Dao was lost in thought, when a clear and crisp call suddenly came from the side, startling him awake. Li Ruo Dao hastily turned his head, only to see a girl wearing light purple armor rushing towards him with a mixture of surprise and joy.

  The girl's slender body was accentuated by her tight leather armor, making her figure look lithe and elegant. Her eyes, like water, were filled with an unbelievable aura. She ran quickly to Li Nian's side, asking with a hint of reproach:

  "Ran Jian, is that really you? Where have you been all these days? We've been searching for you in town for a long time and had no news of you, we thought something had happened to you. You left without saying a word, making everyone worry. Ran Jian, what's going on? If there's any trouble, just say so, we'll help you think of a solution..."

  Li Ran's heart felt warm and fuzzy inside.

  In his previous life, Li Ran's father was still alive and he spent most of his days lingering in the mountain villa, where he naturally made a few friends, and this girl was one of them.

  The girl's name was Wang Wanyuan, and she had exceptional qualifications for cultivation. She was tall and stately, and in her previous life, she had helped Li Ruo greatly when he was down on his luck. After Li Ruo fell on hard times and was doing odd jobs at a restaurant in town, the girl had secretly sent him clothes and money through some friends. These were things that Li Ruo would always remember, and they were the only warm and bright spots in the dark memories of his youth.

  After two lifetimes as a human being, Li Fenger still cherished this pure and unadulterated friendship.

  Li Ran shook his head with a faint smile: "There was an urgent matter, and I left for a while to send my brother to a distant relative's house. At that time, the departure was so hasty that there was no time to say goodbye to everyone."

  Wang Wanyue hummed softly and smoothed out her disheveled hair in the mountain wind, smiling as she said:

  "This time you're back, aren't you leaving again? Fu Dao, the other day we were discussing it among ourselves, let's go together to beg Xiao Hu's father to help you find a stable job at the blacksmith's shop, so you won't have to worry about making a living all the time..."

  "Thank you!"

  Li Ran's knife was heartfelt gratitude.

  The blacksmith's workshop is hard work, but the wages are also high compared to other places. If you have a familiar person to entrust, you can settle down there and live without any problems, and you can fully support a family. In his previous life, this was a great joy for Li Ruo Dao, he could rely on his own hands to earn money and give his brother a stable living environment.

  Wang Wanyuan and Xiao Hu's friends were filled with emotions, Li Rendao smiled again, shook his head and said:

  "Wanxuan, this time I'm back, I'm preparing to sign up for the Xuanji Sect's disciple selection competition, so the blacksmith shop is temporarily unable to go..."

  Upon hearing this, Wang Wuxuan was stunned for a moment, and her eyes slowly brightened with a radiant color. Wang Wuxuan knew that the lowest registered power limit was threefold Jin Yuan Jing, and she had just finished signing up, so it was natural for her to be clear about these things.

  Wang Wanyue took another step forward with excitement and asked excitedly:

  "Flaming Blade, you... have you actually broken through the second stage of the Essence and Energy Double Cultivation Technique?"

  Li Ran's eyes widened in surprise. His current strength was now at the second level of Jingyuan Jin, a breakthrough. He smiled and nodded his head slightly.

  Wang Wanyue was overjoyed. For them, the triple refinement of the essence was a threshold that was extremely difficult to break through. Some people had been stuck at that bottleneck for decades without making any progress, but once they broke through, their strength would undergo a qualitative transformation. Every achievement of the triple refinement of the essence was a joyous occasion.

  Wang Wanyue did not expect that Li Ruo would achieve such great success after going out just once.