"Don't talk while eating; don't talk while sleeping."
After the people of Great Bamboo Peak finished their meal in silence,
Tian Buyi put down his chopsticks first. He looked over the disciples before him, then fixed his gaze on Ye Changfeng and mused,
"Old Seventh, have you made any progress in your cultivation lately?"
Of the eight disciples at Great Bamboo Peak,
Ye Changfeng had the most outstanding talent.
He had been a disciple for only five years, yet he had already broken through the Fourth Layer of Yuqing and reached the Object Manipulation Realm, a level many people had never attained.
Tian Buyi had not asked about Ye Changfeng's cultivation for several months.
Today, on a sudden whim,
he wanted to ask.
At that,
Ye Changfeng raised an eyebrow slightly.
After a moment's thought, he stood and saluted. "Master, I just broke through to the Fifth Layer of Yuqing today. I haven't had a chance to tell you yet..."
With that,
Ye Changfeng deliberately revealed the aura of the Fifth Layer of Yuqing.
"Bzzz—"
A wisp of pure Taiji Pure Energy spread from him. It was unmistakably the aura of the Fifth Layer of Yuqing.
Seeing this,
Tian Buyi's eyes lit up.
"Good! Good!"
Even if Ye Changfeng wasn't the Azure Cloud Sect Leader shown in the Heavenly Curtain,
his talent alone
was enough to fill Tian Buyi's heart with joy.
A hint of delight appeared on Su Ru's graceful face.
As Tian Buyi's wife, she had spent all these years worrying about Great Bamboo Peak's prosperity.
Now, seeing Ye Changfeng's cultivation advance,
she was naturally happy.
"Ye Changfeng!"
"You're about to surpass me!"
Tian Ling'er wore a striking red outfit and looked lively and adorable. She put her hands on her hips and pouted.
The other disciples of Great Bamboo Peak were sincerely happy for Ye Changfeng, too. Though their cultivation couldn't compare to his, the atmosphere at Great Bamboo Peak was harmonious, and there was no jealousy among them...
Zhang Xiaofan scratched his head enviously.
Ye Changfeng said with a smile,
"Little Senior Sister, you'd better work harder. Otherwise, I really will surpass you before long."
Actually...
he had surpassed Tian Ling'er a long time ago.
His cultivation was now at the Shangqing Mid-stage, while Tian Ling'er was only at the Sixth Layer of Yuqing. The gap between them was immense. It couldn't even be called surpassing her...
It was a world of difference.
After all, the very nature of Yuqing and Shangqing was different.
At that,
Tian Ling'er, being a young girl,
couldn't stand such a taunt. She immediately declared that she would never let Ye Changfeng surpass her.
The people around them chuckled softly.
They watched Ye Changfeng and Tian Ling'er bicker with interest.
It was one of Great Bamboo Peak's daily amusements.
Back then,
Ye Changfeng had only just joined Great Bamboo Peak.
Before long, he displayed exceptional cultivation talent, and Tian Buyi and his wife began paying him a great deal of attention.
At the time,
Tian Ling'er was still a little kid.
Seeing Ye Changfeng steal her parents' attention, she would hide on the mountain and cry every day. Back then, she also had to chop bamboo as practice. She would pretend the black-jointed bamboo was Ye Changfeng, chopping it and sobbing,
"Ye Changfeng, I hate you!"
As the person in question,
Ye Changfeng had stumbled upon the crying Tian Ling'er by accident. The whole thing had been downright hilarious...
After that,
Ye Changfeng often kept an eye on the little girl.
It was also his way of making up for what he owed her.
As time went by,
it led to their current love-hate relationship.
Of course,
Ye Changfeng had always regarded Tian Ling'er as his little sister. In his eyes, she was just a little girl who did nothing but cry.
As for how Tian Ling'er saw Ye Changfeng...
No one knew.
In any case,
when Qi Hao and Lin Jingyu first visited Great Bamboo Peak, Tian Ling'er had refused to accept the Cooling Bead Qi Hao offered her. Not only had she refused...
she had also secretly glanced at Ye Changfeng.
Ye Changfeng knew nothing about it.
Su Ru, however, had seen everything.
After leaving Shoujing Hall,
Ye Changfeng headed toward the back mountain on his own.
He said he was going to the back mountain to cultivate, but in truth, he was going there to slack off... No, he really was going to cultivate.
After all,
ordinary meditation and absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth no longer worked for cultivating in the Upper Purity Realm.
One had to seek enlightenment!
Of heaven, earth, the Dao, and the arts!
In short, Daoism follows nature.
That was the entire process of cultivation in the Upper Purity Realm.
"Should I just go to the Blood Dripping Cave and get the First Volume of the Heavenly Book?"
Ye Changfeng thought.
After all,
the First Volume of the Heavenly Book was the general outline of all five volumes.
It recorded the fundamental truths of Buddhism, Daoism, and the Demonic Sect, encompassing all things and embracing all paths. It was immensely helpful to the path of cultivation.
If Ye Changfeng could get his hands on it,
perhaps...
he could break through to the Great Purity Realm sooner.
"Never mind."
After thinking it over, Ye Changfeng decided against it.
After all, the Seven Peaks Martial Arts Tournament was only a little over a month away. Once it was over, they would go down the mountain for a trial. He could get the First Volume of the Heavenly Book along the way then...
Back at the Bamboo House in the back mountain,
Ye Changfeng lounged lazily in a rocking chair.
He gently closed his eyes and picked up the straw hat beside him, setting it over his face. He seemed to be asleep...
but was actually meditating on the path of cultivation.
"Whoosh—"
Time passed second by second.
Qingyun Sect was unusually quiet today.
For some reason, its normally strict guards had grown lax. The disciples assigned to patrol the mountain had seen no trouble for so many days and had returned to their usual carelessness...
Of course,
no matter how lax the guards were,
Qingyun Sect's strength and foundations remained.
As long as nothing unexpected happened, no one could sneak in...
let alone infiltrate the Seven Peaks.
"Whoosh—"
In the dark woods,
one shadowy figure after another darted past.
In just a moment,
several Demonic Cult Assassins had slipped past the layers of defenses and silently infiltrated Qingyun Sect. They arrived at the only route leading to the Seven Peaks.
They hadn't chosen to sneak into Heaven-Reaching Peak.
After all,
that was the peak of the Qingyun Sect Leader's line.
Wouldn't going there be asking for death? They would only alert the enemy!
Their main targets were the other peaks. Among them, Little Bamboo Peak was their top assassination target!
"Whoosh—"
One figure after another slipped into the various peaks of Qingyun.
At the back mountain of Great Bamboo Peak,
Ye Changfeng had just finished bathing and changing.
The young man wore a blue robe, his black hair falling over his shoulders. He had handsome features, sharp brows, bright eyes, and a deep gaze that glinted with a faint sharpness.
"Hm?"
Just then,
Ye Changfeng paused.
He seemed to have sensed something.
In the next instant,
he vanished in a flash.
In the dim bamboo grove,
several Demonic Cult Assassins who had infiltrated Great Bamboo Peak watched their surroundings warily. They spotted the Bamboo House ahead and exchanged glances before quietly hiding themselves...
However,
just then,
a calm voice rang out.
"People from the Demonic Sect?"
"Heh..."
"Looks like the information revealed in the Heavenly Curtain has made you feel threatened."
Before you continue