Morning Sun Peak's Li Xiaoyu

"Brother Xiaoyu, do you still remember?"

Tian Ling'er's voice was soft, yet it carried a sense of finality.

"Six years ago, when you first entered Morning Sun Peak, you broke through the first layer of the Jade Purity Realm in half a year and reached the second layer in a year. Everyone said you were the future hope of the Green Cloud Sect."

"But it has been six years—six whole years—and you have remained stuck at the second layer of the Jade Purity Realm, unable to make any further progress."

A crimson ribbon flew out from Tian Ling'er's waist, circling around her body.

It was the magic treasure of Big Bamboo Peak, the Amber Vermilion Ribbon.

"But I have already broken through to the fourth layer of the Jade Purity Realm."

The young girl's voice was filled with pride.

To have a magic treasure leave the body and be controlled through the air was the hallmark of the Object-Driving Realm, the fourth layer of the Jade Purity Realm.

Li Xiaoyu watched the dancing red ribbon in silence, his eyes remaining calm.

He knew that Tian Ling'er was telling him that the gap between them had become too wide to bridge.

Tian Ling'er retracted the Amber Vermilion Ribbon. "My father says that the path of cultivation is like sailing against the current; if you do not advance, you retreat."

"My future cultivation partner must be a dragon among men, a hero who can stand beside me on the clouds and look down upon the world."

"Not a mediocre person who has stagnated."

"Brother Xiaoyu, we are no longer on the same path."

These words were incredibly hurtful, trampling Li Xiaoyu's dignity underfoot.

Yet Li Xiaoyu remained silent, his grip on the gourd merely tightening.

Seeing that Li Xiaoyu still did not say a word, Tian Ling'er hardened her heart and took a brilliant bead from her bosom.

The bead emitted a soft luster.

"Brother Xiaoyu, do you know what this is?"

"It is called a Cooling Bead, a gift from Senior Brother Qi Hao of Dragon Head Peak."

"The weather is hot, and keeping it in my bosom feels cool and refreshing. Although it is not some divine weapon, Senior Brother Qi Hao specifically asked his master for it for me."

"It is said that his master obtained it by chance when he wiped out a faction of Demon Sect villains, and it had been kept in their treasury for a long time."

"Senior Brother Qi Hao has such thoughtfulness, but what have you done for me all these years?"

"All you ever do is hold that broken gourd of yours and ask me if I want a sip."

Li Xiaoyu's face flushed red at her words, but he still said nothing, his hand gripping the gourd even tighter.

Seeing this, Tian Ling'er slapped the gourd out of his hand, deciding to burn the bridges completely.

"Li Xiaoyu, can you just give me a straight answer!"

"We are no longer on the same path!"

"Is there any point in you clinging to me like this?"

"Yes, you were once an arrogant genius, but now you are finished. Even Xiao Fan's cultivation has surpassed yours. Do you think you are still worthy of me?"

"Just agree to this, and we can both keep some dignity."

Li Xiaoyu finally broke his silence and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"You are right."

He nodded gently. "I am not worthy of you."

"From now on, we are finished."

Li Xiaoyu did not say another word. He picked up his broken gourd, turned, and walked down the mountain.

The setting sun stretched his shadow long, making him appear incomparably lonely.

Tian Ling'er stood where she was, watching his departing back for a long time without moving.

She knew that from this day on, they would be people of two different worlds, never to cross paths again.

Deep in the maple forest not far away, a figure stood quietly, taking in the entire scene.

Shang Zhengliang watched Li Xiaoyu's retreating back, his eyes filled with heartache and desolation.

He remembered the scene from six years ago when he had first discovered Li Xiaoyu.

The boy back then was exceptionally intelligent and quick-witted; his comprehension of the Taiji Profound Clarity Path even surpassed that of many disciples who had been cultivating for decades.

He had once thought that he had found a peerless genius who would bring glory to Morning Sun Peak.

But who could have imagined that this shooting star would dim as quickly as it had shone?

"Alas, you foolish child. It is a pity, but in the end, one must rely on oneself on the path of cultivation."

Shang Zhengliang let out a long sigh.

"However..."

A sharp glint flashed in Shang Zhengliang's eyes.

"A fine Tian Buyi indeed!"

"That fat pig hasn't been beaten in a long time!"

"Hmph!"

He turned and strode away.

Li Xiaoyu did not return to his own quarters.

He walked to the edge of a cliff behind Morning Sun Peak.

The place was rarely visited, home only to the howling mountain winds and an endless sea of clouds.

He unhooked a plain wine gourd from his waist, pulled out the stopper, and tilted his head back to take a large gulp.

The spicy liquor slid into his belly, bringing with it a burning, fiery sensation.

"Six years."

Li Xiaoyu muttered to himself, sorrow flashing in his eyes.

Six years ago, he was an orphan brought to Green Cloud Mountain by Shang Zhengliang.

He had displayed astonishing talent at the beginning of his cultivation.

Yet, ever since he broke through to the second level of the Jade Purity Realm, no matter how hard he tried, his cultivation never advanced another inch.

It was as if a shackle had trapped him firmly in place.

He took another large gulp of wine, letting the night wind mess up his long hair.

Tian Ling'er's words echoed incessantly in his mind.

"You and I are no longer on the same path."

"A mediocre talent who has stagnated."

To say he wasn't angry would be a lie.

But what he felt wasn't anger at Tian Ling'er's betrayal and humiliation.

What he truly couldn't reconcile was himself!

It was his own stagnation over these past six years!

It was the frustration and rage of possessing a mountain of treasure yet being unable to unearth it!

Why?

Why on earth was this happening?

"Ahhh!"

Li Xiaoyu let out a long roar, bellowing out the pent-up frustration in his heart.

He drank the strong liquor from the gourd gulp after gulp, as if trying to drink himself into a stupor.

But strangely, the more he drank, the clearer his mind became.

The heat within his body gradually subsided, and an unprecedented sense of ethereal tranquility followed.

He seemed to have entered a wondrous state of forgetting both himself and the world.

The sound of the wind, the churning of the sea of clouds, and the chirping of insects in the forest all became incredibly clear.

He could even feel the spiritual energy of heaven and earth flowing into his limbs and bones with every breath he took.

The wine gourd in his hand seemed to have become somewhat different.

He had clearly been drinking for a long time, yet the wine in the gourd seemed as if it would never run dry.

Moreover, as he continued to drink, streams of pure, warm energy began to surge from the depths of his dantian.

This warm current was a hundred times purer and a thousand times more vigorous than the Taiji Profound Clarity Path spiritual energy he had painstakingly cultivated!

The warm current surged into his parched meridians like sweet rain after a long drought.

"Boom!"

An invisible roar exploded in his mind.

The bottleneck that had plagued him for six years, the barrier of the second level of the Jade Purity Realm, shattered instantly!

The third level of the Jade Purity Realm!

But this was merely the beginning!

That pure, warm current continued to pour forth from his dantian without end, driving his cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds.

Third level, mid-stage!

Third level, late-stage!

Third level, peak!

BOOM!

Another thunderous roar echoed!

The fourth level of the Jade Purity Realm!

Li Xiaoyu jolted awake from his wondrous state, his face etched with shock.

He could clearly feel that the spiritual energy surging within his body was more than ten times stronger than before!

With a mere thought, a pebble at his feet rose into the air, hovering right before him.

Telekinesis!

This was the hallmark of the fourth level of the Jade Purity Realm!

What on earth is going on?