Years of Secluded Cultivation, Leaping Forward by Bounds, Foundation Establishment Late Stage!

With lingering sighs, the Inner Sect disciples watching the battle gradually dispersed.

Liu Ruyan glanced at Chen Changqing. A trace of reluctance flashed through her eyes, so faint it was almost imperceptible, before she said,

"Junior Brother Changqing, I should be going back."

"When you have time, come find me at Azure Firmament Valley."

Chen Changqing gave a slight nod and cupped his hands toward Liu Ruyan in salute.

"Take care, Senior Sister!"

Hearing Chen Changqing's reply, Liu Ruyan was slightly surprised.

She had originally thought that Chen Changqing would at least ask about her circumstances.

Yet who could have expected that Chen Changqing did not seem to care much at all?

After forcing out a faint smile, Liu Ruyan did not linger any longer and departed on her sword.

Chen Changqing did not dwell on it either. He looked over at Wang Yang beside him.

"Senior Brother Wang, the Top 100 challenge is over. We should return to the valley."

With that, Chen Changqing took the lead and walked away.

Seeing this, Wang Yang hurriedly came back to his senses and quickly caught up with Chen Changqing.

Along the way, Wang Yang would occasionally glance Chen Changqing over.

Sensing Wang Yang's unusual behavior, Chen Changqing could not help asking,

"Senior Brother, why do you keep looking at me like that?"

Wang Yang smiled somewhat awkwardly and replied,

"Junior Brother Chen, I never expected you to know Liu Ruyan."

When Wang Yang had seen Liu Ruyan take the initiative to approach Chen Changqing and speak with him at the Top 100 Battle Arena earlier, he had been utterly shocked.

"Hm?"

Chen Changqing frowned slightly, then said,

"Senior Sister Liu also came from the Outer Sect Seven Courtyards. We already knew each other back in the Outer Sect."

At this point, Chen Changqing paused slightly before asking with curiosity,

"Senior Brother Wang, is it really that surprising that I know Senior Sister Liu?"

Chen Changqing had already noticed it back at the arena.

When Liu Ruyan had come forward to speak with him, quite a few Inner Sect disciples had cast strange looks his way.

At the time, Chen Changqing had thought Liu Ruyan's outstanding beauty had drawn the attention of so many disciples.

But now, it seemed the matter was not as simple as he had imagined.

"Liu Ruyan is also from the Outer Sect Seven Courtyards?"

Upon hearing Chen Changqing's words, Wang Yang's mind shook.

Chen Changqing nodded, growing increasingly puzzled.

"Senior Brother, what exactly is going on?"

"Phew!"

Wang Yang took a deep breath and no longer concealed the truth, explaining,

"Junior Brother Chen."

"You may not know this yet."

"After Liu Ruyan entered the Inner Sect, she was directly taken in by Cloud Perch Peak, one of the Seven Main Peaks."

"The key is... she was only half a step into Foundation Establishment!"

"Yet she was valued so highly!"

As he spoke, Wang Yang's face was filled with envy.

Although becoming an Inner Sect disciple was already quite good, cultivating under one of the Seven Main Peaks naturally meant an entirely different status and standing.

"Cloud Perch Peak?"

Chen Changqing muttered, somewhat surprised.

He had not expected Liu Ruyan to possess such an opportunity.

Wang Yang nodded and gave a soft affirmative sound.

"Yes!"

"Cloud Perch Peak is the holy land of female cultivators in the Mount Shu Sect."

"Every disciple on the peak is like a fairy descended to the mortal world. Not only are they peerlessly gifted, they are also beauties without equal."

"In short, every female disciple who can enter Cloud Perch Peak is an astonishingly talented and breathtakingly brilliant figure."

After hearing Wang Yang say this, Chen Changqing's heart shook.

The Seven Main Peaks held transcendent status, even standing above the Inner Sect.

To be directly chosen by a main peak meant that Liu Ruyan's talent likely far surpassed ordinary imagination.

Or perhaps Liu Ruyan possessed some other hidden secret unknown to others.

"It seems I had underestimated Senior Sister Liu before."

"I'm afraid her identity is far from simple!"

Chen Changqing sighed inwardly.

After all, he was the number one disciple in the Outer Sect Disciple Competition.

Even so, he had merely been assigned to cultivate at Azure Firmament Valley.

The reason the Top 100 Battle was so fierce and eye-catching was also because it offered a chance to be chosen by one of the Seven Main Peaks.

From this, it was clear that entering one of the Seven Main Peaks was the dream of many Inner Sect disciples.

Yet Liu Ruyan had been directly chosen by Cloud Perch Peak.

There had to be some secret behind this.

Perhaps it was Liu Ruyan's talent, or perhaps it had something to do with her identity.

After thinking it over briefly, Chen Changqing came back to himself and did not dwell on it further.

Before long, Wang Yang and Chen Changqing returned to Azure Firmament Valley.

"Senior Brother Wang, I'm going back to cultivate!"

After parting with Wang Yang, Chen Changqing returned to his residence.

Though he said he was going to cultivate, he was actually returning to his room to sleep soundly.

Time slipped away.

Before he knew it, three months had passed.

"It has been so long. I can extract the results of my idle cultivation now."

With a thought, Chen Changqing directly connected to the system.

"System, extract the idle cultivation results!"

Soon, the system's notification sounded in his mind:

[Ding!]

[Idle cultivation time: 100 days.]

[Practiced Shu Mountain Sword Technique ×1000 times.]

[Practiced Shu Mountain Mental Method ×1000 times.]

[Practiced Shu Mountain Movement Technique ×1000 times.]

[Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique cultivation progress: 5%.]

[Extract idle cultivation rewards?]

"Extract!"

Chen Changqing did not hesitate and directly chose to extract them.

The next moment, golden light flowed over the four Little Golden Men before him, shooting straight into Chen Changqing's body.

Very soon, Chen Changqing mastered all sorts of essential principles concerning the Shu Mountain Sword Technique and the Shu Mountain Movement Technique.

Rumble...

In addition, after extracting the idle cultivation results of the Shu Mountain Mental Method,

the true qi in Chen Changqing's dantian rapidly transformed into spiritual liquid.

In merely a few breaths, twelve thousand strands of true qi were successfully converted.

His cultivation also successfully broke through to the Foundation Establishment Middle Stage.

Chen Changqing opened his eyes, the sharp light in them withdrawing inward.

"Foundation Establishment Middle Stage!"

"Unfortunately, the Shu Mountain Sword Technique and Shu Mountain Movement Technique have not yet reached great perfection."

"The key is that the cultivation progress of the Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique seems a little too slow. It has only reached 5%."

Chen Changqing assessed the gains from this round of idle cultivation.

"System, continue idle cultivation!"

With another thought, he activated the system's idle cultivation once more.

Four months later.

[Ding!]

[Detected that Shu Mountain Movement Technique has reached completion through idle cultivation.]

[Extract idle cultivation results?]

"Extract!"

Chen Changqing chose to extract them, then displayed the Shu Mountain Movement Technique.

His figure was like a ghost or phantom, coming and going without a trace!

Six months later.

[Ding!]

[Detected that Shu Mountain Sword Technique has reached completion through idle cultivation.]

[Extract idle cultivation results?]

"Extract!"

In an instant, every essential secret of the Shu Mountain Sword Technique flooded into Chen Changqing's mind.

In merely a few breaths, he had completely mastered the Shu Mountain Sword Technique.

Afterward, Chen Changqing found a secluded place and displayed the Shu Mountain Sword Technique.

His sword flashed out, and an azure sword light shot into the heavens, splitting the sea of clouds apart.

Eight months later.

"System, extract the idle cultivation results!"

Chen Changqing sent out the thought.

[Ding!]

[Idle cultivation time: 153 days.]

[Practiced Shu Mountain Mental Method ×1800 times.]

[Heaven-Slaying Sword Drawing Technique cultivation progress: 10%.]

[Extract?]

"Extract!"

As Chen Changqing extracted the idle cultivation results,

golden light immediately spilled from the two Little Golden Men before him and rapidly entered his body.

Boom!

A terrifying aura suddenly erupted from Chen Changqing's body. All the true qi in his dantian transformed into spiritual liquid.

This meant that his cultivation had broken through to the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.