Thousand Mountains Formula

Heaven Dou Imperial Academy finally reopened.

This time, Ning Chen went to Heaven Dou Imperial Academy alone.

After all, Xue Qinghe, Qian Renxue's disguise, was the empire's crown prince. Sending Ning Chen there once had already been rather improper.

If she sent Ning Chen again this time, the entire empire would probably have plenty to say about it.

Only one year remained until the next Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament.

The Heaven Dou Tier students of Heaven Dou Imperial Academy had clearly become tense.

Of course, that was only true for those Heaven Dou Tier students who had already been confirmed to participate in the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament.

Ning Chen, Yu Tianheng, and the others continued cultivating as usual.

The Soul Power Ning Chen displayed remained at level thirty-five.

Meanwhile, after constant cultivation, Yu Tianheng's Soul Power had reached level twenty-five.

Dugu Yan's cultivation had also reached level twenty-four.

The Shi brothers' Soul Power had risen to the peak of level twenty-three, just a step away from breaking through to level twenty-four.

Yu Feng and Oslo had also broken through to level twenty-three.

As for Ye Lingling, although she had broken through to become a Grand Soul Master, her Soul Power was only level twenty-one.

Support-type Soul Masters had always found cultivation the most difficult among all Soul Masters. Ye Lingling's breakthrough to Grand Soul Master had already met Qin Ming's requirements.

Ye Lingling was the youngest among them, but her outstanding appearance, coupled with her aloof temperament, still drew many glances.

Yu Feng and Oslo were no exception.

The Shi brothers were reserved by nature, but when speaking with Ye Lingling, they were gentle and soft-spoken, clearly treating her differently from the others.

Although Ning Chen had also been momentarily distracted by Ye Lingling's appearance and cool demeanor when he first met her, he did not have many other thoughts about her.

What a joke. Only a little over a decade remained before the War of the Three Gods began.

A great upheaval was imminent across the continent. He truly had no time to waste on anything else.

Furthermore, now that he had drawn the Thousand Mountains Formula, he had even more time to devote to cultivation.

Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, within a secluded mountain forest.

Far from the main campus, the woods here were lush and the terrain uneven. A few bare slabs of dark green rock occasionally jutted out from the slopes.

The surroundings were silent and deserted, with only the rustling of wind through the treetops and the occasional distant birdsong.

Ning Chen chose a raised platform, sat cross-legged on a smooth bluestone, closed his eyes, focused his mind, and slowly circulated the Thousand Mountains Formula.

As the technique began to circulate, the air around him seemed to grow somewhat heavier.

Strands of invisible mountain energy were drawn from the rocks and soil beneath his feet, and even from the distant peaks, flowing into his body like trickling streams.

These mountain energies seemed gentle, but were in truth dense and heavy. They seeped into his flesh, muscles, and bones, tempering his body inch by inch.

Ning Chen could clearly feel his bones heating slightly, his muscles trembling faintly, and even the flow of his blood becoming steadier and more powerful.

With every breath, mountain energy was drawn into his body and intertwined with the internal force of the Nine Yang Divine Skill, transforming into an even more majestic force that surged through his meridians.

The Nine Yang Internal Force was already supremely yang and unyieldingly fierce. After merging with mountain energy, it gained the weight and solidity of the earth.

The two forces complemented one another, forming a wondrous balance within his body.

The power of Nine Yang was like a blazing sun in the sky, scorching and domineering.

Mountain energy was like the earth bearing all things, stable and weighty.

As the two merged, the quality of his Soul Power quietly improved without him noticing, becoming more condensed and resilient.

Ning Chen slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and opened his eyes.

He raised his right hand and clenched his fist, sensing the strength flowing through his fingertips.

After only half a month of cultivation, the strength of his body had already improved noticeably.

Although he was still extremely far from achieving minor mastery of the Thousand Mountains Formula, the feeling of growing stronger every day left him deeply reassured.

"Sure enough, Heaven Dou Imperial Academy is situated among the mountains. It is greatly beneficial to cultivating the Thousand Mountains Formula," Ning Chen muttered.

Amid such cultivation, a year slowly passed, and the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament finally began.

On this day, Ning Chen was still cultivating the Thousand Mountains Formula in that secluded mountain forest.

After an entire year of tempering, his cultivation had quietly reached the threshold of level sixty, though he had yet to hunt for his sixth soul ring.

The Thousand Mountains Formula had also progressed considerably. He was only one step away from condensing the phantom image of the first mountain peak.

He planned to hunt for a soul ring only after condensing the first mountain peak phantom. As its name implied, when the Thousand Mountains Formula reached great mastery, he could summon the phantoms of a thousand mountains around himself in battle, with peerless might.

To reach such a realm required no less than ten or even several decades of arduous effort.

Ning Chen could not hope for that in the short term, but even condensing only the first mountain peak phantom would greatly enhance his combat strength.

It would also be no small aid when Ning Chen later hunted for a soul ring.

Just as Ning Chen was cultivating with full concentration, his spiritual power, strengthened by the Autumn Water Dew, suddenly caught a trace of movement.

Someone was walking this way, with steady footsteps and a calm aura. It was an expert at the Soul King level.

If nothing unexpected happened, it should be Qin Ming.

Sure enough, a moment later, Qin Ming emerged through the forest and appeared before him.

"Ning Chen, you always come to such remote places whenever you cultivate. You really made me search all over for you." Qin Ming shook his head helplessly, his tone carrying a touch of amused exasperation.

Ning Chen withdrew his stance and asked, "What is it, Teacher Qin?"

Qin Ming's expression turned serious as he said, "The preliminaries for the Continental Elite Soul Master Tournament have begun. Teams from countless Soul Master academies have already gathered in Heaven Dou City.

Tianheng and the others also want to join the excitement and plan to go to Heaven Dou City to watch the matches.

The Continental Soul Master Tournament is, after all, a grand event for Soul Masters across the continent. I thought it would be good to let them experience the atmosphere in advance, so I approved it and plan to take them down the mountain.

I came this time to ask whether you want to come along."

Ning Chen shook his head and refused decisively. "I won't be going."

Qin Ming seemed to have expected that answer. With a bitter smile, he advised, "Ning Chen, you cannot keep skipping every group activity.

You need to know that when the next Soul Master Tournament officially begins, you will be forming a team with Tianheng and the others.

Spend more time with them and build up your coordination now, and you will work together more seamlessly when the time comes."

Ning Chen replied calmly, "I just do not want to waste time on such meaningless things.

When the next Soul Master Tournament begins, I will naturally train with them."

Seeing that his persuasion had failed, Qin Ming could only sigh and remind him, "All right, then mind your limits. Do not train so hard that you injure yourself.

We will be back the day after tomorrow. I will come find you then."

With that, he turned and left the mountain forest.