Chu Wuyue

The battle at Blazing Peak shook the True Disciples.

With three punches, he crippled Duan Tianlang. In four days, he rose from seventeenth to seventh. The name Qin Yuan was no longer merely the designation of a newcomer in the True Disciple ranks, but a presence that made hearts tremble.

The days that followed were unexpectedly peaceful.

No one came to provoke Seventh Peak again. Elder Li's side also lowered their banners and silenced their drums, as though none of those schemes and attacks had ever happened. The other peaks in the True Disciple area likewise maintained a subtle distance—neither overly friendly nor deliberately distant.

Everyone understood that this was not the end, but the calm before the storm.

At the summit of Blazing Peak, Qin Yuan sat cross-legged within the newly reinforced Spirit Gathering Array.

The formation patterns had been personally inscribed by Elder Xu of Fifth Peak. Its efficiency in drawing upon the spiritual vein had increased by thirty percent, and the Spiritual Energy of the entire mountain surged toward the main hall like a tide.

Lin Qing'er, Zhou De, Zhao Tiezhu, and the others cultivated in their respective courtyards halfway up the mountain. The Spiritual Energy density on Blazing Peak was now twenty times that of the Outer Sect and more than ten times that of the Inner Sect. With every breath, they could feel their cultivation slowly growing.

"So this is the cultivation environment of a True Disciple..." Lin Qing'er opened her eyes. Feeling the increasingly abundant spiritual power within her, a trace of complicated emotion flickered in her eyes.

She remembered that three months ago, she had still been arguing with others on Third Peak over a bottle of Qi Gathering Pills.

And now, after following Qin Yuan to Blazing Peak, she received resources every month equivalent to three times those of an Inner Sect disciple. The cultivation environment was even more different than heaven and earth.

"It's all because of Brother Qin Yuan..." She looked toward the mountain summit, her heart filled with both gratitude and an indescribable sense of loss.

The gap was widening at a rate visible to the naked eye.

Inside the main hall at the summit, a system panel floated before Qin Yuan:

[One Day Grants Forty Years of Cultivation System]

[Current Level: 3 (0/10000)]

[Cultivation Storage: 0/200 years]

[Today's Cultivation Unclaimed]

After upgrading to the Level 3 system, the daily infusion of cultivation had increased from twenty years to forty years, while the storage limit had risen from three days and sixty years to five days and two hundred years.

Yet the difficulty of cultivating in the Golden Core realm far exceeded imagination.

From advanced Golden Core to the peak, it seemed as though there was only one minor realm between them. In truth, however, the Spiritual Energy required was greater than the total accumulation needed from the initial stage to the advanced stage.

Qin Yuan claimed eighty years of cultivation from two days. Even combined with Blazing Peak's dense Spiritual Energy, it only pushed him to the peak of advanced Golden Core. He was still one step short of true Golden Core peak.

The middle stage of Golden Core to the advanced stage really is a chasm. Qin Yuan came to understand. No wonder middle-stage Golden Core cultivators already count as experts within the sect, while Nascent Soul cultivators are even harder to find. Talent, comprehension, resources, time... not one can be lacking.

But for him, the one thing he lacked least was time.

One day was equal to forty years. Five days were two hundred years.

With two hundred years of cultivation piled up, let alone reaching Golden Core peak, even attempting to break through to Nascent Soul might not be impossible.

"Keep accumulating."

Qin Yuan closed his eyes and entered deep cultivation once more.

The peaks ranked among the top five True Disciples had Spiritual Energy densities several times greater than Blazing Peak's.

Fourth Peak, "Cold Ice Peak," and Fifth Peak, "Mysterious Iron Peak," stood adjacent to each other. Their peak masters were Han Bing, ranked fourth among the True Disciples, and Tie Zhan, ranked fifth.

At this moment, the two sat facing each other within Cold Ice Peak's main hall.

Han Bing was a stern-faced young man in white. A faint chill radiated from his body, making even the air seem about to freeze. Tie Zhan, meanwhile, was a burly man with knotted muscles, iron-colored skin, and an aura as steady and heavy as a mountain.

"Qin Yuan..." Han Bing lightly tapped the icy jade table with his finger. "Seventh place now."

Tie Zhan said in a deep, muffled voice, "In four days, he went from seventeenth to seventh. Such speed is unheard of."

"What is even more terrifying is his combat strength." A trace of gravity flashed through Han Bing's eyes. "You and I both know Duan Tianlang's strength. Peak advanced Golden Core, trained in the Blood Wolf Battle Art for years, rich in real combat experience. And what happened? Three punches, and his cultivation was completely crippled."

Tie Zhan fell silent for a moment. "Do you think he might... challenge us?"

Even he found the question absurd the moment it left his mouth.

A month ago, Qin Yuan had still been an Outer Sect disciple. One month later, he had already risen to a position where he threatened the top five.

Yet Han Bing did not laugh. Instead, he nodded. "Very likely. There are only five spots in the Hundred Sects Competition. If he wants to secure one, he must squeeze into the top five."

"But he's only seventh now." Tie Zhan frowned. "Between us stand Ye Qingshuang in sixth and Su Lie in eighth. If he wants to challenge us, he must first get past them."

"Ye Qingshuang and Su Lie?" Han Bing sneered. "Do you think they can stop him?"

Tie Zhan said nothing.

Ye Qingshuang was ranked sixth among the True Disciples, from First Peak, at advanced Golden Core and skilled in ice-element techniques. Su Lie was ranked eighth, from Second Peak, also at advanced Golden Core, with considerable attainments in the sword path.

Under normal circumstances, these two were both outstanding figures among the True Disciples. But before a monster like Qin Yuan...

"What a pity Senior Brother Chu isn't here." Tie Zhan suddenly said. "If he were, how could Qin Yuan be allowed to strut around?"

Reverence also flashed through Han Bing's eyes. "Senior Brother Chu and Senior Sister Yun, who is ranked second, are said to have already touched the threshold of Nascent Soul. They left the sect this time in search of an opportunity precisely to break through to Nascent Soul. Once they return, no matter how monstrous Qin Yuan is, he can only settle for third place."

"Third place is already impressive enough." Tie Zhan sighed. "In one month, from the Outer Sect to third among the True Disciples... such a monster appears only once in a hundred years."

Before his words had even faded, a lazy voice suddenly came from outside the hall.

"Oh? What kind of monster is worth such discussion from the two of you?"

The two men's expressions changed, and they shot to their feet.

At some point, the hall doors had silently opened. A figure leaned against the doorframe.

He was a young man who looked barely over twenty. His black hair hung loose, his face was pale, and his eyes were pure white, without pupils, carrying an eerie sense of emptiness.

He wore a simple black robe and went barefoot. Two strings of bells were tied around his ankles, yet he made no sound as he walked.

The number one True Disciple—Chu Wuyue.

"Senior Brother Chu!" Han Bing and Tie Zhan hurriedly bowed.

Chu Wuyue slowly walked in. His white pupils swept over the two of them, and a faint smile that was not quite a smile curled across his lips. "I had only just returned when I heard that an extraordinary figure had emerged in our True Disciple ranks. What was his name again? Qin Yuan?"

"Yes." Han Bing replied respectfully. "Qin Yuan, from Fifth Peak. A month ago, he was still an Outer Sect disciple. Now, he is ranked seventh among the True Disciples."

"One month?" Chu Wuyue raised a brow. "Interesting."

He walked up to Han Bing, leaving less than three inches between them. His white pupils stared fixedly into Han Bing's eyes. "What? Do you think he is stronger than me?"

Han Bing's entire body stiffened, cold sweat instantly soaking his back. "I wouldn't dare! Senior Brother Chu is the number one among the younger generation of our Xuan Yuan Sect. No matter how monstrous Qin Yuan is, he could never compare to you!"

"Is that so?" Chu Wuyue tilted his head, then suddenly grinned, revealing rows of ghastly white teeth. "Then do you want to... try challenging me?"

Han Bing's face turned deathly pale, and he staggered back three steps. "I wouldn't dare! This junior brother absolutely has no such intention!"

Tie Zhan also hurriedly said, "Senior Brother Chu, you jest! How could we dare challenge you?"

Chu Wuyue stared at them for a long while, then suddenly found it boring and waved a hand. "Enough, I won't tease you anymore. Tell me about this Qin Yuan. What other interesting things has he done?"

Tie Zhan hurriedly replied, "Qin Yuan went from seventeenth to seventh in only four days. He defeated Duan Tianlang with just three punches. It is said that his cultivation speed is extremely fast. Perhaps he possesses some special constitution or has encountered some opportunity."

"Three punches to defeat Duan Tianlang..." A trace of interest flashed through Chu Wuyue's white pupils. "That lunatic Duan Tianlang may not have much of a brain, but his strength is not weak. Being able to cripple him with three punches means Qin Yuan truly has some skill."