The string held twelve pieces of Glowing Jade, each about the size of a thumbnail.
He snapped the cord, separating the twelve pieces of Glowing Jade.
Chen Yu picked one up.
In the darkness, the Glowing Jade already emitted a faint glow, but its light was far too dim to illuminate anything outdoors.
Chen Yu held the piece of Glowing Jade between his fingertips, then circulated the spiritual power within his body and poured it into the jade.
The next second,
without the slightest warning,
the thumbnail-sized piece of Glowing Jade suddenly erupted with an incredibly intense light!
"Holy shit!" Caught completely off guard, Chen Yu's vision instantly turned white beneath the sudden glare.
The flash vanished in an instant, but because his surroundings were pitch-black, dazzling spots lingered in his vision. It took quite a while before he could see again.
Looking down at his fingertips, he found that the piece of Glowing Jade had crumbled to dust after that brilliant flash.
"Damn, that's impressive!"
"This little thing..."
With that thought, he took out another piece of Glowing Jade.
Chen Yu held it between his fingertips, infused it with spiritual power, and swiftly flicked it away like a dart.
Its trajectory was difficult to follow in the darkness. About a meter away from Chen Yu, a dazzling white light abruptly burst forth!
This time, Chen Yu was prepared and turned his head away in time.
He avoided the flash.
"Nice, nice."
Small and handy, with a vicious glare. At a critical moment, it could blind the bastard facing me!
Thinking this, Chen Yu took out another piece.
He infused it with spiritual power,
then flung it away!
The sequence of movements was gradually becoming familiar.
The next second, a dazzling red light erupted in the bushes, accompanied by a sudden sound.
"Aaaah!!!"
It was a woman's terrified scream.
Chen Yu froze, then puzzledly took out Little Bright and infused it with spiritual power. By its faint glow, he saw a naked man and woman in the bushes, hurriedly struggling into their clothes.
Judging by their robes, they were clearly Registered Disciples of the Dao Sect as well. "Uh..."
Chen Yu froze.
Chen Yu paused.
He realized he had interrupted their fun.
He quickly extinguished Little Bright and hurried away from the scene.
Curses rang out behind him:
"Hey, you bastard! Am I blind?"
"Who was that? Are you sick in the head?"
By the time Chen Yu returned to the Stone House, Yun Miaozhen was already asleep.
The night passed,
and nothing happened.
The next day,
Yun Miaozhen got up without paying any attention to Chen Yu's cultivation. After getting ready, she went out, presumably to make her final preparations for the evening's assessment.
Chen Yu did not rise early that day. He slept in until noon.
He ate,
then wandered around Little Green Peak.
At six that evening,
Chen Yu set off for Little Bamboo Peak.
By the time he arrived, Little Bamboo Peak was packed. All the Registered Disciples had gathered there.
"Brother Chen Yu!" Chen Yu was standing in an inconspicuous spot among the crowd when a familiar voice suddenly sounded beside him.
He turned to look.
It was Liu Sanli.
Liu Sanli walked over and asked Chen Yu, "Well? Have you broken through to the Qi Refining First Layer?"
Chen Yu did not tell him his current cultivation outright. He merely smiled and nodded. "I have."
"That's wonderful!" Liu Sanli smiled. "If you've reached the Qi Refining First Layer, then you haven't let the Dao Sect's three years of nurturing go to waste."
Then he suddenly sensed how abundant the spiritual power within Chen Yu was and said in surprise, "I never imagined you were the sort to start late and overtake the rest, Brother Chen Yu. You clearly broke through later than I did, yet your spiritual power is much more immense. You're sure to be refined into superior spirit essence!"
To the other Registered Disciples, those words would have sounded like flattery. But to Chen Yu...
What a vicious curse!
"Heh, heh."
Chen Yu merely chuckled.
Just as the two were talking, a commanding shout suddenly came from ahead. "Silence! The Dao Sect's assessment will take place at Jade Forest Peak. Everyone, follow me!"
Chen Yu looked toward the voice and saw two people in the white robes of Dao Sect disciples, swords strapped to their backs. Their strength was about the same as his own: both were at the peak of the third layer of Qi Refining.
As soon as one finished speaking, the other roared impatiently, "Shut your mouths! Keep up! No falling behind!"
Liu Sanli shrank back and whispered to Chen Yu:
"That senior brother has quite a temper."
Though his voice was quiet, it did not escape that disciple's ears. He whipped his head around and glared at Liu Sanli as though he wanted to devour him. "Shut up!"
"Yes."
Liu Sanli hurriedly nodded.
Chen Yu quietly watched the two Dao Sect disciples ahead, faintly overhearing their conversation.
"Has something been troubling you lately, Brother Zhou?"
"No."
"You seem a little irritable."
"Do I? I just don't think there's any need to be pleasant to this bunch of piglets."
"Ah, mind your words, Brother Zhou. I think a few of these nominal disciples have reached the third layer of Qi Refining. If someone hears you talking like that, they'll challenge you later."
"Hahaha! Let them come. I couldn't ask for more!"
Chen Yu silently committed that arrogant face to memory.
After traveling for nearly an hour, the group finally arrived at Jade Forest Peak.
Viewed from its foot, Jade Forest Peak looked majestic and imposing, utterly different from Little Bamboo Peak and Little Green Peak. Even the steps up the mountain were made of white jade. Wherever the scenery was picturesque, an octagonal pavilion stood, with meditation cushions inside for disciples to cultivate and contemplate the Dao.
"Truly befitting one of the four great sects of the Eastern Continent. What grandeur!"
Someone in the group sighed in admiration.
Hearing such remarks,
the ill-tempered Dao Sect disciple repeatedly showed his disdain.
After passing countless octagonal pavilions and climbing who knew how many jade steps, everyone finally reached the summit of Jade Forest Peak.
The summit was extraordinarily broad and flat, as though someone had sliced it off out of thin air.
Directly ahead, three elders were already waiting.
The two outer disciples of the Dao Sect leading the group walked forward and bowed to the three elders. "Elder Wu, Elder Song, Elder Sun... all ninety-nine nominal disciples have been brought here."
"Mm."
Elder Wu, who stood at the head, nodded and surveyed everyone with a satisfied expression.
Beside him, Elder Sun declared in a clear voice:
"All disciples who have reached the third layer of Qi Refining, come over here."
At those words, Yun Miaozhen and a man with a scar on his face stepped out of the group and stood before Elder Sun.
Liu Sanli watched the two leave the ranks, his eyes filled with envy!
"To think two people actually reached the third layer of Qi Refining!" After that exclamation, Liu Sanli suddenly sighed again and said to Chen Yu, "People of mediocre talent like you and me can only end up becoming spirit essence..."
Before Liu Sanli finished speaking, he noticed Chen Yu suddenly move beside him.
The next second, under Liu Sanli's utterly bewildered gaze, Chen Yu walked straight to Yun Miaozhen's side and calmly took his place among those at the third layer of Qi Refining.
"Huh?"
Liu Sanli stared at the scene, dumbfounded.
Only after standing rigidly in place for several seconds did Liu Sanli suddenly realize something.
"...Wait."
"You?"