Black Wind Grand Canyon

"Third Brother!"

With that clear call, a sturdy youth with healthy, wheat-colored skin strode into the room. It was Qin Yu, who had just finished his morning training.

Glistening beads of sweat still clung to his forehead, and his chest rose and fell slightly, but his clear eyes shone with an utterly unwavering light.

"Little Yu? Why aren't you continuing to temper your body with General Zhao Yunxing today?" Qin Chen turned to look at Qin Yu, a trace of gentle amusement flickering in his eyes.

Qin Yu hurried up to Qin Chen, his hands clenched tightly into fists. He raised his head and looked at him with burning eyes. "Third Brother, I heard the servants say you're leaving the mountain villa to enter seclusion and make your breakthrough. I... I want to go too! I want to see how you break through with my own eyes!"

After a moment's consideration, he nodded. Qin Chen was all but certain of success in this attempt to reach the Golden Core Realm.

The foundations he had built over these three years were by no means as simple as they appeared.

Moreover, with two Golden Core stage experts, Feng Yuzi and Mu Qing, standing guard, keeping Qin Yu safe would be more than within their power.

Letting Little Yu experience the might of heaven and earth ahead of time might also prove a rare blessing for his future cultivation.

"All right, I promise." Smiling, Qin Chen reached out and rubbed Qin Yu's head.

At his words, Qin Yu was overjoyed, so excited that he nearly jumped. "Really? Thank you, Third Brother!"

"But you can't just watch the spectacle." Qin Chen's smile faded, and his expression grew a little more serious. Patting Qin Yu's sturdy shoulder, he said earnestly, "Little Yu, your talent for external cultivation is exceptional, and your perseverance far surpasses that of ordinary people. I hope you can bring your external cultivation to Houtian Peak as soon as possible. Once you reach that realm, I'll give you an enormous surprise."

"A surprise?" Qin Yu's eyes lit up, and his heart instantly filled with boundless anticipation. A surprise from his third brother would definitely be no small matter. He nodded vigorously and promised loudly, "Don't worry, Third Brother! I'll work twice as hard. I won't let you down!"

After settling matters with Qin Yu, Qin Chen took him to the villa's Martial Arts Field to meet Feng Yuzi and Mu Qing, who were already waiting there.

Seeing the "little tail" following behind Qin Chen, both Feng Yuzi and Mu Qing involuntarily raised their eyebrows.

"Chen, what are you..." Feng Yuzi pointed at Qin Yu, somewhat hesitant.

Facing a tribulation was no game. If they brought along a mortal martial artist who had not even reached Xiantian and something went wrong, how would they answer to the King Who Guards the East?

Qin Chen smiled faintly and cupped his hands. "Uncles, Little Yu's resolve to pursue the Dao is firm. I want to take him along to witness the might of heaven and earth. With both of you present, keeping him safe should be no problem."

At that, Mu Qing laughed heartily and said with soaring spirit, "You certainly know how to put fine hats on our heads, boy! Very well, very well. Since you, the one facing the tribulation, aren't afraid of being distracted, what more can these two old bones say? Little Yu's perseverance is astonishing, and I'm very fond of him too. Bring him along, then!"

Feng Yuzi also stroked his beard and nodded, saying no more.

"We should delay no longer. Black Wind Grand Canyon is a full eight hundred li from here. Traveling by horse or carriage would waste far too much time and could invite unforeseen complications." Feng Yuzi's expression turned solemn, and he swept his broad sleeve sharply.

Clang-

With a clear ring, a scarlet flying sword radiating astonishing waves of heat shot skyward from within Feng Yuzi's body. The sword swelled rapidly in the wind, becoming, in the blink of an eye, a massive sword over a zhang long and about two feet wide. It hovered three feet above the ground, faint gleams of fire flowing around its blade.

At the same time, Mu Qing summoned a lush green, wood-attribute flying sword, its blade radiating vigorous vitality.

"Chen, Little Yu, get on! Today, I'll let you experience riding a sword upon the wind!" Feng Yuzi leaped up and landed steadily at the front of the scarlet flying sword.

His expression unchanged, Qin Chen took Qin Yu, who was already staring in a daze, and lightly leaped onto Feng Yuzi's flying sword. Mu Qing rode his green flying sword alongside them as an escort.

"Rise!"

Feng Yuzi guided it with a sword seal, and the scarlet flying sword let out a piercing cry. Turning into a streak of light, it shot skyward in an instant, straight into the clouds.

"Whoa-"

Qin Yu felt his vision blur, and the intense sensation of weightlessness made him instinctively clutch Qin Chen's sleeve. When he opened his eyes again, he found himself a thousand zhang above the ground.

Fierce winds howled beside his ears, but the translucent barrier of true qi emanating from the flying sword kept them all outside, letting not the slightest gust touch them. Mustering his courage, Qin Yu looked down. The peaks that had once towered into the clouds had become little mounds beneath his feet, and broad rivers resembled silver ribbons. The entire earth swept backward before his eyes like a painted scroll.

"Are these the methods of immortals? Flying on swords, roaming the North Sea at dawn and reaching Cangwu by dusk..." Qin Yu's heart pounded fiercely, his eyes filled with awe and longing. He silently swore that one day, he too would soar above the nine heavens by his own strength!

Compared with Qin Yu's excitement, Qin Chen appeared extraordinarily calm.

He stood upon the blade with his hands behind his back, the fierce wind whipping his moon-white robe with a snapping rustle. His deep gaze rested on the distance, as though this flight, enough to terrify mortals, were nothing more than an everyday affair in his eyes.

A Golden Core stage cultivator flew extremely fast on a sword. In just half an hour, a massive fissure appeared in the earth ahead, as though an ancient giant god had cleaved it open with an axe.

The fissure was so deep that its bottom could not be seen, shrouded year-round in gray-black poisonous miasma. Fierce winds howled through the canyon, producing shrill sounds like ghosts wailing and wolves howling.

The flying swords slowly descended onto a secluded rise on the canyon's outskirts.

Just as they landed, two familiar figures strode out of the dense forest ahead.

"Eldest Brother! Second Brother!" The moment Qin Yu saw them, he ran over excitedly.

"Little Yu? Why are you here too?" Qin Feng caught Qin Yu as he rushed into his arms, a doting smile appearing on his stern face.

Qin Zheng hurried up to Qin Chen and looked his third brother, who was now not much shorter than himself, up and down, his eyes full of emotion and pride. "Third Brother, after Father received your letter, he was so excited he couldn't sleep all night. He wanted to come personally to stand guard for you, but the situation in Yanjing City is tense, and the Xiang Family has eyes everywhere. As the King Who Guards the East, every move Father makes has far-reaching implications. He truly couldn't get away. So he ordered Eldest Brother and me to lead the Fierce Tiger Battalion and seal off the area for a hundred li around. We won't let anyone disturb your tribulation!"

Warmth filled Qin Chen's heart. He smiled and nodded. "Thank you for your efforts, Eldest Brother, Second Brother. I understand Father's care."

"We're brothers. What need is there to say that?" Qin Feng stepped forward and clapped Qin Chen heavily on the shoulder, saying solemnly, "Third Brother, heavenly tribulations show no mercy. You must face yours with utmost care. If it cannot be done, preserving your life comes first. As long as the green mountains remain, there's no fear of running out of firewood!"

"Don't worry, Eldest Brother. I know my limits." Qin Chen smiled confidently.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the group followed Qin Feng along a hidden plank walkway, deep into the heart of Black Wind Grand Canyon.