In the snow-covered corner of the courtyard stood tall stone puppets arranged in neat rows. Li Fei stood before them, eyes closed in deep concentration.
After a long while, she suddenly moved—so fast her figure became a blur. The puppets instantly lit up with the radiance of the Five Elements Immortal Method. In that moment, Bronze Wall Technique, Healing Net, Ironwood Spikes, Crimson Fire Dragon, and Golden Arrow Rain—five immortal techniques—simultaneously struck five different puppets.
A deafening explosion followed as dust and debris billowed. The three puppets struck by offensive techniques shattered into scattered rocks, though they soon reformed. Li Fei took a deep breath and examined the remaining two puppets. The Healing Net's icy-blue glow was strikingly vibrant, its spiritual energy overwhelming, while the Bronze Wall Technique's range had expanded severalfold compared to before—it now required three consecutive Supreme Harmony Arts to break through.
She stood silently for a long while. Ri Yan had been right—her spiritual energy had indeed grown tremendously. Previously, casting immortal techniques had always felt laborious, never as effortless and fluid as it did now.
It seemed that unleashing her Source Spiritual Qi had significantly impacted her.
Wiping sweat from her brow, Li Fei turned to the enormous Nine-tailed Fox lounging nearby and grinned. "Ri Yan, what do you think?"
The fox merely cracked open one eye slit, giving her a disdainful glance before remaining silent.
"So rude!" Li Fei rolled a large snowball and hurled it at him. It passed through his form and shattered against the corridor.
These past few days, Zhao Min Shijie had been away on trials, and Master was secluded at the peak. She'd been practicing alone every day. Fortunately, Ri Yan had woken this morning, but instead of guiding her training, he'd just lain there sleeping, refusing to even open his eyes—how infuriating!
"Such low-level practice deserves my guidance?" Ri Yan scoffed. "These are techniques you could perform with your eyes closed!"
"But aren't all immortal techniques like this?" Li Fei frowned.
Ri Yan turned his head away disdainfully. "Ignorant child, how little you've learned! Beyond the Five Elements, your human cultivation includes advanced immortal techniques that combine elements. Otherwise, with the mutual generation and restraint of the Five Elements, if you encounter an enemy who counters you, how could you possibly fight?"
"Then when will I get to learn those?"
"How should I know? But that day in Chestnut Blaze Valley, what that boy unleashed was the advanced technique Golden Water Dragon's Roar—a fusion of metal and water. These elemental combination techniques require exquisite control of spiritual energy—the slightest error ruins them. That is true cultivation! What you're doing now is merely expending spiritual energy. Hmph! Useless. That brat can already use advanced techniques while you're still throwing rocks here!"
Li Fei threw another snowball. "He only managed that because he was risking his life to save me! Don't make it sound so simple."
"Enough prattle!" The Nine-tailed Fox rose gracefully, stretching. "Is this boring practice session over yet? Let's go out! This snowy wasteland is tiresome to look at."
"Fine..."
As Li Fei wiped her sweat and prepared to summon a cloud to take him sightseeing at Shining Light Peak, a girl's voice called from the corridor—Su Wan's! She turned quickly to see Su Wan waving from the walkway, with Deng Xiguang lurking furtively behind her, glancing around like a thief.
"Just visiting during lunch break," Su Wan said cheerfully, flipping down from the corridor with a crunch in the snow. "So this is the snowy mountain? Why's there nothing here? Don't you get bored living in this place?""This is so boring! And I have to deal with you fools!" Ri Yan roared at her, but of course, no one else could hear or see him. He flicked his tail. "I'm leaving!"
Li Fei was both amused and exasperated. Well, she’d just have to make it up to him next time by taking him on a proper tour of No Moon Court.
Su Wan, observing the scenery, noticed Deng Xiguang lurking suspiciously and frowned. "Senior Brother Deng, what are you doing?"
Deng Xiguang glanced around and, not seeing Zhaomin, heaved a sigh of relief. "Jiang Shi Mei, your senior sister isn’t here? Thank goodness!"
Last time, he had come to Jade Fall Peak out of boredom to visit Li Fei, only to run into Zhaomin in a foul mood. Mistaking him for one of the male disciples from Shining Light Peak who often came to harass them, she had not only scolded him harshly but also threatened to ban him from returning. Deng Xiguang had gotten a firsthand taste of her ferocity and was thoroughly intimidated.
Li Fei couldn’t help but laugh. "Senior Sister is away on a trial these days, so she won’t be here. No need to be scared, Senior Brother Deng."
Noticing Lei Xiuyuan’s absence, she asked curiously, "Where’s Xiu Yuan? Has his training not ended yet?"
"Master said he had something to discuss with him, so he might not make it today," Su Wan replied as she began rolling snowballs, soon piling up a large snowman in the courtyard.
It had been some time since they returned from Chestnut Blaze Valley, and their training schedules remained hectic. Today was a rare opportunity for them to gather and share a meal, and naturally, they had plenty to talk about.
Deng Xiguang, his mouth stuffed with food, spoke indistinctly, "I heard from Master that No Moon Court only took in one disciple from the Academy this year—a girl, accepted by Qing Yue Elder into Purple Mist Peak. Remember Le Cailing? Last time, Qing Yue Elder said she wouldn’t let her practice the Mute Immortal Technique anymore, and it turns out it was true! I saw her chatting and laughing with Senior Brother Qin Yangling the other day. Those two actually got together. I guess the new disciple Qing Yue Elder took in is meant to replace Le Shi Mei in learning that Mute Immortal Technique."
Su Wan suddenly recalled something. "I also heard from Master that last year, Young Phoenix Academy hired a few new instructors from some Ocean Sect. Their teaching methods were really strange, and this year, many Academy disciples were taken away by Ocean Sect’s Immortal Sects. Our No Moon Court only got one disciple this year, and I heard Star Rectitude Hall didn’t get any. Senior Brother Deng, you always boast about knowing everything—do you know what the Ocean Sect is?"
Deng Xiguang coughed awkwardly. "Well... I, uh, I really don’t know."
Li Fei quickly swallowed her food. "I know!"
She hurriedly explained the differences between the Mountain and Ocean Sects. Su Wan grew increasingly astonished. "Only practicing the Five Elements’ foundational Immortal Techniques for five years after joining? What kind of training is that? So your friend Baili Gelin is at the East Sea Myriad Immortals Assembly? She’s really brave to go so far alone."
Li Fei smiled. She now understood the reason behind Ge Lin’s decision to travel thousands of miles away. That was just like Ge Lin—always smiling on the surface, never letting others see her true troubles. How much resolve had it taken for her to choose the East Sea Myriad Immortals Assembly? As her friend, Li Fei had been far too inconsiderate, unable to help in any way. Yet the saddest part was that even now, understanding her pain, she still couldn’t do anything to ease it.It's been five years. I wonder if Ge Lin has let go of her emotional burden? From the fragmented words in her letters, I couldn't discern her feelings, but the fact that she's willing to correspond with Ye Ye and Baili Changyue suggests she's moved on, doesn't it?
Su Wan continued, "Didn't they say the Mountain Sect and Ocean Sect would stay out of each other's affairs? What is the Academy trying to do now?"
Li Fei pondered, "I've only heard rumors that Zuoqiu Xiansheng seems intent on uniting the Mountain and Ocean Sects. I don't know what he's thinking."
As they spoke, a clear bell chime suddenly rang in her ears. Startled, she turned her head to see a talisman paper land beside her, enveloped in a white glow—clearly imbued with an Advanced Immortal Technique.
Deng Xiguang's eyes lit up. "Huh? Isn't this an Elder Summoning Token? Jiang Shi Mei, an Elder is summoning you."
An Elder Summoning Token? Li Fei turned the talisman over in her hands, examining it closely. She had only seen it mentioned in the disciples' rulebook—this was her first time seeing the real thing.
Instinctively, she channeled her spiritual energy. The next moment, her vision blurred, and to her shock, she found herself abruptly transported from Jade Fall Peak to the main hall of Literature Ancient Peak. The hall was filled with over a dozen disciples, and several Elders stood at the front. Everyone stared at her sudden appearance, making Li Fei feel awkward. She had been eating earlier—was there oil on her lips?
Dongyang Zhenren's voice soon rang out. "Ah, the little girl is here? Come forward."
Li Fei hurriedly stepped forward and bowed. "Disciple Jiang Li Fei greets the esteemed Elders."
Dongyang Zhenren chuckled. "Little girl, I summoned you here for two reasons. First, regarding the matter of mutual exchange and sparring. Second, I told the other Elders you've reached the second bottleneck in cultivation, but none of them believed me. Show them clearly."
Mutual exchange and sparring? What did that mean? Li Fei felt the intense gazes of several Elders upon her and immediately bowed again, holding her breath in silence.
After a moment, Guangwei Zhenren spoke. "I saw this child a few months ago when she had just broken through the first bottleneck. I didn't expect her to reach the second so quickly."
Another Elder, whom Li Fei didn't recognize, asked curiously, "But she shows no signs of spiritual energy fluctuations from breaking through a bottleneck. How did she achieve this cultivation level? Who is her Master?"
Dongyang Zhenren replied, "Her Master is Chongyi, currently in seclusion at the peak of Jade Fall Peak."
Ah, so she's that Chongyi's disciple! No wonder she's a bit unusual. The Elders instantly understood.
One Elder smiled. "Since her cultivation is sufficient and she has prior camaraderie with colleagues, she's more than suitable."
The other Elders nodded in agreement.
Li Fei remained silent, utterly confused. What were these Elders scheming?
She discreetly glanced back at the other dozen or so disciples—she didn't recognize a single one. Moreover, they were noticeably older than those who had gone to Chestnut Blaze Valley, with the eldest appearing to be in his thirties. Each of them wore equally puzzled expressions, so it seemed she wasn't the only one in the dark.
Elder Dongyang suddenly stepped forward and announced in a clear voice, "Listen well. The major Immortal Sects have discovered another excellent Trial Ground, perfectly suited for disciples who have broken through the second bottleneck. Ownership of this land has yet to be decided. Tomorrow, you will set out under the guidance of Elder Guangwei and myself to this Trial Ground. There, you will inevitably engage in mutual exchange and sparring with disciples from other sects. Remember, you represent No Moon Court—give it your all!"The disciples immediately erupted in murmurs. A newly discovered Trial Grounds? This was certainly good news, but the so-called "exchange of pointers" was just a euphemism for potential magical combat, wasn't it?!
Although all the disciples here had broken through the second Bottleneck and undergone countless trials, battling Monstrous creatures and Ferocious beasts was entirely different from fighting fellow cultivators. Almost none of them had ever engaged in magical combat with peers of similar cultivation. Hearing this news now, they couldn't help but feel nervous.
It was common knowledge that while the various Immortal Sects maintained surface harmony, countless undercurrents of conflict existed beneath. But was it too early—wasn't it far too soon—to have disciples who had just broken through the second Bottleneck participate in such combat?
Seeing the hesitation and fear on the disciples' faces, Celestial Guangwei frowned and said sternly, "What are you afraid of? You've already set foot into the world of cultivation—there's no turning back now! Anyone without this resolve should leave No Moon Court immediately!"
His words instantly silenced the crowd.
Dongyang Zhenren also spoke gravely, "This matter is of utmost importance. From this moment onward, all correspondence with the outside world is prohibited! The same applies within the sect—no one is to speak of this to anyone, no matter who asks! Violators will be immediately expelled from No Moon Court! Tomorrow at mao hour (5-7 AM), gather here to depart for the Trial Grounds."
OpenNovel