The clamor and bloodshed that had filled Qingyun Peak's plaza seemed to linger still in the air.
But with the Foundation Establishment Elder carrying the unconscious Li Yan away, the storm of a promotion that had shaken the entire outer region of the Verdant Wood Sect finally drew its curtain — at least for now.
The crowd gradually dispersed.
As the Outer Sect Disciples departed, the gazes they cast toward Chen Yang remained complicated — tinged with lingering shock, wariness, and a barely perceptible thread of envy.
The Menial Disciples also drifted away in twos and threes.
Many glanced back repeatedly, their eyes filled with awe and a subtle pride, as though they shared in some reflected glory.
Chen Yang stood alone where he was. The brand-new inner disciple jade token in his hand felt warm and smooth to the touch, the Spiritual Energy it contained far surpassing that of his old outer sect token — silently proclaiming the complete transformation of his identity.
At that moment, a young boy of about fourteen or fifteen, dressed in the plain green garb of a laborer, poked his head out timidly from behind a stone pillar nearby.
He carefully studied Chen Yang's expression, then trotted over with quick, small steps and bowed respectfully.
"Se… Senior Brother, greetings."
The boy's voice still carried a youthful tremor, laced with nerves.
Chen Yang pulled himself out of his tangled thoughts and looked at the unfamiliar young face. He reined in the killing aura that had not yet fully settled around him and tried to soften his tone:
"What is it?"
"Reporting to Senior Brother — this disciple has been sent to guide you to your new quarters."
Seeing that Chen Yang did not seem difficult to approach, the boy relaxed slightly, and his words came more smoothly.
Chen Yang gave a nod. That was only to be expected.
He glanced at the boy and asked, "What is your name?"
The boy answered promptly:
"In reply to Senior Brother — this disciple is called Xiaoshitou."
He then stole a curious look at Chen Yang and asked quietly:
"May I ask Senior Brother's name?"
"Chen Yang."
"Senior Brother Chen Yang, please follow me." Xiaoshitou bowed again and led the way.
The two of them walked one behind the other, leaving the plaza — still marked with scorched black stains and the lingering scent of blood — and descended along a mountain path paved with green flagstones.
Ancient trees towered on either side of the path, and the Spiritual Energy in the air was noticeably richer than in the laborer quarters.
Before long, a cluster of elegant pavilion buildings appeared ahead, nestled among green trees and slender bamboo.
The buildings were uniform in style — white walls, blue-grey tiles, upswept eaves and curving corners — refined and graceful, worlds apart from the cramped, dilapidated courtyards where the laborers lived.
Xiaoshitou led Chen Yang to one of the unoccupied pavilion buildings, drew a jade token of the same design from his waist, and pressed it into a small indentation on the door.
A faint light flickered, and the door swung open without a sound.
"Senior Brother Chen, this will be your residence from now on. This jade token is your identity token and also the key to activating the restriction here — please keep it safe."
Xiaoshitou handed the jade token to Chen Yang.
Chen Yang took it and stepped inside.
The interior of the pavilion building was quite spacious, divided into two floors.
The lower floor was a hall furnished with tables, chairs, and a tea table — not lavish, but clean and tidy.
Up the wooden staircase was the bedroom.
A wooden bed.
An old, worn meditation cushion placed on the floor.
Nothing else — it felt a little bare.
But what stirred Chen Yang's heart most was this: the moment he stepped inside, he sensed a flow of Spiritual Energy permeating the air — denser and purer than outside. With every breath, his mind felt clear and refreshed, and the circulation of spiritual energy within his body seemed to quicken ever so slightly.
"This Spiritual Energy…"
Chen Yang sensed it with quiet surprise.
Xiaoshitou, noticing his reaction, wore an expression that said this was perfectly natural, and explained:
"Senior Brother Chen, this is the effect of the Spirit-Gathering Spell Formation. Every pavilion building where inner disciples reside has a basic Spirit-Gathering Formation inscribed into it. It draws and channels the Spiritual Energy that seeps from the underground spirit veins, aiding cultivation. Senior Brother, you… didn't know?"
There was a hint of puzzlement in his voice.
By rights, anyone who had advanced to the inner sect should be among the finest of the Outer Sect Disciples — they shouldn't be unfamiliar with something as standard as a Spirit-Gathering Formation.
Chen Yang shook his head, his tone even:
"I did not advance from the outer sect."
Xiaoshitou blinked, growing even more curious:
"Not from the outer sect? Then Senior Brother, you are…"
"I advanced directly from the laborer ranks," Chen Yang said.
"La… laborer?!"
Xiaoshitou's eyes went wide as saucers, his mouth dropping open enough to fit an egg, his face a picture of utter shock and disbelief.
"Directly… advanced to the inner sect?! This… this disciple has never heard of such a precedent!"
The way he looked at Chen Yang changed instantly — the respect from before was now layered with deep awe and burning curiosity.
To leap from laborer straight to the inner sect — Senior Brother Chen's strength and history had to be something extraordinary!
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Chen Yang offered no further explanation and changed the subject:
"Is this residence permanent? Will it change in the future?"
Xiaoshitou snapped back to attention and answered quickly:
"In reply to Senior Brother — the pavilion buildings here at the foot of Qingyun Peak are only temporary lodgings the sect provides for all newly promoted inner disciples. If Senior Brother distinguishes yourself in the future and catches the eye of an Elder who takes you as a personal disciple, you may move to the corresponding peak where that Elder resides. The Spiritual Energy and surroundings there are far superior to here."
Chen Yang's heart stirred. He thought of the soaring, cloud-wreathed Qingyun Main Peak and asked offhandedly:
"If one were to become a disciple of the Sect Master himself, would that mean staying right here on Qingyun Peak without needing to move?"
Xiaoshitou blinked at the question, then shook his head so vigorously it looked like a rattle-drum:
"Impossible, impossible, Senior Brother Chen. The Sect Master has not taken a disciple in over a hundred years. They say he has been in seclusion seeking a breakthrough and rarely concerns himself with sect affairs anymore. And besides…"
He lowered his voice and pointed out the window at the towering, seemingly endless Qingyun Main Peak:
"Even if… even if Senior Brother truly had heaven-defying talent and fortune, and the Sect Master made an exception to accept you — you still wouldn't be living at the foot of the mountain. As the Sect Master's personal disciple, you would naturally move up to the peak itself! They say the Spiritual Energy up there is so dense it nearly condenses into spirit liquid! That is a true Immortal's Grotto-Dwelling — nothing down here can compare!"
Chen Yang followed the direction of his pointing finger and gazed up at the summit shrouded in drifting mist. A trace of longing rose unbidden in his heart.
That was the core of the Verdant Wood Sect — the pinnacle of power.
At the same time, a figure surfaced involuntarily in his mind — silver hair like snow, a presence unlike any other: the Elder of Spirit Sword Peak, Shen Hongmei.
The Nine Revolutions Body Tempering Art he was currently cultivating had come from her hands, as had the precious Spirit Origin Pills, the Storage Bag, and the Flying Sword. If he were to seek a master, this "benefactor" with whom he shared a complicated history seemed the most realistic choice.
He just didn't know her temperament — whether she would accept him…
Pushing aside these thoughts that were still somewhat distant, Chen Yang gave Xiaoshitou a nod:
"I understand. Thank you for your trouble."
Xiaoshitou waved his hands quickly:
"Senior Brother is too kind — this is all within this disciple's duties. If Senior Brother needs anything, ring the wind chime hanging by the front door and this disciple will come as quickly as possible. Also…"
He added, "According to inner disciple rules, Senior Brother may personally select three to four individuals from among the Outer Sect Disciples or Menial Disciples to serve as your attendants, handling miscellaneous matters so that Senior Brother may focus on cultivation."
Chen Yang filed that away. It was a useful privilege.
Xiaoshitou offered a few more reminders, then bowed respectfully and took his leave.
The pavilion building was left with only Chen Yang.
He carefully shut the door and activated the simple restriction on it — not particularly strong in terms of defense, but enough to serve as a warning and block prying eyes.
He did not immediately go out or attend to other matters.
The battle with Li Yan during the day had ended in victory, but the cost had been immense — especially that final roar he had unleashed to forcibly interrupt Li Yan's Demonization, which had consumed nearly half his mental focus and spiritual energy.
Now in this seemingly safe new environment, his first act was to sit cross-legged on the worn meditation cushion and begin meditating to restore himself.
Better safe than sorry.
Lin Yang was cunning and treacherous — no one could say whether he might put on a pleasant face while plotting in the shadows. If he came under cover of night with the higher-cultivation Yang Tianming in tow, facing them in an exhausted state would be catastrophic.
As the Nine Revolutions Body Tempering Art circulated, the Spiritual Energy gathered within the pavilion building seeped into his body strand by strand, nourishing his parched meridians and his slightly weary flesh.
While running the cultivation technique, Chen Yang's mind gradually grew still, and he began to reflect on the gains and losses of the day.
Looking back now, when facing Lin Yang's final provocation, he had indeed been too impulsive — nearly letting anger cloud his judgment.
He had been consumed by hatred and humiliation, without calmly assessing his own condition.
At that moment, he had still held two Flying Swords as a trump card, but the spiritual energy in his body had already been largely depleted, and his mind was fatigued from the fierce battle.
Had he truly come to blows with Lin Yang — who was rested and of unknown depth — his odds of winning would have been extremely low. He might even have been killed in a reversal.
"Strength… still not enough!" Chen Yang thought grimly.
He had to advance his cultivation as quickly as possible, and also maintain colder control over his emotions — he could not allow enemies to provoke him so easily and drag him into their rhythm again.
As his spiritual energy gradually recovered and he completed a Circulation Cycle, Chen Yang discovered with delight that after the life-and-death tempering of the day's battle — especially the full-force operation of the Nine Revolutions Body Tempering Art against the fire serpent and the close-quarters combat — the barrier at his fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm had subtly loosened. It seemed as though he had brushed against the edge of a breakthrough!
This was undoubtedly one of the greatest gains from the battle.
Beyond that, the experience of his first life-or-death duel, and his command of this new, Spiritual Energy-rich residence at the foot of Qingyun Peak — all of it was tangible progress.
It was not until the latter half of the night that Chen Yang slowly opened his eyes. The spiritual energy within his body had been restored to its peak — and was even a fraction purer and more condensed than before the battle.
His gaze swept the room and landed on a small cloth pouch that Xiaoshitou had left on the table before departing.
He rose and walked over, opening the pouch.
Instantly, a gleaming white radiance flooded his eyes!
Inside the pouch, neatly stacked, were two hundred thumbnail-sized, cleanly cut stones brimming with pure Spiritual Energy — low-grade spirit stones!
Chen Yang's breath caught slightly, a flame of excitement flickering in his eyes.
This was the basic monthly resource allotment for an inner disciple!
Two hundred low-grade spirit stones!
He thought back to his days as a laborer in the medicine garden — rising before dawn and working past dusk, tending the spirit fields with care, enduring the exploitation of the overseers — and at the end of a full month, scraping together even a single low-grade spirit stone had been a remarkable feat.
Many Menial Disciples toiled for ten or twenty years and still couldn't accumulate a few dozen spirit stones.
And now, simply by advancing to the inner sect — without doing anything at all — he would receive two hundred every month!
That was nearly equivalent to an ordinary Menial Disciple's total earnings over ten to twenty years!
The gap in resources brought by a change in status was simply staggering.
And this was only the basic benefit. Inner disciples could also earn more spirit stones and resources through training expeditions outside the sect, completing sect missions, and other means.
"The clay bowl…"
Chen Yang's first thought was of his greatest trump card.
With this many spirit stones, there was so much more he could duplicate!
He thought it over carefully.
His offensive options were currently rather limited. At close range, he relied on the Nine Revolutions Body Tempering Art.
For ranged attacks and his trump card — the Flying Sword!
The Flying Sword gifted by Shen Hongmei was of exceptional quality, far surpassing the magical weapons typically used by Qi Refining cultivators.
"I will duplicate the Flying Sword!" Chen Yang quickly made his decision.
He took out the clay bowl, then retrieved the Flying Sword — its blade faintly gleaming with cold light, its hilt engraved with a tiny character: "Mei."
He chose not to use the Spirit Origin Pills Shen Hongmei had given him; those Pills were better saved for cultivation and breakthroughs.
With careful hands, he placed the Flying Sword into the bowl, then set a full hundred low-grade spirit stones beside it.
He waited quietly.
The familiar sensation arrived.
The ancient patterns on the clay bowl lit up almost imperceptibly, and beside the Flying Sword in the bowl, like a reflection forming in still water, another identical Flying Sword slowly took shape!
The dozens of low-grade spirit stones stacked nearby instantly lost all their luster, crumbling into a small pile of dull grey ordinary stones.
Chen Yang did not stop. He repeated the process, feeding in several more dozen spirit stones.
Light flashed — a second Flying Sword, then a third, appeared in succession!
Counting the original gifted by Shen Hongmei and the one he had duplicated earlier using other materials, he now held five Flying Swords of considerable power!
Looking at the five blades gleaming with cold light before him, Chen Yang felt his confidence swell considerably.
But he exercised caution: he carefully wiped the original Flying Sword given by Shen Hongmei clean and tucked it away deep in his Storage Bag. He would not draw it unless absolutely necessary.
After all, that sword had distinctive markings.
If someone with sharp eyes spotted it, they might connect it to Shen Hongmei and bring unnecessary trouble.
He then took the remaining four Flying Swords and, with spiritual energy flowing through his fingertips, carefully ground away every trace of the "Mei" character that had been copied onto their hilts, leaving no clues behind.
By the time he finished, the sky had begun to lighten with the grey of dawn.
After a night of meditation and work, Chen Yang was fully restored — his cultivation had even advanced a fraction further.
He pushed open the window and drew a long, deep breath of the moist morning air, rich with Spiritual Energy.
Today, he still had things to do.
He needed to visit the medicine garden in the laborer quarters.
He didn't know how Xiaodouzi was faring, and there was Liu Yiyi as well — after the commotion of yesterday, they had surely heard the news. He needed to go and let them know he was safe.
And the matter of selecting attendants could be handled at the same time.