Chapter 333: Match for Little Zi
Shortly after Hao Ren left Fifth Heaven on Little White, three figures flew to a small hill near the Ethereal Summit.
"Hello, Sect Master Song, Taoist Liu!" A middle-aged man wearing a blue robe cupped his hands at the other two.
The pretty woman who was referred to as Taoist Liu smiled at the middle-aged man. "Hello, Sect Master Han," she greeted.
They were masters of three cultivation sects near the Ethereal Summit. The man with the surname Han was the master of Seven Stars Sect, the man with the surname Song was the master of Qiong Hua Sect, and the woman with the surname Liu was the master of Qin Yin Sect.
The positions of the three sects formed a triangle, and Hao Ren's Ethereal Summit was in the center of this triangle. From the terrains of the mountains, the three sects all regarded this valley as part of their back mountain.
The three sects had argued about the ownership of the valley and finally decided to hold a competition every ten-year. During the competition, each sect would send three new Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators, and the winner would gain the right to use the valley for five years.
In the next five years, the valley would be left alone to recover its essence for the next winning sect. Of course, with this method, no sect could occupy this valley for ten consecutive years in which it could increase their power by so much that it would permanently occupy the valley.
However, to prepare for the next competition, some disciples went into the valley, and they found a cave abode in it.
The three masters were stunned by this discovery. They had abided by their agreement and nurtured the valley for five years. Now, it was occupied by an outsider!
This incident soon escalated. After some discussion, the three sects eliminated the possibility that one of the three sects had been secretly using the valley, and they sent a large group of young disciples and several elders to guard the valley.
However, two shadows appeared in the sky above the valley in the evening, and the elders and hundreds of disciples who were waiting for the intruder were beaten unconscious and tossed out of the valley.
During the whole process, none of the hundreds of cultivators saw the faces of the attackers!
Receiving the message, the three sects held an emergency meeting. They sent all the elders in the Core Formation Realm in the sects to the entrance of the valley, but they received the same treatment!
This time, dozens of elders were tossed out of the valley, and all their high-quality flying swords were confiscated!
With the failed nigh raid, the three sects didn't dare to make another move. After one uneasy night, the three sect masters decided to pay a visit to the valley during the daytime.
"Let's go!" The sect master of Seven Stars Sect took the lead and flew toward the valley on a red sword.
The sect masters of Qiong Hua Sect and Qin Yin Sect exchanged a look and followed him on their swords.
From the information they got yesterday and last night, the cultivator who occupied the valley only came there to cultivate in the night, and the cave abode was empty during the day.
That was why they thought it was safe to investigate it during the daytime.
As he came near the edge of the valley, Sect Master Han of the Seven Stars Sect slowed down, and Sect Master Song of the Jade Hua Sect and Sect Master Liu of the Qin Yin Sect didn't dare to break in either.
After all, they were still stunned by the fact that dozens of elders were instantly beaten unconscious and tossed out of the valley last night.
"Senior, Han Guang, the Sect Master of Seven Stars Sect, asks for permission to see you!" Standing on his flying sword at the entrance of the valley, Sect Master Han circulated his nature essence and spoke in a loud voice.
They waited for a long while, and no reply came from the valley.
Looking back at the other two sect masters, Sect Master Han hesitated for a few seconds and called out again, "If Senior is not in here, please forgive us for going into the valley!"
No sounds came from the valley; not even the chirping of birds.
The quieter the valley was, the more nervous they got.
Sect Master Han inhaled deeply and looked back at Sect Master Song and Sect Master Liu. "Let's go in together!"
In fact, Sect Master Song and Sect Master Liu were nervous, but they couldn't back off now. Besides, from the incidents of the last few nights, they knew that the senior living in the valley didn't want to hurt anyone; he or she just wanted to keep people out.
Each equipped with a protective dharma treasure, they forced themselves to fly into the valley.
A wave of mist greeted them. When they regained their sense of orientation, they realized that they were outside the valley. Not wanting to admit defeat, they flew in from another direction. When the mist disappeared, they found themselves back at the entrance of the valley!
They dared not to try again. Standing on their flying swords, they looked at each other in puzzlement.
"Sect Master Han, will we just give the valley up to this outsider?" Sect Master Liu broke the silence and asked with a reluctant expression on her face.
To prepare for this competition, she had personally trained three disciples with the determination of getting control of the valley, and that was why she was unwilling to let go.
Sect Master Han thought for a moment and said, "I don't think the senior is in the valley now, or he or she would have come out and dealt with us instead of letting us linger out here."
"And the array formation..." Sect Master Song asked with bafflement.
"The array formation left in the Elixir King Valley should be a position shifting array. We can't go in if we can't break the array. In our Seven Stars Sect, we have a similar array formation, but this one is much more advanced than ours." Sect Master Han paused for a few seconds before continuing, "Since the senior won't be back until nighttime, we can just wait here."
"The cave abode was reported to be very crude, and I think it must be a temporary resting place for the senior. We can leave him or her alone, and this senior will probably leave after a while," Sect Master Song said after a moment of consideration.
The sects in Fifth Heaven knew the limit of their strengths. Sometimes, cultivators from Sixth Heaven would come to visit Fifth Heaven, and they couldn't afford to mess with these Sixth Heaven cultivators.
However, Sect Master Han shook his head. "The senior must be a cultivator from Sixth Heaven, and he or she is living here temporarily to recover from injuries or to hunt for treasures. From the way our cultivators were dealt with last night, this senior is not a murderous person. This may present an opportunity for us."
Hearing Sect Master Han's words, the eyes of the pretty Sect Master Liu lit up with understanding. With a master from Sixth Heaven living in the Elixir King Valley, it was both a threat and an opportunity for the three sects nearby.
"Even if we couldn't get any treasures or cultivation techniques from the senior, it would benefit the sects if the senior could give us a few tips on cultivation. Sect Master Han must have planned to ask the senior for tips, but he was afraid to do it alone, and that was why he wanted the three of us to act together," Sect Master Liu thought to herself.
"Then, we will wait here and hope that we can meet the senior today," Sect Master Song nodded and said.
Sect Master Song didn't hope to get cultivation tips from this senior. He only wanted the senior to return the flying swords that were confiscated last night. After all, the Qiong Hua Sect had sent out the largest number of cultivators last night and thus suffered the most significant loss of flying swords.
While the three sect masters waited respectfully near the valley, Hao Ren, the senior in their eyes, was back in the East Ocean University having classes.
With Lu Qing's special permission, Hao Ren could skip any class he wanted, but the teachers still couldn't let him pass the course if he did too poorly on the exam.
If he failed too many courses, Hao Ren couldn't explain it to his parents. More importantly, if he failed miserably on the exams, he would be too shameful to tutor Zhao Yanzi.
While Hao Ren was listening to the teacher attentively, Zhou Liren sitting next to him leaned toward him slowly to look at the item on his wrist. "This bracelet is so beautiful..."
Hao Ren was sitting in the back row close to the window. Under the sunlight shining through the window, the blue deep ocean crystal was dazzling, and the golden thread that was attaching the crystal to his wrist was also emitting light that was more dazzling than gold.
"Damn! Are you a girl or something?" Hao Ren bounced Zhou Liren's head off with the back of his fist.
"You have been wearing more accessories since you fell in love," Zhou Liren leaned toward him again and said, "Su Han once gave you two bracelets. Then, you got a necklace, a golden bell, some beads, and now you got this little star... They are all gifts from girls, right?"
"Ugh..." Hao Ren didn't know how to answer him.
"You are so lucky. No girl has ever given me gifts..." Zhou Liren sighed heavily.
"Ok! I'll give you a gift next time," Hao Ren said in exasperation.
"I'm not g*y. I don't want your gift!" Zhou Liren replied.
"Damn!" Hao Ren shivered with disgust. Last time when he was at the Trading Convention on Fifth Heaven, he had bought some gems with some spirit stones. They would sell for about 20,000 yuan at any jewelry store, and he planned to give one to Zhou Liren.
However, at the latter's refusal, he gave up on the idea.
After morning classes ended, Xie Yujia walked to Hao Ren's side with a small bag on her back. "Hey! Let's go and have lunch together!"
"A date with a beauty! I'm the forgotten friend..." Zhou Liren who had planned to go to lunch with Hao Ren walked out with a snicker.
Xie Yujia turned and looked at Zhou Liren before sticking out her tongue. Then, she turned back at Hao Ren. "What do you want to eat? Lunch is on me!"
"Why?" Hao Ren was baffled.
"I have good news!" She grabbed his hand and walked out of the classroom.
Her hand was soft and fresh while her black hair swayed against her white shirt, forming a distinct contrast of colors.
Bright and playful, Xie Yujia was in a good mood as she pulled Hao Ren to the stairs, attracting jealous glances from the nearby guys.
She was not dazzling, but her freshness was the most alluring part of her beauty.
Outside of the academic building, Xie Yujia unlocked her bicycle. Then, Hao Ren rode the bike with her sitting on the back seat.
"You haven't told me the reason for your lunch invitation yet." Riding the bicycle, Hao Ren noticed the guys on the roadside all glancing at the back seat of the bike.
"Didn't you notice any changes in me?" Xie Yujia clutched onto his shirt and asked.
Hao Ren looked back at her and found that she was stunning in the sunshine. However, he couldn't see any changes.
"What changes?" Hao Ren asked her.
"I've broken through to level 8 of the Qi Refinement Realm!" Xie Yujia slapped lightly on his back and said excitedly.
Last night when she was cultivating in the dorm, she suddenly felt a transforming change when surging essences entered her body, elevating her realm instantly to level 8 of the Qi Refinement Realm!
After cultivating for so long in bafflement, she finally experienced an epiphany moment!
She understood the changes in nature and the cycles of life and death. Just like studying for school, one couldn't rely on memorization alone; instead, a comprehensive understanding was vital! The Life Note in her left hand and the Death Note in her right hand were like positive and negative poles that suddenly connected, and the nature essence traveled smoothly all over her body.
This morning when she got up, her roommate Ma Lina almost couldn't recognize her because she looked so confident and so vivacious that all the worry and anxiousness disappeared from her face!
Ma Lina felt like she was looking at a little sun that was filled with abundant energy. Xie Yujia's aura was not less dazzling than those superstars who walked on the red carpet!
Her eyes were brighter, her skin was smoother, and ever her breaths were fragrant... Xie Yujia finally understood the Heaven Dao!
Cleansed and healthy body; soft and shiny hair; white and solid teeth; controlled and free movements; clear and bright eyes... All these were the characteristics of becoming one with heaven!
Although she was only at level 8 of the Qi Refinement Realm, she had understood the Qi Refinement Scroll entirely!
"Really?" Hao Ren hesitated for a few seconds and looked back at her again.
Sure enough, she emitted an extraordinary radiance which was not the reflection of the sunlight on her smooth skin, but the brilliance of her self-confidence and beauty!
"Hey! Be careful!" Xie Yujia tugged on his shirt.
Thud! The wheel of the bicycle collided with the edge of the flower bed.
Engrossed in looking at Xie Yujia, he didn't notice the flower bed in front of him.
She bounced a little on the back seat before settling steadily back on it. With the sway of her black hair, she slipped her arms around Hao Ren's belly.
"You... have indeed broken through," Hao Ren froze for a few seconds and said.
It dawned on him that with the Beauty Pill, she would always look this beautiful in the future... Immediately, he rode the bicycle toward the Hongji Square.
Ma Lina thought Xie Yujia's anxiousness was due to Hao Ren's negligence of her as her boyfriend. That was why she reminded Hao Ren of his duty when she met him at the entrance of the public bathhouse. However, that was only one of the reasons for Xie Yujia's worries.
The other reason was that despite her hard work in cultivation, her progress had been very slow, and she was only able to use one ten-thousandth of the great power of the Life Note and the Death Note the old Grandma gave her.
"Hao Ren, I'll catch up to Little Zi!" sitting on the back seat and clutching Hao Ren's shirt, Xie Yujia vowed.