Grandmaster Lingyun. Was it him?
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a notification sound suddenly rang out within his sea of consciousness.
ăDing! Detected a change in core member support rate.ă
ăRecognition rating from Enlightenment Cliff: Cliff Warden (core member).ă
ăCurrent Main Quest (Year Three) Progress: 20%. Core member units approved: 42.ă
Mission objective completed.
Completely?
This approval from the Cliff Warden had come at just the right time.
He had originally thought the Cliff Warden was the type who would not be easily swayed, yet he had not expected that merely because of that one sword strike, he would agree.
Lu Fengmianâs face remained expressionless, but inwardly he was secretly delighted.
Although there was no one around, what if that gray-clothed man was still observing from the shadows? He still needed to maintain his image.
ăRewards: Cultivation increased to Golden Core Sixth Stage, one bottle of Ancestral Spirit Awakening Elixir, and the technique of True Insight Spiritual Eyes.ă
ăAncestral Spirit Awakening Elixir: A secret treasure from ancient times, capable of purifying marrow meridians and awakening the slumbering ancient bloodline within spirit beasts.ă
ăTrue Insight Spiritual Eyes Technique: Allows one to visualize the flow of spiritual energy between heaven and earth and perceive the laws governing spiritual power. When cultivated to profound levels, it can see through all illusions.ă
Cultivation power poured in from the Void Realm, flowing along his meridians and gathering within his dantian.
Lu Fengmian felt the spiritual force within his body strengthen once more, and his mood grew exceedingly pleasant.
What excited him even more were the two rewards.
The Ancestral Spirit Awakening Elixir was practically tailor-made for the Ink Jade Swallowtail Dragon. It possessed the ancient Azure Dragon bloodline within its body; if it could be awakenedâŠ
Merely imagining the little dragon after its awakening made Lu Fengmian feel the deal was worthwhile.
And the True Insight Spiritual Eyes Technique.
This thing was practically a cheat code.
He accepted it without hesitation.
In the next instant, he felt a faint warmth in his eyes, as if something had merged into the depths of his pupils.
The flowing spiritual energy, the trajectories invisible to ordinary sight, now appeared clearly before him.
The spiritual energy at the cliffâs edge drifted slowly like invisible rivers; distant trees emitted a faint green glowâthe circulation of wood-element qi; even he himself was enveloped in a faint, almost imperceptible golden radiance.
Lu Fengmian withdrew his gaze and looked at his hands.
He clenched his fist, then relaxed it.
Those specks of light shifted direction along with his movements, as though they possessed life.
He blinked, and that additional layer of vision gradually faded, returning to normal.
Three years had passed. He had completed countless missions. This was the first time he had received such satisfying rewards.
The Ancestral Spirit Awakening Elixir for the Ink Jade Swallowtail Dragon.
And the âeyes that see truthâ technique for himself.
Perfect.
Silently, he gave the system a thumbs-up in his heart.
ăDing! Year Four Main Quest released.ă
ăObjective: Obtain 30% recognition from the sectâs core members.ă
ăCurrent progress: 20%. Remaining approvals needed: 63.ă
Lu Fengmian reviewed the notification.
If this had been a year ago, he might have felt a headache coming on.
But nowâŠ
He glanced at the increasingly long list of approvals on the system panel.
Year Three had been completed ahead of schedule. As for Year FourâŠ
He would take it slowly.
He withdrew his gaze and turned to descend the mountain.
In any case, there was still plenty of time.
News from Enlightenment Cliff spread quickly.
Or more precisely, within Lingyun Sect, news about the Perfect Senior Brother always spread quickly.
Early the next morning, just as Lu Fengmian stepped out of the side hall, he heard two outer disciples whispering.
âDid you hear? The clouds at Enlightenment Cliff split open!â
âWho split them? Was it that senior guarding the cliff?â
âWhat senior! It was Senior Brother! Senior Brother went to Enlightenment Cliff yesterday with people and split the clouds with one sword!â
Lu Fengmianâs footsteps paused.
In just one night, it had already spread this far?
The two disciples lifted their heads and happened to meet his gaze. They were so startled that the brooms in their hands fell to the ground.
âEâElder Senior Brother!â
Lu Fengmian nodded at them and continued forward expressionlessly.
Behind him came the hurried sounds of them picking up their brooms.
When he arrived near the martial arena, the discussions grew even louder.
âHave you heard? The thousand-year clouds at the bottom of Enlightenment Cliff were split apart with a single sword strike!â
âReally? Iâve been there; the clouds there are so thick even light canât get through!â
âThatâs right! Zhou Wu himself said so; the three of them were meditating below at the time and saw Elder Senior Brother swing his sword with their own eyes!â
âZhou Wu said it? Then it must be true, right?â
Lu Fengmian listened to a few sentences and silently quickened his pace.
This Zhou Wu certainly had a fast mouth.
The entrance to the dining hall was even more exaggerated.
Several inner disciples gathered together, holding their trays and speaking animatedly, as though they had witnessed it themselves.
âOne sword! Just one sword! The clouds split instantly!â
âI heard from a senior brother at Wanfeng Peak that the sword qi was extremely sharp; even from far away one could feel the chill!â
As Lu Fengmian passed by, the group instantly fell silent and bowed in unison.
After he walked away, the voices resumed.
Lu Fengmian sighed inwardly.
Couldnât they just eat a proper meal?
Not to mention the Spirit Beast Garden.
Elder Sun had somehow obtained the news and hurried over from afar to intercept him.
âLittle Friend Lu! Oh, Little Friend Lu! I heard youâve done another great thing!â
Lu Fengmian stopped in his tracksâand turned to leave.
Behind him came Elder Sunâs anxious shout: âHey, Little Friend Lu, donât go! This old man is just asking! Just asking!â
Lu Fengmian pretended not to hear, walking as though wind carried his feet.
You said the same thing last time. After asking, you started poaching.
Only after finally shaking off Elder Sun did Lu Fengmian obtain some peace.
All along the way, he kept hearing about the Enlightenment Cliff incident.
From the initial âElder Senior Brother split the clouds with one sword,â to later âElder Senior Brotherâs sword dao has reached Major Achievement,â âElder Senior Brother may soon break through to Nascent Soul,â and even âElder Senior Brother is actually the reincarnation of Grandmaster Lingyun.â
As the rumors spread, they became increasingly outrageous.
He had not left his quarters today to listen to idle gossip.
He was heading to the small forest to find Jin Le.
The Chaos Sky Crystal had yet to appear, but he could start building goodwill in advance.
As he walked, Lu Fengmian continued thinking about what had happened yesterday.
Was the âhimâ mentioned by the Cliff Warden the same person he had seen within his consciousness?
If so, then what kind of past lay hidden behind that figure who had stood atop the mountain a thousand years ago?
He took a deep breath and temporarily suppressed those thoughts.
No rush.
He would investigate slowly.
Elder Shu might know the answer, but that old man was troublesome, so he would have to find a suitable opportunity.
He hoped that the next time he went, he would not be dragged into reciting texts again.
For now, he should prioritize more important matters.
As he walked, he calculated what he should say when he met Xiao Jin later.
Should he walk straight up and say,
âIâve discovered your bone structure is quite uniqueâ
?
Too fake.
What about pretending it was a chance encounter and chatting for a while?
In any case, that forest was remote enough; if he went a few more times, sooner or later he would run into him.
If that didnât work, he would simply have to camp there and wait.
Lu Fengmian proceeded along the secluded path.
His steps were light, his expression serene, looking just like an idle man strolling after a full meal to aid digestion.
In truth, his ears were already pricked up, his eyes quietly sweeping over every patch of shadow ahead.
Had he arrived?
Not yet?
I wouldnât be making a wasted trip today, would I?