Chapter 241 : The One and Only, Stabilizing Anchor

Chapter 241: The One and Only, Stabilizing Anchor

Three days later, Xu Ziqing broke through another minor realm thanks to his medicinal baths and the 【Furnace of Heaven and Earth】.

To compete with him, Chu Huaixu silently leveled up as well, upgrading himself to the peak of the Second Realm.

That afternoon, Li Chunsong came over in person.

He simply informed the three of them about the Outer Gate Reinforcement Mission.

Everyone was actually already familiar with this rule.

Han Shuangjiang hadn’t been in a hurry to enter the inner sect, simply because Chu Huaixu had yet to reach the Third Realm—so she chose to wait for him.

As for Chu Huaixu, he knew that the Big Ice Block would wait for him, but Little Xu cultivated like a crawling turtle, which annoyed him to no end. Still, he thought he might as well wait for Little Xu too.

Li Chunsong handed each of them a Communication Talisman.

“With the strength the three of you have, there’s no need to wait until the Third Realm. You can begin doing reinforcement missions now.”

“If the talisman lights up, it means some Outer Gate disciples down the mountain are requesting aid through their talismans.”

“It can sense the other party’s location.”

The three of them nodded in understanding.

Chu Huaixu was already very familiar with the Communication Talisman and the reinforcement missions.

When he played Borrowed Sword, he had taken on quite a few such missions.

Not only could they earn rewards from the sect, but also system task rewards.

Moreover, his main character in Borrowed Sword had joined the inner sect of Spring and Autumn Mountain. The entry rules for the Four Great Sects were mostly similar.

Generally, if the talisman glowed with a faint red light, it meant the situation was only somewhat tricky. The one requesting aid didn’t rate the danger too high—it usually just meant they were short-handed.

If it shone with a glaring red light, it meant an emergency—someone was in dire need of rescue.

If it flashed black, that signified the highest danger level. It meant the requester believed this matter was beyond what Outer Gate disciples could handle, and a report to the stewards was necessary before reinforcement could arrive.

For those responding to such missions, the Dao Gate would assign each a Swift Movement Steed.

This beast had no notable traits—except for one: it ran fast, had high stamina, and a not-so-bright mind. It didn’t understand exhaustion at all.

If you told it to run, it would keep running—until it dropped dead.

Two days passed after they received their talismans, but none lit up.

Bored out of his mind, Chu Huaixu leveled up again and studied the third volume of the Dao Canon, finally entering the Third Realm.

The breakthrough nearly tore him apart—he endured excruciating pain and barely held on through gritted teeth, not letting out a single scream.

He also discovered what the third volume of the Dao Canon trained.

In the First Realm, Body Training focused mainly on skin.

The Second Realm, for whatever reason, targeted the internal organs.

The Third Realm? It finally began training muscle.

At the moment of breakthrough, not a single muscle on his body was spared.

Yes—all of it. No exceptions!

The next morning, when Han Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing saw him, they immediately felt something had changed.

“You broke through to the Third Realm?” asked the Big Ice Block.

“Mm. Got too bored these past few days, so I broke through for fun,” Chu Huaixu replied nonchalantly.

Clearly, both World Protagonists had been dragged into this grind by this transmigrator.

Chu Huaixu seemed to find breakthroughs even easier than she, with her Body of Profound Yin.

He just needed to move a thought, and the realm loosened.

What was even more baffling—he was still only a mid-grade Spirit Embryo.

That afternoon, Chu Huaixu, bored again and having eaten like a Big Eater, was a bit food-dazed and yawning, ready for a nap.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened.

All three of them reached into their robes at the same time and pulled out their Communication Talismans.

The talisman paper was flashing with a glaring red light!

“Let’s go!” Chu Huaixu didn’t waste a single word and immediately leapt onto the Swift Movement Steed tied outside the courtyard.

Han Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing, who had been doing the dishes, also realized the situation was urgent. Without hesitation, they mounted their own beasts.

The three clearly had different states of mind.

The two World Protagonists felt an indescribable tension and urgency.

Only Chu Huaixu, feeling the howling wind and exhilarating speed after mounting, let out a joyful—

“Yah-ho——!”

Starfall Forest, Fox Moon Cliff.

Three Evil Cultivators in purple robes stood sneering at the Dao Gate disciples in front of them.

“Didn’t expect you all to run so well.”

“Now, behind you is a ten-thousand-zhang cliff. Go ahead, try running again,” one of them said with a smile.

Among the ten Dao Gate disciples, three were already severely wounded and unconscious, being carried by the others.

Originally, this had been just a simple sect mission—the targets were only two early-stage Third Realm Evil Cultivators.

Evil Cultivators were inherently unstable in foundation, and even early-stage Third Realm ones could be inferior to peak Second Realm Dao disciples.

But once they descended to purge demons, they unexpectedly found a third person.

The other two addressed him as “Lord Envoy.”

This newcomer had a peak Third Realm cultivation, equivalent to an Outer Gate Steward.

Of the ten present, nine were Outer Gate disciples of the Second Realm. Only the leading senior brother had cultivation at the Second Heaven of the Third Realm.

As a result, the situation reversed—they were no match for this Lord Envoy.

What crushed their spirits even more was that this Envoy’s cultivation wasn’t unstable like the other two.

He had solid foundation, dense spiritual energy, and a long, steady flow of Qi—no weaker than a real steward.

The only Third Realm disciple among them was Jiang Chang. He made a quick decision—activating the Communication Talisman while leading his juniors in a retreating battle.

Fortunately, Dao disciples had plenty of magical treasures and tactics, and they had the numbers advantage.

Though forced into retreat by the three Evil Cultivators, none had died—yet.

The Starfall Forest terrain helped them flee through the dense woods.

“But now…” Jiang Chang looked at the cliff behind them.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward, placing himself before his fellow disciples.

He had the highest cultivation of all.

Before they descended the mountain, his juniors flattered him with words like—

“Everything depends on Senior Brother Jiang!”

“We’re counting on you, Senior Brother Jiang!”

Since he had accepted every word of praise with a smile, how could he now shrink back?

The purple-robed Lord Envoy glanced at Jiang Chang with amusement.

“With your cultivation, you could survive if you abandoned them.”

“You sure you don’t want to flee?”

Jiang Chang sneered, full of disdain.

“Filthy Evil Cultivator, save your pathetic mind games. I, Jiang Chang, a proud disciple of the Dao Gate, am not some rat crawling in the shadows for your amusement!”

The amusement in the Lord Envoy’s eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a menacing glint.

“Impudent brat! Seeking death!!”

Three Swift Movement Steeds galloped at top speed.

Chu Huaixu channeled his Divine Sense into the Communication Talisman and muttered, “Luckily, it’s not far from the Dao Gate. Hope we make it in time.”

But doubt lingered in his mind.

Why were Evil Cultivators bold enough to roam so frequently near Dao Gate’s territory?

Even last time, when they descended to purge demons, they’d found an Evil Cultivator altar not far from the sect.

Were they just reckless? Or was there something more?

With that thought, he suddenly turned to Han Shuangjiang and Xu Ziqing. “Too slow.”

Before they could react, he leapt off his Swift Movement Steed.

In the next moment, he shot forward like a cannonball, leaving a deep crater in the earth behind him.

In truth, the two weren’t faster than the Swift Movement Steeds.

Han Shuangjiang lacked physical strength, and Xu Ziqing’s realm was too low.

So they had no choice but to remain mounted.

Within Starfall Forest, Chu Huaixu became a shadow.

Each step he took launched him forward great distances.

His Flying Profound movement art, combined with his monstrous physique, made for terrifying speed.

Whether he could fly didn’t matter anymore.

Think Saitama from One Punch Man.

At this moment, Chu Huaixu was like a beast unleashed.

Obstacles ahead? He crashed through them.

He was heading in a straight line.

“Riding the steed would’ve required detours.”

He didn’t bother concealing his presence either.

On the contrary, he let his Qi explode in every direction.

Chu Huaixu knew perfectly well—why do police cars blare sirens?

Right now, he wanted the Evil Cultivators to know: Dao Gate reinforcements had arrived.

The situation there was dire—lives were on the line.

If the enemy got scared and fled, his comrades would be safe.

If he stealthily approached instead, someone might be mortally wounded before he arrived.

If this were still Borrowed Sword, he definitely would’ve concealed himself.

Those Evil Cultivators were “wild mobs”—can’t let them escape. They were walking Experience Points!

But this wasn’t a game anymore.

Sure enough, near Fox Moon Cliff, the Lord Envoy sensed his presence instantly.

Sweeping with his Divine Sense, he chuckled.

“Your Dao Gate reinforcement has arrived,” he said.

Joy lit up on the faces of the Dao disciples.

Jiang Chang, gravely wounded and barely holding on, finally looked relieved.

But they weren’t stupid—something felt wrong.

Sure enough, amusement returned to the Lord Envoy’s eyes.

“You’re not expecting me to run, are you?”

“Hahaha! Who did you call for? A lone Third Realm who’s just broken through—not even at the First Heaven yet!”

“What, bringing your junior to die with you?” he mocked Jiang Chang.

The Dao disciples’ hope immediately dimmed.

Just entered the Third Realm?

No way that could match a peak Third Realm opponent!

And wait—wasn’t it supposed to be three people?

Jiang Chang knew that just three Third Realm disciples—even early-stage ones—would be enough to take this guy’s head.

After all, anyone daring to take on reinforcement missions was a top Dao Gate talent—not your average Third Realm.

But if there was only one…

“Then I’ll only get him killed!”

However, the Lord Envoy was soon filled with shock.

“How could he be so fast?! That reinforcer—how is he moving this fast?!”

Jiang Chang raised his sword and looked at his heavily injured comrades.

He noticed many had already accepted death.

If there was no retreat, then they’d fight to the end.

The same resolve surged in Jiang Chang’s eyes—

Until a figure suddenly descended from the sky, smashing into the center of the battlefield, creating a massive crater!

Dust filled the air, obscuring the view.

They could vaguely make out a black-robed figure, decorated with gold patterns on the sleeves.

His belt was adorned with many ornaments—several tokens swaying left and right from his landing.

As the dust cleared, sunlight pierced through, falling on the newcomer.

A particular token on his belt shimmered with blinding golden light.

He stood sideways, the characters on the token clearly visible—

——【Xuanhuang Champion】.