Chapter 292 - 145: Challenge
Liu Jingtiao’s gaze swept over the disciples, finally pausing on Liang Cheng.
’This kid has already broken through to the True Gang Realm.’ He had already made his calculations.
If Liang Cheng really did kill Shi Podang on his own strength, he was certain to be accepted into the Sect. Once he was inside, the truth would reveal itself in time.
If he couldn’t even get into the Sect, then he wasn’t worth worrying about!
"Junior Brother Chen, Junior Brother Huangfu, farewell."
Liu Jingtiao cupped his hands at Chen Xuanfeng, then looked toward Elder Huang.
Elder Huang didn’t even lift his eyelids, continuing to sip his tea.
Liu Jingtiao wasn’t annoyed. He turned, flicked his sleeve, and the White Jade Treasure Ship rose, carrying the members of the Penglai Sect away in a streak of light.
At that moment, Huang Tiancheng blended into the crowd and left, but the fist clenched tight within his sleeve betrayed the bone-deep killing intent in his heart.
He would not forget this grudge over Situ Ming’s death.
He just couldn’t act now. He could only wait for an opportunity.
"Let’s go, too,"
Chen Xuanfeng said to Liang Cheng, Ye Zhiqiu, and the others.
"Wait."
Elder Huang put down his teacup and said slowly, "Liang Cheng, that batch of elixirs you asked me to refine for you is ready. Come with me to get it."
Liang Cheng was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Chen Xuanfeng. Chen Xuanfeng nodded at Liang Cheng and said, "Go on. We’ll meet at the docks."
Only then did Liang Cheng agree, following Elder Huang toward the back mountain of the Martial Arts Academy.
...
Inside the Alchemy Room, the fragrance of medicine was rich.
Elder Huang closed the door and set up a Sound Insulation Prohibition. Only then did he turn around, his cloudy eyes staring intently at Liang Cheng.
"At the end of the Secret Realm, what did you see?"
Liang Cheng’s heart skipped a beat, but his face remained blank as he shook his head. "I don’t know what happened. I was in the middle of a bitter fight with my mirror image, and before I could even react, I was suddenly teleported out."
"Is that so?"
Elder Huang smiled but didn’t expose Liang Cheng’s lie. Whether Liang Cheng was lying or not wasn’t actually important to him.
He simply took a Jade Bottle from his robes and tossed it over. "This elixir is called the Great Returning Pill. The Spirit Grass used to make it is incredibly rare. As long as you have a single breath left, taking it can save your life."
"All you have to do is give me a rubbing of the runes from the tombstone deep within the Secret Realm, and this Great Returning Pill is yours."
Liang Cheng was silent for a moment, then took the Jade Bottle. It was smooth and warm to the touch.
Only then did he speak. "I did indeed see a grave deep in the Secret Realm, with a tombstone in front of it."
"What was carved on that tombstone?"
Elder Huang’s eyes lit up.
"Just some strange runes. I couldn’t understand them."
As Liang Cheng spoke, he took a blank sheet of Talisman Paper from the table, condensed his True Gang at his fingertips, and meticulously drew the twisted patterns from memory.
Elder Huang took the drawing Liang Cheng handed him. His gaze fell upon the runes, and a sharp glint flashed in his eyes, only to be swiftly extinguished a moment later.
He looked at it for a long time, but finally just shook his head helplessly, sighed, and carefully put the drawing away.
"Alright, you can go."
"Elder Huang, these runes..."
"It’s none of your concern."
Elder Huang waved his hand dismissively and turned to organize his medicine cabinet. "Remember, do not speak of what happened today to anyone."
Liang Cheng took a deep breath, then bowed. "I understand."
After he left the Alchemy Room, the doubt in his heart grew even heavier.
’What on earth are these tombstone runes?’
...
「The Docks.」
Chen Xuanfeng was already waiting at the bow of the ship. Ye Zhiqiu, Lu Zheng, Leng Feng, and the others were all there.
To Liang Cheng’s surprise, there was a familiar figure in the crowd.
Yun Jinghong.
He was still dressed in white, his aura now stable at the True Essence Middle Stage. The sharp intent between his brows was even more pronounced. Seeing Liang Cheng, he gave a slight nod.
"Junior Brother Yun is here too?"
Liang Cheng stepped forward with a smile.
Chen Xuanfeng explained, "Jinghong had already passed the Main Courtyard’s assessment. Now that he has advanced further in the Secret Realm, according to the Main Courtyard’s rules, he can directly enter the Inner Courtyard. Since you two know each other, I brought him back with us."
Yun Jinghong looked at Liang Cheng, his gaze sweeping over the faint fluctuations of True Gang around him. A flash of fighting spirit flickered in his eyes before vanishing.
"See you at the Main Courtyard."
Liang Cheng smiled. "Alright."
After returning to the Main Courtyard, Chen Xuanfeng reported the events of the Secret Realm in detail.
The next day, the Main Courtyard posted a disciplinary order.
Shi Jun was found guilty of colluding with outsiders and plotting to murder fellow disciples. The evidence was conclusive. His cultivation was abolished, and he was expelled from the Main Courtyard.
A disciple from the Law Enforcement Hall personally acted, crippling his Qi Sea and severing his Meridians. By the time he was thrown out of the Sect’s gates, the once-arrogant genius had become a cripple. His eyes were vacant, and he lay limp on the ground, not a single person giving him a second glance.
Members of the Shi Family came, but they didn’t dare utter a single word of protest. They simply collected him and left.
This time, the Shi Family’s prestige had been dragged through the mud.
Because Liang Cheng had broken into the True Gang Realm, his treatment was elevated once again. He was granted a private cave-dwelling in Jia San Courtyard on True Inheritance Peak, where the Spiritual Qi was densest.
After entering the Main Courtyard, Yun Jinghong kept his head down and worked hard. No one dared to cause him trouble.
He was Junior Brother to Liang Cheng from the Martial Arts Academy; who would dare provoke him now?
However, Yun Jinghong did not act ostentatiously. He simply practiced his swordplay on the cliff’s edge every morning and sparred with other Main Courtyard disciples. With a record of three wins in three matches, his reputation gradually grew, but it didn’t cause any major waves.
It seemed as if everything had returned to a state of tranquility.
After moving into his new cave-dwelling, Liang Cheng went into seclusion.
He kept the inheritance from the Secret Realm buried deep in his heart, not daring to tell anyone. Now that he had advanced to the True Gang Realm, he was automatically removed from the Hero Ranking and appeared on the Dragon and Phoenix List—albeit in last place.
Although the nine Gang Qi Seeds in his body were solid, he now had sufficient resources and naturally had to cultivate diligently.
After all, strength was the foundation of everything!
As for his self-created Nine Heavens Mountain-Breaking Saber, it needed to be tempered a thousand times over before it could become perfectly fluid.
Every day, he would sit in meditation to cultivate, and then he would practice his saber techniques.
He polished each slash and every form, over and over. The momentum of Wind and Thunder and the intent of Mountain-Breaking gradually fused together through thousands upon thousands of swings.
The cycle repeated, day after day.
...
「Time flew, and in the blink of an eye, half a year had passed.」
Inside Jia San Courtyard, the Gang Qi around Liang Cheng’s body had condensed to the point of being tangible. Nine Gang Qi Seeds slowly rotated in his Dantian, each pulse drawing in the surrounding Spiritual Qi.