166: Chapter 166 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (114)

However, after a moment of stiffness, Chu Shi rubbed his brow and set his anxious heart at ease.

It was not a big problem.

Since that old codger was willing to pay a huge price to secure extra spots for him from the Four Seasons Holy Land, it was impossible that he had not considered these things.

If this really caused him to be constrained everywhere in the Temporal Secret Realm and delayed his cultivation progress, that old man would probably be even more agitated than him.

After all, as the saying goes, the sunk cost is right there.

Having figured this out, the last trace of gloom in Chu Shi's eyes dissipated, and his expression returned to normal.

He turned his head to continue listening to Ling Chen boasting with flying spittle about how he had forced back an opponent with a single sword strike at the last grand ceremony.

As time passed, the figures in the square gradually became denser.

When the sun had climbed three poles high, the twenty disciples of the Great Sun Holy Land participating in the Temporal Secret Realm had all arrived.

As the personal disciple of the team leader, Elder Zhang, and the only one at the peak of the Copper Bone Realm present, Feng Xizhao naturally became the center of everyone's attention.

Disciples from other peaks constantly came up to chat, their tones respectful and carrying a hint of deliberate flattery.

Standing to the side, Chu Shi saw the majestic side of this Senior Brother Feng for the first time, which was completely different from his attitude toward the two of them just a moment ago.

This gentle and humble senior brother, when facing the flattery of the crowd, only nodded faintly, his brow bearing that grand demeanor unique to disciples of Lieyang Peak.

Like a great sun hanging in the sky, he was dignified without being angry; that deep-seated violence and arrogance, wrapped in a scholarly shell, appeared even more intimidating.

Afterwards, listening from the side, Chu Shi swept his gaze across the crowd, gaining a more intuitive understanding of the strength rankings of the nine peaks of the Great Sun Holy Land.

Among the twenty spots, Lieyang Peak accounted for four, Zheng Yang, Qing Yang, and Luo Xia peaks each had three, Dan Yang and Yao Yang peaks each had two, and the remaining Chi Yang, Xuan Yang, and Zhao Yang peaks each barely managed to get one.

Seeing a leopard through a tube, one can see a spot. The gap in strength between the nine peaks was indeed quite significant.

At the hour of the snake, Elder Zhang's figure appeared on time above the square.

Without any unnecessary words, he waved his large sleeve, and a gentle yet irresistible force swept everyone up, landing them steadily on the deck of the flying boat parked in the center of the square.

A moment later, the flying boat slowly ascended into the sky and tore through the air.

This flying boat was more than a circle smaller than the Jinwu Flying Boat they had ridden when they first entered, but its speed was several times faster.

The runes on both sides of the hull flickered constantly, turning into two golden streaks of light that tore through the clouds along the way.

In just three short days, it crossed more than half of the Tianwu Dynasty and arrived within the territory of Yunzhou.

The Temporal Secret Realm was not located within the mountain gates of the Four Seasons Holy Land, but in a nameless valley at the border between Yunzhou and the Four Seasons Holy Land.

Looking from afar, the entire valley was shrouded in a layer of milky white mist; as the clouds circulated, one could vaguely see flowing lights flickering in the depths of the valley, exuding a mysterious and unpredictable aura.

On the open ground outside the valley, a golden flying boat was already parked. Its hull was carved with intricate dragon patterns, shining brilliantly in the sunlight, fully displaying the royal style.

That was the vehicle of the Tianwu Dynasty.

Beside the golden flying boat stood two groups of people.

One group of twenty people wore various attires: there were royal descendants in embroidered python robes, descendants of civil officials in Confucian shirts, and heirs of martial generals clad in armor and sharp weapons; each one had a refined aura and sharp eyes.

Another five people stood a little further away, with mixed temperaments; they had evidently obtained the rogue cultivator spots and had come along with the dynasty's team.

The other group was dressed in green, red, yellow, and white robes; they were the disciples of the Four Seasons Holy Land.

The two groups were standing in small clusters talking; the atmosphere was not exactly warm, but it was considered peaceful.

Ling Chen leaned over to Chu Shi, nudged him with his elbow, gestured with his chin towards the direction of the Four Seasons Holy Land, and whispered:

"Look, see that? The formation on the Four Seasons Holy Land side is missing two positions. It was supposed to be forty people, but only thirty-eight arrived. Our two 'transfer student' spots, no need to ask, were definitely squeezed out from between their teeth."

He said this, sighing with a bitter face, looking utterly dejected:

"Sigh, Master has misled me! We haven't even entered the secret realm yet, and we've already offended everyone from the Four Seasons Holy Land. Once we go in later, if they hide in the dark and ambush us, wouldn't we be calling to heaven with no response and calling to earth with no answer?"

Veins throbbed on Chu Shi's forehead, and he rubbed his brow again, feeling somewhat helpless.

These three days on the flying boat, the space was cramped and the metal energy was thin, making it impossible to cultivate with a calm mind, so everyone could only pass the time by chatting.

Chu Shi could also be considered to have thoroughly recognized the true face of this Ling Chen, the runner-up of the current sect grand competition, whom he had once regarded as a potential opponent.

He was purely a combination of a chatterbox, a tsundere, and a clown.

He couldn't be bothered to pay attention to Ling Chen's groundless fears, so he swept his gaze across the Four Seasons Holy Land's team, quickly fixing his eyes on a young girl in a green dress.

It was Chen Lingxi.

This Chen family girl, who could barely be considered his descendant from his third lifetime, was currently laughing and playing with two other girls on the side.

Chu Shi's gaze narrowed slightly; he could clearly feel that her aura was somewhat unstable, obviously just like the clown beside him, having broken through to the Copper Bone Realm not long ago.

There was no need to think to know that her spot was definitely not obtained through a formal competition.

Chu Shi sighed slightly in his heart.

It seems that big brother Chen Xuan, and the entire Chen family, have truly established a firm foothold in the Four Seasons Holy Land, and have even grown into one of the top major families within the Holy Land.

They could even easily procure such precious secret realm spots.

Just as he was thinking this, a girl in a bright yellow dress beside Chen Lingxi seemed to notice his gaze, gently tugged at Chen Lingxi's sleeve, and whispered something.

The next moment, the three girls turned their heads in unison.

Two gazes filled with curiosity and exploration landed on him, but only the girl in the middle, wearing a goose-yellow dress, had eyes as calm as water, quietly gazing at him as if she were a deep pool, revealing no emotion at all.

A moment later, Chen Lingxi's eyes lit up, clearly having recognized him.

She said a few words excitedly to the two girls beside her, and then, pulling them along, hopped and skipped over towards this side.

Just at this moment, the Great Sun Holy Land's flying boat slowly descended.

Chu Shi greeted the deputy team leader Feng Xizhao, and just as he lifted his foot to meet them, he felt his arm grow heavy.

Ling Chen hung on him like an accessory, smiling flatteringly:

"Senior Brother Chu, wait for me! Take me with you, take me with you!"

"Why are you following me?" Chu Shi frowned, feeling somewhat speechless.

"I'm just following Senior Brother Chu to get familiar with the local natives!" Ling Chen said righteously.

"If we really get ambushed by people from the Four Seasons Holy Land later, at least there'll be an acquaintance who can put in a good word for me. Besides, getting to know a few more friends will make it easier to look out for each other once we're in the secret realm, right?"