65: Chapter 65 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (Thirteen)

Before she could react, she heard the remaining onlookers among the disciples instantly fall silent, bowing in unison, "Greetings, Princess Xiao Xiao!"

Princess?!

Yun Mengyao's heart skipped a beat, and a wave of immense joy instantly washed away her previous resentment and embarrassment.

Princess Xiao Xiao of the Canglan Princes Mansion? She was someone even the Seventh Prince, Xiao Jingyuan, had to defer to!

She was a true golden thigh that Yun Mengyao had never even dared to dream of clinging to!

Almost instinctively, she instantly switched back to her weak and pitiful demeanor.

Her eyes reddened, and tears began to fall like pearls from a broken string. Her voice choked up completely, "Pr—Princess..."

"Why are you crying?" Xiao Xiao arched an eyebrow, raising her hand to gently wipe away the tears on her cheek with the pad of her finger.

Her fingertips brushed against Yun Mengyao's delicate jawline, seemingly intentionally yet casually, as she spoke with a nonchalant tone:

"Is it really worth crying over just because a few blind fools gossiped about you, and two blind men rejected you?

There's nothing to cry about."

As she spoke, her hand around Yun Mengyao's waist tightened slightly, quietly pulling her closer.

Her gaze swept over the few disciples who hadn't left yet, and her eyes instantly turned cold.

Those disciples turned pale, not even daring to raise their heads as they scrambled and fled in panic.

The surroundings instantly fell dead silent.

Only then did Xiao Xiao retract her gaze. Looking down at Yun Mengyao, who was still trembling slightly in her arms, she pinched her soft wrist with her fingertips and said with a smile:

"How could anyone let a pretty young girl like you be bullied like this?"

"Why don't you follow me from now on?"

Yun Mengyao froze completely. The massive pleasant surprise left her lightheaded and dizzy, barely able to believe her ears.

She could clearly feel the hand around her waist and the warm touch of the fingertips brushing against her cheek.

It caused an uncontrollable blush to rise on her cheeks, and an indescribable sense of weirdness welled up in her heart.

But right now, this was the only lifesaving straw she could grasp, her sole opportunity to turn her life around.

That slight sense of weirdness was instantly thrown to the back of her mind. She hurriedly leaned closer to Xiao Xiao, following her pull, and nodded with a choke, her voice soft and weak:

"I... I am willing..."

"Thank you, Princess, for taking me in. Mengyao will never forget your kindness for the rest of her life..."

"Good girl." Xiao Xiao smiled, her eyes curving into crescents. Holding her soft hand, she turned and walked out of the Martial Arts Arena.

"Come, follow me back to my quarters. If anyone dares to bully you again, this Princess will tear their mouth apart for you."

The guards looked at each other in bewilderment, but in the end, they could only follow helplessly.

On the other side, after Chu Shi returned to his cabin, he shut the door directly, shutting out all the noise of the outside world.

The farce in the Martial Arts Arena, Yun Mengyao's calculations, and Seventh Prince Xiao Yuan's goodwill were nothing more than negligible dust on his path of cultivation.

Sitting cross-legged on his cultivation couch, he circulated his cultivation method. Spiritual energy surged around him as he immersed himself in cultivation once more.

Free from distractions, there was only the Great Dao.

In the blink of an eye, seven days passed.

The Jinwu Flying Boat broke through thousands of layers of clouds, slowly decelerating with a low, whistling sound.

A seven-day voyage was but a mere blink of an eye in this vast world.

Yet for the hundreds of prospective disciples on the flying boat, it was the final period of peace before stepping into the Great Sun Holy Land.

Chu Shi sat cross-legged in his private cabin, his fingertips resting on his knees.

With his long, deep breaths, the fascia beneath his skin rose and fell slightly. Every breath drove his blood and qi to flow slowly, carrying the unique tightness and toughness of the Ox-Skin Realm.

Faint Mind-Calming Incense burned in the four corners of the cabin. The curling blue smoke suppressed the bumps of the flying boat's voyage, allowing his mind to become increasingly concentrated as he focused entirely on refining his physical skin and membranes.

Over these seven days, he had not slacked off in the slightest.

Ever since the wagered duel with Zhao Xuan concluded, he had focused solely on cultivating and refining his body.

During these seven days, he had used up all of his body tempering resources. Coupled with the bottle of High-Grade Body Tempering Paste bestowed by Elder Zhang, he had forcefully broken through the shackles of the Tree Bark Realm.

He had stepped into the second realm of Body Tempering, the Ox-Skin Realm.

The Body Tempering Realm was the foundational prerequisite on the path of martial arts, focusing on cultivating one's blood and qi and refining the physical body.

Through continuous training and refinement using body tempering cultivation methods and medicinal herbs, only by cultivating the Body Tempering Realm to perfection and thoroughly refining the skin and membranes of the entire body could one truly draw the metal qi of heaven and earth into the body, officially stepping through the gateway of martial arts.

Now, he had already completed more than half of the refinement for the two major Body Tempering Realms of Tree Bark and Cowhide. His physical skin and membranes were as tough as cowhide tanned a hundred times, his blood and qi were highly condensed, and every punch and kick carried thousands of pounds of brute force.

The memories of his several lifetimes of reincarnation were like boulders resting at the bottom of his heart, allowing him to maintain a completely tranquil state of mind even as the surrounding disciples grew restless and impatient with their impending entry into the Holy Land.

With a soft buzz,

the hull of the flying boat shuddered slightly and came to a complete stop.

Immediately afterward, a deep and resonant voice echoed through the formations to every corner of the flying boat. It was the deacon responsible for escorting the disciples:

"All prospective disciples, hear my command! The flying boat has arrived at the Trial Peak of the Great Sun Holy Land's Outer Sect!

Within the time of an incense stick, pack your belongings and gather at the front cabin door, prepared to disembark!"

As the voice faded, the once quiet flying boat instantly erupted into a clamor.

From the lower cabins came the excited chatter of the disciples, the scraping sound of moving tables and chairs, and uncontrollable cheers.

After all, the Great Sun Holy Land was the foremost of the three great holy lands of the Tianwu Dynasty.

It was also a sacred ground for cultivation that countless martial artists dreamed of. Now that they had one foot through the door, it was difficult for anyone to remain calm.

Chu Shi slowly ended his breathing exercises. The circulating blood and qi around his body gradually returned to tranquility, and the rising and falling fascia beneath his skin also settled down.

He opened his eyes, which held not a single ripple of emotion, only a deep serenity.

He stood up and briefly packed his few belongings.

It was nothing more than a few changes of clothes, a copy of the basic cultivation method "Great Sun Body Tempering Art", the remaining small half-box of High-Grade Body Tempering Paste, and a few unused sticks of Mind-Calming Incense. He then pushed open the door and walked out.

The corridor was already packed with people, hundreds of disciples rubbing shoulders as they walked toward the front cabin door.

Most of these disciples were promising talents selected from various parts of Canglan State.

Over the past half month, basically all of them had successfully stepped into the Tree Bark Realm with the help of the cultivation methods and resources distributed by the Holy Land.

There were even a few with outstanding talent and abundant resources who, like him, had stepped into the Ox-Skin Realm.

At this moment, everyone's face bore an excitement and anticipation that was hard to conceal, along with a touch of nervousness about the unknown.

Gathering in twos and threes, they discussed the rumors of the Great Sun Holy Land in low voices, as well as the upcoming Entrance Trial.

Chu Shi blended into the crowd, walking at an unhurried pace.

His figure was tall and straight, and his plain-colored martial attire accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist. With his handsome face, he carried a steady temperament that was completely out of place with the surrounding agitation.

Beneath his martial attire was a highly refined physical body. Even when just walking casually, every step he took was as steady as a rock, drawing frequent side-glances from many passing female disciples.

He turned a blind eye to this, his gaze sweeping over the crowd while his mind calculated his next steps.

Although Elder Zhang thought highly of him and had promised to pave the way for him,

he knew very well that within the sect, strength reigned supreme in the end.

The Body Tempering Realm was merely the starting point of martial arts. If he wanted to secure a firm foothold in the Great Sun Holy Land, make up for the regrets of his past lifetimes, and truly take control of his own destiny,

he could only do so step by step, refining his physical body to the limit and walking steadily on every step of the martial path.

Soon, he arrived at the door of the front cabin.