192: Chapter 192 Inner Sect Competition, Demon-Revealing Mirror

[Wendao Palace's annual Inner Sect Competition is about to begin.]

[All Thirty-Six Peaks are preparing for battle; even the Outer Sect can feel the tense atmosphere.]

[The competition is divided into the Heaven Arena and the Earthly Arena.]

[The Heaven Arena is the battlefield for leading Disciples at or above the Spirit Sea Realm, while the Earthly Arena is the stage for rising stars in the True Condensation Realm.]

[Yue Jianli was recommended by Elder Shen to participate in the Earthly Arena, with the goal of entering the top ten of the Earth Rankings.]

[When Chu Sheng heard this news, he was wiping his sword in his stone hut.]

[He put down the cloth, thought for a moment, and rummaged through his Storage Pouch to find a defensive Magic Treasure—a white jade pendant of High Grade Earth Rank, capable of blocking a full-strength strike from the Spirit Sea Realm.]

[He went to the Eighteenth Peak to deliver the item.]

[Yue Jianli was practicing her swordplay on the practice stage. Seeing him arrive, she sheathed her sword and walked over.]

[Chu Sheng handed the jade pendant to her. She glanced at it and accepted it without refusal, putting it into her Storage Pouch.]

[Chu Sheng asked her how her preparations were going, and she said they were okay.]

[Just two words, but Chu Sheng could hear a hint of nervousness in her tone.]

[Chu Sheng chuckled, "I have a plan that can help you achieve a quick Breakthrough."]

[Yue Jianli's face turned slightly red.]

[...]

[The two sat on a stone bench at the edge of the practice stage. Yue Jianli leaned against his shoulder with her eyes closed, like a cat basking in the sun.]

[Chu Sheng put his arm around her shoulder, looking at the mist-shrouded Peaks in the distance. He suddenly felt that this moment was very quiet—so quiet it felt unreal.]

[Then Yue Jianli suddenly opened her eyes, sat up straight, pressed her hand against her lower abdomen, and frowned slightly.]

[Chu Sheng asked her what was wrong, but she didn't speak, only looking down at her belly.]

[Then she spoke, her voice very soft: "I think... I'm pregnant."]

[Chu Sheng stunned for a moment.]

[He looked into Yue Jianli's cold eyes. There was no joy or fear in them, only an indescribable daze.]

[Chu Sheng reached out to hold her hand and said it was a good thing.]

[Yue Jianli looked at him, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly. It wasn't quite a smile, but it was much better than her usual expressionless face.]

[She lowered her head, placed her hand on her lower abdomen, and gently touched it as if confirming something.]

[Then she looked up at Chu Sheng and said something that made his heart tighten.]

["Elder Shen said the Sect has recently been investigating abnormal fluctuations in the Spiritual Vein, suspecting an insider. She told me not to get involved in this mess."]

[Chu Sheng remained calm on the surface, nodded, and said he understood.]

[He stood up, brushed the dust off himself, and told her to prepare well for the competition and not to worry about anything else.]

[Yue Jianli looked at him but didn't press for details.]

[Chu Sheng turned and left. As he walked down the practice stage, his steps were steady, but his heart was in turmoil.]

[Wendao Palace was investigating the Spiritual Vein faster than he had anticipated.]

[Tangtang didn't care, but others did.]

[He returned to his stone hut, closed the door, and called out the Old Grandfather.]

[After hearing everything, the Old Grandfather was silent for a while before saying: "You must speed up your progress. Reach the Dao Palace Breakthrough before you are discovered."]

[Chu Sheng nodded.]

[He had originally intended to absorb slowly and steadily, but now it seemed the flow couldn't be too slow.]

[Starting that night, he increased the amount he drew, from the thickness of a single strand of hair to five strands.]

[The fluctuations in the Spiritual Vein became slightly more noticeable, like a quiet river being stirred, sending out a ripple.]

[On the Sixth Peak, Tangtang sat on the railing, swinging her legs and taking a bite of a candied hawthorn.]

[She narrowed her eyes, looking toward the Outer Sect. After watching for a while, she lowered her head and continued licking her candied hawthorn, making no move.]

[Ye Wuhen invited Chu Sheng to a small gathering.]

[When Chu Sheng received the invitation, he was reading in the Library Pavilion.]

[He stared at the gold-embossed invitation for three seconds, thinking that this 'thigh' had finally reached out to him.]

[The gathering was at Ye Wuhen's residence, a small independent courtyard built halfway up the mountain. It wasn't large, but it was exquisite.]

[Besides Chu Sheng, there were several other young Disciples present. Their cultivation levels were all in the Spirit Sea Realm, and they seemed to be a small core group that Ye Wuhen intended to recruit.]

[Chu Sheng noticed one person: Guo Qing, the Head Disciple of the Ninth Peak and a personal Disciple of Ye Gucheng.]

[With a cultivation at the Spirit Sea Peak, he had a long sword hanging from his waist and a cold expression. When he looked at people, it was as if he were inspecting a weapon.]

[He sat below Ye Wuhen and didn't speak much, but every word he said carried weight.]

[Ye Wuhen introduced Chu Sheng to everyone, saying he was a friend from the Northern Region.]

[Guo Qing glanced at Chu Sheng, his gaze lingering for a moment, then nodded and said a lukewarm "I've heard much about you."]

[Chu Sheng smiled, thinking, "You don't even know who I am, so what 'heard much about you' nonsense is this?"]

[After a few rounds of drinks, the conversation opened up.]

[Some talked about the competition, some about the strength of the various Peaks, and some about the grudge between Ye Gucheng and Feng Qingyang.]

[Chu Sheng pricked up his ears and listened carefully.]

[The one speaking was a Disciple from the Ninth Peak surnamed Liu, who was quite talkative and even more so after drinking.]

[He said that Ye Gucheng's Master and Feng Qingyang were actually good Senior Brothers a hundred years ago. They joined Wendao Palace together, cultivated together, and went on missions together, being so close they were like brothers.]

[Later, both of them fell in love with the same woman.]

[That woman was beautiful as a flower and had outstanding Aptitude, making her the dream girl of many in Wendao Palace at the time.]

[Both Ye Gucheng and Feng Qingyang pursued her. Their strengths were evenly matched, but Ye Gucheng could write poetry, play the zither, and coax people, while Feng Qingyang only knew how to practice his punches. In the end, Ye Gucheng won the beauty's heart.]

[Feng Qingyang didn't say anything, but a thorn was planted in his heart.]

[The Disciple surnamed Liu lowered his voice and said that later, when their Master passed away and passed his legacy to Ye Gucheng, Feng Qingyang completely snapped.]

[He questioned his Master why, and the Master said, "Your path lies in Body Refining, not the Dao of the sword." Feng Qingyang didn't believe it, thinking Ye Gucheng was pulling strings behind the scenes.]

[Feng Qingyang didn't attend the Master's funeral.]

[From then on, the two became strangers, turning from fellow Disciples into arch-enemies.]

[After listening, Chu Sheng had only one thought: this grudge is so melodramatic.]

[But he also realized this was a good opportunity to fish in troubled waters.]

[Ye Gucheng and Feng Qingyang had been fighting for decades, and neither could overpower the other.]

[As an Outer Sect Elder caught in the middle, as long as he didn't take sides, he could use both.]

[He decided to make his Breakthrough amidst the chaos during the competition.]

[During the competition, the attention of all Peaks would be focused on the arenas. Even if the fluctuations of the Spiritual Vein were noticed, they would be attributed to the consumption of Spiritual Qi during the event.]

[Back in his stone hut, Chu Sheng activated the Heavenly Secret Calculation, spending one year of his lifespan to divine the best time for his Dao Palace Breakthrough.]

[The illusory fortune jar shook, and a bamboo slip popped out. It was a "Top-Tier" slip, corresponding to great fortune.]

[However, there was a line of small text below the message: "Must be completed within one month; the opportunity will not wait."]

[Chu Sheng put away the slip, thinking that one month was enough.]

[He began his secluded sprint.]

[He doubled his daily intake again, from five strands of hair to ten.]

[The fluctuations in the Spiritual Vein became even more obvious, like a river being constantly stirred, with ripples spreading out circle after circle.]

[The Disciples of the Thirteenth Peak complained that the Spiritual Qi was becoming thinner, and Feng Qingyang's face grew increasingly grim.]

[That day, Feng Qingyang stood before the gates of the Ninth Peak like an iron tower, his graying short hair standing on end, and the scar on his chin glowing red in the sunlight.]

[His voice was as loud as thunder: "Ye Gucheng, get your ass out here!"]

[The gates of the Ninth Peak slowly opened, and Ye Gucheng walked out.]

[He wore a white Daoist robe with a long sword at his waist. His face was cold, like an unsheathed blade.]

[He glanced at Feng Qingyang, his gaze as calm as if he were looking at a stone: "What madness has gripped you now?"]

[Feng Qingyang pointed at his nose: "Is the matter with the Spiritual Vein your doing? The Spiritual Qi of the Thirteenth Peak has dropped by twenty percent. Do you think I'm blind?"]

[Ye Gucheng said coldly: "I didn't do it."]

[Feng Qingyang didn't believe him. "Besides you, who else has the ability? Who else would have such idle interest?"]

[Ye Gucheng: "If you want to go mad, don't look for me. I don't have time to waste with you."]

[Feng Qingyang was enraged by these words. His Aura surged, and the ground shook: "If you have the guts, let's have a real battle! Stop doing these petty tricks behind my back!"]

[Ye Gucheng's gaze turned cold, and his hand rested on his sword hilt: "Heh, why would I not dare?"]

[The air between them seemed to solidify, making it hard for people to breathe.]

[The Disciples of the Ninth Peak hid far away, and the Disciples of the Thirteenth Peak didn't dare approach.]

[Just as the two were about to fight, an aged voice came from afar. It wasn't loud, but it fell clearly into everyone's ears.]

["Enough."]

[An old man walked from the direction of the Tenth Peak. His pace wasn't fast, but every step landed precisely in the gaps between their Auras.]

[The Peak Master of the Tenth Peak was an elderly man with white hair and beard, a lean face, and a grey Daoist robe. He looked like an ordinary old village scholar.]

[He was at the Spirit Nurturing Peak, and his seniority was higher than both of them.]

[He walked between the two, looked at Feng Qingyang, then at Ye Gucheng, and sighed.]

[Feng Qingyang and Ye Gucheng simultaneously cupped their hands and said, "Junior Martial Uncle."]

[The old man waved his hand, not putting on airs, and said, "You two have been fighting for decades. Aren't you tired?"]

[Feng Qingyang: "Junior Martial Uncle, regarding the Spiritual Vein, it's not that I want to fight, but he has gone too far."]

[Ye Gucheng: "I didn't do it."]

[Feng Qingyang: "If it wasn't you, then who?"]

[The two started arguing again.]

[The old man raised his hand, and both fell silent at once.]

[He pulled something out of his sleeve—a bronze mirror about the size of a palm. Its surface was covered in fine patterns and emitted a faint green glow.]

[When Feng Qingyang and Ye Gucheng saw the bronze mirror, their expressions changed.]

[It was the old man's signature treasure, a High Grade Heaven Rank demon-revealing mirror, capable of tracing the tracks of spiritual power.]

[To find out who was really behind this, they just needed to test it.]