177: The teacher is awesome!

But heading out from the Fengyang Mountain Range, the terrain became more rugged, the flora more lush, and exotic beasts roamed everywhere, making it extremely dangerous. Ordinary people wouldn't dare leave the city; only Xuan Practitioner at or above the Late Stage of the Martial Apprentice rank dared to go out and hunt.

Long Yuan and Yun Yi arrived at the city gate. They queued for a short while at the guard post, and after registering, they exited through the North Gate and headed towards the wilderness... In fact, many teams were recruiting members at the city gate. Most of these teams had transportation like off-road vehicles, and some had even formed convoys to set out together. Naturally, they saw Yun Yi and Long Yuan. Many of them recognized Yun Yi and greeted him one after another, but none tried to recruit them. Everyone knew Yun Yi was a powerful Martial Master; such experts preferred to travel alone. Moreover, there was a student-like youth beside him, likely a student Yun Yi was taking out for training, so there was no need to recruit them.

"That youth looks a bit familiar..."

"Now that you mention it, he really does..."

"I remember now! Isn't he the Long Yuan who sang 'you at the same table' a few days ago?"

"Oh yeah! It's him!"

"My god, he's a future superstar of the music world! I guarantee it!"

"He's already a superstar, okay?! Don't you know his song has been at the top of the great ming golden melody chart for many days?"

"Well... it's only one song after all. If he had ten songs in the top ten—no, even the top hundred—then he'd be a superstar. Right now, he's just starting to take off..."

"My friend, you have a point..."

Long Yuan's Mental Energy now covered a wide area, so he naturally heard these discussions. He chuckled inwardly; it seemed he really had become a minor celebrity in Fengyang. This had its pros and cons. The benefit was gaining some support and establishing a public persona, while the drawback was that things would become increasingly inconvenient, making it difficult to develop quietly. Fortunately, he now had the West Lake Base, so it was still possible to grow his strength further in secret.

The two had a clear objective and were traveling light, so they didn't take an off-road vehicle. Instead, they both used their movement techniques to travel quickly. With Long Yuan's current cultivation level, he had long since surpassed Yun Yi, but he didn't show it. He followed beside Yun Yi at a steady pace... Yun Yi wasn't in a hurry either. While using his movement technique, he said, "Long Yuan, your movement technique is truly excellent. Why can't I tell which Martial Skill you're using?"

Long Yuan replied, "This is a footwork technique I realized myself after reading many movement Martial Skill books in the school library. It's actually not fully developed yet, so it looks a bit messy when used. It's normal that you can't recognize it, Teacher!"

"I see... No wonder. I was wondering why I couldn't make heads or tails of it; turns out you realized it yourself! However, its speed and unpredictability are truly impressive. Even I, your teacher, feel inferior..."

"You overpraise me, Teacher. It's just a half-finished movement technique..."

"No! I think this movement technique has great potential. If you encounter any problems during your Cultivate process, you can tell me, and we'll solve them together!"

"Thank you, Teacher! I have it recorded; it's on me right now. Why don't I ask you to take a look for me when we get back?"

"Great! Great!!!" Yun Yi took the Martial Skill notebook Long Yuan handed over. Seeing the three words "Shadow Step" written on it, his eyes lit up, and he almost started drooling... He quickly tucked the book into his robes. After a moment's thought, he asked somewhat casually, "By the way, how is your Mental Energy cultivation going? Which layer of the Spirit Refining Cultivation Technique are you on?"

Without a second thought, Long Yuan said, "The Spirit Refining Cultivation Technique you gave me is truly excellent. I found that my Mental Energy grows very quickly when I follow it. According to the book's guidance, I should currently be at the Middle Stage of the third layer!"

"So fast?! You're already at the Middle Stage of the third layer?!" Yun Yi's expression changed slightly as he exclaimed in surprise.

"Is it fast? My talent is oriented toward Mental Energy, after all. Perhaps that's the reason..."

"It's indeed very fast! Think about it, you've had that Cultivation Technique for less than three months, right? That's basically one layer per month. This kind of speed is that of a Genius among Geniuses. In short, you're the fastest cultivator I've ever seen!" Yun Yi said.

"Oh? Have many people cultivated this Cultivation Technique before me?" Long Yuan asked.

"Well... quite a few people have indeed cultivated it. This Cultivation Technique is highly regarded for Mental Energy cultivation. You should know that the higher a Xuan Practitioner goes, the higher the requirements for Soul Power. Especially if one wants to Breakthrough to the Innate realm, it's impossible without strong Soul Power. Just like me—it's precisely because my Soul Power isn't strong enough that I haven't dared to attempt a Breakthrough yet..." Yun Yi sighed.

"So that's how it is... I wonder what level I need to reach to be ready for an Innate Breakthrough?" Long Yuan asked.

"The Peak of the third layer! Once you reach that level, you'll be confident in your Breakthrough. However, very few people can Cultivate their Soul Power to such a high degree while still at the Martial Master stage, so most people choose to attempt a Breakthrough once they reach the Middle or Late Stage of the third layer..."

"Oh? Is the success rate high that way?"

"There's a certain chance! But if your Xuan Power is abundant, and your Profound Qi transforms into mist or even liquid, that can compensate for the lack of Soul Power, and the Breakthrough chance will be much higher. In fact, most Innate Xuan Practitioner broke through this way!" Yun Yi said.

"Then you should be close too, Teacher?"

"Haha, I am indeed almost there. As long as I get these xuan yuan fruit this time, I'll have nearly a seventy percent chance!" Yun Yi laughed.

"A seventy percent chance? Doesn't that mean there's still a thirty percent chance of failure?" Long Yuan was startled.

"That's true. However, if I can Cultivate my Soul Power to the Peak of the third layer, then I'll have a hundred percent success rate and become a powerful Martial Ancestor!" Yun Yi said proudly.

"Wow, Teacher is awesome!!!" Long Yuan shouted.

"Hahaha, not at all, not at all. You're progressing so quickly that I, as your teacher, am truly ashamed. If I can't even take this step, I'd be too embarrassed to continue being your teacher..."

"You're too modest, Teacher! I will always be your student and will follow in your footsteps..."

"Look, over there is the valley where the Xuan Yuan Fruit Tree is located..."

While talking, the two had unknowingly approached their destination.

Long Yuan looked closely and noticed that the spot Yun Yi pointed out was actually quite inconspicuous. Such places were everywhere in the wilderness, and ordinary people would basically overlook it. This was perhaps the main reason that Xuan Yuan Fruit Tree had survived.

Crossing a few lower hills, Long Yuan found the vegetation growing denser, descending deeper along the terrain until it reached a depth of over a thousand meters!

He would rather call this an abyss than a valley...