Chapter Forty-Four: Reunion with Qian Ming

  Arriving at the residence of the two, Xiao Chen found that neither of them had returned yet. Not wanting to go back and rush into refining the Jingyuan Dan, he decided to relax his mind before continuing his cultivation. He headed towards the martial arts training grounds.

  Xiao Chen had never gone to the training grounds since he entered the outer sect, and now was exactly the time for morning practice. Many disciples walked towards the training grounds after having their breakfast.

  Morning practice is not mandatory, it's come if you want to, don't come if you don't want to, and no need to ask for leave, very free. Therefore, the number of disciples participating in morning practice every day is not many, and many disciples will go to receive tasks or self-cultivation.

  For example, Xiao Chen just received a task a few days ago and came back. He didn't even participate in the morning exercise once, nor did anyone look for him.

  When Xiao Chen arrived at the training grounds, the robust instructor who resembled an iron tower was already standing upright in the middle of the training grounds.

  Other disciples also gathered from all directions, and soon the 5,000-6,000 square meter martial arts arena was occupied by more than half. Xiao Chen also lined up in formation and stood among them.

  "It's time for morning practice. Since no more disciples are coming, the martial arts instructor spoke up: 'Everyone sit down, today I'll be telling you about the connection between the soul and the spirit.'"

  "The soul is the spirit, the body is the flesh. When the body is strong, the soul is strong. A strong spirit leads to a strong flesh, and they complement each other. Inside and out, everything is as it should be, yin and yang are in harmony... You must remember that both the soul and the flesh are equally important, you can't just focus on one of them while cultivating, they need to progress together... Do you understand what I'm saying?"

  "I understand!" The many disciples said in unison.

  Xiao Chen nodded silently in agreement with the words of Shou Wu Jiao Shi, Xiao Chen's understanding of cultivation was not inferior to that of Shou Wu Jiao Shi. Under the influence of Ye Liu Xing, Xiao Chen's understanding of the path of cultivation might even surpass that of Shou Wu Jiao Shi.

  Next, the martial arts instructor began to speak again, mainly revolving around the soul and providing guidance for the disciples' cultivation path, so that they would not fall into a state of confusion.

  Xiao Chen's past life was prone to drowsiness during lectures, and it remained the same in this world. At first, he could still listen to the martial arts instructor's lectures, but later on, he gradually felt drowsy again.

  Moreover, the things that Master Wu taught today, Xiao Chen had already deeply understood long ago. After all, Xiao Chen cultivated the '99 Soul Refining Technique', and his understanding of the soul was probably even better than Master Wu's.

  It doesn't matter whether Xiao Chen listened or not, with Ye Liu Xing as his master, he didn't need guidance from others. He came here to listen to the lecture just to relax his mind and soul, because the continuous refinement of the Dan medicine in the past few days had made his mind very tense, unable to unwind, and his head would be unclear.

  So, Xiao Chen and Xiaodudou these two guys started snoring loudly on the martial arts training ground in front of everyone.

  Due to the large number of people in the martial arts arena, even if someone was teaching a lesson, it wouldn't be noticed until the end of the lecture. It wasn't until then that Xiao Chen was startled awake by a loud murmur of discussion.

  "What's going on?" Xiao Chen rubbed his sleepy eyes and found that all the disciples were whispering to each other, their faces filled with joy and a hint of excitement.

  "This time's Ying Hao Chart competition has finally arrived, Du Shixiong, you're indeed a hot contender."

  "Haha... don't laugh at me, those seniors from the Hero Rankings back in the day are still around, what chance do I have?"

  "Lin Shixiong, your Dragon-Tiger Fist has reached perfection. This time's Hero Ranking must have a place for you."

  "Pan Shixiong, with your cultivation of 'Concentrated Spirit in Eight Heavens', you must have a place on the Heroic Ranking List this time."

  “……”

  Many disciples discussed it, and from the sound of their discussions, Xiao Chen understood that the instructor must have announced the start of the Yinghao Ranking Competition when he was sleeping.

  Regarding the Yinghao List, Xiao Chen knew that the Yinghao List was held once a year, and this list included all the top ten disciples of Feiyun Bieyuan. The inner door's list is called the Potential List, for example, Zhao Wumian, who was killed by Xiao Chen with Youming Duoyan, was the tenth disciple on the inner door's Potential List.

  All disciples who can enter the Heroic Ranking will receive great rewards, including spiritual pills, martial arts techniques, and top-grade crystal stones. Most importantly, entering the Heroic Ranking allows one to obtain more cultivation resources allocated by the sect.

  The Hero Ranking is very important, otherwise why would so many disciples be so excited. Now, this year's Hero Ranking competition is about to begin again.

  "Silence!" Just as many disciples were discussing and getting excited, the voice of the martial arts instructor sounded, causing the scene to quiet down instantly.

  "After practicing Dragon and Tiger Fist once, our morning training is over," said the martial arts instructor.

  This is an old routine, before the morning exercise ends, a round of Dragon and Tiger Fist. Upon hearing this, all the disciples followed the martial arts instructor's shout and started practicing the Dragon and Tiger Fist, shouting "Hah" in unison, vigorous and energetic.

  Xiao Chen had long since cultivated this boxing technique to the state of great perfection, and when he fought, it was like a dragon's roar and a tiger's howl, with swirling winds and waves.

  The Dragon and Tiger Fist is finished, the disciples disperse.

  Xiao Chen was just about to head back to his residence when someone suddenly shouted: "Young Master Xiao Chen!"

  "Huh?" Xiao Chen turned around upon hearing this and looked towards the source of the sound, only to find it was Gan Ming.

  Qian Ming is also a member of the 'Dinosaur Squad', but after completing the mission to protect Yellowstone Town, he returned to the sect due to disagreements with Xiao Chen and the others.

  Qianming arrived nearby, Xiao Chen said: "Brother Qianming is also here for morning practice."

  Xiao Chen shouted, after all, they were once comrades-in-arms who fought together. Although Qian Ming eventually parted ways with the "War Team", everyone has their own aspirations and cannot be forced. Xiao Chen did not blame Qian Ming for this.

  "Yes, I didn't expect to meet Xiao Chen Shidi. You're back, so Yueling Shimu and Youjian Shidi must have returned too." Qianming replied while asking at the same time.

  "No, they were both seriously injured and are recovering in Yellowstone Town." Xiao Chen replied simply.

  "Oh, I see." Qian Ming nodded and suddenly a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. He looked at Xiao Chen with astonishment and said: "Xiao Chen, you actually entered the Sixth Heaven of Concentrated Spirit!"

  "Hehe... Brother Sheng's sharp eyes, I just broke through the sixth heaven a few days ago." Xiao Chen said with a smile.

  After a moment of contemplation, the two walked and talked side by side. Qian Ming said: "Xiao Chen, my junior brother, three days from now is the Ying Hao Bang tournament. With your current cultivation, you might just have a chance to give it a try."

  "I'm not interested in that list," Xiao Chen said indifferently. The sect had not yet made a decision on his stay or leave, so this kind of list was meaningless to him.

  "I suggest you give it a try, after all the reward this time is quite generous. The first place on the Hero's List will receive a sword of law, as well as a Golden Scarlet Pill and an inner sect martial art manual." Qianming said with a tone full of yearning: "This Golden Scarlet Pill is actually a top-grade pill among the second-class pills, I heard it was made by a senior elder of Jishidang who killed a golden snake demon and used its demon core to refine it, especially bestowed as a reward."

  "If you take the Golden Scarlet Pill, advancing four or five small realms won't be a problem. This pill is specifically prepared for the disciples of the Hero's List, and with their cultivation, they can directly advance to the Ninth Realm, even charging into the Spiritual Awakening Mirror."

  "Oh?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen's eyes lit up, and he thought to himself: "My Zi Yan Lian Zi has been used up, and refining the Jing Yuan Dan takes time and effort with slow effects. If I can get the Jin Chi Dan, that would save me a lot of trouble."

  Qian Ming said, his eyes inadvertently swept away, and he saw the little pout in Xiao Chen's arms. He exclaimed in surprise: "Huh? Xiao Chen Shidi, this little guy..."

  "Right, Brother Qianming, you're also participating in this year's Yinghao Rankings, aren't you?" Xiao Chen immediately changed the subject, now that the topic was getting hot, Xiao Chen didn't want to bring it up about Dudu, and Xiao Chen wasn't very trusting of Qianming.

  "This is natural, I hope we can get a good ranking." Qian Ming replied.

  After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Xiao Chen and Qian Ming parted ways.

  After Xiao Chen left, Qian Ming's eyebrows slightly furrowed, and he thought to himself: "That little thing that Xiao Chen is holding, I seem to have seen it somewhere before? It's hiding and covering itself up, could it be the young of some powerful demon beast? I'll go back and investigate."

  "It seems that this Hero Ranking Competition must be participated in." Returning to his residence, Xiao Chen thought to himself that if he wanted to quickly enter the Spiritual Awareness Mirror, he had to get his hands on the Golden Scarlet Dan.

  Moreover, as time passes day by day, Ge Xiang's injuries are also recovering. If Ge Xiang recovers from his injuries and I still haven't entered the Ling Jue Mirror, the situation will be precarious. Furthermore, the sect's high-ranking officials have yet to make a decision about my departure. If I can enter the Ling Jue Mirror before they reach a verdict, the possibility of me being allowed to stay will undoubtedly increase greatly.

  Xiao Chen plans to contend for the top spot on the Ying Hao Ranking and obtain the Golden Crimson Elixir.

  Xiao Chen was confident, with his current strength, taking down the first place on the Yinghao list was not a problem. With the 'Golden Scarlet Pill', plus having the 'Return to Origin Pill' in hand, he entered the Spiritual Awareness state and succeeded in one breath.

  "Xiao Chen, if you take the top spot on the Yinghao rankings, your fame will surely skyrocket. Aren't you afraid of attracting the attention of that person who once poisoned you?" Ye Liu Xing's voice echoed in Xiao Chen's mind, reminding him.

  As for this issue, Xiao Chen has his own interpretation.

  One of them is to win the first place in the Yinghao list, which means that Xiao Chen can enter the Lingjue mirror and be promoted to an inner disciple.

  Secondly, the sect's evaluation of him has not come out for a long time, perhaps because they think his talent is very strong, and even if it's Xīng Chén War Body, they plan to cultivate him. Therefore, they are observing his cultivation progress. If he can enter the Líng Jué Jìng, with such a cultivation speed, the sect will inevitably be surprised and may retain him. In that case, his status would be vastly different from what it is now.

  Thirdly, the fact that he is a Starry Sky War Body has already been reported to the higher-ups of the sect, and the person who poisoned him is also suspected to be a high-ranking member of the sect. Therefore, the person who poisoned him must have known about Xiao Chen's detoxification long ago, but so far, they haven't come to kill him. This shows that there must be some reason why the poisoner can't come and kill him, so competing for the Hero Ranking won't trigger the poisoner to come and kill him.

  Fourthly, and most importantly, Ge Xiangqian may recover at any time. Once Ge Xiangqian recovers from his injuries, he will come to find Xiao Chen to avenge his brother, and Xiao Chen cannot withstand it if he does not enter the Ling Jue Mirror.

  This is the key that forces Xiao Chen to compete for the first place on the Yinghao List. Only 'Golden Scarlet Dan' can let Xiao Chen quickly enter the Lingyuan Mirror. If there was no Ge Xiangqian, this hidden danger, Xiao Chen would not care about the title of first place on the Yinghao List, nor would he care about the 'Golden Scarlet Dan'. Once he reaches the Lingyuan Mirror and has the Three Yuan True Fire, Ye Liu Xing will teach him to refine the elixir.

  Xiao Chen expressed his thoughts, and Ye Liu Xing also thought it made sense. The person who poisoned him should have acted earlier and wouldn't wait until now.

  However, Ye Liu Xing was not an ordinary person. Even now that he had become a soul body and was locked in the 'Creation Eye', that kind of intuition from the depths of his mind was still stronger than that of ordinary people. Ye Liu Xing always felt that something would go wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on where the problem lay.