Fang Yuyao, the ninth disciple of the Lotus Flower Valley and the only female disciple among the top ten. Her cultivation level was said to have reached the later stage of the eighth level of Qi refining, just one step away from the peak.
As one of the top ten disciples, Fang Yuyao not only had exceptional cultivation but also outstanding looks. Combined with her cultivation of the Twilight Rain Heart Sutra, she appeared like a fairy in the rain, incredibly beautiful.
Because of this, many disciples of the Lotus Flower Valley admired Fang Yuyao, including Ding Yan. Of course, this Ding Yan referred to the previous one.
Fang Yuyao stood alone on the mountaintop, staring blankly at the dewdrops on the leaves.
"Yuyao, you're back," a young man in white suddenly appeared silently behind Fang Yuyao.
Fang Yuyao didn't turn around. Other than the sect's elders, only the top ten disciples were allowed to come and go freely here. Among the current top ten, apart from Ding Yan, who was rumored to be seriously injured, there was only Gu Yu, who had returned two months ago.
It seemed as if Fang Yuyao hadn't heard the person's voice, completely focused on collecting the water droplets from the leaves with her jade-like fingertips.
The water droplets swayed on her finger as if dancing, crystal clear and beautiful. Fang Yuyao stared at the droplets, her long eyelashes slowly closing, as if she were having a conversation with the beads.
"I had a special encounter on my recent journey and got this Tianxin Orchid. I specifically prepared this for you," Gu Yu said. With a wave of his sleeve, a fragrant white exotic flower flew towards Fang Yuyao.
Gu Yu, ranked third among the ten senior disciples.
His cultivation had reached the ninth level of spiritual refinement. Among the contemporary disciples, he was considered extremely outstanding.
Fang Yuyao sighed softly.
"I understand the goodwill of the third senior brother," said Fang Yuyao as raindrops slid silently from her fingertips.
As the drops fell to the ground, they splashed a little.
Instantly, a slight mist scattered around Fang Yuyao, making her appear hazy, like a fairy in the mist.
The rotating flower, after touching the mist, unexpectedly drifted back into Gu Yu's hand along its original path.
Seeing the flower in his hand, Gu Yu fell silent.
"Because of him?" he asked.
Fang Yuyao remained silent.
"How am I not as good as him?" Gu Yu angrily questioned.
Still, Fang Yuyao said nothing.
Seeing her reaction, Gu Yu clenched his fists.
He crushed the flower in his hand into pieces, and the petals drifted away soundlessly.
"In eight years, the elder will come out of seclusion. During this time, I will close up and cultivate. Before the elder comes out, I will definitely achieve success in transcending the mortal world. By then, I will prove with my actions that I am stronger than him!" After speaking, Gu Yu disappeared silently.
The mist once again connected together, as if no one had ever been there.
Watching the place where Gu Yu vanished, Fang Yuyao sighed.
"I heard that the fifth senior brother has also returned, I wonder why he didn't come this time... I heard he was seriously injured, I don't know how severe it is…"
...
Ding Yan squinted his eyes upon hearing the words.
Seeing this, Yun Feng continued, "I heard that the third senior brother has prepared a Tianxin Orchid for Senior Sister Yuyao this time. But it's understandable, the third senior brother's cultivation is profound, and the Tianxin Orchid is not considered a treasure for him. As for the fifth senior brother, if he isn't injured this time, I'm sure the gift he presents won’t be inferior to the third senior brother's."
Saying this, Yun Feng looked feigned regret.
The corner of Ding Yan's mouth lifted, revealing a hint of a cold smile.
"Eleventh junior brother, let's not beat around the bush. You came here today for this thing, right?" As he spoke, Ding Yan directly took out a jade plaque from his waist and placed it on the table.
The jade plaque was palm-sized, with cloud-shaped runes on both sides and a small seal character in the center – "Five". This jade plaque was the symbol of the identity of the top ten disciples.
Yun Feng was stunned and quickly said, "Where did the fifth senior brother say that? Senior brother has only suffered some external injuries. Given time, he will naturally recover. By that time, within Lianhua Valley, no one can dare to peek at the fifth senior brother's identity plaque."
What Yun Feng said was what he was concerned about.
If Ding Yan was seriously injured and unable to recover, he would directly make a move to seize the identity of the top ten disciples. But conversely, if Ding Yan only had some minor injuries, then when he recovered in the future, the identity plaque that he had taken by force would have to be returned obediently. He might also face some humiliation.
"What if I tell you that I have suffered serious injuries this time, with severed meridians, and it will take at least ten years to recover?" Ding Yan suddenly said.
Yun Feng's expression froze upon hearing this, and his eyes flickered.
He began to ponder the truth of Ding Yan's words.
As time passed, just as a trace of fierceness flashed in Yun Feng's eyes, Ding Yan's words rang out again.
"Do you believe it?"
Yun Feng trembled, hesitating once again.
Ding Yan's lips curled into a cold smile as he spoke, "I can give this thing to you and promise that I won't return to Lianhua Valley in the future. You can rest assured that you will occupy the position of the top ten disciples, as long as you help me with one thing..."
For these three months, Ding Yan had already browsed through most of the classics in Lianhua Valley, and he had taken note of all the books on transcending heavenly tribulation. And as for the remaining cultivation experience, martial arts, and similar books, Ding Yan had not paid them much attention.
Because in his past life, he was a master of the transcending heavenly tribulation stage!
Having an understanding of the heavenly calamity for loose immortals, Ding Yan's top priority was to find a place to seclude and cultivate.
"Deal," Yun Feng said directly, no longer pretending. With his current cultivation, if he could enjoy the treatment of the top ten disciples, Yun Feng was confident that before the elder emerged from seclusion again, he would definitely reach the pinnacle of the Foundation Building stage, and might even successfully transcend the mortal world. Then, he would have the chance to return to the mortal world.
As for resorting to seizing by force, Yun Feng had also thought about it. However, the top ten disciples were not easy to deal with. Since Ding Yan dared to openly discuss with him, he must have something planned. With only eight years left until the elder emerged from seclusion, it would be a loss for him if both he and Ding Yan suffered injuries.
"Prepare three portions of the herbs mentioned in this prescription for me," Ding Yan said as he took out a prescription from his sleeve and handed it to Yun Feng.
"Is it that simple?" Yun Feng was surprised.
He hadn't expected Ding Yan's request to be so straightforward.
"If it's too difficult, you won't be able to do it." Ding Yan said expressionlessly, "As long as you help me with this prescription, I will give you the identity plaque and swear by the Dao that I will never compete with you for the position of the top ten disciples."
Originally, Yun Feng had been a little hesitant, but upon hearing that Ding Yan was willing to swear by the Dao, he agreed without further thought.
"Thank you, Brother Ding." Yun Feng arched his hand.
He no longer called Ding Yan "Fifth Senior Brother," but simply "Brother Ding," indicating that he had long coveted the position of the top ten disciples.
As he flipped through the prescription, Yun Feng saw that most of the herbs mentioned were already in his collection, with only a few that he didn't have.
"What kind of medicinal herb is this spirit grass?" Yunfeng asked, stunned, when his gaze reached the end.
He had been cultivating for some time, not very long, but it had been over ten years. He had perused many medicinal books in the sect, but this spirit grass was something he had never heard of before.
Dingyan furrowed his brows slightly.
Most of the herbs he needed were based on memories from his past life. In his past life, these herbs were not very precious; they could be found in most sects. These herbs were essential for making foundation-building pills.
For Dingyan, making foundation-building pills was not difficult at all.
Although this world was focused on the path of wandering immortals, ultimately all paths led to the same end. With Dingyan's experience, he immediately saw the mystery in it. So, he was preparing to directly refine a foundation-building pill, relying on its medicinal properties to increase his cultivation.
As for the state of mind, Dingyan didn't need to consider it at the moment. In his past life, he had the cultivation level of the early stage of tribulation crossing.
"Well, I’ll show you a drawing of this herb," Dingyan said, then waved his sleeve.
A piece of white paper fluttered onto the table, and at the same time, a plain brush flew over and fell into Dingyan's hand.
Pulling up his sleeve, Dingyan quickly sketched the appearance of the spirit grass on the paper.
After putting away the brush and setting it aside, Dingyan rolled up the paper on the table and handed it to Yunfeng.
"In three days, I’ll wait for your message, Ding Brother. I hope you don't go back on your word by then..." Taking the paper, Yunfeng glanced at Dingyan, leaving with those words.
After Yunfeng left, Dingyan waved his sleeve and closed the door.
Yunfeng's threat meant nothing to Dingyan. What he was contemplating now was whether he could cultivate in this world as he did in his previous life, cultivate the primordial infant, and follow the path of ascension.
Compared to the cultivation methods in this world, his previous cultivation path was much more convenient. After all, Dingyan was extremely familiar with the method of cultivation from his past life. If he followed that method, he would skip the trial and error process, which would speed up his recovery. However, Dingyan was only guessing at this point, as no one in this world had ever retained their physical body for cultivation.
Three days later, early in the morning.
Dingyan was meditating in his room, nurturing his soul.
His soul had been heavily damaged from wandering for over ten years. Even though it had slightly recovered while being attached to the ancient well, now that he had a physical body again, Dingyan would naturally take good care of nurturing his soul.
Creak...
Yunfeng, in white clothing, entered the room.
Dingyan, who was meditating, opened his eyes.
"Ding Brother, here are the medicinal herbs you need, and obtaining this yuan-containing grass took me quite a bit of effort..." As he spoke, Yunfeng waved his sleeve and a storage pouch, the size of a palm, flew onto the table.
Dingyan grasped the pouch with his five fingers and pulled it into his palm. After confirming the herbs, Dingyan nodded, casually took out his identity jade pendant, wiped away the mark on it, and handed it over, while putting the pouch into his sleeve. Yunfeng's words were only meant to show off, but fortunately, Dingyan did not regard the so-called top ten disciples very highly.
"I have already given you the identity jade pendant, and my mark has been completely erased. From now on, you are one of the top ten disciples of the Lianhua Valley. Of course, whether you can maintain that position is none of my concern. After nightfall, I will leave the Lianhua Valley." Dingyan said.
"But without the identity jade pendant, how do you plan to leave?" Yunfeng looked at Dingyan and asked.
"You don't need to worry about that," Dingyan said, closing his eyes as if entering a state of meditation.
Yunfeng watched Dingyan for a while before withdrawing his gaze. Then he turned and left, closing the door behind him.
The next morning.
A startling piece of news circulated within the Lianhua Valley.
The fifth-ranking of the top ten disciples, Dingyan, was defeated in battle and his identity jade pendant was taken by the eleventh-ranking disciple, Yunfeng. However, shortly after obtaining the jade pendant, Yunfeng was defeated by the tenth-ranking disciple upon his return, and the two switched identities.
Following that, there were several changes among the top ten disciples of the Lianhua Valley. But Dingyan, who was one of the top ten, went missing.
Some people claimed that Dingyan, having been defeated by his junior brother and lost face, went into seclusion.
Others said that the eleventh-ranking disciple, Yunfeng, was afraid of Dingyan's retaliation and secretly killed him.
There were also rumors that Dingyan's cultivation regressed, and he couldn't even compare to new disciples, and was expelled from the sect by the valley master…
Various rumors spread throughout the Lianhua Valley.
While people were speculating about where Dingyan had gone, Dingyan, in a green robe, had quietly left the Lianhua Valley.
Thirty miles to the east of the Lianhua Valley, on a lonely peak, Dingyan stood with his hands behind his back. The mountain breeze rustled through his green robe, and from a distance, he seemed to be perfectly integrated with his surroundings, as if he had entered a state of unity between man and nature.
The guardian array of the Lianhua Valley was undoubtedly strong. However, for Dingyan, who had the experience of crossing the tribulation in his previous life, it was very easy to find the base point of the array's changes. Using the moment when the array's power weakened during the change, he easily left the Lianhua Valley.
"What am I lingering for..." Watching in the direction of the Lianhua Valley, Dingyan murmured to himself.
Whether influenced by the memories of his previous body, a beautiful figure crossed his mind—Fang Yuyao!
"Let's go, and see the world beyond the barriers of the mundane formations."
A sigh, a lingering sentiment.