Chapter 440: Old Friends are Better than New

On Yunfu Peak, inside the pavilion.

In that room belonging to Duan Rong.

On the small table, dishes and wine cups were spread out; he and Liu Shushan sat facing each other.

Liu Shushan was currently burying his head in the food, eating without even looking up, much like an old sow plunging its head into a feeding trough.

Duan Rong had long since eaten his fill; watching Liu Shushan's manner of eating, he felt a slight amusement and began to pour and drink by himself.

Duan Rong downed a cup of yellow wine, shook his head slightly, and sighed, "Slow down, no one is competing with you!"

"Mmm-hmm..." Liu Shushan, while gnawing on a chicken leg and shoveling the braised pork in his bowl, had no mind for table manners.

Duan Rong could understand Liu Shushan; after all, Liu Shushan had been locked in the Tower Forest for over half a year, while he himself had only stayed in the Tower Forest for one night before coming out.

Liu Shushan was usually quite steady; seeing him eat like this, one could imagine the bitterness and monotony inside that Tower Forest.

If half a year could make someone like this, wouldn't being locked in the Tower Forest for two or three years drive a person insane?

As Duan Rong thought this, he couldn't help but think of Xiao Yu again.

With his heart heavy and knotted, he sent cup after cup of yellow wine down his throat.

Just as Duan Rong was drinking, his hand was suddenly pressed down by Liu Shushan. Liu Shushan let out a burp, and with a mouth full of grease, he smiled, "Brother Duan, how can you drink like that, without even eating a bite of food?"

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Where is there any food left? You've eaten the plates clean!"

Liu Shushan laughed along; the dishes on the table had indeed been swept clean by him. He smiled with slight embarrassment and said, "I've been craving it for too long and couldn't hold back. I've let Brother Duan see a joke. However, there is still wine. Come, Brother Duan, I toast you."

The two clinked cups and drank them down.

Liu Shushan looked at Duan Rong's expression, his eyes shifted, and he said, "Brother Duan, I see you seem to have something on your mind."

Duan Rong let out a long sigh and said, "Shushan, you have stayed in the Tower Forest for over half a year, so you must be very clear about it. Any Inner Sect Disciple who enters the Tower Forest, if they do not achieve True Qi Realm Great Perfection, shall never leave the Tower Forest for all eternity. This is the Sect Iron Law."

Upon hearing this, Liu Shushan's gaze suddenly dimmed, and he said in a low voice, "During my half-year in the Tower Forest, seven or eight skeletons were carried out and buried on Tie Feng Mountain. The Sect building the Tower Forest can indeed help people break through, but it is also too cruel."

"Seven or eight skeletons..." Duan Rong's expression was miserable as he downed another cup of wine. He did not know how long Xiao Yu could hold on. Two years? Three years? Or five years?

Liu Shushan glanced at Duan Rong and said, "Brother Duan, you haven't stayed inside. You don't know. It is too agonizing in there."

As Liu Shushan spoke, a flash of fear actually crossed his eyes.

Duan Rong asked, his voice trembling slightly, "How are the others?"

Liu Shushan said, "Kankan and Shen Mizhi are still fine; they have both broken through to the True Qi Realm Third Layer. Especially Kankan, who is likely not far from breaking through to the Fourth Layer. However, the Great Perfection after breaking through the Fourth Layer is the hardest to achieve."

Duan Rong nodded and asked, "And what about Xiao Yu?"

"This..." Liu Shushan hesitated; looking at Duan Rong's expression, he seemed unable to bear saying it.

The more Liu Shushan acted this way, the more Duan Rong felt as if his heart were being pricked by needles. "It's fine, Shushan, just tell me straight. I already learned some of the situation from Instructor Yao."

Liu Shushan said, "Actually, the day I left the tower, Xiao Yu asked me to bring you a message."

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong's eyes immediately widened, and he asked, "What message?"

Liu Shushan said, "She said she has a premonition that she might never leave this Tower Forest in this lifetime. She fears she will eventually have to bury her bones on Tie Feng Mountain. She said... to let you forget her... and also said... also said to let you treat Xiao Qi well..."

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong crushed the wine cup in his hand into powder; in that instant, cold light shot from his eyes!

A moment later, Duan Rong shouted, "Isn't it just a Tower Forest? At worst, I will snatch her out!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Shushan immediately made a gesture to be quiet, looked toward the door, and then said, "Brother Duan, do not speak recklessly! This is the Taiyi Sect! If you truly dared to do such a thing, how could the people from the Zongzheng Adjudication Division let you off?"

Duan Rong also knew that this topic was not suitable for deep discussion, so he stopped mentioning it.

The two chatted about some idle matters, and seeing that it was getting late, Liu Shushan returned to the Instructor Camp on Tie Feng Mountain. After all, in two days, he was supposed to go to Cuiwei Peak to pay respects to the successive ancestors in the Taiyi Pavilion.

After Liu Shushan left, Duan Rong sat there alone. He wanted to pour more wine but found the flagon was empty. He summoned an Attendant and had him bring another jar of wine.

Duan Rong hugged the wine jar and drank until the jar was bottomed out before he staggered to his bed and fell asleep.

When he woke up, it was already the next morning. After the hangover, Duan Rong felt a splitting headache.

However, between this drunken stupor and waking, he already had an answer regarding Xiao Yu's matter.

He could absolutely not give up on Xiao Yu!

A man, if he watched his own wife sit trapped in the Tower Forest and turn into white bones, what face would he have to live in this world?

However, this matter could not be done recklessly; he also had to consider the consequences!

First, the defenses inside and outside the Tower Forest were tight, but based on the strike that sent him flying at the edge of the mountain hollow forest yesterday, the Martial Artists guarding the Tower Forest should all be in the Qi Cyclone Realm.

First, in terms of cultivation, he must be able to ensure he can snatch Xiao Yu out of the Tower Forest.

As Duan Rong thought this, his gaze suddenly sharpened.

He thought of one thing: the Inner History Department might have detailed records of the defensive forces inside and outside the Tower Forest. If he could see these records, he could know himself and know the enemy. In this way, the success rate would greatly increase.

But no matter what, he had to break through to the Qi Cyclone Realm first.

Second, he also had to consider the consequences. Even if he successfully snatched Xiao Yu out, how to handle the aftermath was also a big problem.

Duan Rong felt he could not solve this problem; this problem had to rely on Zhu He. But for Zhu He to be willing to help him handle the aftermath, there had to be a prerequisite: he had to have performed great service for Zhu He, and combined with his talent, only then would Zhu He possibly protect him.

Only if he performed service would Zhu He cover for him when he caused trouble.

There would certainly be punishment, but it shouldn't cost him his life!

And as long as he could save Xiao Yu, suffering some punishment was worth it!

Once Duan Rong made up his mind, he immediately threw himself into bitter cultivation. The sooner his realm broke through, the sooner he could save Xiao Yu, and the sooner they could be reunited as husband and wife.

Ten days later, Duan Rong suddenly opened his eyes in the Secret Chamber. He calculated slightly; according to the days, Liu Shushan had long since paid his respects at the Taiyi Pavilion.

Moreover, when this kid was testing in the Yougu, he was one of the few who had crossed the Red Line. There should be Elders and seniors taking him under their wing.

According to the days, he had already apprenticed for seven or eight days. When he left that day, he said he would come to find him after apprenticing. Several days had passed, and he hadn't seen a shadow of him; hopefully, nothing had gone wrong.

As Duan Rong thought this, he left the Cultivation Secret Chamber.

The sacrificial ceremony at the Taiyi Pavilion and the apprenticeship in Longyu Hall were both hosted and managed by the Inner History Department. If Liu Shushan had already apprenticed, the Inner History Department would definitely have a record.

Duan Rong was already a personal disciple of Zhu He; he found the History Supervisor directly on Yunfu Peak and requested the records from that day.

Sure enough, Liu Shushan had successfully apprenticed! And he had become a personal disciple of an Elder from the Elder Council.

However, upon seeing the name of the Elder who had taken Liu Shushan as a disciple, Duan Rong's brows furrowed slightly.

Liu Shushan had actually taken Ge Rusong as his master!

Duan Rong suddenly recalled the generous conditions Ge Rusong had offered when he himself was apprenticing at Longyu Hall.

No wonder seven or eight days had passed and Liu Shushan hadn't come to find him. Perhaps it wasn't because he was busy with something, but because there was a rift in his heart.

After all, within the Elder Council, Ge Rusong had always been at odds with Zhu He.

Now, one of them had taken Zhu He as a master, and the other had taken Ge Rusong as a master. Could they really still be friends as they were before?

Duan Rong thought for a moment and decided to go find Liu Shushan; perhaps Liu Shushan really was just busy with something, as they were, after all, friends who had shared life and death. Even if they were in different camps now, meeting for a drink should still be fine.

Besides, when he had just apprenticed, he had been busy choosing cultivation techniques and weapons; perhaps Liu Shushan was the same.

It was better to meet and clear things up.

Duan Rong then left Yunfu Peak and headed toward Qingling Peak, where the Office of Transmission was located.

He arrived in front of a pavilion, showed his Sect Cloud Token and medallion to the Attendant there, and said, "Please report that I have come to visit Liu Shushan."

The Attendant bowed respectfully and went up to the pavilion to deliver the message.

Duan Rong stood there, leisurely watching the scenery on Qingling Peak.

Although this Qingling Peak was not as towering and ethereal as Yunfu Peak, it was lush and green, full of spiritual energy, and had a unique charm.

Before long, the Attendant came down from the pavilion and walked toward Duan Rong.

He walked up to Duan Rong, bowed, and handed a folded sheet of paper to him, saying respectfully, "Sir, this is what our Master Liu instructed me to give to you. He said that once you see it, you will understand."

Duan Rong's gaze flickered; he took the note and opened it to look.

It was written upon it: Each serves their own master, it is inconvenient to meet.

The signature also consisted of only four characters: Shushan bows and speaks.

Duan Rong looked at the familiar handwriting of Liu Shushan on the note, gave a wry smile, and turned to leave.

Duan Rong walked to a mountain hollow, shook his palm to release his Qi, and the note in his hand turned into powder, drifting away in the wind.

Getting the answer was enough.

This kid was quite decisive.

After all, times had changed.

Duan Rong couldn't help but think of his past life.

When the two were in high school, they might have been very good friends. But after not seeing each other for many years, they met at a bidding conference and became competitors. At that time, neither would likely go easy on the other, and all sorts of disgusting tactics would be used.

This kind of thing had nothing to do with Blue Star or this world.

Because, this is human nature!

In truth, Duan Rong did not blame Liu Shushan; he had simply made the choice he believed was more advantageous to himself.

However, after this trip, he feared their old friendship had drifted away just like those paper fragments.

Duan Rong returned to the Cultivation Secret Chamber on Yunfu Peak, put the matter behind him, and once again threw himself wholeheartedly into the dull and tedious cultivation.

One day, more than two months later.

Inside the Cultivation Secret Chamber, Duan Rong sat cross-legged on a cushion, the Qi within his dantian churning chaotically, tangled like a ball of hemp.

Duan Rong's brows were tightly locked, as if he were enduring immense pain; a layer of cold sweat had already seeped out on his forehead.

This process lasted for nearly half an hour; several times, due to the collision of Qi within his dantian and the tearing pain that came from it, he couldn't help but let out muffled groans.

Half an hour later, the chaotic, churning mass of Qi gradually stabilized.

The Original Qi within Duan Rong's dantian re-condensed and settled, and at this moment, that Original Qi had become even more solid and robust.

Duan Rong tilted his head back and exhaled a long breath of turbid air, a whistling sound faintly emerging from his throat.

The Origin Qi Realm Fourth Layer was finally achieved.

The Fourth Layer of the Origin Qi Realm was an important threshold of the Origin Qi Realm and also a point in this realm that was quite difficult to achieve, with many subtle difficulties.

Even though Duan Rong was already intimately familiar with various delicate bottlenecks, he had still been in a precarious situation just now.

If it were a cultivator who had not experienced this before, who knows how long they would have to prepare before daring to attempt a breakthrough.

Even so, those who could succeed in their first attempt were few and far between.

Duan Rong wiped the sweat from his forehead, gave a faint, bitter smile, and said to himself calmly, "I was a bit impatient! Fortunately, I have devoured many martial arts and know many situations like the back of my hand; otherwise, it would have been quite dangerous just now."

Duan Rong secretly warned himself that cultivation should be a natural process; being restless and impatient often leads to deviations.

In order to save Xiao Yu sooner, he should make himself calm down even more, rather than being frantic and forcing a breakthrough. This time, it was fortunately a narrow escape; next time, he might not be so lucky.

Duan Rong had hardly rested at all over the past two months, and since he was covered in sweat, he left the Cultivation Secret Chamber, went to the room for bathing in the pavilion to wash thoroughly, and then ordered some food to have a full meal.

After Duan Rong was full, he drank some clear tea while picking meat scraps from between his teeth with a toothpick.

Suddenly, his brows furrowed, and he remembered something.

Duan Rong immediately moved the teacup aside and took the ancient Topographical Map out of the cabinet.

On this map, he had already transcribed much of the important information from Wu Shidao's animal skin map. And among this transcribed information, the most detailed part was about the Black Fire Lotus.

Duan Rong opened the map at this moment to look at the information on the Black Fire Lotus.

Upon looking, it was indeed consistent with the memory in his mind.

According to the records on Wu Shidao's animal skin map, the seeds of that Black Fire Lotus should be mature by now.

Duan Rong sat there, looking at the location of the Black Fire Lotus marked on the map, his gaze flickering.

If he didn't go to pick the seeds now, once he missed the maturation season of the Black Fire Lotus seeds, he would have to wait until this time next year.

He might be able to wait, but Xiao Yu might not be able to.

After all, once he picked the seeds of the Black Fire Lotus, he could quickly achieve the Twelfth Layer of the Womb Treasury Sutra; not only would his Mental Power reach a new level, but he would also be able to devour the martial arts realm of the Qi Cyclone Realm Second Layer.

And the Second Layer of the Qi Cyclone Realm would contain even more powerful Artistic Conception.

The improvement of Artistic Conception could allow his strength to undergo a significant change and increase in a short period of time.

Furthermore, he had now achieved the Fourth Layer of the Qi Refining Realm, and within the Dark Forest, he already possessed a certain degree of self-preservation; coupled with his Divine Sense detection and the Divine Soul Illusion Bewilderment, although the Fire Toad and Fire Weasel guarding the Black Fire Lotus were somewhat troublesome, he still had a great chance to pluck the seeds of the Black Fire Lotus and retreat safely.

(End of this chapter)