Chapter 8

The Golden Crow rose, trailing a purple tail as it leaped across the sky. Beside the Sun and Moon Pool in Luoyan Valley, a few peach blossoms appeared even more tender under the illumination of the red sun; the human face and the peach blossoms reflected each other's redness.

"Junior Brother Su!"

On the roof of a wooden house on the other side of the Sun and Moon Pool, a young man was sitting in meditation, inhaling and exhaling the purple energy of the morning sun. Although it had always been a futile effort, it did not hinder his practice.

Sensing the morning purple energy, every time after practicing, Su Fan felt refreshed in spirit and energy. Of course, this might be his subjective feeling.

Opening his eyes, he leaped easily and landed on a large rock by the pool. Looking at the senior brother jumping over from afar, he replied, "Senior Brother Wu, how do you have time to come here today?"

"You brat, have you forgotten the time while practicing? Today is the annual outer sect competition."

Wu Yue said with annoyance.

Hearing this, Su Fan was also startled. He had indeed forgotten the time. He immediately gave an awkward smile and touched the back of his head. "I didn't expect time to pass so quickly."

Cultivating in the mountains, one loses track of time. In the blink of an eye, he had been in the Huashan Sect for three years. He had moved here since last year because there were too many people and it was too complicated in Luoyan Valley. Because of his two lifetimes, Su Fan's soul was stronger than ordinary people's, and with the addition of his 'cheat', his daily internal cultivation time alone exceeded that of ordinary people by more than double.

Therefore, in order not to be discovered, he chose the Sun and Moon Pool side. Anyway, there was no danger here.

In three years, standing beside Wu Yue now, he was even taller than Wu Yue. At over 1.8 meters tall, from the outside, no matter how you looked at it, he did not look like a fourteen-year-old boy.

For these three years, he had been diligently practicing the Five Animal Frolics. These Five Animal Frolics were of great help to his tendons and bones. In terms of physical fitness alone, Su Fan was stronger than many twenty-year-old youths.

Precisely because of this, Su Fan had never given up practicing the Five Animal Frolics. Su Fan had never underestimated physical fitness. Before internal energy broke through to the first-class level, it could not be released from the body, so its power was actually not great.

At most, internal energy just enhanced a martial artist's explosive power. A martial artist's combat relied more on the exquisiteness of moves and the proficiency of martial arts.

Of course, second-class martial artists sometimes also competed in internal energy, but this situation was very dangerous.

In this way, the stronger the physical body, the better it was for enhancing combat power.

This point was naturally not just discovered by Su Fan. Every sect had body-tempering techniques, and even many external martial arts were considered body-tempering. It was just that disciples of large sects did not have enough time to practice, so how could they have time to polish their physical bodies?

Furthermore, polishing the physical body consumed more resources. Only Su Fan, who had a 'cheat' and money, could do it, and he also had perseverance.

"It is fast! In this year's outer sect competition, for your batch, I estimate you can get first place. At that time, you can try to challenge the senior brothers of the batch above. This can enhance your potential, and there is a high possibility of being recognized by the inner sect elders and taken into the inner sect."

Wu Yue kindly reminded him. Now he had become an inner sect disciple, and his internal energy had opened up the ninth standard meridian, which was considered excellent among many inner sect disciples.

And in these three years of getting along, he knew this junior brother before him very well: mature for his age, extremely self-disciplined, with good family conditions and no lack of talent.

In three years, the Huashan Heart Method had been practiced to the second layer. In terms of talent for internal cultivation alone, he was definitely at the top level among the three batches of outer sect disciples.

However, in reality, he did not know that Su Fan had already started to open up the fifth standard meridian. Once the Huashan Heart Method was opened up to the third layer, it would definitely be rare in the history of the Huashan Sect.

For Wu Yue's suggestion, Su Fan thanked him with a smile. His current strength was not even inferior to those disciples who had entered for six years, so he was very confident that entering the inner sect in this outer sect competition would be no problem.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Wu. Since the competition is about to start, let's go to the outer sect. It won't be good if we are late."

"You know that too."

Wu Yue pointed into the air and then nodded.

The two quickly displayed their movement techniques and headed towards Jade Maiden Peak.

When the two arrived at Jade Maiden Peak, the central practice field of Jade Maiden Peak was already crowded with people. Except for the three batches of outer sect disciples participating in the outer sect competition, many inner sect elders of the Huashan Sect, as well as some inner sect disciples and outer sect deacons, had already arrived.

Su Fan said a word to Wu Yue and then came to the outer sect disciples of their batch. However, his height was like a crane in a flock of chickens among that group of people.

Just as Su Fan and the others began to draw numbers and prepare for the competition, above the practice field, a group of high-level elders of the Huashan Sect were smiling at each other and commenting on the three batches of disciples below.

"Who is that tallest kid? How old is he? He's actually a new disciple."

The first thing everyone was curious about was Su Fan, who was the tallest.

"Haha! I know this kid, his name is Su Fan. The little guy was born with strong tendons and bones. On the day he entered, I personally felt his bones. His root bone is medium, but his tendons and bones are very strong. Three years ago, he was eleven. I didn't expect that in three years, this little guy would grow so tall."

Xiong Qingyuan grinned and laughed.

"He's so tall at fourteen. It would be believable to say he's a twenty-year-old youth. But this body is indeed strong. Junior Brother Xiong, this is very much like you, and you personally felt his bones to let him in. It seems he has a connection with you. If he performs well this time, are you preparing to take an apprentice, Junior Brother?"

Sect Leader Ning Qingyu stroked his beard and looked at Xiong Qingyuan with a smile.

Many inner sect elders had disciples. Now, there were only two elders in the Huashan Sect who had not taken apprentices: one was the genius disciple of the Sword Sect, Feng Qingyang, and the other was this Xiong Qingyuan, who was the least like a Huashan disciple among the Qi Sect.

Feng Qingyang had not taken an apprentice for the time being because of his age and his own personality.

Xiong Qingyuan was already fifty years old. The reason he hadn't taken an apprentice was mainly because he hadn't seen anyone he liked. He himself was not from the direct line of the Huashan Sect, but had become a monk halfway, joined the Huashan Sect, and later made contributions to become an elder of the Huashan Sect.

Ning Qingyu actually hoped he would take an apprentice, not only because of his own body-tempering techniques, but also because his practice of the Huashan Sect's Primordial Skill had reached the eighth layer. His internal power was top-tier among first-class experts, and he had even opened up three of the eight extraordinary meridians. Unfortunately, opening up the Ren and Du meridians was too dangerous and difficult.

However, Xiong Qingyuan was not old, and there was still a possibility of breakthrough. His status in the Huashan Sect was not small, and his strength was ranked at the forefront among the twenty-plus elders.

"Haha! Sect Leader Senior Brother is right. I like this kid. And according to that brat Wu Yue, this child has no lack of talent in internal cultivation, and his personality is firm and extremely self-disciplined."

"It's been hard to find such a little guy who suits my taste, Old Xiong, these years. When the time comes, don't fight with me for him, everyone."

Xiong Qingyuan had always been paying attention to Su Fan. After all, the little guy's physical talent was not bad back then. He had always wanted to find a successor for his family's body-tempering techniques.

"Hehe! I didn't expect that you had already planned it, Senior Brother Xiong. It seems this child really suits your taste, Senior Brother."

An elder of the Qi Sect beside him laughed upon hearing this: "Then I wish you success in taking a good apprentice, Senior Brother."

The other elders also congratulated him upon hearing this, even the elders of the Sword Sect did the same.

Although Xiong Qingyuan was not from the direct line of the Huashan Sect, they had been friends for many years and knew each other well. Knowing that Xiong Qingyuan was preparing to take an apprentice, they were also happy.