Chapter 152 - 150: First Place

Chapter 152: Chapter 150: First Place

Liu Wenying felt like her brain couldn’t keep up.

This very morning, the news that Chen Yue had broken through to the Marrow Refining Realm had shattered her confidence, making her feel her position as his senior sister was in jeopardy.

But how much time had passed since then?

Her junior brother had actually gone to Panshi Lane and, while he was at it, beaten up Cheng Fengjun of the Refining Organ Realm?

’This... is just too absurd, isn’t it?’

Liu Wenying stood there dumbfounded for a moment before slowly coming to her senses.

Then, she discovered something amazing. The sense of loss and frustration she felt from being surpassed by Chen Yue had miraculously dissipated for the most part.

In its place was a sense of relief. ’So it’s not that I’m too weak, it’s that my junior brother is just too monstrous.’

Once she came to this realization, Liu Wenying’s mood brightened instantly, and she even felt a little smug.

’A junior brother this monstrous is my master’s disciple, and my junior brother!’

’No way. I can’t be the only one shocked by such huge news.’

She muttered to herself, then spun around abruptly, hiked up her skirt, and sprinted toward Meng Yu Jin’s courtyard as fast as she could.

...

"Chen Yue defeated Cheng Fengjun in Panshi Lane?"

In Meng Yu Jin’s courtyard, the news Liu Wenying breathlessly delivered stunned even her, a woman known for her calm and composed demeanor.

The hand holding her teacup froze mid-air, only slowly lowering after a long moment.

"Yes, Master! It’s absolutely true. Many people saw it." Liu Wenying was panting, but she couldn’t hide the excitement on her face.

"And Cheng Fengjun is already in the Refining Organ Realm, but he was still beaten by our junior brother until he coughed up blood. In the end, he was lying in a pool of his own blood, unable to even move."

Meng Yu Jin fell silent.

She knew of Cheng Fengjun. Within the Panshi Sect, there weren’t many disciples who could defeat a Refining Organ Realm cultivator while still in the Marrow Refining Realm. Each one was an individual blessed with both great Talent and fortunate encounters.

Cheng Fengjun hadn’t made a name for himself by pure luck.

Furthermore, she knew that Cheng Fengjun practiced the Azure Dragon Scale Transformation Technique, a top-tier first-grade Body Refining Technique.

That Cultivation Technique played an indispensable role in his ability to defeat those in a higher realm.

Yet, despite all that, Cheng Fengjun had still lost.

And he had been crushed in a head-on confrontation by Chen Yue, who was only in the Marrow Refining Realm.

This meant that the foundation of Chen Yue’s Physique was even more terrifying than that of Cheng Fengjun, who practiced the Azure Dragon Scale Transformation Technique.

It meant that Chen Yue’s combat prowess was already enough to cross a major realm and crush a veteran master of the Refining Organ Realm.

Meng Yu Jin lifted her teacup and took a light sip, using the action to conceal the turbulent thoughts in her mind.

Just this morning, she had been musing that Chen Yue might need two or three years, perhaps even longer, to even touch the threshold of the Refining Organ Realm.

She had even been thinking that she needed to break through to the Innate Acupoint Refining Realm as soon as possible, to avoid the embarrassment of being surpassed by her disciple in the future.

But now... she suddenly realized she might have underestimated her young disciple’s potential yet again.

Given the combat power Chen Yue was displaying now, how terrifying would his strength become once he truly broke through to the Refining Organ Realm?

At that point, if she, his master at the peak of the Refining Organ Realm, hadn’t broken through to the Innate realm, she probably wouldn’t be able to keep this monstrous disciple in check at all.

Meng Yu Jin set down her teacup, her gaze drifting toward the courtyard entrance.

’It seems I really do need to schedule my seclusion to break through to the Innate Acupoint Refining Realm.’

She murmured to herself, her tone carrying a hint of helplessness, a touch of gratification, and a strange motivation spurred on by her disciple.

’I can’t just wait until my disciple’s Cultivation catches up and then find that I, his master, can’t even defeat him, can I?’

As news of the battle in Panshi Lane continued to spread, Chen Yue had already appeared quietly before the entrance of the Hidden Skills Pavilion.

Chen Yue’s steps were unhurried, his face showing no sign of fatigue or excitement from the great battle he had just fought—only a calm that bordered on indifference.

Inside the Hidden Skills Pavilion, the air still carried that familiar scent, a mixture of aged paper and sandalwood shelves.

Light slanted in from the high windows, creating visible beams in the air where dust motes floated lazily.

The On-Duty Disciple was the same one as before. His eyes flickered slightly upon seeing Chen Yue enter.

Chen Yue stepped forward and handed over his Identity Waist Token.

"I want to exchange for the Hidden Blade Technique."

The On-Duty Disciple took the Waist Token, nodded, and began to search through the massive cabinet behind him.

A moment later, he presented a Secret Manual to Chen Yue. On its spine were branded the three words "Hidden Blade Technique."

"This is the complete copy of the Hidden Blade Technique. The exchange will cost twenty Contribution Points."

Chen Yue nodded, accepted the Secret Manual, and casually flipped to the first page. His eyes quickly scanned the first few lines of the general outline to confirm it was correct before tucking it into his robes.

Seeing that Chen Yue had no intention of leaving, the On-Duty Disciple was about to ask what else he needed when Chen Yue spoke again. "I’d like to exchange for another Cultivation Technique."

The On-Duty Disciple quickly said, "Please, go ahead."

"All Things Return to the Source!"

The On-Duty Disciple’s hand couldn’t help but pause.

He looked up at Chen Yue. It had been some time since anyone in the Panshi Sect’s Hidden Skills Pavilion had mentioned the name ’All Things Return to the Source’.

To the Inner Sect Disciples of the Panshi Sect, this Cultivation Technique held an almost legendary weight.

It was known as the strongest Body Refining Technique in the Panshi Sect Below the Innate Realm, bar none.

According to legend, this technique wasn’t created by any of the Panshi Sect’s past masters. Instead, it was an incomplete manual that the founding ancestor had stumbled upon in some Ancient Ruins.

It was only after generations of brilliant predecessors poured their hearts and souls into completing and refining it that the version passed down today was formed.

But its cultivation difficulty was appallingly high.

It placed almost draconian demands on a Cultivator’s Physique foundation, Qi Blood control, Heart Spirit resilience, and even their innate understanding and Talent.

Reaching the Entry Level was difficult, cultivating it was even harder, and achieving Great Success was next to impossible.

Among the thousands of disciples in the Panshi Sect’s Inner Sect, not even one in a hundred truly dared to attempt cultivating All Things Return to the Source.

And among those who tried, the ones who could persevere and achieve something with it were exceedingly rare.

The vast majority, after wasting months or even years only to find they had made little progress, would ultimately have to give up in disappointment and choose a different Cultivation Technique.

However, in the Panshi Sect’s several-hundred-year history, any disciple who managed to cultivate All Things Return to the Source to a certain level, as long as they didn’t perish prematurely, almost without exception went on to successfully step into the Innate Acupoint Refining Realm.

They became the true core of the Sect: True Disciples.

Because of this, All Things Return to the Source was also jokingly referred to as the "True Disciple Technique" among the Panshi Sect disciples.

It was like a touchstone. Only those who could pass its test were qualified to reach for the higher peaks.

Those who failed could only languish Below the Innate Realm.

The On-Duty Disciple was stunned for a moment before he came to his senses. He swallowed hard, his voice a little hoarse.

"The exchange price for All Things Return to the Source is two hundred Contribution Points."

Two hundred Contribution Points. That was ten times the cost of the Hidden Blade Technique and the most expensive of all Cultivation Techniques Below the Innate Realm in the entire Hidden Skills Pavilion.

This price was enough to make many Inner Sect Disciples shrink back, and it also served as an indirect warning.

After all, two hundred Contribution Points was enough to exchange for many high-quality Elixirs for Refining Organ Realm cultivation, or to trade for a decent weapon.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yue simply nodded. "I’ll exchange for it."

The On-Duty Disciple looked at the re-offered Waist Token, then at Chen Yue’s young and placid face, and his mind raced with thoughts.

He said no more. He took the Waist Token, deducted two hundred Contribution Points using the Jade, then turned and retrieved an unusually thick Secret Manual from a cabinet on the highest shelf behind him.