More than a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Gu Qingfeng spent his days refining the Purple-Gold Fire, occasionally teasing the woman inside the mixed-color crystal, and in his spare time, playing with the little turtle.
The Purple-Gold Fire he had absorbed from the cave dwelling had been completely refined by now. He figured that once his physical body recovered a bit more and he found a suitable opportunity, he could attempt Foundation Establishment again.
He wasn't in a hurry.
Not in the slightest.
He cultivated the Great Freedom, letting everything follow its natural course. Moreover, with each day of quiet recuperation, his physical body, essence, energy, and spirit were all gradually recovering.
The only thing that annoyed him was that Elder Huode had never returned since leaving last time. According to Fei Kui, the old man had been busy outside, trying to persuade various influential figures and guest elders who had dealings with Yunxia Sect. The goal was to minimize the sect's potential losses when, during the competition for the Heir Apparent Disciple position, an irreconcilable conflict inevitably erupted with Elder Jinde and Elder Shuide.
On this day.
Gu Qingfeng lounged leisurely in a rocking chair, basking in the sun and sipping fine wine. The little turtle lay lazily on the ground, eyes half-open and half-closed, seemingly dozing off.
Gu Qingfeng called out to it a couple of times. He reckoned this little fellow's intelligence should have already awakened; in theory, it should be able to communicate with him. However, whenever he tried to engage with it, the little turtle always wore an expression of utter disinterest.
This time was no different. Gu Qingfeng used a Spiritual Communication Art to try and converse with it. The little creature opened its bleary eyes, glanced at him, then promptly retracted its head into its shell.
This little thing is looking down on me!
Gu Qingfeng could tell from the little turtle's eyes—it was a look of disdain, as if in its view, a lowly human like Gu Qingfeng wasn't even worthy of conversation.
Clearly, this was a very proud and arrogant little turtle. To be precise, it was a little turtle that believed its own bloodline was exceptionally noble.
"Fine, go ahead and look down on me," Gu Qingfeng said, raising his cup and draining the fine wine in one gulp. He chuckled, "Just wait until I re-establish my Foundation. Then I'll show you what I'm capable of."
Gu Qingfeng poured himself another drink. Not long after, a perfectly round, plump figure came scurrying into the Lingyin Garden.
Shiny bald head, chubby face and ears, a stature of about one and a half meters, a small mustache, and beady little eyes—it could be no one but Fei Kui.
In his five hundred years of cultivation, Gu Qingfeng had seen all sorts of demons and monsters, but someone with such a bizarre appearance as Fei Kui was a first. The man looked like a ball of meat, yet he insisted on wearing a custom-tailored, elegant little black robe. What was even more remarkable was that this fellow's every gesture and movement exuded an air of refined politeness.
"Young Master, taking a rest?"
Gu Qingfeng casually tilted his head, a faint smile playing on his lips as he looked at Fei Kui. "What's up?"
"Hehe, it's like this. The Inner Gate Grand Competition is starting in a few days."
"Can't you just arrange it for me..." "Well...
Young Master, I'm afraid you'll need to go register in person for this one."
"I have to register?"
Gu Qingfeng had only been a laborer at Yunxia Sect for a few years in the past and had never joined any other sect afterward. He wasn't very familiar with all these bothersome sect rules. He asked, "Isn't the so-called Inner Gate Competition just the sect testing the disciples' cultivation and immortal arts?"
"That's true, but we're not just participating in the competition; we're aiming for the Chief Disciple position of one of the Twelve Courtyards. Participating in the Inner Gate Competition doesn't require registration, but competing for a Chief Disciple spot does require signing up in advance."
"I see..." Gu Qingfeng stood up and stretched. "Alright, let's go."
...
As the day of the Inner Gate Grand Competition drew nearer, disciples who had been training outside returned one after another, and those in seclusion emerged from their retreats.
Every year around this time, Yunxia Sect became exceptionally lively, with all sorts of explosive news coming to light.
Which Chief Disciple's cultivation had improved again, whose immortal arts had advanced, how the rankings of the Twelve Courtyards' Chief Disciples might change, and so on.
However, this year, the most talked-about topic wasn't the Twelve Courtyards' Chief Disciples, but Ouyang Ye.
Because just ten days ago, Ouyang Ye had attempted Foundation Establishment—and succeeded.
If it were just a successful Foundation Establishment, it wouldn't have caused such a stir. The real reason was that Ouyang Ye had established a Colored Foundation.
Ouyang Ye was a genius—this was a recognized fact within Yunxia Sect. At the tender age of eighteen, she had successfully established her Foundation, and what's more, it was a Colored Foundation. This was a rarity not just in Yunxia Sect, but in the entire Qingyang region.
If that were all, Ouyang Ye wouldn't be hailed as a genius.
The little girl possessed astonishing comprehension. While other disciples typically cultivated only one immortal art, she cultivated four: martial arts, spells, swordsmanship, and formations.
Moreover, her mastery in each was not low. Her most proficient skill was formations.
Ouyang Ye's cultivation level might not be the highest, but her actual combat strength was formidable. Relying on her seamlessly coordinated four immortal arts, she had ranked thirty-third in the last Inner Gate Grand Competition. This was quite impressive, considering her cultivation level a year ago was only at the sixth level of the Innate realm, while the disciple ranked thirty-fourth was at the second level of Foundation Establishment.
Yet, Ouyang Ye's reputation as a genius didn't stop there. In the mere two years since she joined the sect, her great fame wasn't solely due to her excellent aptitude and high spiritual root, nor just her comprehension. It was also because she possessed Bloodline Power.
Bloodline.
This was something one could only encounter by chance, not seek out. It was a gift from one's ancestors—something you couldn't pray for or cultivate.
No one knew exactly what kind of bloodline Ouyang Ye possessed, but many disciples had witnessed the strength of her Bloodline Power a year ago.
Some said that with her Bloodline Power, Ouyang Ye could easily contend for a Chief Disciple position among the Twelve Courtyards. She simply hadn't chosen to do so.
She stated she wanted to rely on her own strength to compete for a Chief Disciple spot.
Now that Ouyang Ye had established a Colored Foundation, even without using her Bloodline Power, with that Colored Foundation and her perfectly coordinated four immortal arts, she absolutely had the qualifications to contend for a Chief Disciple position among the Twelve Courtyards.
Once this news spread, disciples were all discussing whether she would participate in the competition for the Twelve Courtyards' Chief Disciples this year.
The title of Chief Disciple of the Twelve Courtyards brought more than just honor; it also represented status and position. Upon becoming a Chief Disciple, one gained many privileges within Yunxia Sect, and the sect would also provide abundant cultivation resources. Most importantly, only by becoming a Chief Disciple of the Twelve Courtyards could one qualify for promotion to a Direct Disciple of the Nine Halls. And once one became a Direct Disciple of the Nine Halls...
What awaited you would be wealth, power, and endless cultivation resources.
That wasn't even the key point. The crucial thing was that only Direct Disciples of the Nine Halls could compete for the position of Heir Apparent Disciple.
That was the future Sect Head of Yunxia Sect.
Who wouldn't want that?
Everyone did.
However, for most disciples, it was just a dream.
To compete for a Chief Disciple position among the Twelve Courtyards, one must possess the qualifications to do so—namely, defeating one of the current Chief Disciples.
Those twelve individuals had become Chief Disciples precisely because their cultivation and strength were among the top of the Inner Gate disciples. Defeating them was extremely difficult. Even the weakest among them, Chief Disciple Huang Yao, had a cultivation level at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment and considerable martial arts prowess.
Of course, as formidable as the Twelve Courtyards' Chief Disciples were, it didn't mean no one dared to challenge them.
Disciples ranked near the top of the Inner Gate all wanted to try their luck.
The Inner Gate Grand Competition was in three days, and competing for a Chief Disciple position required advance registration.
Today was the first day of registration.
Sure enough, early in the morning, four or five disciples had already signed up. These were all disciples who had ranked around the top ten or so in the previous year's competition, with decent cultivation levels and martial arts skills.
Many disciples gathered outside the main hall, all eager to see which disciples would register to compete for the Twelve Courtyards' Chief Disciple positions this year.
Just as everyone was discussing, Ouyang Ye appeared, accompanied by her master, True Person Feixue.