Chapter 42

"Ha ha, once you return to the Xuan Yun Sect, this problem will naturally be resolved. The most important thing now is to practice the body-strengthening treasure technique I gave you. Remember, you must not tell anyone about the existence of this treasure technique!"

Li Mingyun smiled calmly, then his expression turned serious as he continued.

"Return to the Xuan Yun Sect?"

Li Chen's face immediately fell, and he looked extremely troubled. "Master, you don't know my situation in the Xuan Yun Sect. A year ago..."

At that moment, he recounted the events of that day, but he concealed the fact that he had been chased, only mentioning that he had kept the demon core and exchanged it for many treasures and elixirs, which led to his current cultivation level.

"Hmph, when I saw you fight Li Kunfeng, you had already grasped the basics of fist momentum, showing extraordinary talent and intelligence. How can you not understand even this?"

Li Mingyun coldly snorted, as if he was dealing with an unteachable student.

"Master!"

Li Chen hurriedly feigned dejection, but in his heart, he began to have ulterior motives.

"With your talent, you can reach the Ninth Layer Realm in a short time. As the strongest sect in this area, the Xuan Yun Sect will certainly cultivate you. What are a few inner disciples' deaths compared to that?

I believe you are smart enough not to even lie about this, right?"

Li Mingyun quickly pointed out the crux of the matter with just a few words.

"Thank you, Master!"

Li Chen was not a fool; he just hadn't thought about the complex interests involved due to his youth.

"Come here, I will impart a protective true essence to you, which will ensure your safety. But remember, during the time I am away, you must stay in the Xuan Yun Sect and practice diligently until I come to find you!"

Li Mingyun suddenly extended his right hand and lightly patted Li Chen's shoulder.

A deep blue light flashed, and Li Chen had no way to avoid it. He felt a cool energy rush into his body's meridians and then vanish without a trace.

"Master, are you leaving?"

Li Chen hurriedly showed a look of deep reluctance, regardless of the other party's intentions. Since he had become a disciple, he wanted to get as much benefit as possible.

"Today, I have taken you as my disciple. I will go to find some treasures as your entry gift. I will come to the Xuan Yun Sect to find you in three to five years. Go!"

Li Mingyun turned away indifferently, seemingly unwilling to say more.

"Disciple will follow Master's orders!"

Li Chen had no choice but to put the jade slip in his pocket and turn to leave, looking back every few steps, his eyes filled with reluctance.

"Trapped in this wilderness for over a decade, the heavens have not been unkind to me. At the last moment, they sent me a body capable of breaking through to the Xuan Gang Realm.

Ji Fengmo, Long Xuancang, Liu Meiyun, you wait and see. One day, I will make you regret what you did!"

Looking at where Li Chen had disappeared, Li Mingyun's face suddenly turned extremely dark. He looked up at the sky, and his eyes shot out a chilling light.

...

Whoosh!

Two days later, hundreds of miles south of Luo Huang City, in the high sky, a clear bird's chirp echoed through the clouds. A gray shadow flashed and dove down, landing precisely on Li Chen's shoulder.

"Uncle Niu, do you have a place to go?"

Li Chen asked, feeling somewhat guilty.

This time, he had caused many troubles for the Li family, which would inevitably lead to enmity and possibly even assassination. This truly made him feel very frustrated.

"Don't worry, Xiao Chen. We are used to hardship. This is nothing!"

Uncle Niu patted his shoulder, comforting him.

"Yes, Xiao Chen, you helped us leave the Li family, so our children no longer have to be slaves. We are very grateful to you!"

Aunt Liu, the middle-aged woman, rubbed her apron, her eyes filled with kindness and gratitude.

"Um!"

Li Chen nodded somewhat gloomily, looking up at the town and villages that were just beginning to appear in the distance. He reached into his backpack and took out a jade box, handing it to Uncle Niu. "The things inside are for my younger brothers and sisters. The usage methods are all inside. Remember not to be greedy!"

"Ah, I know!"

Uncle Niu's eyes were slightly moist as he took the jade box and put it in the luggage in the carriage.

"Uncle, Aunt, when I stand firm in the Xuan Yun Sect, I will come to get you!"

Li Chen took a few steps back, then knelt down and respectfully kowtowed three times.

During the time when Old Li was sick, Uncle Niu and Aunt Liu had taken care of him. Li Chen genuinely regarded them as elders, and he bowed with heartfelt sincerity.

"No, no, no!"

Uncle Niu and Aunt Liu hurriedly tried to help him up, but they couldn't resist his unusual strength. In the end, they had to accept it sideways.

"I'm leaving!"

Li Chen didn't look back at the children and galloped towards the Xuan Yun Sect.

"Big Brother Chen!"

The children, aged seven to ten, could no longer hold back and wanted to chase after him, but they could only see a gray shadow gradually fading away.

"Let's go. Xiao Chen is a person who will do great things. You must practice your martial arts well to help him in the future!"

Uncle Niu wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes. This burly man had seen all the hardships Li Chen had endured since childhood. Seeing his current achievements, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction and a way to comfort Old Li.

...

"Pay attention, put in some effort, and work harder. If anyone dares to slack off, be prepared for me to punish them!"

In the outer courtyard's martial arts training ground, Feng Luming, with a 'serious' face, pointed and gestured at the group of young boys.

As the manager of the registered disciples, Feng Luming was the 'local emperor' here. How to discipline these young boys was entirely up to him.

Although most of these disciples would eventually surpass him, Feng Luming never went too far with them, as he also had someone backing him.

As for the most talented disciples, they had already been selected by the sect's elders, executives, and managers during the entry ceremony and were being trained separately, so there was no need to worry too much about them.

Watching hundreds of disciples practicing tirelessly in the square, Feng Luming sat on a redwood chair, grabbed the teapot, and leisurely took a sip.

"You, you, the two of you come here, massage my legs and shoulders for the manager!"

Glancing around, Feng Luming's eyes lit up, and he pointed at two registered disciples.

Both were girls, around twelve or thirteen years old, already beginning to develop. Although they were not stunningly beautiful, they were still quite pretty.

The two girls trembled slightly, already fearing the tyrannical Feng Manager. Seeing his strange gaze, they hesitated and dared not approach.

"Bold, how dare you not listen to the manager? Do you think I have been too lenient with you?"

Feng Luming threw the teapot on the table, causing a series of crisp sounds. The scalding teapot splashed, releasing a faint tea aroma.

"Yes!"

The two girls dared not delay any longer and hurriedly ran over. One half-knelt to massage his legs, while the other stood behind him to rub his shoulders.

"Hmph, pay attention. I work hard to teach you martial arts, even though it is a task assigned by the sect. But I can make life difficult for those who don't listen. Understand?"

Feng Luming touched the white, tender hand that reached out, enjoying the maiden's fragrance that wafted to his nose. He began to fantasize about which of the background-less young girls he would use to vent his frustrations today.

As he thought, a lecherous smile appeared on his lips.

But before the smile fully formed, a calm voice interrupted him, instantly making him come to his senses.