Chapter 28

Little Fatty stared blankly at Meng Hao, tears suddenly streaming down his face as he lunged forward, wailing uncontrollably.

"You’re not dead, Meng Hao, you’re not dead."

"These past few days, I’ve been so scared. Everyone said you were dead, and it made me so sad. You’re my only friend. What would I do if you died?"

"I was even thinking about escaping from the mountain. I even lost interest in sharpening my teeth. But I thought that if I left, I might never be able to avenge you, so I didn’t leave. I swore to avenge you in this lifetime..." Little Fatty, sobbing, hugged Meng Hao, tears of joy streaming down his face.

Little Fatty’s expression was sincere, which warmed Meng Hao’s heart. He quickly comforted him, and only then did Little Fatty stop crying. The two sat by the river, and Meng Hao briefly recounted his experience at Black Mountain, omitting the parts about the Ying Dragon and Wang Tengfei. Even so, Little Fatty was still on the edge of his seat, and when he heard that Meng Hao had reached the Sixth Stage of Qi Condensation, he gasped in shock, his eyes wide open.

"Sixth Stage of Qi Condensation... Damn, you... you actually reached the Sixth Stage of Qi Condensation. When Senior Sister Xu captured us, she was only at the Seventh Stage. Meng Hao, you’re really a transcendent being now!" Little Fatty was visibly excited.

"Can you fly?" Little Fatty, breathing heavily, suddenly asked.

"Fly..." Meng Hao closed his eyes slightly, and the Wind Walking Technique from the Qi Condensation scroll appeared in his mind. With his Sixth Stage cultivation, it was much easier to perform than at the Fifth Stage. After several attempts, his body slowly rose, but quickly fell back down. After a moment of contemplation, Meng Hao tried again, and after several more attempts, even swallowing a pill, he finally managed to float steadily in the air, about five inches off the ground, making Little Fatty’s eyes widen.

In the next moment, Meng Hao’s eyes snapped open, a sharp light appearing in them. He stood up and took a step, moving like the wind, circling around the area while suspended five inches in the air, leaving Little Fatty breathless.

After a few more attempts, Meng Hao became more adept at the feeling. He raised his right hand and tapped his storage bag, and a flying sword immediately flashed out, landing under his feet. It carried Meng Hao’s body, and in an instant, he glided through the sky. This scene left Little Fatty completely speechless, his eyes wide with disbelief.

"He’s flying..." Little Fatty murmured.

In the air, Meng Hao was extremely excited. Standing on the flying sword, he felt the wind. Following the method of the Wind Walking Technique, his body moved lightly with the flying sword. This time, he managed to maintain it for over thirty breaths before feeling unstable and losing control, falling to the ground. At that moment, Meng Hao’s mind suddenly jolted, and a set of incantations appeared in his mind.

These incantations were not in text but were extremely profound, almost like an instinct in Meng Hao’s mind. As the incantations appeared, the spiritual energy in his body instantly circulated. His right hand subconsciously waved, and it was as if invisible wings flapped, immediately forming a wind blade in front of him!

The wind blade, once formed, even made the flying sword under Meng Hao’s feet tremble. In an instant, the wind blade shot toward the forest ahead, and the sound of explosions echoed. Three rows of trees were cut down as if by a knife, crashing to the ground. Meng Hao’s body staggered and landed on the ground.

Little Fatty was completely stunned, taking a long time to recover his breath, his face flushed red. When he looked at Meng Hao, his eyes were filled with intense admiration.

"We’re rich now. From now on, following Meng Hao, who will dare to bully me? Who will dare to snatch the business of the general store?" Little Fatty thought, laughing triumphantly.

Meng Hao closed his eyes and felt the wind blade from before, his heart filled with excitement. With his intelligence, he vaguely guessed that the strange dream must be related to the demon core, and even the incantations in his mind were closely linked to the demon core. The image of the Ying Dragon in the lake from his dream floated in his mind, and a sense of wanting to comprehend the dragon’s dominion over the sky filled his heart. However, his attempts were unsuccessful.

"Right, Meng Hao, the trial for advancing to Inner Sect Disciple has started these past few days. It’s said there’s a month-long preparation period for registration. You should go and register. If you succeed, you’ll be the third Inner Sect Disciple of Mount Rely, and your status will be incomparably noble!" Little Fatty, remembering this, quickly said.

"The trial for advancing to Inner Sect Disciple?" Meng Hao was taken aback. He had heard about this a few times before, but back then, his cultivation was weak, and he felt it was too far from him. Now, it was different. In the entire Mount Rely, there were only three people at the Sixth Stage of Qi Condensation, including Meng Hao.

They were Wang Tengfei, Han Zong, and Meng Hao himself. Han Zong had originally been at the peak of the Fifth Stage and had finally broken through to the Sixth Stage in recent years.

"I heard they’re only accepting one Inner Sect Disciple this time, and everyone is saying the trial is for Wang Tengfei. Now that you’ve reached the Sixth Stage, you might succeed." Little Fatty urged repeatedly, hoping Meng Hao would agree immediately and eventually become an Inner Sect Disciple, which would allow him to dominate Mount Rely even more.

Meng Hao hesitated for a moment, not making an immediate decision. Although he was very tempted, becoming an Inner Sect Disciple was vastly different from being an Outer Sect Disciple. No one could easily offend him, not even the elders of the sect, and he would receive more spirit stones and pills. However, this matter was too significant, and with his rapid cultivation advancement, he had to consider the speculations of others. If it aroused suspicion, it might backfire.

It had been almost two years since Meng Hao came to Mount Rely, and he had a deep understanding of the principle of the strong preying on the weak. He also knew the wisdom of not revealing one’s wealth. Although he hadn’t completely decided against it, he still needed to make appropriate preparations, especially after the battle at Black Mountain, where his magical treasures and pills were all depleted. He needed to replenish them quickly.

Thinking of this, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of pain for the two thousand large spirit stones.

More than twenty days passed, and the registration period for advancing to Inner Sect Disciple was almost over. There weren’t many registrants, but that was the rule of the sect. Once registered, one could not leave the square and had to sit in meditation under the nine pillars, waiting for the trial to begin. No one could interfere, or they would violate the sect’s rules.

The so-called trial was essentially a competition of magical techniques. It was said that in the past, the Inner Sect trial of Mount Rely involved treasure hunting in dangerous places, but now, with the decline of Mount Rely, it was reduced to a competition of magical techniques, with the winner advancing to the Inner Sect.

During these twenty days, Meng Hao visited the high-level public area, but it was quiet and deserted. Thinking of the decline of Mount Rely, he understood the desolation of the place. He reopened the general store in the low-level public area.

His return immediately caused a stir, and no one dared to snatch the business of the general store. For these twenty days, Meng Hao’s business was extremely good, earning him a lot of spirit stones. He had to replicate magical treasures and pills almost every day, gradually accumulating them.

Looking at the increasing number of magical treasures and flying swords in his pocket, though they were all ordinary, the quantity was approaching a hundred. Meng Hao recalled his battle with Lu Hong and his trip to Black Mountain, gradually clarifying how he should use his magical techniques. After much contemplation, his eyes flashed with a light, and he thought of a method to increase the power of a large number of flying swords.

In the days that followed, Meng Hao, besides setting up his stall, spent most of his time researching how to increase the power of flying swords. After many attempts, he gradually discovered some methods and began to intentionally control more flying swords, even forming various shapes with them. To avoid arousing suspicion, Meng Hao deliberately damaged the flying swords, broke their teeth, or painted them with other colors, making them look worn out.

Additionally, almost every day, he tried to comprehend the thoughts of the dragon from his dream, though he was unsuccessful, he found that the power of the Wind Walking Technique had increased significantly, and he seemed to be gradually getting closer to the sky.

Time passed quickly, and with two days left until the registration deadline for advancing to Inner Sect Disciple, Meng Hao was setting up his stall in the low-level public area. He watched Little Fatty selling items with great enthusiasm when he suddenly turned his head to look into the distance. He saw a figure walking down the mountain, hands behind his back, each step covering several yards. He quickly reached the foot of Flathead Mountain. This was a young man in his late twenties, with a proud expression. A yellow paper floated in front of him, covered in complex runes, and black wind emanated from it, swirling around his body.

"Seal..." Meng Hao’s eyes flickered slightly. The yellow paper was described in the Qi Condensation scroll as a treasure with limited uses and considerable power.

This person was the second strongest in the Outer Sect, Han Zong, at the Sixth Stage of Qi Condensation. His appearance immediately caused a stir on Flathead Mountain, and everyone bowed to him.

"Meng Hao, Senior Uncle Shangguan is looking for you. Follow me," Han Zong said coldly, not even glancing at the others.

Meng Hao’s brows furrowed. He was familiar with Senior Uncle Shangguan. Whether it was the independent release of pills or helping Wang Tengfei fight the demon python a few weeks ago, he could see that this person was extraordinary.

"What could he want from me... Could he have noticed something back then?" Meng Hao slowly stood up, knowing that as an elder of the sect, he had to comply. Refusing would make him seem suspicious.

Meng Hao pondered for a moment, glancing at the cold and proud Han Zong. If the matter from that day was exposed, Wang Tengfei would surely be the first to come. Could this Senior Uncle Shangguan be related to it?

Meng Hao’s expression remained calm, and as his thoughts raced, he gave a casual glance at Little Fatty and stepped forward.

As they walked, the two quickly reached the Western Peak. The air here was rich with spiritual energy, and Meng Hao saw a beautiful pavilion where some child attendants were planting spirit herbs.

Soon, they stopped outside a three-story pavilion, and Han Zong looked at Meng Hao. At the same time, Shangguan Xiu’s voice came from inside the pavilion.

"Meng Hao, come in. Han Zong, go to the Southern Peak." As he spoke, a jade slip flew out and landed in Han Zong’s hand. Han Zong gave Meng Hao a cold look and turned to leave.

Meng Hao’s heart skipped a beat. He thought the words were strange, sending Han Zong to the Southern Peak and giving him a jade slip...