Chapter 96

When Chu Yan returned to the Freshman District, it was already late at night, and he held two pills in his hand.

One was the Yin-Yang Pill refined by Mu Ling'er, and the other was the Pure Yin Pill he had refined himself. After a moment of hesitation, Chu Yan swallowed the Pure Yin Pill.

A dense Yin energy transformed into a cold aura that surged within his body, gradually burning away his overheated body. Finally, after half an incense stick's time, he felt the roaring within his body. In his dantian, a scene resembling the Taiji Yin-Yang diagram formed, balancing Yin and Yang, suppressing the scorching flames within him. At the last moment, a bright light flashed in his dantian, emitting a powerful glow, marking another breakthrough.

"Second level of the Dustless Realm, huh?"

Chu Yan now had a great thirst for power. This time, the Wolf Team's victory was purely accidental, but Chu Yan knew that the grudge with the Longevity Hall was now firmly established. As he had said, he was never worried outside the mirror realm, but once inside, the Longevity Hall would surely suppress them mercilessly.

Ultimately, their strength was still insufficient. Today, Xuan Feng could proudly tell him that he was unworthy. If his strength were a bit stronger, the one looking down would not be Xuan Feng. So, he needed to become stronger.

Was Lin Changsheng really the strongest, as Mu Ling'er said? No. What was the Shengtai that Xuan Feng mentioned? What level would the true powerhouses be at the Grand Gathering of Ten Thousand Sects in three years? Chu Yan didn't know, but he wouldn't give up. He had a promise with Liu Qingcheng, so he had to strive to break through.

In three years, at the highest peak of the Grand Gathering of Ten Thousand Sects, Chu Yan wanted more than just a divorce decree; he wanted Liu Qingcheng's recognition. Similarly, he needed the recognition of the Wilderness. To step into the Wilderness again, he was still far from ready.

"The path of martial arts is vast and boundless, and no one has ever reached its end, even in the Wilderness. But my strength is still far from enough," Chu Yan thought. The next period would be a long time of intense training.

---

Half a month later.

At the break of dawn, in the mirror realm, a series of intense explosions echoed through the air. A figure had arrived early, delivering powerful punches, and a mirror beast was brutally killed by his fists.

This figure seemed to have been there all along, training like a madman. Not just him, but also a chubby boy who ran every day, and a young man with a long spear who continuously practiced.

The seven freshmen fell into a period of intense training, leaving all the disciples in awe. This kind of intense training was almost inhuman, pushing them to their limits every day, then replenishing with pills, and continuing to train.

"These lunatics!"

"But these freshmen are really serious. Chu Yan broke through to the third level of the Dustless Realm in less than half a month. Ha, I bet Li Yan wouldn't stand a chance against him now."

"But it's strange that no one from the Longevity Hall has shown up." Chu Yan and his group's training had become a beautiful sight in the mirror realm. Some older students, seeing Chu Yan's group's powerful martial arts, came to spar with them.

Chu Yan and his group were very generous. In the path of martial arts, sparring was the best way to improve.

Right now, in a forest, there was a fierce clash. Ye Xun, holding the Iron Dragon Spear, continuously clashed with Xuan Yu. After dozens of rounds, both retreated several steps. Xuan Yu's sleeves were torn by the White Tiger Seal, and he excitedly shouted, "Impressive!"

"Senior Brother is also very strong. With the Iron Dragon Spear, I wouldn't be a match for you otherwise."

"Forget it. You could defeat Chen Hao half a month ago. You guys have great talent. In the future, this Vast Heaven Sect will be yours." Xuan Yu was very generous, waving his hand.

Chu Yan then stepped forward, smiling at Xuan Yu, "Senior Brother, how about we spar?"

"Forget it. You could defeat Li Yan at the first level of the Dustless Realm. Now that we are at the same level, fighting you would just be embarrassing. If I get too much of a blow, my martial heart will be tainted, and I won't be able to train anymore." Xuan Yu rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Chu Yan also smiled bitterly. Half a month ago, people still challenged him, but now, he felt helpless as no one wanted to fight him, which slowed his progress.

However, reaching the third level of the Dustless Realm also brought him to a bottleneck. The Dustless Realm had nine levels, divided into three tiers, each with three levels. To break through to the fourth level, Chu Yan needed more time. Fortunately, he didn't force it. He estimated that with his current strength, he could defeat a sixth-level Dustless Realm expert, and with the Sun-Extinguishing Sword, he could face a seventh-level Dustless Realm expert.

So, he believed that it wouldn't be long before Lin Changsheng and Xuan Feng would no longer have the right to look down on him.

Encountering a bottleneck in his martial realm, Chu Yan didn't force it but focused on consolidating his foundation. Additionally, he spent more time studying fire patterns. After his first attempt at refining pills, Chu Yan had gained a lot from his initial contact with fire patterns. Now that his Ice-Fire Divine Patterns were complete, he could easily draw flames, so he wanted to try higher-level fire patterns.

Chu Yan once again gathered his divine consciousness in his divine awareness palace, looking at the sky full of fire patterns, and calmly comprehended them. Although these patterns were left by Qin Ruomeng, with each array point clearly visible, the temperature and attributes of everyone's flames were different, so the patterns could only be used for comprehension.

Finally, the image of a fire pattern appeared in his mind.

A fourth-level fire pattern, the Nirvana Refining Domain!

Chu Yan's eyes lit up: "If this fire pattern is refined to completion, it can be like the phoenix's rebirth, eternal and indestructible. If used for refining pills, even if the pills explode, they can be re-extracted from the ashes, allowing herbs to be reborn and re-refined! If I master this fire pattern, I can reduce the consumption to the minimum."

Chu Yan became excited. Besides the rank of alchemists, another point of competition was the success rate. Imagine a ninth-rank alchemist with only a one percent success rate, who might not be as good as an eighth-rank alchemist, after all, one success might just be luck.

But with this fire pattern, Chu Yan wouldn't worry about failure. What excited him even more was that this fire pattern could also be used in attacks.

"If used for attacks, it could create an endless refining domain, causing the target to suffer from burning flames, yet be reborn in pain, ultimately dissipating in agony?" A cold glint flashed in Chu Yan's eyes. Was this what it meant to be worse than death?

Killing you, then reviving you, and killing you again! What a domineering fire pattern!

Chu Yan became excited. A fourth-level fire pattern was already close to the king level. If he could master it and set up a fire pattern array, he could even fight a king!

Three days passed, and Chu Yan didn't leave the mirror realm, continuously comprehending the fire patterns. Finally, on the third day, a fierce fire burned within ten feet of him, forming an endless fire array. Above the fire array, a phoenix seemed to be wailing.

"Success!" Looking at the intricate fire pattern array, Chu Yan couldn't believe it if he hadn't drawn it himself.

"Amazing." A sweet voice suddenly sounded, and Mu Ling'er came to Chu Yan's side. "You comprehended a fourth-level fire pattern?"

"Not exactly comprehended, just learned." Other alchemists had to comprehend on their own, but he had the hundred fire patterns left by Qin Ruomeng, so he was familiar with them, which didn't count as true comprehension.

"Pervert!" Mu Ling'er pouted. In ten years, she had only comprehended a dozen third-level fire patterns, and now Chu Yan had mastered a fourth-level fire pattern.

"Come, hold my hand, I'll show you something." Chu Yan smiled, and their fingers intertwined. Then, their divine consciousness merged, and Chu Yan brought her into his divine awareness palace.

Seeing the hundreds of fire patterns in Chu Yan's divine awareness palace, Mu Ling'er's mouth opened in shock!

"Heaven, you know so many fire patterns?" Mu Ling'er was filled with shock. If these fire patterns were revealed, they would be an unimaginable treasure!

"Study them carefully and see if you can comprehend any suitable ones. Just copy them." Chu Yan smiled faintly, and Mu Ling'er's heart was moved. These fire patterns were priceless treasures. If others knew, it would bring disaster, but Chu Yan shared them without reservation, showing great trust.

Chu Yan seemed to notice Mu Ling'er's reaction and smiled, "I don't trust others, but you and Qiu Yu, would you betray me?"

Mu Ling'er paused, then smiled sweetly, her body trembling.

Yes, their bond was something only the three of them could understand.

Another three days passed, and Chu Yan and Mu Ling'er studied together. This news quickly spread in the Vast Heaven Sect. The first beauty of the Vast Heaven Sect, training with Chu Yan, and even holding hands, made many people furious.

In the Alchemy Hall, Xuan Feng's eyes were dark. A figure suddenly appeared beside him, Lin Changsheng. "You have a big heart, to still be able to endure at this point?"

Xuan Feng glanced at the figure, "You lost the top position in the Longevity Hall, and did nothing for a month. Don't you feel ashamed?"

"There's nothing to be ashamed of. The first place in the team is just a title, and I, Lin Changsheng, don't care. But Mu Ling'er is about to become someone else's woman. You should be angrier than me, right?" Lin Changsheng mocked.

"The woman I want, no one can touch." Xuan Feng coldly snorted and disappeared, leaping into the mirror realm.

Watching Xuan Feng's back, Lin Changsheng smiled coldly and left without a word.

Chu Yan, what will you do after the Wilderness? Can you really stand tall? In the mirror realm, it will soon become your nightmare!

Thinking of Chu Yan's words that day, soon, I will make you unable to take a single step!

Lin Changsheng's face showed a fierce expression.