Chapter 16: The Fragrance of Plum Blossoms Comes from the Bitter Cold

"Exactly what I am worried about is this." Wu Yunliang's gaze was profound: "If the Tianwailou can quickly grow strong, then it can protect these female disciples from being bullied, allowing them to find satisfactory futures. But now... we can only do our best!"

Kong Jingfeng sighed deeply and said, "Second Master Brother will certainly not let Li Jianyin off easily. Does First Master Brother have any thoughts on this?"

"Second Brother has always been hot-tempered and protective. This time, he will definitely take action against the Zizhuyuan." Wu Yunliang said indifferently, "But he also knows Ninth Junior Brother's temperament, so he will only get angry and not act personally. The ones who will truly take action will be Second Brother's disciples."

"Regardless of who wins or loses, this will be a test! It will be a growth experience for both sides' disciples." Wu Yunliang said softly, "As long as it doesn't go too far, there's no need to interfere. If we can discover a few talents in this incident, it won't be a bad thing."

Both of them fell silent, then looked up at the wall where thirty-nine names and a question mark were written. In a major sect with a thousand disciples, these two had sifted through the gold, and only a few outstanding disciples were listed here.

Only these people!

These people were the hope of Tianwailou. Whether to maintain its status, challenge the seven major sects, or even enter the Central Three Days to become a legend in the Lower Three Days, it all depended on these people!

Thirty-nine people plus a question mark were the elite of the entire Tianwailou.

For such a major sect, this was a rather bleak situation!

Kong Jingfeng looked at these names, but his thoughts were on something else: First Master Brother clearly knew that Li Jianyin had a narrow mind and a crush on Wu Qianqian, yet he sent him to deliver the notice to Wu Qianqian. Given Wu Qianqian's beauty, it was inevitable that some disciples would be infatuated with her, leading to trouble. Yet First Master Brother still did it.

Instead of picking someone from his own Juyun Peak to deliver the notice... having both Juyun Peak and Suoyun Peak send one disciple each to deliver the notice seemed to show respect and gave Second Master Brother a great face. In reality, however, it subtly intensified the conflict among the younger generation...

First Master Brother... must have had a purpose, right? This was a move against Second Master Brother's Suoyun Peak. Kong Jingfeng looked at Wu Yunliang's back and slowly thought to himself. Such matters, of course, could not be spoken aloud...

I hope it succeeds!

Kong Jingfeng silently thought.

A rustling sound was heard, and a nearly colorless figure quickly flew in from the window. A small, pale white bird perched on the table, tilting its head and looking at the two with round, black eyes.

A colorless eagle!

Both of their eyes lit up. Kong Jingfeng looked at the eagle and asked, "First Master Brother, could this be from Tieyun..."

Wu Yunliang's gaze was deep, and he nodded. He took a small bundle from the colorless eagle, opened it, and inside was a narrow strip of paper.

As he read it, his expression grew heavy. After a long time, his eyebrows raised, as if he had made a decision.

Chu Yang was unaware of these matters and did not know that the sect's crisis had reached such a level. He was currently practicing.

In fact, he only knew that the sect would be destroyed in four years. But as to the reason, he did not know. In his previous life, he was just a minor disciple at this time, and no one told him. With his reclusive personality, he would not have inquired either.

In three months, the sect's grand competition would begin. This competition would last for half a year, with nearly eight hundred disciples being gradually eliminated until only ten remained.

Then these ten would undergo three years of rigorous training, and the most outstanding one after four years would become the First Master Brother!

But Chu Yang couldn't wait that long. He needed to establish his position within half a year, enter the Seven Yin Gathering Place, and obtain the first segment of the Nine Tribulations Sword.

To achieve this, he had to work twice as hard! Although he had been reborn, he had no support! Everything had to be earned through his own sweat!

With his current Fourth Rank Martial Disciple strength, even with experience, he was no match for disciples who were more than ten ranks higher. All his experience was just talk.

Martial strength could only be effective within a certain range; strategy also had its limits. A trap dug by a group of children might catch a rabbit, but it could never trap a tiger!

Chu Yang was now practicing like a madman.

A day and a night passed, and there was no movement from Li Jianyin's side. He only heard from Tan Tan that when Li Jianyin was sent back, Second Master Uncle Li Jinsong was furious and roared for a while...

But Chu Yang felt no pressure.

If the sky fell, there would be someone tall to hold it up. Now, Shi Qianshan was that tall person.

Let him handle it.

Amidst the swaying purple bamboo leaves, Chu Yang stood as firm as a mountain, each foot on a sharp stone, but his body was completely still, maintaining absolute balance in every direction.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

The long sword at his waist was repeatedly drawn and sheathed, over and over again, always the same motion.

This simple action, he had practiced for the entire morning. The ground beneath him was already soaked with sweat!

He took a half-step forward with his left foot, pointing the toe outward, while his right foot remained in place, slightly turned. His eyes calmly looked ahead, his hand on the hilt. With a slight sound, he raised his hand, lifted his arm, twisted his waist, shifted his center of gravity forward, and a sword light shot out steadily, pointing ahead.

At eye level, without a single tremor.

His right hand, holding the sword, was straight but not rigid, clearly still having strength left.

Then, the sword light flashed, and with a light swish, it returned to the scabbard.

Chu Yang's gaze remained steady, and no one could tell from his expression whether he was satisfied or dissatisfied with this action.

He continued to repeat it.

The same action, monotonous and tasteless. An ordinary person would be bored after dozens of repetitions. But Chu Yang, in the early morning before the sun rose, had already repeated it a thousand times!

His body no longer produced sweat! In just one morning, his arms went from normal to sore, then lost sensation, regained sensation, and became numb again...

Whether sore, numb, or at the limit, he always maintained the standard of his sword movements.

The green steel sword was very ordinary. The black iron scabbard was even more common.

The silent night in the purple bamboo forest was stirred by the ordinary sword, making the sword qi surge!

The sound of drawing the sword seemed to become lighter... from the initial clear "clang" to the current light "swish," almost inaudible.

Chu Yang never stopped.

Chu Yang did not notice that shortly after he started practicing, a tall figure had been quietly watching him from a few dozen feet away in the bamboo forest. Chu Yang practiced for the entire morning, and he watched for the entire morning. The morning dew had already soaked him through, but he seemed to fear disturbing Chu Yang, so he quietly watched.

Finally, the east turned pale.

Chu Yang sheathed his sword for the last time, took a long breath, and stood still, the killing aura in the air slowly dissipating.

He reined in the sword intent and killing intent in his heart.

To practice the sword, one must have a killing intent! Only then can one cultivate a sharp sword qi at all times. This was not difficult for Chu Yang. Just thinking of Shi Qianshan and Mo Tianji made him naturally emit a killing aura, without the need for deliberate cultivation.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw someone standing in front of him.

"Master?" Chu Yang called softly. This person was none other than Meng Chaoran, who had announced his seclusion.