Chapter 10

Lock Cloud Peak.

A main peak deep within the Tianluo Mountain Range, it stands thousands of feet tall, extremely steep.

At its midsection, clouds and mist swirl, rarely seeing the light of day. Regardless of the season or weather, the layers of mist never dissipate, as if they were locked in place, hence the name Lock Cloud Peak.

The mountain is densely forested with towering trees and rugged rocks. Under the fog, it appears even more eerie. An occasional shrill scream is enough to scare the timid away.

Ordinary groups of three to five warriors dare not enter casually, as this is the territory of magical beasts.

Although the value of magic cores is considerable, nothing is more precious than one's own life.

Unless a powerful mercenary group occasionally forms a team to hunt for third or fourth-stage magical beasts, they would seize the opportunity for a quick battle and never dare to linger for long.

Therefore, this area is mostly uninhabited, with magical beasts rampant.

However, in recent days, the base of Lock Cloud Peak has suddenly become bustling, with a constant stream of people, noisy and crowded.

"Black Tiger, are we too late? Look at that large group up ahead, there must be thousands of people, and it seems there are even Commander-level experts."

A middle-aged man with a dark complexion said to his companion, "What treasures are in this tomb that have attracted so many experts?"

"Old Jiao, the Imperial-level tomb will open in two days. We're not late. But with our War Overseer-level cultivation, we can only come to join the crowd. It's rare to have such a big event, so we should at least witness it," Black Tiger said calmly.

"I think you two are too unambitious. So what if they're Commanders? I heard that after the tomb opens, there will be a barrier inside that suppresses cultivation. The higher the cultivation, the more severe the suppression. So we have more opportunities instead."

Another person, unconcerned, turned to the slightly hunched old man behind him and said, "Old Gong, what do you think?"

"Ba San, be patient. We'll follow others and look for opportunities. No matter whose tomb it is, there will be treasures. When the time comes, ensure safety first, then act accordingly."

Old Gong, the oldest of the four, looked confident.

"Look, the Xuantian Sect people are here. The young man in the white robe is Gu Yun, an inner disciple of the Xuantian Sect. It's said he's only twenty-five years old and already a Fourth-Rank War Overseer. The two elders behind him are War General-level experts, and Elder Xuqing is a Ninth-Rank General, just one step away from Commander."

Old Jiao, the most impatient, pointed to the three men in white robes who had just passed.

"Move, move, don't block the path of Young Master Chen from Tianyun City..." With a shout, Old Jiao and his companions quickly moved to the side. A group of four men in tight-fitting clothes hurried past them.

These five men made no effort to hide their cultivation, making Old Jiao and his companions feel a sense of oppression.

"There will be a good show soon. When Chen Zitai and Gu Yun meet, something will definitely happen," Old Jiao said, his mood lightening as the Chen family group moved away, a hint of schadenfreude in his voice.

"Say less, the Chen family of Tianyun City is not something we, the Four Wanderers, can provoke," Old Gong quickly stopped Old Jiao.

The Chen and Gu families are both major families in Tianyun City, having been in open and covert conflict for years over their interests.

For thousands of years, they have been evenly matched, with no clear winner. With the mediation of the other two major families, the Youli and Carter families, the four major families of Tianyun City have generally avoided major conflicts.

However, in the past twenty years, the situation has changed dramatically. First, the patriarch of the Gu family, Gu Fanti, disappeared unexpectedly, leaving the Gu family without a War Commander-level guardian.

Then, the Chen family formed an alliance with the Winter family of the capital of the Tianluo Kingdom, bringing in two powerful warriors from the Xize Empire, Beta and Sigma, as guest elders for the Chen family.

This shift in power broke the previous balance, giving the Chen family a dominant position, while the Gu family declined, unable to compete with the Chen family and even falling behind the other two major families.

Four years ago, when the Xuantian Sect came to Tianyun City to select disciples, Gu Yun defeated Chen Zitai and secured a spot, while Chen Zitai was eliminated.

The Xuantian Sect is ranked fifth in strength on the Tianluo Continent, with very strict conditions for recruiting disciples. They require disciples to be under twenty-two years old and at least War Overseer-level, with selections held every five years across the Tianluo Continent.

All major families hope to send their children to the Xuantian Sect, considering it a great honor, but with limited spots, the competition is fierce.

For example, in Tianyun City, it takes three days and six rounds of competition to select the top eight who can enter the Xuantian Sect.

In the final round of the previous selection, Chen Zitai was defeated by Gu Yun and eliminated.

For Chen Zitai, that was his last chance. He and Gu Yun were both twenty years old, and the next selection would exceed the age limit.

So this failure, especially at the hands of Gu Yun, was a great humiliation, and Chen Zitai has since considered Gu Yun his greatest enemy.

At this moment, in a small cave a hundred miles from Lock Cloud Peak, Yichen was sitting cross-legged in a space surrounded by dozens of towering trees. The trees were lush, blocking out the sky and sun, creating a secluded, independent space.

Yichen, like an old monk in meditation, greedily absorbed the rich essence of wood from the primeval forest.

"Wood is the essence of plants, born from the earth, nourished by the sun, moon, wind, and rain... Absorbing its essence, it enters the liver, gallbladder, and tendons, and connects to the eyes. Wood belongs to the east, and the purple aura from the east is transformed into the essence of wood, combining with the earth's spirit."

"Because wood needs to root in the earth, it consumes the earth's energy, which is a counteraction. Therefore, unless one has a natural affinity for the five elements, it is difficult to integrate... Guide the essence of wood to the dantian, protecting the liver, improving vision, soothing the tendons, and nourishing the gallbladder, making the liver strong and the body healthy, and resisting toxins..."

Yichen was practicing the 'Wood Chapter' of the 'Great Five Elements Technique.'

Compared to the 'Earth Chapter,' it was much more difficult. The earth energy in his body was already condensed, but the essence of wood entering the dantian was hard to integrate, moving erratically, making his efforts largely ineffective.

Since his recent breakthrough, he needed to consolidate his cultivation and absorb more of the five elements.

Jia, in the golden armor, noticed and signaled Yichen to stop practicing the 'Wood Chapter.'

After a brief rest, Yichen, under Jia's guidance, began practicing gathering energy into a ball. He first gathered the earth energy into his dantian, following the 'Great Five Elements Technique' to slowly condense it.

Then he introduced more earth energy and condensed it again, repeating this cycle...

Three days later, the earth energy in Yichen's dantian had slightly condensed, no longer in a chaotic state...

Five more days passed, and Yichen felt that the earth energy in his dantian could combine according to certain rules, gradually forming a tangible entity, circling around the dantian.

After a long time, a spherical energy mass, about the size of an egg, appeared in Yichen's dantian.

The previously difficult-to-integrate essence of wood now moved orderly in the dantian, liver, gallbladder, and tendons, and connected to the eyes.

Seeing Yichen's progress, Jia was also pleased.

"Master, it usually takes at least two to three years for beginners to reach your current level, but you have only used less than two months. At this rate, you will reach the Great Perfection stage in less than a hundred years."

"Is this gathering energy into a ball? What is its use?" Yichen didn't know what this achievement meant: "How long will it take me to break through to the War General level?"

"Master, gathering energy into a ball indicates that you can skillfully control the five elements. This energy mass is the crystallization of the earth energy in your body, also known as an inner core. It does not occupy space in the dantian."

"When you fight, you can always know the consumption of the five elements, and at critical moments, you can even release it outside your body to attack the enemy, making you invisible to them. Even if the earth energy in your body is exhausted, it will not endanger your life, as your own primordial energy is still sufficient to protect you."

Jia answered: "Practicing the 'Great Five Elements Technique' does not follow the level system you mentioned. In at most a year, you will reach the equivalent of a General-level cultivation. Tomorrow, you will go to Lock Cloud Peak. I will wait for you twenty miles from the Imperial-level tomb. Be cautious and try to keep your cultivation low."

The next day, Jia sent Yichen to a mountain pass at the base of Lock Cloud Peak, reminded him of some precautions, and then let him go to the Imperial-level tomb alone...

"Gu Yun, a boy from a declining family, you dare to covet the Imperial-level tomb. You are simply overestimating yourself. Go back now."

Chen Zitai immediately provoked Gu Yun upon seeing him.

"Gu Yun, you dare to call me a magical beast. Have you ever seen a wind demon dog speak?" Chen Zitai was furious: "If you want to die, come over, you bastard!"

"Who are you calling a bastard?" Gu Yun's stern face seemed to hide a hint of sorrow, his lips curling in a mocking smile.

"Who are you calling a bastard..." Chen Zitai suddenly stopped, his chest heaving with anger. Hearing the surrounding laughter, he became even more enraged.

With a shake of his hands, a ten-foot-long iron spear appeared, and he gripped it with both hands, roaring as he thrust it at Gu Yun.

This thrust was made with ninety percent of Chen Zitai's strength, carrying the pressure of his primordial energy, like a giant snake rushing straight for Gu Yun's chest. The cold wind from the spear made even War Master-level martial artists feel suffocated.

"This Young Master Chen, though a fool, has strong cultivation, at least a Third-Rank War Overseer. Using a long spear, as the saying goes, 'an inch longer, an inch stronger.' This spear will give Gu Yun a hard time."

"That's not certain. Chen Zitai lost to Gu Yun four years ago, and Gu Yun is now an inner disciple of the Xuantian Sect, so his strength is definitely not weak."

"This boy is not much, but his spear is good. If it weren't for the three old men with him, I would try to get it."

"You are asking for death. Look at that red-haired guy, he can take us three alone."

Gu Yun had no time to listen to others' comments. He had deliberately provoked Chen Zitai to make him lose face in front of everyone.

But seeing the iron spear rapidly thrust at him, he did not dare to be careless, drawing his sword.

With a flash, he dodged the spear tip, and with a flick of his wrist, he formed a sword flower, following the spear tip that missed and slashing back. It seemed casual, but it was incredibly strange, quickly slashing toward Chen Zitai's hand holding the spear.

"Good swordsmanship!" Old Jiao always overreacted: "Black Tiger, Gu Yun's sword is faster than yours were when you were in your twenties."

"Shut up!" Black Tiger, engrossed in the fight, was annoyed by Old Jiao's interruption.

Chen Zitai's spear missed, and he quickly retracted it, then swung it to the left, trying to use the weight of the iron spear to shake off Gu Yun's sword.

However, Gu Yun had already predicted this, advancing instead of retreating, and thrust his sword at Chen Zitai's throat.

The two fought back and forth, and the elders behind them watched the battle intently, ready to join at any moment.

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