Chapter 6

**Bang!**

Another morning had dawned, and the tranquility of the courtyard was suddenly shattered by a loud noise. A nearly two-meter-tall human-shaped stone statue exploded, breaking in half at the waist. The upper half of the statue flew several meters away and crashed to the ground, while the legs, still connected at the hips, remained standing in place.

"Seventy divine apertures! My strength has indeed increased significantly!"

In front of the stone statue's legs, Su Ye grinned, his right fist still in the position of a strike. His black, bright eyes sparkled with barely contained excitement.

This was already the twentieth day since Su Ye had obtained the "Great Yin-Yang Scripture."

After acquiring that spiritual technique, Su Ye either practiced in Luoyan Valley or Denshen Pavilion, almost day and night. When he was tired, he would rest and comprehend the mysteries of the spiritual technique. Once his spirit was restored, he would activate the spiritual technique to break through the dead apertures.

Over the past twenty days, Su Ye's understanding of the "Great Yin-Yang Scripture" had deepened. In the first ten days, the dead apertures in his body were being unblocked at a rate of one per day. In recent days, the speed had slowed down, but even so, it was still astonishing.

Not only were the dead apertures being continuously unblocked, but Su Ye's physical strength was also increasing rapidly as his body gradually improved.

Even ten years ago, Su Ye had discovered that after having more than thirty-six divine apertures, each additional aperture would increase his strength. Initially, the increase was not very noticeable, but as the number of divine apertures grew, the increase in strength became more and more significant.

Su Ye had not yet opened the divine court or broken through to the Life Seizing Realm, so he could not refine the heavenly and earthly qi into his own spiritual energy, nor could he practice offensive spiritual techniques. However, two years ago, when he had fifty-two divine apertures, his strength was already comparable to that of a cultivator in the early Life Seizing Realm.

"Speaking of strength alone, I should now surpass cultivators in the middle Life Seizing Realm," Su Ye squinted his eyes and smiled broadly.

"Hmm? What's all the noise so early in the morning?"

A door on the side of the courtyard opened, and Su Zhen's tall and robust figure emerged.

With a quick glance, he saw the upper half of the stone statue lying on the ground. Su Zhen's face contorted in pain as he shouted, "Oh, my treasure..." When he saw Su Ye grinning foolishly, his thick, graying eyebrows immediately shot up.

This doesn't look good!

Su Ye quickly lowered his arm and缩缩脖子: "Grandpa, I'm going to clean the Denshen Pavilion." Without waiting for Su Zhen's response, he dashed out of the courtyard.

As Su Ye fled, Su Zhen's raised eyebrows drooped.

"This brat, he runs so..." Su Zhen scolded, but the word "fast" got stuck in his throat. Su Ye had sneaked back to the courtyard entrance, peering in, leaving Su Zhen unsure whether to continue scolding or return to his stern expression.

"Still not coming in?"

Su Zhen felt a bit awkward, his old face twitching slightly as he growled, "What else do you want? Speak up!"

Hearing this, Su Ye quickly ran in and chuckled, "Grandpa, I want to go to Lingyin Mountain to practice."

"Lingyin Mountain?"

Hearing this, Su Zhen forgot his stern demeanor and furrowed his brows in surprise, "Ye'er, that place isn't suitable for you now."

Lingyin Mountain was just a small peak within Gumu City, not particularly scenic, but it had a Condensation Array set up by a high-ranking mage, commissioned by the Su, Tang, and Qin families. Due to this array, the heavenly and earthly qi on Lingyin Mountain was much denser and more turbulent than in Luoyan Valley, making it very suitable for cultivators in the Life Seizing Realm. The younger generations of the three families who had reached the Life Seizing Realm basically practiced there every day.

However, for cultivators who had not yet broken through to the Life Seizing Realm, there was no benefit. Su Ye's sudden desire to practice on Lingyin Mountain naturally puzzled Su Zhen.

"Grandpa, have you forgotten the fifth-grade spiritual technique the ancestor taught me in my dream?"

Su Ye smiled, "These past two days, while practicing in Luoyan Valley and Denshen Pavilion, I've increasingly felt that the qi isn't sufficient. I need to find a better place." Each time he unblocked a dead aperture, it took more and more time, and Su Ye had long wanted to change his practice environment.

"Hearing this..."

Su Zhen hesitated. Although he didn't ask about Su Ye's progress every day, he could sense that his grandson was changing daily, which made him very happy. Now, hearing about the spiritual technique taught by the ancestor in a dream, he felt a bit moved but was still hesitant. Su Ye was his only grandson, and if he were to be harmed on Lingyin Mountain, it would be a regret he couldn't bear.

Su Ye smiled, "Grandpa, don't worry. I'm not a naive child. I'll just go to Lingyin Mountain to try it out. If I can't adapt, I'll come back immediately."

"Alright." Su Zhen finally nodded.

"Thank you, Grandpa. I also need a token, or Uncle Xuefeng won't let me in the mountain."

"As you wish! As you wish!"

"..."

Lingyin Mountain was located in the northeast of Gumu City, with its highest point only a few hundred meters. However, standing at the peak, one could overlook the entire city.

The small mountain was surrounded by a wall over ten meters high, with only an entrance in the southwest corner.

Like Luoyan Valley, Lingyin Mountain was shared by the Su, Tang, and Qin families. The purpose was simple: having the younger generations of the three families practice together easily sparked their competitive spirit, which was beneficial for the long-term development of the three families.

As long as the competition was kept within certain limits, it was harmless.

At the entrance to Lingyin Mountain, a small, exquisite hall had been built, with three Spirit Realm cultivators stationed there daily to prevent outsiders from entering.

One of the cultivators from the Su family was named Su Xuefeng, whose cultivation had reached the late Spirit Realm.

"Transcendent Realm... I fear it's out of reach for this life..."

On the right side of the hall, Su Xuefeng, dressed in a green robe, sat cross-legged on a mat, his eyes half-closed, his face calm, but his heart couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

He had been at the late Spirit Realm for over a decade. Despite his diligent practice without any slack, he had never managed to take that final step into the Transcendent Realm. Although he knew it was due to his limited talent, he couldn't help but feel a deep regret.

"Where did this brat come from? Get out! Lingyin Mountain isn't a place for you!"

Suddenly, Su Xuefeng heard a cold, harsh voice. It was Qin Song, a cultivator from the Qin family, who had been in seclusion for over a decade and had just emerged, assigned to guard Lingyin Mountain. Like Su Xuefeng, he was also at the late Spirit Realm.

It seemed some curious young person had wandered in.

Such incidents were not uncommon, and Su Xuefeng didn't pay much attention. Just as he was about to calm his mind and continue practicing, he heard another clear voice, "Hey, isn't that Su Ye? Brother Qin, this is a young man from the Su family. He must have some business with Brother Xuefeng. Let him in."

"Su Ye?"

Su Xuefeng instinctively opened his eyes and turned to look. A black-clad teenager, about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a slender build and a handsome face, was walking towards him with a smile.

"Hello, Uncle Xuefeng." Su Ye called out from a distance.

"Xiao Ye, why are you here?"

Su Xuefeng's usually stern face showed a rare, kind smile. He and Su Lie were very close, and he treated Su Ye like a nephew.

As he spoke, he felt a slight surprise. It had only been a month since he last saw Su Ye, but the teenager seemed like a different person. The gloom that had always surrounded him was gone, replaced by confidence and vitality.

Su Ye soon reached Su Xuefeng. "Uncle Xuefeng, I'm here to practice on Lingyin Mountain."

"Practice on Lingyin Mountain?"

The cold voice sounded again, this time with a sneer, "He hasn't even reached the Life Seizing Realm and wants to practice on Lingyin Mountain? Brother Xuefeng, is there something wrong with this young man from your Su family?" The speaker, sitting at the entrance of the hall, was about forty years old, with a gaunt face and sunken eyes. It was Qin Song.

Not far from Qin Song, a handsome middle-aged man chuckled, "Su Ye, are you joking?"

This was Tang Yuanshan from the Tang family.

Like Su Xuefeng and Qin Song, Tang Yuanshan was also at the late Spirit Realm.

"Really ridiculous!"

Su Xuefeng frowned, his face turning serious. "Xiao Ye, go back. Lingyin Mountain is currently more harmful than beneficial for you." Despite his stern tone, there was concern in his voice.

Su Ye, who had anticipated this reaction, smiled. "Uncle Xuefeng, Grandpa sent me here." He flipped his palm, revealing a three-inch-long emerald jade token with a dragon and phoenix carved on it, clearly Su Zhen's token.

"Third Elder?"

Su Xuefeng took the token, looking at Su Ye suspiciously. He didn't doubt the authenticity of the token or that it was stolen, but he was puzzled why Third Elder Su Zhen would allow Su Ye to enter Lingyin Mountain. Didn't he know it wasn't suitable for Su Ye's current level?

Seeing Su Xuefeng's silence, Su Ye couldn't help but ask, "Uncle Xuefeng, can I go in?"

"Go ahead!"

Su Xuefeng looked at Su Ye with a furrowed brow but finally waved his hand. Regardless of Su Zhen's intentions, he wouldn't harm his only grandson. There must be a reason for his actions. "Xiao Ye, remember, if anything goes wrong, come out immediately. Don't push yourself."

"Understood! Uncle Xuefeng, I'm off."

Su Ye nodded with a broad smile and quickly walked to the back of the hall. In a blink, he had passed through the hall, his figure disappearing from sight.

"Brother Xuefeng, what does Elder Su Zhen mean by sending his grandson to practice on Lingyin Mountain?" Tang Yuanshan, with a strange expression, couldn't help but ask.

"What else? He's just senile!" Qin Song sneered.

"Qin Song, shut your mouth! How the Third Elder of our Su family acts is none of your business!" Su Xuefeng's eyes turned cold, and he shouted. Almost instantly, a powerful pressure like a storm surged towards Qin Song.

"Su Xuefeng! You..."

Qin Song, enraged, leaped up, his face darkening, but there was a deep fear in his eyes. Tang Yuanshan, seeing this, laughed and quickly intervened, "Brother Xuefeng, Brother Qin, calm down. Don't let the younger generation of Lingyin Mountain see us making a fool of ourselves..."

...