Chapter 13

"Sha Fei, what are you packing for? What are you doing?" Ye Zhen rushed back to the room and, seeing Sha Fei silently packing his belongings without a word, couldn't help but become anxious.

Before he could answer Ye Zhen, a trace of sorrow flashed across Sha Fei's face.

"Originally, the chance of me breaking through from the second level of Blood Cultivation to the third level within a day or two was already very slim. Now that I have internal injuries, that hope is even more remote. Rather than waiting to be expelled from the sect in disgrace after the final exam, it's better for me to leave quietly in advance. At least that way, I can save some face," Sha Fei said.

After speaking, Sha Fei pointed to a vial of Blood Essence Soup on the bedside table and said, "I'm leaving. This thing is no longer useful to me. You might as well drink my portion too; it might be of some help to you."

"Sha Fei, you..." Ye Zhen could see the regret in Sha Fei's eyes. Everyone knew that once Sha Fei left, he would be completely cut off from the path of martial arts and could only live the rest of his life as an ordinary person, aimlessly.

"Ye Zhen, don't say anything more. This isn't your fault. Even if I hadn't been injured, the chance of me breaking through to the third level of Blood Cultivation within a day or two was almost zero. If I have to blame anyone, it can only be myself."

At this point, Sha Fei suddenly raised his fist at Ye Zhen, a smile breaking out on his face that he couldn't suppress, "But, before I leave, being able to see Ma Yuanwu, Wu Jian, and those ruffians get such a severe punishment is enough to erase any regret, even though I didn't do it myself!"

"Actually, you might have another chance to personally beat up Ma Yuanwu and Wu Jian," Ye Zhen suddenly said, picking up on Sha Fei's words.

"What?" Sha Fei was taken aback and then shook his head with a bitter smile.

Just as Sha Fei was shaking his head with a bitter smile, Ye Zhen handed him his own vial of Blood Essence Soup, "I heard that if a servant disciple who has been stuck in cultivation for a long time drinks two vials of Blood Essence Soup in a row, the enhanced medicinal power might help them break through."

"Is that true? I've been in the sect longer than you, why haven't I heard of it?" Sha Fei frowned, clearly not believing it.

"Why worry so much? We have two vials of Blood Essence Soup right now. Just try it and you'll know. Come, let me help you open them." Saying this, Ye Zhen took the initiative to open the two vials of Blood Essence Soup for Sha Fei.

Unnoticed, when he avoided Sha Fei's gaze, Ye Zhen mixed in two drops of Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid that he had deliberately saved tonight into the two vials of Blood Essence Soup.

"Come, try it quickly. Refine these two vials of Blood Essence Soup, and you might be able to break through." Ye Zhen urged.

"This is unlikely, right? I've saved Blood Essence Soup before, and it didn't seem to have any miraculous effects," Sha Fei said, but under Ye Zhen's urging, he eventually drank the two vials of Blood Essence Soup that Ye Zhen handed him.

When Sha Fei sat cross-legged on the bed, Ye Zhen saw the veins on his forehead bulge. Ye Zhen knew that the powerful medicinal power of the Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid had taken effect.

"Will Sha Fei be able to break through now?" Ye Zhen muttered to himself, involuntarily thinking about the secret cave on the cliff from tonight.

Ever since he accidentally broke the stalactite in the secret cave last night, Ye Zhen's heart had been in suspense, fearing that the broken stalactite would no longer drip Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid, which would make him cry.

But to Ye Zhen's delight, at midnight tonight, the broken stalactite still dripped two drops of Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid as usual. This made Ye Zhen both happy and surprised, and it confirmed something for him.

The Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid that dripped here was definitely not generated by the stalactite. The source of the Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid must be something else.

Perhaps, by following the broken stalactite, he could find the treasure that generates the Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid. For a moment, Ye Zhen even had the urge to dig and explore.

But after struggling for a while, Ye Zhen still resisted this impulse.

Perhaps the Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid is truly generated by the essence of heaven and earth. If he dug, it might disappear. Moreover, even if he did find some treasure, Ye Zhen felt that with his current cultivation, it wouldn't be a good thing.

For now, it was most practical to enjoy two drops of Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid every day.

Maybe when Ye Zhen's cultivation improves in the future, he would thoroughly investigate the matter.

In the dead of night, Sha Fei's voice of wild joy, tinged with surprise and even a hint of tears, echoed.

"Broken through, really broken through! Ye Zhen, I really broke through!"

Seeing Sha Fei, covered in black mud, pounce at him, Ye Zhen, without thinking, kicked him away. With two drops of Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid, it would be strange if he didn't break through.

"I'm not interested in men, let alone 'stinky men'..." Ye Zhen laughed and scolded.

"Huh, why am I so dirty?" But the joy of breaking through quickly overshadowed this question, and Sha Fei ran towards the mountain pond.

Watching Sha Fei's retreating figure, Ye Zhen smiled.

Sha Fei was his brother, and these two drops of Stone Marrow Spirit Liquid were worth it!

As Ye Zhen's cultivation soared from the first level of Blood Cultivation a month ago to the third level now, the annual sect exam that had once made him anxious and seemed like a mountain was passed smoothly, much to the surprise of his fellow disciples.

Ye Zhen's current goal was the upcoming opening of the sect's Fish Dragon Path.

The treatment of outer disciples and inner disciples was vastly different. Ye Zhen didn't know much, but the effects of Blood Essence Pills and Blood Essence Soup were worlds apart.

Moreover, once one became an outer disciple, they could choose their own cultivation techniques and martial skills from the sect's treasured collection. The effects and progress of self-chosen techniques and skills were far superior to the Blood Qi Formula and Bear King Mountain-Carrying Fist that servant disciples uniformly practiced.

It was said that one day of cultivation with the techniques chosen by outer disciples was equivalent to three or four days of hard practice with the Blood Qi Formula for servant disciples.

Therefore, becoming an outer disciple as soon as possible meant gaining an advantage in cultivation, which would bring immeasurable benefits to Ye Zhen's future path as a martial artist, especially for a disciple with low bloodline quality like him, where time was always the most lacking.

On the morning of the first day of the eighth month, the steward of Hundred Pine Peak, Zhao, personally escorted Ye Zhen to the location of the Qi Yun Sect's Fish Dragon Path on Donglai Peak.

Donglai Peak was vast, and the Qi Yun Sect boasted ten thousand servant disciples and three thousand outer disciples. The ten thousand servant disciples were scattered across various servant peaks, while the three thousand outer disciples, or almost all of the Qi Yun Sect's outer disciples, cultivated on Donglai Peak.

On the way, disciples from various servant peaks were constantly arriving at Donglai Peak. According to Zhao, these were the top candidates from the more than three hundred servant peaks of the Qi Yun Sect.

"Ye Zhen, I've explained all the important points about the Fish Dragon Path to you! Remember, don't be overly competitive. As long as you successfully pass the Fish Dragon Path, you can become an outer disciple."

Pausing, Zhao added, "The improvement of my Hundred Pine Peak, whether by half a rank or a full rank this year, all depends on you. If you successfully pass the Fish Dragon Path, I will have a good gift for you."

"A good gift?"

Ye Zhen smiled and nodded, "I remember, thank you, Steward Zhao!"

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PS: Just two more spots to make the list. I need recommendations, clicks, and collections. All kinds of support needed!

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