Chapter 20

Hubei Jie no longer fed Hengyi vegetables; instead, she drank cup after cup of alcohol by herself.

When the banquet was over, she leaned on Hengyi's shoulder, her breath reeking of alcohol, and said, "Take me back, I'm drunk."

Hengyi squatted down to carry her, but Hubei Jie asked, "Can't you carry me?"

Hengyi quickly picked her up in his arms, confident and full of pride. "I can carry six pigs at once!"

"..." Hubei Jie stared at Hengyi for a moment, then softly asked, "Do I look like a pig?"

Hengyi shook his head quickly. "You're much lighter than a pig! By the way, where do you live?"

"..." Hubei Jie took a deep breath. She really wanted to punch Hengyi! "On the top of North Mountain, in the Wind and Cloud Hall."

Hengyi nodded, then asked in confusion, "Weren't you drunk?"

"..." Hubei Jie closed her eyes and leaned on Hengyi's shoulder, pretending to be asleep.

Hengyi chuckled. "Just like Third Master, you were talking clearly just now, but suddenly fell asleep. But you're better, you don't vomit when you're drunk."

As Hengyi carried Hubei Jie out, many disciples of the Lake and Sea Sect saw them. Some sighed and shook their heads, while others looked up at the moon and dramatically shouted, "Why not me!"

Chen Shao and Hai Yuntian were talking. When they saw Hengyi pass by, they both stepped forward and bowed.

Chen Shao glanced at Hubei Jie in Hengyi's arms and smiled. "I told you, the Lake and Sea Sect is too small for you. If it weren't for Hubei Jie, today's performance would have been a one-man show of dominance."

"Indeed, the Lake and Sea Sect is too small for you," Hai Yuntian said with a sigh.

"Senior Brothers, I think the Lake and Sea Immortal Mountain is quite large..." Hengyi was speaking when Hubei Jie in his arms hummed and snuggled closer to him.

Chen Shao smiled. "Junior Brother, you should take her back. We can talk another day."

"Junior Brother takes his leave." Hengyi nodded slightly and walked away with Hubei Jie.

Not far away, he saw Dayuan and a group of fellow disciples, including Wang Feizi.

"Master, she's drunk. I'm taking her back."

Dayuan smiled and nodded, leading the disciples away. Wang Feizi kept looking back until Hengyi carried Hubei Jie and flew away...

After flying for a while, Hubei Jie suddenly opened her eyes and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Are you awake? It's past the third watch. I'm going to the Rainbow Hall."

"Take me back first."

"If you're awake, why don't you go back yourself? I promised Senior Sister Hai Shan to test my cultivation at the True Qi Gate. I can't break my word." Hengyi's serious expression made Hubei Jie smile, but her smile quickly faded. "I'm not awake yet." She closed her eyes again.

"..." Hengyi muttered, "You can wake up in the middle of being drunk..." He flew to the Rainbow Hall, where there were still many people. Tomorrow was the preliminary round of the Ten Heroes competition, and many disciples were gathered here, chatting and discussing. When they saw Hengyi carrying Hubei Jie, many disciples whistled and cheered.

Seeing the crowd, Hengyi couldn't find Hai Shan, so he flew higher, absorbing the natural energy of heaven and earth, covering his body with a layer of red light to make it easier for Hai Shan to see him.

Sure enough, Hai Shan soon flew up. Seeing Hengyi carrying Hubei Jie, she frowned and asked, "What's the meaning of this? Are you saying you don't have time today?"

"We're going now. After that, I'll take her back."

"Let's go!" Hai Shan flew straight toward the Hall of Rewards and Punishments.

When they landed, she looked at Hengyi and asked, "Are you okay? Is your injury not serious?"

"Thank you, Senior Sister. I'm fine."

"Don't call me Senior Sister! Don't you understand the Master's meaning? By making you the eldest disciple of the new Dharma Elder, all the disciples who want to learn the new Dharma will call you Senior Brother! The new Dharma Elder is the Master's disciple, and many of the elders in the sect are one or two generations younger than him!" As Hai Shan spoke, she moved behind Hengyi, pulled down his collar, and saw the cracked, blood-streaked patterns on his back. She snorted. "You say you're fine? How could you be fine after taking Hubei Jie's vicious Ice Flower Burst?"

"I'm much better." Hengyi still felt a chill when he thought about the situation. He had really thought he was going to die. "In a full-scale battle, it's not related to being vicious, right?"

Hai Shan chuckled. "You're defending her so quickly? But I'm not talking about the battle. I'm talking about how she pretended to be drunk and let you carry her even though you were injured like this!"

Hengyi looked down at Hubei Jie in his arms, who didn't seem to be pretending. "Look, she's drunk."

Hai Shan glared at him, her hands behind her back as she walked into the Hall of Rewards and Punishments. "I don't even want to look! She bet and drank a whole jar of wine in public when she was eight and won a magical artifact, and she was fine afterward. She's a person who can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. If she's not pretending, it's a ghost! She's just being cautious because I invited you, which is unnecessary! If the Hu family values someone, would our Hai family dare to snatch them? She's just petty and vicious, very cunning and sly!"

Hengyi shook Hubei Jie in his arms. "Are you pretending to be drunk?"

Hai Shan chuckled, holding her stomach and leaning against the wall, laughing uncontrollably until tears streamed down her face. "Are you stupid? Even if she's pretending, you shouldn't ask like that. You should pretend not to believe her to be smart."

"I think she's really drunk." Hengyi looked at Hai Shan seriously, who nodded in approval. "Right, you should pretend to believe her to be smart. We're here. Let me carry her, you go in quickly!"

In front of them was a door emitting a hazy white light, with no frame, purely formed by energy. On the ground was a glowing Five Elements array, continuously emitting bright white light.

Hengyi was about to hand Hubei Jie to Hai Shan when she suddenly moved and hugged him.

Hai Shan said irritably, "She's getting back at me! It's fine, just carry her over. I just need a rough idea. I already know she's at the Second Level of Earth Realm, and the True Qi Gate will take the higher level."

Hengyi took a deep breath, feeling a mix of nervousness and anticipation. He had long wanted to know his own strength, and even if Hai Shan hadn't invited him, he would have come today.

One step, just one step, and he could cross the hazy light curtain of the True Qi Gate. But as he approached, Hengyi hesitated. What level had his strength reached?

He really wanted to know, but at the same time, he was a bit afraid to find out.

"Go in quickly!" Hai Shan urged impatiently from behind. Hengyi took a deep breath and stepped through.

After walking through, he quickly turned to look at the True Qi Gate.

A moment later, the gate glowed with a hazy yellow light, and two yellow flames appeared on it.

"Second Level of Earth Realm? The same as Hubei Jie..." Hai Shan muttered, looking at the gate's reaction. Suddenly, her face darkened. "Absolutely impossible! If you were the same as her, you wouldn't have been able to withstand her Light Shield Impact followed by the Ice Flower Burst today!"

Hengyi didn't think much of it. This level of cultivation was far beyond his expectations. Although he believed he should have Earth Realm cultivation, he was still worried that his victory might have been due to his ability to absorb the natural energy of heaven and earth, not his actual strength. He was afraid that the test results might show him as a Law Realm or Heaven Realm cultivator.

"It's already very high!"

Hai Shan rushed through the True Qi Gate and forcefully pulled Hubei Jie's hands from Hengyi's back. "Stop fooling around!"

Hai Shan took Hubei Jie in her arms. "It's impossible. Hubei Jie's magical artifacts can boost her True Qi to the Third Level of Earth Realm. The Light Shield Impact from the Heavenly King Sect would significantly weaken the ability of the target to withstand damage. You have no magical artifacts, and with just Second Level Earth Realm cultivation, you would have been dead! At least Third Level!" Although Hubei Jie was seven years younger, she was taller and more mature, looking like a little sister hugging a big sister. "Try again!"

Hengyi crossed the True Qi Gate again. When he looked back, the gate still glowed white, with no change.

"..." Hai Shan stared in shock, examining the Five Elements array on the ground. The energy glow was stable and orderly, so it couldn't be a malfunction. "Cultivate your True Qi, cultivate your True Qi and try again!"

Hengyi suddenly realized that the True Qi Gate might only test the True Qi a cultivator naturally possesses. He didn't have any True Qi himself. When he crossed the gate earlier, he had already been maintaining a state of absorbing a certain amount of True Qi, as he had learned from a near-death experience when a wolf attacked him during practice. Since then, he had always maintained a state of absorbing at least 30-50% of the surrounding True Qi energy to prevent unexpected situations.

"Quick, cultivate your True Qi and try again!" Hai Shan looked even more anxious than he did. Hengyi judged that the result wouldn't be different, but he still absorbed and gathered as much True Qi as possible, covering his body with a hazy red light, and crossed the True Qi Gate again.

When he turned to look, the True Qi Gate still showed no change...

"How can this be..." Hai Shan was baffled. She had never heard of the True Qi Gate malfunctioning when it was operating stably. She racked her brain for reasons, her hands hanging down, and Hubei Jie almost slipped from her arms. Fortunately, she quickly put her feet on the ground.

"Are you awake?"

"I would have been killed if I didn't wake up!" Hubei Jie took a deep breath. Seeing Hai Shan frowning and troubled, she was also full of questions. She and Hai Shan both knew that the difference in True Qi purity between major realms was significant. It was almost impossible for lower-level True Qi to defeat higher-level True Qi. Even within the same Earth Realm, the difference in True Qi between levels was nearly double, and the difference in damage and resistance was also nearly double without magical artifacts. Not to mention that both she and Hai Shan believed Hengyi should be at least Third Level Earth Realm.

Seeing that Hengyi was indeed in a state of cultivating True Qi, Hubei Jie suggested he try again.

Hengyi crossed the True Qi Gate again, but it still showed no reaction.

"Is it because of the injury?" Hai Shan asked Hubei Jie, though she herself thought it was impossible.

Hubei Jie lightly touched her lips, also racking her brain for reasons.

Hengyi stood silently. He already knew the reason, but Dayuan had instructed him not to tell anyone. He could only watch Hai Shan and Hubei Jie struggle. 'You'll never figure it out...'

Seeing them struggling, Hengyi felt sorry for them. "Stop thinking about it. It's late, go back and rest."

"I can't sleep without figuring it out!" Hai Shan quickly flipped through a book about the True Qi Gate's array, trying to find any unnoticed problems.

Hubei Jie helped, and every time they had an idea, they would urge Hengyi to try again. An hour passed, and they still had no clue.

Hengyi focused on cultivating and practicing for a while. When his meridians needed rest, he found a book to read. When the two women called him, he would stand up and cross the True Qi Gate.

Hubei Jie, out of options, went out and called the Chief Elder, who confirmed that the Five Elements array had no problems.

The Chief Elder was also stunned by this inexplicable situation and joined the investigation...

By morning, the True Qi Gate in the Hall of Rewards and Punishments had gathered 23 elders, and even Hu San came.

Hengyi listened to their heated discussions and saw many people busy testing, feeling guilty but unable to reveal the truth.

By lunchtime, everyone finally gave up.

"I'll try to find out. Go back and rest," Hu San said, frowning. He, too, wanted to know Hengyi's true cultivation level, but this inexplicable situation was something he had never even heard of in his 300 years of life! The only people who showed no reaction when crossing the True Qi Gate were those who hadn't cultivated or couldn't cultivate True Qi.

Hengyi left with Dayuan, returning to the newly established Dharma Transmission Hall. The disciples sent by San Yuan had all arrived, and Wang Feizi, with the permission of the accompanying elder, happily stayed.

San Yuan would soon be transferred to help, clearly a move by Hu San to win people's hearts, but it was also a cause for joy, as Hengyi had always missed his Third Master, with whom he spoke the most.

Hubei Jie left the Hall of Rewards and Punishments with Hu San, still puzzled by Hengyi's situation.

"Master, I think Hengyi's situation is very strange."

Hu San shook his head, not wanting to discuss it further. They had already discussed it enough in the Hall of Rewards and Punishments, and it had exhausted a group of elders. Hengyi was indeed unusual, having fought so many people and withstood Hubei Jie's heavy blow, yet his combat power in subsequent battles showed no signs of weakening, as if his True Qi had not been depleted at all! He always thought Hengyi hadn't given his all, but the True Qi Gate not only failed to provide an answer but added an even more inexplicable question. "How are you getting along?"

Hubei Jie felt a mix of emotions, unsure where to start... But in the end, her answer was simple. "It's going well." Only she knew that the experience was far from what she could describe to others.

"Master, Hai Shan is a bit of a hindrance."

Hu San frowned, impatiently saying, "Ignore that dim-witted girl!"

Hubei Jie could tell that Hai Shan had once troubled Hu San, to the point where he avoided her as much as possible, treating her as if she didn't exist. The reasons were not worth exploring.