Chapter 32

The disciple introduced the pills with a gentle tone: "The red one is called the Qi Gathering Pill. After taking it, the speed of true qi accumulation will increase for two hours. The yellow one is called the Earth Qi Pill, which can increase the speed of true qi circulation in the meridians, enhancing the effectiveness of true qi cultivation. The green one is called the Spirit Concentration Pill, which can maintain the best mental state for two hours during cultivation, ensuring the process of cultivating true qi is always optimal."

"May I ask, Senior Brother, how much would these pills cost if bought with money?"

"One hundred gold coins each. Cultivation is more important than money for the disciples of the Divine Gate. Junior Brother, don't be like those who lack ambition and only think about selling the pills for money! The power of magical weapons is ultimately based on one's own strength. If the desire for magical weapons surpasses the desire for cultivation, that is putting the cart before the horse."

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother." Although Hengyi had no such intention, he had grown accustomed to these things since joining the San Yuan Sect. He knew how to treat his senior brothers and sisters based on how the junior disciples treated him.

Seeing that Hengyi had no other questions, the man smiled and bid farewell. These were all peak disciples who were thirty years old, having passed the main cultivation period. They were responsible for various tasks within the sect, mostly orphans who were brought up in the Peak Sect and considered it their home.

Hengyi was very curious and tempted by the pills, but after much thought, he put them away with the immortal fruits.

'They might not be of much help to me... or they might not help at all, but they could be of great help to my master and the junior disciples. I'll leave them for my master and the junior disciples.'

Hengyi knew these pills were very expensive. The pills of the Peak Sect were more effective and valuable than those of the Lake Sea Sect. If they had to be bought with money, his master and the others would definitely not be able to afford them. These pills were clearly meant to be taken three times a day. If they had to be bought, even the Lake Sea Sect would not be able to bear the cost for long. Hengyi had heard that the pills Hu Shan used to take cost five gold coins a day, and they were not even produced by the Lake Sea Sect but bought from the market in Lake Sea City.

Before coming, Hengyi had already practiced true qi for some time. Since he could remember, he had formed the habit of absorbing the energy of heaven and earth and practicing the incantations in his dreams. Nothing could easily interrupt or delay him. At that time, he just thought that if he became stronger, he could climb out of the ice valley and see what was outside. After meeting Da Yuan, he knew it was cultivation and would not delay it.

Hengyi flew down from the ten-zhang-high tree house and wandered through the forest, noticing that all the tree houses for the third level of Earth Rank were empty.

He wasn't sure if no one was there or if they were just not in the houses.

'It turns out that reaching the third level of Earth Rank at sixteen is really rare... Unfortunately, I don't know if I have truly reached it.' This situation made Hengyi feel a bit lonely, so he headed toward the area of the second level of Earth Rank tree houses. However, after flying for a while and counting hundreds of trees, they were all still empty! "Am I living alone in a large forest?"

Hengyi was not afraid of this loneliness, but he didn't particularly like it either. He had gotten used to loneliness in the ice valley, but after meeting his master, he realized what loneliness truly was. In comparison, he naturally preferred not to be lonely and to interact with others.

'Bai Jie asked me to visit her when I have time. She said she was afraid. The sect rules don't say we can't move around freely, so I'll go to North Elephant Mountain!' Hengyi remembered the approximate location of North Elephant Mountain that Chen Zizai had mentioned. Believing the situation there was similar, he decided to go and find it. He used the wind control technique to fly over the tall and sturdy divine trees, heading north.

North Elephant Mountain.

The place where sixteen-year-old disciples practiced and lived.

Hu Baijie was assigned a tree house for the second level of Earth Rank, but she was not as lonely as Hengyi. Her tree house was near the first level of Earth Rank, and she had three senior brothers and sisters at the second level of Earth Rank nearby.

After eating the immortal fruit for dinner, Hu Baijie had not yet recovered enough to practice. She stayed in the tree house, feeling uneasy.

Sure enough, after dinner, a voice came from outside the tree house. "Why is Junior Sister Hu Baijie always staying in the house? Are you looking down on us, your senior brothers and sisters, and not even greeting us?"

Hu Baijie immediately understood that the person was not friendly. As she walked to the door, she confirmed that these people were sent to target her.

A large group of people surrounded the tree house. The person speaking wore the sect uniform indicating the second level of Earth Rank for sixteen-year-olds, indeed her neighbor, but there were also a few from the eighteen-year-old cultivation area.

Hu Baijie gritted her teeth, knowing that Chen Zizai's cat-and-mouse game had begun. Should she endure silently? Let them bully her? If that could change things, Hu Baijie would be willing, but she knew it wouldn't change the outcome and would only make them more aggressive and reckless, doing even worse things!

"Junior Sister has just arrived and doesn't know anyone. I hope all the senior brothers and sisters will take care of me."

"Of course, we will take care of you! But we need to see if you are truly talented. Can a mere Lake Sea Sect produce a genius who reaches the second level of Earth Rank at sixteen? We need to verify the truth before we can understand, trust, and take care of you. Since we have free time, let's have a friendly competition. If you are truly talented, that's fine. I am also at the second level of Earth Rank. If you lose in a few moves, you will have to be punished!"

The woman was thin and her eyes gleamed with mockery, clearly enjoying the situation. She was obviously not a good person.

Hu Baijie knew that the people of the Divine Gate, regardless of their background, were all treated with great favor due to their talent. They were used to being high and mighty, proud and self-important, and accustomed to the reality of the strong ruling. No one would look down on her Lake Sea Sect background! To put it bluntly, the Lake Sea Sect was just a basic sect of the Divine Gate. Even though it had been upgraded to a 20,000-mile level, it still could not compare to many other Divine Gates.

"Senior Sister, you are joking. I have just arrived and don't know any of the sect's techniques. How can I be your match?"

"Stop making excuses! If you are truly talented, why so many excuses? Let's have a friendly competition. Otherwise, all of us will challenge you together!" The woman clearly had no patience for Hu Baijie's words. She shouted, and a pair of rings on her hand glowed with golden light. "I think you are just showing off your body! What second level of Earth Rank? I bet it's all fake, just to get favors in bed! A mere Lake Sea Sect would do anything to climb up and join the Peak Sect!"

This was clearly bullying. Hu Baijie saw that her opponent's magical weapons were three levels higher than hers, and the sect supporting her was likely one of the eight major sects of the Peak Star or the top sect on some planet. Otherwise, she wouldn't have such financial resources and would have learned many of the Peak Sect's techniques. How could Hu Baijie possibly win? But whether she fought or not, she couldn't avoid it. The humiliating words made her even angrier. Hu Baijie steeled her resolve, took off her outer robe, activated the goddess suit inside, summoned the golden light shield, and held the golden light sword.

As soon as she took off her outer robe, the male disciples of the first level of Earth Rank around her burst into a cacophony of shouts and comments.

"The first most fearsome weapon of the Divine Gate! It lives up to its name!"

"Junior Sister, why don't you just come to our tree houses for a friendly competition? We will recognize you as a genius of the second level of Earth Rank and take care of you every day! Why use a sword and shield?"

"That's a good idea! Junior Sister, as long as you come to our tree houses for a friendly competition, I will recognize you as a genius of the second level of Earth Rank!"

A woman sneered, "In bed, she is not just at the second level of Earth Rank, but at the level of the Lord of the Stars!"

Among the three from the eighteen-year-old cultivation area, two were intensely interested in Hu Baijie's body. One asked, "Senior Brother, do you want to go first?"

"Wouldn't it be bad if Elder Xiang knew?" The man was tempted but had some reservations.

"What's to be afraid of? She wouldn't dare to report it! If she is smart, we will take care of her for being obedient in bed. If not, she won't even be able to stay here!" Another person laughed and encouraged, actually wanting to do it but not wanting to be the first, so he encouraged his senior brother.

"… Fine! The Lake Sea Sect is nothing. I don't think she will dare to speak up." The man, encouraged, weighed the pros and cons and decided to go through with it.

The woman beside them was unhappy and sneered, biting her lower lip, feeling angry at Hu Baijie. Hearing the words of the two senior brothers, she deliberately poured cold water, "I heard her man is Hengyi from the Lake Sea Sect, who can fight dozens in a row, a genius like a divine being."

"Can the Lake Sea Sect produce such a person? This is just a lie to fool people. Junior Sister, do you really believe it? It's a joke. Fighting dozens without a break, unless he is at the Heaven Rank, how can his true qi last? The Lake Sea Sect is really bold to make such a claim. I will expose that fraud sooner or later. What's the problem with using his woman? I just hope he doesn't come!"

Hearing this name, the two eighteen-year-old geniuses were furious. They were already geniuses, and hearing that a sixteen-year-old had reached the third level of Earth Rank made them uncomfortable. They knew that reaching the third level of Earth Rank at sixteen made it highly likely to break through to the Heaven Rank, which meant better talent than them.

Originally, it would have been fine, but now the Divine Gates on the Peak Star were all talking about Hengyi, the genius who could fight dozens. This made them not just uncomfortable but contemptuous, wanting to defeat him quickly and not believing such rumors at all!

The junior sister was furious. She was a genius among the eighteen-year-olds, usually liked by everyone, and people always wanted to get close to her. Now, her two senior brothers were so captivated by Hu Baijie that they were willing to risk punishment from Elder Xiang to take her. This made her feel inferior. She immediately urged the sixteen-year-old female leader, "Xia, stop talking! Get rid of her quickly!"

Xia, the challenging woman, was already jealous and angry. She cursed these men for being lustful and found Hu Baijie's flaunting of her natural assets extremely hateful. Hearing the eighteen-year-old senior sister's urging, she immediately flashed forward, her flying speed suddenly doubling as she charged straight at Hu Baijie!