The Eternal Heart

"Wang Lingyun, it really is you!"

Chen Yu was already certain that the Wang Clan wouldn't set up an assassination scheme with such effort for a mere Half Soul Physique like him.

Besides, the Chen Clan's true genius "Chen Ying'er" was already exposed to the world, so that woman should be the one the Wang Clan held the most restraining fear toward and most threatened by.

Thump!

Chen Yu's figure swayed and charged into the dense forest with a surge of wind surrounding him.

He wouldn't give up so easily.

"Hurry, run!"

There was a batch of masked people currently retreating in the dense forest. Every single one of them was carrying heavy crossbows on their backs.

Not only were these crossbowers at the Body Tempering stage, they were also carrying heavy crossbows on their backs. In that state, how could they outrun Chen Yu?

"Die!"

Soon, Chen Yu caught up to one crossbower and launched his Fiendish Cloud Fist which bore frightening fiendish qi. He sent him flying with one punch and killed him.

The remaining crossbowers were so scared that they fled in a panic.

After entering this dense forest, Chen Yu's profound martial arts form simply wasn't afraid of their Armor Cleaving Arrows due to the complex terrain, as well as the fact that there were too many things blocking him.

"Ah, ah, ah..."

Blood-curdling screeches rose and fell in succession in the dense forest.

Chen Yu's Fiendish Cloud Fist had majestic fiendish might. He could kill these crossbowers at the Body Tempering stage in an instant while it was only somewhat mature. He didn't even need to use Inner Breath.

The target who the fiendish might had locked in place trembled as he was fearful. He simply didn't have any power to retaliate at all.

After experiencing a round of killing, Chen Yu only felt that the netherworldly fiendish Inner Breath in his body became increasingly violent and smooth. There was a faint sense of progress with regards to the bottleneck he faced in his Fiendish Cloud Boxing Technique and Inner Breath.

"This boy is practically a fiendish star."

The expert at the late Connective Meridian stage wielding the bow felt disturbed in his heart. With the help of his familiarity over the terrain as well as the blockade of the crossbowers behind, he finally escaped Chen Yu's line of sight.

Unfortunately, Chen Yu killed every single one of the remaining crossbowers at the Body Tempering stage.

Not only did he kill them, he even destroyed all of their heavy crossbows.

Chen Yu knew that a lot of meticulous care and financial resources were needed to nurture such a loyal batch of crossbowers, including the purchasing of the Armor Cleaving Crossbows, which had a considerable price.

"Humph! Wang Lingyun… I'll only collect a little bit of interest from you this time."

Chen Yu didn't continue pursuing him.

Wang Lingyun was based in the sect. They would run into each other sooner or later. There would be ample time for that later. On top of that, he would always have the opportunity to deal with that boy.

An hour later.

In front of a concealed cave on the other side of the canyon.

Whoosh, whoosh!

The expert wielding the spear was gasping for breath as he arrived before a gloomy and unresigned young man in green garments.

"Young Nephew Lingyun!"

The middle-aged man wielding the spear had a very unsightly expression. "We listened to you this time and set a trap to kill this boy, but the clan lost five experts at the Connective Meridian stage, in addition, 20 crossbowers which we nurtured with utmost care."

The Wang Clan tried to steal a chicken, but lost rice instead and suffered a disastrous loss from the ambush they prepared this time!

"This boy definitely has a stroke of luck..."

Wing Lingyun gnashed his teeth. A look of tyranny and rage showed on his face as he was extremely disturbed.

He clenched his fists tightly to the point where his fingernails dug into his skin as a hint of blood seeped out of his palm.

"To hell with his fortune!"

The middle-aged man wielding the spear practically abused him roundly. "You swayed your Fourth Uncle and I by saying that this boy might possibly have Space Metal Meteorite Fragments on his person. Looking at the current situation, even if this boy obtained one or two Space Metal Meteorite Fragments through a fluke, I'm afraid he has already digested it a long time ago and used it to increase his strength."

In reality, the majority of the Clan Elders in the Wang Clan initially disagreed with the "interceptive attack plan" Wang Lingyun suggested.

After all, the one the Wang Clan held the most restraining fear toward was Chen Ying'er, the brilliant disciple of an Elder.

Wang Lingyun made an attempt to rope in two of his uncles afterwards. He only managed to persuade the two Clan Elders by saying that he was certain Chen Yu had a fortune on him and it was very possible that he held Space Metal Meteorite Fragments on his person.

Unfortunately for him, the final outcome was actually so miserable.

Other than this middle-aged man wielding the spear, the Wang Clan could be said to have faced a complete wipeout in their interceptive attack this time.

"I will assume responsibility for the defeat this time."

Wang Lingyun took a deep breath and finally calmed himself down.

No matter how he put it, he urgently needed valuable assistance in resources from his sect before becoming an inner sect disciple.

"But I won't give up just like this! Even if I'm willing to give up, that Chen Yu wouldn't let me get away with it. I don't have a way out anymore..."

Strong murderous intent and absolute severity flashed in Wang Lingyun's eyes.

"Humph! Even if you and I join forces, we might not be a match for that boy. That boy's powerful and tyrannical defensive abilities might not be a simple restraining external technique."

The middle-aged man wielding the spear wasn't optimistic.

"I admit I'm not a match for him now. There are also extremely few people who can deal with him in the secular world, but there are too many people in the sect who can pinch him to death. By lucky coincidence, I, Wang Lingyun am in a sect and have vast relations with people. I have at least ten ways in which I can harm him..."

A hint of cruelty and coldness appeared on Wang Lingyun's calm face.

The expert wielding the spear next to him felt an ineffable chill run down his spine.

...

Chen Yu reached Yunyue Sect a few days later.

The first thing Chen Yu did upon returning to the sect was to go to Heavenly Martial Pavilion to choose a mid-ranked martial arts skill. After all, he wouldn't let a free benefit from advancing to the Connective Meridian stage go to waste.

Chen Yu didn't meet the old man with the reddened face from before this time.

Chen Yu obtained a mid-ranked martial arts skill called [Wind Chopping Sword] from a middle-aged attendant.

The [Wind Chopping Sword] focused on ultimate speed, so it paired up very well with the Wind Song Dagger he possessed.

When he returned to his residence, Chen Yu tried practicing the [Wind Chopping Sword].

In actuality, he chose this sword-play martial arts skill not because of his main cultivation, nor did he prepare it specially for the Wind Song Dagger.

He planned to verify a matter!

"My innate skill in physical techniques is as though a deity is helping me in my cultivation of boxing techniques. I wonder what my innate skill is like with respect to weapons like the blade and sword," Chen Yu said in his heart.

Three days later.

Chen Yu held the Wind Song Dagger and gently brandished it until it gave rise to a ball of fierce dagger shadows and brutal winds. A strong wind roared as the sword-play and martial arts form intertwined.

Chen Yu's cultivation progress in the [Wind Chopping Sword] wasn't considered to be too bad. He had unconsciously cultivated it to its introductory stage.

Such progress was sufficient to amaze a few inner sect disciples.

However, this progress was still much slower than Chen Yu's martial arts skills of the boxing technique kind, but it was much faster than cultivating the Fiendish Cloud Inner Breath.

At this moment, Chen Yu validated his aptitude.

His aptitude was certainly inclined toward physical techniques, and he could be said to be gifted in physical techniques!

The conclusion he got was:

It could be said that his progress in cultivation was like that of a monstrous genius if he solely used his body and limbs, such as body tempering and physical techniques, as well as martial arts skills of the punching and kicking type.

Other than that, he was considered to be a first-class genius in weapon type martial arts skills, for example, in sword-play and blade techniques.

In the end, his aptitude was very average in the aspect of mental techniques as it was inclined toward the agreement of his energy system.

After sussing out the truth behind his aptitude, Chen Yu heaved a sigh of relief in his mind.

Even if his cultivation aptitude couldn't be considered to be perfect, it had its original superiority.

"Since that's the case..."

Chen Yu's gaze flickered as a faint cultivation train of thought appeared in his mind after he validated his aptitude.

Based on this cultivation train of thought, there shouldn't be a problem with him ascending to the middle Connective Meridian stage and face a further improvement in strength before the "Great Outer Sect Tournament" if things went rather smoothly.

...

The next day.

Chen Yu got up and headed for the Sect Affairs Hall.

He didn't come here to take on a sect mission this time, but rather it was to gather and exchange a few spirit medicinal ingredients.

Other than issuing and accepting missions, one could also exchange a few common spirit materials and pills in the Sect Affairs Hall. The most common of the lot were a few healing medications and pills to aid cultivation.

In a side palace hall.

"A total of one 120 Substandard Metastones and 210 Contribution Points. Also, the 'Barbaric Cow Marrow' and 'Constituent Grass' that you need are relatively hard to come by, so we don't have them in stock at the present time," said an attendant dressed in red robes in a dull tone.

That much?

Chen Yu was startled as it was a little unexpected.

He was gathering these spirit materials for the other Body Tempering prescription that was slightly higher than the commoner prescription written in the [Bronze Statue Technique].

This second Body Tempering prescription was relatively low-end in the [Bronze Statue Technique] as well, but it no longer used ordinary precious materials in the secular world for this prescription.

Even if Chen Yu had anticipated this in advance, the final price still exceeded his expectations.

The most crucial thing was that he wasn't able to exchange the currencies he had for the "Barbaric Cow Marrow", which was the main ingredient of this prescription, yet he had used so many Metastones and Contribution Points merely for the seven or eight other kinds of supplementary spirit materials.

"Too expensive? Heh..."

The attendant in red robes laughed in an odd manner. "The materials in my Sect Affairs Hall are naturally more than 20% more expensive than if you were to purchase them in private outside. If not, it's even cheaper if you take the trouble to search for them one by one."

Chen Yu didn't waste time talking rubbish with him. He paid him the Metastone and Contribution Points in exchange for these supplementary materials.

There was still half a month left until the "Great Outer Sect Tournament". Where did he have so much time to search for those precious supplementary materials one by one?

At this point in time, Chen Yu now had hardly any Contribution Points left on him. Also, he had less than a hundred Substandard Metastones remaining.

Chen Yu could only think of a way to get the two remaining kinds of spirit materials, "Barbaric Cow Marrow" and "Constituent Grass".

He walked out of the Sect Affairs Hall.

Chen Yu ran into a familiar person — it was a man with triangular eyes.

It was Ding Jiuhui.

"Younger Martial Brother Chen? You came to the Sect Affairs Hall to gather materials?"

Ding Jiuhui greeted Chen Yu with a smile.

Ever since that beheading of the "Bear King" mission, Ding Jiuhui had a whole new level of respect for Chen Yu.

If Chen Yu didn't make a move that way, he wouldn't be able to ascend to the middle Connective Meridian stage smoothly either.

Now, Chen Yu had ascended to the Connective Meridian stage and was an official outer sect disciple. Ding Jiuhui naturally viewed such a capable person in a new light.

"That's right. I'm still missing two precious materials."

Chen Yu tossed the bag in his hands and explained his own specific circumstances.

"Oh?"

"It isn't cheap gathering materials in the Sect Affairs Hall, but if you're only lacking two kinds of precious materials that are slightly hard to come by, you can go to the 'Outer Sect Social Gathering' the day after tomorrow to try your luck."

Outer Sect Social Gathering?

Chen Yu was stunned. Soon after, he recalled a few rumors about this social gathering.

"Younger Martial Brother Chen has ascended to the Connective Meridian stage and is already an official disciple now, so you should have access to this 'circle' already. Why don't I take you in?"

Ding Jiuhui suddenly had a flash of realization.

As it turned out, this "Outer Sect Social Gathering" was normally directed at veteran disciples in the outer sect. They had to ascend to the Connective Meridian stage at the very least.

Chen Yu was only at the Body Tempering stage in the past and was a marginalized individual in the outer sect, so he naturally hadn't entered that small circle before.

"Then, I thank Martial Brother for his troubles."

Chen Yu expressed his thanks in a hurry.

Based on what he knew, this Outer Sect Social Gathering was a small activity where veteran disciples from the outer sect exchanged martial arts experience and boosted each other.

Moreover, veteran disciples could make transactions of resources with one another during the Social Gathering.

Chen Yu had been looking forward to this Social Gathering for a very long time.

It was said that a few true geniuses and elites from the outer sect would appear in the Social Gatherings from time to time.

"I hope I will be able to gain from the Social Gathering the day after tomorrow."

Chen Yu returned to his residence where he sat cross-legged and started cultivating.

The gathering of that prescription was also an important thing in his cultivation train of thought. The key whether he could charge into the inner sect or not was with the [Bronze Statue Technique]!