Chapter 162: Chapter 1: Demon Lion Peak’s Si Hu Studio Master (2)

It turned out that Sun Fugai’s cultivation career was quite legendary.

When he was three, he was rescued from the chaos of a mortal war by an Outer Elder of the Yinluo Sect. Seeing his exceptional innate talent, the elder brought him back to the Yinluo Sect and gave him to an Inner Sect Elder to serve as an attendant boy.

That Inner Sect Elder later achieved great success in his cultivation, broke through to the Life Soul realm, and became a Supreme Elder of the Yinluo Sect.

But that’s a story for another time.

Anyway, Sun Fugai followed the Supreme Elder in his cultivation, tending to his daily needs and never taking a single step outside the Elder’s Cave Mansion.

At the time, the Supreme Elder was in a state of semi-seclusion and saw no outside guests for years. He was also lax in his instruction of Sun Fugai, only giving him a cultivation Heart Method and letting him train ascetically day after day.

After more than ten years of this, the Supreme Elder came out of seclusion and took Sun Fugai down the mountain. Along the way, they saw many Immortal Birds and Spiritual Beasts, none of which Sun Fugai recognized. He was full of curiosity, and the Elder pointed them out and identified them one by one.

Afterwards, the two encountered a young and beautiful Female Cultivator passing by. Sun Fugai asked in surprise, "What kind of Spirit Beast is this? Why does it look like us of the Human Race, yet not quite?"

The Elder teased him, "That’s a Tiger Beast. Anyone who gets close to it will be devoured, leaving not even bones behind."

Sun Fugai obediently accepted this.

When the two returned to the Cave Mansion, the Elder asked, "Of all the things you saw down the mountain today, is there anything you can’t stop thinking about?"

Sun Fugai replied, "I don’t think about anything else, only that man-eating Tiger Beast. For some reason, my heart can’t seem to let it go."

The Elder burst out laughing and often teased Sun Fugai about it afterward.

Many years later, Sun Fugai was promoted to a True Disciple and went to cultivate on Demon Lion Peak.

The Supreme Elder gave him the elegant title of "Si Hu Studio Master of Demon Lion Peak," which quickly spread throughout the Abyssal Marsh.

Later still, Sun Fugai’s cultivation grew deeper by the day. He also took charge of the Yinluo Sect’s Law Enforcement Hall, and his authority grew ever more imposing. Gradually, no one dared to mention this old story in public anymore.

Hearing this, Fang Cheng couldn’t help but chuckle. "Food and love are humanity’s greatest desires. It’s only natural that Peak Lord Sun was attracted to beauty in his youth. For the Supreme Elder to tease him about it, he must have been an interesting person himself."

Madam Ye sighed. "You two shouldn’t discuss this matter again in the future. That Peak Lord Sun is extremely devoted. After being hurt by love in his early years, he dedicated himself to the Sword Dao and has not been with a woman since. So don’t bring up matters of romance when speaking of him."

Ye Yan’s beautiful eyes twinkled as she whispered, "Mother, can you tell me more about how he was hurt by love? I promise I won’t tell anyone else. I won’t even tell Die’Er."

Madam Ye huffed. "Alright, I won’t disturb you two from celebrating your happy occasion. I’m heading back to Star-picking Platform now."

With that, she drifted away.

...

「Chixia Peak.」

「The Wang Family.」

Inside a lavishly and elegantly decorated Cave Mansion, Wang Yuntian was hosting a banquet for several True Disciples.

The group drank and chatted merrily, the atmosphere quite lively.

As the host, Wang Yuntian wore a faint smile, but he didn’t say much during the feast.

These True Disciples were all from the Inner Sect’s Lotus Peak. The ones who had been cultivating the longest had been at it for over two hundred years, while the newer ones had been cultivating for a century.

But in front of Wang Yuntian, they were extremely respectful and adopted a humble posture.

This was because Wang Yuntian’s grandfather was the Peak Master of Lotus Peak!

The number one figure of the Wang Family’s current generation.

Among the nine Peak Masters of the Yinluo Sect’s Inner Sect, the Peak Master of Celestial City Peak was the Sect Leader, who managed all of the sect’s affairs, big and small.

The other eight Peak Masters were all figures of immense power, wielding great authority within the sect.

For example, the Peak Master of Demon Lion Peak was in charge of the Law Enforcement Hall and was decisive and ruthless.

The Peak Master of Lotus Peak, on the other hand, was in charge of the Hundred Weapons Pavilion. Whenever a master of the Yinluo Sect passed away within the sect without an heir to inherit their legacy, their Magical Artifacts would be collected by the Hundred Weapons Pavilion.

Lotus Peak was not only responsible for guarding and managing these second and third-tier Magical Artifacts, but also for arranging for Cultivators to refine and nurture them daily, continuing to raise their ranks and enrich the sect’s foundation.

Many of the Third-tier Magical Artifacts in the sect were born from the long-term accumulation in the Hundred Weapons Pavilion.

In the long run, the establishment of the Hundred Weapons Pavilion held crucial strategic importance!

Of the two Fourth-rank Magical Artifacts that suppressed the Yinluo Sect’s destiny, one had come from the Hundred Weapons Pavilion.

After Wang Yuntian advanced to the Life Talisman Realm, he naturally entered Lotus Peak to cultivate.

He had now also taken an Inner Sect Elder at the Late-Life Talisman Stage as his master.

Of the people before him, some were his fellow disciples and senior brothers, while others were from different branches of the Wang Family.

It was already common knowledge that Wang Yuntian had used Top-Grade Celestial Dew to advance to the Life Talisman Realm. Unfortunately, he had only obtained one bottle of Top-Grade Celestial Dew that day, so when he broke through, he had to supplement it with several bottles of Upper-Grade Celestial Dew.

Regardless, he was someone with the potential to reach the Life Soul realm, and his future was bright.

The only regret was the matter of his wife’s murder.

He hadn’t spoken to anyone about the events in the ruined tower after he came out, and everyone else treated it as a taboo topic. The Zhou Family had come looking for him several times, but he had coldly turned them away each time.

After he advanced to the Life Talisman Realm, the Zhou Family no longer dared to come and press the issue.

As for the Wang Family, they speculated that Wang Yuntian had suffered a setback at the hands of Cultivators from the Flame God Palace or Taihao Mountain.

A man as proud as Wang Yuntian would nurse his hatred in secret, biding his time. He certainly would not publicly admit the fact that he had been defeated.

At this moment, listening to the flattery from his fellow disciples, Wang Yuntian felt a trace of annoyance.

In truth, he would much rather be in secluded cultivation on Lotus Peak.

Unfortunately, family arrangements, networking, and maintaining relationships—all sorts of trivial matters—had tied him down, preventing him from doing as he wished.

In the midst of the laughter and conversation, a younger clansman who had grown up with Wang Yuntian and was very close to him walked into the Cave Mansion, hurried to his side, and whispered a few words in his ear.

Wang Yuntian’s expression immediately darkened.

The cheerful chatter at the banquet ceased instantly. The crowd fell silent, looking at each other in confusion.

Wang Yuntian raised his wine cup and drained it in one gulp, his cold expression turning somewhat sinister.

"Junior Brother Wang, what seems to be the matter? If there’s anything we can help with, just say the word!"

one of the True Disciples asked in a low voice.

Wang Yuntian gave a self-deprecating smile and said, "It’s nothing. Let’s continue."

The guests were momentarily baffled. Seeing that Wang Yuntian had lost his festive mood, they offered their farewells.

Wang Yuntian stood up and saw everyone to the entrance of his Cave Mansion. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Just then, one of the guests suddenly took out a brightly glowing Unity Pendant—a message was coming through.

After reading it, the man exclaimed, "The Ye Family’s son-in-law, Fang Cheng, just broke through to the Life Talisman Realm! He triggered two legendary worldly phenomenons: a Spiritual Qi vortex and Golden Lotuses blooming from the earth!"

"Is that true? It’s not just a rumor, is it?" someone asked in disbelief.

Someone else said, "Hasn’t that Fang Cheng only been in the Inner Sect for a few years? He’s already at the Life Talisman Realm?"

"It must be fake. How could a worldly phenomenon appear so easily? Junior Brother Wang is a peerless talent, the kind seen once in a century, and even he didn’t trigger a phenomenon."

As everyone chattered, they suddenly recalled Wang Yuntian’s strange expression from a moment ago. A thought struck them—’It can’t be real, can it!?’

Wang Yuntian had always been hailed as the number one Inner Sect Disciple of his generation in the Yinluo Sect, an invincible existence in the Sensing Realm.

’Could it be that he just heard the news of Fang Cheng’s breakthrough and lost his mood out of jealousy?’

The more they thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. When they turned to look at Wang Yuntian, they saw that the gate to the Cave Mansion was already closed. He was nowhere to be seen.

...

News of Fang Cheng’s breakthrough to the Life Talisman Realm quickly spread throughout the Abyssal Marsh.

When people first heard it, they were skeptical and sought to verify its authenticity. After learning the truth, some gasped and sighed, discussing it endlessly with others, while some were too shocked to speak for a long time.

Previously, Fang Cheng’s reputation was only circulated among Loose Cultivators, servants, and Outer Disciples. Because he had spent so little time in the Inner Sect, even with his achievement of slaying the Mist Island Lord against the odds, the news had only spread within the circles of certain prominent families.

Now, after advancing to the Life Talisman Realm, he was like a blazing sun rising into the sky, illuminating every corner of the Abyssal Marsh.

Many True Disciples, Elders, and even several Peak Masters had heard of him and committed his name to memory.

Those who were already acquainted with or on good terms with Fang Cheng immediately began preparing congratulatory gifts, waiting to visit and offer their felicitations.

A few days later, many prominent families began to quietly inquire about Fang Cheng’s personal preferences.

Some said that although Cyan Profound Sword was a Sword Cultivator, he had a passion for raising Gu worms, so he must have a fondness for Demon Beast Flesh and Blood.

Others said that Fang Cheng had an elegant hobby of collecting Dao Pattern Spirit Jade.

Some even went so far as to somehow dig up old stories of Fang Cheng frequently visiting Miaoxiang Tower when he lived in the Yinluo Marketplace, slapping him with the label of a "lover of beautiful women"!

...