Chapter 148: Chapter 108: Restricted Wooden Box, the Jin Dynasty’s Reward

The one-year period stipulated by the sect has ended.

It’s naturally a matter of great joy for those who can achieve breakthroughs in the final days.

Those disciples of Xiaopei Mountain whose last attempts did not succeed have completely given up.

Whether or not one received merit point rewards in the final sprint phase, this brief period at the end of the year is a rare moment of relaxation for everyone.

Liou Yuan is also among them.

He was not one to slack off in cultivation, but the star energy of Xiaopei Mountain could no longer satisfy him.

If he and Qiu Ming were to start cultivating properly and sit at the peak of Xiaopei Mountain, the two of them would consume forty percent of the star energy of the entire Xiaopei Mountain.

Others would not need to cultivate anymore.

Fortunately, Liou Yuan did not neglect his daily magic cultivation.

In the half month after he successfully broke through to the Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer, his Treading Flowing Waves successfully reached Small Success while practicing on the river.

The main reason for such a quick breakthrough was the insight he gained several months ago during a trip to Qingyou Prefecture when he journeyed for half a month through heavy rain.

Coupled with the accumulation during this period, the breakthrough seemed to naturally fall into place.

Now, when Liou Yuan fully deploys the speed of Treading Flowing Waves, it exceeds even Zhao Feiyue’s Thunder Acupoint Body Skill.

If favorable conditions of timing and setting aid Liou Yuan’s Treading Flowing Waves, he could even surpass Zhao Feiyue.

After half a day of traversing the river using Treading Flowing Waves, Liou Yuan slowly adapted to the speed gained after the breakthrough and returned to Xiaopei Mountain with a satisfied look.

He began to evaluate Zhao Feiyue’s Thunder Acupoint Body Skill while on the way.

"This is a top-grade body skill ranked at class D. I reckon the Outer Sect of Five Extremes Mountain doesn’t have many of these,"

"I see Zhao Feiyue’s Thunder Acupoint Body Skill, at best, ranks as a superior class D skill."

"My Treading Flowing Waves is not necessarily inferior to hers."

Just as Liou Yuan was thinking about Zhao Feiyue, she arrived as expected.

As soon as he returned to Xiaopei Mountain, he saw Zhao Feiyue’s tall and athletic figure at the mountain peak.

She stood beside the ruins of the hut shattered by his blood energy during breakthrough, as if she had been waiting for him for a long time.

To her side stood Qiu Ming, Xie Miaobo, and Fu Xueping.

After working with Zhao Feiyue, Qiu Ming was less apprehensive of her. When Liou Yuan returned, he could even hear Qiu Ming’s booming voice cursing Liou Tao incessantly.

"I and Liou Yuan have already heard about it."

"Liou Tao that bastard holed up for half a year and headed straight for Xiaopei Mountain as soon as he emerged. Thank goodness Miss Zhao acted promptly to block him, otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Liou Yuan also knew about the incident Qiu Ming mentioned, as a disciple of Xiaopei Mountain had informed him of the entire process as soon as he returned.

Liou Yuan was grateful to Zhao Feiyue at heart.

He was approaching his breakthrough, a pivotal moment.

Had Liou Tao arrived, the distraction would have been a minor issue; the real worry was if he were to launch a sneak attack at a critical juncture.

During the breakthrough state, Liou Yuan would surely be defenseless against Liou Tao’s elusive Fog Acupoint technique, leading to disastrous consequences.

Zhao Feiyue crossed her arms, her tall and slender stature matched Qiu Ming’s height. When she spoke, she had a somewhat teasing expression, as if she was deliberately distancing herself: "I was just itching to spar with someone, and Liou Tao happened to be breaking through as well. Don’t get me wrong, Mr. Qiu."

It’s unlikely that Qiu Ming, with his thick-headedness, would understand Zhao Feiyue’s intention.

He hastily adopted a serious tone: "Liou Yuan and I are not ungrateful people. This matter was indeed thanks to Miss Zhao, so don’t be so modest."

"In the future, if there’s anything you need from us, feel free to ask."

Zhao Feiyue heard him and hesitated to speak several times, then simply shook her head and chose not to say more.

She finally understood why Liou Yuan often called him a fool.

Xie Miaobo, being cleverer, kept glancing at Qiu Ming while pulling him aside to quietly explain, afraid this fool wouldn’t comprehend.

Meanwhile, the perceptive Fu Xueping took over Qiu Ming’s spot and began chatting softly with Zhao Feiyue.

Both girls were exceptionally attractive, though Zhao Feiyue’s demeanor was somewhat sharper, while Fu Xueping’s voice was soft and gentle like water.

By now, Liou Yuan had reached the foot of Xiaopei Mountain.

Just as he was about to speak with a smile, Zhao Feiyue sensed his presence and glanced back down the slope.

"What keen perception." Liou Yuan silently remarked on Zhao Feiyue’s reaction as their eyes met, and both nodded in acknowledgment.

Liou Yuan’s figure flickered, bringing with it a dazzling blue aura. In just one or two breaths under the blessing of Treading Flowing Waves, he arrived in front of Zhao Feiyue.

"I’ve long heard the good news of Miss Zhao’s breakthrough to Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer. It’s just that your second peak cave dwelling’s location couldn’t be found north, south, east, or west by me and Qiu Ming, so we couldn’t visit to offer our congratulations. Please forgive my negligence," Liou Yuan said with a bright smile.

He wasn’t like Qiu Ming; he had long realized that Zhao Feiyue intentionally avoided the matter of that fight with Liou Tao, surely not wanting to get involved in the Liou Family’s disputes.

So he only mentioned the visit, not a word about the fight with Liou Tao.

"Mr. Liou, you’re too polite. My cave dwelling is indeed hard to find," Zhao Feiyue said with a charming smile, feeling relieved.

She feared Liou Yuan would pull the same stunt as Qiu Ming, making it impossible for her to stay uninvolved.

Earlier, Zhao Zhuoran had warned her not to get too entangled in the Liou Family’s grievances. If Mr. Zhao knew the circumstances, she would certainly get a scolding.

Fu Xueping’s beautiful eyes watched the two conversing familiarly, with no sense of formality. Her eyes showed a trace of envy.

These two are now two of the five most popular Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer disciples in the Outer Sect of Five Extremes Mountain.

Clearly, it was becoming inappropriate for her to remain here.

"Mr. Liou, Miss Zhao, you chat," Fu Xueping said lightly, sensibly taking her leave.

"Congratulations to Mr. Liou for reaching Qi Cultivation Sixth Layer. Miss Zhao was quite surprised when she heard the news." With no one else around, Zhao Feiyue relaxed significantly. Her eyes, not losing to a man’s in vigor, looked Liou Yuan up and down, speaking with a teasing tone.

"You sure fooled Miss Zhao well. It’s not just me; even my second grandfather was tricked by you, really thinking you were a Four-Star Star Acupoint."

"If you hadn’t made a breakthrough, no one at Five Extremes Mountain would know your true capabilities."

Liou Yuan had anticipated this and swiftly used the same explanation he gave Fang Yu before.

"You know my situation. It’s better to be cautious."

Zhao Feiyue naturally understood, nodding subtly, and then lowered her voice meaningfully: "If Mr. Liou’s hidden methods were fully revealed, in Miss Zhao’s opinion, they wouldn’t be much less than those of a Six-Star Star Acupoint in the Inner Sect."

"Liou Tao won’t have easy days ahead."

Zhao Feiyue was referring to Liou Yuan’s pair of Evil Eyes.

With Five-Star Star Acupoint cultivation aptitude, combined with Spirit Eyes Evil Eyes, this potential absolutely exceeded all the disciples who entered last year.

Zhao Feiyue even felt she wouldn’t gain the upper hand in a fight against Liou Yuan.

Liou Yuan, however, didn’t take it seriously, self-deprecatingly saying, "Miss Zhao, don’t tease me. Some things must remain hidden for now."

"Understood!" Zhao Feiyue’s pretty face became serious, saying no more.

Finally, she mentioned the purpose of her visit to Xiaopei Mountain.

"The Jin Dynasty specifically sent someone to deliver the rewards, directly into the hands of my second grandfather."

"I was sent by my second grandfather on this trip to bring you the items."

Hundreds of compliments can’t compare to the pleasure Liou Yuan felt from Zhao Feiyue’s last words.

Upon hearing this, his eyes narrowed with delight as he praised, "Mr. Sun acts quickly."

Zhao Feiyue didn’t say much more, reaching into the storage bag at her waist, and took out a palm-sized black wooden box.

Liou Yuan’s eyes instinctively fixed on Zhao Feiyue’s hand.

The box was intricately carved with petals and radiated a faint golden glow around it, clearly not an ordinary item.

"There’s a restriction set on it. If forcibly removed, the restriction will activate and destroy the contents inside."

"So Miss Zhao hasn’t seen what’s inside."

Zhao Feiyue said, carefully handing it to Liou Yuan.

"If there’s a restriction, how am I supposed to retrieve the item inside?" Liou Yuan asked as he took the black wooden box into his hand.

It felt slightly heavy with a cold texture, unlike a wooden box, more like a steel box.

"No worries. The wooden box and the method to unlock the restriction arrived at Five Extremes Mountain almost simultaneously."

"In the next day or two, someone should come specially to deliver the Seal Skill incantation to Mr. Liou."

Zhao Feiyue explained: "Generally, valuable items are delivered in this way to prevent them from being coveted."

Liou Yuan was already quite curious about what the Jin Dynasty’s reward might be.

After Zhao Feiyue’s explanation, his curiosity grew stronger, and he clicked his tongue, commenting: "A restriction set specially— the item inside must be extraordinary."

"The Jin Dynasty is indeed generous."