A disciple felt Ren Hong’s arm and said with a frown, "Senior Brother Ren’s injuries are too severe. I don’t think he can be healed without a King-level High-grade Pill."

A nearby disciple from the Luocheng Ancient Country said sarcastically, "So what do we do? Where are we supposed to get a King-level High-grade Pill? Are we going to pool our Sect Contribution Points to trade for one?"

Hearing this, the surrounding crowd subconsciously took a few steps back.

"Make way. I’ll take a look."

Just then, Steward Bai and Qin Wuya walked over at a measured pace, and the crowd quickly parted to form a path.

"Martial Uncle Qin!"

"Steward Bai! Martial Uncle Qin!"

Everyone quickly called out in greeting, their voices full of respect.

Qin Wuya gave a slight nod, then walked over to Ren Hong and squatted down. After examining him for a moment, he took a pill from the Sumeru Ring on his finger and fed it into Ren Hong’s mouth.

"He’ll be fine. You can take him back now," Qin Wuya said with a nod and a smile.

"Thank you, Martial Uncle Qin!"

"Thank you, Martial Uncle Qin! Thank you so much!"

One by one, the surrounding disciples from the Luocheng Ancient Country hurriedly cupped their fists and thanked Qin Wuya.

Qinya waved his hand and said nonchalantly, "It’s nothing. I just hope that the next time you spar, you won’t aim to kill. After all, you are all disciples of the Celestial Profound Sect."

A chill went through the crowd. They remembered how Ren Hong’s palm had shot mercilessly toward Wen Qingye’s skull just moments before. As they looked at Ren Hong now lying on the ground, that chill returned, and they all nodded in understanding.

"Gods, look! Wen Qingye’s name is rising again! He’s at 150th place!"

Just then, one of the Registered Disciples shouted.

All eyes involuntarily turned to the ranking board in front of them, where they saw Wen Qingye’s name rise once more, landing squarely at 150th place.

A disciple said in astonishment, "This... Didn’t Wen Qingye just leave the mountain? I remember 150th place belonged to Senior Brother Mo Yu from my Jinfeng Ancient Country. He’s just on White Lotus Mountain, not far from Celestial Profound Mountain, feeding his Spirit Beast. How did he lose so quickly?"

The disciples exchanged glances, falling silent.

Steward Bai chuckled. "This kid from whatever-country... he’s rather interesting."

...

Wen Qingye’s rank began to skyrocket. The crowd watched the board in stunned silence; every few moments, another name would be replaced by his.

"He’s at 120th! So fast! Is he just challenging one person after another without a break?"

"But the person at 120th is a prodigy from the Chao Country! They say his talent for Martial Arts is exceptional—that he’s a natural-born fighter. How could he have been defeated so fast?"

"I’m curious. For Wen Qingye to be challenging people one after another, is he finishing every fight in a single blow? How else could he be moving this quickly?"

In half a day, Wen Qingye’s rank had climbed to 93rd.

In less than the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense, the news swept through everyone on Celestial Profound Mountain and continued to ripple outward.

Night fell, but the crowd gathered at Celestial Profound Mountain only continued to grow.

"Eighty-fourth... and it only took him two incense sticks’ worth of time."

"He’s broken into the eighties! I remember just this morning, he was still ranked outside the top two hundred, wasn’t he?"

"Another monster, though he’s just from some backwater country."

Time ticked by. Only when the ranking board finally stopped changing did the crowd, still hungry for more, begin to disperse.

Wen Qingye returned to his residence in the Celestial Profound Villa and immediately sat down in a meditative posture.

The full day of continuous fighting had taken a considerable toll on him.

He activated the Longevity Technique. A Profound Pearl floated before his chest as vast waves of Primordial Qi surged into his body.

The Primordial Qi Essence transformed into silken threads that flowed into Wen Qingye’s body, and the light radiating from the Profound Pearl gradually dimmed.

CRACK!

A double-hour later, the Profound Pearl before Wen Qingye’s chest turned into an ordinary stone and clattered to the floor.

Wen Qingye looked at the stone in his palm and thought, ’It seems this Profound Pearl lost a great deal of its Essence. Otherwise, this one alone would have been enough for me to break through to the Fourth Heaven of the Yin-Yang Realm.’

The passage of time had not left the nine Profound Pearls unscathed; a good portion of their Essence had been lost.

Taking another Profound Pearl from his Sumeru Ring, Wen Qingye once again entered a state of cultivation.

The next day, Wen Qingye arrived at the West Garden bright and early.

"Qingye, you’re here." Chuu Guang smiled and walked over when he saw Wen Qingye. "You’re really something else now, breaking into the top one hundred Registered Disciples."

Wen Qingye smiled and said, "Thank you, Martial Uncle Chuu, for looking after my Spirit Field all this time. Now..."

"No need for that. Don’t you know? Registered Disciples in the top one hundred are exempt from these mandatory tasks," Chuu Guang said with a laugh, waving his hand dismissively.

Wen Qingye was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "Oh, I see."

"Alright, go on and tend to your own affairs. Your Spirit Field will be taken over by one of the servant disciples who just got promoted to Registered Disciple," Chuu Guang said.

Wen Qingye left the West Garden and was heading back to his residence when he spotted two familiar figures: Zhou Yue supporting Qiuu Ming as they slowly walked ahead.

Qiuu Ming was trembling, his steps slow and unsteady. Zhou Yue was exceptionally careful, as if terrified of any mishap. Ancient trees towered on both sides of the path as the pair walked toward Wen Qingye, talking and laughing softly to each other.

Watching them, Wen Qingye was lost in thought for a moment, reminded of someone now worlds away.

The sunlight was gentle, their smiles were captivating, and a thread of warmth seemed to flow through his heart. A lifetime is short and the world is a chaotic place. The thoughts in his mind began to spread, endless and entangling.

He, too, had once dreamed of a simple, unadorned life under a wisp of chimney smoke, of joyous laughter under the setting sun.

When the heart is warm, the passage of time seems to lose its meaning. A lifetime isn’t short. With you by my side, it feels like an eternity.

An involuntary smile touched Wen Qingye’s lips.

...

"Wen Qingye!"

Only when the two of them reached Wen Qingye did they realize he was standing nearby, lost in thought.

Wen Qingye snapped out of his daze, a smile in his eyes. He finally understood why Zhou Yue had trusted him so implicitly back at the Sacrificial Hall, and why she had immediately chosen him to hunt the Black Profound Snake in the borderlands with her.

Qiuu Ming looked at Wen Qingye and gave a strained laugh. "Brother Wen, I trust you’ve been well."

"What’s happened to you?" Wen Qingye asked, confused.

Zhou Yue, looking at Qiuu Ming from the side, sighed. "It’s an old ailment of his. He gets like this whenever it flares up."

"It’s just a minor injury," Qiuu Ming said softly, his expression darkening slightly. "It’s nothing serious."

"An old ailment? Maybe I can take a look," Wen Qingye said with a smile.

"Really?" A glimmer of hopeful surprise appeared in Zhou Yue’s eyes. For some reason, she had always felt there was more to Wen Qingye than met the eye.

Wen Qingye nodded, glanced around, and said slowly, "Let’s find somewhere we can talk."

The three went to Qiuu Ming’s residence. After Qiuu Ming sat down cross-legged, Wen Qingye placed a hand on his pulse. Zhou Yue watched intently from the side, her heart clenched with worry.

A thread of Primordial Qi slowly entered Qiuu Ming’s body and began to travel through his meridians. Qiuu Ming felt a wave of heat wash over him, and he couldn’t help but shudder.

’Is this that flame?’ Wen Qingye thought, stunned, as he saw the specks of purple-gold fire inside Qiuu Ming’s body.