Yu Yifeng took him to a place called Bright Moon Valley located in the back of the mountain. The view of the valley was gorgeous. Flowers of all kinds blossomed beautifully and there were more Spiritual Qi here than in most places. He began letting go of all distracting thoughts and began his mental cultivation. Cultivating here for a day was as effective as cultivating in other places for three days. This place was supposed to be open only to the sect"s disciples, but Perfected Immortal Qing Chen had personally given his permission for Xiao Chen and the other two to enter as they wished.
In the days that followed, Xiao Chen cultivated inside the Bright Moon Valley in deep concentration. Each day, he would only return after the moon hung high in the sky. One day, after seeing how determined he was, Mu Chengxue couldn"t stop herself from laughing at him. "Hey! Why are you working so hard? Don"t you know that your Senior Sister Luo is forced to wait for you until late at night every day?"
"Ah?" Before Xiao Chen could digest the meaning of her words, Luo Shangyan"s face had already reddened. She said in a low voice, "Sister Mu, don"t say nonsense."
"Eh... Hehe." Xiao Chen laughed dryly. "Why don"t you both come with me today? Spiritual Qi is in abundance there. I feel like I"ll break into the 4th level of Foundation Building Realm any time now."
Mu Chengxue immediately waved her hand. "Forget it. If Yu Yifeng"s Senior and Junior Brothers see me, they won"t be able to concentrate on their cultivation. I don"t want to harm them and have their Masters blame me. I can"t bear the responsibility..."
Luo Shangyan burst into laughter. "Not only are you pretty, but your cultivation is high too! Of course, many men will like you!"
Xiao Chen laughed. "Well... It"s their fault for not having a firm mentality. That"s why their cultivation isn"t as high as Brother Yifeng"s."
Mu Chengxue had the feeling that there was something off with Xiao Chen"s words but couldn"t pinpoint what. She said, "Hey! Stop overworking yourself. Do you want me to give you a few Foundation Building Pills?"
Xiao Chen shook his hand. "Thank you for your kind intentions, Ms. Mu, but I think it"s better for me to cultivate on my own merits."
"I"ll go with you. I feel like I"m about to break into the Foundation Building Realm," Luo Shangyan said.
Xiao Chen turned to smile at her. "Sure thing!" Mu Chengxue shook her head. "I lost my conversation partner today. Sigh! I better look for Yu Yifeng"s two little disciples and play with them."
Luo Shangyan grinned. "Looks like Brother Yifeng is quite idle these two days!" Mu Chengxue shot her a mysterious smile. "Xiao Chen calls him Brother Yifeng and you copy him in doing so. Oh well, forget it. Go ahead, you two. I won"t disturb you anymore."
Xiao Chen shook his head with a smile and left for the Bright Moon Valley with Luo Shangyan. Even though he met Mu Chengxue last year and even incurred a debt of karma with her, he wasn"t very close to her. However, after becoming neighbors for the past few days, they began talking more to each other.
He also learned something else. Mu Chengxue became acquaintances with Yu Yifeng seven years ago but her memory seemed incredibly poor. She couldn"t remember how she met Yu Yifeng. It was as if she couldn"t even remember all that happened seven years ago very well. It was hard to imagine that a young woman would have such a terrible memory.
After arriving at the Bright Moon Valley, they saw that there was a considerable number of disciples meditating and cultivating. The disciples segregated themselves by gender to prevent any untoward incidents. After spending several days here, Xiao Chen had gotten close to a few male disciples. When they saw him entering and with a Junior Sister as pretty as a fairy following behind him, they immediately surrounded him. "Junior Brother Xiao, you"re so early today. Eh? Who is this Junior Sister next to you?"
Luo Shangyan smiled gently. "I"m Luo Shangyan. I"m his Senior Sister, not Junior Sister." While speaking, she deliberately glanced at Xiao Chen.
"Wow! So, it"s Senior Sister Luo! Nice to meet you, Senior Sister Luo! I"m Zhang San..."
"I"m Li Si..."
"I"m w.a.n.g Er..."
"Ahem, ahem. Senior Brothers, you"d better return to your cultivation." Xiao Chen tugged on Luo Shangyan"s hand and hastily pulled her away to the spot where he had been cultivating in the past few days.
Luo Shangyan whispered into his ear, "Looks like Sister Mu is right on point..."
Xiao Chen knocked on her forehead. "Oh, you! That"s quite enough! Focus! If there"s anything you don"t understand, you can still seek Perfected Immortal Qing Chen"s guidance these few days." Then, he sat down cross-legged on the ground and began operating the Mystic Cyan Cultivation Method to absorb the Spiritual Qi from heaven and earth.
Luo Shangyan wasn"t as a.s.siduous as he was. After meditating for a while, she wanted to look around the valley with him. However, she didn"t feel comfortable disturbing him after seeing how focused he was. She sat in front of a stone wall by herself and stared at the blossoming flowers and fluttering b.u.t.terflies in the distance. She gradually sank into a daze.
Two months swiftly pa.s.sed. There was an abundance of Spiritual Qi in the Bright Moon Valley and Xiao Chen was more talented than most people in the first place. His cultivation was now in the 7th level of the Foundation Building Realm. Even Yu Yifeng was terribly shocked. Meanwhile, Luo Shangyan had entered the Foundation Building Realm as well.
Meanwhile, there was still no news of Murong Xian"er. In the past two months, Xiao Chen had personally left to look for her but in the sea of people out there, he didn"t know where to even start looking.
Today was the day they would depart for the Widespread Wintriness Sect in the Wu Province. Thus, the two of them didn"t go to the Bright Moon Valley. After getting ready, they stepped out of their rooms. Yu Yifeng had also arrived at their courtyard. Seeing them, he asked, "Where"s Ms. Mu?"
The door creaked open and Mu Chengxue walked out of her room. She was dressed in her usual white clothes, though she looked a little lost. Yu Yifeng thought that she didn"t look too well and walked toward her. "What"s wrong? You didn"t sleep well last night?"
Mu Chengxue raised her head to look at him. Suddenly, she asked, "Who are you?"
Xiao Chen and Luo Shangyan were stunned. From the way she acted, she didn"t seem like she was joking around. Luo Shangyan asked quietly, "Sister Mu, what"s wrong?"
Mu Chengxue turned to look at her and then at Xiao Chen. "Sister Shangyan, Xiao Chen, are we going to the Wu Province today? The one going with us is..." She shook her head with all her strength. Finally, she looked at Yu Yifeng and said apologetically, "Just now... I don"t know what"s going on. My mind is a little hazy."
Yu Yifeng smiled. "I thought you"re joking with me. Forget about it. Master and the others are waiting for us at the square. Let"s leave now."
Xiao Chen joined Mu Chengxue"s side and asked quietly, "Are you really fine?" To be frank, he noticed that Mu Chengxue seemed to be somewhat muddle-headed these days. Moreover, her gaze earlier looked as if she had truly forgotten about Yu Yifeng. Why would she remember him and Senior Sister Luo but not Yu Yifeng whom she had known for seven years?
Mu Chengxue smiled. "I"m completely fine. You"re overthinking. Let"s go!"
When the four of them arrived at the mountain gate square, they saw that Perfected Immortal Qing Chen, several Elders, as well as a considerable number of disciples, were already there. A Flying-cloud Stone that was neither large nor small was hovering in the air. Two men and two women were standing atop the stone, all of which were already in the Core Forming Realm.
Xiao Chen was reminded of the Immortals League Compet.i.tion. Sure enough, the Jade Qing Sect"s decision not to partic.i.p.ate was a right one. Considering how four random disciples were already in the Core Forming Realm, Zhou State had basically no chance of success.
Perfected Immortal Qing Chen said, "Yifeng, you must be careful and take good care of your juniors." Yu Yifeng saluted his Master. "Yes, Master."
Seeing that Yu Yifeng was about to leave, the two children, Hanxi and Ziling, looked incredibly reluctant. One hugged his leg while the other tugged on his sleeve, refusing to let go.
"No. I don"t allow you to go, Master."
Yu Yifeng shook his head with a sigh. Then, he smiled. "That"s enough. You two, be obedient and listen well to your Grandmaster. You"re not allowed to argue or be mischievous."
"We won"t argue anymore so don"t go, Master. Once you leave, it"ll be so long before you"ll come back again..."
Yu Yifeng squatted down and caressed the two children"s forehead. "That"s enough. I"ll be back swiftly this time. Be obedient and go back."
Ultimately, Hanzi and Ziling reluctantly watched him leap onto the Flying-cloud Stone. They reminded Xiao Chen of his Master and he sighed before following suit.