Chapter 579: Wind-Riding Technique

“Although the Youlan Twilight Trial cannot compare to the grand scale of the Yixiang Trial, it is still held once every five years. If there’s a chance, it’s best to go in and gain some experience.”

Hearing this, Chen Chen could not help but look eager to give it a try, while Kong Que’s face remained expressionless, though there was obvious envy in her eyes as she said gloomily: “The Yixiang Trial is held every year, so it’s nothing new. As for this Youlan Twilight Trial, I’ve been talking about it for a long time and even wanted to go in and have a look!”

The moment Chen Chen heard this, she cried out: “Senior Sister, don’t compete with me for it! You’ve already gained so many benefits for nothing, and every year you achieve excellent results in the Yixiang Trial. Martial Aunt Sect Master has praised you plenty of times and given you lots of pills and cultivation methods…”

Kong Que said irritably: “The pills are certainly useful, but didn’t I also let you read all those cultivation methods? You haven’t cultivated any less than I have.”

“Hehe, who told us to be martial sisters? If you wouldn’t let me read them, then who else would?” Chen Chen blinked her eyes and said in an extremely “shameless” manner.

“Forget it, forget it. In any case, Master didn’t ask me to go, so what are you afraid of? I won’t compete with you for it. Although the Youlan Twilight Trial isn’t particularly dangerous, there are quite a few wild beasts inside, as well as many fierce beasts that have lived for a very long time. Although I didn’t encounter any such beasts the last time I went in, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any problems inside. You must be careful!”

“If others aren’t afraid, why should I be? They’re only some wild beasts, right, Master?”

Master Jingfan shook her head. “Chen Chen, you mustn’t be careless. The wild beasts in Youlan Gorge are unlike the ones usually seen. Not only are there many kinds of them and they are extremely ferocious, but quite a few of the fierce beasts inside have lived for who knows how many years and have gained human-like intelligence. Every Youlan Twilight Trial sees quite a number of disciples injured or killed.”

Chen Chen dismissed it and said, “Those are all outer disciples and disciples from the other halls, aren’t they? How many inner disciples have ever been injured?”

Seeing that Chen Chen paid it no mind, Master Jingfan did not say anything further. In the eyes of the inner sect, the Youlan Twilight Trial had always been a rather simple training exercise. The Incense-Spreading Sect was somewhat different from the other sects of the martial world, for an immortal Dao formation protected the very foundation of the sect. Naturally, having this formation brought both gains and losses. The “gain” went without saying—the formation had protected the Incense-Spreading Sect and allowed it to stand firm in the martial world for ten thousand years without falling. As for the “loss”, it was equally obvious. The inner disciples lacked experience wandering the martial world. Although their once-every-four-years journey through the jianghu was certainly an opportunity, not every disciple could get such a chance. Thus, the Youlan Gorge, which opened once every five years, could also be considered a place for them to temper themselves.

Perhaps traveling through the jianghu could temper one’s understanding of human relationships and worldly affairs, while the Youlan Twilight Trial could only provide simple training in martial arts and wilderness survival. But when it came to sparring and testing one’s martial skills, nothing compared to the Yixiang Trial. This was the grand event held every year by the Incense-Spreading Sect to assess the martial abilities of both inner and outer disciples. The winners would all receive corresponding rewards and promotions. This was where Master Jingfan truly needed to concern herself.

Seeing that her master said no more, Kong Que smiled and said, “Master, now that you’ve emerged from seclusion, Martial Aunt Sect Master must certainly have been thinking about you. There are probably many matters regarding Youlan Gorge that require discussion. You should also be heading to the Yixiang Hall, shouldn’t you? If some important matter of the sect were delayed because of us disciples, we really couldn’t bear such responsibility.”

“Haha.” Master Jingfan laughed and shook her head as she stood up. “Your master hasn’t seen you for several months and only wanted to talk with you a bit longer. Look at you two… sigh, the saying is indeed true: ‘When children grow up, they no longer obey their mother.’”

Kong Que said bashfully: “Master, I only saw that you didn’t seem anxious to go to the Yixiang Hall and kindly reminded you, that’s all. How could there be so many hidden meanings behind it?”

Chen Chen also did not release the arm she was holding onto and said, “That’s right, Master. Then stay and sit a little longer?”

Master Jingfan withdrew her arm and said: “Seeing that the two of you are safe and sound has put my mind at ease. There are no matters in the sect, great or small, that can be neglected. Since I have already emerged from seclusion, I naturally must participate. Though I may be a little late, I still have to go. Mm, Kong Que, return to your quiet room and stabilize your realm. Chen Chen, make your preparations. The restrictions in Youlan Gorge have loosened, and perhaps you’ll be entering the valley very soon.”

Seeing their master speak seriously, the two did not dare to be negligent and immediately stood properly and solemnly acknowledged her instructions.

After Master Jingfan left, Chen Chen again pulled on Kong Que and asked curiously, “Senior Sister, what exactly did Master say to you after coming out of seclusion? Why did she react so strongly the moment I mentioned that Ren Xiaoyao? She even gave me a fright just now.”

Kong Que shook her head as though nothing were amiss. “How would I know the reason? When you came back, Master had only just emerged from seclusion. I had only just finished telling her about what happened in Mochou City, and she had only just examined my injuries.”

“Eh? Then that’s strange.” Chen Chen became even more puzzled and then raised her head and asked, “Oh right, Senior Sister, it’s already been more than ten days since we returned to the Incense-Spreading Sect. I wonder how that Ren Xiaoyao is doing? Is he, like the other disciples of Tuodan Hall, absentmindedly planting medicinal herbs?”

Puchi—hearing this, Kong Que could not help but laugh and said, “How come I’ve never thought he looked absentminded? If he were really like that, what would be so interesting about him? Why would you still be thinking about him?”

As soon as she said this, however, an inexplicable feeling of guilt suddenly arose in her heart.

Chen Chen paid it no mind and said: “This kid looks ordinary, his martial arts are lousy, though he is fairly tall and doesn’t seem to have any particular strengths. Hehe, but his eloquence is pretty good. When there’s time, why don’t we drag him up to Yixiang Peak again and have him tell us some stories?”

Kong Que was speechless and scolded: “You think Yixiang Peak is so easy to get onto? He’s only a little herb boy from Tuodan Hall. How could he possibly come to Yixiang Peak? And… and tell you stories?”

“Hehe, I’m only saying it, only saying it.” Chen Chen stuck out her tongue.

Then she turned to look out the window, stretched lazily, and said, “Life on Yixiang Peak is so boring. If only, as Ren Xiaoyao said, one could roam the jianghu, punish evil and uphold justice, and live with all grudges and favors settled as one wishes. How wonderful that would be?”

Kong Que shook her head and said: “If that sort of life were truly so wonderful, why would Ren Xiaoyao have gone to such lengths to join our Incense-Spreading Sect? Alright, enough talking. You should go make your preparations too. I also need to return to my quiet room and enter seclusion.”

“Sigh, the ones making preparations keep making preparations, the ones entering seclusion keep entering seclusion, and the bored remain bored~” Chen Chen muttered. “Even the ones farming are still farming.”

As Kong Que walked away, her heart suddenly skipped a beat, and she thought to herself, “The ones farming? Isn’t that Ren Xiaoyao? Why did Chen Chen suddenly mention that for no reason? Could it be…”

Immediately, her heart trembled. “Could it be that Chen Chen also… likes this Ren Xiaoyao? No way, right? Didn’t Master say that he is my destined nemesis?”

Thinking of this, Kong Que’s face grew slightly warm. “Could what Master said actually be true? I… I actually have feelings for a young man I’ve never even met before… B-but… this doesn’t seem to be the sort of feeling described in books at all. T-this… what should I do?”

But let us not speak of Kong Que’s tangled thoughts, nor of Chen Chen’s muttering. Instead, let us speak only of Zhang Xiaohua on Tianmu Peak, who was sneezing repeatedly while comprehending the Wind-Riding Technique!

At this time, Zhang Xiaohua had already fully comprehended the Levitation Technique and had also filled in all the omissions of the incomplete version he had learned before, cultivating it anew. Although the Levitation Technique within the Piaomiao Step that Zhang Chengyue had given him years ago was somewhat incomplete, its main framework was still intact. It was only that, when it had been recorded, many details and many things not easily expressed with brush and ink had been omitted. Now, as Zhang Xiaohua reviewed and cultivated it once more, he was able to do so with great ease.

Thus, it did not take him much time before he began comprehending and cultivating the Wind-Riding Technique.

The Piaomiao Sect’s flight technique was divided into three stages. The first stage, the Levitation Technique, was to lift one’s body off the ground and float in the air, then move with the aid of external objects. This was precisely what the lightness skills of the martial path could imitate.

The second stage was to keep the body suspended in the air while, instead of relying on actual external objects, controlling the winds outside to achieve movement of the body.

As for the third stage, it was a true flight through the air. That was still beyond what Zhang Xiaohua could accomplish. What he was comprehending now was merely how to ride the wind.

Speaking of riding the wind, during the flourishing age of the Immortal Dao, it was not considered particularly difficult and was one of the most basic divine abilities possessed by almost all Immortal Dao Qi Refiners. Yet on Tianmu Peak, although the Yuan Qi of Heaven and Earth was much richer than outside, the amount that Zhang Xiaohua could use was pitifully small. Moreover, without a master to guide him, Zhang Xiaohua found something as abstract as “riding the wind” extremely troublesome to grasp in a short period of time.

Just look—under the night sky, within the forest, a crooked figure was tottering on a tree branch, repeatedly trying to leave it and assume the graceful posture of riding the wind. Yet with one careless move—

Thud!

He fell down again.

“Sigh, why can’t I remain in the air for a long time?” Zhang Xiaohua muttered as he patted the dirt off his backside and scratched his head.

It was not that he could not steady his body, but the technique for stabilizing himself was recorded under the martial path section of the Piaomiao Step. He wanted to abandon the martial path entirely and rely solely on the Immortal Dao, so naturally, he did not wish to use it.

After getting to his feet, Zhang Xiaohua looked at the full moon in the sky. It was already quite late, so he formed a hand seal and escaped into the ground, heading straight for the pill room.

Inside the pill room, the Eight Trigrams Purple-Gold Furnace had already been placed upon the platform, and the earth fire was burning faintly. No medicinal herbs had been put into the furnace yet; it was merely being preheated.

Ever since the Great Vajra Zou Shuming’s visit, no unrelated people had come to the summit of Tianmu Peak again. Zhang Xiaohua’s farming life had finally entered a period of peace. And after finishing his cultivation of the Levitation Technique, he had once again turned his thoughts toward pill refinement.

Well, wasn’t that obvious? Those medicinal herbs he had won in the gambling arena were meant for pill refinement, were they not? Since he could also cultivate while refining pills, it was only natural to attend to both at the same time.

The Eight Trigrams Purple-Gold Furnace was a pill furnace capable of refining high-grade medicinal pills, and its method of use was quite different from the furnaces Zhang Xiaohua had used before. As early as that afternoon, he had already ignited the earth fire and slowly warmed the furnace, merely waiting for the right moment to add the herbs and begin refining.

This time, the pill Zhang Xiaohua wished to refine was a formula he had obtained long ago—the Bone-Consolidating Pill.

Although Zhang Xiaohua had never seen a genuine Bone-Consolidating Pill, he had handled several Lesser Bone-Consolidating Pills. Even those imitation pills refined by the Incense-Spreading Sect’s alchemists had made the sect’s disciples drool with desire, so one could imagine how precious the true Bone-Consolidating Pill must be. In any case, Zhang Xiaohua intended to use medicinal pills to practice his alchemy, and this pill, which he had never refined before, was precisely the right choice.