Chapter Seven: Homecoming

Half a month later, the disciples who had entered the sect a year ago, including Li Ruoyu, were summoned to the First Peak. Once everyone had gathered, the Sect Master Heng Yi appeared and announced, “You have now cultivated for a year and have come to realize the hardships along this path. It is time to resolve your secular ties. In half a month, return under the guidance of your respective stewards.”

Li Ruoyu and Wang Bo, as before, returned under the leadership of Ling Jiuyue. Accompanying Li Ruoyu were the original twenty-seven, all of whom had changed greatly over the year. Not only had Li Ruoyu made progress, but the others had also achieved remarkable growth. Among them, two young men stood out. One was Zhou Yue, who exuded a terrifying aura reminiscent of wild, primordial lands—a result of recently breaking through to the Spirit-binding stage and being unable to fully control his own energy. Though Zhou Yue did not possess any special constitution, his cultivation advanced at an extraordinary rate, rising against all odds, comparable to Zhao Kingdom’s Prince Wang Linzi and Yan Kingdom’s princess Yan Meng’er. The other, Yang Feng, had also reached the Spirit-binding stage, but his aura was so perfectly subdued and harmonious that it revealed the depth of his attainment.

As Ling Jiuyue’s spirit vessel sped through the skies, Li Ruoyu returned to his hometown. “We’ll meet here again in half a month,” Ling Jiuyue instructed before departing.

Li Ruoyu hurried home. At the doorway, Li Zhiheng was still absorbed in whittling a wooden carving, as he often did, pouring his whole heart into the work. Shen Lan busied herself in the kitchen, tending to the household. After a year away, returning home stirred a block in Li Ruoyu’s chest. He entered and called out, “Father, Mother, your son has returned.”

Li Zhiheng dropped his carving to the floor in surprise, then quickly ushered his son into the house. “Wife, make haste with the meal, our child is back!” he called.

During those two weeks, Li Zhiheng and Shen Lan lavished Li Ruoyu with affection. Li Zhiheng offered many words of guidance, and Shen Lan voiced her constant concerns and reminders. Li Ruoyu remembered what Sect Master Heng Yi had said about understanding and letting go of worldly attachments. He asked himself, “Am I truly able to give all this up?”

The answer in his heart was clear: “Absolutely not.”

If cultivation required sacrificing all of this, what meaning would the Dao hold for him? Li Ruoyu understood this well.

He visited Uncle Wang, who remained much the same as before, and also visited Granny Sun, who had always looked after him and often slipped him sweets. He wandered the little town alone, listening to the laughter and joy that filled its lanes, tranquil as a paradise removed from the world. In these moments, Li Ruoyu’s heart found peace.

After half a month, Li Ruoyu bid farewell to Li Zhiheng and Shen Lan, telling them it might be a long time before he could return again. Boarding Ling Jiuyue’s spirit vessel, he watched as the earth below and his parents’ faces grew distant and blurred, an aching reluctance filling his heart.

Upon returning to Hengjiu Sect aboard Ling Jiuyue’s spirit vessel, Li Ruoyu went back to his lodging on the Third Peak. He recalled that when he first joined, Xu Changheng had said they would spend three years at Hengjiu Sect. Now, Li Ruoyu understood the reason behind this. He resolved to devote the remaining two years to quiet cultivation and transformation.

Time slipped by, and two years passed in an instant.

Now thirteen years old, Li Ruoyu radiated youthful energy yet also bore the calm composed demeanor he inherited from Li Zhiheng. Clad in white robes, he seemed otherworldly, set apart from the mundane world.

Over these two years, Li Ruoyu had forged the Order Divine Chain of the Mortal Shedding stage into a technique learned from the Scripture of Demon Crossing. He had personally tested its power, and its initial display was formidable and fierce. By this time, Li Ruoyu had reached the Spirit-binding stage, nearing the Heaven-joining realm.

During this period, Li Ruoyu discovered why Xu Changheng had spoken of three years. Every thirty years, the seven great powers of Yan Kingdom would select disciples at the Dust-refining stage to enter the Abyss of Fallen Demons and vie for fortune. This tradition gave rise to the once-every-thirty-years Outer Sect Tournament. Though the death rate in the Abyss was high—only about one-tenth or one-twelfth of the entrants survived—the disciples selected would never miss the chance to seize such opportunities. Each survivor emerged with leaps in cultivation, far outstripping their peers.

In two days, the Outer Sect Tournament would begin. Each year, only the top one hundred participants would be chosen, with richer rewards for higher ranks.

When the day arrived, Li Ruoyu went to the First Peak. The Sky-reaching Platform was already crowded with people.

Among them, Li Ruoyu spotted Princess Yan Meng’er of the Yan royal family. Her flowing hair shimmered with light, draping over her shoulders, enhancing her beauty and ethereal charm.

There was also Zhao Kingdom’s Prince Wang Linzi, whose gaze burned with spirit and whose physique was explosively powerful. Though still in his teens, he radiated the aura of a wild beast.

Li Ruoyu’s old companions were present too: Chen Cang, Zhou Yue, Yang Feng, Liu Daoyuan, Liu Yiyi, Meng Wansu, and others.

From all corners of Yan Kingdom, exceptional talents had gathered. Among them was Feng Ruoxian, one of the famed Ten Beauties of Hengjiu Sect’s outer disciples. Her graceful figure and flowing hair attracted all eyes. She hailed from a distinguished cultivating family in Yan, whose lineage stretched far and wide, even into neighboring Zhao, Xianlin Sect, and the Abyss of Ghosts. Even the upper echelons of Hengjiu Sect regarded her with fondness.

Also present was Man Gu from the Barbarian Demon Mountains of Yan, with his bronze skin and spirited eyes, exuding the unique aura of those wild lands.

Soon, Li Ruoyu encountered Wang Bo, who had grown noticeably plumper. His arms were now one and a half times thicker than Li Ruoyu’s, far surpassing their peers. Gone was his former clumsy appearance, replaced by an intimidating aura tinged with a devouring force—the beginnings of the Gluttonous Physique’s power.

“Fatty Bo, you glutton, at this rate you’ll never find a wife,” Li Ruoyu teased.

“Can’t help it. My constitution means only by eating can I reach the peak,” Wang Bo replied with mock resignation. “See that fairy over there? That’s Dugu Yanran, about your age. Why don’t you bring her home for Uncle Li and Auntie—she’d make the perfect daughter-in-law.”

“A fairy like that would eat a man down to his very bones. Not something I could handle,” Li Ruoyu laughed.

Before long, a group of figures descended from the unseen summit of the First Peak. Leading them was Sect Master Heng Yi, followed by the masters of the Second through Ninth Peaks: Fu Chenghong, Miao Huiyu, Ji Changyuan, Ling Qianyue, Ji Boyu, Tian Shuling, Tan Yatong, and Liu Piaopiao. The Peak Masters ranked just below the Sect Master and above the elders, pillars of their respective peaks and heirs to their traditions.

“After thirty years, the day of the Outer Sect Tournament is upon us once more,” Heng Yi declared. “I hope you all advance bravely, enter the Abyss of Fallen Demons, seize fortune, and bring glory to Hengjiu Sect. The first round will be a two-person elimination, following the number of registered contestants. Let the tournament begin.”