Chapter 275 - 245: A Visit from an Old Friend

Chapter 275: Chapter 245: A Visit from an Old Friend

"The eight matches over the past two days have concluded. Now, I will announce the list of disciples from the Wanxiang Sect’s Beast Taming Peak and the Spirit Dragon Sect who will be advancing."

"From the Wanxiang Sect: Yu Changsheng, Zhang Tianwen, Gao Yiming, and Mo Yuxuan."

Mo Pengchen smiled as he spoke. With each name he read, his gaze would linger on the disciple for a moment before he gave an encouraging nod.

"From the Spirit Dragon Sect: Yang Chengxu, Wang Junjie, Bi Feiyun, and Lin Feng."

Mu Yongxian did the same, his gaze pausing on each disciple for half a second as he read their name, followed by a smiling nod.

"Rest for three days. All disciples, get yourselves into optimal condition. The finals will begin in three days!"

After a few more announcements, the crowd dispersed. Yu Changsheng said goodbye to Zhang Tianwen and Li Minghan, then returned to his immortal’s cave for his daily routine of cultivation and feeding his chicken...

The competition in three days posed some pressure for Yu Changsheng, but not much. As things stood, the only one from the Spirit Dragon Sect who posed a real threat to him was Yang Chengxu.

’Besides, I don’t need to strive for perfection in everything. It would be best to get first place, but it doesn’t matter if I don’t.’

With that thought, Yu Changsheng slowly closed his eyes and resumed his cultivation.

That night, under a high, bright moon, a graceful figure quietly arrived outside his immortal’s cave.

"Is Yu Changsheng here? An old friend has come to visit. I’d like to have a word."

Inside the immortal’s cave, Yu Changsheng slowly opened his eyes. Sensing the person at his door, he rose to welcome them.

"Sun Shihan..."

As he rose, he felt a slight stir in his heart. It was indeed her. He stood and personally went to greet his guest.

"Long time no see, Junior Yu."

Sun Shihan beamed, giving Yu Changsheng a slightly mischievous wink. The moonlight cascaded down as she moved with light steps, her slender waist swaying and her fair wrists peeking from beneath her light gauze sleeves.

Her eyes shimmered like clear spring water. A jade dragon-and-phoenix hairpin was nestled in her elegant topknot. Her fragrant, delicate beauty outshone the most vibrant flowers; her fingers were as slender as freshly picked scallions, her lips like they were stained with cinnabar. Every expression, every smile, was captivating. Combined with her stunning features, she radiated an effortless, enchanting allure.

The moon itself seemed to take notice, casting an even brighter glow. Even Yu Changsheng was momentarily dazed. After a moment, he smiled and invited Sun Shihan inside.

"Senior Sister Sun, it’s been a while. Congratulations on breaking through to Foundation Establishment."

Yu Changsheng said with a hint of surprise, sensing the Foundation Establishment fluctuations emanating from her.

Through his keen Divine Sense, he could roughly perceive that the number of Spirit Platforms Sun Shihan had formed during her Foundation Establishment was not low—around seven layers.

To be able to condense a Seventh-Layer Spirit Platform was enough to be called a genius. Even among all the Inner Sect Disciples of the Wanxiang Sect, those who possessed one were few and far between.

"What’s there to congratulate? Look at you! I don’t know how you cultivate. I just broke through, and you’re already at Mid-stage Foundation Establishment."

Sun Shihan shook her head, her words holding a mix of bewilderment and wonder.

She hadn’t been out of seclusion for long, but she had heard bits and pieces about the recent events and was even more astonished by Yu Changsheng.

Back then, she could still hold her own against him in a fight, but in such a short time, the gap between them had grown so vast.

’Perhaps this is what a true prodigy is like.’

Sun Shihan sighed internally, suppressing her thoughts. She looked up at Yu Changsheng again, a peculiar glint flashing in her eyes before it transformed into a charming smile.

"Haha, maybe I’ve just had more fortuitous encounters."

Yu Changsheng laughed it off, feeling a bit awkward. He scratched his head and gave a sheepish grin.

’Of course,’ he thought. ’I’m using a cheat. How could I be compared to normal people like you?’

"What about Senior Brother Miao? Hasn’t he broken through yet?"

After preparing tea for Sun Shihan, Yu Changsheng thought for a moment before asking curiously.

Logically speaking, after so much time had passed, even Sun Shihan had reached Foundation Establishment. It didn’t make sense that Miao Wenlun hadn’t broken through yet.

"Oh, him? He broke through a while ago. But then, I don’t know what got into him, he just left to go train out in the world. No idea when he’ll be back."

At the mention of Miao Wenlun, Sun Shihan shrugged with a helpless expression, casting a subtle glance at Yu Changsheng.

"Is that so? Well, that’s fine too. Senior Brother Miao has been on Beast Taming Peak for so many years. It’s understandable he’d want to go out and explore after reaching Foundation Establishment."

Yu Changsheng was surprised but nodded after a moment. He didn’t ask for the specific reason.

"Heh." Sun Shihan smiled and sipped her tea. The rising steam veiled her beautiful face, making it appear even more hazy and enchanting under the moonlight.

In reality, the reason Miao Wenlun left was, in fact, somewhat related to Yu Changsheng.

You see, after finally managing to break through, Miao Wenlun had been full of confidence, determined to put Yu Changsheng back in his place. But the moment he came out of seclusion, he heard the news that Yu Changsheng had long since reached Mid-stage Foundation Establishment and was dominating the Inner Sect.

He was thunderstruck. Any pride he had from reaching Foundation Establishment vanished instantly. In the end, with a sigh, he had secretly left the sect two days ago to seek his own fortuitous encounters.

For Miao Wenlun, it was perhaps too difficult to accept that someone who had once looked up to him from behind had now become someone he had to look up to.

Under the weight of this huge disparity, his former halo was gone. That’s why he left quietly without saying goodbye to anyone.

Yu Changsheng knew nothing of this. And even if he had, he wouldn’t have cared. Ultimately, he could only wish the other man good luck.

Now, in the quiet of the night, Sun Shihan and Yu Changsheng, who were quite familiar with each other, chatted idly. They spoke about their current situations, and though there was no wine, they substituted it with tea and enjoyed a pleasant conversation.

’If word of this scene got out,’ Yu Changsheng thought randomly, ’I’m afraid every disciple on Beast Taming Peak would hate me to the bone.’

Without a doubt, Sun Shihan was beautiful, her looks rivaled by few in the Inner Sect. Coupled with her gentle personality and further contrasted by an "ice queen" like Chen Menghan, her popularity on Beast Taming Peak—where female disciples were already scarce—was known to all. She was practically the ideal woman in the eyes of many disciples.

And now, this ideal goddess was here in the dead of night, alone with him in a room... If word got out, Yu Changsheng could already imagine the sound of other disciples’ hearts breaking.

"What are you thinking about? You’re so lost in thought."

Seeing Yu Changsheng spacing out, Sun Shihan raised a hand and waved it in front of his face, asking with a small smile.

"I was thinking, if anyone found out that you came here alone so late at night, it probably wouldn’t be good for your reputation."

Yu Changsheng was very honest, answering truthfully with a sincere look in his eyes.

"You..." Sun Shihan froze for a second, a visible blush creeping onto her face. Then, she shot Yu Changsheng an indignant glare, pursing her lips and saying peevishly:

"What nonsense are you thinking? Who’s paying attention to you this late at night? Besides, I was very careful when I came."

Even so, for some reason, Sun Shihan didn’t feel much annoyance or worry upon hearing his words.

"That’s good, that’s good," Yu Changsheng said, patting his chest with a sigh of relief.

"Are you really that worried about my reputation? Not bad, you’re quite considerate," Sun Shihan said, her interest piqued. She smiled teasingly.

"No, I’m mainly afraid people will misunderstand our relationship and it’ll be bad for *my* reputation."

Yu Changsheng answered with the same sincere and earnest expression.

"..."

Sun Shihan fell silent. The smile on her face froze. She glared at Yu Changsheng, grinding her teeth under her breath.

"Hahaha." Yu Changsheng burst out laughing and refilled Sun Shihan’s cup from the teapot.

"Hmph! Who cares about you or your reputation!" After a long moment, Sun Shihan finally snapped out of it. She shot Yu Changsheng another glare, snorted coldly, and pouted.

"Alright, alright. I came here to talk about something serious."

Seeing that the mood was about right, Sun Shihan’s expression suddenly turned serious. She glanced at the moon outside the window and said formally:

"Go on," Yu Changsheng said, nodding. He dropped his playful demeanor and spoke softly.

"Now that I’ve reached Foundation Establishment, and you have too, we can start preparing for that matter I told you about back then."

After a moment of contemplation, Sun Shihan paused briefly before beginning her explanation.

The sky was clear, the night calm. Stars dotted the heavens, with not a single cloud in sight. The celestial light shone brighter, the sky looked deeper, and the person before him seemed all the more serene and beautiful...