One sword cheat

Chapter 14 Ancient Realm Passage

Inside the Shangqing Palace, the Daoist bell rang for the first time since Chen Renlai's arrival.

"Thump~~~"

The melodious chimes awakened the entire Qingcheng Mountain. Chen Ren stared at the large bell in front of him, feeling his ears and brain buzzing.

He was the only martial arts practitioner in Shangqing Palace, so it was naturally his turn to do this.

Who told him to eat the most at the dinner table?

[Sword Drawing Value +3]

This time, the bell rang to announce the awakening of the inner palace disciples, as their master, Zhang Yunqing, had something to say.

After the bell rang, several rooms on the back mountain slowly opened, and three disciples walked out.

The three disciples, two men and one woman, looked a year or two older than Chen Ren, and their brows furrowed with doubt.

"The bell at Shangqing Palace hasn't rung in a long time. The last time was when we entered the palace. What's the reason this time?"

With puzzled expressions, they went to the inner hall as usual, where matters were typically discussed.

"Senior Brother Renmu, it seems you're almost there."

Incheon looked on with envy: "I need at least another year."

"Just a bit of luck." Ren Mu shook his head and laughed. "It'll probably be another two or three months. Junior Sister Ren Qian has even better aptitude. Although she came later than us, it'll only be a year or two at most."

"Let's go see our master first."

Renqian smiled shyly. All three of them were ascetic practitioners, focusing solely on cultivation.

Shortly afterward, the Shangqing Inner Palace became unusually lively.

Inside the inner palace hall, conversations and laughter filled the air; it was the first time Chen Ren had ever seen so many people.

Renmu, Renchuan, and Renqian, who had been in seclusion on the back mountain, have emerged from their seclusion.

Renhong and Renyue, who had been traveling around the mountain for many years, have also returned.

Including the three of them, there are a total of eight disciples!

Chen Ren kept looking them over. Ren Yue and Ren Hong were obviously more tactful, spoke more pleasantly, and did things in a way that made people feel comfortable.

Incheon ...

"Brothers, have some tea."

Chen Ren poured seven-tenths of the tea for the three of them.

Strictly speaking, within the Shangqing Palace, regardless of gender, all those who entered the palace earlier than their peers were uniformly addressed as "senior brother," a term of respect.

"Thanks."

Renqian smiled, and everyone picked up their teacups and took a sip.

After taking a sip, Chen Ren leaned in and poured more tea until it was about seven-tenths full: "Brothers, have some tea~"

"Uh..." The three of them took another sip out of politeness.

Chen Ren immediately picked up the teapot again to add more tea.

The shy senior students, unable to refuse, could only drink, refill, and drink some more...

[Ding: Sword Drawing Value +3 +3 +3...]

Chen Ren's lips curled up. It was like a pillow being delivered when he was sleepy. He was just worried that no one would help him farm sword-drawing points, but he didn't expect to find an opportunity so soon.

He can get past these three people and break their defenses.

He took a moment to quickly boil a few more pots of tea.

Fortunately, Zhang Yunqing arrived later, otherwise Ren Mu and the other two would probably have died from overeating.

"Alright, it's rare that so many of my Ren generation members from Shangqing Palace have come this time. Master, I have some things I'd like to tell you all."

Zhang Yunqing didn't waste any words. She glanced at them and said, "Let's talk about what's happened recently. As you all know, Ren Tong didn't come."

"Where did Junior Sister Rentong go?"

Ren Yue looked around curiously: "Could it be that she has already reached the fifth level of Qi Condensation and gone to the Ancient Realm?"

Senior Brother Renhong immediately chimed in, "Tsk tsk, this is a once-in-a-century genius! A talent from Class B, I never expected him to be so fast..."

"No."

Zhang Yunqing shook her head calmly: "She violated the rules of my Shangqing Palace and has been expelled from the sect. She is now cultivating in the Tianshi Cave."

After those words were spoken, the entire inner hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"Expelled from the sect?!"

Renhong's voice rose several octaves: "Master, that's someone with the potential for second-tier high school! They're just being expelled like that?"

"Master, I didn't mishear. Everything was fine before the seclusion, wasn't it?"

They thought this reunion after leaving the country would be a good thing, but they never expected such a big problem to arise!

"There's no need to bring this up again. I hope everyone understands that Shangqing Palace prioritizes character and integrity. Otherwise, no matter how talented you are, you won't be kept here."

Her sharp gaze swept over everyone, and those who were seen unconsciously tightened their guard.

"Now let's talk about the second thing."

A rare smile appeared on Zhang Yunqing's face:

"Your senior brother Renqi is a late bloomer. He has successfully eliminated the turbid qi in his kidney essence and will soon break through to the fifth level of Qi Condensation."

"And your junior brother, Chen Ren, although he has only recently joined my Shangqing Palace, he already possesses a flawless physique and is at the fourth level of Qi and Blood. He will soon reach the fifth level of Qi and Blood, and his internal energy will be able to be released externally, making him qualified to go to the Ancient Realm."

"In addition, your junior brother Renxian has acquired the Luo Qi Pill and is almost at the fifth level of Qi Condensation. In other words, soon, our Shangqing Palace will have three disciples who will be able to go to the Ancient Realm."

This is fantastic news!

"Is this a body with pure Yang kidney essence and no leakage?"

Ren Yue runs around at the foot of the mountain every day and is very familiar with these things. Even if he only has pure Yang Qi, it is still an extraordinary special physique.

Compared to her junior sister Su Rentong's aptitude for Class B, she might be a little worse, but definitely not by much!

"Wow, that's amazing!"

Everyone gave him a thumbs up, and under their gaze, Chen Ren became unusually shy.

This eased the unpleasantness of Su Rentong's departure, and then Zhang Yunqing talked about the third thing.

"The third thing is also the reason why I called you here."

Zhang Yunqing slowly began to speak, "Everyone knows that those who are not at the fifth level of Qi Condensation, or whose Qi and blood are insufficient for the fifth level, cannot go to the Ancient Realm."

This is an ironclad rule, no one is unaware of it, and the authorities strictly control this information.

Chen Ren's heart skipped a beat. If his master said that, could it be that this gathering of everyone was related to the Ancient Realm?

"But we can't go to the Ancient Realm. However, we can go through the closest passage to the Ancient Realm. There may be an opportunity to break through to the fifth level there. According to custom, each sect on Mount Qingcheng can select people to go there every year."

"It's just that we've had fewer people at Shangqing Palace these past two years, so we haven't been able to participate."

She said something that surprised everyone.

"I think that once Renxian reaches the fifth level of Qi Condensation, we can have him lead you to the passage outside the ancient realm to seek opportunities. Whether it's spiritual herbs or animals imbued with spiritual energy, it will greatly reduce the time it takes for you to reach the fifth level of Qi Condensation."

In fact, other sects and factions have been holding similar events all along.

However, Shangqing Palace had a special situation; there were simply not enough people, or no people at all, so they never participated.

There were no disciples at the Qi Refining stage, and the only Foundation Establishment disciple was Zhang Yunqing, who was injured, so it was impossible for her to organize such an event.

The Ancient Realm Passage is not the Ancient Realm itself, but because it is closest to the Ancient Realm, the spiritual energy emanating from it is more abundant, making it rich in resources.

Chen Ren's mind raced. Did this mean that his opportunity had arrived?

"Wait, Master, are you saying that other sects also organize similar events?"

Suddenly, as if he had just thought of something, he abruptly asked, "Will Su Rentong from Tianshi Cave also participate?"

"Tianshi Cave will definitely participate; their numbers have always been consistently high, that's beyond doubt."

Zhang Yunqing shook her head and said, "This is entirely voluntary. You don't need to worry. Once Renxian reaches the fifth level of Qi Condensation, she will be able to protect you from harm."