Chapter Thirty: The Azure Dragon Emerges from the Water

After a night of hearty drinking, no one was willing to part ways just yet. For the first time, Lin Cheng felt a true sense of belonging to the Qingyang Sect, savoring the camaraderie of friends gathered together—devouring meat, downing bowls of wine, and sharing laughter. The feeling was wonderful.

Before leaving, Lin Cheng distributed some unaligned spirit stones and fire-attributed spirit stones to everyone, as well as a few useful pills. Even though the three women had no use for fire-attributed stones, he still gave them some to carry—after all, they might one day encounter someone with something more suitable to trade.

This gesture left them all stunned! Seeing Lin Cheng act like a nouveau riche, anyone unaware might have assumed he’d been off looting recently. Only Wang Shan guessed that most of these treasures probably came from Si Miao’s storage ring.

“With this, we won’t need to worry about cultivation resources for a while... Incredible, you madman!”

...

After everyone departed, Lin Cheng headed toward his own cave dwelling. As he reached the entrance, the little demon joyfully bounded out and rubbed against him affectionately.

Smiling, he patted the creature, and together they entered the cave. With a wave of his hand, hundreds of fire-attributed spirit stones appeared on the ground.

“Little Demon, I’ll be in seclusion for a while. You train on your own as well...”

With that, he sat cross-legged and entered into meditation.

Meanwhile, atop the main peak of Qingyang Sect, the blue stone square was teeming with people, their voices rising in constant discussion.

“One month from now, the sect’s outer disciple competition will commence. The top ten will be promoted to inner disciples. The top three will receive five hundred unaligned spirit stones, and the first place winner will gain an additional fifty bottles of True Spirit Elixir... All outer and servant disciples may participate.”

The outer disciple competition!

Staring at the notice board in the square, nearly all present were itching for battle. Many servant disciples clenched their fists—though they knew their chances were slim, it was their only shot at rising above their station.

Before the board, Ouyang Bo withdrew his gaze and turned to Bai Lu at his side, speaking softly, “Junior Sister Bai, it seems this will be our golden opportunity to enter the inner sect.”

Bai Lu replied, “There are more than ten thousand disciples in the outer sect alone. Senior Brother Ouyang, are you truly so confident about making the top ten?”

“In my opinion, only a handful among the outer disciples could surpass the two of us...” Ouyang Bo said. “The rewards for the top three are truly generous... Alas, should we face those few, even I have no guarantee of victory…”

Bai Lu smiled at his words.

Not far away, Zhang Bao and his companions were also fixated on the announcement, his clenched fists betraying his excitement. Thanks to his cousin Zhang Yan’s help, he had already reached the third level of the True Qi Realm, but breaking into the top ten still felt daunting.

He glanced at his companions.

“My brothers, I’ll need your help when the time comes... If you can shield me and help me win a spot, once I enter the inner sect, I’ll be sure to have my cousin Zhang Yan look after you all.”

They exchanged glances and cupped their hands, “Don’t worry, Brother Zhang. We’ll do our best to clear the way for you. The top ten will surely include your name.”

Hearing this, Zhang Bao burst into hearty laughter.

In truth, they were helpless—everyone knew Zhang Yan’s reputation for ruthless vengeance and dared not cross him. They had witnessed firsthand how Zhang Yan and his group had beaten Lin Hu to a wretched state; the memory still sent chills down their spines.

Yet all these external commotions had no effect on Lin Cheng and his friends. Each was deeply immersed in their own cultivation.

Half a month passed in a flash. Lin Cheng, sitting as still as an old monk, quietly absorbed the energy around him. The thousands of unaligned spirit stones at his side had all been transformed into vast waves of spiritual energy, surging within his golden dantian sea—yet even so, it was still not filled.

The energy from dozens of fire-attributed stones had already been converted into sword essence, propelling him to the eleventh level of the True Qi Master realm. The incredible capacity of his five-element spiritual root physique was thus revealed.

As for the spiritual power within his dantian, he had no intention of converting all of it into sword essence. Instead, he reserved it as a resource for battle, imagining that with his almost limitless dantian reserves, he could simply outlast any opponent in a drawn-out fight.

At this thought, Lin Cheng opened his eyes and allowed himself a satisfied smile.

He exhaled a mouthful of turbid air and stretched his limbs. Seeing the little demon still cultivating nearby, he left some more fire-attributed spirit stones with a wave of his hand, then stepped out of the cave.

It was time to practice his swordsmanship.

Eagerly, Lin Cheng recalled the set of “Heaven’s Peak Five Clouds Sword” the white-robed sword cultivator had taught him and began to study it in his mind.

The Heaven’s Peak Five Clouds Sword was divided into five forms, each requiring the practitioner to reach a corresponding level before progressing to the next.

The first form: Azure Dragon Emerges from the Water!

These four words leapt into his mind, setting his blood ablaze.

This move fused one’s energy with the sword, merging man and blade into one, transforming into an azure dragon that strikes before the sword itself arrives—an attack that shatters the enemy in a single blow.

At the pinnacle, Azure Dragon Emerges from the Water could disregard spatial barriers within a certain range; the sword would reach its target in an instant.

Reading this, Lin Cheng was exhilarated!

He immediately began to train.

On a huge stone platform jutting from the cliffs of Sword-Hidden Peak, a black-robed youth ceaselessly practiced his sword forms.

Beyond him, a rolling sea of clouds stretched into the distance.

At times, the youth thrust forward; at others, he spun and struck behind him. He leapt and danced through the air, his sword strikes fierce and sweeping. Where the blade moved, faint sword gleams flashed. Occasionally, he would stand still with closed eyes, quietly seeking enlightenment.

As the sun set and stars filled the sky, the youth continued to wield his sword, practicing the forms without rest. With each thrust and each form, the vague image of a white dragon seemed to appear, weaving around him.

Finishing a sequence, he wiped sweat from his brow and drank from a flask. Lin Cheng’s eyes gleamed with vitality—he had almost grasped the essence of Azure Dragon Emerges from the Water.

After a short rest, he rose and resumed his practice...

For several consecutive days, his figure remained on the cliff platform, tirelessly swinging his sword.

—

“Hah!”

A shout echoed across the platform. Suddenly, Lin Cheng’s figure vanished. In the next instant, a dragon’s roar resounded—a white azure dragon materialized, pure and imposing, rushing forth, sometimes charging ahead, sometimes soaring skyward.

From afar, it truly looked like a white dragon cavorting through the sea of clouds.

The dragon’s roar rang with inspiring vigor. Darting and weaving through the clouds, it suddenly plunged from above, transforming in a heartbeat into a human figure—it was Lin Cheng!

Azure Dragon Emerges from the Water!

What a sword art, what a move!

At this moment, Lin Cheng was overwhelmed with excitement, his eyes shining brilliantly. With his current cultivation at the eleventh level of the True Qi Master realm, paired with this technique, he felt—

He could challenge the Spirit Realm!

Suppressing his delight, he turned and departed.

After several sleepless days and nights of sword practice, even with his current cultivation, he was exhausted and planned to rest for two days.

“I wonder how the rest of the gang is faring now...”

—