People get frail with age; I cannot withstand such frequent shocks anymore. If I don't adapt soon, I'll eventually be scared sick by this youngster.
Qinglian smacked his lips, thinking about it carefully and finding it quite reasonable.
Given his lifespan, two years and two months were essentially the same. If he really got scared once every two years, he couldn't bear it either.
"Luck, huh? Lucky indeed... I'm just lacking a bit of luck."
Qinglian shifted his gaze to Chen Hua, who was in the Array, and expressed his thoughts with a tone full of awe.
Unexpectedly, Chen Hua had seen the opportunity to break through to the Tenth Realm before him; it had to be said, luck is indeed a curious thing.
Over three epochs, he had seen more confrontations between the Abyss and Mystical Mechanism than an ordinary person has had meals. Yet, he hadn't been able to discern anything from those two.
It could be that there's some difference between the Human Race and Innate Divine Objects, or it could simply be a matter of a gap in talent.
In any case, the fact that Chen Hua is now ahead of him is already a reality!
Su Youyi closed her eyes and quietly sensed her master's Sword Intent, finding herself inwardly clicking her tongue in wonder.
Although she had already reached Great Perfection of the Seventh Realm, just one step away from the Eighth Realm, now when trying to probe her master's Sword Intent, the gap she felt was even larger than the one she felt when she, at the First Realm, probed her Seventh Realm master's!
If the difference between the First Realm and the Seventh Realm was like a mortal looking up at the peak of a mountain from its base, then the current Su Youyi was like a mortal looking up at the endless Heavenly Vault, aspiring to ascend to the heavens.
Su Youyi danced wildly beneath the gale stirred by Chen Hua's Sword Qi, her eyes shining brightly as she stared fixedly at her master Chen Hua; the stronger the master, the happier she actually was, because the heights he could reach, so could she!
For Su Youyi, to ascend to the heavens, she didn't fear the height, but feared the heavens not being high enough!
At this moment, Liang Yi was also carefully sensing his master's current state, watching a cultivator of the master's level comprehend was also a kind of opportunity for cultivators of their level.
This kind of exploration of the path ahead, understanding of the Dao, and the re-clarification and grasp of one's own power could give them something to ponder and reflect on.
"You watch the scenery on the bridge; the viewer on the building watches you. The moon ornaments your window, you ornament someone else's dream."
Liang Yi's mind suddenly conjured up this verse. Although not entirely fitting, it shared an ingenuity with the scene.
The valley fell into silence, and the four people outside the Array just stood quietly, intent on engraving the scene before their eyes into their hearts.
Time trickled by, and the Sword Intent typhoon, stirring the heavens and earth, also began to subside bit by bit.
Like an ebbing tide, Sword Intent returned from all directions to the valley, gathering slowly on the figure at the heart of this valley.
Clang—
The Taoist Collection beside Chen Hua gave a gentle tremor, and the humming sound of Sword Qi suddenly rang out!
At this moment, it was not only the nearby Liang Yi and Su Youyi, but even the battlefield tens of thousands of miles away, and even half of the Mystical Mechanism Continent, could hear this sword cry!
A strange feeling arose in Liang Yi's heart, a sense of karma and destiny came over him out of nowhere.
Was it that Master Chen Hua first strummed the Taoist Collection causing the sword cry as the cause, and hearing it afterward as the effect, or was it that he first heard the sword cry, and from effect reversed it to become the cause?
Intuitively, Liang Yi felt it was the former, but his body's instinct told him it was actually the latter.
This peculiar sense of karma and destiny made Liang Yi feel incredibly odd. He turned his head to look at his junior sister, senior Gu Sheng, and senior Qinglian.
The three of them also had grave and puzzled faces, their hearts somewhat confused and puzzled about the answer to this question.
Su Youyi herself had an extremely astonishing talent for Sword Dao, deeply moved by this scene, while Gu Sheng and Qinglian, both of high realms, subconsciously sensed something off in this sound.
"How mysterious and strange!"
Qinglian's face showed surprise and bewilderment, as he repeatedly expressed his amazement.
The sword cry inadvertently produced by Chen Hua could even affect him, which indicated that Chen Hua's gains this time might be even greater than imagined!
The sword cry gradually softened and slowly disappeared. Chen Hua stretched lazily, took a deep breath, and the Spiritual Power within a thousand miles was forcefully drawn towards him in an instant.
At the same time as it was forcibly pulled over, the Spiritual Power also swept the valley's floral fragrance with it, gushing into his body like a whale swallowing the sea.
Chen Hua moved slightly, his joints popping like beans, and then he stood up to look at the people outside the Array.
"How was it? Any gains?"
"That's what I should be asking you, right?"
Qinglian walked over with a face full of annoyance and thumped Chen Hua on the shoulder. Being surpassed by a junior, Qinglian was feeling quite stifled in his heart.
"How does your body feel?"
Gu Sheng also asked Chen Hua with a smile, carefully investigating his internal injuries.
"Feeling great, now I really want to find someone to spar with!"
Chen Hua clenched his fists, full of fighting spirit.
"Liang Yi, come over and check if there's any residual Abyss power inside me."
Chen Hua waved at Liang Yi and Su Youyi with a smile, signaling them to come over.
Although he and Gu Sheng didn't notice anything unusual during their investigation, Liang Yi's performance over the past year had made him trust Liang Yi a bit more.
"Whoa, you actually broke through to the Eighth Realm, and Youyi is close too!"
You wouldn't know unless you looked, and it was quite a shock when you did.
Before this retreat, Liang Yi was still in the Seventh Realm, and now he had easily made a breakthrough.
"It's just luck, my junior sister truly honed her skills in real combat."
Liang Yi scratched his head embarrassedly, but the Cliff Sword Intent within him started to circulate as he carefully investigated his master's condition.
"I've heard about Youyi's issue from Gu Sheng here; we're lucky to have you around, or there would definitely have been problems."
Chen Hua squinted at Su Youyi then patted Liang Yi's shoulder, speaking warmly with a hint of relief.
Su Youyi stuck out her tongue and quietly hid behind her senior brother.
Seeing the look on their master's face, she knew he must be secretly thinking about how to intensify her training.
Indeed, it had been her fault for having too much aggressive energy; the frenzied atmosphere on the battlefield when she really fought with Abyss Cultivators, coupled with the opportunistic erosion of Abyss Demon Qi, had triggered her innate nature.
All these factors combined gave her a sense of wanton slaughter, nearly clouding her sword heart with the urge to kill.
If her senior brother hadn't used Sword Intent to carefully cleanse her sword heart, there might really have been problems.
Chen Hua was now upset for this reason; he thought both his disciples were reassuring, but he didn't expect Su Youyi to have such a serious issue.
Liang Yi smiled helplessly; what could he do but let his junior sister hide even deeper behind him?
"So, you old kid lost the bet this time!"
Ignoring Chen Hua who suddenly grinned as if he had just thought of something, he turned his head to look at Gu Sheng.
"A bet is a bet, where's the item?"
As soon as Chen Hua spoke up, Gu Sheng's face was lined with frustration and he fell silent. When Chen Hua reached out his hand, Gu Sheng's face turned even darker.
"Uh? What's the matter? You don't want to welsh now do you..."
Chen Hua with a teasing smile was utterly annoying in Gu Sheng's eyes.
He didn't want to go back on his word; as the Valley Master of Medicine Valley, he wasn't without integrity.
However, the current scene reminded him of the time when this scoundrel split open the Array of Medicine Valley with a sword strike, nearly cutting the valley in half, and directly kidnapped him to heal Liang Yi.
Now it was Liang Yi and Chen Hua again, as if the scene was replaying, making Gu Sheng extremely irritable!
"What bet did you two make?"
Qinglian, with a twitch of her ears, leaned over with great interest to ask.
Liang Yi and Su Youyi, who was peeking out from behind him, also curiously looked at Chen Hua, not knowing what their master was referring to.
"Nothing much, just a bet on Liang Yi's cultivation, to see if he would reach the Eighth Realm before I finished my seclusion."
Chen Hua shrugged his shoulders, briefly explaining the bet.
Mainly, it was because Liang Yi's progress was so frighteningly fast that the two often talked about it when they were bored.
But Chen Hua had confidence in his own disciple, believing that even when facing the Eighth Realm, there would be no hindrances, while Gu Cheng had the opposite view.
Believing that Liang Yi, who had advanced so quickly to the Seventh Realm, might struggle when facing the shackles of the Eighth Realm, and might not make any progress in a short time.
With different opinions, they eventually made a fun bet to see if Liang Yi could reach the Eighth Realm before Chen Hua ended his seclusion.
Since there was a bet, there would certainly be something wagered, which is what Chen Hua was now asking from Gu Sheng.