Chu Yu was stunned. Apart from the names Liao Danxin and Ren Hongni, which sounded relatively normal, what on earth were Wang Dachui, Tie Hanhan, Da Ahuang, and Xiao Hei?
Soon after, Chu Yu met the other disciples of Hàorán Peak.
"This senior brother must be Wang Dachui, right?" Chu Yu asked, looking at a Hàorán Peak disciple who was rugged in appearance, stout in build, and dark-skinned.
"I’m Tie Hanhan, the fifth disciple of Hàorán Peak."
"Fifth Senior Brother, I’m the new disciple, Chu Yu. It’s a pleasure to meet you."
The name "Tie Hanhan" (Iron Simpleton) certainly matched the fifth senior brother’s appearance well. After learning his name and taking a closer look, Chu Yu noted that his face indeed carried a somewhat silly and simple-minded air. He truly lived up to his name.
"Then this beauty must be Senior Sister Ren Hongni?"
Chu Yu looked at a female disciple from Hàorán Peak. Based on her face alone, she was certainly not ugly—a standard beauty, in fact. But as for her physique, it was surprisingly robust; she looked sturdier than many grown men. Of the names Gu Changsheng had mentioned, "Ren Hongni" was the only one that sounded like a standard feminine name, so he assumed this woman was undoubtedly the Third Senior Sister.
"Pfft!"
"Hahaha..."
Gu Changsheng and Tie Hanhan couldn't help but burst into laughter, their expressions turning very strange.
"You’ve got the wrong person! *I* am Ren Hongni. What are you laughing at? What’s so funny?!"
A man with an unusually handsome face, skin as white as snow, and a delicate, feminine air let out a cold huff. The vertical red mark on his forehead made him look particularly distinctive.
Chu Yu was speechless.
"He is the fourth disciple of Hàorán Peak, Ren Hongni. *I* am the third disciple of Hàorán Peak, Wang Dachui!" the robust beauty declared.
"G-good day, Senior Sister Dachui!" Chu Yu said, stunned. Ten thousand mythical creatures stampeded through his mind.
"This is our Eldest Senior Brother, Liao Danxin," Gu Changsheng introduced.
The "Eldest Senior Brother" Gu spoke of was a youth with disheveled hair and a slovenly, unrestrained appearance. He said nothing; he merely tossed a medicine bottle to Chu Yu and turned to leave.
"That’s a welcome gift from the Eldest Senior Brother. He’s an alchemy fanatic. Aside from refining pills, he has no interest in anything else. You’ll understand after you’ve been here a while," Gu Changsheng explained, then gave a light cough and looked at Chu Yu with a straight face. "Now, let me reintroduce myself: the second disciple of Hàorán Peak, Gu Changsheng!"
"And who are the two senior brothers, Da Ahuang and Xiao Hei?" Chu Yu asked.
"Oh, them? They’re our dog and cat," Gu Changsheng roared with laughter, clearly amused that Chu Yu had mistaken Da Ahuang and Xiao Hei for disciples. "Da Ahuang, Xiao Hei, come over here and meet your new junior brother!"
Gu Changsheng whistled, and a large yellow dog and a small black cat came bounding out of a bamboo hut.
Chu Yu stood there, dumbfounded, barely holding back a curse. My heavens, save me! Liao Danxin, Gu Changsheng, Wang Dachui, Ren Hongni, Tie Hanhan, plus Da Ahuang and Xiao Hei. What kind of circus was this? Was there not a single normal person on this massive Hàorán Peak? It was no wonder that aside from him—whom Gu Changsheng had successfully swindled—no other young talent who passed the trials had ever shown interest in Hàorán Peak. Why had he been so blind as to fall for Gu Changsheng’s trap?
"Junior Brother, you just passed the Wèncāng Pavilion trials. Rest for a day, and tomorrow I’ll take you around to get familiar with the environment," Gu Changsheng smiled.
Chu Yu sighed helplessly. *When in Rome, do as the Romans do.* As long as the Heavenly Hàorán Scripture was genuine, there was still value in being a Hàorán Peak disciple.
"Second Senior Brother, I’m curious about one thing. How exactly did you end up on Hàorán Peak back then?" Out of the five disciples—Liao Danxin, Gu Changsheng, Wang Dachui, Ren Hongni, and Tie Hanhan—only Gu Changsheng looked even remotely normal.
"Back then, the Eldest Senior Brother told me that I was handsome, dashing, and possessed an extraordinary temperament..."
"Stop! Cut it out, you don't need to say another word!" Chu Yu quickly interrupted. He already knew what was coming: *You are handsome and dashing, with a rare temperament and remarkable bones; you are a one-in-a-million cultivation genius. I have a supreme manual here, not passed down to men or women, only to you—are you interested?* Chu Yu was already sick of hearing that line!
"That’s exactly what Master told the Eldest Senior Brother when he first joined Hàorán Peak!" Gu Changsheng added.
Chu Yu was speechless. He truly couldn't blame the Master and disciples of Hàorán Peak; they were cut from the same cloth, down to the very last word.
A day passed. Chu Yu cultivated in his bamboo hut, and his cultivation base broke through once more, reaching the Fifth Layer of Inscription Realm.
The next day, when the sun was high, Gu Changsheng pushed open the door and took Chu Yu down the peak to explore Wèncāng Pavilion.
"The six peaks of Wèncāng Pavilion each have their own inheritances, but the various cultivation arrays and resources are shared by all disciples."
The two first arrived at the Gravity Array, one of the training formations. It was designed to enhance physical strength. The interior contained no natural spiritual energy or Dao aura, but the gravity was dozens to thousands of times higher than outside.
Dozens of Wèncāng Pavilion disciples were queuing up to enter. Just as it was about to be their turn, seven or eight other disciples—also new recruits, like Chu Yu—walked up and cut directly in front of them without a word.
"Don't cut in line. Get to the back!" Chu Yu frowned, anger rising in his eyes. He found people who couldn't even respect basic rules truly detestable.
"We are disciples of Yúncāng Peak!" a youth said haughtily, casting a disdainful glance at Chu Yu and Gu Changsheng.
"I don't care which peak you're from. Get to the back!" Chu Yu roared. He was naturally rebellious; there was no way he would swallow such an insult.
"The talents of the top three peaks have priority access to training arrays. Yúncāng Peak is the head of the top three, and your Hàorán Peak is the bottom of the lower three. Understand?" another Yúncāng Peak disciple said arrogantly. None of them showed any intention of moving to the back. This was what the senior students of Yúncāng Peak had told them: their aptitude was superior, so they didn't need to queue.
Chu Yu’s face sank as he looked at Gu Changsheng. "Is that the rule at Wèncāng Pavilion?"
"There’s no such rule, but for many years, it’s become a habit for disciples of the top three peaks to take priority," Gu Changsheng replied with a bitter smile.
"A habit? I don't give a damn about their bad habits!" Chu Yu bellowed. He tapped the shoulder of the Yúncāng Peak student in front of him. "I’ll say it one more time: get to the back!"
"Are you looking to get slapped, you bastard?" The disciple exploded in anger. He hadn't expected a new recruit from Hàorán Peak to be so defiant, and he threw a punch immediately.
Chu Yu’s reactions were lightning-fast. He dodged easily and struck back with a punch of his own!
*Bang!*
The blow landed squarely on the chest of the Yúncāng Peak disciple. The latter coughed up a mouthful of blood and flew over ten meters backward, his face pale as if he’d been struck by a hammer.
"What do you think you’re doing?"
"You, a disciple of the lower three peaks, dare to attack a new disciple of Yúncāng Peak!"
The other Yúncāng Peak recruits were furious. They unleashed their power, runes swirling around them and surging with Dao energy as they attacked Chu Yu.
"A bunch of idiots looking for a beating!"
Chu Yu’s hair whipped about his head. His expression was wild and arrogant. The Burning Heaven Dao Wheel appeared behind him, surging with crimson runes. He threw a punch, the force of it like a raging, overturning sea, crashing toward them!
The power of that punch was terrifying. Though Chu Yu was only just entering the Fifth Layer of Inscription Realm, the force of that blow was enough to make a powerhouse at the Ninth Layer of Inscription Realm feel a chill.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
A series of loud thuds followed as the Yúncāng Peak disciples were all sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground.
The surroundings erupted in a commotion! For years, this was the first time a disciple of the lower three peaks had contested the top three for access to a training array. Gu Changsheng stared at Chu Yu with an look of utter disbelief.
"This new junior brother is a bit of a savage!" Gu Changsheng gasped. Even the disciples of Heavenly Sword Peak and Purple Cloud Peak were wary of Yúncāng Peak, yet Chu Yu had effortlessly swept them aside.
"The six peaks of Wèncāng Pavilion were never originally divided into 'top' and 'lower' tiers. It was the various factions and disciples who ranked them, and eventually, even the elders began to accept this division," Gu Changsheng sighed. As a Hàorán Peak disciple, he had endured much mockery and bullying from other peaks.
Inside the Gravity Array, Chu Yu felt a strange, inexplicable force that repelled all spiritual energy and Dao aura, even severely restricting his own power. Within the array, one had to rely entirely on physical strength. The closer one went to the center, the more terrifying the gravity became.
"This time, I’m just taking you to get familiarized. Don't linger too long; you’ll have plenty of time later!" Gu Changsheng said, then led him out toward the next formation.
Beyond the Gravity Array, there were the Flame Array, the Heavenly Thunder Array, and the Heavenly Waterfall Array. In the Flame Array, the fire-elemental aura was immense, making Chu Yu’s "Burning Heaven Technique" twice as effective. In the Heavenly Thunder Array, the rolling thunder helped him temper his body.
Near a mountain stream, the sound of water roared like thunder. A waterfall several thousand meters high descended as if from the heavens. This wasn't ordinary water, but a torrent imbued with immense spiritual energy and Dao aura. Its impact was so devastating that even a powerhouse at the Dao Pattern Realm could be killed by it.
"This is the Heavenly Waterfall Array. There are two of them, one for male disciples and one for female," Gu Changsheng explained.
Of the four, the Heavenly Waterfall Array interested Chu Yu the most.
"Well? Interested in giving it a try?"
"I’ll try it!" Chu Yu said, leaping straight into the waterfall.
The moment he entered, the terrifying turbulence struck his body with massive force, bringing a wave of intense pain. Simultaneously, a surge of spiritual energy and Dao aura flooded into his body.
"Of the four arrays, this is the most dangerous. Be careful! In the past, disciples who were overconfident didn't listen to warnings and were crushed to death by the turbulence..."
Before Gu Changsheng could finish, Chu Yu had already moved. The array was divided into zones; the closer to the center, the greater the pressure. Chu Yu was currently on the edge, but he was walking toward the middle. Each step was incredibly difficult against the weight of the water, yet his resolve was firm.
"Stop! Don't go any further! Even a Ninth Layer of Inscription Realm cultivator couldn't hold their ground there!" Gu Changsheng warned. Usually, only those who had reached the Dao Pattern Realm dared to train in that zone.
*I should be able to handle it,* Chu Yu thought. His physical body was strong enough to rival, if not surpass, a Dao Pattern Realm powerhouse, which gave him the confidence.
*Bang!*
With one step, Chu Yu stood firmly in that zone! Instantly, the pressure of the turbulence increased tenfold, and the Dao aura became even more overwhelming. Intense, piercing pain shot through every inch of his skin, as if he were being scrubbed with a steel brush. Even with Chu Yu's iron will, he couldn't help but gasp. His body turned bright red under the onslaught.
Compared to the pain, however, the benefits were even more gratifying. His physical body was being tempered, and the influx of energy pushed his cultivation progress at a rapid pace.
"This kid is a madman! I can't believe he actually held on!" Gu Changsheng exclaimed, shock coloring his expression.
A quarter-hour later, Chu Yu slowly retreated. Fifteen minutes was his current limit. Pushing further would be counterproductive, potentially damaging his body and undermining his very foundation.
Shortly after leaving the waterfall, Chu Yu finally had a grasp of the training arrays.
"Even a Dao Pattern Realm expert might not last a quarter-hour in that zone!" Gu Changsheng said, still feeling lingering fear.
"My physical body is just a bit tougher than most," Chu Yu replied.
"There they are!"
"That's the guy who beat up our seven or eight Yúncāng Peak recruits!"
Two or three dozen people surrounded Chu Yu and Gu Changsheng. They were all disciples of Yúncāng Peak, including the seven or eight he had just injured. Leading them were the Ye family genius, Ye Chen, and two senior Yúncāng Peak students.
"Chu Yu, what a small world! We meet again!" Ye Chen sneered, a glint of malice in his eyes. With neither Mu Miaotong nor the Jiang princess Jiang Ruoxi there to protect him, he figured it was time for revenge.
Chu Yu gave a disdainful laugh. "A small world? I don't think it's that coincidental. You came prepared, didn't you?"
"Hmph! I did! So what? You beat up my junior brothers, and I’m here to seek justice!" Ye Chen scoffed. Runes flickered around him, and his Dao energy surged; he had reached the Sixth Layer of Inscription Realm. Since losing to Chu Yu, he had cultivated obsessively, consuming countless precious treasures to break through, all for this moment of redemption.
"Those seven or eight losers attacked first. What justice do you want? Do you even deserve any?" Chu Yu said coldly.
"Heh, a new Hàorán Peak disciple, you’re quite arrogant. In all these years, no one from the lower three peaks has ever dared to speak to us like that!" a senior Yúncāng student shouted. "Gu Changsheng, since you can't discipline your junior brother, I’ll do it for you!"
"And what do you intend to do?" Gu Changsheng asked grimly.
"Simple. Have your disciple kneel and apologize to our new recruits, then take two slaps from Brother Ye Chen. Then we’ll call it even," the senior student said.
"Hahaha, did you hear that? Kneel!"
"Kneel! Even if all the Hàorán Peak disciples came, they couldn't save you!"
The Yúncāng disciples laughed, and those previously injured were particularly loud, relishing the prospect of revenge.
"Little brat, today I’ll show you that there’s no happy ending for those who offend me!" Ye Chen grinned, rolling up his sleeves. He prepared to deliver the slaps in front of everyone to regain his dignity.
"Junior Brother, when we fight, I’ll hold them off. Run! As long as you reach Hàorán Peak, even they won't dare cause trouble there," Gu Changsheng whispered.
"No need. Just take them out. You handle the two seniors, the rest are mine!"
Before Gu Changsheng could react, Chu Yu shot forward like a bolt from a bow. The Burning Heaven Dao Wheel appeared, blazing like a sun, and red runes flooded out like a sea of fire. With a thunderous punch that shattered the air, he lunged straight at Ye Chen!
"You brat, you actually dare to attack?"
"How bold of you! We’ll teach you a lesson today!"
The Yúncāng disciples were shocked and enraged. But Chu Yu’s fist was already upon Ye Chen.
"Chu Yu, I only lost last time because I was careless! Don't think you’re actually my match!" Ye Chen roared, slamming his palm out. The runes coalesced into a golden flood dragon that charged at Chu Yu. This was the "Golden Dragon Precious Technique," one of his trump cards.
*BOOM!*
The collision sent a shocking roar through the air. To everyone’s disbelief, the Golden Dragon technique shattered like thin ice, and Chu Yu’s fist, losing none of its momentum, slammed into Ye Chen’s chest!
*Pfft!*
Ye Chen screamed as he flew backward, spraying a mist of blood. Everyone froze, stunned into silence. Ye Chen was a top talent among the new recruits, yet he couldn't even block one punch from Chu Yu!
Meanwhile, Chu Yu, swift as a tiger, had already dived into the midst of the remaining Yúncāng disciples.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*