I long to return home!

Xue Wu gripped the martial arts manual tightly, his eyes revealing an unprecedented ferocity, like an enraged lion, sending chills down one's spine. His only thought now was to rescue the Golden Feather Phoenix; this was his ambition. He couldn't understand why such a small mistake should result in such severe punishment. If someone had bullied him in his hometown, he might have ignored it, but if it involved harming his family and friends, even breaking the law would make them pay a heavy price.

In the days that followed, Xue Wu displayed unparalleled determination and diligence. With his body tempered by pure fire, he advanced to the third level of Qi Refining in less than 10 days. During the day, he practiced the Cloud Peak Sword Technique, at noon he practiced fire and lightning techniques respectively, and at night he would calm his mind to improve his cultivation level through breathing exercises.

When he closed his eyes, it was early spring; when he opened them, it was already midsummer, though probably not the midsummer of yesteryear. Yunfeng is sunny year-round, and this time of year should be when the sun is at its brightest, and when the summer flowers covering the mountains are at their most vibrant. Standing in any spot on Yunfeng, looking out over the vast expanse of flowers, blooming as red as rosy clouds, suddenly dark clouds gather and a torrential downpour begins.

The torrential rain swept across every part of Yunfeng, accompanied by constant rumbling thunder, as if venting the injustice of heaven and earth.

Boom! Boom!

Xue Wu sat on the damp grass, trying to comprehend the lightning element. The rain relentlessly pattered down his body, but he remained unmoved. For the past four months, he had cultivated day and night without a moment's rest, and a heavy gloom had settled over his eyes and lips. Months of diligent practice had brought him to the basics of swordsmanship, and his cultivation had reached the fifth level of Qi Refining, the Great Perfection stage. He could also control the fire element within his body at will, but his lightning element showed absolutely no progress.

Amidst a thunderstorm, he sought to deeply comprehend the lightning element within the lightning bolts. His consciousness slowly merged into the dark clouds, sensing each strike of lightning.

Immediately afterwards, a deafening, earth-shattering, and earth-shattering thunderclap resounded throughout the sky, and the earth trembled!

The lightning element that had been dormant within Xue Wu's body for months began to surge with this roar, trying to break free. He slowly raised his right hand and placed it above his head, summoning a torrent of lightning.

Suddenly, lightning began to gather around Xue Wu's mountain peak, and gradually the lightning began to strike around him. The speed was so fast that you could only hear the sound but not see the person. Every time the lightning struck, the ground became pitted and uneven.

Seeing that the time was ripe, he formed hand seals, and several bolts of lightning struck him. Each strike exerted immense pressure on his body, causing him to collapse and cough up blood. The blood stained the grass red, but it was quickly washed away by the rain.

Under the tempering of several bolts of lightning, the body's strength rose to another level, and the lightning element within the body could not withstand it and was about to overflow.

"Thunder strike!"

Xue Wu suddenly opened his eyes, and a few strands of lightning flashed in his eye sockets. He slowly raised his right hand, and several bolts of lightning surged from his palm, encircling his entire arm. At this moment, his cultivation level also entered the sixth level of Qi Refining.

For any Qi Refining disciple, being able to naturally draw out the spiritual root element within their body at the seventh level of Qi Refining is already considered excellent. However, Xue Wu's reckless method of drawing it out is the epitome of madness. No one would try it, and no one would dare to try it.

Soon after, as Xue Wu successfully drew out the dark clouds, they gradually dissipated. With less than half a month left, he did not intend to waste time on cultivation level. He knew that he could not reach the seventh level of Qi Refining in half a month. Instead, he would rather focus on practicing the Thunder and Fire techniques, which would be more effective.

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye. A loud bell rang out from above the Luoyun Sect, like a stirring battle song, announcing the prelude to the selection of outer disciples. As the bell rang, Xue Wu slowly walked out of the room. The barrier that had previously blocked his way shattered on the spot like a thin sheet of paper.

Standing atop the mountain, he gazed down at the magnificent Luoyun Sect below, unable to look away. Five months of arduous cultivation had not been wasted a single moment. Compared to before, he was now taciturn and aloof, almost like a completely different person. Before seeing the Golden Feather Phoenix, he probably wouldn't have any emotions in his heart.

He slowly descended the stone steps, each step heavy with effort. The past five months flashed before his eyes, and he now had only one goal: to successfully pass the selection and advance to the inner disciple level. During his deep cultivation at night over the past five months, he often thought of the painful expression on Jin Yu Luan Feng's face, so he warned himself that he must win the competition no matter what, even if it meant using every means at his disposal, including underhanded tricks.

All his thoughts came to an abrupt halt when he arrived at the Luoyun Sect's square. The square was even more lively than usual, with some inner disciples and newly admitted outer disciples all there to watch the selection of inner disciples.

A long queue of over a hundred people had formed in the square, but only 30 would be selected to enter the inner sect, making the competition extremely fierce. At the very front of the queue, Elder Yang Fan sat leisurely on a wooden chair, registering the names and cultivation levels of each participant. Seeing this, Xue Wu joined the queue at the very end.

Although he wanted to keep a low profile and avoid attracting attention, his clothes were exceptionally dazzling. Only the disciples of the various peaks were allowed to wear such magnificent clothes, which quickly drew the attention of others.

"Are the elders' closed-door disciples also participating in the selection? Aren't they all inner disciples?"

"I don't know. I heard that Elder Yunfeng Lin took on a new disciple about five months ago. Could it be him?"

"Huh?! It's only been 5 months! You've already reached the sixth level of Qi Refining and are here to participate in the selection?"

"This year's selection process is going to be interesting..."

"..."

The men and women disciples outside the square watched Xue Wu and talked about it. Soon, the news spread like wildfire, and many disciples and even elders from various sects heard that Lin Mubai's disciple had come to participate in the inner disciple selection.

Lin Mubai, who was drinking tea atop Yunfeng Mountain, also heard the rumors. He picked up the freshly brewed tea in his hand, took a sip, and a smile slowly appeared on his lips.

"Master! Master! Junior Brother has gone to participate in the inner disciple selection!" Xu Tao hurriedly flew to Lin Mubai's side on his sword. He was still in seclusion, but when he heard that Xue Wu was participating in the inner disciple selection, he initially thought it was a rumor. However, when many Yunfeng disciples rushed down to the selection, he finally believed it and forcibly ended his seclusion to find Lin Mubai.

"I understand." Lin Mubai did not make any further moves and continued to drink the tea in his hand.

"But my junior brother has only been a disciple for five months? How did he reach the sixth level of Qi Refining..." Seeing his master's calm demeanor, Xu Tao swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue. He had roughly guessed what was going on.

"Let's go watch your junior brother's match." Lin Mubai finished his tea, flicked his sleeve slightly, and left with Xu Tao.