Yan Ling perfectly acted as if nothing had happened, her face perfectly calm and normal as she guided Liang Chen through the valley. While guiding him, she didn't notice that Liang Chen's eyes were flickering from time to time, a strange light flashing past them as his mind moved.
His body was now strong enough to handle the azure lightning, something he had proven during that split second where he thought he was ambushed. This meant that his golden lightning was now practically useless to him, but it didn't mean that his lightning lotus stopped producing this golden lightning.
So even though he wouldn't use it, he would always have that golden lightning available. This golden lightning was the first lightning that Liang Chen had ever acquired, so simply abandoning it felt somewhat wrong to him. And it was this thought that spawned a strange idea in his mind. Could he fuse different types of lightning together? What would happen if he were to fuse the azure and golden lightning together, would it become an even stronger type of lightning?
Of course, even while this thought was racing through Liang Chen's mind, trying to figure out how to perfectly fuse the two different types of lightning, a part of his mind was still focusing on Yan Ling. So as Yan Ling pointed out the various places hidden along the sides of the valley, he made sure to memorize them all.
"Alright, so that place over there is where most of the disciples live. Don't judge it by how it looks, there is, in fact, a small hidden realm located behind each door, so there is plenty of space."
The place Yan Ling was pointing at was a part of the valley where a large number of cyan colored doors were placed into the left valley wall. Some of the doors were high above the ground, so stairs had been carved into the side of the valley. Liang Chen hadn't noticed these doors or stairs when he first entered the valley, as they were very well hidden by the greenery.
"That place over there leads to most of the different training grounds, well, the Storm Hall training grounds at least. There's a whole load of different training grounds, so you'll never get bored if you go there."
This time, Yan Ling pointed at the right valley wall, showing that there were several deep tunnels dug into the valley. Liang Chen couldn't see where they led, but he could feel a strange type of energy radiate out from each tunnel. The energy was similar to the energy he felt in the Mystic's Hidden Realm, whenever they were teleported around by spatial arrays, so he guessed that there might be spatial arrays at the end of the tunnels.
"And over there, that big ugly spire thing, that's where you'll find most of the techniques that the disciples can learn. You'll need contribution points to buy things, but a freak like you shouldn't have any problem getting any."
The spire she pointed at was one of the spires that surrounded the palace that only had three towers. It was dark blue in color and looked like a somewhat crooked horn that pierced into the clouds, the tip vanishing from sight. Liang Chen temporarily stopped thinking about the lightning fusion, glancing at the 19 people who were still following behind them.
"Yan Ling, Wh-"
Before Liang Chen got to finish his sentence, he was stopped by Yan Ling, who pointed her delicate finger directly into his face, a superior expression on her face.
"That's Senior Sister Ling to you, I am your senior after all."
Liang Chen did his best to stifle the laughter that threatened to swell up, his lips twitching slightly as he looked Yan Ling up and down. She puffed out her pitiable chest, a superior and victorious expression on her face as she slightly wagged her finger in his face. No matter how he looked at it, she looked nothing like a senior. He scoffed lightly, using his thumb to point over his shoulder.
"Yeah, no, maybe when you act like it. So what are you going to do about those fellows?"
The 19 people, who were still following them, jumped slightly after being addressed. They had been thoroughly frightened by Liang Chen and his bloodlust, so even though he didn't release any now, they still jumped whenever he even glanced at them.
Yan Ling's eyes landed on them, a surprised and somewhat embarrassed light flashing in them. Seeing this light, Liang Chen immediately understood the situation. She had completely forgotten about them. Yan Ling quickly hid away the embarrassment, letting out a light snort and shooing the people away.
"Oh, you are still following us? You should be ashamed of yourselves, you were completely beaten by a kid with lower cultivation than you!"
The 19 people instantly lowered their heads even further, filled with shame and indignation. Beaten by a kid with lower cultivation? Was it their fault that Liang Chen turned out to be such a freak? But just after Yan Ling's words sounded out, a fist hit her on the top of her head, causing her to let out a yelp.
"Au!"
Yan Ling crouched down, covering her head with her two hands and glaring at Liang Chen, looking like she wanted to jump up and take a bite out of him. Liang Chen ignored her gaze, reprimanding her slightly.
"Don't act like that. They came on your orders, so the least you can do is thank them. And also, I recall a certain someone being beaten just as easily."
Yan Ling stood up after making sure that Liang Chen wasn't going to rap her on he head again. But strangely enough, rather than shirk back after having Liang Chen point out that she had been beaten just as easily, she simply clicked her tongue in an indignant manner, throwing her head to the side as if she was pouting.
"Tch, that's only because you had a higher cultivation than me, you practically bullied me. Just wait until I tell Big Brother and have him beat you."
Liang Chen once again found his lips twitching, stuck between laughter and tears. She had brought 19 others to ambush him in a prank, and he was the one who was bullying her? Liang Chen had spent a bit of time with Yan Ling in the Mystic's Hidden Realm, but it was only now he learned just how thick her skin was, how shameless she could be.
Liang Chen decided that the best response was to give no response, only raising an eyebrow and pointing at the 19 people with his thumb. Yan Ling clicked her tongue, but she still turned towards the other people and cupped her hands, thanking them with a smile as well.
"Thank you for listening to me and following me on this failed prank. I'll make sure to call upon you once I figure out a new prank."
This time it wasn't only Liang Chen, even the others felt their lips twitch. Call them again once she came up with a new prank? She was going to continue trying to prank Liang Chen? But the others were still sensible people, quickly cupping their hands in return and then swiftly retreating, finally freed. Once they left, Yan Ling turned back to Liang Chen.
"There, happy?"
Liang Chen found that Yan Ling for some reason wore a proud expression, as if she was showing off that she knew how to properly thank others. It was one of those situations where if you mention it, you lose, so Liang Chen simply shrugged his shoulders.
"It's better than the scolding at least."
Yan Ling continued to guide Liang Chen through the valley, the two swiftly approaching the inner parts of the valley. As they moved, Liang Chen started to spot a few disciples walking around, moving from one door carved in the valley to another one. They cast him a cursory glance, a bit surprised when they saw him walking with Yan Ling, but then quickly returned to their own business.
After a bit more walking, they reached the deepest part of the valley, where instead of doors being carved into the valley, entire buildings were built. The buildings were truly grand, made with stones and metals that came in all kinds of colors, or made with old wood that released a calming fragrance. As they were about to walk a bit more, an old voice interrupted them.
"You were supposed to go greet the newcomer, so how come it took you so long to get here?"
The earth in front of them started to tremble slightly, a two-meter tall human figure rising up from the earth. The figure shed the layer of earth surrounding it, revealing a muscular old man who had a long white beard that went all the way down to his waist. His head was bald but polished to a point where it reflected the light of the sun. He had deep blue eyes, and looking into them, Liang Chen felt like he was facing the vast ocean.
Yan Ling's face brightened when she saw the old man, quickly skipping forward and wrapping her arms around his right arm. She pointed at Liang Chen, stealthily sticking her tongue out at him.
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"Uncle Guanyu! It only took so long because he walks so slow! It was like I was trying to herd a Cloud Bison, it was awful!"
Liang Chen found his lips twitch once again. In the few hours he had been at this Storm Wolf Sect, he had felt his lips twitch more than they had ever done before in his life. The old man Guanyu raised an eyebrow, casting a deep look at Yan Ling, a faint smile at the edge of his lips.
"Oh? Is that what it was? Are you certain it wasn't because a certain someone wanted to play around, like say, by ambushing someone?"
Despite Guanyu practically stating that he knew the truth, Yan Ling still acted like nothing. She put on a serious expression and gave a heavy nod of her head.
"100% certain!"
Liang Chen could only look at Yan Ling in amazement, it seemed like her skin was far thicker than he had given her credit for just earlier. Was this still in the realm of shameless, or had it transcended it? Guanyu raised his arm and rapped Yan Ling on the head, causing her to yelp, but he simply ignored it and turned to Liang Chen.
"Please forgive her, she lacks a bit of common sense. And as you can see, her skin is of extraordinary thickness."
Guanyu could only shake his head with a slightly bitter smile, placing his large and rugged hand on Yan Ling's head and giving it a few rubs. Yan Ling had been sheltered as the clan princess for quite some time, so even with her getting the chance to go out and explore the world a little, she was still shameless and still lacked some common sense. Liang Chen could only copy Guanyu's actions, shaking his head with a wry smile.
"It's fine, I've already gotten used to her antics."
During their first meeting, Yan Ling had thrown Liang Chen around like a ragdoll, and during their following days together, he had spent quite some time with her, so he had something of an understanding of her personality. Guanyu stopped rubbing Yan Ling's head, giving a slight nod.
"That's good then. Has she told you how this sect is structured?"
He asked the question casually, but when he saw Liang Chen shake his head, Guanyu's eyes landed on Yan Ling. When she felt his gaze land on her, Yan Ling quickly put on an embarrassed smile, letting out an awkward chuckle, causing Guanyu to let out a deep sigh.
"Ha~ah, you girl."
Guanyu could only shake his head once again, causing Liang Chen to slightly sympathize with the man, he must have had it hard with Yan Ling for quite some time already. Guanyu stopped shaking his head and looked at Liang Chen, giving a quick explanation of the sect and how it was set up.
"The Storm Wolf sect is divided into two different halls, the Storm Hall and the Wolf Hall. The Storm Hall is for those who wish to learn more about energy cultivation, while the Wolf Hall is for those who wish to learn more about body cultivation. But don't worry too much about the choice, even if you were to become a member of Storm Hall, you would still be allowed to learn most of the skills from the Wolf Hall. Only the most supreme techniques are restricted, as they have very stringent requirements for how they are cultivated. Other than this, which hall you join only affects which side you will be on during the regular competitions hosted in the sect."
Liang Chen didn't find it strange that some supreme techniques were restricted. Take his Dragon Lord's Three Steps for example. It could only be cultivated by someone who had a strong body, as they would otherwise be torn apart by the force. If it were to be handed to someone without a strong body, he might be so enticed by the description of the technique that he would ignore the danger and practice it anyway. Liang Chen gave it some thought, but he quickly decided on which hall he would join.
"I see, then I would like to join the Wolf Hall."
Guanyu didn't say anything about Liang Chen's choice, as everyone was free to choose what they wanted to cultivate. He simply gave a nod of his head and turned around, waving at Liang Chen to follow him.
"Very well, please follow me, I will take you to meet the other elders and to finish up the sect joining procedure."
Liang Chen quickly started to follow Guanyu, who was heading towards one of the two main palaces, the one that had three spires surrounding it. While they were walking, Yan Ling slipped away from Guanyu and moved over to Liang Chen's side, whispering to him.
"Why would you join Wolf Hall rather than the Storm Hall? Do you even know anything about body cultivation?"
She had seen Liang Chen's accomplishment in energy cultivation. In just half a year, he had managed to go from having no cultivation after shattering his Ascended Tower to reaching the early stage of the Heaven's Gate realm. In comparison to this, she had never seen him train his body before.
Most people focused on either cultivating energy, body, or soul, maybe picking up a second cultivation system when they grew older and it was hard to make any new breakthroughs. The reason for this was simple, they didn't have enough time to cultivate more than one system. Every second they spent cultivating their body was a second not spent cultivating their energy and increasing their cultivation.
Liang Chen didn't deny Yan Ling's words, shrugging his shoulders casually.
"Not a lot, which is exactly why I want to join the Wolf Hall."
Liang Chen had a lot of information about how to cultivate energy thanks to the information he got from his birth parents. In comparison, he knew next to nothing about body or soul cultivation. The only thing he knew about body cultivation was the fragment of the Ocean God Physique, and all he knew about soul cultivation was the Bloody Soul Sea technique that was inborn to every Sebettu. So joining the Wolf Hall would allow him to learn more about body cultivation, making it easier for him to cultivate his Lightning God Physique.
Liang Chen also wasn't worried about not having enough time to cultivate all three systems, his energy, his body, and his soul. After all, thanks to his law of time, he did not lack time to cultivate, he only lacked resources.
Yan Ling didn't pursue it further, seemingly trusting Liang Chen's choice. But she seemed to suddenly think of something, snickering as she brandished her fists.
"Heh, well I'm a member of the Storm Hall, so you better pray that you don't encounter me during the next competition, or I'll beat you black and blue."
The two halls had frequent competitions to compare the strength of the disciples, allowing everyone to get some battle experience and earn some rewards. With Liang Chen in Wolf Hall and Yan Ling in Storm Hall, it was obvious that they would end up on opposing sides in the upcoming contests.
Facing her brandished fists, Liang Chen let out a light chuckle, raising an eyebrow.
"Beat me black and blue? You, who can't even escape my grasp?"
After his words rang out, his arm shot out like lightning, grabbing on to Yan Ling's neck and lifting her up once more, just like he had done earlier. As they continued to move towards the distant palace, the loud voice of Yan Ling echoed through the valley.
"Bullying! That's only because you are bullying me with your higher cultivation! Just you wait until I reach the early stage of the Heaven's Gate realm, I'll show you a thing or two!"