Lu Mountain Pass.

The carriage slowed down and stopped at the mouth of a narrow canyon leading into the mountain range.

Li Cheng颐 and Uncle Ning got out of the carriage.

"From here on, you'll only be able to look back once a year. You must take good care of yourself when you're out there alone," Uncle Ning said with some worry.

Although Gong Shanzhu had been mature and steady since he was young, he couldn't help but worry when it came to letting him live and cultivate on his own.

"Don't worry, Uncle Ning. I'm the most afraid of trouble. I'll think about how to retreat before anything happens. Nothing will happen," Li Cheng颐 said simply to reassure him.

"I know, but..." Uncle Ning sighed and looked behind Li Cheng颐.

A faint figure had already arrived at the entrance.

"It seems like the person who's picking you up has arrived. Take care."

"Okay." Li Cheng颐 turned around, picked up his luggage, and walked towards the person.

The person who came out was a woman. She wore a black dress over fitted black trousers, and her long hair was tied up high, simply held in place with a jade ring. Although it was a simple look, there was a sudden, inexplicable impact when she got closer, like a petal-like wave crashing against the heart.

Sword-like eyebrows, watery eyes, red lips, and fair skin – it was just a simple combination of features, but she possessed a water-like, gentle, and enchanting beauty.

Li Cheng颐 narrowed his eyes. For a moment, he felt a subtle consciousness emanating from her unconsciously.

If he had to describe that consciousness, it would be like a back scratcher.

Countless strands of consciousness, like countless back scratchers, scratched everyone around them, making them feel extremely comfortable.

It was the first time Li Cheng颐 had encountered such a use of consciousness.

However, this also caused everyone who saw this woman to involuntarily develop a natural liking for her.

Just seeing her gave people a faint sense of comfort and pleasure.

'Is this the fox demon's innate charm?' Li Cheng颐 wondered.

"I am Xu Suyuan, the senior disciple under Lu Mountain Gong, here to pick up the newly entered junior brother. Is this Gong Shanzhu?"

The woman's beautiful eyes fell on Li Cheng颐.

It had to be said that Li Cheng颐's current body looked quite good. Although it was similar to his original appearance, his skin was better, and his complexion was healthier, which naturally beautified him to some extent.

In addition, his tall and strong figure added to his appeal.

But these qualities were completely different from the woman in front of him.

Fortunately, Li Cheng颐 didn't care about these things. He seemed to have gained some inspiration from her.

"Indeed, Gong Shanzhu greets Senior Sister," he said politely, cupping his fist and bowing.

"You're too polite. From now on, we'll be from the same lineage. We must support each other and help each other," Xu Suyuan seemed to have a good temperament and was very gentle, like a good person.

"Yes," Li Cheng颐 replied earnestly.

What followed was a normal handover. Seeing that the person had arrived, Uncle Ning tried to offer Xu Suyuan a small gift, but she refused.

After several refusals, he was unable to give her the gift.

The carriage slowly turned around, and Uncle Ning looked back every few steps, his face showing a hint of worry. After all, this was the child he had taken care of for so many years.

Li Cheng颐 watched him until the carriage completely disappeared from sight before following Xu Suyuan up the mountain.

The two were silent all the way, but Xu Suyuan kept turning back to see if he could keep up.

She was obviously very gentle.

Soon, after passing more than ten miles of mountain road and climbing up a slope, both of them, being martial artists, moved extremely fast. They finally arrived in front of a huge cave amidst a pile of black rocks.

White night-luminescent gems were embedded in the cave, releasing light as bright as day.

The entrance was blocked by a large patch of dense climbing vines.

"Lu Mountain Gong and the other junior brothers and sisters are inside. Follow me, but remember not to step on the wrong steps," Xu Suyuan instructed.

"Yes," Li Cheng颐 nodded.

The two entered the cave and followed the gurgling stream on the ground, rapidly advancing deep inside. They soon arrived at the innermost part, in front of a three-story stone building built inside the cave.

Lu Mountain Gong and the other four disciples were already waiting here.

It was clear that the gifts Gong Shan Qingyang had given had been quite effective.

In front of the gray-black stone building, in the open space, Li Cheng颐 took in the other four people at a glance, excluding Lu Mountain Gong.

'Unremarkable.'

Apart from Xu Suyuan, it could be seen from their energy that the gap was too large.

Compared to him and Xu Suyuan, these four were ordinary geniuses without good bloodlines.

Although there were also fluctuations of internal force and true essence in their bodies, they were too weak.

Li Cheng颐 knew from Uncle Ning that these people had been cultivating here with Lu Mountain Gong for at least ten years.

But that was still their level. It seemed...

The thought flashed through his mind.

On the surface, Li Cheng颐 was still very respectful as he bowed to Lu Mountain Gong and the others.

"Gong Shanzhu greets Master, greets senior brothers and sisters."

"Come over here. Today is the entry ceremony. Since you practiced the Azure Sea Sword Art before, your body tempering should be decent, right?" Lu Mountain Gong said casually, sitting in his grandmaster's chair.

"Yes," Li Cheng颐 nodded.

"You scions of aristocratic families naturally have the support of top-notch resources and good cultivation techniques. The speed at which you accumulate true essence far exceeds that of ordinary people. Your body tempering foundation should also be very good. This is a good starting point. But you must also remember not to be arrogant or impatient. After all, no one can help you with your temperament and comprehension." On the surface, at least, Lu Mountain Gong still had a kind and benevolent demeanor.

"Yes, thank you, Master, for your teachings. Disciple will definitely keep them in mind," Li Cheng颐 said respectfully, bowing his head.

His good upbringing made Lu Mountain Gong feel even more comfortable compared to his other disciples.

"Alright, now, let's see your level. Xueying."

"Here!" A girl standing at the end stepped forward, cupping her fist and bowing her head.

This girl had ordinary features and a well-proportioned figure, but she was completely unremarkable. Her hair was a bit dry and yellow, and she looked a little malnourished. But it seemed that her hair color was natural.

"Go and spar with your junior brother. Be careful," Lu Mountain Gong said indifferently.

Although his motives were impure, the higher the cultivation of his disciples, the better the effect of their blood essence. So he was really concerned about nurturing his disciples.

"Yes!" The girl lowered her head seriously and then turned to look at Li Cheng颐.

With a flash, she suddenly appeared five meters away from Li Cheng颐.

"Junior Brother, I am Zhang Xueying, ranked fifth. Please enlighten me."

"Please guide me, Senior Sister Xueying," Li Cheng颐's etiquette was impeccable.

The two stood facing each other in the open space, while a transparent, invisible film covered the two of them in a hemisphere.

"Junior Brother, be careful." Zhang Xueying didn't waste any words. She lowered her right palm and slightly arched her body.

Whoosh!

She appeared beside Li Cheng颐 in the blink of an eye, striking his shoulder with her palm.

This speed made Li Cheng颐 frown. He couldn't feel the trajectory of her movement.

It was as if she had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

'Space jump?' He was shocked. He knew that the martial power here was very high.

But he had just left his family and encountered this level of martial arts...

Interesting...

Although the other party directly teleported to his side, her own reaction was not enough to maintain this speed of attack.

So...

Li Cheng颐 gently tilted his body, avoiding the palm, and at the same time, true essence condensed into a blue longsword, which he slashed diagonally.

Bang!!

The blade collided with the other party's palm in mid-air, scattering blue and black sparks of true essence.

Zhang Xueying disappeared again, teleporting to the back, and struck with another palm.

This time, the black true essence in her palm overflowed, turning into a mountain shadow more than a meter in diameter, slamming towards Li Cheng颐's back.

Pfft.

The palm shadow stopped in mid-air. It wasn't that Zhang Xueying had held back, but a sword tip was suspended directly in the center of her brow, the sharp end constantly emitting a chilling aura.

She had lost.

Clap clap clap clap.

Lu Mountain Gong's eyes lit up, and he stood up and clapped his hands.

"Very good, your true essence is almost at the third level, very good, and your body reaction is also very fast."

He walked to Li Cheng颐's side and signaled the two to stop.

At the same time, he stretched out a finger and pointed it at Li Cheng颐's chest.

A wisp of golden true essence instantly surged out, circulating through Li Cheng颐's body meridians, and then dispersed on its own, merging into various parts of his body.

"Remember this route. This is the first level of the foundation of my Lu Mountain's Myriad Transformations. You must practice diligently in the future."

"Yes." Li Cheng颐 had already gathered and dispersed the Ninefold Sea Essence, leaving his meridians and blood empty, before the other party used the excuse of imparting power to probe him.

After all, he was a top powerhouse who had cultivated many martial arts, so he had these skills.

"Are you curious as to why your senior sister suddenly appeared next to you?" Lu Mountain Gong asked with a smile.

"Yes," Li Cheng颐 appropriately showed a curious and doubtful expression.

"This is unique to Gold Jade Martial Arts, the divine power of the technique." Lu Mountain Gong said with a smile. "In addition to true essence severing metal and jade, Gold Jade Martial Arts also has four common divine powers: Flicker, Longevity, Prolonged Life, and Solid Strength."

"Do all Gold Jade Martial Arts have them?" Li Cheng颐 was genuinely curious.

"Not all Gold Jade Martial Arts have the five great divine powers. Generally, inferior Gold Jade Martial Arts will only have one, ordinary ones will have two, better ones will have three, and the best ones will naturally have four or five," Lu Mountain Gong explained.

"So no matter how long you cultivate first-rate martial arts, from the very beginning, you have already lost too much to Gold Jade Martial Arts."

Li Cheng颐 seemed thoughtful.

"Then, may I ask, Master, the divine power should not appear after cultivation is complete, right?"

"You are quite intelligent." Lu Mountain Gong nodded, stroking his beard and smiling, "Divine power depends on comprehension. The Lu Mountain Myriad Transformations has a total of nine levels, and Xueying was only able to comprehend divine power after practicing to the second level."

"Does this mean that if one's comprehension is not enough, even if the martial art has all five divine powers, it may be impossible to comprehend them?" Li Cheng颐 asked again.

"That's right." Lu Mountain Gong was in an even better mood. The response of a scion of an aristocratic family was much faster than that of an ordinary genius. He didn't need to be taught repeatedly, and he understood as soon as it was pointed out.

"Alright, who else wants to try?" He looked at the other disciples, but didn't notice that Zhang Xueying, who had been defeated, had retreated to the side, her face sullen and motionless.

On one side of her face, there was a faint violet-red floral mark appearing.

If someone looked closely, they would be able to see that the mark was a pale violet-red crape myrtle flower. Its size was only about the size of a fingernail. As soon as it appeared, a trace of purple flashed in Zhang Xueying's lowered eyes.

This was a sign that the Crape Myrtle Royal Power Flower Utterance was being activated.

On the other side, Lu Mountain Gong and the others didn't notice at all. Seeing that Li Cheng颐 had shown his strength as soon as he entered, they knew that the Master was planning to give him a warning.

Immediately, the second senior sister, Qiu Xueshan, stepped forward.

"I'll do it. I'll teach Junior Brother the rules of entry." Qiu Xueshan was slightly more recognizable than Zhang Xueying. Her appearance was average, with long legs, a thin waist, and a flat chest – a standard athlete's figure.

Standing opposite Li Cheng颐, she actually had her long black hair disheveled, with a hint of arrogance in her eyes as she looked over.

"Alright. Be gentle." Lu Mountain Gong nodded. With a flash, he returned directly to the grandmaster's chair.

(End of this chapter)