Chapter 306 - 207: Became Famous (Part 3)

Chapter 306: Chapter 207: Became Famous (Part 3)

But looking closely, she saw that while Junior Brother Zhang seemed a bit simple and dull, his features were actually quite symmetrical. He wasn’t ugly.

’If he weren’t so naive, girls in the sect would probably like him, given his talent.’

’His aura is lacking, but his looks are passable.’

’Still, he’s a far cry from Master Xie...’

Lin Zhen found herself staring dazedly at Xie Yuan’s face. A long, slow exhale suddenly snapped her out of it, and she realized they were close enough to hear each other breathe.

She shot upright, her cheeks flushing red, and then she shivered.

Lin Zhen’s expression grew solemn. Half a day of seeking enlightenment had drained her immensely; she had to get down the mountain right away.

She glanced at Xie Yuan one last time, then hopped down two of the stone platforms. After carefully checking that her fellow disciple, Pei Yu, was in stable condition, she gave a slight nod.

She hopped a couple more times, casually glanced at Lin Cheng on the 7th Layer, and once she confirmed her brother wasn’t dead, she didn’t spare him another look. Like a rabbit, she bounded down the mountain.

It had only been half a day, but her gains were substantial. She needed to get back and internalize them.

What Lin Zhen completely failed to notice, however, was how she had been staring at Xie Yuan for so long, yet he had only exhaled a single time.

Not long after Lin Zhen left, Pei Yu and Lin Cheng rose to their feet in succession.

As long as one remained rational and didn’t push themselves recklessly, they wouldn’t get injured by the sword wind while in their meditative trance.

When their stamina and Blood Qi began to dwindle, their bodies would naturally react. Once startled awake, any Swordsman who knew their own limits understood it was time to head down the mountain.

After getting up, they both looked up at Xie Yuan, their faces filled with astonishment, followed by a hint of worry.

But he looked so relaxed... ’He should be fine, right?’ The two of them were filled with a mixture of shock and uncertainty.

’Junior Brother Zhang can last this long on the eleventh step?’

’Is he actually a genius?’

As the sky turned a dusky yellow and the sun began to set, an exhausted Huang Zifeng made his way down.

But when he saw Xie Yuan, he froze.

’How is he still here?’

Huang Zifeng rushed over to Xie Yuan and checked on him, only to find him in excellent condition. He found it unbelievable.

’This Junior Brother Zhang... this shouldn’t be possible. Has another genius appeared?’

’I’m supposed to be the rising star, just starting my journey. Am I about to be washed up, replaced by the new wave already?’

An inexplicable sense of urgency washed over him. Huang Zifeng quickened his pace down the mountain, ready to go back and process his own gains from the session.

And so, on the first thirty layers of the Sword Peak, only Xie Yuan remained.

Li Xingtuo and Qin Zhenyang were still watching from the second floor of the Back Hall. When they saw that even Huang Zifeng had come down the mountain while Xie Yuan remained sitting there, perfectly at ease, Qin Zhenyang’s eyes widened slightly.

"This Junior Brother Zhang... he’s not simple."

"My disciple..."

Li Xingtuo said slowly, taking a sip of his tea.

Qin Zhenyang hurriedly leaned in.

"Master, please enlighten me."

Li Xingtuo pondered for a moment, then pushed his cup forward.

"The tea’s gone cold."

"Go fetch a fresh pot."

"...Alright."

Qin Zhenyang paused for a second, then obediently went to get more tea.

’And here I thought Master was about to offer some commentary on Junior Brother Zhang.’

Li Xingtuo leaned back in his chair, gazing out at the Sword Peak with a relaxed and intrigued expression.

’Let’s just see. Let’s see how long this kid can last.’

「The sun set, the moon rose, and the stars turned until dawn.」

Li Xingtuo and Qin Zhenyang had sat there the entire night, buffeted by the wind. They’d gone through five or six pots of tea and even had the kitchen send up two bowls of Yangchun noodles.

And yet, Xie Yuan was unchanged. He just sat there quietly, looking as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

Only when the Golden Crow had fully risen from behind the eastern mountain peaks did Li Xingtuo slowly rise to his feet.

Qin Zhenyang stood as well, unable to resist stealing a glance at Xie Yuan on the stone platform.

’This Junior Brother Zhang is certainly peculiar. But for Master to watch over him for a full day and night... This...’

’How highly must Master think of this Junior Brother Zhang? I doubt even I received this much attention when I first attempted the Sword Peak.’

Qin Zhenyang’s mind raced as he fell deep into thought.

"Zhenyang, I’ve seen enough. You keep a close watch on this junior brother of yours."

Despite having gone a full day and night without rest, a top-tier Grandmaster like Li Xingtuo showed no signs of fatigue. In fact, he was smiling.

He scanned the Sword Peak one last time, then departed with a smile, his hands clasped behind his back. He left Qin Zhenyang alone on the second-floor terrace of the Back Hall, pondering his master’s true intentions.

He pondered for a good while, watching Xie Yuan on the stone platform, and thought to himself:

’Another half-day, at most! At his cultivation level, he shouldn’t be able to last this long even if he drains himself completely.’

Qin Zhenyang nodded slightly. He sat back down, brewed himself a pot of tea, then pulled a small notebook and a pen from his robes. He began to scribble and jot things down, organizing the tasks he would need to attend to after Xie Yuan finally emerged.

「The next morning arrived.」

Qin Zhenyang’s eyes were wide. He even left the hall and went right up to the eleventh platform to check on Xie Yuan face-to-face, only to find him truly full of vigor, showing not a single sign of strain.

"This..."

Qin Zhenyang could hardly believe it. He had, without realizing it, stood watch for another entire day—a full Twelve Hours!

’Can someone in External Training really last this long? Is he completely immersed in comprehending Sword Intent...?’

Qin Zhenyang’s brow furrowed. Xie Yuan showed absolutely no sign of faltering; in fact, he looked like he could go another three days, and then three more, without any trouble at all.

He mulled it over for a moment, then patiently sat back down in his chair to continue his vigil.

Since his schedule was now completely off, Qin Zhenyang had no choice but to take out his little notebook again. He crossed out several items and reordered his tasks.

After a moment of thought, he wrote in large letters at the very top of the page in his notebook: "Wait for Junior Brother Zhang Mountain to come down from Sword Peak—"

「By the third day.」

Lin Cheng and his sister came looking, along with Pei Yu and Huang Zifeng. The four of them went up to the second floor of the Back Hall together, gazing from afar at the eleventh stone platform on the Sword Peak.