In the days that followed, Long Chen and Bai Xiaole would challenge Bai Zhantang almost every few days. Bai Zhantang was the master of the War God Hall, and his true strength was unimaginable.
Long Chen also knew that Bai Zhantang was doing this to help him and Bai Xiaole improve, but no one would break this barrier.
And when facing a terrifying powerhouse like Bai Zhantang, even if he used his cultivation, his aura, and his gaze, they would put immense psychological and soul pressure on Long Chen.
Fighting him would cause his divine fire power to quickly solidify, allowing Long Chen to take the pill with peace of mind. In five days, Long Chen's realm advanced by two levels, reaching the seventh level of divine fire and entering the late stage of the Divine Fire Realm.
On each star, seven divine flames were circulating. As his cultivation advanced, Long Chen's physical body grew wildly, becoming increasingly solid under the tempering of the divine fire.
As Long Chen's physical strength grew stronger, Bai Zhantang also found it increasingly difficult. Because Long Chen's combat footwork was so strange, even he would suffer a loss if he was careless. Moreover, with Bai Xiaole, his own son, assisting him, he had to secretly channel his bloodline power to block Long Chen's attacks.
Long Chen needed to use Bai Zhantang's power to temper himself, rapidly solidifying his aura so he could break through to the next realm.
Time flew by, and in a flash, a month had passed. Long Chen's cultivation had advanced to the Ninth Heaven of Divine Fire, but he hadn't touched the level barrier. Only then did he realize that his Divine Fire Realm was likely still at the thirteenth level.
After reaching the peak of the Divine Fire Ninth Heaven, Long Chen's pills were clearly insufficient. From the eighth to the ninth heaven, Long Chen consumed more than thirty thousand Divine Beard Fire Spirit Pills, including more than five hundred treasure pills.
With insufficient pills, Long Chen could only temporarily pause his cultivation. Under Bai Zhantang's pressure, Long Chen's realm was extremely solid. When he threw a punch, divine fire surged, carrying wind and thunder. Even Bai Zhantang had to handle it carefully.
Bai Xiaole was also quite formidable. By working with Long Chen, his spatial techniques became increasingly sophisticated. Long Chen even designed some strange combos for him, causing Bai Zhantang to suffer heavy losses several times. Bai Zhantang outwardly cursed angrily, but inside he was overjoyed. Seeing his son improve every day made him happier than anyone else.
Bai Xiaole was happier than anyone to have his great revenge avenged. With Long Chen, a battle-hardened guy, by his side, his combat power was advancing rapidly and increasing rapidly every day.
During this time, Bai Xiaole even sneaked in a moment of leisure to challenge Bai Shishi, but she completely ignored him, making him think Bai Shishi was afraid of him and became even more arrogant. She walked with a sideways sway, as if she had a shoulder pole tied to her waist.
With only half a month left until the Jiuzhou Conference began, Long Chen and Bai Xiaole stopped challenging Bai Zhantang. Long Chen needed to let himself settle down.
In the blink of an eye, it has been almost a year since he arrived at Lingxiao Academy. During this year, Long Chen seems to have gained a lot, but at the same time, it seems he gained nothing.
Walking to the academy's main gate, Long Chen thought of his destitute state when he first entered the academy, and couldn't help but feel deeply moved.
"I wonder how they're doing?" Is everything going well? Long
Chen stood at the gate, gazing at the endless mountains in the distance, feeling a slight sadness in his heart. His passionate brothers and confidantes were his greatest support in life. Now, after being apart for so long, there was still no news of them, which made him miss him deeply.
"Mengqi, Chuyao, Wan'er, Xiaoyu, Ziyan, Zhiqiu, Xiaoqian, Ruyan, Xiaoyun, Guyang, Li Qi, Mingyuan, Zifeng, Xia Chen, Guo Ran, Aman, Mo Nian..." Long Chen recited their names, their faces appearing in his mind, and his longing grew even stronger.
At the same time, Long Chen thought of Leng Yueyan and Ming Cangyue in the underworld, and also of Dan Xianzi, who died for him. Long Chen realized he had too many things to do.
And with these countless connections connected, he knew that the first thing he needed to do now was to make a name for himself at the Nine Provinces Conference, making Master Long's name resound throughout the entire Immortal Realm. He believed that once they heard the news, they would surely find a way to join him.
At Lingxiao Academy, although he had quite a few friends, he still felt lonely and couldn't wait to reunite with them.
"Rustle rustle...
The sound of sweeping the floor echoed, snapping Long Chen out of his thoughts. He saw the old sweeper again.
"Senior, what a coincidence... Long Chen hurried forward to greet him.
The old sweeper smiled slightly, paused what he was doing, and looked at Long Chen, saying, "Young man, are you homesick?" "
Yes, I really want to." Long Chen nodded.
The old man said, "It seems you are ready to face even greater challenges." "
Well, I'm ready. With them here, I have boundless confidence." Long Chen said.
For some reason, facing this mysterious elder, Long Chen felt an inexplicable sense of security, along with an indescribable sense of trust. With him, Long Chen didn't need to hide anything.
"Senior, let me help you!" Long Chen reached out and made a gesture to catch the broom, but last time the old man refused, saying he wasn't qualified to sweep yet. Long Chen only made a gesture.
"With your current state of mind, it seems you might want to give it a try?" To Long Chen's surprise, the old man smiled and handed the broom to him.
Long Chen took the broom, but noticed it seemed to be made from ordinary wood and grass. Although the old man had been sweeping with it for a long time, the tip showed no signs of wear.
It seemed the old man was sweeping the ground with a broom wrapped in a certain power. Long Chen picked up the broom and wrapped it with his soul power, gently sweeping the ground. The moment his soul swept across the floor, Long Chen's body trembled slightly, and an unprecedented sensation reached deep into his soul.
The broom was like a tentacle of the soul; the sensation as it sliced across the ground instantly made Long Chen feel the heartbeat of the earth—a feeling he couldn't describe.
"How does it feel?" The old man said with a smile.
"Very good," Long Chen said with a smile.
"When you're in a good mood, the whole world becomes bright; when you're in a bad mood, the world becomes gloomy."
In fact, what determines whether the world is beautiful or ugly is not the world itself, but your own heart.
The heart easily picks up dust; occasionally sweep it, and when the dust clears, through the gaps, you can see more, see deeper, and better understand yourself. The old man said slowly.
"Thank you for your guidance, senior. I understand now: when the heart is covered in dust, it is like greed blinding the eyes and anger shattering the soul.
If the mind is not pure, then even with eyes, one cannot see; without seeing eyes, one cannot perceive the lofty goals, so every step becomes difficult, the future unclear, and the path of fate unclear.
Only by seeing yourself clearly and using yourself as a mirror can you reflect the distant horizon. Long Chen said gratefully.
"The young man is teachable," the old man nodded, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. After smiling, he slowly left.
Long Chen held a broom and gently swept the floor. With the old man's guidance, as the leaves were swept away, revealing a clean floor, it seemed as if all the frustration in his heart and the dust in his mind were swept away. He felt refreshed and refreshed, as if his spiritual realm was elevating with every sweep.
Long Chen had never imagined that such a simple action could be a profound form of cultivation, that the Dao of Emotion, great or small, could reach the heavens.
"Hey, kid, come here, I want to ask you something."
Just as Long Chen was immersed in that wonderful sensation, a sharp, thin voice rang out, like a rooster crowing, making people extremely uncomfortable.