Chapter 348: Return my pure and immaculate sixth senior sister

If the people of Myriad Demon Ridge knew Chen Yu was a Bi Blood Sect disciple, they would undoubtedly target him more.

"Fifth Senior Brother's actions abroad bring honor to the sect; there's no question of him being a burden. I, too, will certainly not bring shame upon the sect."

Before dawn, Chen Yu departed, taking with him some spirit stones and elixirs he had received from Shui Yuan.

Not many people saw him off, only Lu Ye and Hua Ci. Chen Yu had always maintained good relationships with most of the sect's disciples, as he previously managed the Bi Blood Sect market. Thus, he preferred to keep the farewell understated, avoiding excessive sadness.

This journey's future was uncertain: he would either achieve great success or perish in a foreign land.

Throughout history, countless cultivators have left their sect's strongholds and never been heard from again. Yet, as Chen Yu had previously stated, this was a path every cultivator must walk; no one could avoid it.

Disciples from top sects might have noble statuses, but they too must leave the sect's protection to temper themselves in the outside world.

Every cultivator is like an unpolished jade; only through the sculpting of trials can they achieve a brilliant life. Dreams are winged aspirations, and only through one's own efforts can those wings gain the power to truly soar.

Chen Yu was the first Bi Blood Sect disciple to leave the stronghold after Lu Ye. After him, a continuous stream of Bi Blood Sect disciples would depart, spreading like embers across the battlefield.

"I need to return to Ying Mountain."

In the morning breeze, Hua Ci suddenly spoke.

"Why go back to Ying Mountain?"

"To retrieve some things."

"I'll accompany you."

Hua Ci shook her head, "You can't come with me."

Lu Ye turned to look at her profile. The gentle breeze ruffled Hua Ci's elegant hair, lending her a touch of languid beauty.

"Didn't you once ask me where I learned those mushroom techniques?"

Lu Ye had indeed asked about this. Although his cultivation was not high back then and he didn't know much about the cultivation world, Hua Ci's mushroom techniques were truly extraordinary. Medical cultivators were typically symbols of healing and saving lives. While some might also practice other disciplines and be capable of combat, Hua Ci's specific methods were clearly not something just anyone could possess.

This was especially notable given her background as a rogue cultivator.

"I once obtained a legacy left by a medical cultivator; those techniques are part of that inheritance."

"Is that legacy within Ying Mountain?"

"It's near Ying Mountain."

Lu Ye understood.

In the Spirit Stream Battlefield, acquiring a legacy left by a senior expert was not an extraordinary event. The entire Spirit Stream Battlefield held countless opportunities, many of which were difficult for most people to stumble upon in a lifetime. Yet, for some, these opportunities seemed to have been destined for them.

Those who inherited such legacies invariably had bright futures ahead.

Lu Ye himself was once mistakenly believed to have obtained the Spirit Mark Master's legacy in the Spirit Stream Battlefield. While the Spirit Mark Master's legacy was real, he had not acquired it there.

"Is it dangerous?"

"A little bit."

"Then there's no rush. I'll be entering the core circle soon. When I do, I'll contact a sect there and arrange for both you and Feng Yue to be sent over. As medical cultivators, you don't need to engage in combat, so it would be better for you to go directly into the core circle. You can go retrieve your legacy later, once your cultivation is higher."

Medical cultivators earned merit points not through combat, as most lacked the ability to kill enemies. Instead, they primarily gained them by healing others.

For instance, if someone from the Bi Blood Sect was injured, a medical cultivator would treat them, and then the garrison master or deputy master would allocate a certain amount of merit points as compensation.

They could also earn them by completing special tasks issued by the sect.

Hua Ci tilted her head, looking at him. "Are you worried I'll die out there?"

"Of course I'm worried," Lu Ye replied, meeting her gaze.

Hua Ci's gaze suddenly faltered, and she quickly looked away.

Lu Ye took two steps forward and grasped her hand.

Hua Ci's eyes widened. She stared at Lu Ye in astonishment, trying to pull her hand away forcefully, but it wouldn't budge.

"You can't do anything dangerous."

"Let go!"

"I'll let go if you promise me!"

"I'm calling for help!"

"Go ahead and call! Let's see how loud you can shout."

"I'm really calling for help!" Hua Ci took a deep breath, poised to shout. But confronted by Lu Ye's indifferent gaze, she ultimately held back.

"If you like holding it, then hold it. We'll let the junior brothers and sisters see what kind of person their Fifth Senior Brother truly is." She then fixed her gaze on Lu Ye, a hint of amusement in her eyes.

Lu Ye met her gaze, remaining still in his posture. They stood close, their eyes locked...

Waiting to see who would give in first.

Dawn spread across the horizon, and the rising sun began its ascent in the east. The quiet stronghold was about to awaken to renewed activity.

"You don't understand how it works for medical cultivators. This isn't something that can be resolved by cultivation level alone. Even if my cultivation were higher, that place would still be dangerous."

"Then don't go."

"I can't."

"It seems I can't persuade you."

"How about I promise you now, then secretly slip away later, just to save you some face?"

"What good is that 'face' to me?"

With a slight sigh, he released Hua Ci.

Hua Ci immediately jumped back two steps, shaking her hand, which had gone numb from his grip.

She then summoned her flying spirit artifact and said to Lu Ye, "I'm leaving now. I'll give birth to the child in my belly and raise it well. You take good care of Ling Yu and Kong Niu!"

Lu Ye's eye twitched. He watched helplessly as she transformed into a streak of light, soaring towards a nearby spirit peak. From there, Xiao Hui's figure shot into the sky, disappearing in an instant.

A grinding sound echoed nearby. Lu Ye turned his head to see He Xiyin standing with reddened eyes, grinding her teeth at him. Her resentful gaze made it seem as though Lu Ye had committed some heinous crime against her.

"What are you doing?" Lu Ye asked with a grim expression.

"You bullied Sixth Senior Sister!" He Xiyin burst into tears, then lowered her head and charged towards Lu Ye, shouting, "I'll fight you!"

Lu Ye raised a hand, pressed down on her head, and held her firmly in place. "You believe your Sixth Senior Sister's nonsense?"

"Wuwuwu... I don't care! Give me back my pure and innocent Sixth Senior Sister!" He Xiyin swung her arms like windmills, evidently trying to hit Lu Ye's head. However, her arms were too short to reach, leaving her frustrated, anxious, and embarrassed.

Moments later, He Xiyin, having been thoroughly thrashed, sat on the ground, weeping bitterly.

Lu Ye had already departed. He couldn't understand what had gotten into everyone; they were all so troublesome.

Aboard Xiao Hui, speeding through the air, Hua Ci couldn't help but smile as she recalled Lu Ye's bewildered expression.

As a medical cultivator, she knew full well that Lu Ye's arrangement was the best. She and Feng Yue could completely bypass the inner circle and directly enter the core circle with Lu Ye. No one would refuse a medical cultivator; since they weren't required for combat, their lower cultivation level wouldn't be an issue.

Lu Ye told her not to rush, but her greatest urgency stemmed from how quickly he was progressing.

The first time they met, her cultivation had been higher than Lu Ye's. But now, Lu Ye was close to ascending to the Seventh Heavenly Layer, while she remained at the Eighth-Layer Realm.

She now understood the pressure and urgency that Yi Yi had once felt. Although Yi Yi's current cultivation pace barely kept up with Lu Ye's, Hua Ci knew that if she continued at her current rate, she would eventually become nothing more than a transient figure in his life.

It wasn't about romantic affection; she simply didn't want things to continue this way.

She had been brought from Ying Mountain and gradually integrated into the Bi Blood Sect community. She had no desire to be left behind someday.

The news of Chen Yu and Hua Ci's consecutive departures gradually spread. While the disciples of Bi Blood Sect knew this day would eventually come, their emotions were still somewhat affected when it finally did.

Feng Yue proactively approached Lu Ye, expressing her desire to enter the inner circle for training. She wished to request a supply of cultivation resources from him to take with her.

Previously, she had never considered such a request. Without any formal status, her future seemed bleak; even cultivating to the Ninth-Layer Realm would not have changed anything.

But since Lu Ye had formally accepted her as a disciple, her outlook on life had brightened considerably.

She could now also earn merit points and plan for her future cultivation.

Lu Ye told her to get lost.

Feng Yue walked away dejectedly, filled with grievances she had nowhere to express. What was the point? Even after being accepted as a formal disciple, she was still treated poorly.

That Lu Yiye was absolutely the most hateful person in the world!

She found He Xiyin, whose eyes were swollen from crying, and they embraced, crying together once more.

In the small building, Lu Ye instructed the Talent Tree to absorb the last portion of Earth Core Fire. He watched as that single leaf completely incinerated, then immersed himself in examination. He didn't gain a new spirit mark, but rather the technique for embedding spirit marks.

Previously, Lu Ye hadn't found these techniques particularly useful. However, recently, as he studied the Way of Spirit Marks with Madam Yun, he gradually discovered their advantages.

Connecting and embedding different spirit marks required various methods, which were essentially techniques. The more techniques one mastered, the more perfectly different spirit marks could be integrated. Furthermore, through these techniques, he could gain a deeper comprehension of the mysteries of the Way of Spirit Marks.

He had previously purchased fifty portions of Earth Core Fire from the Heavenly Secret Treasure Vault, and after absorbing them all, he had gained six types of spirit marks. However, these proved to be of limited assistance in combat.

These six spirit marks were: Sound Recording, Image Recording, Spirit Storage, Burst, Water Lung, and Concealment.

Sound Recording and Image Recording were typically used in conjunction to record images and sounds. Cultivators at the Spirit Stream Realm level didn't often encounter such things, but they would gradually come across them as their cultivation advanced.

The Spirit Storage mark, of course, needed no explanation; the restrictions within every controllable spirit artifact included this specific mark.

The Burst spirit mark was useful for setting up formations.

The Water Lung was a spirit mark that enabled underwater breathing. Lu Ye tried it and found the sensation unpleasant, yet it was undeniably effective.

The Concealment mark was somewhat redundant for him, given he possessed the Trace Erasing Bracelet gifted by Madam Yun. However, using Concealment within formations to create large stealth arrays would be quite effective.

Overall, no spirit mark was truly useless; it only depended on the timing and location of its deployment.

When used correctly and in the right context, even the most seemingly useless spirit mark could achieve extraordinary results.

By now, Lu Ye had realized that there was no discernible pattern to the spirit marks obtained from the Talent Tree; they were incredibly diverse. This, however, was not a disadvantage. The more spirit marks he acquired, the wider range of techniques he could employ in the future.