Four Years Have Passed

Wu Yang had been studying Dao Marks for four years, recognizing their crucial role in building a solid foundation. Although he had obtained nine Dao Marks from Wu Li, he found that the three low-level Dao Marks found in the Blazing Sun Sutra - the Searing Ember, Blaze Spark, and Radiant Heat Dao Marks - were lacking in comparison.

Despite having condensed the Crimson Blaze Dao Mark on his Golden Core one and a half years prior, Wu Yang was still struggling to condense the next one, the Scarlet Flame Dao Mark.

Even though the Crimson Blaze Dao Mark was just as impressive as the Scarlet Flame Dao Mark, the Scarlet Flame Dao Mark presented greater difficulty because the process of condensing Dao Marks gets increasingly more challenging with each mark he attempted to cultivate.

Wu Yang's nine Dao Marks that he wanted to condense each fell into one of three categories: defense, attack, and support. The Crimson Blaze, Burning Inferno, and Burning Heaven Dao Marks were primarily used to support other techniques. For healing and defense during battles, Wu Yang relied on the Golden Sunfire, Phoenix Flame, and Heavenly Fire Dao Marks, while the Scarlet Flame, Fiery Ember, and Lava Eruption Dao Marks were reserved for direct attacks on his opponents.

As the day of the life and death duel between Wu Li and Yang Chen draws near, it has been four years since they last met. The much-awaited duel is just five days away, but Wu Li is nowhere to be found in the Extreme Jade Sword Sect.

In fact, he has been absent for the past four years, causing some to question whether the sect will expel him. Meanwhile, Yang Chen has made significant progress in his cultivation, with two Dao Marks condensed on his Golden Core, placing him in the late stage of the Core Formation Realm. He has been promoted from an Outer Disciple to an Inner Disciple and has even taken on a master, Li Jingyi, from the Misty Forest Peak, the same peak as Wu Yang. Yang Chen's new status now puts him on equal footing with Wu Yang.

The following day, Wu Li made his long-awaited return to the Extreme Jade Sword Sect. He sought out Wu Yang and shared his recent adventures with him, accompanied by a stunning young woman.

She appeared to be about two years older than Wu Li, who was now 20, placing her age at 22. Her captivating figure was draped in a white cloak, leaving only her ethereal, cloud-like hair visible. Her appearance was a captivating mix of purity and seductiveness, aloofness and allure, with contrasting dispositions that rendered her breathtakingly beautiful.

Wu Yang's sharp gaze pierced through Wu Li's cultivation in a single glance, leaving him puzzled. It was evident that Wu Li's cultivation level had not improved at all since their last meeting, remaining stagnant at the early stage of the Core Formation Realm. However, Wu Yang was aware that Wu Li was a protagonist, and with a powerful expert guiding him, his strength must have increased considerably. It was just that his cultivation realm had failed to advance along with his power.

As Wu Yang attempted to assess the young woman's cultivation, he found himself unable to do so. His inability to gauge her strength meant only one thing - her cultivation far surpassed his own. And not by a small margin, but by at least one entire major realm.

A hiss escaped from between Wu Yang's lips as he struggled to process this realization. "A 22-year-old with the cultivation of Nascent Soul?" he muttered incredulously to himself. While he had read many cultivation novels in which new characters appeared that had high cultivation levels at young ages, facing this challenge in real life was a different matter altogether. The shock of this encounter far exceeded that of reading a few words in a novel.

Wu Yang regained his composure and smiled at Wu Li. "Brother Li, it's been four long years since we've seen each other. What have you been up to all this time? What did you gain inside the ancient Emperor's tomb?" he asked curiously.

Wu Li's face lit up with a grin. "I've gained a lot of cultivation pills and techniques that will help me improve my skills," he replied. Then, he placed his hands around Lin Xiaoqing's hips and introduced her to Wu Yang. "And I've gained a wife," he added with a chuckle.

Wu Li's smile grew wider as he continued, "But the most important things that I got were some herbs which I used to concoct a pill that raised my Spiritual Root's level to the Earth Grade."

Lin Xiaoqing's face contorted into a crooked smile, hidden behind the veil that covered it. An awkward thought crossed her mind, "Am I really less important to him than a mere Spiritual Root?"

Wu Yang couldn't help but laugh awkwardly and changed the subject. "Tell me, how did you guys meet?"

Wu Li's expression turned serious as he recounted their meeting inside the Tomb of Emperor Xuan. "At first, we were enemies, fighting for the treasures inside the tomb. But after Lin Xiaoqing got poisoned by a trap, I saved her life. That's when she said I must take responsibility," he said, a sly grin spreading across his face.

Wu Yang came to the realization of how Wu Li and Lin Xiaoqing had become husband and wife. It was during their time inside the Tomb of Emperor Xuan when Lin Xiaoqing was poisoned by an aphrodisiac, and due to her higher cultivation base, Wu Li was powerless to resist her advances. However, Wu Li was too prideful to admit this, and so he didn't mention it.

Wu Yang's eyes briefly registered a moment of awkwardness before he quickly composed himself. He turned to Lin Xiaoqing with a curious expression, "Miss, may I ask about your background? With your cultivation level at such a young age, I'm sure you have a powerful force supporting you."

Lin Xiaoqing could sense Wu Yang's gaze, and realized that he had figured out what had happened in the tomb. Even though Wu Li didn't realize this, she did. Despite feeling embarrassed, she kept her calm and replied, "I am the only daughter of the Clan Head of the Lin Clan, a Great Ocean Realm force on the Jiaolong Continent."

After several hours of chatting with Lin Xiaoqing and Wu Li, Wu Yang came to the realization that Lin Xiaoqing was a kind and gentle person at heart. Despite her stunning beauty, which usually attracted the attention of men, she tended to dislike them.

While she might be aloof and distant to others, Wu Yang, who knew the story of how she and Wu Li had met, made her unable to put on airs in front of him. Besides, Wu Yang's mind was focused solely on pursuing the Dao, and he had no impure thoughts about Lin Xiaoqing.

Wu Yang inquired with a curious tone, "Brother Li, I'm curious why even though your cultivation didn't improve, I feel even more pressured by you this time, even after I've cultivated the Crimson Blaze Dao Mark."

Wu Li replied with a smirk, "To be honest, I possess an extremely rare Physique - the Divine Lightning Physique. I've recently made significant progress and attained Greater Success because of the Earth Divine Lightning Pill. As a result, my Thunder Spiritual Root's Grade has increased to the Earth Grade. Although my cultivation level has remained unchanged, my strength can now rival that of late-stage Core Formation Realm cultivators." Wu Li trusted his brother enough to reveal this information, which he had previously kept under wraps. "The transformation took a toll on me, and I was comatose for three years, which is why my cultivation level has not improved," he added.

Wu Yang's curiosity was finally satisfied.

As Lin Xiaoqing sat in Wu Yang's cave abode, she couldn't help but wonder about his motives for cultivation. Her voice was as melodious as ever when she asked him, "May I ask why Brother Yang is cultivating? Is it to attain immortality, to have the strength to protect your loved ones, or to reign supreme over others? Or is it some other reason?"

Wu Yang was taken aback by the profoundness of her question. After some contemplation, he replied, "I don't cultivate for immortality, my family in the Wu Clan isn't in danger, and other people that I consider family from the Extreme Jade Sword Sect are more capable than me. I don't have a superiority complex, so I don't cultivate to reign supreme. I don't cultivate for myself either. Honestly, I have no idea why I'm cultivating!"

Lin Xiaoqing and Wu Li were both surprised by his response.

Wu Li was surprised by Wu Yang's lack of ambition for cultivation. He had assumed that Wu Yang, like him, was hot-headed and driven by ambition. Wu Yang's response left him thinking that Wu Yang had no reason to cultivate, which in Wu Li's opinion was equivalent to having no ambition at all.

In Wu Yang's previous world, people with no ambition were looked down upon, and in the Blue Sky Mortal Realm, such people were frowned upon even more.

Despite his surprise, Wu Li knew that he owed a lot to Wu Yang for all the help he had received, so he could only shake his head and support him.

After chatting for several more hours, Wu Li decided to leave with his wife, Lin Xiaoqing, to deal with the issue of the Extreme Jade Sword Sect expelling him. Having been absent for four years, he needed to provide a proper explanation to the sect.

After handling the matter, Wu Li returned to his own residence. As an Outer Disciple, his home was quite different from Wu Yang's cave abode, which was provided to him by the sect as an Inner Disciple.