Outer Court.
Chen Yan lay in the bathtub with his eyes lightly closed, emerald green droplets falling from his fingertips resting outside the tub.
Body Forging liquid flowed into his pores, penetrating deep into his bones.
This was Chen Yan's second medicinal bath.
Although Chen Yan's current cultivation had reached the peak of the Qi Circulation Realm, the foundation he had built during his Body Forging years wasn't solid, and he had never experienced medicinal baths like this one before.
Chen Yan clearly felt his breathing becoming more prolonged, while the explosive power contained within his physique and the endurance of his muscles and bones had both greatly improved.
Even his meridians had become more unobstructed due to his strengthened physique.
"Kongyuan Mountain disciples..."
Suddenly, Chen Yan opened his eyes and muttered to himself, then shook his head with a smile.
But not anymore.
Chen Yan knew exactly how much natural talent he possessed - even with inner court resources, he might not break through to the Qi Sea Realm in his entire lifetime.
More importantly, if the reincarnation save point hadn't updated, then everything he currently possessed would be as fleeting as passing clouds.
Truthfully, Chen Yan didn't even know what he wanted now.
In the past, his only thought had been to save Cheng Ziying, but now their relationship had long since drifted apart.
There were still two years until the calamity occurred in the outer court.
That calamity would most likely be related to Qingchan Peak's Chief Disciple Chu Xiyao, because Chen Yan still remembered the look filled with guilt and self-blame in Chu Xiyao's eyes back then.
Cause of Calamity.
Ever since Chen Yan returned from Kongyuan Mountain, this term had been lingering in his mind.
Qingchan Peak, Fu Qian, Cause of Calamity, Chu Xiyao, calamity...
Chen Yan tried to connect these pieces, but ultimately found no leads.
The information he had obtained so far was still too fragmented.
So, Chen Yan stood up from the bathtub, washed off the stains clinging to his body with clean water, then dried himself and put on a clean outer court disciple robe.
Immediately, he felt refreshed and clear-headed.
Just as Chen Yan wanted to take advantage of this free time to rest briefly, knocking suddenly came from outside his residence door.
Who could it be?
Since Chen Yan had always kept to himself, when someone knocked on his door, he inevitably felt quite puzzled.
He walked to the door and stood still, then pulled it open.
Standing at the doorway was a figure Chen Yan had once been extremely familiar with, though now it felt somewhat unfamiliar—
Cheng Ziying.
At seventeen years old, Cheng Ziying had already grown into an elegant young woman. Though her pretty face still carried some childishness, she was undoubtedly already a grown girl.
However, unlike the playful and clingy junior sister from Chen Yan's memories, the current Cheng Ziying's eyes held traces of indifference and distance.
"......"
Chen Yan didn't know what to say, remaining silent.
And when Cheng Ziying's gaze met Chen Yan's, she quickly averted her eyes.
Chen Yan had heard about Cheng Ziying's current cultivation level - at just seventeen years old, she had already reached the mid-stage of the Qi Circulation Realm.
This cultivation speed would absolutely be considered above average even in the inner court.
But in previous reincarnations, Cheng Ziying only crossed from the Body Forging Realm to the Qi Circulation Realm when she was nineteen.
This made Chen Yan begin to suspect that in the past, it might have been because of him that Cheng Ziying's cultivation had been held back.
With her current cultivation speed, it wasn't impossible for her to break through to the Martial Spring Realm before turning nineteen.
If Cheng Ziying could break through to the Martial Spring Realm, that would mean she could obtain the admission ticket to enter the inner court and become an inner court disciple.
Perhaps this could allow her to escape the calamity that would befall the outer court when she turned nineteen.
Looking at it this way, was Ziying's death all because of me?
Chen Yan couldn't help but laugh bitterly in his heart.
"Senior Brother Chen."
The familiar words slowly emerged from Cheng Ziying's cherry lips:
"Elder Lin is waiting for you at the Fate Inquiry Hall."
"Understood, Zi..."
"I'll take my leave now."
Before Chen Yan could finish calling her name, the seventeen-year-old girl turned and walked away.
Chen Yan wanted to call out to stop her, but ultimately gave up.
Lin Qifeng was looking for him?
The last time Chen Yan had met with his nominal master was when he had just returned from Kongyuan Mountain to return the token.
A week had already passed since then, and Chen Yan had thought this sect leader's personal disciple had completely forgotten about his messenger.
But now that he was looking for Chen Yan, he probably had some message that needed to be delivered again.
Chen Yan left his residence and began walking toward the Fate Inquiry Hall.
When he stood before the hall's entrance, the large doors automatically slowly opened to both sides.
"Here already?"
The middle-aged man wearing a crane-feather cloak was sitting behind a red sandalwood desk, preparing tea.
"Disciple Chen Yan pays respects to Master."
Chen Yan made a bowing salute.
"Cut the useless formalities!"
Lin Qifeng complained impatiently:
"Trying to find you, kid, is really quite difficult. How is it that among so many people in the outer court, barely anyone knows you?"
"Perhaps it's because this disciple isn't good with words and rarely socializes with fellow disciples in daily life."
Chen Yan offered this perfunctory response.
"Stop talking nonsense! Finding a disciple in the outer court who knows you is harder than finding a needle in a haystack!"
Lin Qifeng glared with his beard bristling.
It seemed that in order to send him a message, finding someone in the outer court who knew him had likely taken considerable effort.
In the end, he had to find Cheng Ziying, who had long since cut ties with Chen Yan.
"That girl who knows you has fairly decent talent, having already entered the Qi Circulation Realm at such a young age."
As he spoke, Lin Qifeng paused for a moment, then continued:
"Not like the trash that you and I are."
"Master, you jest. The trash is probably only me alone."
Chen Yan made a bowing salute.
"Do you know how old I was when I crossed from the Body Forging Realm to the Qi Circulation Realm?"
"...Sixteen years old?"
"Thirty-six years old."
Hearing this, Chen Yan was slightly stunned.
In his first life, Chen Yan had only managed to achieve Qi Circulation when he was forty-one years old.
But Lin Qifeng, as the sect leader's personal disciple with abundant cultivation resources at his disposal, had only achieved Qi Circulation five years earlier than him?
Chen Yan's first reaction was that Lin Qifeng was lying.
But if it were true, then just as Lin Qifeng said, he was also trash.
But how had Lin Qifeng become a Qi Sea Realm cultivator now?
And exactly how old was he now?
All Chen Yan could deduce was that he must be younger than Qingchan Peak's Martial Elder Fu Qian, and also younger than that white-haired old man from Kongyuan Mountain.
"What, find it unbelievable?"
Seeing Chen Yan standing there stunned, Lin Qifeng said:
"Are you wondering how your master, with such poor natural talent, could become the sect leader's personal disciple?"