The banquet lasted until late at night, with most people having flushed faces, their eyes heavily glazed from the liquor.

Luo Feng, Bing Ruolan, Zi Yuan, and He Qin, along with a few students from Changxin Academy, gathered around one table, getting to know each other better.

After the banquet, Zi Hongyuan summoned the four of them to the courtyard in which he resided.

Zhou Zhiyun was also in the yard, and she nodded when she saw the four of them.

"Luo Feng, the four of you should prepare well. In three days, we will be heading to the Red Flame Desert," Zi Hongyuan said as soon as they entered the small yard.

Hearing his words, Zi Yuan's face was marked with surprise. "The Secret Realm is in the Red Flame Desert?"

"Hm," Zi Hongyuan nodded with a serious expression, "The Red Flame Desert is near the West Desert Demon Realm, where disciples of the Demon Sect often wander. Moreover, the environment is harsh, filled with Demon Beasts, and is very dangerous. You ought to cultivate well and conserve your strength for the next three days."

Zhou Zhiyun added, "Being qualified to enter the Secret Realm is a great opportunity. Make sure to seize it."

The four of them nodded, their eyes filled with anticipation.

They had heard many stories about finding treasures in the Secret Realm and instantly becoming powerful. Now that they had the chance to enter the Secret Realm, they couldn't be more excited.

"Yes."

The four promised and left the courtyard.

Watching the departing figures of Luo Feng and his friends, Zi Hongyuan revealed a smile.

Having been the dean of the Purple Sun School for so many years, only Luo Feng and a previous super-talent, Lu Xiao Yun, had ever caused him such surprise. Seeing the blackened face of Zhu Huo, the dean of Ivy School, today had filled him with a sense of triumph.

Zhou Zhiyun laughed and said, "Congratulations, with a genius like Luo Feng at Purple Sun School, I have no doubt the school will become the top academy in the Flowing Cloud Region in the next few years."

Zi Hongyuan replied with a smile, "He Qin, who has comprehended Sword Intent and its intrinsic killing intention, is also very remarkable."

Zhou Zhiyun shook her head slightly. "As remarkable as He Qin is, she is nowhere near Luo Feng, especially in terms of comprehending Martial Arts. What do you think Luo Feng's future prospects are? It's been a while since any of our four major schools have produced a True Yuan Realm expert."

"A True Yuan Realm expert? Your expectations are high. He hasn't even reached the Spiritual Rotation Realm yet, so it's too early to discuss him reaching the True Yuan Realm. You should know how difficult it is since you're still in the Spiritual Rotation Realm."

Zi Hongyuan paused for a moment, then shook his head.

「...」

It was a quiet night, with a crescent moon reflected in the calm waters, casting a beautiful, silvery glow.

The small courtyard where Luo Feng stayed remained peaceful. Even the moonlight seemed to have frozen in place.

He sat cross-legged in the middle of the spacious and elegant garden, hands resting on his Dantian point, with slightly closed eyes, inhaling and exhaling slowly.

Even though there was no wind in the surroundings, Luo Feng's clothes moved in tune with his breath. It seemed as if an invisible force was lingering around him, occasionally causing a flash of light in the surrounding air, imitating a thunderbolt.

He was cultivating the Condensation Yuan Technique.

Originally, Luo Feng estimated that with steady and solid cultivation, the Condensation Yuan Technique would have the opportunity to step into the third realm, Eyes Birth Thunder, in around two to three months.

But after witnessing the fight between Jadeite Young Master Xin Wuyue and Qin Honglie during today's summit, a sudden realization struck him. His internal Yuan Qi started to churn, showing signs of breaking through the bottleneck that had held it back for a long time.

Zi Yuan had sensed the thunderbolt intent from him at the time, albeit only for an instant, leading everyone to believe they had merely imagined it.

Not wanting to miss such a golden opportunity, Luo Feng began to cultivate the Condensation Yuan Technique with full concentration upon returning to his small courtyard, aiming to break through to the next realm.

Yuan Qi circulated endlessly in his Dantian. It began as a gentle stream. With time, however, the speed of its movement increased, and it roared like a torrent within his body.

Two hours passed.

Four hours passed.

...

After six hours, day began to dawn. Students of Changxin Academy got up one after another to start their day of cultivation and work.

In the courtyard, Luo Feng sat cross-legged in the middle of the garden, motionless, seeming like a statue seated there.

There were suddenly footsteps outside the courtyard getting closer and closer.

"Is Luo Feng there?"

"Is Luo Feng inside? I'm an elder from Changxin Academy."

The footsteps stopped at the entrance of the courtyard. After shouting a few times, the person pushed the gate and entered.

The newcomer was wearing a Changxin Academy elder's uniform, looking quite young, not yet thirty.

Changxin Academy elders had once been students of the academy. Students who couldn't get into the twelve Golden Palaces by the age of eighteen would have to leave the academy.

Some students who wished to continue cultivating would choose to stay and become elders of the academy.

By becoming an elder of the academy, they could obtain significant cultivation resources, which held great temptation for Martial Artists.

This elder was not yet thirty years old but was already a master of the peak of the Hell Realm. In comparison to ordinary Martial Artists, his strength was very high, exceeding most of the academy elders.

The young academy elder entered the yard. He immediately noticed Luo Feng meditating in the middle of the garden and instantly closed his mouth.

Interrupting someone's cultivation is a big taboo among Martial Artists, unless it's unavoidable. Otherwise, if a cultivator's session is interrupted at a critical moment, they might feel murderous.

The academy elder smiled helplessly, standing quietly by the side without making a sound, watching Luo Feng's cultivation.

An unknowable amount of time passed.

Suddenly, the air around Luo Feng started to tremble. Fierce noises echoed out from his body, as if a storm was wreaking havoc within him.

"Eh, he is about to break through!" The academy elder standing by the side squinted, a brilliant gleam in his eyes as he watched even more closely.

He had been busy outside during yesterday's summit. He only heard about what happened there when he returned to the academy, and it was quite shocking for him.

At this moment, he also wanted to see what made this gifted student who showed great talent at yesterday's summit stand out.

WHOOSH!

In the flower garden, invisible currents were violently scourging with Luo Feng at the center. The wild wind formed was blowing the flowers and plants in the nursery, causing them to sway chaotically.

CRACKLE!

Strange fluctuations radiated from Luo Feng's Dantian. A flicker of electricity appeared in the surrounding storm, and he seemed to be in the midst of wind and lightning.

"What kind of Martial Arts is he practicing!" The academy elder standing nearby was filled with astonishment.

At this moment, the little courtyard, full of surging wind and clouds, suddenly became calm. The wild wind and purple lightning seemed as if they had never appeared before.

Luo Feng opened his eyes, and his gaze shone brightly, as if two streaks of purple lightning were cutting through the empty space.

The academy elder was about to say something, but upon making eye contact with Luo Feng, he suddenly exclaimed and took two steps back.

Brilliance flashed in Luo Feng's eyes, like knives or swords, flashing continuously. As they stared at the elder, it was as if a thunderbolt was coming, forcing him to instinctively step back.

"Eyes Birth Thunder! The third level of the Condensation Yuan Technique! He actually cultivated the Condensation Yuan Technique to the third level!" the young elder exclaimed inwardly, looking at Luo Feng.

As an elder of Changxin Academy, his vision was naturally not low; he had heard about the Condensation Yuan Technique from Tianlan School.

There were rumors about the Condensation Yuan Technique that if it was cultivated to the third level, it would result in light in one's gaze, and thunder would be born from one's eyes. Anyone he looked at would feel an oppressive thunderbolt intent. Lower cultivation Martial Artists, when faced with such gaze, would directly lose their fighting confidence.

Just now, when the young elder and Luo Feng made eye contact, he had been shocked.

What surprised the young elder was not just the power of the Condensation Yuan Technique. He had heard that the Condensation Yuan Technique was extremely difficult to cultivate. Up until now, only three people had been able to cultivate the Condensation Yuan Technique to the third level.

And when those three people had cultivated the Condensation Yuan Technique to the third level, they were already over eighteen years old, but Luo Feng was still not even sixteen!

Luo Feng stood up from the ground, retracting his aura. The invisible pressure that had filled the small courtyard instantly disappeared.

"Who are you?"

The young elder was shocked awake, inhaled slightly, and said respectfully, "I am Lu Yuan, an elder of Changxin Academy. The dean is calling for you to make an important announcement."

"Alright, I'll prepare myself and go."

Luo Feng nodded his head. With every move he made, an invisible aura followed.

He had spent the night recalling the enlightenment from yesterday's summit. After making a full sprint in his cultivation, his Condensation Yuan Technique smoothly entered the third realm, 'Eyes Birth Thunder'.

Once the Condensation Yuan Technique entered the third realm, Luo Feng could feel a clear improvement in Yuan Qi, physical strength, and temperament.

"Alright, the dean and the others are in Changning Hall."

The young elder nodded, showing a humble expression, and exited the small courtyard.

As an elder of Changxin Academy, he normally wouldn't need to be so courteous to students. However, after witnessing Luo Feng's cultivation, respect involuntarily showed when he faced Luo Feng.

Regarding this, the young elder didn't feel any shame at all. In the True Martial Continent, martial arts were paramount. Strength determined everything, irrespective of age or seniority. Strong people would receive respect from others no matter where they were.

After the young elder left, Luo Feng went back to his room to change into a set of clean clothes and checked the changes in his body after the Condensation Yuan Technique entered the third realm.

The results satisfied him greatly; his overall strength had increased at least twofold compared to before!

If he encountered Duanmu Xiong now, even in a head-on confrontation, there wouldn't be too much danger. Of course, it wouldn't be easy to kill him either, not unless his Yuan Qi entered the Baihui Point in his brain, connected the Heavenly Court and Hell Realm, and he stepped into the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm!

Having changed his clothes, Luo Feng closed the courtyard door and walked out.

This place was the deepest part of Changxin Academy. Everyone living here was an honored guest of the academy, so few people came this way. Luo Feng walked quite a distance without seeing a single figure.

Luckily, he had traveled around Changxin Academy two days ago and knew where Changning Hall was.

"Hmm?"

As he was passing a bamboo forest, Luo Feng suddenly stopped, his gaze sharp.

A figure was standing in the shadows of the bamboo forest.

The figure was a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in the uniform of an elder from Ivy School, with a grim face and eyes as cold as a venomous snake's.

"Who are you?"

Luo Feng slightly furrowed his brows and asked in a deep voice.

He felt murderous intent. It was clear that the other party was targeting him. Moreover, this person's aura was not weak, even stronger than Young Master Hanshan, Li Hanshan. Although he was not a practitioner of the Ninth Heavenly Court Realm, he wasn't far from it either.

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