Crimson Flame Martial Arts School.

Zhou Chen bid farewell to Chen Yunpeng, returned to his house, and lay down on his bed.

Within the body, Qi and blood circulate continuously along the route of the Crimson Flame Meridian, subtly tempering the body.

At this moment, Zhou Chen examined his internal organs and a faint golden light appeared, a sign that he was already in the late stage of the Refining Body realm.

【Fine: 15.6】

He glanced at the spirit attribute values ​​displayed on the panel and had a premonition.

Perhaps, when the essence attribute breaks through 16, the five internal organs will be completely perfected, the qi and blood will be refined into the bone marrow, and the marrow cleansing realm will be achieved.

tick tock...

With the countdown to entering the Qiankun Realm drawing ever closer, Zhou Chen slowly closed his eyes, waiting for the mysterious white mist to rise.

-----------------

The next day, morning light streamed in through the window.

Bang bang bang!

Outside, there was a rapid knocking on the door.

Yesterday, after finding three initial breakthrough items in the Qiankun Realm, Zhou Chen drifted off to sleep.

Now, the knocking on the door has disturbed his long-awaited sound sleep.

"Senior Brother Zhou! Wake up!" The maidservant attending to him said urgently.

"The senior disciple has ordered all inner disciples to proceed to the inner courtyard immediately!"

Zhou Chen instantly regained his senses, and within a few breaths he put on his coat and pushed open the door to go out.

The maid was pale and panting heavily, clearly having run all the way from outside.

Standing beside her was a servant boy who was also the senior disciple.

"What happened?" Zhou Chen asked the gray-clad servant quietly.

"I don't know, I only know that my master is very irritable today," the servant replied, bowing his head, not daring to speculate on his master's thoughts.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chen flashed and rushed towards the inner courtyard.

Even yesterday's situation did not change Gao Tian's expression, so today's events must be extraordinary.

"Junior Brother Zhou has arrived."

"Junior Brother Zhou."

Zhou Chen stepped into the inner courtyard hall, where more than twenty people had already gathered. They were all familiar faces among the inner disciples, and even Chen Yunpeng had arrived.

He glanced around and saw Gao Tian standing to the side of the main seat, his expression solemn.

Yi Lianxing stood by the window, her face cold and aloof, her eyes filled with deep worry.

When Chen Yunpeng saw Zhou Chen enter, he subtly moved closer to him and whispered, "The master returned last night, injured."

As the top martial arts school in the county, Chi Yan Martial Arts School had countless spies around it, so news of Yi Yan's return had already spread like wildfire.

Zhou Chen's voice was very soft, "Are you badly injured?"

Chen Yunpeng did not answer, but simply nodded.

People gradually arrived.

Gao Tian looked around and said in a low voice, "Master returned from the county town yesterday, seriously injured."

Although many people in the room had a premonition, these words still struck everyone like a heavy hammer.

"How is the master's injury? Do you need any miraculous medicine? I can ask the patriarch to allocate some." A disciple surnamed Zhao stepped forward.

As one of the top experts in Xingde County, Yi Yan's eldest disciple has now broken through the Marrow Cleansing Realm, making him a target of great interest from aristocratic families.

Gao Tian glanced at the disciple and continued, "The person who injured him was Master's old enemy."

Now that he had achieved enlightenment and learned of his master's return to the county town, he ambushed his master on his return journey, severely injuring him.

He paused, then said, "Although Master has barely survived, the other side may not be willing to let this go and will probably chase us here."

The state of enlightenment!

Gao Tian's words were like an invisible mountain, making it hard for everyone to breathe.

The disciple surnamed Zhao who had spoken earlier shrank back silently.

Although he cherished the bond between master and disciple, he could not bring a formidable enemy at the Enlightenment Realm to the Zhao family.

Gao Tian looked at everyone in the hall with a calm gaze, showing no emotional fluctuation despite the change in the attitude of the Zhao family disciples.

"My master summoned me yesterday and said, 'For the past thirteen years since the Crimson Flame Martial Arts School was founded, we have been fortunate to have your unwavering support and the passing down of your skills. Today's calamity is neither the wish of the school's master nor the expectation of the martial arts school. The disciples of the martial arts school…'"

He paused for a moment before uttering the second half of the sentence, word by word: "You may leave or stay as you see fit."

"this?"

Whispers broke out.

Zhou Chen's gaze swept across the main hall. Senior Brother Gao Tian's back remained straight, as imposing as a mountain.

Senior Sister Yi, Yi Yan's only daughter, leaned against the window, looking out at the courtyard, her eyes lowered, her expression unreadable.

In a corner, several disciples from aristocratic families exchanged glances.

A hint of hesitation flickered in their eyes, but it was quickly suppressed by the rationality of the aristocratic disciples.

"Senior Brother, there are many family affairs to attend to, and I am the only son who has to inherit the business... I, I..." The speaker was a wealthy man in the city, but Zhou Chen could not remember his name.

All that is known is that he was quite brave when the Wusheng Sect was wiped out yesterday, charging ahead without the slightest fear.

Gao Tian looked at him and nodded.

"Go."

The man felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He turned around stiffly, not daring to look at anyone, and quickly left.

The second person, the third person.

Like the first crack in a dam bursting.

"Senior Brother, I am of dull talent and cannot be of any help if I stay in the academy..."

"Senior Brother Gao, I..."

One after another, inner disciples from prominent families, with family members to look after, stepped forward to bow and take their leave.

Three, ten, fifteen...

The number of people in the lobby dwindled at a visible rate.

Chen Yunpeng stood motionless beside Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen glanced at him sideways.

"The Chen family sent people to urge me three times last night." Chen Yunpeng paused, his voice very soft, "They told me to get out as soon as possible to avoid being dragged down."

He didn't continue speaking, but he didn't move his body either.

Zhou Chen withdrew his gaze and did not ask any further questions.

The person is still walking.

In the end, only nine people remained in the hall, including Gao Tian and Yi Lianxing.

Zhou Chen did not leave either.

In his view, although the Crimson Flame Martial Arts School has provoked an opponent at the Enlightenment Realm, there is still a chance for a turnaround.

Moreover, he had only mastered the first two volumes of the Crimson Flame Scripture and was still waiting for the opening volume.

If he leaves like this, where will he find a place with cultivation techniques for the Enlightenment Realm who is willing to teach them to outsiders?

"There are still so many people?" Gao Tian's gaze swept down. Apart from Chen Yunpeng, a special scion of a powerful family, the rest of them were people in the city who had no relatives or friends to rely on.

"From this day forward, you will all share the daily inner sect cultivation resources equally."

Upon hearing this, the remaining disciples were visibly agitated.

With seven or eight out of ten inner disciples gone, only the nine remaining shared the daily resources, meaning they received five or six times more pills than usual.

Staying this time might have been the right gamble.

Yi Lianxing brought over two trays filled with pills at some point and distributed them to everyone.

"Senior Sister Yi, I've broken through to the Refining Realm," Zhou Chen added as Yi Lianxing handed him several bottles of pills used by Yi Jin martial artists for cultivation.

"Huh?" Yi Lianxing stared intently at Zhou Chen. Since her father was seriously injured and recuperating last night, she had been somewhat dazed. Now, seeing that Zhou Chen had actually entered the Refining Realm, she was surprised to find that he had indeed entered the Refining Realm.

"Refining filth?" Gao Tian, ​​who had never shown any emotion since joining the sect, walked up from behind. Sensing Zhou Chen's aura, he said in a deep voice, "Junior Brother Zhou, come with me to see Master."

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