Star Martial Soaring Cloud

After three days, Wang Xiao finally comprehended the Void Crossing technique.

Back at the camp, everyone had basically recovered to their peak condition.

The entire Dongbin Alliance now has only twelve members left.

The situation on the Northern Plains Alliance side is still unclear, but it is likely that, combined, there are fewer than twenty surviving cultivators from Kyushu.

Of the 500 people who entered the island, fewer than 20 survived in just a few months; the tragic fate of those who perished is unimaginable.

No one can answer how many of these people will ultimately return to Kyushu alive.

But one thing is certain: once the major powers of Kyushu learn of this, they will go mad.

An entire generation of the most talented monks were almost completely wiped out.

A powerful force with deep resources might be able to withstand this blow.

But those minor sects have completely ruined their future.

They had pooled the strength of their entire sect to finally secure a spot on the island, but now that their hopes were dashed, the decline and demise of their sect was inevitable.

All forces in Kyushu will surely launch a frenzied retaliation against the Tianyi Sect, and even Japan will not be spared.

However, Japan is ultimately a single nation, and all factions will inevitably worry that this move might trigger a war between the two countries.

Whether or not a national war begins is not something they can decide, and the consequences of a national war are unimaginable.

No one understands the pain of war better than the people of Kyushu.

Kyushu has endured too much bloodshed and turmoil; war has never truly left this land.

Since the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty, the Nine Provinces have enjoyed this rare period of peace.

Having experienced the cruelty of war and embraced the preciousness of peace, one understands even more how hard-won and how wonderful peace is.

But this does not mean that the Great Qian Dynasty is afraid of war, or that the Nine Provinces are afraid of war—because this peace was won by the Great Qian Dynasty itself.

To stop war with war, and to forge peace with force.

However, they will be more cautious about war.

This is being responsible to the land of China and to all living beings under heaven.

At this moment, the Dongbin Alliance members gathered together, exchanging cultivation experiences.

Next, Xiao He, Su Qinhe, Yan Zixi, and Yun Qingyao prepared to attempt to break through to the Dragon Gate Divine Realm.

Zhao Shuheng, Li Yu, and Zhang Lian also reached the perfect state of "Fish Leaping," but they felt they needed to consolidate their skills further and were not in a hurry to break through.

Li Xin and Lin Yueyao are currently in the early stages of the "Fish Leap" stage, so they always feel a little uncomfortable when others share their experiences of breaking through barriers.

But such exchanges will ultimately be of great benefit to their future cultivation.

On the scene, Wang Xiao, Ling Cheng, Yuan Kong, and Xiao He were the main figures.

After all, all four of them had personally experienced the process of trying to break through to the Dragon Gate Divine Realm—some succeeded, and some failed.

Such exchanges are not necessarily inferior to guidance from renowned teachers; in fact, they may be more practical, more targeted, and more helpful to everyone.

Most of those famous teachers have long since broken through to higher realms, and their status and position have changed considerably.

When faced with the challenge of breaking through the Dragon Gate Divine Realm again, they will view it from the perspective of the question setter and examiner, since they already know the answer.

However, for cultivators about to break through the barrier, the answer is unknown. They need to use the problem solver's approach to explore the truth step by step.

This difference in mindset and identity means that even renowned teachers cannot perfectly meet their needs.

But Wang Xiao and his group were different.

They have all just gone through a breakthrough, and can empathize with these "problem solvers" and truly think from their perspective.

What's even more remarkable is that these four individuals possess not only successful experiences but also lessons learned from failures—this contrast between positive and negative examples allows them to present the key to breaking through to the Dragon Gate Divine Realm more comprehensively to everyone.

"When breaking through to a higher realm, the most important thing is to be fearless." Wang Xiao sat cross-legged on a blue stone, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone. "Being afraid that you can't do it, being afraid that you will die, being afraid that you can't go back—once these thoughts arise, you've already lost half the battle."

Ling Cheng continued, "Taoism teaches to follow the natural order, but following the natural order does not mean lying down. You must make all the necessary preparations and complete all the necessary steps. The rest is up to fate. You can't force it, but you also can't give up easily or not try."

Yuan Kong clasped his hands together, his expression unusually serious: "I, the monk, have both failed and succeeded. When I failed, I had attachments in my heart that I couldn't let go of; when I succeeded, I truly let go of my obsessions. Therefore, if one's obsessions are too deep, one will not be able to pass the Dragon Gate."

Everyone listened very attentively, especially Su Qinhe, Yan Zixi, and Yun Qingyao, who were about to pass the test and kept every word firmly in mind.

The exchange lasted for the entire morning, until the sun was high in the sky, at which point everyone dispersed and returned to their lodgings to prepare for the border crossing.

Wang Xiao tidied up, but instead of returning to his own tent, he turned and walked out of the camp.

"Lu Yang, where are you going?" Ling Cheng asked casually.

"Let's go for a walk," Wang Xiao replied without turning his head.

He wasn't telling the truth.

It wasn't that he really wanted to go out for a walk, but when he returned to the camp, he found that someone had left him a message—arranging to meet him in a grove of trees south of the camp.

The message was extremely simple, containing only the time and place, without a signature.

Shortly after Wang Xiao left, the camp gradually quieted down.

Everyone was busy with their own tasks, adjusting their own state of mind.

Xiao He sat cross-legged, calming his mind and conserving his energy; Su Qinhe and Yan Zixi talked in hushed tones in the tent, sorting out the key points for breaking through the barrier; Yun Qingyao sat alone in a quiet corner, closing her eyes to rest.

Even Lin Yueyao is focusing on her cultivation.

Under the guidance of Yan Zixi and Su Qinhe, she felt that she had already seen the shadow of Jianmu, and a breakthrough was just around the corner.

She sat cross-legged inside the tent, her palms facing upwards, concentrating her mind and calming her spirit, with a faint wisp of vital energy swirling around her.

For a time, the most relaxed people in the camp were Yuan Kong and Ling Cheng.

The two sat on a boulder at the edge of the camp, drinking and chatting casually.

Just then, a figure walked out of the tent.

It's Li Xin.

She is completely different today than she used to be.

In the past, she always went out without makeup, wearing a light blue dress and no powder, which made her look exceptionally elegant.

But today, she changed into a new outfit—a pale yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with delicate orchids embroidered on the hem, and a matching ribbon tied around her waist, tightly accentuating her soft waistline and highlighting her full breasts and rounded hips.

Her long hair was styled into a cloud-like bun, with a jade hairpin inserted diagonally, and two strands of black hair hanging down from her temples, making her neck appear even whiter and longer.

Her face was lightly powdered, her eyebrows were like distant mountains shrouded in mist, and her lips were like cinnabar dots, making her completely different from the elegant woman she usually was.

She lowered her head, walked hurriedly, deliberately avoiding the locations of Yuan Kong and Ling Cheng, and ran quickly in the direction Wang Xiao had left.

But how could her little tricks possibly escape the notice of Ling Cheng and Yuan Kong?

"Huh?" Ling Cheng's eyes lit up instantly. He forgot about the wine in his hand and sat up abruptly. "This is going to be good!"

Yuan Kong put down his teacup, a slight smile playing on his lips, and surprisingly refrained from chanting "Amitabha."

The two exchanged a glance and smiled knowingly.

They followed quietly, their footsteps extremely light, their senses completely concealed, like two cats stealing fish, afraid of being discovered.

I had only taken a few steps when I suddenly heard footsteps behind me.

Ling Cheng turned around and saw that Yun Qingyao and Yan Zixi had also come out of the tent at some point.

Yun Qingyao's expression was not good, her brows were slightly furrowed, and her gaze was fixed on Li Xin's back in the distance.

She and Li Xin were sharing a tent, and when Li Xin was carefully dressing up today, she felt something was off.

Yun Qingyao found it increasingly strange. She kept quiet and wanted to follow Li Xin secretly to see what tricks she was up to.

As for Yan Zixi, she just happened to want to go for a walk and accidentally stumbled upon this scene, so she followed along.

Suddenly, the four of them bumped into each other at the edge of the camp.

Yun Qingyao frowned even more deeply at Ling Cheng and Yuan Kong's furrowed brows as they looked at each other suspiciously: "What are you doing?"

Ling Cheng chuckled, rubbed his hands together, and said casually, "Fairy Yun, we didn't do anything, we just... went for a walk."

Yuan Kong clasped his hands together and echoed with a devout expression, "Amitabha, this humble monk was merely accompanying Benefactor Ling for a walk."

Yun Qingyao's gaze swept back and forth between the two of them, clearly not believing their story.

Yan Zixi reacted quickly, her eyes darting around, a meaningful smile playing on her lips: "Taking a walk? Which direction are you going? You're not going to spy on anything, are you?"

Ling Cheng, having his thoughts exposed, wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, he generously suggested, "Since you guys figured it out, why don't we go together?"

Yun Qingyao's face darkened, and she was about to refuse when Yan Zixi grabbed her wrist and said with a smile, "Okay, let's go take a look together."

Yun Qingyao: "..."

Before she could say anything, Yan Zixi grabbed her and followed her.

The four of them tiptoed, like thieves, and quietly crept to the edge of the grove.

From afar, they saw Wang Xiao standing under an old locust tree, while Li Xin walked quickly toward him.

"Monk, use your divine sense to shield us, don't let Lu Yang find out," Ling Cheng said softly to Yuan Kong.

Yuan Kong nodded, and with a gentle lift of his hands, an invisible barrier of divine sense quietly unfolded, steadily enveloping the four of them.

They held their breath, concealing themselves like four still stones, quietly hidden behind the bushes, their eyes fixed on what lay ahead.

"Amitabha, this humble monk feels that this is not quite right..." Yuan Kong said, but his eyes were fixed on the two people in front of him, afraid of missing any details.

"Then close your eyes," Ling Cheng replied irritably.

Yuan Kong immediately shut his mouth and stopped speaking, but his gaze remained firmly fixed in front of him.

When Wang Xiao saw who it was, he was momentarily stunned.

He never expected that the person who invited him out was Li Xin—the woman he had once taught a lesson by the Xuan Yu Lake.

Aside from that, he couldn't think of any other connection between them.

Before Wang Xiao could speak, Li Xin had already walked quickly to him.

She lowered her head, her cheeks flushed, as if she had mustered up a great deal of courage before slowly raising her head to look at Wang Xiao.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, her eyes were veiled with a thin layer of moisture, and her expression was a mixture of shyness and trepidation.

Then, she moved.

She deliberately slipped, stumbled, and fell into Wang Xiao's arms.

Wang Xiao instinctively reached out and supported her shoulder.

But in that instant, Li Xin's hand reached to her collar and yanked it open—revealing a patch of snow-white skin and rounded breasts.

She grabbed Wang Xiao's hand and pressed it against her chest.

"Autumn is deepening," her voice trembled slightly, but she tried her best to remain calm, "I wonder if Young Master Lu needs a concubine to warm his bed?"