System crash? I prove it with my control panel!

In the courtyard of the character "甲".

Seeing that something was wrong, Xiao Hongyu and Jia Xu quickly returned to their room, but still secretly watched from the window.

Chu Feng, however, was already absorbed in the cultivation technique and had no idea where he was.

A young man in white robes, his face flushed with embarrassment, walked up behind Bai Zhanyue with his head bowed and respectfully bowed.

"Senior Brother Chen, please forgive me for offending you the other day when I killed Tang!"

"Kneel down! Is this how you beg for forgiveness? You've completely disgraced the Bai family!!!"

Just as Chen Wen was about to speak, Bai Zhanyue gave a cold shout.

Startled, Bai Zhantang's knees buckled, and he collapsed to his knees, completely losing control and bursting into tears.

"Senior Brother Chen, I was wrong, please forgive me~"

Chen Wen quickly stepped forward and lifted him up, saying:

"Brother Zhan, please get up quickly! It's just a misunderstanding between us, there's no need for this!"

Bai Zhantang hesitated to get up, secretly glancing at Bai Zhanyue.

Chen Wen understood immediately, and turned to look at Bai Zhanyue.

"Zhan Yue, why have you come to this? Quickly, help him up!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Zhanyue kicked Bai Zhantang again before letting out a cold snort.

"Since Brother Jingwen has spoken, then you may get lost!"

"You're blind as a bat! Knowing that Brother Jingwen was personally escorted here by Senior Sister Qin, you still dare to be so rude! If it weren't for your superior spiritual root, I would have expelled you from the clan!"

"Brother Jingwen, come, let's have a chat!"

As Bai Zhanyue spoke, he led Chen Wen to the stone table. Anyone who didn't know better would have thought Chen Wen was a guest.

After getting up, Bai Zhantang listened to Bai Zhanyue's reprimand and saw him talking to Chen Jingwen again before slinking away.

Chen Wen, however, only felt mentally exhausted.

These aren't just a bunch of babies; they're clearly a bunch of little foxes who have become spirits.

Watching them speak adult words with childlike faces in a serious manner.

He felt a profound sense of disconnect.

What is the world inside this sect like?

Only then did Chen Wen realize why the outside families couldn't get their hands on him.

It's not that they can't get in; they're clearly avoiding it like the plague, for fear of getting covered in filth!

After the two sat down...

Bai Zhanyue began to subtly inquire about Chen Wen's background and origins.

Chen Wen was naturally outspoken on this matter.

"I come from a remote Foundation Establishment family in a place called Guide County. I suppose Zhan Yue has never heard of it."

Bai Zhanyue's gaze was intense as he stated directly, "I know where that place is, and I also know that you are the thirty-sixth son of Chen Polang, a collateral branch of the Chen family, right?"

Chen Wen was not surprised at all; his face showed astonishment.

"Zhan Yue is really well-informed; this saves me a lot of trouble."

However, Bai Zhanyue suddenly leaned forward, his eyes filled with inquiry:

"But I don't believe it. Others may not be able to tell, but I can see it clearly. Your demeanor may seem plain, but it is quite ordinary."

But these past few days, my family has observed your words and actions, as if you look down on people from prestigious families and scions of noble lineages. You have an air of arrogance... Is Qin Shuiru your source of confidence?

Chen Wen sneered inwardly. What Qin Shuiru? Don't even get involved. My confidence comes from this incomplete system.

No matter how noble you are, I can surpass you given time.

But he couldn't say that outwardly.

Moreover, Bai Zhanyue's words served as a wake-up call for him.

Having topped the list in the written exams twice in a row, he said it was all just luck, but deep down he was still a little smug.

Moreover, spending all day with these children gave him a sense of superiority, a feeling that he was the only one sober in a world of drunks.

This time, let's guard against arrogance and impatience!

Fortunately, he had the Xuanhuang Refining Heart Technique, which allowed him to appear calm and composed, with a peaceful and stable aura.

He said calmly:

"It was just a brief encounter. Senior Sister Qin took pity on me and brought me into the sect, but we didn't have much of a connection."

Chen Wen didn't try to hide anything and just told the truth.

The main problem is that by the time you've covered it up, others already know that there's no real relationship between you.

Moreover, to cover up one lie, you're bound to need countless more to make it work.

This isn't some short story or play where people believe everything you say.

You say something, and they immediately go and investigate to verify it!

Furthermore, if there were a connection, he would want to announce it to the world, so why would he deliberately hide it?

But Bai Zhanyue clearly didn't believe it.

You might as well use those words to fool a fool like Bai Zhantang!

But then he suddenly stopped his probing, a smile appearing on his face, and changed the subject:

"Brother Jingwen, your Zixia Peak and my Sword Peak are on good terms; we should visit each other more often in the future!"

Chen Wen was taken aback by her sudden change of topic before he finally asked:

"Sword Peak?"

He was aware of Sword Peak, but he wanted to take the opportunity to learn more about the sect's affairs.

Bai Zhanyue secretly pursed his lips, thinking, "They're putting on quite a show."

Since you want to act, then I'll play along!

She immediately began to introduce:

"The sect is divided into nine peaks, but has ten lineages."

"Besides Zixia Peak, where your senior sister Qin Shuiru is located, there are eight other peaks: Sword Peak, Array Peak, Pill Peak, Weapon Peak, Hundred Refinements Peak, Beast Taming Peak, Medicine Valley Peak, and Wonderful Sound Peak."

"Finally, there is the sect leader's lineage, which is the core of the sect. Although few in number, they wield great power within the sect. The Hall of Punishments is under their jurisdiction. Their location is called Azure Peak, which houses the sect's main hall and secret realms..."

After Bai Zhanyue's introduction.

Chen Wen finally understood.

For the first few thousand years after the founding of the sect, it was a period of great prosperity and glory.

However, as time went on, various forces rose up among the Nine Peaks. For example, the Bai family, apart from still maintaining the name of a sect, had actually become a powerful family force.

With the Nascent Soul Ancestor above and the Golden Core Sect Leader in charge, no one dared to act recklessly. They obediently served the Ancestor and collected resources.

For example, the He family is from Bailian Peak.

The Qin family, Zixia Peak.

Bai family, Jianfeng.

......

Among them, Miaoyin Peak is the most unique, as it has no family power.

However, he has a somewhat ambiguous relationship with all eight other peaks.

Because his disciples specialize in seductive arts and the arts of music and spirit, they have opened Wonderful Sound Pavilions in many places. The disciples there are extravagant and unrestrained, making it a good place to make money.

Chen Wen was naturally not interested in this, so he only focused on learning about it and then asked about Zixia Peak.

According to Bai Zhanyue, in terms of special features, below Miaoyin Peak is Zixia Peak.

Zixia Peak differs from other peaks with different functions.

They include disciples of all types.

The main responsibility of Zixia Peak is to manage the sect's purse strings—Zixia Pavilion.

Zixia Peak was also responsible for various markets and other similar establishments.

Its disciples are also the wealthiest, second only to those of Miaoyin Peak.

Therefore, Zixia Peak is quite popular among the peaks.

The only exception is Hundred Refinement Peak, where the disciples focus on body tempering, complain about being poor all day long, yet they are the ones who consume the most resources.

If you don't provide them with resources, they'll instantly turn hostile and go berserk; they're a bunch of iron lumps who've turned their brains into muscles.

These are Bai Zhanyue's exact words.

However, Chen Wen could see clearly that when Zhan Yue spoke of Zixia Peak, his eyes revealed nothing but greed.

There is also suspicion that they are deliberately trying to smear Bailianfeng.

It seems to be saying that if you rob someone and don't take me with you, I'll curse you to death.

Then think back to the stereotypes about sword cultivators from my past life.

It's not hard to guess that Bai Zhanyue's real purpose in befriending him was probably to take advantage of him in the future.

After all, he already bore the mark of Zixia Peak.

He had nowhere else to go but Zixia Peak.

If Zixia Peak doesn't want him, he can only be a wandering disciple.

This situation does exist within sects.

If none of the Nine Peaks want it, then the only option is to find a mountain within the sect, dig a cave dwelling, and rely on oneself.

...

At this moment, Bai Zhanyue grew tired of it. She still couldn't see through this person's disguise, so she simply stood up and said:

"It's getting late, Jingwen. I imagine you have many guests to attend to, so I won't disturb you any longer!"

"Take care, Zhan Yue, I'll see you off!"

Chen Wen stood up to see him off.

No sooner had I said goodbye to Bai Zhanyue than another person came to visit.

However, this time they were all in white robes. Before they even came in, they were scared away by the purple-robed people behind them, saying they would definitely come again next time.

For the rest of the afternoon, Chen Wen was unable to visit the library.

Several inner disciples came to visit one after another, and without exception, they all greeted them with smiles, as warmly as if they were old friends.

Chen Wen continues to adhere to the four no's principle: no initiative, no refusal, no responsibility, and no statement.

No matter what it is, just listen without speaking, occasionally laugh, and talk about unimportant scenery and anecdotes.

After they left, the people outside the door grumbled, "What a master of playing dumb!"

Unbeknownst to them, Chen Wen had already developed spiritual awareness and heard their words clearly.

Chen Wen sneered inwardly, realizing that he wasn't a master of feigning ignorance; he was genuinely confused.

They must have checked my identity before they came.

He also knew that he was a collateral descendant of a fallen family.

But she also got in touch with Senior Sister Qin.

This obviously doesn't make sense.

What makes an ordinary person with a mid-grade wood spirit root so capable of being personally invited into the sect by someone as accomplished as Senior Sister Qin?

Is it really as he said, that Senior Sister Qin took pity on him?

Stop kidding me! There are plenty of pitiful people in this world. Do you think you're the protagonist of a storybook?!

However, they were unaware that even Chen Wen himself did not know the reason.

The only explanation... is that it was done on a whim.

But they don't think that way.

They believed that their status as a relative or junior of Senior Sister Qin was merely a formality, and that their origins must be extraordinary.

But in reality? He had only just been introduced to the nine peaks of the sect by Bai Zhanyue.

However, since that's what they thought, Chen Wen wasn't in a hurry to explain.

After all, he is still in the early stages of development and needs to raise a big banner to better strengthen himself.

It's good to rest in the shade of a big tree!

There's no shame in it for survival.

Besides, I'm not really making a big fuss about it.

I am a true native of Zixia Peak.

Absolute loyalty!

Once the year is up, I will choose only Zixia Peak and never waver.

But what if Qin Shuiru doesn't remember her then?

Chen Wen felt somewhat worried.

He immediately returned to his room, sat cross-legged, and began his meditation.

As long as you are strong enough, even if they don't remember you, they will still take you into their ranks.

He scanned himself with his spiritual senses.

A jade-white vortex of spiritual energy was rooted in the center of his dantian.

As he circulated his cultivation technique.

The wood-elemental spiritual energy around him was drawn in and absorbed, surging into the vortex in his dantian, and then flowing around his body with the vortex.

Unlike the first time, this time a feeling of indescribable coolness and comfort arose spontaneously.

He thought to himself, no wonder cultivators go into seclusion for months or even years; cultivation is truly wonderful.

Outside the window, a gentle breeze rustled through the bamboo leaves, and the distant mountain stream babbled in my ears.

The faint rustling of insects in the soil, the subtle fragrance of drifting spirits in the air.

My body felt so light it was as if I were about to float away; my five senses were sharp and my mind was clear.

I felt as if I were floating on clouds, light and airy.

What pleased him most was an electronic voice;

[Azure Qi Guiding Technique: Proficiency +1!]

Soon, the Xuanhuang Refining Heart Technique started operating on its own, completely cleansing his distracting thoughts.

Chen Wen resumed his cultivation, his mind as still as water...

...

The two people next door, who had been so intimidated by the inner disciples who had visited Chen Wen that they dared not leave their homes, also sighed slightly.

They knew that although they could also enter the path, it would ultimately be different.

As for Chu Feng? He was currently trying to enter the Dao and was oblivious to everything else.

Even if they knew, they probably wouldn't care.

It is said that in the practice of spiritual cultivation, if you are slow at one step, you will be slow at every step.

But it also depends on the person.

...

Three days later.

in the afternoon.

Chen Wen finished his practice and stood up. Now his body was gradually adapting to the circulation of spiritual energy, but he could only cultivate for a maximum of one hour at a time, and then he had to rest for half a day.

To solve this, one must cultivate more, allowing spiritual energy to continuously cleanse and refine the meridians, gradually expanding and strengthening them, thereby extending the cultivation time.

Alternatively, one could refine the body, constantly tempering the physical body, which would also incidentally increase the strength of the meridians, thus naturally solving this problem.

therefore.

He was going to visit the library.

I just stepped out the door.

Then I saw a familiar figure walking towards me.

Chen Wen raised an eyebrow slightly; this guy had actually lost so much weight!

The person who arrived was Liang Jiu.

However, he only looked slightly chubby at this time, and his original large stomach was only a vague outline.

Her face looked much more delicate.

So Chen Wen didn't recognize him at first glance, but he confirmed it was him by the accessories on his clothes.

His eyes lit up when he saw Chen Wen, and he quickly walked in.

"scene..."

He had barely opened his mouth when Xiao Hongyu, who happened to be coming out, interrupted him, shouting:

"Liang Jiu, how many times have I told you, stop bothering me. There's no possibility between us anymore. You'd better take care of yourself from now on. Go back to your family and annul the engagement!"

To Chen Wenming's surprise, Liang Jiu merely glanced at her indifferently before ignoring her and saying calmly:

"I didn't come here to see you!"

He then stepped forward a few steps, bowed respectfully, and spoke sincerely:

"Senior Brother Jingwen, please forgive my uninvited visit today. I have something to ask of you, may I come inside for a talk?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Wen carefully examined him. Seeing that his eyes were clear and genuine, he breathed a sigh of relief, stepped aside to make way, and smiled:

"Of course, come in!"

He bowed again, "Thank you, Senior Brother Jingwen!"

When Xiao Hongyu saw his appearance, her heart skipped a beat. She thought to herself, shouldn't Liang Jiu be running to her side crying and begging for her forgiveness at this moment?

Why...is it to gain attention in this way?

Her furrowed brows gradually relaxed, and a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth. Let's see how long you can keep up this act.

With that thought in mind, she went back into the house.

Chen Wen shared the same thought, but he still had some doubts in his mind: what if he was a prodigal son who had turned over a new leaf?

I allowed him in out of curiosity.

After entering the room, Chen Wen got up and poured him a glass of water.

Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, Liang Jiu bowed deeply in reverence.

"Please teach me, Senior Brother Jingwen!"

..........