The next day, dawn was just breaking.
Lian Cheng had already woken up. He felt his injuries had mostly healed and his spirits were excellent.
He leaped directly onto the roof of the inn and sat cross-legged facing east, beginning to circulate the Purple Mist Divine Art. His inner strength immediately surged within his body.
At that moment, a glimmer of light rose in the east, and a faint purple glow flickered within it.
That was the Heavenly Purple Qi born from the alternation of black and white, when the sun first rose!
It was said: Purple Qi comes from the east!
Lian Cheng naturally caught the moment the Purple Qi was born. He felt an epiphany, and the Purple Mist inner strength within his body became even more vigorous, surging towards the Eight Extraordinary Meridians.
The Eight Extraordinary Meridians are the eight most amazing meridians in the human body.
They are the Governing Vessel, Conception Vessel, Thrusting Vessel, Belt Vessel, Yang Wei Vessel, Yin Wei Vessel, Yin Qiao Vessel, and Yang Qiao Vessel.
As long as one can open the Eight Meridians with inner strength, one can reach the First-Class realm. Among them, the Governing Vessel and Conception Vessel are the hardest to open. Once opened, one can become a truly formidable expert.
Lian Cheng had experienced a deadly battle yesterday, and his Purple Mist inner strength had been depleted.
Today, watching the sunrise and the Purple Qi from the east, the true energy in his body surged like a tide, its strength incredibly powerful.
In just a few breaths, he had opened the Yin Wei Vessel, and then, with renewed vigor, he went straight for the Yang Wei Vessel. After a few more pushes, he had opened the Yang Wei Vessel. For a moment, his blood and energy filled his body, and his entire spirit became invigorated.
The Yang Wei and Yin Wei Vessels are the main pathways of blood and energy. By opening these two vessels, the body's blood and energy will no longer stagnate, and physical strength will become incredibly robust.
Lian Cheng felt a sense of utter ease and couldn't help but stretch his limbs.
Though this ordeal had been dangerous, it had been a blessing in disguise. He had successfully opened two of the Eight Meridians, getting closer and closer to stepping into the First-Class realm. Perhaps he could now be considered a pseudo-First-Class.
"However, it's still not enough!"
Lian Cheng thought to himself, "Until I reach the true First-Class realm, I'll never be qualified to establish myself in this world of strong individuals. Originally, after learning the Purple Mist Divine Art, I wanted to cultivate systematically and steadily reach the First-Class realm in a few years. But it seems the situation doesn't allow for that. I still need to rely on my incredible innate talent to advance to a higher realm even faster!"
Thinking about this, Lian Cheng then remembered the *Tai Xuan Sutra*.
After what happened, his master might not easily allow him to leave the mountain to search for treasures. Therefore, he could only rely on the *Tai Xuan Sutra*.
He couldn't work with the tadpole-shaped meridian diagram for now, but he could try to understand the first twenty-three verses of Li Bai's *Xia Ke Xing*. If he successfully understood them, his swordsmanship, boxing, palm techniques, footwork, inner strength, and every other aspect would see a huge leap forward. He wouldn't dare say he could directly fight Zuo Leng Chan at that time, but he wouldn't be far behind the First-Class ranks.
Excellent! It's decided!
"You're quite diligent, young Lian Cheng."
Ding Yi Shi Tai appeared on the rooftop at some point, silently watching the rising sun. "How are your injuries?"
Lian Cheng smiled. "Thank you for your concern, Shi Bo. My injuries have almost completely healed. I had an epiphany just now, and my skill has improved. This is a blessing in disguise."
Ding Yi Shi Tai was not surprised by this. "You're still so young, yet your skill has already reached this level. Your talent is truly exceptional. Even Yue Zhang Men is willing to teach you and Linghu Chong the Purple Mist Divine Art. It shows how much he values the two of you. With two such young successors, how could the Huashan Sect ever decline!"
Lian Cheng said, "The Hengshan Sect is no different. I see that Yi He Shi Jie and Shi Bo are the same, with exceptional martial arts talent. Yi Qing Shi Jie is intelligent and steady, just like Ding Xian Shi Bo. In the future, they will surely become the pillars of the Hengshan Sect!"
Ding Yi Shi Tai smiled and accepted Lian Cheng's compliments.
After all, in her opinion, Yi He and Yi Qing were indeed quite talented.
After breakfast, Linghu Chong went to find the Beggar Clan to buy information. He learned that after yesterday's events, many suspicious individuals had withdrawn, and basically no one was inquiring about the Huashan Sect's intelligence anymore.
It seemed their actions yesterday had produced significant results.
After that, Linghu Chong specifically went to find the County Magistrate of Huayin County, stating that the demonic cult members who had caused trouble had been eliminated and the county could return to normal.
As for those demonic cult spies who had been captured, Ding Yi Shi Tai interrogated them, killed those who had committed evil, and then crippled the rest, throwing them out of the county.
Having finished this, the twenty-two people left Huayin County and headed for the Huashan Sect.
Fortunately, they did not encounter any danger along the way and arrived at the Huashan Sect in the afternoon.
Ning Zhong Ze had already received a carrier pigeon message from the county office. At that moment, she was waiting at the mountain gate with a group of young disciples. She only breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her two disciples safe and sound.
"Welcome to Huashan, guests from Hengshan! Ding Yi Shi Tai, thank you for all your help!" Ning Zhong Ze greeted them quickly.
"Don't mention it, Mrs. Yue. We're old acquaintances, so no need for formalities. Just look at your precious disciples. Your eyes are about to pop out of their sockets!" Ding Yi Shi Tai teased, which was rare for her.
Ning Zhong Ze didn't feel embarrassed. She was simply worried about her two children.
"Shi Niang!!" Lian Cheng and Linghu Chong bowed to her immediately.
"Good children, it's good to see you're okay!"
Ning Zhong Ze supported them, carefully observing them. She found that their spirits were quite good, especially Lian Cheng, whose complexion was rosy and showed no sign of the injuries mentioned in the letter.
Though she was confused, she felt relieved and began to entertain the guests from Hengshan.
After taking care of the guest rooms, meals, and so on, Ning Zhong Ze took Ding Yi Shi Tai to the study to discuss matters.
Linghu Chong, Lian Cheng, Yi He, and Yi Qing also participated.
Although the primary purpose of this visit was to deal with the demonic cult spies, the incident of the Songshan Sect ambushing their disciples was quite unusual. The two sides needed to have an in-depth discussion about the safety of both sects in the future.
Ning Zhong Ze first carefully asked about the situation in Huayin County yesterday, her eyes filled with burning anger.
She was a gentle and loving Shi Niang to her disciples in everyday life, but her true nature was actually quite fiery and even surpassed that of Ding Yi Shi Tai. Otherwise, how did the name of Ning the Female Hero of Huashan come about?
This time, the Songshan Sect had gone too far!
If Lian Cheng hadn't been so skilled, both Huashan and Hengshan would have lost a talented disciple!
Moreover, Zuo Leng Chan and the Songshan Sect had ambitious schemes. Their actions against the Huashan and Hengshan Sects would surely not stop. The two sects could not afford to sit back and wait.
"Mrs. Yue, what are Yue Zhang Men's thoughts?" Ding Yi Shi Tai asked.
"To be honest with you, Shi Tai, my husband has long known of Zuo Leng Chan's evil intentions and has always been wary of him. He is in seclusion cultivating precisely because he understands the importance of strength. Only by becoming stronger than Zuo Leng Chan can the Huashan Sect stand up to the Songshan Sect!" Ning Zhong Ze answered decisively.
"Well said!"
Ding Yi Shi Tai praised, "I think so too! It seems our old Hengshan nuns also need to go into seclusion and cultivate. Otherwise, when that wolf Zuo Leng Chan comes knocking, we won't have the strength to fight back!"
Of course, it wasn't just about individual strength, but also overall strength that needed to be considered.
Therefore, the two sides began to discuss cooperation.