Eternal Heavenly Emperor

The martial arts competition of Yunliu Sect's Inner Sect finally ended, but the aftermath of this competition continued to ferment.

The disciples of River Down Courtyard were all elated, as Chu Hao set an example for them that being from the Lower World meant nothing, they could still rise to fame.

Core Disciple third.

In terms of Chu Hao's strength, he could have reached second place, but he was utterly exhausted at the time, unable to challenge Luo Ping.

First?

No one even dared to think about it; Cao Jingwen's invincibility was deeply rooted in everyone's hearts. Even in the same realm, he could instantaneously defeat his opponents, let alone that Chu Hao was nearly three sub-realms behind him.

Chu Hao was carried back to River Down Courtyard by Zhao Huan and the others and fell unconscious midway.

One day later, Chu Hao woke up.

He saw his chest was wrapped in thick bandages, and Flying Fire became very agitated upon sensing his aura, immediately jumping up and licking his face.

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm an injured person, and you're stepping on my chest; are you trying to murder me?" Chu Hao grimaced, pulling Flying Fire off him. He had taken a sword to the chest, and the unusual Star Force left by the Three-Hole Treasure Weapon within his body was the reason for his severe injury.

He sat cross-legged and began to operate Minor Formless Mysterious Skill to expel the Star Force left by the Treasure Artifact.

The Star Force from the Three-Hole Treasure Weapon was extremely dominant, but Chu Hao's Star Force was of higher quality; this was an Earth Grade Middle-Grade Technique. In just half a day, Chu Hao forced the foreign Star Force out of the wound.

He immediately felt a lightness throughout his body, but he continued to cultivate, knowing he had lost a day of cultivation while he was unconscious.

Huh?

Chu Hao paused, today's Star Force seemed exceptionally lively, and his meridians had become much more pliable, easily expanding under the impact of Star Force, faster than usual.

Was this the benefit brought by a fierce battle?

He couldn't help but wonder, no wonder so many people were battle fanatics. And for an absolute genius, a powerful competitor was also crucial, as it could push oneself to never slack off and always improve rapidly.

"However, my current strength is still not comparable to Cao Jingwen," Chu Hao analyzed his strength, honestly evaluating, "My strength with Luo Ping is only on par; in a life-and-death battle, I might be able to kill him, but it would come at a great cost."

"But Luo Ping did say that even two of him couldn't match Cao Jingwen."

"This is definitely not his modesty; someone at his level wouldn't deliberately elevate an opponent."

"But I don't need to be disappointed; after all, I'm only at the early stage of the sixth tier... Huh, midway through now. Today's cultivation progress is worth at least five days usually, and it unexpectedly advanced me to the mid-stage of the sixth tier."

"As long as I reach the seventh tier, I will be able to contend with Cao Jingwen."

"After all, my cultivation is an Earth Grade Middle-Grade Technique, and I may possibly possess the bloodline of the Gu Clan, making my cultivated Star Force denser, qualitatively superior. And Sky Wind Eight Styles and Mad Thunder Sword Technique are even High-Tier Martial Skills at Earth Grade."

"...The first seven styles of Sky Wind Eight Styles should only be Earth Grade Middle-Grade, and the fusion of two styles' Return to One is even stronger, but hasn't reached Earth Grade High-Grade yet. Maybe, only the fusion of all seven styles will do."

"I wonder if it can go further and break through to become a Heavenly Level Martial Art."

"However, even if it did upgrade to a Heavenly Level Martial Art, with my current strength, I would be completely unable to use it; there's simply not enough Star Force to drive it, and if I were to force it, it would undoubtedly drain me dry."

Chu Hao leaped up, although his chest wound had not healed, it did not damage his vital organs. With his formidable physique of a High-Tier martial master, this naturally did not affect him much.

"Senior Brother Chu."

"Senior Brother Chu."

As Chu Hao walked out of the room, everyone greeted him respectfully; their eyes contained a fanaticism from the bottom of their hearts. He was their hero.

"Haha, Chu Hao, you're finally awake," Zhao Huan also walked over, smiling, "Are you alright now?"

"Almost," Chu Hao stretched his muscles. The healing pills of Sky Martial Star were far superior to those on Earth.

"I haven't congratulated you yet on becoming a Core Disciple," Zhao Huan said with envy. Becoming a Core Disciple meant unlimited cultivation resources and the Sect would wholeheartedly nurture you without worrying about lacking Star Stones and pills.

"Senior Brother Chu! Senior Brother Chu! Senior Brother Chu!" In the courtyard, other disciples of River Down Courtyard also shouted loudly. Though Zhao Huan was still the leader of River Down Courtyard, Chu Hao's prestige had obviously surpassed him by far.

Chu Hao smiled and cupped his fists around, looking at the young and passionate faces. He felt a strong sense of responsibility rising in his heart, determined to free these people from the Yunliu Sect's claws.

"By the way, Elder Ling wants you to go to 'Tiayun Hall' once you wake up," Zhao Huan said.

Tiayun Hall was where Yunliu Sect's upper echelon handled affairs and was a symbol of the sect's power.

Chu Hao nodded and said, "Then I shall go first."

"Yes, do not keep the Elder waiting," Zhao Huan nodded. If a person has not woken up, there is nothing to be done, but if the person has awakened and does not go immediately, they could be accused of disrespecting their elders.

Chu Hao left, descended Raising Hoof Peak, and arrived at Broken Blade Peak. Along the way, he presented his identity token; the guards were aware of his summon to the mountain and only checked his identity token before letting him pass.

Soon, Chu Hao arrived at Tiayun Hall.

This was an extremely ancient hall, with walls over fifty meters high, exuding an overwhelming sense of authority and supreme dignity.

Chu Hao showed his identity token again, and the two guards at the hall entrance led him into the palace, bringing him to a modest side hall. There, three elderly men were sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed. As Chu Hao entered, the three simultaneously opened their eyes, immediately radiating an intense aura of intimidation.

Fortunately, they only glanced at him before retracting their auras, allowing Chu Hao to breathe normally. Looking around, the two guards beside him were already pale-faced, unable to compare to him at all.

The two guards saluted and then quickly withdrew.

"Sit down," said one of the elders.

"Yes," Chu Hao obediently sat to the side. He recognized one of the three elders as Zhao Hongtu, who had presided over the Core Disciple challenges a few days ago.

Being on par with Zhao Hongtu, the other two were naturally also elders of the Sect.

In the presence of three formidable warriors, Chu Hao did not have the privilege to speak first and could only sit quietly and wait.

After a while, others came in successively, each with an aura no weaker than Zhao Hongtu's, indicating they were all elders. About ten minutes later, excluding Chu Hao, there were ten people in the hall, among whom Chu Hao recognized one more: Elder Shi Zhao, the caretaker of the Scripture Pavilion, who was said to be cultivating some secret technique.

"Chu Hao," a red-robed elder began, his voice resonant, full of the demeanor of a superior.

"Yes," Chu Hao responded.

"You have done well; within a year of joining the Sect, you advanced from the Outer Sect to the Inner Sect, and even secured the third rank among Core Disciples," the red-robed elder continued. He sat in the center, with Zhao Hongtu and Elder Shi keeping a respectful distance, showing no intention of interrupting.

Yunliu Sect had only nine elders, and this man's special position made his identity easy to guess—the Sect Master, Wu You.

"All thanks to the Sect's nurturing," Chu Hao said humbly. He would never turn against the Sect unless he had absolute strength.

"Haha, the Sect's contribution is undeniable, but it's primarily your own fortune," Wu You said with a smile, "Without immense opportunity, how could you have obtained two Seven Flower Fruits?"

Chu Hao nodded inwardly. The upper echelons had evidently investigated his recent experiences thoroughly. He smiled and said, "What you said is true, Sect Master. For a Martial Artist, opportunity is crucial."

Wu You stroked his beard, showing satisfaction. "However, even with the best opportunities, under normal circumstances, it's impossible to condense Star Force to rival Eight Meridians at the Sixth Tier. Chu Hao, did you obtain an Earth Grade Technique?"

Here it was; this was the real reason the sect summoned him.

Chu Hao's mind raced. When Lin Cheng defected and stole Yunliu Sect's only Earth Grade Middle-Grade Technique, "Flowing Water Jue," the Sect was left with only Lower Grade Techniques, and no more War Generals had emerged since.

For Yunliu Sect, obtaining an Earth Grade Middle-Grade Technique to return them to a Fifth Grade Sect, alongside Sky Heart Sect, Silver Frost Valley, and Suixia Sect, was their utmost desire.

Now, they suspected Chu Hao had cultivated an Earth Grade Middle-Grade Technique and naturally had plans for it.

Chu Hao quickly considered his options. If he denied it, would these ten old foxes believe him? Even though he was now a Core Disciple, Yunliu Sect was practically run by these ten people; they could do whatever they wanted to him.

There was a saying, "Better to kill a thousand by mistake than to let one slip." If they saw hope in obtaining an Earth Grade Middle-Grade Technique, why would they care about a small martial master? Especially one from the Lower World.

Publicly, they could claim Chu Hao was sent somewhere, and if he never returned... wouldn't that be normal? Sky Martial Star was so dangerous; losing a person was nothing.

Thinking it over, Chu Hao began, "When I first arrived, I worked at Bingyuan Pavilion, forging iron to strengthen my physique."

Wu You and the others nodded; they undoubtedly knew most of Chu Hao's experiences. Being astute individuals, they didn't interrupt what seemed like "useless talk."

"I excelled in refining Thousand-layer Iron, and two months ago, Master Guo of Bingyuan Pavilion took me to Guangyuan City to meet Master Feng Yezi," Chu Hao paused, noticing the evident surprise on Wu You and the others' faces.

Guangyuan City was under the jurisdiction of Sky Heart Sect, beyond Yunliu Sect's reach, so naturally, they didn't know what Chu Hao did there.

Feng Yezi, the top craftsman of Tianhe County, held a status equivalent to the Sect Master of a Fifth Grade Sect, ranked higher than Wu You and the others.