106: Chapter 106 The Fifth Life, The Blazing Sun Illuminates the Martial Path (Fifty-Four)

Time flowed like sand through fingertips, and silently, it became the evening four days before Chu Shi's Apprenticeship Ceremony.

In the training room of Tingyang Courtyard, Chu Shi, his body wreathed in faint golden-red mist, slowly opened his eyes.

The cultivation technique that had been running rapidly gradually calmed down, and the surging true qi around his body slowly receded, returning entirely into his dantian.

He raised his hand and gently clenched his fist, feeling a steady and heavy sense of power in his knuckles. His tendons and bones hummed together, like metal and stone colliding, the clear sound echoing in the room for a long time.

After twenty-four full days of secluded cultivation, during which Chu Shi had not stepped out of the training room once, devoting his entire heart and soul to practicing his techniques, he had finally reaped a rich harvest.

First and foremost was his main cultivation technique, the Blazing Sun Body Casting Method.

Relying on the 3000 points of dual aptitude he had allocated at the start of this life, Chu Shi had successfully mastered the operation of this technique, and his cultivation speed had slightly increased.

Therefore, one could see that within his dantian, wisps of true qi containing a scorching aura were suspended, numbering as many as thirty.

At the same time, the other Earth-rank technique Chu Shi had mastered, the Great Sun Vajra Body, had also achieved an initial breakthrough, successfully crossing the threshold.

Now, beneath his skin, his tendons, bones, and flesh had been repeatedly tempered by the dual energies of fire and metal.

Even if he were to face a full-force attack from a mid-grade Yellow-rank magical artifact, he could withstand it purely with his physical body, remaining unscathed. The power of his body refinement was beginning to show its edge.

Regarding martial arts techniques, Chu Shi had also initially mastered the first two forms of the Blazing Sun Fist Seal taught by his master; the execution of the moves was already skillful, and the flow of his aura was without any stagnation.

Only with the soul cultivation technique, the Mind-Focusing Technique, was Chu Shi's progress slightly slow, without any major breakthroughs.

However, Chu Shi felt no impatience in his heart; soul cultivation was inherently different from physical and true qi cultivation, requiring gradual progress and persistent effort.

His current realm, combined with the profound foundation from his many reincarnations, was enough to handle the current situation, so he was not worried.

He slowly stood up, stretched his limbs, and felt confident about his current strength.

He reckoned it would be enough to deal with any unexpected situations during the Apprenticeship Ceremony three days later.

After contemplating for a moment, Chu Shi made a decision: tomorrow morning, he would head to the peak to pay respects to his master, report the results of his secluded cultivation, and also listen to his master's subsequent instructions.

With his mind made up, he did not delay any further, pushed open the door, and walked out of the training room.

He prepared to wash up thoroughly to rinse away the fatigue of his long seclusion.

After washing up, he ate a little something and then lay back down on the bed to rest.

At the first light of dawn the next day, Chu Shi opened his eyes right on time, feeling refreshed and full of energy.

He got up, washed up, changed into a clean and neat set of Lieyang Peak personal disciple attire, carefully smoothed out the wrinkles in his robes, and tied his hair crown properly.

Afterwards, he stepped out of Tingyang Courtyard and walked slowly towards the peak of Lieyang Peak.

All the way up, the scenery in the mountains was completely different from usual, everywhere exuding a festive and lively atmosphere.

The originally solemn and ancient halls and pavilions were decorated with bright red silk ribbons and gilded lanterns, and both sides of the mountain stone steps were adorned with various auspicious spirit flowers and exotic plants.

The Lieyang Peak disciples bustling back and forth all wore smiles on their faces, their steps light as they performed their respective duties, making the final preparations for the upcoming Apprenticeship Ceremony.

The entire Lieyang Peak was enveloped in a festive and enthusiastic atmosphere, fully displaying a grand spectacle.

Chu Shi walked up the familiar stone steps and soon arrived at the entrance of the main hall at the peak.

Unlike the disciples on duty in the past, the team on duty today had been replaced.

However, the news that Chu Shi was about to become the personal disciple of Peak Master Lieyang and that the Apprenticeship Ceremony would be held in three days had already spread throughout the entire Lieyang Peak.

From the elders down to the ordinary Inner Sect Disciples, everyone knew about it, and these people were naturally no exception.

Therefore, even though the disciples on duty had changed, there was absolutely no situation where they did not recognize Chu Shi.

A silver-robed deacon in the lead, seeing Chu Shi walking over slowly, greeted him with a few parts of respect and enthusiasm in his eyes, hurrying up to meet him.

He first bowed respectfully, then took the identity token Chu Shi handed over, and after a simple verification confirmed it was correct, immediately returned the token with both hands.

He enthusiastically stepped aside to let him pass, his tone extremely respectful: "Junior Brother Chu, the Peak Master has been waiting in the main hall for a long time. Please, enter!"

Chu Shi nodded slightly, returned a polite smile, and then stepped into the peak area.

Afterward, he walked towards the Peak Master's main hall, familiar with the path.

Before long, a magnificent, ancient, and solemn main hall came into view.

Chu Shi walked to the door of the main hall, immediately stopped, stood straight, cupped his hands, and called out loudly to the inside of the hall while bowing: "Disciple Chu Shi, pays respects to Master!"

His voice was clear and bright, passing through the main hall doors and clearly entering the hall.

A moment later, a gentle yet majestic voice came from inside the hall; it was none other than Peak Master Lieyang. "Shi'er, come in."

Upon hearing this, Chu Shi immediately composed himself and stepped into the main hall.

Upon entering the hall, the first thing he saw was his master, dressed in a gilded Blazing Sun robe, wearing a jade crown, with a gentle expression.

He was sitting in the main seat at the very top, smiling and seemingly conversing with someone.

Beside his master, two guests were seated on the left and right.

On the left was an old man with white hair and beard and a plain, ancient face.

He was dressed in a cyan robe embroidered with patterns of flowers and trees of the four seasons, his aura restrained; he looked plain and unremarkable, but gave people a feeling of being unfathomable.

On the right was a beautiful woman with a stunning appearance and a cold temperament.

She was wearing an ice-blue long dress embroidered with ice and snow patterns, with fair skin and gentle eyebrows and eyes.

Her body was wreathed in a faint, cold chill, forming a sharp contrast with the scorching atmosphere of Lieyang Peak, yet it did not seem abrupt at all.

On both sides below, there were also five or six young men and women sitting, all dressed in luxurious clothing with extraordinary temperaments.

Their auras were refined; one could tell at a glance that they were young talents from the two major forces. Their eyes were lively, and they would occasionally look around the hall, revealing a bit of youthful vigor and arrogance.

After entering the hall, Chu Shi walked quickly to the front of the main seat and respectfully bowed to Peak Master Lieyang: "Disciple Chu Shi, pays respects to Master, may Master be well!"

"Rise." Peak Master Lieyang raised his hand in a gesture of support, and a gentle force lifted Chu Shi up, his tone full of affection.

After rising, Chu Shi calmly observed the people in the hall again.

His gaze quickly swept over the young men and women below; from their clothing patterns and auras, he already understood in his heart.

The clothing worn by these young people was printed with patterns of changing seasons and drifting ice and snow, respectively, and their auras also carried the spiritual energy of the four seasons and the energy of cold ice, respectively.

They were clearly not disciples of the Great Sun Holy Land, but rather guests from the other two holy lands within the imperial dynasty.

Combining this with what his master had mentioned to him earlier, that several old friends would come to observe the ceremony.

Chu Shi immediately concluded that these outsiders in the hall were the old friends from other holy lands and their accompanying juniors that his master had spoken of.