Yun Mengmeng and Bu Yaolian detonated each other back and forth. The explosions were so thunderous that neither of them heard Lu Yang's despairing cries, having the time of their lives blasting away.
Bu Yaolian felt that studying under the Boss was indeed vastly faster than blindly fumbling about on his own. Just a few words from her had parted the clouds to reveal the sun, allowing him to clearly see the road ahead.
Had he received the Boss's guidance earlier, why would he have needed to fight a war of attrition against Great Yu's second Imperial Preceptor back then? He would have blown him to bloody pieces long ago.
Yun Mengmeng naturally possessed a playful disposition. Something as fun as self-detonation suited her tastes perfectly; it was truly learning through play, and she applied herself to her studies with great earnestness.
Boom— Boom— Boom—
The two half-immortals gradually mastered the finer tricks of self-detonation. The ceaseless blasts sent faint tremors rippling through the small world.
This continuous blasting went on for five whole days.
Over these five days, Lu Yang successfully used the Seven Stars Sword Set to wear down the Chengying Sword's resistance, imprinting his own brand upon it and becoming its master.
Lu Yang cast a Wood Clone, had it hold the Chengying Sword while he wielded the Green Blade Sword, and the two sparred to test the weapons. Their movements were neat and uniform as he steadily familiarized himself with the feel of the Chengying Sword.
Compared to the Third and Fourth-in-Command who were busily blowing themselves up fifty li away, Lu Yang's swordplay was quite aesthetically pleasing.
Compared to the Dark Moon Sword, the Chengying Sword was lighter and sharper, and the faint spirituality it possessed was remarkably obedient, handling with effortless grace.
"A fine sword, a truly fine sword." Lu Yang beamed with delight. As a sword cultivator, he loved swords dearly—especially a peerless blade of legendary stature like the Chengying Sword.
Like the Green Blade Sword, the Chengying Sword had been sealed layer upon layer by Eldest Senior Sister to prevent Lu Yang from developing a habit of relying on divine weapons. In its current state, it was just right for him.
Having completed their training, the Third and Fourth-in-Command returned as well, obediently planting trees, afforesting, moving mountains, and filling chasms to restore the small world to its original state.
Back in the secret realm, Yun Mengmeng had belonged to the mischievous bunch who loved to fool around and would often accidentally knock down trees, which had led her to learn the Tree Planting Art.
Bu Yaolian possessed the memories of all Immortal Cult members, so he knew the Tree Planting Art as well.
The two were delightfully low-maintenance, requiring no instruction from the Immortal Fairy.
Tidying up the small world took the better part of another day. Had it been a rough cleanup, they could have finished in no time given their cultivation, but under the coercive glare of the Second-in-Command, they had no choice but to meticulously restore every detail.
Seeing the small world restored to its former state, Lu Yang finally let the two off with satisfaction.
"That's enough practice for now. You're still in the introductory stage and can't detonate entirely at will; there's still a brief pause between each blast. If you run into an opponent rich in combat experience, they can still seize on that opening."
"Then again, constantly exploding isn't the way to go either. Once you two go outside, rest first, and slowly practice detonating when you have time," the Immortal Fairy said. Cultivation required a balance of work and rest; blowing oneself up every single day would blast one's wits away.
"Understood."
After leaving the Green Blade Sword's small world, Bu Yaolian remained at the barbecue shop, while Lu Yang and Yun Mengmeng stepped out.
It was dusk, the liveliest hour on the commercial street. Smelling the aroma of food wafting down the street, Yun Mengmeng's eyes lit up.
Because Yun Mengmeng had no contribution points, Lu Yang could only do as he did back in Shuzhou—accompanying her down the street to buy snacks.
As Lu Yang and Yun Mengmeng strolled along the street, nearly everyone turned their heads—primarily because no one had ever seen Yun Mengmeng before, and an unfamiliar face appearing out of the blue naturally drew attention.
"Old Lu, so here you are..." Meng Jingzhou walked toward them. Just as he was about to greet Lu Yang, he saw a peerless beauty accompanying Lu Yang, chatting and laughing, her face radiating utter bliss.
*Wait a minute, how come I'm dragged around and trained by our ancestor every day, while you get to hang out with gorgeous women all day long, you bastard?*
"Yo, Old Meng, you're back! Does this mean you reached Soul Formation too?" Lu Yang spotted Meng Jingzhou as well and casually greeted him.
Meng Jingzhou grinned smugly. "Soul Formation is an absolute breeze. And this is...?"
"Yun Mengmeng, Eldest Senior Sister's good sister."
Meng Jingzhou froze for a second. *Yun Mengmeng? So Eldest Senior Sister has been using her good friend's name when going about outside all this time?*
"Senior Brother, who is this?"
"Meng Jingzhou, my junior brother."
Meng Jingzhou froze once more. *What did Yun Mengmeng just call him? Senior Brother?! What kind of relationship do you two have?*
*Or could it be that this Yun Mengmeng isn't even twenty years old yet?*
Meng Jingzhou felt that he had only been away for a little over a year, so why did it feel like everything had changed?
The three went to the Food Stall Union, found a place to sit, and ordered several signature dishes, with Meng Jingzhou picking up the tab.
"I heard the Sword Tower collapsed. Did that have something to do with you?" Meng Jingzhou asked after settling into his seat.
"Don't talk nonsense. I went to the Sword Tower to participate in the Sword Inquiry Ceremony. The Sword Tower collapsed because of a clash between immortals—what does that have to do with me?" Lu Yang felt his conscience was clear.
Meng Jingzhou scoffed, not believing a word of Lu Yang's drivel. The outside world was rife with rumors of a battle between two immortals at the Sword Tower, and Lu Yang had taken first place in the Sword Inquiry. The two events seemed completely unrelated on the surface, but Meng Jingzhou could tell at a glance that it was a hundred percent connected to Lu Yang.
Meng Jingzhou chuckled with a hint of schadenfreude. "You have no idea how miserable the Falling Coin Chamber of Commerce has it this time."
"The chamber of commerce?" Lu Yang was puzzled. "What does this have to do with the chamber?"
"You didn't know, did you? Tower Master Guan bought insurance for the Sword Tower from the chamber—comprehensive insurance, no less."
"Once the Sword Tower collapsed, the chamber had no choice but to pay out dutifully. And what a devastating payout it was! I heard the head of the chamber's Shuzhou branch can't eat or sleep properly all day; he's practically wasted away."
"According to the regulations, the collapse of the Sword Tower was caused by human factors. After paying compensation, the chamber is supposed to seek reimbursement from the culprits. I'd love to see if they dare go after them."
The chamber would have to be tired of living to go looking for Gray Doudou.
"By the way, was the one who made a move at the Sword Tower this Senior Sister... Yun Mengmeng?" Meng Jingzhou was somewhat at a loss for how to address Yun Mengmeng.
"It was her."
Understanding dawned on Meng Jingzhou. "So she was the one who claimed to be Yun Zhi and fought Liu Ningxuan?"
"No wonder rumors outside claim Eldest Senior Sister is a Tribulation Transcendence mighty figure, with some even speculating she's a half-immortal."
The battle at the Sword Tower had leaked a tremendous amount of information. By the time it circulated through several different versions and reached Meng Jingzhou, it was already distorted out of shape. Sure enough, only by asking the culprits directly could one figure out what truly took place at the Sword Tower.
When Lu Yang asked how Meng Junzi had trained him, Meng Jingzhou's eyes filled with terror, clearly unwilling to recall that tragic ordeal.
After chatting with Meng Jingzhou for a while, Lu Yang and Yun Mengmeng returned to Tianmen Peak.
"You're back?" Yun Zhi was seated upon the imperial chair, as if she had been waiting for the two of them all along.
"Eldest Senior Sister... were you waiting for us?" Lu Yang asked hesitantly.
Yun Zhi did not answer directly, instead bringing up another matter: "Guan Shanhai has confessed how Wu Yao sealed the sun, and has also revealed how to undo the seals.
"I intend to undo one of the seals. Would you like to come watch?"
After more than a year of interrogation and torture, Guan Shanhai had finally broken down and disclosed vital intelligence.
He felt that if he didn't reveal some key information soon, Yun Zhi would just perform a soul search on him.
Hearing this, Lu Yang's eyes lit up. This was a wondrous spectacle unseen for hundreds of thousands of years—of course he had to see it.
"I'm going!"
"I'll do whatever Senior Brother says," Yun Mengmeng added.
Chapter 1002