Cultivating in Secret
Yun Wuya focused his mind and gathered his breath, his gaze fixed on a tree about two meters away.
Suddenly, he let out a shout and swiftly raised his hand, striking the trunk with a palm.
A powerful gust of wind swept through, causing the tree to explode with a loud bang, shattering and collapsing as branches and leaves scattered in all directions.
Yun Wuying stood beside him, mouth agape, her face filled with astonishment.
After a while, she murmured, “How is this possible? Just half a month ago, it took you more than a dozen strikes to even break a single branch...”
Yun Wuya stared fixedly at his own hand, which appeared crystal clear and radiant.
The surface of his palm shimmered with a faint, translucent glow, flickering intermittently and shifting unpredictably.
“Qi permeating the body! This is the mark of the Heavenly Realm,” Yun Wuying exclaimed in astonishment.
This was a realm that one wouldn’t even dare to dream of.
“Sister! You should try it too!”
Yun Wuya’s excitement flashed in his eyes but quickly returned to normal.
Perhaps due to practicing the ‘Solitary Sword’, his temperament had undergone some subtle changes, revealing a hint of pride and purity.
“I...,” Yun Wuying bit her lip and slowly closed her eyes.
She extended her hand towards a larger tree beside her, lightly striking it without any accompanying sound or fierce force.
It was a gentle strike, as if a breeze passing through.
Everything seemed to freeze, and there was no sound of the tree crashing down.
Only the rustling of the wind brushing against the treetops could be heard in the mountains.
Yun Wuying remained still, her eyes closed, until she heard a creaking sound.
Slowly, she opened her beautiful eyes.
The sturdy tree trunk trembled slightly and gradually tilted in one direction.
With a crisp sound, the entire tree collapsed as if the heavens were crumbling.
The broken section was smooth and even as if cut by a sharp blade.
“Qi gathered into a blade! The Profound King Realm!”
Yun Wuya clearly saw a glimmering white light flash by, and seeing the tree roots that resembled a cut from a blade, anyone with a bit of martial arts knowledge could discern the result.
“I have actually reached the Profound King Realm?!”
Yun Wuying murmured in astonishment, her eyes shimmering with tears.
“It’s absolutely true!” Yun Wuya confirmed each word.
In just a dozen days, they had achieved the Heavenly Realm at thirteen years old and the Profound King Realm at fifteen respectively.
This was truly shocking news, and once it spread, it would undoubtedly cause a great commotion.
The saying goes: A tree that stands out in the forest is bound to be broken by the wind.
The siblings naturally understood this.
Moreover, the young master was no longer in the courtyard, and without a backbone, they had to be cautious, avoiding any reckless actions.
Additionally, there were the training tasks left on the note, which still haunted their hearts.
To avoid attracting attention, every day at dawn, the siblings carried sandbags prepared by the young master, weighing fifty catties each.
They had to run back and forth on this kilometer-high staircase before sunrise.
By the time the sunlight broke through the clouds, they would be lying on the ground like a pile of mud, exhaling heavily and barely able to inhale.
Cough, cough!
“Still too weak! To become strong, one must constantly push beyond their limits. Why stop? Keep practicing...”
Amidst the agony, a voice within seemed to ruthlessly prod, emphasizing the considerable gap between the young master's demands and their current abilities. With gritted teeth, they held firm, determined to overcome any obstacle.
In the bone-chilling waters of the pool, their hands wielded a sword weighing no less than thirty pounds, ceaselessly executing strikes—cleaving, thrusting, slicing, and paring—until exhaustion consumed them, and their entire body slowly submerged into the pool, breath held for recovery.
Within the hermetically sealed chamber, twelve birds fluttered in chaotic frenzy, leaping, soaring, and darting about. Only when all the birds within the room had been successfully captured could they leave the room.
All these inhuman training regimens were meticulously arranged by the young master. The siblings, overwhelmed and with no avenue for protest, found solace in mutual encouragement. "Sweat more in times of peace; bleed less in times of war" became their shared mantra.
...
As the snow melted, the withered branches in the mountains began to bud, and flower buds bloomed from time to time, filling the world with vibrant vitality.
The wind was no longer as cold, carrying a hint of gentleness and coolness.
With each breath, one could sense a subtle sweetness...
The Yun siblings were no longer struggling to catch flying birds.
They could now hit all thirty-two birds in an instant with their swords.
Following the training progress outlined by the young master’s note, only the final task remained.
It seemed simple, but was agonizingly difficult.
Drawing the sword, sheathing the sword...
Holding a thirty-pound heavy sword from morning till night, they repeated the same motion endlessly.
It was monotonous and dull, but it gradually calmed their restless hearts.
Achieving unity of mind, body, and sword was truly not an easy task.
Calculating the days, winter had passed and spring had arrived, yet there was still no news from the young master.
No one knew where he had gone or how he was doing.
The two siblings were completely absorbed in their grueling training, with no time to spare.
Time quietly slipped away during these hellish days.
They had barely completed all the training tasks when they realized that their cultivation had reached a small achievement in all aspects, particularly in their body movement and sword techniques, which had made remarkable progress.
In an unexpected moment, Yun Wuya broke through the barrier of the Heavenly Realm and stepped into the ranks of the Profound King Realm.
As the mind shaped the appearance, his temperament quietly transformed, appearing even colder and more aloof.
Yun Wuying, on the other hand, exaggeratedly ascended to the Profound Emperor Realm, presenting an elegant and ethereal demeanor, exuding an aura of transcendence.
...
“Unexpected guests are coming up the mountain!” Yun Wuya coldly spoke.
“Judging by their footsteps, there seem to be two people. Their movements are light, their breaths hurried, and their faint fluctuations of profound energy indicate cultivation at the Profound Spirit Realm,” Yun Wuying casually commented, discerning their identities by sound.
“Our patriarch has imposed a ban on visitors. How could someone dare to come?” Yun Wuya frowned.
“Young Master has been away for a long time, and our current status is humble. Regardless of who comes, we cannot afford to provoke them. We must endure and avoid unnecessary trouble for the young master.”
Yun Wuying solemnly reminded, gesturing for Yun Wuya to sheathe his heavy sword, as its presence may arouse suspicion.
On the stone steps, as Yun Wuying had mentioned, two young men in their twenties ascended toward the mountaintop.
Both were disciples of the Lu Family, but more importantly, they were the right-hand men of the young clan leader, Lu Changfeng.
They often abused their power, acting arrogantly and bullying the weak, causing other disciples to keep their distance, fearing trouble.
“Notifying a useless young master and having us brothers come personally, it’s truly infuriating!”
“Indeed! It’s an insult to our dignity. We must vent our frustration properly.”
“You’re right, we can’t let this useless young master go.”
“The mountain is too damn high! It took us half a day to climb to the mountainside. If this happens again, I won’t come even if I’m beaten to death!”
Filled with annoyance and resentment, the two men despised the useless young master even more, wishing they could curse his ancestors.
...
“Are all the people on the mountain dead? Anyone panting, get the hell out!”
Gasping for breath, the two men climbed the final step of the staircase and immediately began shouting and yelling coarsely and contemptuously, completely disregarding the owner of the place.
“Who are you? Do you know this is a restricted area? How dare you shout and yell here!”
Yun Wuya sternly reprimanded.
“Who the hell are you? How dare you speak to us like that? Are you tired of living and want to die early?”
“Where is that useless young master? Tell him to come out quickly! Don’t put on the airs of a young master in front of us. This trash means nothing to us!”
The two men arrogantly shouted.
The chill emanating from Yun Wuya grew stronger, his gaze sharp as a knife, his fists clenched tightly.
The young master was his bottom line, a trigger that could unleash his killing intent.
The audacity of the people before him, insulting him in such a manner, was unbearable.
The two men suddenly felt an inexplicable chill down their spines, trembling involuntarily.
They didn’t associate it with the young brat before them, thinking it was just the cold wind on the mountain.
Yun Wuya was on the verge of losing control, ready to take action, but Yun Wuying blocked his way and intervened in time.
“Do you two gentlemen know who you’re dealing with? By trespassing in this forbidden area and insulting my young master, aren’t you afraid of the wrath and punishment of our patriarch?”
Yun Wuying calmly stated.
“Hahaha...”
The two men burst into laughter upon hearing this, as if they had heard the funniest thing in the world, laughing uncontrollably.
“In the entire Lu Family, there are actually people who don’t recognize us brothers. If we don’t give them a few slaps, the world won’t tolerate it.”
“Hehe! Two useless dogs, ignorant of the two great guardians under the young clan leader’s command. It’s somewhat understandable.”
They echoed each other, resembling a bunch of idiots, their eyes fixed on Yun Wuying’s blossoming young figure, emitting a lecherous and wicked gleam.
Yun Wuying’s eyebrows lightly furrowed, a flash of killing intent passing through her eyes.
Endure it! She must endure it!
She mustn’t bring trouble to the young master.
“We, as siblings, have a humble status. Even if we look up, we may not see you two gentlemen. Moreover, in our eyes, there is only the young master. Whether others recognize or not doesn’t make much difference.”
Yun Wuying calmly replied with a gentle tone.
“Hehe! You have the spirit of a lowly ant, yet your arrogance is quite high. But I like it!”
The speaker’s throat rolled, greedily licking his lips.
“We’ve been here for so long, and this useless brat still hasn’t shown up?”
“That useless brat isn’t on the mountain! This damn mission was done in vain.”
“Well, not necessarily! Look at this little girl, so pure and lovely, on the verge of blossoming. It makes one unable to resist the urge to touch her. How about...”
The two men whispered to each other, followed by a low argument, and then a burst of laughter, as if they had reached some agreement.
“Don’t... don’t come any closer! What do you want?”
One of them gradually approached Yun Wuying, a lecherous grin on his face.
Yun Wuying trembled in panic, continuously retreating.
The other person suddenly rushed towards Yun Wuya, swiftly throwing a heavy punch that struck his abdomen.
Caught off guard, Yun Wuya was hit before he could react, feeling a surge of energy within his body, his mind spinning...