Chapter 45: Tomb of King Beiying

After speaking, Yu Mu leisurely walked away with his hands behind his back, heading toward Xingyun Hall, leaving everyone with a carefree silhouette.

The reward for being the champion of the martial competition wasn't particularly valuable. At his current cultivation level, it was of little use to him. He figured it was better to think about how to explain why he had taken his master's money. 

He also needed to explain his actions targeting Ziyun Hall.

Hopefully, after explaining, his master wouldn't hit him too hard. After all, his master was getting old—he didn't want to anger him too much and cause any harm…

*Sigh… It's so difficult.*

The crowd: "..."

Xiao Jiji: "!!!!!"

Xiao Jiji stared at his own hands in disbelief. *Me? I! Did I actually defeat the Young Master? No, this was letting me win… no, letting me win completely! But even so, this is something I can brag about for a lifetime!*

While some were overjoyed, others were miserable. The three true disciples of Ziyun Hall looked as though they had each swallowed three bowls of fly larvae—utterly disgusted.

"How could Senior Brother bully people like this!" Liu He cried with tears streaming down her face, while Ye Tian felt equally upset but still had to comfort her.

"I'm going to report him to the Sect Master! This is a violation of sect rules—bribery, collusion, and outright targeting!"

"Yes! Report him!" Liu He sobbed as she clung to Ye Tian's arm. At that moment, Ye Tian stared blankly at her nails digging into his flesh without saying a word.

If Yu Mu were here, he would have noticed the flicker in Ye Tian's eyes. Who knows how many curses Ye Tian was silently hurling at Liu He in his heart.

---

At Xingyun Hall, Yu Mu cautiously glanced at Elder Yun Buqi, who was tending to some fruits and vegetables. Elder Yun Buqi looked up at him and tossed him a ripe spiritual fruit.

"Try it—it's quite sweet."

"Thank you, Master," Yu Mu replied humbly. Unexpectedly, Elder Yun Buqi laughed and scolded him: "What a disgrace! It's just some money you took; I don't even need it. Why would I blame you?"

"Huh?"

"But if you dare steal my wine or ruin my vegetable garden again, I'll beat you to death!"

Yu Mu: "..."

He had taken over ten thousand high-grade spirit stones! Even for a Nascent Soul cultivator like Elder Yun Buqi, that wasn't an amount to casually overlook.

"However, your actions targeting Ziyun Hall might draw criticism from the Sect Master. Afterward, just focus on cultivating in seclusion—I'll handle everything else."

"Master, you're the best."

Yu Mu took a bite of the spiritual fruit, savoring its rich sweetness.

"Of course. Who else would I be good to?" Elder Yun Buqi said seriously before looking intently at Yu Mu. "Xiao Mu, have you felt anything unusual?"

"What kind of unusual?"

Yu Mu stretched lazily and replied, "Just a slight numbness in my mouth and a bit of coldness in my body… hmm… hmm?!"

"Ah, then it's working," Elder Yun Buqi said regretfully. "This Coldfire Poison Fruit still isn't cultivated properly. Otherwise, its coldfire energy could benefit cultivators."

"Coldfire Poison Fruit…"

Yu Mu was speechless. Seeing his reaction, Elder Yun Buqi frowned and said unhappily: "With your physique, it won't harm you at all. Don't give me that look."

"Then… why don't you eat it yourself?"

"Why would I eat something I know is poisonous? Do I look stupid? Now go into seclusion! 

I see you're close to breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage. Remember to keep your mind clear—the Heart Demon Tribulation during this breakthrough is particularly dangerous. Empty your thoughts and don't let yourself be troubled by what happened with Ziyun Hall."

Elder Yun Buqi checked Yu Mu's condition again and confirmed that the effects of the Coldfire Poison Fruit were manageable. With further cultivation cycles, it could become usable for ordinary cultivators.

Whether consumed directly or used in alchemy, such a fruit would have extraordinary effects. Selling it through a renowned alchemist could fetch an excellent price.

"When you reach the bottleneck of the Nascent Soul stage, let me know in advance so I can prepare what you need for the breakthrough."

Hearing this, Yu Mu nodded lightly.

Breaking through from Golden Core to Nascent Soul was no small feat. Throughout history, countless Golden Core cultivators had failed this step. The fortunate ones might get another chance.

The less fortunate? They'd remain stuck in a stagnant state forever—a false Nascent Soul stage with no hope of advancement.

And worse yet? Some perished entirely—reduced to mere dust along the endless path of cultivation.

When Elder Yun Buqi broke through to Nascent Soul himself, it had been a near-death experience. No wonder he was so cautious.

But for Yu Mu… such concerns were almost irrelevant.

"Master," Yu Mu said with a smile, "let's put everything that happened before behind us—no settling old scores later."

Hearing this, Elder Yun Buqi gave him a suspicious look. It didn't add up… The wine hadn't gone missing recently; the vegetable garden hadn't been ruined either; aside from Xiao Mu taking some spirit stones…

Could he have caused some other trouble behind the scenes?

But seeing Yu Mu's sincere expression, Elder Yun Buqi hesitated before nodding: "Alright…"

With that settled, Yu Mu disappeared into his cultivation chamber without reappearing for days. Meanwhile, the martial competition concluded—but Yu Mu's performance remained a hot topic among the sect members.

---

In the sect hall of Yunhe Sect, eight high-ranking elders gathered together. Fairy Zi Li glared at Elder Yun Buqi with eyes nearly blazing with fury!

This martial competition had ended in utter humiliation for Ziyun Hall! Perhaps it was true that what one couldn't obtain became all the more precious—Fairy Zi Li instinctively didn't want to blame Yu Mu and instead directed her anger toward Elder Yun Buqi.

But Elder Yun Buqi wasn't one to be trifled with either—he glared right back! The Sect Master sighed heavily; two Supreme Elders quarreling was generally a good thing—it showed their passion for the sect's affairs. If they didn't argue at all, *that* would be worrisome for him as Sect Master.

Still… they didn't need to go *this* far.

"Ahem," he coughed awkwardly. "The Young Master did indeed go too far this time—I'm sure Elder Yun has already reprimanded him. Elder Fairy Zi Li need not pursue this matter excessively; after all, hasn't he already been punished with confinement?"

Sensing the growing tension between them (though there were no explosives in the cultivation world), the Sect Master quickly intervened.

"The tomb of King Beiying may soon emerge," he continued gravely. "The news has been completely sealed within the Northwest region—for now… This is an opportunity for our Yunhe Sect! I hope both elders can prioritize the bigger picture."

"The Tomb of King Beiying?!"

Hall Master Chu exclaimed in shock; even his voice trembled slightly: "King Beiying was once a renowned powerhouse across the entire continent—a Void Return realm expert! How could… how could his tomb be located in such an obscure corner as the Northwest?"

"If it truly is King Beiying's tomb," another elder added excitedly, "it might contain his legacy! That would be an inheritance from a Void Return powerhouse—a priceless treasure!"

The five hall masters erupted into heated discussion while even Elder Yun Buqi and Fairy Zi Li revealed fiery anticipation in their eyes.

Currently dominating the Northwest region with three peak Nascent Soul cultivators among its ranks—the Yunhe Sect stood poised to claim most of this monumental opportunity if it indeed proved true!

"It seems highly likely," said the Sect Master with a smile as he stroked his beard. "The tomb contains its own spatial domain and powerful barriers—and certain records within our sect about King Beiying align closely with these findings."