Originally, it was still about the talent test issue.

The Seven Peaks Supreme Elder hadn’t spread the news of Ye Qingchen ringing the bell twelve times, instead allowing it to spread among the disciples. So now, the disciples of Taotian Palace were all fired up, eager to teach Ye Qingchen a lesson.

Even some of the Seven Peaks disciples were the same!

Some even went to block Ye Qingchen at Heaven-Shocking Peak, but since they couldn’t find any trace of him, they had to give up.

If Ye Qingchen were to descend the mountain now and appear before everyone, although it wouldn’t be as dire as the siege at Celestial Secret Mountain, it would still be troublesome!

"So, you mean to have me hide on Hidden Dragon Mountain and not go out?" Ye Qingchen said with a half-smile.

Sea of Zhou broke into a cold sweat and quickly shook his head: "Mr. Ye, that’s not what I meant. I just wanted you to lay low for a while, wait for the storm to pass, and maybe they’ll forget..."

Ye Qingchen ignored him entirely, standing up straight.

Seeing his actions, the two were surprised, yet it seemed expected. After all, Ye Qingchen had always been decisive in his actions, so how could he be swayed by the threats of some disciples to hide away?

Ye Qingchen spoke calmly:

"If they don’t come, then whatever! But if they do, I certainly won’t be polite!"

The two exchanged worried glances.

If they were ordinary Inner Sect Disciples, Ye Qingchen naturally wouldn’t fear them, but what about the Seven Peaks disciples? Seeing Ye Qingchen’s firm attitude, they could only suppress their concerns deeply.

...

Lintian City.

"Brother Lin, congratulations on joining the Seven Peaks. I’m so envious!"

At this moment, a large group of youths surrounded a white-clad young man like stars around the moon. Their cultivation levels varied, with the highest reaching Half-Step Human Immortal, while even the lowest was Celestial Venerable Ninth Layer.

However, they were all eagerly attentive to Lin Tianlai, who was only at Celestial Venerable Seventh Layer.

"Brother Li, with your cultivation, just one more step and you can join the Seven Peaks! Then, I still have to rely on you!" Lin Tianlai smiled at the youth at Half-Step Human Immortal.

This young man, named Li Yichao, was at Half-Step Human Immortal and had been with Taotian Palace for six years.

Among the group, he was clearly a leader.

Yet, facing Lin Tianlai, he was very cautious, saying:

"There are only two ways to join the Seven Peaks. Either you rank in the top hundred in the grand selection, or you achieve Human Immortal! But I just recently reached Half-Step Human Immortal, without some opportunity, taking that leap seems hopeless in this life."

Saying this, he was full of envy, "Now that Brother Lin has joined the Seven Peaks, just a word from the Supreme Elder can save you ten years of hard work, which is something we just can’t compete with!"

Most others shared the same sentiment.

Lin Tianlai said nothing.

Joining the Seven Peaks was his greatest source of pride. Unfortunately, he wasn’t like Wu Xingyun, Tuoba Ye, or Lu Yanwu, who directly became the Supreme Elder’s True Disciples!

But this didn’t diminish his status above ordinary Inner Sect Disciples!

"By the way, Brother Lin, I heard the first in the selection, Ye Qingchen, didn’t even ring the bell once during the talent test, is this true?" Li Yichao asked.

Swish!

Instantly, everyone else also turned to look.

Everyone should know.

This was a hot topic in Taotian Palace, but mostly spread by word of mouth, making it difficult to verify. But Lin Tianlai witnessed the entire thing, so they were eager to know!

"It’s true!" Lin Tianlai said coldly, "I saw the whole process!"

"Then him killing a Half-Step Human Immortal is also true?" someone hurriedly asked.

"Indeed!"

Lin Tianlai nodded, "However, I suspect that when this kid killed the Half-Step Human Immortal Lin Tongfeng, it wasn’t by his own power, but likely with some other method."

After the test ended.

Lin Tianlai had thought about the whole selection process carefully, but it was full of doubts. Ye Qingchen’s overwhelming defeat of Wu Xingyun and Tuoba Ye was already impressive, and he even killed Half-Step Human Immortal Lin Tongfeng.

If Ye Qingchen truly had such talent, how could he have failed at the talent test stage?

There’s only one possibility...

And that’s cheating!

At the moment, he shared his doubts and speculations.

"Very possible!" Li Yichao sneered, "It’s an absolute disgrace to let this kid join Taotian Palace. Too bad he’s hiding now, otherwise, I’d definitely show him my strength!"

"Exactly!"

The others echoed indignantly.

"That kid’s hiding like a turtle, doesn’t dare to show his face!" Lin Tianlai sneered, and just as he was speaking, he caught a glimpse of a figure passing by.

Seeing that figure, Lin Tianlai’s pupils contracted sharply, exclaiming:

"Ye Qingchen!"

At this, everyone exchanged looks of disbelief:

"That kid actually dares to appear openly?"

...

"Gold element material is easy to find, just some high-grade weapons can be used as auxiliaries. My Ten Thousand Swords Array can’t be moved, I can buy some low-level weapons to accumulate! But earth and fire elements, they’re a bit scarce..."

"Even if I can’t buy these materials, I need to at least find out where they are, to gain entry! So I can complete the Heaven-Repairing Fragment!"

Ye Qingchen walked on, calculating silently.

Thinking of this, it suddenly reminded him of something, and he turned to Lu Yanwu by his side, "By the way, how’s that thing I asked you to investigate?" 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

"Do you mean returning to the Barbaric Continent? That’s the materials needed to open the Celestial Gate..." Lu Yanwu quickly handed over a list. Previously she didn’t understand why Ye Qingchen wanted a way back to the Barbaric Continent, but after the selection, she understood the reason.

"So many!"

Seeing the long list of required materials, Ye Qingchen felt a bit overwhelmed.

He hadn’t yet solved the materials for the ’Heaven-Repairing Fragment,’ and now he had so many more. How long would it take to gather everything?

"No wonder so few from the Kunlun Realm descend to the lower realm, every time the Celestial Gate opens, who knows how long it takes to prepare..." Ye Qingchen sighed heavily.

However.

Before he could finish, a mocking voice came from the side:

"Ye Qingchen, what’s wrong?"

"Can’t make it in the Kunlun Realm, so you want to escape back to the Barbaric Continent? But, is it that easy?"

Ye Qingchen frowned and looked over.

He saw Li Yichao and others, all looking at him with a dark expression, while Lin Tianlai in the crowd was full of mockery.