Speaking of which, "Knowledge of Earth’s Advantage" turned out to be the nemesis of the Earth Escape Technique. The main issue was that Chu Xuan had never thought someone might be hiding underground to spy on them.

Now that he is on guard, it will be much harder for others to use the same trick against him again.

Since the essence of "Knowledge of Earth’s Advantage" is gaining a deeper understanding of the earth, could it possibly aid in cultivating the Earth Escape Technique?

With this in mind, Chu Xuan began to try practicing "Knowledge of Earth’s Advantage" first. Once he achieved results, he would circle back to the Earth Escape Technique.

Interestingly enough, after fully mastering the first level of the former, the latter was no longer so difficult to comprehend.

In three years, Chu Xuan truly mastered the Earth Escape Technique.

Of course, he is still at the beginner level. Both the speed of escape and the time he can spend underground are relatively limited, but it’s already considered quite a powerful divine technique for cultivators within the first three realms.

Besides the Earth Escape Technique, the other three divine techniques of the Intelligent Stone Monkey all reached mastery at the first level. Using the Divine Command made these techniques immediately take effect at the second level.

In other words, Chu Xuan can now transform into birds and beasts at will, albeit for a limited duration. However, it counts as a unique skill for concealing oneself — after all, who would pay attention to a bird flying across the sky?

Lastly, with the help of this Divine Command, Chu Xuan saw a possibility for cultivating the "Law Aspect" — the Mischievous Monkeys Law Aspect!

Law Aspects are powerful offensive techniques that can only be cultivated starting at the Nascent Soul Stage.

They usually appear as a phantom suspended behind the cultivator, which can represent anything between heaven and earth, such as Cyan Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Turtle; such as gods, Buddhas, skeletons, celestial demons...

Exactly what they manifest as depends on the cultivator’s understanding of the Dao.

Of course, cultivating a Law Aspect is still too distant for Chu Xuan; it’s just a hope for the future. If he someday cultivates the Four Monkeys Law Aspect, the combined power of his innate divine techniques and the Law Aspect divine techniques would surely be greater than the sum of both.

The achievements made over these three years are roughly these.

As for other aspects like alchemy, artifact refining, talisman drawing, array construction, divination, etc., Chu Xuan couldn’t possibly split himself into three to handle everything; he doesn’t have enough time to cultivate, so naturally he hasn’t touched them.

To him, these are just assorted sidelines, perhaps he will take a moment in the future to pick one or two to practice.

...

Just recently, Chu Xuan participated in a sect examination.

This was his first time, and he directly took the top place for his realm.

The sect examination, also known as the annual exam, tests disciples on their basic understanding of various courses and Daoist texts, and naturally includes a combat assessment.

In the Cyan Lotus Daoist Palace, both aspects take equal weight; the latter does not overshadow the former. If you focus solely on one, you could never achieve first place.

Although the young disciples within the sect gave Chu Xuan due respect as the senior disciple, there are naturally some who felt unsettled.

After all, they are all youthful and spirited, and suddenly having a senior disciple in their ranks, especially when there were rumors that Chu Xuan couldn’t even cultivate, it’s asking too much for everyone to wholeheartedly accept him.

Overall, the disciples acknowledge Qin Mengyao, the senior sister, as her strength, prestige, talent, and allure are unmatched among the younger disciples.

As for Chu Xuan, he seems to be extraordinarily lucky.

Although everyone acknowledged his diligence, his cultivation had been stagnant for three years, completely stationary.

Only in these recent three years did he seem to have suddenly broken through, swiftly ascending to Foundation Establishment completion, leaving many disciples stunned.

Soon, they learned that Chu Xuan possessed the legendary "Innate Dao Body." As envy turned to acceptance, they began to gradually acknowledge the senior disciple’s strength.

Moreover, they grew increasingly curious why such a gifted cultivator with an exquisite physique was expelled from the Hehuan Sect. Could it be true that the senior disciple once "bewitched the sect with his beauty"?

However, he doesn’t seem to appear that way at all. He looks quite righteous, and Ye Xingming, who had hunted demonic beasts with him, holds him in high regard.

If it’s solely about talent, that’s understandable. In the recent sect examination, Chu Xuan performed exceptionally well.

Beginning with the "literary assessment," it is said Chu Xuan did not practice the "Eternal Green Lotus Technique," yet his interpretations and teachings displayed profound insights. The supervising masters even praised him for "having a high-ground perspective."

This means: standing from a higher place to overlook matters below, being able to view issues from an overall, higher-level perspective.

This indeed comes from Chu Xuan’s early years spent around Primordial Monarch Taixu, absorbing knowledge naturally over time.

Then there was the "combat assessment," where Chu Xuan won the first six rounds with just a single sword, easily throwing opponents off the ring. Only in the last three rounds did he showcase his divine techniques, convincing his opponents thoroughly.

This partly relates to Chu Xuan’s understanding of his opponents, while they were unaware of him.

Regarding the Cyan Lotus Daoist Palace’s disciples’ cultivation techniques, Daoist skills, and magical treasures, Chu Xuan has general knowledge about them, as they all adhere to the Cyan Lotus system.

But Chu Xuan himself does not practice "Cyan Lotus Technique." His divine techniques are even more extraordinary, with none originating from the sect; even his sword technique was taught by Ji Mingyu years ago — the "Mingxin Sword Technique."

With this outcome, obtaining first place was naturally within reach.

From this point onward, the disciples within the sect genuinely acknowledged Chu Xuan as the senior disciple. With the senior sister down the mountain for three years of training and yet to return, everyone subtly began to look upon Chu Xuan as the core of attention.

To be honest, this is beneficial. The only headache for Chu Xuan is that disciples seeking him out increased, and he must assume the duties of the senior disciple, offering guidance to some extent.

...

One day, after completing cultivation, Chu Xuan sat on the pinnacle of a mountain, gazing toward the endless green mountains in the distance.

Speaking of which, the senior sister has yet to return. Her last message to the sect was already more than half a year ago. I wonder how she is doing...

Oh well, Chu Xuan rose and routinely headed toward the Scripture Repository to read.

This place is his treasure trove, containing a vast collection of Daoist scriptures. It’s a great place to expand knowledge and pass the time.

However, this time, upon entering, Chu Xuan heard disciples whispering excitedly within the depths of the bookshelves.

Although they tried to speak quietly, their tones were quite excited, and Chu Xuan barely picked up the keyword "senior disciple."

Before Chu Xuan could react, a male disciple descending the stairs saw him, displaying a passionate expression that contained a touch of admiration, like someone who heard some juicy gossip.

What’s the matter now?!

Chu Xuan was nearly developing psychological shadows; wasn’t everyone quietly not discussing the Hehuan Sect’s gossip?

Even if someone dared, they definitely wouldn’t do so openly.