When Life Runs Out, the Fun Begins

Chapter 56 – Who is Lü Bu?

Mu Xiaochuan floated out of the Purple Cloud Hall, feeling as if he were walking on clouds, a sense of indescribable comfort enveloping him. Sect Master Xuanyangzi's seemingly stern yet actually protective "admonition," the guaranteed spot at the "Xiaoque Dynasty Dao Discourse Gathering," and the "privilege" of freely using the sect's warehouse had left him in high spirits.

Humming a tuneless melody, he leisurely made his way back to Yunqi Peak.

As he approached the Listening Bamboo Pavilion, he keenly sensed that the courtyard seemed... rather lively?

Landing at the gate, he took a closer look and, goodness!

The usually serene and elegant courtyard of the small Listening Bamboo Pavilion was now... filled with esteemed figures, with a radiant aura permeating the air!

Peak Master Yun Wange, dressed in a water-blue palace gown, sat gracefully by the stone table, exuding an air of elegance.

Ye Qingyu, the Hall Master of the Heaven Vault Pavilion, in a simple white Daoist robe, sat quietly beside Yun Wange, her demeanor as cool as the moon.

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Mu Qingyao, the Hall Master of the Elixir Hall, in a tasteful palace gown with a lotus crown shining brightly, stood next to a blushing Ye Lingxuan, seemingly whispering something.

Liu Ruyan, the Master of the Spiritual Herb Garden, in a flowing purple dress, full of allure, was holding Su Yao's hand, speaking intimately.

Goodness! The four great beauties of Yunqi Peak had all gathered at his little Listening Bamboo Pavilion?!

"Ahem!" Mu Xiaochuan deliberately cleared his throat, stepping inside with a "flattered" smile on his face, "Oh my! Esteemed senior sisters, Hall Masters, Peak Master, your presence truly graces my humble abode!"

"Xiaochuan! You're finally back!" Yun Wange was the first to stand up, disregarding her peak master demeanor, and quickly approached, holding his hand, her beautiful eyes scanning him anxiously, "The Sect Master... didn't give you a hard time, did he?"

"Rest assured, Peak Master," Mu Xiaochuan felt the warmth and genuine concern in her hand, his heart filled with warmth as he smiled, "The Sect Master was wise, merely giving a simple admonition without any punishment."

Hearing this, Yun Wange, Ye Qingyu, and Liu Ruyan all visibly relaxed.

Ye Lingxuan sneaked a glance at Mu Xiaochuan, a hint of relief appearing on her small face.

Only Mu Qingyao maintained her cool demeanor, but a subtle, almost imperceptible ripple passed through her eyes.

"That's good, that's good." Yun Wange patted her chest, finally at ease, then playfully gave him a reproachful look, "Don't be so impulsive in the future!"

"Yes, yes, the Peak Master is right." Mu Xiaochuan nodded repeatedly, his attitude sincerely earnest.

Ye Qingyu also stood up, walking to Mu Xiaochuan's side, and said softly, "It's good that you're fine, junior brother. Although today's events seemed reckless, they also swept away the gloom and greatly boosted the prestige of our Heaven Vault Pavilion... no, Yunqi Peak!"

Ye Lingxuan chimed in, "Elder Mu! Wasn't I impressive?"

Su Yao obediently offered Mu Xiaochuan a freshly brewed cup of spirit tea, softly reminding him, "Elder, have a sip of tea to soothe your throat, you must be thirsty after all that talking."

For a moment, the courtyard was filled with the melodious chatter of beautiful women, each with their unique charm, their fragrance wafting through the air, making Mu Xiaochuan feel as if he were in a fairyland!

After some pleasantries, Mu Qingyao was the first to rise and take her leave, "Since Junior Brother Mu is fine, I should return to the Elixir Hall."

Ye Qingyu also stood up, "I shall take my leave as well. If you have time, junior brother, feel free to visit me."

Seeing this, Yun Wange also rose, "Xiaochuan, take a good rest!"

Mu Xiaochuan escorted each of them out of the Listening Bamboo Pavilion.

After sending off the three esteemed figures, the courtyard finally quieted down, leaving only Mu Xiaochuan, Liu Ruyan, Ye Lingxuan, and Su Yao.

The atmosphere instantly became subtle and enchanting, as if an indescribable emotion filled the air.

Liu Ruyan's beautiful eyes glanced at Mu Xiaochuan with a teasing smile, "Senior Brother, can you now tell us what exactly the Sect Master said to you? It can't have been just a simple admonition, right?"

Ye Lingxuan and Su Yao perked up their ears, their eyes burning with curiosity and gossip.

Mu Xiaochuan chuckled, recounting the Sect Master's promise of a guaranteed spot at the Dao Discourse Gathering and the ability to "take" resources from Vice Sect Master Ren Tianlong.

"What?! The Sect Master actually..." The disbelief in everyone's eyes was palpable!

Being able to unconditionally take resources from the sect? This... this is even more power than the Peak Master!

"This is something worth celebrating," Mu Xiaochuan said with a smile, "Today, we should especially celebrate Ye Lingxuan's victory."

"Yes, this calls for a celebration."

"How should we celebrate?"

"Naturally, with a good sparring session. Lingxuan had her fill today, I didn't even get a chance to make a move." Mu Xiaochuan's gaze swept over the three stunning beauties before him, a sly glint in his eyes.

"Huh? Celebrate like that?" The three women blushed in unison.

Suddenly, Mu Xiaochuan slapped his forehead, "Oh, I almost forgot, I need to go to the main peak to get something from Ren Tianlong to solve a future concern."

"A future concern?" The three women were puzzled.

"Yes!" Mu Xiaochuan said earnestly, "Think about it, my Listening Bamboo Pavilion, though elegant, is ultimately just an Outer Sect Elder's residence without a protective formation. If one day I'm in seclusion cultivating, or... we're having 'in-depth exchanges' inside, and some clueless guy uses divine sense to spy on us, wouldn't that be..."

"Yes, yes! We definitely need a formation!"

No sooner said than done!

Mu Xiaochuan set off again, his destination—the main peak, Tianshu Peak, Vice Sect Master Ren Tianlong's cave abode!

"Reporting to Vice Sect Master Ren! Elder Mu Xiaochuan of Yunqi Peak requests an audience!"

"Let him... come in!" Ren Tianlong immediately guessed his intention, as the Sect Master had just given him instructions.

Mu Xiaochuan entered with a smile, cupping his hands, "Junior Brother Mu Xiaochuan greets Vice Sect Master Ren! As the saying goes, hearing a hundred times is not as good as seeing once. It's truly a blessing to witness your brilliance today."

Ren Tianlong: "Just say what you need. The Sect Master just briefed me."

Mu Xiaochuan chuckled, "Since the Vice Sect Master is straightforward, I won't beat around the bush. I'd like to ask for your help in setting up a... well, a defensive formation that can block the divine sense of Nascent Soul cultivators. I wonder if..."

"What?! Block Nascent Soul?" Ren Tianlong gave Mu Xiaochuan a sidelong glance, "The best mid-grade profound-tier formation in the sect's warehouse is called the 'Four Symbols Maze Formation,' which can only block the divine sense of Golden Elixir cultivators. Do you want it?"

"Mid-grade profound-tier? It'll do." Mu Xiaochuan pursed his lips, reluctantly accepting, "Thank you, Vice Sect Master."

Ren Tianlong took out a formation disk and flags from his storage ring and handed them to Mu Xiaochuan!

"Oh my! Senior Brother! Is this the legendary storage ring?" Mu Xiaochuan accepted the formation, his eyes immediately fixating on the unremarkable yet space-fluctuating ring on Ren Tianlong's finger, "I've only heard of it, it's my first time seeing one. Does the sect have any more? Could you give me one?"

"Don't even think about it. The sect only has three in total, two are shared by the Supreme Elders, and this one is for sect resource allocation, not even mine." Ren Tianlong replied irritably.

"Hehe, I was just asking. Goodbye, Vice Sect Master."

Returning to the Listening Bamboo Pavilion, Liu Ruyan had already returned to her cave abode. The three of them looked at the "Four Symbols Maze Formation" that Mu Xiaochuan had "extorted" from Ren Tianlong, and Mu Xiaochuan still felt it was a bit unsafe. What if the Sect Master had tampered with it? He then dismissed Ye Lingxuan and Su Yao.

"You two stand guard outside, no one is to disturb me!"

With that, he closed the door, focused his mind, and communicated with the Thrill System!

Host: Mu Xiaochuan

Thrill Points: 120

Realm: Foundation Establishment Stage Four

Cultivation Technique: Withered Tree Revives Technique (Minor Achievement), Dragon-Subduing Staff Technique (Mastery)

Secondary Cultivation: None

Spiritual Artifact: Azure Dragon Soul-Suppressing Wood (Earth-tier Low-Grade)

Equipment: Black Tortoise Ink Scale Armor (Earth-tier Low-Grade)

"System! Exchange for a defensive formation that can block the divine sense of Golden Elixir cultivators!"

The system's shop flashed, quickly locking onto several sets of formation disks and flags, varying in size, some with concealment and various counterattack attributes!

Mu Xiaochuan then locked onto a mid-grade profound-tier formation, the [Nine Curves Yellow River Formation]. Although it's mid-grade profound-tier, it can evolve to earth-tier high-grade. Its main drawback is its small range, but it's enough to cover the Listening Bamboo Pavilion. Besides, if the range is too large, outsiders could easily enter the formation just by approaching the gate. Its biggest advantage is its low cost, requiring only 60 Thrill Points.

"This is it, purchase!"

"Ding! Successfully purchased [Nine Curves Yellow River Formation], consuming 60 Thrill Points. Current Thrill Points remaining: 60."

A set of complex and mysterious formation disks and several flags emitting a yellowish glow appeared in the storage pouch, and the method of setting up and controlling the formation instantly flooded Mu Xiaochuan's mind.

Mu Xiaochuan immediately went outside the Listening Bamboo Pavilion, following the method in his mind, embedding each flag into the ground, burying the formation disk in the designated spot, chanting incantations, and guiding spiritual power into it.

Buzz—!

With a faint buzzing sound, the air around the Listening Bamboo Pavilion seemed to twist momentarily, then returned to calm, as if nothing had happened. But Mu Xiaochuan could clearly feel an invisible, intangible, yet indestructible energy barrier enveloping the entire pavilion! And from the outside, the Listening Bamboo Pavilion looked the same as before, with no abnormalities!

"It's done! Finally at ease." Mu Xiaochuan nodded in satisfaction, "Haha! Now the Sect Master won't know what I'm up to inside!"

He excitedly ran back to the courtyard, seeing Ye Lingxuan and Su Yao curiously examining the "Four Symbols Maze Formation" he had just "extorted" from Ren Tianlong.

"Huh? Elder, didn't you go to set up the formation? Why is this formation disk still here?" Su Yao asked in confusion.

Mu Xiaochuan chuckled, "This one felt unsafe, so I replaced it with a more powerful one!"

"More powerful?" Ye Lingxuan's eyes lit up, "How powerful?"

"Well..." Mu Xiaochuan thought for a moment, gesturing, "It's powerful enough that even if the Sect Master stands outside the door, he won't be able to sense anything with his divine sense!"

"Wow!" Ye Lingxuan and Su Yao exclaimed in surprise, their eyes filled with admiration for Mu Xiaochuan.

"Su Yao, go invite Elder Liu over, we'll have a proper celebration tonight." Mu Xiaochuan said with a smile.

Ye Lingxuan was a bit surprised, "How can we celebrate with Elder Liu here?"

Mu Xiaochuan replied seriously, "Tonight, you'll experience the Three Heroes battling Lü Bu."

Ye Lingxuan asked in confusion, "Who is Lü Bu?"