“Thank you, Sister Lingyue.”

Xu Taiping had been looking forward to the Human Emperor’s Body Forging Technique that Fairy Lingyue had mentioned to him earlier.

“By the way, I heard that as long as you become a disciple of the Seventh Peak, you have the opportunity to choose martial arts at the Tianbao Pavilion.”

He continued.

“Choosing martial arts? That can be left to me, in terms of vision, your Sect Master may not even compare to me.”

Fairy Lingyue said confidently.

“Naturally.”

Xu Taiping agreed with this, the longer he spent with her, the more he could see that Fairy Lingyue’s cultivation was unfathomable.

“But before the Seventh Peak selection, I want to learn another technique, just in case.”

He suddenly took out a bronze mirror, found the list of techniques that outer disciples could practice, and then looked at Fairy Lingyue, saying, “Sister Lingyue, can you help me take a look?”

During the selection at the Seventh Peak, he naturally couldn’t use the Ice Breath Technique or the Azure Luan Ring, otherwise the secret of the Earth Fruit would be easily discovered by others.

“Okay, let me take a look.”

Fairy Lingyue leaned in and sat down next to him at the stone table.

“It seems that the techniques you, as an outer disciple, can practice are not many, and most of them are the weakest in the power of killing among the five elements, such as the Wood and Water techniques. However, it doesn’t matter. The killing power of the Green Bull Fist combined with the Thousand Heavy Force is enough for you at this stage of cultivation. You just need to choose a supplementary technique…”

Fairy Lingyue muttered quietly as she carefully made her selection.

“Which one did you choose for yourself?”

After a while, it seemed that Fairy Lingyue had already made a choice in her heart, but she didn’t say it, she wanted to hear Xu Taiping’s opinion first.

“If I were to choose, it would be the Fog Borrowing Technique.”

Xu Taiping thought for a moment and answered.

Fairy Lingyue’s mouth lifted slightly when she heard this.

“Why did you choose the Fog Borrowing Technique?”

She asked with a smile.

Obviously, she wanted to test Xu Taiping.

“According to the explanation of the technique in the bronze mirror, the Fog Borrowing Technique only requires holding a mouthful of clear water in the mouth, and then using spiritual power to activate it, which can produce fog, covering an area of ten meters in an instant, causing the opponent to lose their bearings.”

“It seems insignificant, but it can give me an advantage in battle, suitable for my current swift and decisive tactics.”

“Furthermore, in the future, when I am in a losing battle with an opponent, I can also use this technique to escape in combination with the Ice Breath Technique.”

Xu Taiping explained to Fairy Lingyue.

At present, the martial arts he practiced, the Green Bull Fist and the Seven Killings Blade, were both offensive techniques. Once he failed to knock down his opponent with one blow, he would easily fall into a passive position when the opponent counterattacked. With the Fog Borrowing Technique, he could make up for some of his shortcomings.

Especially in the upcoming selection at the Seventh Peak, he couldn’t use the Ice Breath Technique or the Azure Luan Ring.

“Very good.”

Fairy Lingyue was very satisfied with Xu Taiping’s explanation.

“Is Sister Lingyue also choosing the Fog Borrowing Technique?”

Xu Taiping asked happily.

“Yes.”

Fairy Lingyue nodded, then explained to Xu Taiping, “In addition to the two points you just mentioned, I chose this technique because it seems useless, but it is actually derived from a very powerful ancient technique.”

“What ancient technique?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Taiping became excited.

“The Five Elements Escape Technique.”

Fairy Lingyue replied.

“The Five Elements Escape Technique is divided into the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The Fog Borrowing Technique is derived from the Water Escape Technique’s Fog Escape. The true Fog Escape Technique is not simply to obscure vision with fog, but to completely hide one’s own figure and breath in the fog, even the divine soul of a high-level cultivator cannot sense it, and in the fog, you can move freely and kill without a trace.”

Fairy Lingyue introduced to Xu Taiping.

“The Fog Borrowing Technique is actually derived from such a powerful technique.”

Xu Taiping was somewhat surprised.

“I happen to know this technique as well. When the time comes, you can learn the Fog Borrowing Technique first, and then I will teach you how to gradually perfect it into the true Fog Escape Technique.”

Fairy Lingyue’s eyes were full of anticipation as she said.

Now trapped by her damaged divine soul, the thing she liked to see most was Xu Taiping gradually becoming stronger under her guidance.

“Then I will choose the Fog Borrowing Technique!”

Xu Taiping was also very happy.

And now, with only one or two months left until the selection at the Seventh Peak, it was no problem to learn a superficial technique.

“I wonder how Sister Linglong and Brother Qingxiao have been doing these past three years, and if they remember me.”

Looking at the bright moon in the sky, Xu Taiping murmured to himself.

He suddenly remembered the scene when Linglong and Qingxiao had brought him to Yunlu Mountain, and later when Linglong had deliberately placed him in the Green Bamboo Residence.

“Don’t worry, it won’t be long before you can all practice at the Seventh Peak together.”

Fairy Lingyue gently patted Xu Taiping’s shoulder.

“Mm.”Xu Taiping nodded, feeling it was time to fulfill the promise he made to Linglong and Qingxiao three years ago—to win the selection and ascend to Seventh Peak.

Then, shaking his head, he stood up and walked towards the backyard to begin his daily practice routine.

Thanks to the Dragon’s Gall Wine over the past two years, he was able to practice without sleep or rest, and it was precisely because of this that he had more time to cultivate than ordinary people.

However, even the Dragon’s Gall Wine couldn’t eliminate the fatigue and pain from his body during cultivation, so the time he endured pain and fatigue was also twice, or even three or four times that of normal people.

Yet even so, Xu Taiping never missed a single day.

“Those who work hard will be rewarded by the heavens.”

Watching Xu Taiping in the backyard, tirelessly repeating the motions of drawing and swinging his sword, Fairy Lingyue murmured to herself.

……

Two months later.

Yunlu Mountain, Seventh Peak.

“Senior Brother, Senior Brother!”

On the Rainbow Jade Bridge of the Seventh Peak, which resembled a fairyland, a young girl in a red dress, like a red cloud, darted across the arch bridge, heading straight for the Sword Testing Platform floating in the air at the other end of the bridge.

“Linglong, how many times have I told you? The hour of Chen is when I nurture my sword. Do not come up here.”

On the Sword Testing Platform, a handsome young man in green robes opened his eyes and stood up. A flying sword that had been circling above his head turned into a streak of light and “whooshed” into his chest.

These two were none other than Zhao Linglong and Dugu Qingxiao, who had brought Xu Taiping into the sect that day.

“Senior Brother, he, he, he’s still alive!”

Linglong excitedly raised a scroll in her hand.

“He? Who?”

Qingxiao was puzzled.

“Xu Taiping!”

Linglong finally blurted out the name she had been holding back.

“The Xu Taiping from Green Bull Village?”

Qingxiao was also startled upon hearing this.