Courtyard Check-in: Starting with a Small World of Cultivation

In this little world, the sunlight is just right.

When Chen Yu appeared in front of the bamboo house, Qin Huairu was squatting by the stream washing clothes. Hearing the noise, she looked up and almost saw the clothes in her hands being washed away by the water—Chen Yu was covered in sweat, his clothes were torn in several places, and there was blood on them.

"Chen Yu!" She threw down her clothes and ran over. "Are you hurt?"

"It's alright, it's not my blood." Chen Yu held her hand and smiled. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

Qin Huairu carefully checked him over and, confirming that he was indeed unharmed, finally breathed a sigh of relief, but her eyes were already red: "You scared me to death... There was such a loud commotion outside, I could feel the vibrations inside..."

"I'm sorry to have worried you," Chen Yu said softly. "That person has left and won't be coming for a while."

"real?"

"Really." Chen Yu pulled her towards the bamboo house. "Come on, let me tell you what happened just now."

The two returned to the bamboo house. Qin Huairu poured him a cup of spiritual spring water, which Chen Yu accepted. He then slowly recounted his fight with Hua Tianxiong. He spoke calmly, but Qin Huairu listened with trepidation—mid-Foundation Establishment stage, more than a dozen men in black, a battle that felt like an avalanche…

"Will Hua Tianxiong come back in the future?" she asked.

Chen Yu pondered for a moment: "Yes. But he suffered a setback this time and won't act rashly in the short term. Moreover, he doesn't know my background and needs time to reassess."

"and you……"

"I need time to cultivate," Chen Yu said. "Once I break through to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, I won't be afraid of him anymore."

Qin Huairu nodded and didn't ask any more questions. She stood up: "You rest first, I'll go make you some food."

Watching her busy figure, Chen Yu felt a surge of warmth in his heart. With Xiao Shijie here, with her here, this was the safest haven.

In the days that followed, the two lived a peaceful life in their little world.

Every morning, Qin Huairu would cook porridge with spiritual spring water, along with pickled vegetables and dried rations brought in from outside. Chen Yu, on the other hand, would go to the spiritual field to check on the growth of the medicinal herbs—those spiritual herbs transplanted from the cave heaven's herb garden were growing exceptionally well under the nourishment of the spiritual energy of the small world.

During the day, while Chen Yu cultivated, Qin Huairu would wander around the small world on her own. She discovered that this small world was much larger than she had imagined—besides the area near the bamboo house, there were small hills, forests, the upper reaches of a stream, and even a small waterfall. She learned from Chen Yu's methods to identify various plants, collect wild fruits, and occasionally catch fish in the stream.

As evening fell, the two sat together on the steps in front of the bamboo house, watching the "sun" in their little world slowly sink in the west, the sky painted with a magnificent sunset. Although the sun and moon here were just projections of an array, the scenery was no different from the outside world.

"Chen Yu, this place is so beautiful." Qin Huairu leaned on his shoulder. "I wish it could stay like this forever."

Chen Yu put his arm around her shoulder: "Yes, we will. Once we've resolved the matter with the Temple of Fire, we'll come here to stay more often."

"Over there at the courtyard house..."

"I'll live there too. It'll be a commute between the two places," Chen Yu said with a smile. "Would you be willing?"

Qin Huairu nodded: "As long as you're here, I'm fine with going anywhere."

Days passed one by one. The time flow rate in the small world was one to ten; one day outside was equivalent to ten days here. Chen Yu cultivated for twelve hours each day (small world time), which was equivalent to one and a half days of cultivation outside. With the abundant spiritual energy and the remaining two Nine-Turn Golden Pills (he had previously refined six, consumed one to establish his foundation, and had five left), his cultivation steadily improved.

Thirty days had passed in the small world when he took the second Nine-Turn Golden Pill and broke through to the early stage of the third level of the Foundation Establishment stage.

Sixty days had passed in the small world when he took the third Nine-Turn Golden Pill, and his cultivation reached the peak of the third level of the Foundation Establishment stage.

Ninety days had passed in the small world when he prepared to attempt to break through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment.

On this day, Chen Yu sat cross-legged in the cultivation room, with the fourth Nine-Turn Golden Pill in front of him. He took a deep breath and put the pill into his mouth.

The immense medicinal power erupted once more, even more violently than before. He gritted his teeth and circulated his cultivation technique, guiding the medicinal power to break through that invisible barrier—a huge threshold between the mid-Foundation Establishment stage and the early Foundation Establishment stage.

Once, twice, three times...

The medicinal power washed over his meridians again and again, and the golden spiritual liquid in his dantian began to boil, gradually condensing into a thicker form.

After an unknown amount of time, a deafening roar suddenly erupted in Chen Yu's mind—

The barrier has been breached!

The spiritual liquid in his dantian suddenly contracted, then expanded, and finally stabilized, becoming more condensed and purer than before.

Breakthrough successful! Foundation Establishment Stage 4 (Mid-Stage)!

Chen Yu opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing within them. He stood up, feeling the surging true energy within his body—at least three times stronger than that of the early Foundation Establishment stage!

Now, if he were to face Hua Tianxiong again, he would be absolutely certain of defeating him!

Stepping out of the cultivation room, Qin Huairu was cooking downstairs. Seeing Chen Yu come down, she paused, surprised: "You... seem different again."

Chen Yu smiled and said, "You've broken through. Mid-Foundation Establishment."

"Does that mean we don't need to be afraid of Hua Tianxiong anymore?"

"Yes." Chen Yu nodded. "Next time he comes, I'm confident I'll make sure he doesn't leave alive."

Qin Huairu's eyes reddened, and she threw herself into his arms, saying, "That's wonderful...that's wonderful..."

Chen Yu gently patted her back. These past few days, though she hadn't said anything, she had been living in constant fear. Now, finally, he could put her mind at ease.

"Huai Ru, we should head out now," Chen Yu said. "We've been in this small world for so long; about ten days should have passed outside. I wonder how Abbot Zhou is doing, and if there's any news from Beijing."

Qin Huairu nodded: "Okay."

With a thought, Chen Yu and the two appeared in the meditation room in the backyard of the Fire God Temple.

The room was still simple, but there was a letter on the table. Chen Yu picked it up and saw that it was left by Li Guoan—

Mr. Chen:

Having learned you were in Yunnan, I sent someone to deliver this message. The Vulcan Temple has been making a major move recently; they've mobilized a large number of people from Southeast Asia, seemingly preparing for a full-scale attack on the Cave Heaven. Also, everything is fine in Beijing; I've arranged for people to secretly protect those you asked me to look after.

—Li Guoan

Chen Yu frowned slightly after reading it. The Vulcan Temple had mobilized a large number of people? It seemed that Hua Tianxiong hadn't given up after returning, but was preparing to send out his entire force.

"What's wrong?" Qin Huairu asked.

"The Temple of Vulcan is preparing a major invasion." Chen Yu handed her the letter.

After reading it, Qin Huairu's face turned pale: "Then what should we do?"

Chen Yu pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "Good timing."

"What?"

"Even if they don't come, I'll still go find them." A cold glint flashed in Chen Yu's eyes. "This time, I'm going to resolve this problem once and for all."

He looked at Qin Huairu: "Huairu, you stay in the small world. I'll pick you up after I've dealt with things outside."

Qin Huairu knew she couldn't dissuade him, so she could only nod: "You...you must be careful."

"Don't worry." Chen Yu gently kissed her forehead. "This time, I won't let them escape again."

He left the meditation room and found Abbot Zhou. Abbot Zhou was chanting scriptures in the main hall. Seeing him come out, he put his hands together in prayer: "Benefactor Chen, have you broken through?"

"Yes." Chen Yu nodded. "Abbot Zhou, the Fire God Temple is coming. You should take the people in the temple and hide for a while to avoid being implicated."

Abbot Zhou remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "This old monk has guarded this temple for sixty years and has never left."

"Abbot Zhou..."

"There's no need to persuade me, Benefactor Chen." Abbot Zhou smiled slightly. "Although I have no cultivation, this temple is the sacred site of the Fire God, and it is naturally blessed. Benefactor, please go ahead and do it. I will chant sutras and pray for you here."

Looking into his determined eyes, Chen Yu knew he couldn't persuade him, so he could only bow deeply and say, "Thank you, Abbot Zhou."

He turned around and strode down the mountain.

At the foot of Daying Mountain, in a dense forest.

Hua Tianxiong stood on a boulder, with more than thirty men in black behind him, five of whom had Foundation Establishment cultivation—two at the first level, two at the second level, and one at the third level. This was the entire elite force of his Fire God Palace.

"Palace Master, is that Chen Yu really that powerful?" a subordinate at the third level of Foundation Establishment asked.

Hua Tianxiong's face darkened: "Last time I fought him, he was only at the second level of Foundation Establishment, yet he managed to fight me to a draw. This man possesses the Four Symbols Ritual Artifacts, making his combat power astonishing. This time, we've mobilized our entire force; we must capture him!"

"yes!"

Just as everyone was about to move, suddenly, a voice came from the forest—

"No need to look anymore, I'm here."

Chen Yu slowly walked out and stood ten meters away, his expression calm.

Hua Tianxiong's pupils contracted: "You... mid-Foundation Establishment stage?"

"Thanks to you, I just broke through." Chen Yu smiled slightly. "Palace Master Hua, last time you said you wanted to take my life, today, I've personally delivered myself to your door."

Hua Tianxiong gritted his teeth: "Arrogant! You think you can do this all by yourself?"

He waved his hand, and more than thirty men in black rushed forward at the same time!

Chen Yu advanced instead of retreating, his movements as swift as lightning—

For a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, dealing with a Qi Refining cultivator was a complete massacre. He killed one with a palm strike and kicked two with a kick, and wherever he went, the men in black fell to the ground. When the five Foundation Establishment subordinates rushed up, Chen Yu summoned the Four Symbols Ritual Artifacts—the Azure Dragon Cauldron for protection, the Vermilion Bird Lantern Mirror to emit flames, the White Tiger Cong to enhance his power, and the Black Tortoise Armor to solidify his defense. In less than five minutes, all five Foundation Establishment cultivators were seriously injured and collapsed to the ground.

Hua Tianxiong's face was ashen; he knew he was doomed today.

But he was, after all, a ruthless and ambitious man; even knowing he was no match, he still fought to the death.

He formed a hand seal, and flames blazed around him—a secret technique of the Fire God Temple, burning his life essence to gain a temporary surge in power!

"Chen Yu, prepare to die!"

The two clashed again. This time, Chen Yu no longer adopted a passive defense but instead took the initiative to attack. With a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator facing off against another mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator, and with the Four Symbols Ritual Artifacts enhancing his power, he completely gained the upper hand.

After thirty moves, Hua Tianxiong coughed up blood and flew backward.

After fifty moves, Hua Tianxiong knelt on the ground.

Chen Yu stood before him, coldly asking, "Palace Master Hua, do you have anything else to say?"

Hua Tianxiong smiled bitterly: "The victor is king, the loser is villain. Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you."

Chen Yu was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I won't kill you."

Hua Tianxiong was taken aback.

"But you must promise me one thing," Chen Yu said. "Take your people, leave China, and never come back. The Temple of Vulcan is hereby disbanded."

Hua Tianxiong stared at him blankly for a long time before lowering his head and saying, "I... I promise you."

Chen Yu turned around and strode away.

Behind him, Hua Tianxiong knelt on the ground and did not get up for a long time.

Three days later, Chen Yu received news that everyone from the Vulcan Temple had left Hong Kong and mainland China, retreating to Southeast Asia. Hua Tianxiong announced the disbandment of the Vulcan Temple and retired from public life.

Chen Yu stood in front of the Fire God Temple, looking at Eagle Mountain in the distance, and let out a long breath.

Finally, it's over.

On a whim, Qin Huairu appeared beside him.

"Is it all over?" she asked softly.

"It's over." Chen Yu put his arm around her shoulder. "Huai Ru, let's go home."

Qin Huairu leaned on his shoulder, her eyes filled with a happy smile.

As the sun set, the two people cast long, long shadows on the ground.

And a new life is just beginning.