C11 Elementary Force Appeared

"Other people's lives? Isn't her life valuable too?" Chu Haoyun's gaze turned icy as he looked at the newcomer. It was a familiar face, Ning Chen, whom he had met at the mountain's entrance.

"So, it's you, you wild kid!" Ning Chen recognized Chu Haoyun, his eyes flashing with a cold gleam. "A lowly Outer Sect disciple is expendable. If she's lost, so be it. Should she pose a threat to others, you're opposing the sect. Kid, I'd like to see you try to save her. Even if you do, no one will bother about whether she lives or dies."

"Outer Sect disciples' lives are worthless? Ning Chen, is that really the sect's stance?" Chu Haoyun's eyes narrowed, filled with an icy chill. For someone who had emerged from the mountains, these words cut deep.

"Ning Chen, what are you doing? Get over here and clear the area!" someone clad in Inner Sect attire called out to Ning Chen from a distance.

"You're lucky this time. Don't cross paths with me again. Kid, beat it! Stop causing trouble." Ning Chen's brow creased slightly as he shot Chu Haoyun a fierce look, then hurried off after his harsh words.

"Save me..." The girl's feeble plea reached Chu Haoyun's ears, her gaze becoming unfocused upon hearing Ning Chen's words. Chu Haoyun paused briefly before swinging his Azurewind Blade, severing the spider web's hold. He quickly supported the girl with his left hand.

The moment he touched her, Chu Haoyun felt a searing pain in his left hand as if countless venomous spines had burrowed into his skin. But the power of the Glimmering Soul Orb within him responded, neutralizing the poison almost instantly. He realized that the Glimmering Soul Orb could control insect powers, making the Green Demon Spider's venom inconsequential.

Once freed from the web, the girl seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and then passed out. Chu Haoyun surveyed the people bustling around him. As expected, no one else had attempted to rescue those trapped in the spider webs.

"Let's go! The world is just that cruel," Chu Haoyun whispered under his breath, lifting the girl and departing from Sunset Ridge. Had it not been for the glimmer of hope in her eyes, he might not have intervened to save her.

Chu Haoyun was making his second ascent to Cloud-Veiled Peak. His first had been on the day Lan Canghai introduced him to the sect, and since then, he had been practicing his cultivation halfway up the mountain, with Lan Shiqi relaying and clarifying many things for him.

At the peak of Cloud-Veiled Peak, a misty fog hung in the air, with sparse cottages dotting the landscape like stars – a scene reminiscent of a fairyland at dawn. This might be the most unadorned spot within the Order of the Celestial Veil, especially when compared to the lavish quarters of the Inner Sect disciples.

In front of the cottage, Lan Canghai was tending to three pots of purple orchids, their crystalline water droplets falling to the earth. "There was a minor beast tide at Sunset Ridge; I feared you wouldn't make it back. I worried needlessly!" Lan Canghai said without turning, his attention devoted to the orchids before him.

"Mr. Lan, please save her!" Chu Haoyun stated his purpose. Although Lan Canghai had offered to take him as a disciple, Chu Haoyun had resolved to wait until he became an Inner Sect disciple before formally accepting the offer.

Setting aside his watering can, Lan Canghai stroked his goatee and chuckled, "More than saving her, I'm intrigued as to how you managed to avoid being poisoned."

Chu Haoyun's brow furrowed slightly, sensing Lan Canghai's thoughts. Lan Canghai plucked a petal and approached, saying, "Don't overthink it. I'm not one of those so-called masters who disregard life. Besides, Shiqi won't return for another half month, so this young lady can keep me company until then."

Lan Shiqi had left? Chu Haoyun was taken aback, recalling that she hadn't mentioned it the day before. Lan Canghai placed the petal in the girl's mouth and settled her inside the cottage.

"Haoyun, you've always hesitated to formally join my tutelage. With the Inner Sect Assessment just a month away, I expect you to make me proud," Lan Canghai said warmly after ensuring the girl was comfortable. "Lately, some persistent elders in the sect have been inquiring about the Celestial Key, but I've managed to fend them off."

Chu Haoyun felt a heavy weight in his heart. He was well aware that the Celestial Key was akin to a golden ticket into the Inner Sect for disciples of the Order of the Celestial Veil. Considering that even the elders were granted the opportunity to use the Celestial Key only once every ten years, its value was unquestionably immense.

The emergence of the Celestial Key signaled the rise of a prodigy within the Inner Sect. Typically, these gifted individuals had already ascended to the status of Returning to Origin Realm experts upon receiving the Celestial Key. Chu Haoyun, however, was an exception; starting merely at the fifth level of Body Forging, his status was notably humble. Given the rarity of the Celestial Key's appearance, only a handful of times every decade, the sect held it in high esteem. Lan Canghai, therefore, faced considerable pressure this time around.

"I understand! Now that I've advanced to the eighth level of Body Forging, I should encounter no significant issues in a month," Chu Haoyun mused, swiftly regaining his confidence. His smile, a glint of self-assurance, took Lan Canghai by surprise.

"Eighth level of Body Forging..." Lan Canghai repeated under his breath, nodding in quiet approval. His aged face lit up with a deeper smile as he silently hoped his judgment had been correct.

After a moment of contemplation, Lan Canghai advised Chu Haoyun, "With the beast tide likely to persist, steer clear of the Forbidden Woods. When you can, visit the Coral Hall to select martial skills that will best enhance your strength. Should you have any questions, do not hesitate to seek my guidance."

"Thank you, Mr. Lan."

Lan Canghai, with a chuckle, stroked his beard and gestured dismissively, his face beaming. "Hehe, good. Once you officially return the Celestial Key to me, I'll have a special gift waiting for you."

Parting ways with Lan Canghai, Chu Haoyun made his way to the second floor of the Coral Hall. There, he surrendered the Demon Core he had wrested from the young girl, obtaining two Spirit Condensing Elixirs in exchange. He then proceeded to the first floor, where he selected a superior Yellow Level palm technique known as Glacial Touch. Suited for cultivators in the Returning to Origin Stage, this technique allowed one to condense elementary force into a frosty veil, versatile for both offense and defense. Mastering it to the level of Great Completion, one's palms could burst clouds asunder.

Chu Haoyun's agility had already reached impressive speeds, thanks to the Flash technique, and his attack power was further enhanced by the Thunderbolt Swordsmanship. However, he still needed to develop his defensive capabilities and sustain his martial skills. He pondered the requirements of the Returning to Origin state but decided to set them aside. During his last battle with a member of the Order of the Skyfeather, he had already begun to tap into the elemental force. With his unique understanding of it, all he needed now was to put it into practice.

Returning to his cave, scarred with the marks of countless sword strikes, Chu Haoyun sat down cross-legged and took out a Spirit Condensing Elixir. He concentrated for a moment before swallowing it. Typically, the elixir was meant to help Body Forging ninth level practitioners sense and refine the elemental force to break through to the Returning to Origin realm. It was of little use to low-level warriors, but Chu Haoyun was undeterred, having already felt the presence of the elemental force.

In deep meditation, Chu Haoyun wholeheartedly sought the spark of insight he had experienced during his fight with the Skyfeather adversary. Cosmic energy, whether it manifested as creation, attraction, or destruction, was determined by different energy states, each with its unique pattern of arrangement.

Particles formed lines, lines coalesced into planes, and as the power transformed, the patterns reorganized, altering the flow of energy.

In the darkness with his eyes closed, Chu Haoyun lost track of time. Suddenly, a speck of purple light pierced his shadowy consciousness, illuminating an expanse of ocean that had long been parched. The glimmer hovered, isolated at the heart of the desiccated sea, bobbing gently.

"Is this my Qi Sea? How barren it is! Could this be the energy state of the elemental force?" The appearance of the light filled Chu Haoyun with elation. The visibility of the elemental force and the formation of the Qi Sea were heralds of the Returning to Origin state.

Shortly after, a warm surge enveloped his body, signaling the effectiveness of the Spirit Condensing Elixir. Guided by his consciousness, the warm flow brushed across him, and soon a second light dot emerged, followed by a third...

As the count of purple particles surpassed one hundred, they merged into a three-dimensional hollow sphere. The purple sphere hovered tranquilly in the depths of the barren sea, its glow a solitary firefly amidst the vast darkness. Chu Haoyun's consciousness meticulously examined the arrangement of the purple particles. Abruptly, he discerned a vague silhouette within the sphere.