"People from Bi Yun Sect?"

Luoyun City Lord’s pupils suddenly contracted, instinctively pressing down on the hilt of his blade.

The elder glanced at them.

Luo Xiutian suddenly felt as though he’d fallen into an icy cave, with the True Yuan in his body seemingly freezing.

"Tribulation... Peak!"

He struggled to utter these words, cold sweat seeping from his forehead.

This sense of oppression was something he had only felt from the Holy Master.

The elder did not linger, and vanished in an instant with his group. The last to pass was a man with a hooked nose, whose grim gaze lingered on Luo Xiutian for a moment, and a cruel curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"Night Owl, don’t cause unnecessary trouble."

A warning came from ahead.

The man named Night Owl clicked his tongue regretfully and casually flicked a ray of black light towards Luo Xiutian’s face.

"Clang!"

Luoyun City Lord blocked the strike with his sword, sparks flying. Upon looking again, the people from Bi Yun Sect had disappeared deep into the bamboo forest.

Luo Xiutian stood at the edge of the Purple Bamboo Forest, his fingers reflexively rubbing the Jade Pendant at his waist.

A gentle breeze passed by, and the bamboo leaves rustled, yet it couldn’t hide the indistinct killing intent coming from behind him.

"City Lord, those three from Bi Yun Sect..."

Luo Xiutian’s lips moved slightly, his voice forming into a line that transmitted into Luoyun City Lord’s ear beside him.

Luoyun City Lord’s expression remained unchanged, his peripheral vision sweeping over the three from Bi Yun Sect who were cutting down purple bamboo not far away, he spoke softly.

"Especially the one in the gray robe, he has been observing you for the past hour. Seems he has recognized your identity."

Luo Xiutian sneered, lightly placing his right hand on the longsword at his waist.

"I, Luo Xiutian, may not wish to initiate conflict, but if someone is courting death..."

"Caution is wise."

Luoyun City Lord interrupted.

"Bi Yun Sect is notorious for their treachery, they must have noticed the many treasures you carry and thought this secluded place suitable for murder and theft."

Luo Xiutian said.

"Rest easy, City Lord, since I dared to come to this Purple Bamboo Mountain alone, I naturally have my reliance."

Hearing this, a thought stirred in Luoyun City Lord’s mind.

He’d heard that Luo Xiutian had guidance from a high expert, and now seeing his confidence, he surmised that he must carry a Magical Treasure capable of killing a Tribulation Crossing Realm expert. This eased his worries slightly, and he focused again on cutting the purple bamboo in front of him.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Bamboo Mountain.

Gu Sheng held an ordinary Iron Sword, the blade swept across the surface of the purple bamboo, making a crisp "Zing" sound. Only a faint white streak appeared on the purple bamboo’s surface, without any movement.

"The thirty-seventh sword..."

Sweat dotted Gu Sheng’s forehead.

He could feel that every sword strike released a weak Yang Dao Qi from the purple bamboo into his body, circulating through his meridians.

"Again!"

Gu Sheng’s Spiritual Power surged, and a faint white light appeared on the Iron Sword. As the blade struck again, the purple bamboo finally let out a mournful cry and slowly fell.

"Phew—"

Gu Sheng exhaled deeply, sitting cross-legged to absorb the Yang Dao Qi dispersed from the purple bamboo.

He could feel his Yang Dao realm was loosening, as if a thin barrier was about to break through.

"Just one step away from Divinity Transformation Minor to Mahayana..."

Gu Sheng felt a silent joy, unaware that his every move had already drawn the attention of others on the mountain.

Not far away, the Third Elder of Bi Yun Sect had a furrowed brow, his gaze fixed on Gu Sheng’s back.

"Strange, that kid looks like he’s only in his early twenties, how can he be cutting purple bamboo on the mountainside?" 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The Third Elder was puzzled and silently released a wisp of consciousness to probe Gu Sheng’s cultivation.

But as his consciousness approached within three meters of Gu Sheng, it was weakened by the strange waves emitted by the purple bamboo, vanishing without a trace.

"This..."

The Third Elder’s face changed slightly.

"Could the purple bamboo actually interfere with consciousness probing?"

A disciple beside him spoke in a low voice.

"Third Elder, should I go test out that kid?"

The Third Elder pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said.

"No need. I’ll go take a look myself."

With that, his figure flashed and rushed toward Gu Sheng’s direction. However, when he truly set foot on the path leading to the mountainside, he found things far more difficult than he imagined.

With each step forward, the pressure emanating from the surrounding purple bamboo increased. When he reached a third of the way, the Third Elder was already drenched in sweat, his legs feeling as if they were filled with lead.

"How could this be..."

The Third Elder looked incredulously at the young figure ahead.

"How can he walk to the mountainside so effortlessly?"

Finally, the Third Elder was forced to halt, finding a spot at the foot of the mountain to sit cross-legged, beginning cultivation and Enlightenment.

He realized that with his current Daoist Cultivation, he couldn’t catch up to that mysterious young man.

"Once I grasp the Daoist Rhythm within the purple bamboo, I’ll go up for a closer look."

The Third Elder silently said in his heart.

Elsewhere on Bamboo Mountain, more and more cultivators took notice of Gu Sheng’s presence.

"Look, that young man actually reached the mountainside!"

A middle-aged cultivator in a blue robe exclaimed.

"Unbelievable, the last person I saw reach that position was Qingyang True Man of the Dao Palace Realm."

His companion agreed.

Not far away, several female cultivators paused their activities, curiously gazing in Gu Sheng’s direction.

"He looks so young, could he have used some Rejuvenation Technique?"

A girl with an oval face asked quietly.

Her senior sister shook her head.

"Unlikely. Changing one’s appearance consumes a lot of Spiritual Power, affecting cultivation progress. Unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Unless his cultivation is so high that he can ignore such consumption."

The senior sister said solemnly.

"But such a young Tribulation Crossing Realm is unheard of."

The group discussed excitedly, but none dared to approach recklessly. After all, in the Cultivation World, probing another’s cultivation unbidden is a major taboo, especially when the other party might be a master hiding his true strength.