"So," Zho Tu finally spoke, finding the silence after that previous exchange between the two disciples a bit uncomfortable. "Who is close to breaking through?"

"I am," Wang Fei and Jing said at the same time.

"Personally, I still need a bit of Qi," Zho Tu said. "A Body Tempering Pill or two and I would be ready. Fortunately, I have already used a Body Cleansing Elixir, otherwise, this would have been difficult."

"You have?" Wang Fei asked. "From what I heard it's best to use it directly before breaking through. It presumably keeps your pores open and makes the final step easier."

"That's what I did," Zho Tu said but he quickly caught himself. "I mean, that's what I was planning on doing... But then It was going to get stolen from me so I just you know... used it."

Jing cringed at how horrible of a lie that was before changing the topic. "Yeah," He mumbled. "I don't have it, would breaking through be difficult without it? And how much is it?"

Wang Fei put down the cup that he was just sipping from, and said, "It would be harder, yes. I don't know, but from what I heard very expensive." Flashing an apologetic smile he said, "Sorry Jing, I only have one."

Jing chuckled, "No worries." He said. "It's fine."

Zho Tu asked, "Wang Fei, do you know why we need gold in breaking through? It's so odd."

Wang Fei's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "Don't you know what the sect is known for?"

"What?" Zho Tu asked.

"Inner Gold, The Living Shield, The Ethereal Moving Gold... But it's mostly called Inner Gold in the sect," Wang Fei explained. "This sect's main foundation from the Venerable Ancestor is combat, and especially Physical Arts. That is why we have fought so many times in just two days, and we will continue fighting even more. Each sect has a specific specialization. Just like the Feline Buddha Sect, they specialize in Buddhist techniques and their famous beast companions. This sect's manual helps you absorb precious minerals through your cultivation base. It'll help you cultivate faster, become more attuned to minerals, and of course, cultivate a living shield that lies dormant inside of your body. That is why we need the gold."

Jing's eyes lit up in astonishment, and excitement swelled up within his heart, dying to start training his body and becoming a huge hunk of a golden man!

"You're so knowledgeable Wang Fei," He praised with a laugh, delighted by the news. "Tell us more, do you have some interesting stories or news?"

"I have indeed," Wang Fei grinned till his back tooth became visible. "Have you heard of the new dungeon they found in the Dragon's Chasm?"

Jing and Zho Tu looked at one another at the same time, and they immediately knew that they were thinking the same thing. None of them none what was that. Jing was quick to act, and he gestured for him to speak first.

With a helpless sigh, Zho Tu finally asked, "What is that? Dragon's Chasm?"

Wang Fei's eyes widened, "How do you not know even that?"

Shen Yun finally jumped and scoffed, "Look at me, I am Wang Fei from a big family and I know everything."

Wang Fei's face slightly flushed when he heard that, "No," He stuttered. "I didn't mean it like that..."

Jing glared at Shen Yun whilst comforting, "It's fine Wang Fei, just say it. We're just a bunch of ignorant frogs in a well here, enlighten us oh almighty Wang Wang!" For some reason he found it amusing to utter, "Wang Wang!"

Zho Tu loudly exhaled through his nose in amusement mumbling, "Almighty Wang Wang sounds weirdly funny."

"Well," Wang Fei scratched his weak budding stubble and said smiling, "Haven't you wondered why the Great Empire to the west has never tried to invade us here?"

The two of them nodded with a solemn look although they had never wondered such a thing in their lives.

"It's because of the Dragon's Chasm," Wang Fei explained. "It's a vast chasm that is hundreds of kilometers in width, and it spans from the beginning of the Icebound Summit Range to the Black Endless Sea."

Zho Tu and Jing simultaneously gasped in surprise, "That big?!!"

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"That's no longer a chasm," Jing commented. "That's a whole continent."

"Legends say that it was because of a fight between two ancient ancestors." Wang Fei continued with a reverent tone as he munched on his food. "They say that the whole Dragon's Chasm was because of a single sword strike."

"No way," Jing immediately rejected. "That's impossible. If someone that strong lived in the world wouldn't they need five sword slashes and the world would disappear?"

"Yeah.." Zho Tu agreed scratching his head.

"Nothing is impossible," Wang Fei said.

"And why is it even called a dragon's chasm then?" Shen Yun questioned with a disbelieving expression.

"That, I don't know." Wang Fei smiled. "I think it's just because the name sounds majestic, or because our continent is called the Dragon's Tail."

"Sheesh," Jing muttered. "That's enough legends for one day I think. You have a man who used to carry a mountain, another man whose family has more power than a sect, and a swordsman who separated a continent in two. We'll continue this at another time, for now, let's go pick up our materials and prepare to break through." With a smile he joked, "And then maybe we'll make our own legends."

Shen Yun swiftly stood up and said with a smirk, "Just go on without me, I still have some 'Businesses' to attend to.'"

Jing followed the handsome disciple's departing figure, and to his shock, he saw Shen Yun meandering through the tables before he sat in one filled with female disciples. To be more specific, he sat beside the girl he was flirting with just that morning.

'Xu Yun will not like this,' He thought with a frown, and true to his expectations when he glanced at Xu Yun who was sitting with some other disciples he noticed his cold expression as he glared in Shen Yun's direction.

Jing looked at Zhu Tu and gestured for him to look at that, and from his wincing visage, he knew that he had the same thoughts as him. As talented as Shen Yun was, he was too arrogant and unreliable.

Zho Tu finally stood up after swallowing the last piece of his meal and said, "I won't be going now, I still need to continue cultivating, you go on without me."

"Sure," Jing said. "Good luck." As he was walking out of the dining hall with Wang Fei in tow, he noticed a very familiar face beyond the counter. It was the boy who had lost to him in the entrance test in a grey robe busy preparing food for the other disciples.

'How close,' He thought with a wry smile. 'If I had lost we'd be in different positions now.'

The boy happened to glance in his direction and their eyes met. Jing smiled and gave a polite nod of acknowledgment. Fortunately, the boy didn't seem to harbor any resentment as a wide smile split his face and he waved in Jing's direction with much sincerity in his beaming eyes.

Jing chuckled and said to Wang Fei, "That's a good guy. I still remember how tough his jaws were."

Wang Fei followed where he was looking and smiled, "He's a servant here, good for him. The guy that I had beat went with the Thousand Poisons Pavillion."

"Oh?" Murmured Jing after they finally left the place. "What's special about them?"

"Although their sect isn't as powerful as ours, after all, they're vassals under the royal family, their methods are terrifying." Wang Fei explained with a shudder. "I think in the whole Eastern part of the Southern continent, if they said they're the number two poison experts, no one would dare to say they're the first."

"That strong?" Jing asked.

"From what I heard," Wang Fei recounted. "Their cultivation manuals allow them to mix different poisons and in the end create their own specific poisons. Do you know what this means?"

Jing's eyes widened, "Antidotes become pointless?"

"Exactly," Wang Fei said with a serious expression. "Unless you have some magical pill, it's always best not to mess with them."

Leaving the dining hall behind and walking through the outer sect male living quarters, Jing continued, "But if they're under the royal family then they're not thaat strong?"

"Well," Wang Fei said. "The situation is very complex there. But from what I heard, they have their dungeon that they don't want to part with, and that is their biggest weakness. They needed a stronghold. And to both the royal family and our sect, if the enemy is visible then it'll be overpowered, as simple as that."

"I see," Jing said. "So who do you reckon is stronger? Our Sect or the royal family?"

"Our sect definitely," Wang Fei said with a proud smile as if he played a part in making that a reality. "After all, The Old King is dead, and his junior brother, our sect master is still alive and well."

"That simple?" Asked Jing.

"Of course not. But I think this plays a big part. The nearby kingdom and the other sects are afraid of our sect, not the dynasty, with a dead king and all. And that's even more true after the last competition for the throne." Wang Fei said with a difficult expression. "It was too bloody."

"Was your family involved in some way?" Jing continued asking as they neared the main road dividing the outer sect in two.

"I am just the son of a concubine, I don't know much." Wang Fei smiled. "But I think they were involved. Our family is a bit wealthy, and they have some cultivators under them to ensure their safety. That would have attracted one of the dozen princes' eyes and approached them. I believe they were because, in the last few years, we've declined a lot, and this is why I am here."

"Woah," Jing gasped. "Isn't it telling how important and complicated the fight for the throne was if it affected even you? Someone who couldn't be any more distant from it."

"That's true," Wang Fei smiled in recognition.

"So," Jing continued, "Who was that old man who was with you? Elder Zheng."

"Ah, that!" Wang Fei suddenly said with a high-pitched voice as if surprised by the question. "It's just a cultivator in the Wang family that is close to us." When he finally finished his words, his face was flushed and looked terribly embarrassed.

Naturally, Jing didn't believe his words, but he didn't press on as it was obvious he didn't want to talk about it. "Here we are," he said, his gaze lingering on the majestic pagoda rising several stories high, its dark green roofs standing out against the azure sky.

Each tier of the pagoda was adorned with intricate carvings depicting scenes of ancient legends and spiritual symbolism, while vibrant splashes of gold and crimson added a touch of grandeur to its elegant structure. The building looked especially majestic under the hot afternoon sun and the beautiful cloud-filled blue skies.