Father Chen didn't go into detail, but Chen Yu could guess the general reason.
He had been at the sect for almost three years, and aside from a little gold and silver and other worldly possessions, the family hadn't provided him with any real resources.
Although the Chen family was a worldly family, they were still one of the three major families in Xiangyang City.
As a prominent family in the area, they were somewhat able to grasp some of the "transcendental resources" of the sect world, such as grade essence stones and some spiritual objects and rare materials.
But.
Chen Yu had received almost no support in this regard.
So where did all the transcendental resources go?
The answer was obvious.
Chen Ying'er, the family head's daughter with a Spiritual Body, was apprenticed to a sect elder; at just fourteen years old, she had reached the late-stage meridian passage... she possessed too many auras!
Clearly, she had already become the Chen family's "Heavenly Pride Girl."
"The common body refining liquid will have to suffice for now since my current body refining realm isn't high."
Chen Yu took the medicinal materials and reassured his father instead.
Father Chen was frustrated and ashamed that he couldn't get a good body refining formula for his son.
After receiving the materials for the "civilian formula," Chen Yu immediately returned to his room, mixed and ground them into a pile of medicinal powder.
This pile of medicinal powder would dissolve in hot water during bathing to become a body refining liquid.
However.
Before Chen Yu could prepare the "body refining liquid," an unexpected guest barged in.
"My cheap cousin, come out quickly!"
A rude and bossy female voice came from outside the door.
The visitor was naturally Chen Ying'er.
Chen Ying'er wore a black martial artist's outfit, her beautiful face and graceful figure exuding a certain heroic spirit.
"Ying'er, what do you mean by this?"
Chen Yu slowly walked out, speaking with displeasure.
This girl had taken all the resources and was so bossy, Chen Yu naturally wasn't pleased.
"Hmph! How dare you."
Chen Ying'er's apricot eyes widened, a look of indignation on her face, "Father said I should guide your cultivation when I have the time."
"So what?"
Chen Yu found it baffling.
"But—you're a useless cousin who doesn't even take the initiative to ask for guidance! Don't you know that those protectors and elders in the family all humbly seek guidance from me, and I can't even be bothered to care?"
Chen Ying'er spoke in a continuous stream, leaving Chen Yu dumbfounded.
Take the initiative... to seek guidance?
Chen Yu finally understood and rolled his eyes directly.
This little cousin, worthy of being the Heavenly Pride Girl, was held in the palm of the entire family, overly arrogant.
Since he didn't take the initiative to seek guidance, he was to be criticized.
Perhaps the family head, his uncle, had good intentions, wanting to let Chen Ying'er, an inner sect disciple, impart some experience to him.
"Alright, how do you plan to guide me?"
Chen Yu asked with a composed smile, temporarily holding back the words "I never said I wanted your guidance."
Suddenly.
He truly wanted to experience the strength of Chen Ying'er, this top disciple of an elder, and also learn about the Water Moon Sect.
There were four major sects inheriting in Chu Country, among which Yunyue Sect and Water Moon Sect were included.
Chen Yu had heard before that the martial arts heritage of the Water Moon Sect had its own uniqueness, with most of its disciples being female.
"It's very simple."
Chen Ying'er's arrogance faded all at once when it came to "guidance," becoming serious, "I'll suppress my cultivation to the early-stage meridian passage like yours; we'll spar while I point out your inadequacies."
Seeing her serious demeanor, Chen Yu felt a bit guilty and uncertain inside.
Perhaps this girl really came with sincere intentions to guide.
Fortunately, the words "I didn't ask for your guidance" were not spoken out; otherwise, it would have been hard to predict how angry this Heavenly Pride Girl would become, possibly alarming the entire family.
"Alright then."
Chen Yu nodded straightforwardly.
The two of them then moved to a martial stage within the family.
The Chen family's attendants were quite quick to react, spreading the news of their sparring to the family leaders swiftly.
Thus, as soon as they arrived at the martial stage, there were already some elders present.
The family head, Father Chen, Mother Chen, and some others had mostly arrived, showing interest in looking at the two in the martial stage.
The two in the martial stage had extremely different expressions.
Chen Ying'er stood with her hands behind her back, looking like an old teacher.
Chen Yu, on the other hand, appeared calm and relaxed, with a faint smile.
"Let's begin. You attack first, use your strongest attack, attack me as much as you want."
Chen Ying'er said impatiently.
"Be careful then."
Chen Yu took a light breath, channeling the "Cloud Evil Internal Breath" within him. An invisible wave of energy and a faint evil Qi wafted out.
Hmm?
The characteristic and oppressive feeling of that internal breath surprised some of the elders present.
"Looking at this internal breath, it seems Yu'er is practicing something other than ordinary cultivation techniques."
Father Chen and Mother Chen exchanged a glance.
As a major family in Xiangyang City, the Chen family had a core leadership mostly with a martial foundation.
At this moment, even Chen Ying'er showed a hint of a strange expression.
"Iron Plow Fist!"
Chen Yu swung his fist, the Cloud Evil Internal Breath roaring in his fist. The Great Success of the Iron Plow Fist was like thunder and torrential rain.
Simultaneously.
His legs unconsciously performed the "Cloud Stepping."
In the blink of an eye, Chen Yu's punch, under the drive of internal breath and footwork, was already upon Chen Ying'er.
"Tricks!"
Chen Ying'er smirked, a slender hand stirred up an ethereal, water-like internal breath, blocking Chen Yu's strike.
Boom!
A fist and palm clashed in mid-air, strangely stagnant.
The scene appeared as if a chunk of iron was caught in a vortex of water, intertwined together.
"Hmm?"
Chen Yu felt his powerful punch seemed to be trapped in cotton, unable to exert any force. He sensed a portion of his strength being diverted.
But the mid-air standoff only lasted for less than a blink of an eye.
The iron and vortex of water had to either smash through the water flow or be swept away by the vortex.
In a blink of an eye.
Chen Ying'er's face turned slightly red, a hint of surprise in her bright eyes, her mouth slightly open.
Bang!
A powerful Qi Force exploded between the two.
At a critical moment, Chen Yu, with his significant size and weight, had his iron smash through the vortex's pull.
Teng!
Chen Ying'er's figure drifted back a few yards. As Chen Yu's punch broke through, a powerful surge of internal breath erupted from her.
Step, step, step!
Chen Yu was forced back two or three steps by the surge of powerful internal breath.
As it turned out.
At the decisive moment, Chen Ying'er's internal breath surged past the early-stage, reaching mid-stage and even approaching late-stage meridian passage.
"Impossible! My Water Circle Technique is practiced to the third layer, and with the same internal breath, I'm unmatched..."
Chen Ying'er stood still with a puzzled expression.
Additionally, there was a fiery sensation coming from her hand.
The scene of their clash surprised the onlookers.
Both were from the sect, especially Chen Ying'er from the inner sect, with cultivation techniques far more profound than ordinary worldly martial artists.
Of course.
The real surprise was that with equal cultivation, Chen Yu managed to hold the upper hand, forcing Chen Ying'er to employ a higher cultivation.
"Haha! Yu'er's strength is indeed beyond expectation. It seems the rules for this spar need to be adjusted."
Family Head Chen Tianwei's laughter resonated.
At this moment, the family head was in turmoil—his previously ignored, once forgotten little nephew had such strength.
One must know.
Over the years, he had devotedly favored Chen Ying'er with resources, and ignored Chen Yu entirely.
And yet this duel contradicted everyone's expectations.
The present family elders and leaders might question his previous "bias."
Chen Tianwei couldn't allow his prestige to be diminished.
"Oh? How should the rules be changed?"
Everyone turned their gaze to Family Head Chen Tianwei.
"Yu'er, it seems you've actually practiced a body refining technique, along with notable internal breath; you're already capable of fighting Ying'er. For this spar, let's not limit the cultivation levels."
Chen Tianwei first praised Chen Yu, then casually changed the rules.
"But, I previously..."
Chen Ying'er began to say something, but she was silenced by her foster father Chen Tianwei's gaze.
"Alright, Cousin Chen Yu, I must remove the words 'useless.' Ying'er has indeed underestimated you, but from now on, Ying'er won't hold back."
A powerful determination emerged in Chen Ying'er's eyes.
Whoosh!
She slowly waved her arms, and a surge of internal breath surpassing Chen Yu's emerged from her graceful figure.
The formidable internal breath had clearly reached the late-stage, even nearing the apex of the meridian passage.
Chen Yu's face also turned serious.
At this moment, Chen Ying'er was the strongest opponent he had faced since entering the sect.
Chen Ying'er's strength surpassed Wang Lingyun and even Le Feng during the battle with the Bear King.
"Water Circle Thirteen Forms!"
Chen Ying'er emanated a powerful internal breath, her graceful form leaving a trail as her jade hand stirred a turbulent flow of internal breath like flowing water, at times tumultuous, at times fierce, occasionally like a mysterious whirlpool of the deep lake.
Bang! Bang!
After just a couple of exchanges, Chen Yu's figure was pushed back a few steps.
"What strong internal breath! The variation of these moves is truly fast."
Chen Yu confirmed that his opponent's main martial art might not be inferior to his "Cloud Evil Fist" and was more versatile.
With his early-stage meridian passage internal breath, if not for his strength, speed, and response being robust, he might have been knocked to the ground.
"Copper Skin."
Chen Yu took a deep breath and suddenly activated "Copper Statue Technique," causing his skin and muscles to exhibit a deep copper hue.
In an instant.
His body expanded slightly in a surprising way, akin to a bronze statue.
Bang!
Chen Yu's strength and defense surged significantly, his fists resembled copper balls, fiercely clashing with Chen Ying'er several times.
"What!"
Chen Ying'er felt that every clash seemed to strike a bronze wall.
The Chen Yu in sight seemed to transform into a powerful bronze man in that moment, each strike carrying immense force.
Bang! Bang!
Each clash numbed Chen Ying'er's hands.
In terms of internal breath, she did suppress Chen Yu. However, in terms of physicality, strength, and defense, she was far inferior to Chen Yu.
"So strong!"
"What kind of body refining method is this, so powerful?"
Some family elders and leaders around the martial stage were highly astonished.
Even though, at present, Chen Yu hadn't gained a clear advantage, just matching a late-stage meridian passage Chen Ying'er while at the early-stage was astounding.
"Didn't they say Chen Yu had average talent? Over the years, it seems the family didn't really provide him with many resources."
Some of the family elders and leaders couldn't help but mutter.
This spectacle seemed like an invisible slap on the face of Family Head Chen Tianwei, leaving a burning sensation.