After my conversation with Shan Sha, I returned to the inner Sect, heading straight for the mansion grounds.
As I entered the yard, the tallic gate emitted an obnoxiously loud groan—precisely as I had designed it to—making it impossible to ignore. This wasn't just a random noise but a signal to the entire mansion that I had returned, a security asure I'd implented to prevent unwanted intrusions.
The sun was high in the sky, signaling midday. The blistering heat typical of the approaching sumr was thankfully tempered by the protective arrays we had strategically placed around the area. These arrays, including the Borderline Evernight Array, Thousand Divine Breath Array, and the Demonic Cloud Everwinter Array, cast a soothing, cool shade over the grounds.
Despite their badass-sounding nas, the arrays were diocre and easy to cast.
As I entered, I noticed Song Song in the yard, seated in a ditative pose next to Speedy. It was an unusual sight, given that she was supposed to be in indoor cultivation.
"Are you done with your indoor cultivation already? So soon?" I asked, my curiosity piqued as the heavy door to the mansion creaked shut behind .
"Spending all day in darkness is boring, so I plan to slowly get used to it. How do those geezers spend years—and even decades—locked up in indoor cultivation?" Song Song asked, looking rather annoyed.
"I've heard so spend centuries in indoor training, especially the Core Elders or Nascent Soul Cultivators," I replied.
I'd never thought about it before, but now that Song Song ntioned it, spending so much ti alone in a dark room with no source of entertainnt would be hell for most people—especially doing so for years.
No wonder so cultivators ended up crazy. Also, that kind of thing wouldn't bode well for the Princess of ntal Instability here. The less ti Song Song spent in her own head, the better it was for everyone. Who knew what ssed-up things she could co up with on her own?
"Anyway, how was your visit to your friends in the outer sect?" Song Song asked. She didn't care, but she had learned basic manners and courtesy.
"Nothing much happened," I shrugged and sat beside her, patting Speedy's shell. "Except for that whole conspiracy by a monstrous beast on the third floor who was brainwashing people. It was actually sothing set up by a cultivator in the past to try and body-snatch soone."
"What?" Song Song opened her eyes and looked at , confused.
"Well, I'm close to a breakthrough myself."
"Okay, that's good. But I think we should go back a bit and talk about that whole conspiracy thing again," Song Song said.
"Really? But that's already old news," I shrugged.
She knew I was egging her on; sadly, Song Song had matured and didn't fall for my bait. Nobody could trick her so easily anymore. She wouldn't get angry unless she allowed herself to. Which was good overall, but it made it harder to tease her now.
"Any other news?" she asked, raising a questioning brow.
"Well, I'm close to a breakthrough, so there's that," I shrugged.
"Yes, I know…" her lips thinned. She knew this was a ga between us and stayed in control, "You'd do well to rember that I'm still a Foundation Establishnt Cultivator and can sense how strong soone is. Inadvertently being able to sense their cultivation level and how close they are to the next breakthrough is a basic ability for most at my stage."
Indeed, Song Song's sensitivity to Qi was already remarkable; her recent breakthrough had only amplified this ability.
"How far can you even sense?" I asked.
"Pretty far. For example, I can sense that your friend, Hu Jin, is using the arena in the inner Sect," Song Song replied. "He's fighting a seven-star Qi Gathering Cultivator and sowhat winning."
She could sense things far away. It was far beyond what the usual Foundation establishnt Cultivator should be able to feel.
I was also curious about who Hu Jin could be fighting. Perhaps it was just so young master he'd pissed off, or maybe soone more important. But despite my curiosity, I stayed in place; this whole thing could be a pitfall.
"Well, that guy's like a can of cats. Best to steer clear, or you might end up with a scratch," I remarked casually, leaning on Speedy and beginning my cultivation.
I felt the Qi gather and filter through my spiritual roots before becoming my own.
…
Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
After an entire day of cultivating, I went to one of the food stands in the evening to get sothing to eat.
It wasn't one of those fancy restaurants in the inner Sect but more of a humble food stall, made of wood and about the size of a cheap New York apartnt. It was run by servants and disciples who made dishes from their holand, offering a variety of food from the White Tiger Continent.
The aroma of sizzling ats and exotic spices wafted through the air, enticing hungry, rich disciples to part with their not-so-hard-earned spirit stones.
The area resembled a makeshift convenience store designed specifically for food. Plates of various dishes were ticulously arranged behind an intricate array that functioned both as a display and a barrier. The array itself was cleverly constructed, with sections designated for different types of cuisine, reflecting a thoughtful approach to maximizing space while catering to diverse culinary preferences.
Many strange places were erected by disciples or elders in the inner Sect; one just had to be willing to explore them.
"I heard that the red-haired guy fought so foreigner cultivator in the arena," said one of the shop's custors, a plain-looking young girl with long dark hair tied in a ponytail. She was accompanied by another girl with wavy hair and freckles.
"Well, I heard sothing similar. Though they said it was his fiancée who broke the engagent. People said they killed each other," said the wavy-haired girl.
In true xianxia fashion, a guy intervened in their conversation. "Those are lies! My cousin has a friend who watched them fight, and they say they kissed at the end of the fight."
Oh, scandalous—I thought, before picking up my food, paying my due, and walking out. There was no need to stick around and listen to silly rumors.
Hu Jin was always at the center of many rumors and was in the spotlight everywhere. It seed like he'd had so fight with his fiancée—or perhaps his ex-fiancée now. Who knew? This fight could have ended with them falling in love for so reason.
Cultivators were weird like that. It would have been pri entertainnt if Hu Jin hadn't been a black hole of trouble.
…
Days passed, and everyone soon forgot about Hu Jin and his fiancée. The latest rumor was about him getting involved with Zun Gon and so rival elders of his. Apparently, Hu Jin created a pill that impressed everyone.
Of course, none of this had anything to do with . I sat ditatively in the yard, with Speedy behind and Song Song beside .
Little by little, Qi was ticulously filtered through my spirit roots, the process gradual yet steady. Suddenly, there was a cold flux akin to an intense wave of mint crashing against my entire body. It was refreshing, enveloping in a vivid sensation as if I could breathe through my skin.
Just like that, I knew I had broken through to two-star Qi Gathering. It wasn't cinematic. There were no crowds to celebrate my breakthrough, and it wasn't that hard.
"Congratulations," Song Song said, opening one eye and sending a smile my way before returning to her cultivation.
I, on the other hand, stopped cultivating and rested a bit. I patted Speedy's sleepy head, feeling his rough scales. This little guy could handle attacks from Foundation Establishnt monstrous beasts, and I had been working on an array with him in mind.
As I contemplated, the wind picked up around Song Song, carrying a scent of blood. She opened her eyes, smiling.
"Congratulations on reaching three-star Foundation Establishnt," I said.
But seriously, what was up with that talent? She had literally just broken through to two-star Foundation Establishnt. Sure, she worked hard, but lots of people worked hard. Her cultivation speed was borderline at the level of Extre Physiques, and it didn't seem like it was slowing down anyti soon.
"How many spirit roots do you possess?" I couldn't help but ask, my curiosity piqued.
"Officially, it's eighty-six," she replied shortly, not going into much detail.
"What about unofficially?"
"It's rude to ask a cultivator those things," she pouted.
"Wait, it's actually more?" I inquired, now more curious than ever. Usually, spirit roots were counted when the cultivator was young. aning she had sohow increased her spirit roots. "How did you increase your spirit root count?"
Song Song went quiet at first as if wondering whether she should tell . But in the end, she trusted quite a bit. "Through so borderline demonic rituals. Though, there are usually steep drawbacks."
"Really?" I rubbed my chin, feeling a sense of excitent at learning sothing new. I had guessed that, theoretically, it should be possible, but I never could think of a way. "Did you get any of those drawbacks too?"
I couldn't understand why she bothered increasing her spiritual roots when she was already a top-grade talent. But I had enough social skills to realize she didn't want to discuss this.
"Not . My ritual was top grade and not sothing you can replicate," Song Song said.
I was about to ask many more questions and details as a sense of excitent danced in my heart. But when I saw the look on her face, I imdiately dropped the issue.
For so reason, she really didn’t want to talk about this.
“Anyway, have you heard about that expedition the four great sects will jointly participate in?” I asked, deciding to change the subject.
Whether Song Song noticed or not, she didn’t object and nodded. “Yes. I’ve already secured a couple of spots for us. You would have had to go anyway since you’re our Sect’s monstrous beast specialist, and the Sect wants to show you off.”
Well, I was going to go regardless. My cousins had heard rumors that the place they were going to was actually so kind of inheritance from an immortal.
People often exaggerated rumors, so I took that with a grain of salt.
But I had never been to any inheritance or ruin site of that caliber. I couldn’t help but be curious about what arrays those old folk used. Perhaps it wasn’t arrays at all! A whole new branch of cultivation could be lost to ti, just waiting to be rediscovered!
It was fascinating just reading about ancient cultivators, not to ntion actually being in one of their ruins and investigating it!
“Well, you seem happy,” Song Song comnted from the sidelines, a smile dancing on her lips.
Reviews
All reviews (0)