In the world of immortal cultivation, prodigies are countless, yet many meet untimely ends. The sect leader and four or five elders spent a full hour examining the gravely injured Mu Zhanting. They reluctantly concluded that a disciple in the Qi Condensation stage, struck by a Foundation Establishment-level poisoned needle, would have the poison enter their sea of qi. While not fatal, without the intervention of a Nascent Soul cultivator to remove the toxins, the victim would never achieve Foundation Establishment.
Not only in Yangyue Sect but in the entire Mortal State, Nascent Soul cultivators were rare. This verdict essentially declared Mu Zhanting’s cultivation career over.
“Ah Yan, isn’t this what they call ‘the doorway grows cold and visitors become scarce when the eldest daughter marries a merchant’?” Mu Zhanting quipped.
“That’s quite fitting,” Nan Yan replied, her face propped up by her hand, looking even more distressed than a merchant’s wife. She kept muttering, “You shouldn’t have—”
“Stop,” Mu Zhanting interrupted, flipping over on his bed like a pancake. “You’ve said it twenty times already. I’ll say it once more: I never regret the fights I pick.”
His personality mirrored that of a wandering knight—reckless when he could win, quick to retreat when outmatched, carefree to a fault.
Nan Yan persisted, “What if they take advantage of your misfortune? I don’t know how many people you’ve offended in the inner sect—”
“Everyone except the sect leader’s daughter,” Mu Zhanting replied nonchalantly.
Nan Yan was speechless. “You’re something else,” she thought.
Soon after, someone knocked on Mu Zhanting’s door. It was an inner sect disciple, smiling politely but delivering a cold message: “I hate to disturb your recovery, but your quarters are next to the sect leader’s daughter’s chambers. Yesterday, the sect leader’s wife mentioned that Miss Xue is of marriageable age. For the sake of her reputation, we kindly ask you to recuperate elsewhere.”
Before his injury, no one had ever suggested that living nearby affected the sect leader’s daughter’s reputation.
Nan Yan muttered, “It seems you’ve offended even the sect leader’s daughter.”
When Mu Zhanting, bedding in tow, went with Nan Yan to knock on Qi Yang’s door, Qi Yang had just emerged from a brief period of seclusion, looking slightly weary.
“Can you save him?” Nan Yan asked.
Qi Yang retorted, “Do you think I’m omnipotent?”
Nan Yan and Mu Zhanting nodded in unison.
Qi Yang sighed. “Come in,” he said.
While Qi Yang checked Mu Zhanting’s pulse, Nan Yan diligently cleaned up the wood shavings scattered across the floor, then sat obediently to the side.
“The poison has entered your sea of qi. The sect leader must have told you that with this poison, you have no hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment,” Qi Yang explained. Then, his tone shifted. “However, since the weapon was partially blocked before entering your body, all hope isn’t lost. The Mortal State may be poor in resources but don’t take the sect leader’s words as absolute. To my knowledge, if you can find the venom of a third-rank Wuti Snake within three months, there’s a 30% chance of using poison to counteract poison.”
“What about the other 70%?” Mu Zhanting asked.
“If the worst happens, we can find you a nice burial spot,” Qi Yang replied dryly.
Mu Zhanting remained unperturbed. “Thirty percent is enough. How did you become so knowledgeable?”
Qi Yang responded flatly, “If you put down your idiom dictionary and poetry books and read more about Shenzhou geography, you’d be just as well-informed.”
A third-rank Wuti Snake was equivalent to a cultivator who had just reached Foundation Establishment. Given that demonic beasts were naturally stronger, even human cultivators of the same level could easily overpower Mu Zhanting.
Acknowledging the difficulty, Qi Yang suggested, “For now, we could try our luck at the Huigu hunting grounds. If fortune favors us, we might be able to purchase some snake venom with spirit stones.”
Suddenly remembering Fu Lang’s apparent descent into demonic possession, Nan Yan worried they might further harm Mu Zhanting. She proposed, “I’m thinking of leaving the sect. Want to join me?”
Qi Condensation stage outer disciples could leave the sect by paying a fee in spirit stones. Although Mu Zhanting wasn’t an outer disciple, given the sect’s current attitude towards him, they likely wouldn’t object to his departure.
Being an unaffiliated cultivator was an option, free from internal sect conflicts.
Mu Zhanting seemed tempted but shook his head. “Yangyue Sect hasn’t wronged me. Leaving like this wouldn’t be right. But you have a point—I’m tired of seeing those troublemakers. If this Huigu trip allows me to repay the sect, I’ll leave.”
Nan Yan immediately praised his sense of honor, inflating Mu Zhanting’s ego.
“Nan Yan, come out. We need to talk,” Qi Yang suddenly said after listening for a while.
Nan Yan tensed, her childlike intuition sensing Qi Yang’s displeasure beneath his calm tone. Following him to the courtyard, she asked softly, “Shao Cang, what’s wrong?”
“When you leave, do you plan to become an unaffiliated cultivator or return to mortal life?”
Nan Yan couldn’t bring herself to answer directly. Head lowered, she whispered, “I miss my mother.”
It was understandable. Her initial goal in coming to the sect was to find medicine for her mother, but things hadn’t gone as planned.
“I’m about to dissipate. I’d rather use your life to protect my daughter’s,” Qi Yang recalled Nan Yan’s mother’s words. He believed she wasn’t lying; otherwise, she wouldn’t have used something as power-consuming as the Shared Fate Lock to bind him to protect Nan Yan.
But Nan Yan would likely be heartbroken to learn this.
Qi Yang lowered his gaze, softening his tone. “If you’ve made up your mind, I won’t force you to stay. Is Huigu close to where your mother settled?”
Nan Yan looked up. “Yes, it is. My mother returned to our old house in Kong State. We could make it back for the Mid-Autumn Festival.”
Qi Yang paused before saying, “I’ll accompany you… to give your mother an explanation, at least.”
Nan Yan, who had been holding back her feelings, felt a wave of relief. She shook Qi Yang’s hand, saying, “I plan to stay with my mother in Kong State. If your cultivation succeeds and you pass by Kong State in the future, come visit me!”
“So you’ve always wanted to return home,” Qi Yang said, patting her head gently. “It’s a pity. I had hoped you’d stay by my side.”
Moonlight spilled across the scene, casting shadows through the bamboo. The young man maintained his usual reserved demeanor, but his words carried deeper meaning.
“Stop right there!” Nan Yan exclaimed.
“Hmm?”
Nan Yan backed away, saying, “If I stay near you too long, I’ll lose my sense of propriety! Seriously!”
With that, she vanished.
Qi Yang stood still for a long time, silently mouthing her name. His expression held a touch of sorrow.
On the first day of the eighth lunar month, Yangyue Sect sent three Foundation Establishment elders to lead a group to the Huigu region. Among them were over a dozen inner disciples and more than sixty outer disciples, including Mu Zhanting. Although some mocked him during the journey, none dared to act against him.
After all, even if he couldn’t reach the Foundation Establishment, he was still a late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator with an innate spirit root. Few could match him, except for the inner disciples.
The airship carrying the Yangyue Sect disciples was three hundred feet long, soaring through the sky like a massive beast. It was Nan Yan’s first time at such a high altitude, and she clung to the railing, mesmerized by the vast sea of clouds and birds flying through the layers.
She had thought her sect’s airship was large, but as they approached Huigu, other sects’ flying vessels came into view. There were giant birds with scales that could carry hundreds, ships three times the size of Yangyue Sect’s, and even groups of three to five Foundation Establishment cultivators riding together on a single bronze bowl-shaped magical artifact.
“We’re almost there! Everyone, hold onto the railings!”
As they prepared to descend, a Foundation Establishment cultivator suddenly shouted, “It’s the Small Cloud Chariot! Make way! All disciples, bow your heads!”
In an instant, the sky cleared. Even massive flying beasts and imposing tower ships scattered like startled birds. Nan Yan, curious despite the order, peeked up. She saw the clouds part, revealing a four-legged beast resembling a lion-tiger hybrid. It descended majestically, pulling a misty jade carriage. The procession glided past the stunned cultivators and vanished into the clouds below.
After a long silence, the airship resumed its descent. Excited whispers broke out.
“That was the Heavenly Small Cloud Chariot from the Upper State. The passenger must be a special envoy. Their presence in Huigu suggests something unusual this year.”
“The Upper State’s grandeur is unmatched. That cloud beast alone was likely at the peak of Core Formation. Imagine the aura of the true Imperial Cloud Carriage!”
“Ha! You’ll never see that in your lifetime. It’s the Emperor’s sacred conveyance.”
As discussions continued, the airship landed before a ravine. Nan Yan looked up to see a misty valley. Despite the bright day around them, the valley floor was shrouded in gloomy fog. Lush forests were barely visible, with occasional beast roars echoing out.
Numerous other sects’ vessels had landed, but the Small Cloud Chariot was nowhere to be seen. The valley entrance was crowded with three to four thousand people, including rogue cultivators, all eyeing the mysterious beasts and treasures within.
“The outer Huigu is known as the hunting grounds. Every year in early August, the mist recedes and fierce beasts hibernate, leaving only third-rank and below roaming. Though filled with yin energy, it nurtures many shade-loving spirit herbs. Bringing these back for refinement will yield precious elixirs.”
As cultivators listed Huigu’s benefits, a purple-robed elder gracefully stepped out of a massive tower ship. In a blink, he appeared at the valley’s entrance.
A Core Formation cultivator!
Qi Condensation cultivators felt the overwhelming pressure from this high-level expert. All eyes on him, the elder produced a compass, inscribed mystical symbols, and sent it floating skyward. A beam of light pierced the mist, slowly widening into a circular entrance.
“The Huigu hunting grounds are now open! Those below Core Formation may enter and exit freely for thirty days. You may trade your findings at the nearby market!”
With that, he vanished. Cultivators who had been waiting rushed in, some Foundation Establishment experts flying in on swords with their disciples.
“Brother Mu, we won’t wait for you. There’s plenty of trouble waiting in the hunting grounds for you to get into!”
The mocking voices of his sect-mates faded before Mu Zhanting could retort. Annoyed, he turned to find Nan Yan, only to see that Qi Yang wasn’t planning to enter.
“You’re not going?” Mu Zhanting asked.
“We don’t know the terrain. We plan to check the market for maps first. Today, with the grounds just opened and cultivators at their most energetic, it should be safe,” Qi Yang explained.
They had heard that the first day of Huigu’s opening was when yang energy peaked, with few beasts above the second rank to hunt. Qi Condensation cultivators should be safe if they stay with the group.
Nan Yan had been hesitant earlier, fearing she might lose control of her Seven Buddhas Karmic Cultivation technique in the valley’s heavy yin energy. However, she’d discovered a method to channel that energy into her pearl necklace, making it appear as ordinary spiritual power when released. The pearl even seemed to fool the technique itself, blocking its sensitivity to ghostly auras.
Reassured, Nan Yan told Qi Yang she planned to explore the outer valley with Mu Zhanting, seeking information about the Wuti Snake and gathering some spirit herbs.
Before entering, Nan Yan pulled Qi Yang aside. “Today’s the fifteenth of the eighth month. I want to visit my mother before sunset. I’ll return to bid farewell to the sect afterward.”
Qi Yang pondered briefly, then handed her a mechanical butterfly. “I’ll wait for you at the market entrance. If you can’t find me, release this butterfly.”
After making arrangements, Nan Yan and Mu Zhanting stepped into Huigu. They entered a gloomy forest, spotting flashes of spiritual light in the distance where others had likely found prey. Some cultivators flew up searching, but one was quickly swatted down by a monkey-like beast leaping from a tall cypress.
“It seems flying isn’t advisable here,” Mu Zhanting noted.
They looked around, feeling disoriented by the uniform trees. “Can we find a Wuti Snake in the outer area?” Nan Yan wondered.
“We’ll see once we’re in,” Mu Zhanting replied.
A group nearby had been observing them. A middle-aged man in gray approached, bowing slightly. “Fellow Daoists, I couldn’t help overhearing. Are you seeking a Wuti Snake?”
The man, also at late Qi Condensation, looked honest and introduced himself as Zhan Xian. He claimed to have a secret map showing a swamp where a third-rank Crimson Velvet Flower grew, guarded by a Foundation Establishment Wuti Snake. He invited them to join his group, praising Mu Zhanting’s apparent strength.
Nan Yan, wary of reading too many cultivation novels, quietly advised Mu Zhanting to conceal his true strength until they encountered the snake.
Mu Zhanting agreed though he didn’t fully grasp her caution. “Alright, you play the pig, I’ll eat the tiger,” he joked.
Exasperated, Nan Yan retorted, “Fine, go by yourself then, you stubborn mule!”