Chapter 111 - Arc 8: Wuling Immortal Sect | Chapter 111: Living At Xiaolu Peak
Translator: Lynn
Xu Ziqing was once again astonished by Senior Brother Yun’s meticulousness. Gratitude filled his heart as he thanked, “Thank you, Senior Brother Yun.” He looked at Yun Lie with a newfound admiration.
From that moment on, he had a true home—a cave on the top of the mountain, with good teachers and friends. This world no longer felt foreign to him, and his heart found its anchor.
Xu Ziqing closed his eyes slightly, and when he opened them again, a faint blue light flickered, a sign that his state of mind had ascended to a higher level. As he gazed upon the barren hills once more, they appeared different, and he was now determined to turn Xiaolu Peak into an excellent place for cultivation.
As they continued their ascent, the path became more winding, and the terrain rougher. Strange rocks and large bare stones adorned the landscape, offering potential sites to establish caves.
Before long, they reached the summit, which was round and blunt, in contrast to the steep cliffs of Xiaozhu Peak. The foothold was somewhat narrow, sufficient for people to walk, but not spacious enough for sword practice.
At this moment, Yun Lie instructed, “Step back.”
Understanding, Xu Ziqing rose into the air, hovering a few feet away, balancing himself on the green leaves.
Yun Lie, too, soared above the sky on his sword. He pointed his fingers, and a flying sword with an awe-inspiring aura materialized in his palm. He swung the sword, unleashing a tremendous blade that was tens of feet long, and it descended with great force.
“Boom!”
In front of Xu Ziqing’s eyes, the summit of Xiaolu Peak split instantly from the force of the blade! Countless rocks fell and rolled down the peak, but before reaching the bottom, they were shattered by the scattered sword energy, leaving only debris and dust scattered in the surroundings.
The sword’s might had transformed the peak into an outstanding dojo. A smooth, towering mountain wall stood tall, resembling a massive sword soaring into the sky, emanating an unparalleled sharpness and grandeur. The lower part of the peak had been cleared by the sword energy, creating a vast flat space of approximately ten miles in radius.
Witnessing this astonishing scene, Xu Ziqing looked down, realizing that Xiaolu Peak had taken shape in an instant, and it appeared even more imposing than before.
Yun Lie didn’t stop there. He raised two fingers and pointed the sword, sending out another powerful sword gang. The sword gang rapidly shot towards a wide area beneath the mountain wall, and with a “Pa!” sound, it created a hole more than ten feet high and nearly ten feet wide. The inside seemed to be quite flat, and a strong aura burst forth, filling the entire cave in an instant.
As spiritual energy rushed out, it formed a dense fog on the top of the peak, which swiftly transformed into clouds, giving the peak a surreal appearance—a fairyland on earth.
Xu Ziqing was enthralled by this sight. Now it was his turn to open up his cave. The third-order spiritual vein ran through the mountain, but its length varied, so most of it was located on the mountainside.
The spiritual veins twisted and turned, forming several nodes with the strongest spiritual energy—ideal places to open up caves where the spiritual energy gathered. Xu Ziqing extended his consciousness into the mountain, quickly comprehending the veins’ intricate patterns and memorizing them. After some thought, he chose a location close to the peak.
He reasoned that although Yun Lie possessed exceptional talent and had realized sword intent at a young age, the world was vast, and there could be others just as powerful. Despite having established his foundation, from the perspective of the broader world, he was merely an ordinary disciple who had barely entered the inner sect. If he were to encounter someone else who had realized sword intent in the future, his limited knowledge would be of little help.
Moreover, while he was fortunate to have an excellent master, their attributes were different. To truly progress in his practice, he had to work hard on his own. Since Yun Lie was so kind to allow him to disturb his practice, he felt obligated to train diligently and live up to his senior brother’s expectations.
Choosing to live below the peak, Xu Ziqing would have the opportunity to temper his will by resisting the overflow of Yun Lie’s sword intent during his training. This would prepare him for encounters with others who had realized sword intent in the future, ensuring his soul wouldn’t easily waver.
Determined, Xu Ziqing pointed to his chosen spot and asked Yun Lie, “I would like to open up the cave there. What do you think, Senior Brother Yun?”
Yun Lie agreed, “That’s a good choice. There’s already a large cave dug there. Go and settle down quickly, and join me on my peak tomorrow morning for sword practice. Don’t slack off.”
Xu Ziqing had initially thought he would have to excavate the cave by himself, but Yun Lie’s unexpected assistance filled him with gratitude. Upon hearing his senior brother’s instruction, Xu Ziqing’s expression turned serious, and he replied, “Brother Yun, please don’t worry. I’ll be there on time tomorrow morning!” Pleased with his disciple’s commitment, Yun Lie nodded and headed toward his peak.
Xu Ziqing didn’t delay, swiftly turning around and making his way to his newly built cave.
The following day, Xu Ziqing woke up from his meditation and glanced at the sky. It wasn’t yet time for his appointment with Senior Brother Yun, so he decided to rest in the cave for a while longer.
During his initial arrival at Xianmen, Xu Ziqing had been startled, leaving him without the chance to use any means when entering the cave. However, he had managed to settle down, intending to meditate on the coercion of heaven and earth during Senior Brother Yun’s alchemy sessions, thus enhancing his state of mind and fortifying his will.
After several hours passed, he woke up just in time to examine his new residence.
The power of Yun Lie’s sword had been so tremendous that it had smashed the mountain wall and excavated a massive cave capable of accommodating hundreds of people. The cave appeared quite empty, with nothing but smooth stone walls bearing the marks of the sword’s impact. The ground was littered with limestone flakes, making it rather messy.
Xu Ziqing sat down in the cave last night, and upon rising, he found himself covered in dust.
Since he would likely be residing here for many years to come, Xu Ziqing couldn’t leave it in such a state. He immediately clasped his palms together, emitting a burst of blue light that filled the entire cave.
As the blue light dissipated, green vines began to grow on the barren mountain wall, their branches and leaves spreading out. Although there were no blooming flowers, the sight was refreshing. Some vines climbed to the top of the cave, entwining and hanging down at the entrance, creating a curtain-like appearance that both protected and veiled the cave’s interior.
As the vines emerged, the dust at the cave’s bottom vanished, leaving it impeccably clean.
Immortal cultivators were not fond of ostentation, and Xu Ziqing, with his gentle temperament, decided to beautify the cave further. He flicked a few seeds with his fingers, and as a blue light emerged, the seeds quickly took root and grew rapidly. In no time, several impressive giant trees rose, supporting the cave’s roof.
The canopy of these trees resembled clouds, and their branches spread out, quickly dividing the cave’s interior. From the outside, it appeared vibrant and alive, while from the inside, it held a unique charm. Green grass covered the cave’s floor, and several low wooden branches were intertwined, forming makeshift benches that seemed untidy but natural, exuding a wild allure.
Xu Ziqing surveyed the transformed cave and contemplated it privately.
Suddenly, several loud eagle cries echoed in the cave.
Excitedly, he turned around and saw a black-feathered eagle with golden feathers fluttering upwards. Although still a bit unsteady, the eagle seemed more awake today and less exhausted than the previous day.
“Chonghua!” Xu Ziqing couldn’t help but call out.
The eagle moved up and down, attempting to fly for a while before finally reaching Xu Ziqing and nestling into his arms, looking somewhat distressed.
Amused by Chonghua’s actions, Xu Ziqing gently stroked its head and neck feathers, soothingly saying, “Don’t worry, once you cultivate to a higher level, you can return to your place again.” Chonghua raised its head and made a soft sound.
Whenever Xu Ziqing spoke to it, Chonghua would rub its head against his palm and act affectionately, displaying its cuteness.
After spending some time with its master, Xu Ziqing remembered something. He took out more than ten cyan animal pills from his storage ring, placed them on a leaf, and put them on the ground next to Chonghua. Then, he brought the eagle close and said in a calm voice, “Chonghua, you must have consumed a lot of energy. You need to replenish it.”
In response, Chonghua uttered a few cries, grabbed a beast pill, and swiftly swallowed it.
Given its current weakened state, it would take quite some time for Chonghua to recover without external aid. After consuming the beast pill, Chonghua’s body became infused with monster energy, and its spirit visibly improved.
Feeling relieved, Xu Ziqing suddenly remembered the items Master had given him, so he probed his consciousness into the storage bag. To his delight, he found a flying sword inside, which turned out to be a low-grade spiritual weapon! Given his current foundation-building cultivation base, this was already the best magical weapon he could wield, and it showed the Master’s immense care and love.
Further inspecting the contents, Xu Ziqing discovered several jade slips with various introductions about the Wuling Immortal Sect, miscellaneous studies on tree species, common knowledge, and more. There were also a few jade bottles containing pills suitable for the foundation-building period.
However, what excited Xu Ziqing the most was a bottle of Beast Spirit Pill. These pills were meant for animal pets, and it seemed that Master had never prepared them before. But now, witnessing Chonghua’s fondness for him, Master decided to gift it to him. Notably, the quality of this Beast Spirit Pill surpassed the ones Xu Ziqing had obtained from the Loose Cultivator Alliance before. The pills from the alliance were low-grade, whereas this bottle of Beast Spirit Pills seemed to be of at least middle-grade quality.
Overjoyed, Xu Ziqing poured out a pill from the bottle and placed it on the leaf next to Chonghua.
Chonghua’s senses were aroused by the pill’s enticing aroma, and it promptly woke up, fixating its bird-like pupils on the pill.
Xu Ziqing smiled and said, “After absorbing the previous beast pill, you can take this Beast Spirit Pill, Chonghua. But be cautious; don’t be too eager and rush into consuming too much.”
As the time of Maoshi approached, Xu Ziqing decided not to delay any further. He bid a few more words of advice to Chonghua and then quickly left the cave, heading straight to the peak. As he stepped on the peak, he looked up and noticed the plain-clothed man stepping out of his own cave.
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