Even though Kang Fuping said that they could stay, nobody wanted to just wait around for the others to wake up. After all, who knew how long it would take for their slumbering companions to awaken?
In any case, they would not be in any danger here on Purple Plum Mountain, so there was no need to be overly concerned.
Because of that, the remaining disciples left their companions and started making their way out. Zhao Yunxiao naturally did the same, following closely behind the rest.
As everyone was leaving the Monolith Square, Kang Fuping and the other core disciples casually engaged the Sentient Light members in a light-hearted conversation. But as for the inner disciples, they could only listen from the side.
The only exception to this was Hua Shui.
Out of the various elders, Elder Feng Wanjia was the only one who did not currently have a direct disciple under her tutelage. Because of that, the most senior disciple within the Feng Faction was none other than Hua Shui.
Not wanting to leave out the Feng Faction out of respect for Elder Feng Wanjia, the core disciples would sometimes invite him along during their discussions. This inevitably allowed Hua Shui to build a closer relationship with the core disciples.
At the same time, this was also why Hua Shui had always been largely considered to wield huge influence within the sect.
"What are you looking at? Thinking of joining them as well?"
Zhao Yunxiao sighed in his heart. Even before looking over, he already recognised it as the voice of Di Jinan – face of the Shooting Suns.
One had to say that Di Jinan did not let down his fans this time, having lasted till the very end of Sentient Light's lullaby to become one of the inner disciples who remained conscious.
"Of course not. I dare not think that I will be able to understand the profundities of their conversation," Zhao Yunxiao shook his head.
"It's good that you know your limits at least!" Di Jinan scoffed. "I don't know what good fortune you chanced upon in the past that helped you last through the entire song, but don't be too full of yourself. Let me remind you that, as an outer disciple, you don't even deserve to be here today. In the end, you were only able to attend due to Senior Martial Brother Kang's consideration of trying to create exposure for outer disciples. It's a result of sympathy!"
"I'll take note of Senior Martial Brother Di's reminder," Zhao Yunxiao nodded without getting angry.
"Tch! You'd better!" Di Jinan clicked his tongue before storming off.
Zhao Yunxiao let out a helpless sigh.
He knew that Di Jinan felt some enmity towards their group ever since the New Year celebrations, and did not wish to engage further. In any case, there was nothing beneficial about antagonising an inner disciple. All that would achieve would just be making life harder for themselves in the future.
Such was the life of an outer disciple.
Just as Zhao Yunxiao was about to leave, another person walked over to approach him – someone completely out of his expectations.
The beautiful lady wore long black hair held up in a top bun with a golden hairpin, exuding elegance with every step she took.
"Ignore Junior Martial Brother Di's words; you are doing great," her gentle voice was soothing to the ears as she stepped before Zhao Yunxiao.
Frost Empress Zhang Xi.
Not only was she a core disciple, but coupled with her amazing looks, talent, and personality, she was also widely recognised as the goddess of the Black Tortoise Sect.
"Y-Yes, Senior Martial Sister Zhang! Thank you for your kind words!" Zhao Yunxiao quickly clasped his fists in respect.
"I am not just being kind," Zhang Xi said with an enchanting smile. "It doesn't matter that you are an outer disciple. The fact that you are walking out with us right now is the best proof of just how impressive you are. I will be keeping an eye out for you in the future!"
"Thank you for the compliment!" Zhao Yunxiao kept his clasped fist raised.
"Heh, all right. I will leave before you get too nervous. See you around!" Zhang Xi chuckled before turning around to rejoin the other core disciples.
Watching her departing back, Zhao Yunxiao could not help but let out a smile. Receiving compliments from someone who was both beautiful and held a high status definitely felt exceptionally good!
That said, today was more than just about enduring the musical onslaught from the Sentient Light Performance Group. It also helped Zhao Yunxiao realise just how large the gap actually was between Flying Shell and Sentient Light.
If they wanted to achieve what they had set out to achieve during the formative stage of the group – to become a group whose performance everyone would enjoy – they really should work harder to improve themselves for good!
But before coming up with a clear plan on how to go about doing so, he decided not to mention this to the rest of the members, lest it create unnecessary pressure on them.
Zhao Yunxiao returned to his residence after leaving the Monolith Square. In preparation for the hunting trip that he would be going on with Nie Hanchang tomorrow, he performed some last-minute checks and maintenance on his inventory. After which, he made a quick trip to the Sect Market to replenish his supplies.
It was night by the time he headed over to Lightwind Pavilion. Thankfully, the rest of the group was already waiting there.
"Ah, Senior Martial Brother Zhao! You are finally here!" Lu Zhiying waved excitedly the moment she saw him.
"Damn, I still can't believe that the whole performance was just a huge setup!" Bo Fei cursed. "How embarrassing to be one of the last few to leave!"
"We practised so hard for the opportunity to perform for them too..." Huang An sulked.
"Like I said, you need to stop comparing yourself to the inner disciples, Senior Martial Brother Bo," Gu Qiansi shrugged.
"True, at least I got up before Junior Martial Sister Lu," Bo Fei nodded in satisfaction.
"I did say not to compare yourself to the inner disciples, but aren't you embarrassed to compare yourself to someone who has only been in the sect for less than half a year?" Gu Qiansi chided.
"Hahaha, you won this time, but I will definitely beat you next time, Senior Martial Brother Bo!" Lu Zhiying retorted with a grin, obviously the only one who was excited about the entire experience. "That said, when did you wake up, Senior Martial Brother Zhao? Senior Martial Sister Gu said that you were already gone by the time she got up."
"Oh, I managed to avoid falling asleep," Zhao Yunxiao answered while fetching himself a plate of meat.
Hmm?
The rest of the group fell silent immediately.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Lu Zhiying was the only exception. "As expected of Senior Martial Brother Zhao!"
"Are you for real?" Bo Fei raised an eyebrow in clear scepticism. "I heard that even some Origin Core realm inner disciples could not stay awake. Do you really expect us to believe that you outlasted them?"
"I believe him," Nie Hanchang said.
"I believe him too!" Lu Zhiying quickly followed.
Zhao Yunxiao shrugged triumphantly.
"I admit defeat. I cannot beat you worshippers of the Yunxiao Church," Bo Fei rubbed his temples in disbelief.
"All right, that doesn't matter. Where have you been all day?" Gu Qiansi shot a suspicious glance at Zhao Yunxiao. "Are you planning on going to do something dangerous again?"
"What do you mean by 'again'? Anyway, I will just be going on a hunting trip tomorrow with Senior Martial Brother Nie, nothing big," Zhao Yunxiao said. "The Meeting of the Great Symbols is in two days. At this point, I am certainly not going to do anything dangerous and risk missing the event!"
"What? I want to go as well!" Lu Zhiying raised her hand.
"Ah, sorry, but that would not do, Junior Martial Sister Lu," Zhao Yunxiao answered through mouthfuls of food. "We are intending to venture deeper into the wilderness this time, so it could get dangerous for a Foundation Building realm cultivator. I will bring you along next time!"
"...Fine, I will become stronger quickly so we can start going on all these trips together!" Lu Zhiying resolved.
"I thought you said that you are not going to do anything dangerous?" Gu Qiansi narrowed her eyes.
"Senior Martial Brother Nie is here, so why would it be dangerous for me?" Zhao Yunxiao placed his arm over Nie Hanchang's shoulder. "Did you forget that this is someone who had single-handedly taken down a monster at the Advanced Essence Physique realm? All I need to do is run when necessary."
"Is that so? Watch me laugh if you return with even the slightest injury!" Gu Qiansi crossed her arms with a smirk.
"Says the one who fell asleep in public for who knows how long," Zhao Yunxiao rolled his eyes.
"Tch!"
After having his meal, Zhao Yunxiao returned to his residence to retire for the night. But as usual, he did not go to bed immediately.
Instead, Zhao Yunxiao lit an incense before entering light meditation, using this time to contemplate on the Divine Tether with a calm mind.
This was definitely the highest-level technique in his arsenal, but it was a shame that he did not have the ability to use it effectively in battle. As he was right now, he required way too much time just to activate this technique. If he ever tried to use it in combat, he would be dead many times over by the time he could even activate it.
But at the same time, he would feel mentally unbalanced if he could not find any way to use this technique after having acquired it through such painstaking efforts!
A sealing technique that did not adhere to the world laws, but indiscriminately bent them to its will. From the moment he understood the essence of the technique, Zhao Yunxiao was certain that, apart from during combat, there must be other ways to employ this technique.
The question was... how?
At his current level, how could he use this technique to give himself an edge?
"Undo the seal, and you shall be rewarded with power beyond your wildest dreams."
Zhao Yunxiao: "..."
Would he be hearing this every single time he faced a challenge moving forward?
Was it watching him or reading his thoughts?
Well, that did not matter. He only wished that the seal remained securely in place. As long as that much was fulfilled, he could bear with hearing this remark every now and then.
Zhao Yunxiao continued to think the matter through, with countless possibilities starting to surface in his mind – possibilities that he definitely intended to test out in the future.
But even among all these options, there was one that truly stuck with him as the most plausible.
Alchemy.
The alchemic process had always involved a delicate balance of fire control, essence extraction, and essence retention. Only by striking the perfect balance among all these aspects would an alchemist be able to effectively combine the essence of the main ingredients, turning them into the product of their desire.
And what better way was there to retain the essence of ingredients than an absolute seal that defied all world laws?
If there was a way to guarantee the retention of every last bit of essence from the ingredients, then one could even argue that the fire control and essence extraction aspects would no longer matter as much.
After all, if none of the essence would be lost, alchemists could afford to take their time adjusting the fire and extracting the ingredients' essence. With that, the process would be made exponentially easier!
And when it came to alchemy, Zhao Yunxiao would also have all the time in the world to make his preparations, circumventing his main problem of taking too long to activate the Divine Tether.
Zhao Yunxiao's eyes opened slowly, a clear glint of excitement flashing across them.
This was definitely worth a shot!