"This matter is true." The one-eyed elder's face revealed a look of remembrance as he said,"There are some secrets of the mountain that my junior sister should also know.
The Guangyuan Mountain Range—or rather, it should be said the entire Southern Desolation Continent—faces a beast tide once every six hundred years.
Sometimes it may take twelve hundred years instead, but when it comes, the scale is far greater.
Our Qiling Sect has endured for five to six thousand years, surviving countless calamities. In terms of hidden knowledge, only the lineage of Snow-Chant Valley and a few ancient sects can be compared with us.
Fortunately, the direction of the beast tide is unpredictable. The ones that surge out from the Guangyuan Mountains are often smaller in scale, so my junior sister need not panic.
If, a hundred years from now, the tide truly arrives, then in that critical moment, I shall activate the Thousand Puppet Grand Array."
"What? Senior brother, you…" The elegant Daoist nun's face turned pale with shock.
The elder gave a weary sigh."I have lived more than four hundred years. Even with the Scarlet Sun Pine-Scaled Fruit I consumed last time, which extended my lifespan by thirty years, it is still futile. Rather than cling to life in vain, it is better that I burn myself out for the sect. At least then, our bloodline will continue unbroken."
Back at the Autumn Laurel Courtyard, Li Yuan returned to his meditation chamber. He reflected for a while on how he had acted, and once he confirmed that his performance aligned with the persona he had been carefully building, he let the matter drift from his thoughts.
That Jade Tower of a Hundred Illusions was truly marvelous. On each floor, it transformed into the image of a cultivator in the Qi Refining stage, with strength that rose gradually as one climbed higher.
Using the Yi-Wood Puppet that the sect had once gifted him, he fought his way up to the ninth level. There, he met a formidable opponent at the mid-Qi Refining stage. With just a single Xuan-Gold Sword, the illusionary opponent bypassed the puppet and, with one swift arc, sliced off Li Yuan's head.
Even knowing it was all an illusion, he was shaken to the core. It was the first time he truly understood the gap in power—the kind that determined life and death in real combat.
And his only true reliance… was puppets!
With a thought, Li Yuan entered the World of Ten Thousand Trees. Before him stood three towering Jia-Wood Puppets.
These were the works he had painstakingly refined over the course of several years. Each puppet was over ten feet tall: one wielded a wooden sword, another had massive fists, and the last carried a long staff.
Their heads were oval in shape, with a pair of glowing green eyes set into hulking, mechanical-like bodies. The oppressive aura they radiated was immense.
These three Jia-Wood Puppets were his proudest creations. What surprised him even more was that, inside the World of Ten Thousand Trees, puppets required no spiritual infusion. By simply channeling a control technique, they obeyed his will like his own limbs.
"In that case… as long as I have enough auxiliary materials, I can refine an uncountable number of puppets. I could even form a puppet army!"
Li Yuan was inwardly ecstatic. At the same time, he realized this mysterious realm was so extraordinary that even a Nascent Soul True Lord likely could not match it.
After finishing his work on the puppets, he returned to his cultivation. In the past few years, he had not allowed his progress to stagnate. Already, about twenty percent of his mortal blood had been replaced with spirit blood, beginning from his heart chamber outward.
Yet, advancing from the mid stage to the late stage was far more difficult than the early breakthrough. An ordinary cultivator with a middle-grade spiritual root might need sixty years to barely enter mid-Qi Refining. To reach the late stage—where the Immortal Bone Condensation began—would take at least another one hundred and twenty years.
But a Qi Refining cultivator's lifespan was at most two hundred years. After a hundred and fifty, their blood and energy declined, flesh sagged, and progress slowed to nothing. That was why so many cultivators spent their entire lives stuck at mid-Qi Refining.
Those in the sect who lost hope of advancing often chose to descend the mountain to Yun City. There, they lived as wealthy gentry, marrying, raising children, and ensuring their descendants could later provide new disciples for the sect.
After all, the offspring of someone with spiritual roots had a much higher chance of also bearing them. Moreover, lineage bred loyalty; descendants of disciples rarely betrayed the sect.
The sect had one rule, though: no one could abandon the immortal path before the age of one hundred and twenty. Until then, they were required to remain on the mountain and continue training.
Naturally, they also had to continue fulfilling their mundane sect duties.
After waiting several days, when the excitement around the Jade Tower of a Hundred Illusions had faded somewhat, Li Yuan finally set out. He wanted to visit the marketplace and purchase a few useful items.
As he walked, he noticed that the number of disciples in the mountain had increased again. He frowned inwardly. Why was the sect recruiting so heavily these past ten years?
He remembered when he was first brought into the sect: those with low-grade roots were dismissed as if they had none at all. Yet now, it seemed anyone with even the faintest spiritual root was accepted without hesitation.
Arriving at the sect gates, he found two disciples on duty this time—one fat, one thin.
The thin one noticed him first. He nudged his drowsy partner awake and said,"Zhao Fatty, look who's here! Our sect's celebrity has arrived!"
"Huh?" The fat disciple blinked sleepily. When he saw Li Yuan, his eyes widened."Hey! It's that… that guy…"
"The one ranked dead last on the Tower's Hundred Names list—Lingfeng's own Li Yuan!" the thin disciple crowed. "Heading out of the gates again, little brother? Careful some mortal swordsman doesn't slit your throat."
Li Yuan only smiled and bowed."Senior brothers, you jest. I am merely heading to the marketplace to buy a few pills to aid my cultivation."
"Oh? You?" The thin disciple scoffed."Do you even know that pill prices have risen by half lately? With your measly stipend of spirit stones, how many can you actually buy?"
"This…" Li Yuan's face flushed slightly. Still, he replied, "I only wish to buy a few, not an entire bottle."
Ordinary pills, unless rare, were usually sold ten to a bottle.
"Times are dangerous outside. Several rogue cultivators have already been killed and robbed. With your strength, you'd better watch yourself. How about I go buy them for you? Just pay me a few extra spirit stones."
"This…"
"Hou, don't scare him." The fat disciple scolded. "Li Yuan has done me a kindness before. Don't bully him like this.
Junior brother, just be careful on your trip. Don't believe this crooked-mouthed monkey's nonsense."
Li Yuan bowed gratefully."Many thanks, senior brother! Many thanks!"
"Hmph. The last-place disciple and the second-to-last—truly birds of a feather," the thin one muttered under his breath.
Li Yuan ignored the comment and left the mountain gate, heading straight toward the marketplace. Such petty words rolled off him now like smoke in the wind. At first, he had treated them as tempering for his mindset, but now he felt nothing at all.
Shame? Embarrassment? Those were only masks he wore.
He was no longer the same Li Yuan as before.
The journey was uneventful. With light-body techniques, he reached the marketplace unharmed.
As usual, he first strolled among the roadside stalls. As always, he found nothing worthwhile—though he did spend three spirit stones on some cheap talismans.
Then he walked toward the bustling central district and stopped before the Hundred Treasures Hall.
The three-story shop stood beside the Hundred Puppets Hall, owned by his own sect. Inside, there were a few customers, neither crowded nor deserted.
Only the Miao Pill Pavilion was swarming with people, some loudly complaining that more and more pills were rising in price or disappearing entirely.
Manager Xu of the pavilion had to step forward, smiling bitterly."Fellow Daoists, please calm down. This is beyond our control. In recent years, the beasts of the Guangyuan Mountains have grown scarce. Without beast blood or beast cores, how can pills be refined? If you doubt me, go ask Linglong Hall—they face the exact same problem."
Li Yuan sighed when he heard this. Truly, so many resources depended on beasts. If they ever went extinct, cultivators like him—poor disciples and wandering cultivators—would find survival even harder.
He shook his head and stepped into Hundred Treasures Hall.
He had already changed into black robes and wore a mask, concealing his face.
An old man with a long beard greeted him warmly the moment he entered."Welcome, honored guest! What is it you seek?"
Li Yuan lowered his voice, making it hoarse."I want a magic artifact."
"Ah! Please, this way." The old man's wrinkles folded with his smile as he briskly led Li Yuan upstairs."The second floor is quiet and refined. Please sit for a moment."
Li Yuan nodded and followed. He was not being careless. This marketplace was the only one in thousands of miles of the Guangyuan Mountains. No one would dare make a move here, no matter the temptation.
Inside the room, the old man personally poured fragrant tea and set it on the table."What kind of artifact does my honored guest seek?"
"Something for flight," Li Yuan said bluntly. He took a sip of tea. "What varieties do you have?"
The old man's eyes flickered briefly, but his smile never faltered."Our shop has stood for five centuries, and naturally, our artifacts are many.
Flight artifacts fall into three broad types.
The first are those meant solely for flying through the skies. Cheap, yes, but fragile. If ambushed, one might end up dead with the artifact shattered.
The second have special functions: some can conceal the user, others ward against sudden attacks, still others counter certain natural hazards.
The third are top-grade artifacts. They can attack, defend, and even hold vast space within."
"Show me the second kind," Li Yuan interrupted.
"Very well. One moment." The old man hurried to the back.
When he returned, he set five wooden boxes on the table.
Opening the first, he revealed a silver-white hairpin."This is the Silver-Light Hairpin, a mid-grade artifact. When activated, it transforms into a shining streak a dozen feet long. One can ride upon it, moving as fast as a meteor. Even late-stage cultivators without specialized artifacts could not catch up. It can travel ten thousand miles a day. Price: two hundred and forty spirit stones."
Li Yuan merely nodded.
The old man set it aside and opened the second."This is the Scarlet-Cloud Boat, also mid-grade. When flying, fiery clouds surround it. Its defenses are impressive—ordinary mid-stage cultivators cannot break it quickly. Only water-based spells restrain it somewhat. It can cover five thousand miles a day. Price: two hundred and sixty spirit stones."
"Too flashy." Li Yuan shook his head.
The old man chuckled awkwardly and opened the third."This is White Wall and Black Mist. It transforms into black and white clouds, concealing the rider within. At sufficient height, even late-stage cultivators may fail to detect it. Range: seven thousand miles a day. Price: two hundred and seventy spirit stones."
Li Yuan's heart leapt. This one suited him perfectly. But he kept his face calm."Let me see the others."
The fourth box contained a frosty flower."Frost-Jade Orchid. Creates a great bloom of ice, ideal for traveling through scorching lands. Its defenses rival the Scarlet-Cloud Boat. Four thousand miles a day. Price: two hundred and sixty spirit stones."
The last box revealed a long sword gleaming with cold light."The Sky-Chant Sword. A mid-grade masterpiece. Travels fifteen thousand miles a day—an absolute treasure among flight artifacts. Price: three hundred and fifty spirit stones."
Li Yuan was tempted by its speed but said instead,"This White Wall and Black Mist suits me best. Two hundred spirit stones."
"What? Are you joking?" The old man's face darkened. He swept the artifacts back into his sleeve."Two hundred barely covers the materials! Do you know it uses cloud-finch feathers and the twin wings of a fiendish cicada? A clan elder spent one hundred and eighteen days forging it. At that price, I'd be ruined."
Li Yuan forced a wry smile."Don't be angry, friend. The truth is, even my elders in the sect have no more than two hundred and thirty spirit stones combined. You know how hard life is for us wandering cultivators.
All I have is two hundred and forty spirit stones. But one of them is a mid-grade stone passed down from my ancestors. With that, the value should be enough. I beg you, please make it possible."
The old man's eyes narrowed. After a long moment, he said,"If it includes a mid-grade stone… very well. I will reluctantly agree."
With a wave of his sleeve, the box containing White Wall and Black Mist reappeared on the table."Forget it, I'll take a loss this time. I was once a wandering cultivator too—call it an act of kindness. My surname is Zhao. Remember me. If you buy again, ask for Old Zhao."
Li Yuan grinned."Many thanks, Daoist Zhao! I'll be sure to come to you again."
With another wave, he set down two mid-grade stones and a pile of lesser ones, then retrieved the box.
A short while later, Li Yuan stepped out into the street. He raised his voice just enough for others to hear."Ah, so expensive! Even if I worked ten years, I could never afford it."
He shook his head and slouched away.
Several cultivators lurking nearby, who had been eyeing the shop, sneered quietly."Another pauper pretending to be rich!"
Inside the Hundred Treasures Hall, a servant approached the old man."Master, will we be getting more stock soon?"
"Unlikely. Go upstairs and clear away that guest's teacup." The old man walked toward the back room without looking back.
The servant went up and sighed softly when he saw the empty teacup."So it was a sect disciple after all."
(End of Chapter)