Chapter 24: Taking Leave

Baiyun Sect, a canyon basin.

Cheng Buzheng walked up to Nan Ye's house and saw the wooden sign from the door placed to one side of the main entrance, though it was not hanging. He took two steps forward and lightly tapped the wooden door in a rhythmic pattern with his right hand.

*Knock... knock...*

Before long.

The door opened. Aside from Nan Ye, Cheng Buzheng saw a young woman inside. This woman was Wang Min, the team's only female cultivator, which surprised him quite a bit; through several team gatherings, he had never noticed anything unusual in their relationship.

Despite his surprise, he maintained a calm exterior.

He gave Wang Min a composed glance and said

"Sister Xiaomin, you're here too! It's perfect, as I'm about to head out on a mission, which saves me an extra trip!"

"Buzheng, what kind of mission are you going on now? The one-year deadline hasn't arrived yet!" Wang Min asked anxiously.

Nan Ye quickly chimed in

"That's right! Buzheng, there's no need to rush the missions!"

Cheng Buzheng knew that their way of thinking had not yet fully shifted.

He then put on a look of helplessness and spoke

"Sigh... without medicinal pills to advance my cultivation, my progress is simply too slow! Besides, I've run out of spirit stones! I have no choice... whether I do the mission early or late, it's something I'll have to do sooner or later!"

Nan Ye let out a long, soft sigh

"True... Buzheng, you are indeed decisive!...So, what mission are you planning to do?"

Cheng Buzheng spoke slowly: "Going to the spirit stone mine... to mine spirit stones!"

"Wouldn't that be interesting? I want to go too!" Wang Min said, looking at him with great enthusiasm.

Nan Ye hurriedly tried to persuade her, while not forgetting to pique her competitive spirit.

"Xiaomin, your greatest mission is to advance to the first level of Qi Refinement as quickly as possible. You don't need to worry about anything else! Look at Xu Shi and Gao Li; they both have four spiritual roots. Two days ago, Xu Shi already advanced to the first level of Qi Refinement, and since Gao Li has been in seclusion lately, he'll likely follow soon."

Wang Min gave Nan Ye a defiant look. "I will definitely step into the first level of Qi Refinement before Gao Li. Within three days, I will surely advance."

She continued, "Little brother Buzheng... when exactly are you leaving? Before you go, let our team have a gathering!"

Cheng Buzheng waved his hand dismissively. "Don't trouble yourself, Senior Sister. I plan to set off tomorrow!"

Wang Min frowned and spoke slowly. "I see... Nan Ye, go to the Wind and Cloud Pavilion to buy some spiritual food and spiritual wine. I'll go call Xu Shi and Gao Li!"

Hearing this, Cheng Buzheng's brow furrowed, and he said solemnly

"There is no need for that, Senior Sister. Every single spirit stone Sister Xiaomin has is precious to us right now. Once our cultivation is higher and we have more spirit stones in hand, it won't be too late to have a feast at the Wind and Cloud Pavilion!"

"Yes! Xiaomin... Buzheng is right. Once you advance to the first level of Qi Refinement, you'll have plenty of uses for spirit stones!" Nan Ye agreed with Cheng Buzheng's view and hurried to persuade her.

Wang Min glared at Nan Ye, cutting him off. "Fine... whether it's two more spirit stones or two fewer, for me, it just means a bit more cultivation time!...Now, go and come back quickly!"

Nan Ye said helplessly, "Alright!...I'm going now!"

...

Fifteen minutes later.

Laughter and joy echoed from within Nan Ye's house, creating a lively atmosphere.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the five of them began to chat.

Cheng Buzheng chimed in from time to time. He noticed something quite interesting: while Xu Shi still maintained his honest and simple appearance, the density of his spiritual pressure suggested he had entered the first level of Qi Refinement some time ago, rather than just a few days ago as Nan Ye had claimed. This was quite intriguing.

As for Gao Li, compared to when he first joined the sect, the arrogance on his face had faded significantly. It seemed that after half a year, he had grown quite a bit.

During the gathering, Cheng Buzheng also told his four teammates how to communicate with the two senior brothers guarding the Sutra Tower, and how to spend the minimum amount of spirit stones to enter the first floor of the tower to read free books. Otherwise, with the few spirit stones his teammates held, they wouldn't last many visits before being drained dry by Senior Brother Niu and Senior Brother Dai.

Additionally, he shared some information regarding the presence of an Uncle Master on the second floor of the Sutra Tower.

During this gathering, the others also shared some news. Although the information wasn't particularly valuable, it was at least a first step. Cheng Buzheng knew that the news shared was merely basic information; truly valuable intelligence would certainly be kept close and not shared.

It wasn't until it was late that everyone bid Nan Ye farewell and departed.

Returning to his room, Cheng Buzheng sat cross-legged on his bed with his eyes slightly closed, beginning another night of cultivation.

The surrounding spiritual energy slowly gathered toward him. Strands of spiritual energy, like swimming fish, vied to enter, forming a thin layer of spiritual energy around his body.

The night passed in silence.

The next day.

Outside the entrance of the Great Array of the Baiyun Sect.

As Cheng Buzheng looked out, he saw lush, green trees. From time to time, the cries and howls of various demon beasts could be heard. These were all low-grade first-tier demon beasts; any mid-grade first-tier or higher-level beasts had been cleared out by the sect.

Every few years, the sect would conduct a cleanup to prevent demon beasts from harming low-level disciples. Low-grade first-tier demon beasts were used by the sect to train disciples who had just entered the early stages of Qi Refinement.

Without hesitation, Cheng Buzheng focused his mind. His Earth Escape Technique, which had reached the state of perfection, instantly emitted a yellow spiritual light that enveloped him, sending him directly six zhang deep into the ground.

At this depth, it was generally guaranteed that a Qi Refinement cultivator could not be detected unless they were intentionally searching; the deeper the divine sense explored, the more difficult it became.

A normal first-level Qi Refinement cultivator's divine sense warning range was usually around one zhang. Within this one-zhang radius, everything appeared perfectly in their sea of consciousness, and since the ground was only half a zhang deep, nothing could be seen unless one specifically used their divine sense to look.

According to the records he had studied, a cultivator at the peak of the second level of Qi Refinement typically maintained a divine sense range of about two zhang. At a depth of one zhang underground, the higher the cultivation, the wider the corresponding divine sense warning range. By the ninth level of Qi Refinement, a cultivator's warning range reached nine zhang above ground and about five zhang underground.

This was also the habit of most cultivators, as spreading one's divine sense further resulted in greater consumption. To maintain peak combat strength, the range of divine sense detection had to remain within the limits of what their cultivation could endure.

At this moment, at a depth of six zhang, Cheng Buzheng was like a blind man walking, unable to determine his path at all.

He had no choice but to release a wisp of divine sense toward the surface. Once he confirmed his direction, he would continue to escape forward.

Before long, he reached the location his divine sense had detected, released his divine sense again to check his direction, and repeated the process. This was also why his speed was limited—his divine sense range was restricted, which in turn constrained the speed of his Earth Escape Technique.

(End of Chapter)