Chapter 8: Change of Circumstances

Back in her room, Zhao Chun felt a bit of a headache.

Just now, because of a single sentence from Cao Wenguan, she had felt the atmosphere in the hall shift, with several gazes sweeping toward her.

She figured that after practicing that secret technique, it must have brought about certain changes to her body, which he had managed to discern. Zhao Chun felt displeased, but if she had to do it all over again and was asked whether she would still cultivate so arduously, the answer would be a definite yes.

If she were to cut off her own opportunities just because of the jealousy of others, that would be the most foolish thing of all.

Truth be told, Zhao Chun was not a person of many schemes; she simply lived with clarity and was not adept at playing mind games with others. Power and status—these external things all stemmed from one's own strength. She had always held to one principle: any obstacle would be easily resolved in the face of absolute power.

Things having reached this point, the only way was to quickly improve herself, so that others would have to weigh the consequences before making a move against her. Yet, the more she thought this way, the more impatient her cultivation became; her heart grew restless, and her breathing was no longer steady.

Zhao Chun had to interrupt her breathing exercises. She opened the window and took a look; it was only the middle of the night.

It was the transition between late spring and early summer, and the courtyard was full of vitality. She leaned against the window frame, observing the courtyard where she had lived for a month, yet still felt mostly like a stranger.

The people next door had long since fallen asleep. The only light source in the courtyard was the bright moon; compared to the sun, the moonlight was soft and serene, falling like draped silk.

With the sun and moon in the universe, Zhao Chun did not know if the universe of this world was the same as the one she came from. If it were, were she and her family separated by an immense distance, gazing at the same moon and feeling the same gentle moonlight?

Flowers whose names she did not know were in full bloom in the courtyard. The crimson blossoms were like a raging wildfire; they occupied almost the entire courtyard, not sparing a single corner.

Well, she had missed one spot, Zhao Chun thought with a faint smile.

Even the walls of the side rooms and the eaves hanging over the doors had not escaped the invasion of the flower vines. That dry well stood in the courtyard, looking completely out of place, with no trace of plant growth around it.

It was no wonder Zhao Chun hadn't realized it was a dry well; what dry well would be so clean, as if someone had been diligently tending to it, not even growing weeds?

She threw on an outer garment, tiptoed out the door, and leaned over the well mouth.

The well rim was cold and rough, and there wasn't even moss in the crevices. She felt increasingly strange. She poked her head down to look, but could only see endless darkness.

In her previous life, a dry well would inevitably be associated with ghosts and monsters. Zhao Chun preferred to believe in their existence rather than risk it. Although she wasn't exactly afraid, staring into such a dark place, combined with the wind constantly rising from the well, made her feel a chill.

Just as she was planning to return to her room, something seemed to flash in the well. It was only for a brief moment, but she had still noticed it.

Zhao Chun narrowed her eyes slightly, ensuring her focus was sharp.

The thing flashed again, at the very edge of the well. Zhao Chun couldn't describe what kind of light it was, but it gave off a sensation of intense heat.

It grew brighter and brighter, starting as a light halo the size of a grain of rice, and finally, like a flame, it almost illuminated the entire bottom of the well.

She could now see the object clearly: it was an oval bead with a strange color, like the most limpid and brilliant red, yet also like dazzling gold. It reminded her of the golden-red light that had appeared in her mind on the day of the selection—it was the same strange color.

A sense of longing suddenly rose from the bottom of Zhao Chun's heart, like a long-awaited rain after a drought.

Without hesitation, she took the hemp rope from the well, pulled it with both hands, and felt it was sturdy enough. She tied a slipknot around her waist and tied the other end to a thick tree not far from the dry well before climbing down.

The well wasn't dug very deep, and the walls had no moss. Zhao Chun descended slowly without any mishaps.

She had an intuition that the well running dry and the lack of vegetation were both due to the bead, so she didn't dare touch it directly when she reached the bottom. She took off her outer garment to wrap around her hands, then picked it up gently. Finding no reaction, she dared to touch it with her other bare hand.

The bead was as warm as a living thing, yet extremely hard. Held in her palm, it felt like a gemstone. Zhao Chun felt that no gemstone in this world could compare to it—so limpid, brilliant, and dazzling.

It flickered again in Zhao Chun's hand. After this flicker, the light gradually dimmed until it extinguished, and the bead also became dull and transparent.

She felt that the power within it had not disappeared, but had merely gone dormant. Zhao Chun tucked it into her clothes and climbed back up the well. Although she didn't know what the bead was for, keeping it by her side was better than throwing it away for nothing.

Going back and forth, Zhao Chun estimated it was past four in the morning. She returned to her room, climbed onto the bed, thinking that any rest she could get was better than none.

The next day, everyone was led outside the hall early in the morning.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Cao Wenguan took out a piece of talisman paper and threw it into the air. A puff of white smoke spilled from the paper, constantly expanding and drifting until it actually formed a smoke boat.

He stepped on first, followed by Wang Fang. Seeing that the smoke boat looked ethereal but could carry weight, the others followed suit.

With a wave of Cao Wenguan's hand, the smoke boat floated up and sped away, vanishing into the horizon in the blink of an eye.

Not to mention the others, even Zhao Chun found it miraculous. In her previous life, she had ridden airplanes through the clouds, but those were giant steel machines driven by energy. She didn't know the principle behind this smoke boat, but it traveled extremely fast. The clouds and mist beside them flew backward, yet the people on the boat felt as if they were walking on flat ground, without the slightest bump.

Wang Fang explained to the group: "This is a travel talisman boat made by talisman cultivators. In the Hengyun World, this is often used for short-distance travel. As for long journeys, it's not quite enough."

Talisman cultivators—those who made talismans. Zhao Chun sighed; the world of cultivation and the small worlds actually had similarities, and this kind of division of labor was an example.

No matter what kind of world it was, it was composed of people. Mortals were people, and cultivators were also people. People's areas of expertise and individual abilities differed, naturally forming various classes and divisions of labor, and similar societies emerged.

The destination was a place covered by heavy clouds, where a deep rift opened from the sky, with fierce winds pouring out and roaring.

When Cao Wenguan arrived, several identical smoke boats were already swaying beneath the rift. The leaders were all people wearing Taoist robes similar to his. Those people cupped their hands to greet him, and Cao Wenguan returned the gesture.

"Brother Cheng, has everyone arrived?"

The one who answered him was a short, stout Taoist named Cheng Tan: "Not yet. Sister Yuan and Brother Bao have not arrived."

"Only the two of them left? Then I suppose I am late."

"Haha!" Cheng Tan laughed loudly. "Not at all, not at all! We only arrived a cup of tea's time before you! To compete for this lead, some people don't know how early they urge others to get up and travel."

These words were harsh enough that several people's expressions turned gloomy. They retorted, "Do you think everyone is like you, only knowing how to sleep foolishly?"

Cheng Tan didn't care at all and continued to chat with Cao Wenguan. Seeing this, the Taoist who had spoken became furious. Just as he was about to flare up, Cheng Tan said happily, "Sister Yuan and Brother Bao are here!"

Everyone looked over and saw two smoke boats coming side by side. On the left was a beautiful woman with willow-leaf eyebrows and almond eyes, her appearance exquisite; on the right was a tall man with a straight posture and a dignified look.

The two exchanged polite greetings. To ensure Cheng Tan wouldn't cause more trouble, Cao Wenguan said, "Since everyone has arrived, there is no time to lose. Let us contact the welcoming elder immediately."

Everyone nodded, having no objections. Cao Wenguan took out a talisman paper again, letting it turn into a stream of light that sped into the rift.

"I wonder which elder is coming to welcome us. If it were Elder Qi, that would be great. We would also like to witness the magic of 'the universe in one's sleeve'," the beautiful woman smiled at Cao Wenguan.

"My master has been busy with the cultivation of disciples in the sect recently and is afraid he cannot spare the energy for other matters. This time, it should be Elder Lin who comes."

The beautiful woman nodded and said, "Elder Lin also has a hand in the art of summoning wind; I can take a look at that too."

The four of them shared more laughter.

Zhao Chun and the others were not like the leading deacons who could talk in the fierce wind. The smoke boat swayed, and they had to hold onto the edge of the boat to keep from falling. Even Wang Fang was holding onto the white smoke, his feet swaying slightly.

After about a quarter of an hour, the fierce wind suddenly became even stronger. Zhao Chun almost had to crouch down to maintain her balance. At this moment, she noticed a giant hand appearing in the rift above her head.

The hand was slender and fair, crystalline like jade, reaching down from the rift. Before Zhao Chun could see it clearly, it quickly grabbed, lifting the smoke boats and the people on them!

She didn't know how much time had passed, but the darkness vanished, and the smoke boats saw the light of day again amidst the mountains and forests.

This event gave everyone present a great shock!

Those deacons didn't dare to speak. After the giant hand dissipated, a tall young girl appeared, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, not particularly beautiful.

The unique arrogance on the girl's body made her different from everyone else present. She was like a mountain rather than flowers or grass—the image Zhao Chun most wanted to become.

"I did not know Elder Qiu would come in person. I am outer sect deacon Cao Wenguan, greetings to the Elder!"

The deacons who were still stunned also hurriedly bowed. Seeing this, the prospective disciples buried their heads even lower, not daring to look directly.

Elder Qiu's expression was cold as she said, "Recently, petty thieves from other sects have repeatedly violated the prohibitions. I fear that Foundation Establishment cultivators cannot withstand them, so the Sect Master sent me to welcome the various small worlds. We have reached the outskirts of the sect; you may enter on your own. I have other small worlds to welcome, so I will take my leave."

The deacons dared not say otherwise and respectfully sent Elder Qiu away. After she left, the beautiful woman exclaimed in shock, "It was actually Elder Qiu!"

The shock had not yet faded from Cheng Tan's face as he said, "A great cultivator at the Condensation Period—truly too powerful! Her divine power is incomparable to others."

Zhao Chun didn't know what the Condensation Period was, but she understood that it must be a realm reached later in cultivation.

That giant hand was truly astonishing, exceeding the limits of what a person could imagine. Only now did Zhao Chun feel what a true great cultivator was. Talismans and smoke boats were all things borrowed to exert power, while this Elder Qiu possessed true, innate ability.

Since she had made up her mind to walk the path of cultivation to the end, she must be like this, possessing the ability to traverse the heavens and the earth.

Others didn't know what Zhao Chun was thinking. The others on the Chu State's smoke boat, including Wang Fang, had never seen such a scene and were all sweating with fear, unable to speak.

"Too amazing! I also want to become a person like that!" Xie Baoguang praised.

Seeing his yearning look, Wang Fang sighed: "Above Qi Refining is Foundation Establishment, and only after breaking through Foundation Establishment does one reach Condensation. Many people are trapped in the Qi Refining stage for their whole lives. Not to mention Condensation, even Foundation Establishment is enough to suppress a region and establish a sect. You all should not be too impatient; first, focus on guiding Qi into your body."

He didn't expect these words to dispel the thoughts of the others. Even he himself, after witnessing the somewhat cruel situation of the outer sect, found it hard to suppress his yearning for a figure like Elder Qiu, let alone a group of children who were not yet grown.

Only when they truly entered the sect would they understand that not everyone had a promising future.

(End of chapter)