Chapter 22
A long, wide road, known as the Haven Straight, stretches for a thousand kilometers, connecting the City of Er and the border town of Haven. Legend has it that the perfectly straight road was created by the devastating breath of a terrifying beast. Over hundreds of years, people turned it into a road toward the town of Haven. Its length and width made it easier for the Kingdom of Er to protect their subjects, as most villages were built along the road, making it the safest and busiest route to the Daemon Forest. Thousands of cultivators preferred to take this road because of the small trading villages that appeared every hundred miles.
One particular day, a convoy of about 100 people was traveling toward Haven. Every cultivator and mortal who saw this line of majestic carriages, which were actually transportation artifacts, had their eyes filled with envy. They knew these people came from the highest-ranking families in the City of Er and were students from the city's various famous cultivation schools. The different colors of the carriages represented their respective schools, and it was clear that almost all the prestigious schools were represented. Leading the convoy was a large, black carriage artifact that looked like a moving fortress pulled by two large, three-horned beasts resembling rhinos. Inside this carriage sat ten young people—the facilitators of the journey. Each of them was in the Gold Core Realm, a testament to their genius and status as core disciples of their schools.
The leader of the group was a woman wearing a white robe and a thin veil that covered her entire face. She was called Qin Lou. Although no one could see her face, her perfect figure alone attracted the attention of almost every man and woman in the carriage, who would glance at her every now and then. But her cold temperament kept them from daring to approach her. She was a once-renowned genius cultivator who reached the Gold Core Realm at the age of 17. At that time, she had entered a school tournament, just like the one they were headed to now. She became one of the top contenders after taking down opponents stronger than her. In one of her fights, she had a breakthrough to the Golden Core Stage, which caused a huge stir throughout the tournament. From then on, many schools tried to poach the genius student, but she remained loyal to Snow Wind School because they had supported her since she started cultivating.
One day, she was ambushed by a group of cultivators who were jealous of her talent and barely escaped with her life. Unfortunately, her Gold Core was damaged, and no one had the ability—or perhaps the desire—to heal her. Her cultivation stagnated at the first stage of the Gold Core Realm. Some people who once looked up to her became dejected, and others began to secretly scorn her. But since she still possessed the power of a Gold Core Realm cultivator, no one ever openly disrespected her.
"Hey, isn't she the famous Qin Lou? The one they call a trashy and ugly cultivator?" a woman whispered to her seatmate.
The young man next to her just nodded without saying a word. Another person chimed in, whispering to both of them, "Yeah, I heard about her. After she became a trash cultivator, she was assigned as a guide for us students who have the potential to grow. Even though the Snow Wind School didn't kick her out, it's just like abandoning her. I heard even her master won't visit her anymore."
"Really? She's still a Gold Core, right? Will she enter the inter-school competition? I really want to fight her, the once-called genius student of Er City," another student facilitator whispered.
"She's not participating in any competitions. I heard she once tried to enter an alchemy competition and exploded a cauldron, bringing shame to Snow Wind School."
A facilitator from the Snow Wind School overheard this and frowned. He looked at the group of student facilitators with cold eyes and said, "We in the Snow Wind School don't want a trash cultivator to represent our school. At that time, she entered of her own accord. We really wanted to kick that bitch out, but because of her master's prestige, she shamelessly stayed and became a lowly servant." The young man spoke with a scornful look, clearly holding a grudge against Qin Lou.
Qin Lou heard this but didn't react. She kept her eyes closed, ignoring everyone, and focused on improving her skills. Since her cultivation wouldn't increase due to her damaged Gold Core, she spent her time learning various skills. Her arsenal of abilities became so varied that she could almost do anything. Like her, most students spent their travel time cultivating and practicing their skills.
A Month Later
The students finally arrived at Haven Town. It was the biggest town in the Kingdom of Xi, almost as large as a city. But since not all cultivators would stay there, the number of permanent residents was actually low. However, every day, cultivators and mortals would trade and sell things in the town's central market.
The town was controlled by the royal family of the Er Kingdom, who directly managed the border's welfare and safety. Aside from the royal family, there were also minor clans in the area that helped defend the town.
After entering, the students disembarked from their carriages, which were stored by protectors. The beasts that pulled them were left at the base of each school in the town. After a day of preparation, they once again formed a large group and marched toward the forest the next day.
Meanwhile
It had been two days since Shin Jiao found a way to fix the spheres in his dantian. To his great surprise, he now had the ability to manipulate spiritual Qi. Inside his dantian lay a transparent, colorless ball with a faint pulse and 31 spheres inside it. The mutation of his cultivation technique was beyond his imagination, and it took him a day to figure everything out. Now that he could manipulate spiritual energy, he could feel his lifespan, and indeed, he was a mere mortal. According to his calculations and the strength of his soul, his lifespan would be at most 80 to 100 years.
However, some things were still unclear. According to his body's strength and structure, he could already live for up to 300 years, which was the equivalent lifespan of a Core Forming Realm cultivator. This confused him. Also, the fact that he was not able to consolidate all the energy inside his dantian was mind-boggling. He had thought he absorbed everything, but after that sudden surge of heavenly light when he formed the colorless sphere, a large amount of mixed energy escaped, and after the light, a faint pulse could be heard within the ball. The energy outside this transparent ball was weird; no matter what he did, he could not absorb it.
"Thank you," Shin Jiao suddenly said, looking into the distance with yearning eyes and a sincere smile on his face. "Mortal or immortal? What am I? Sigh... Anyway, I don't have to go to the town of Dis anymore. I need to find a new place and meet new people to forget all these sad things. Maybe the other town would be a good idea." Shin Jiao took some time to get his bearings, then started walking east.
On the East
Deep inside the Daemon Forest, a few thousand kilometers from Shin Jiao's location, a group of about 100 people was traveling at a moderate speed, following a woman who hovered in the air, her feet barely touching the ground. This astonished most of the Gold Core cultivators following her. Among these people were six peak-stage Gold Core Realm elders, the protectors of each school. They were not surprised by the young woman; they already knew her and admired her abilities, though they were saddened that her cultivation level could no longer increase.
"Hey, senior brother, how is she doing that? We're both first-level Gold Core Realm, but I can only fly like that for an hour at most, but she's been floating ever since we entered the forest," a beautiful, petite young woman said with a tinge of jealousy in her voice.
"I don't know... I want to know too, but she never talks to anyone," the young man replied, a helpless expression on his handsome face.
"Maybe it's a trick or a skill passed down from her master. If we could learn that, it would be awesome."
"Yeah, let's ask her... a skill like that is not for some trashy cultivator like her."
As the student facilitators voiced their discontent, a very handsome young man following them heard this and smiled cunningly. As if hatching an evil plan, a glint of craftiness appeared in his eyes. This young man had the look of a young clan master. Beside him, a group of beautiful young women vied for his favor, trying to flatter him.
After four days of travel and rest, they finally arrived at the foot of a majestic but lifeless mountain. The barren mountain, without a trace of spiritual Qi or life, would cause anyone to lose interest. The young woman, Qin Lou, walked toward an inconspicuous area where a small stone was located. She took a small green crystal hanging from her neck and inserted it into a hole in the stone that appeared as the crystal touched it.
Suddenly, a dark, crevice-like entrance appeared on the side of the mountain in front of where Qin Lou stood. The students were stunned but entered as instructed by the facilitators and protectors. After everyone was inside, Qin Lou followed, removing the crystal and placing it back on her neck. The crevice gradually disappeared, and everything returned to normal as if nothing had happened.
When everyone exited the crevice, they found themselves in a large crater filled with lush greenery and wildlife. As they walked along the path, they came to a small village where cultivators wearing the Er City insignia on their robes were busily working. This small village was the camp where the six schools would stay. They could see shops and restaurants managed by students who were guarding and taking care of the area.
Qin Lou saw that everyone was inside, so she decided to go on her way. But before she could leave, the young man who looked like a master, followed by what seemed to be his harem, approached her with a grin.
"Senior sister, I truly admire you and your abilities. Thank you for leading us safely to this wonderful place," the young man said, greeting her with a cupped-hand salute. "I am Xian Jian Feng, the young master of the Feng family. As you know, my family is one of the great families in the City of Er. We have power and wealth at our disposal. I am truly interested in you, senior sister; your ability and charm have truly entranced me." He said with a dashing smile.
Xian Jian Feng always had his way with women, using his wealth and status to coerce them. While not all of them fell for it, he could still get a few in his bed because of it. Thus, he was confident this tactic would work on Qin Lou, as he considered her trash and believed she would be glad to accept him as her support. Since this was his first time qualifying for the inter-school competition, he was unaware of Qin Lou's temperament.
"Young Master Feng, you said you like me, right?" Qin Lou's sudden reply shocked Xian Jian Feng. Her voice was like a piece of soothing music that made his heart jump.
"Damn... this woman truly has a beautiful voice. I think her face wouldn't be that bad either... Heh, heh, heh," Xian Jian Feng said to himself, grinning with excitement.
As this was the first time someone had dared to confess to her, Qin Lou felt a little mischievous. Although some people had glanced at her face and tried to spread bad rumors, she was happy that no one took her seriously and she didn't get into trouble. But this time was different; a man had truly confessed to her, and she wanted to see what would happen if he saw her face.
"Come here, Young Master Feng, let me show you something," Qin Lou said, turning her back to the rest of Xian Jian Feng's harem. The other girls felt angry, but they couldn't do anything because her voice was truly mesmerizing.
Xian Jian Feng excitedly ran around to face her. When he was in front of her, she slowly lifted her veil. A wide smile was on his face as he felt blessed and happy. He knew that women who covered their faces were often afraid that their beauty would cause endless trouble. He was thrilled to be able to privately see Qin Lou's heavenly face. He imagined her features while unconsciously looking at her perfect figure.
After Qin Lou lifted her veil, she immediately covered her face again and slowly walked away. Xian Jian Feng still had a wide smile on his face, but he stood there like a statue after seeing something heavenly, not moving for a long time.