Bai Hu shook his head clear to clear his mind of such thoughts. There was no use for thoughts like these, for he had already determined himself to one day reach their level, and even go beyond it into the realm of the true elites.
Stepping forward a bit on the flying treasure, Bai Hu waved one sleeve slightly in order to part a small section of the Formation that surrounded his mountain peak.
Weng!
A thin, almost transparent sliver of a barrier that was nearly invisible against its dark surroundings parted slightly, just enough for the bamboo raft to fly through.
Rue Ming willed the flying treasure to fly through the gap and land gently on a small, neatly paved gravel path.
Stepping off of the bamboo raft, the trio of newly ascended Foundation cultivators all exchanged small glances, likely relieved to be stepping on solid ground once more just as the Formations closed up.
On the contrary, Disciple Ling was largely unfazed, likely having experienced these speeds in the past, as well as possessing a higher cultivation base.
Indeed, despite her harmless and innocent look, complemented by her Yun Ji hairstyle that was popular among some mortal noblewomen, no one aside from Rue Ming could see through her true cultivation base.
The bamboo raft shrunk down to the size of a palm, which Rue Ming quickly stored within her storage pouch.
Bai Hu snapped his fingers, causing spirit stones set along the path to light up.
"Follow me, we'll talk over some tea"
The group followed the young man down the gravel path, admiring their surroundings.
One would expect a dark and gloomy atmosphere to accompany the dark and static mountain peak that pierces a mass of dark clouds. There was little indication of any sort of light, save for the Formations and occasional lightning strike.
Once inside however, one would be greeted by a plethora of colors. Crystals embedded in stone gave off various vibrant lights, while spiritual herbs of all kinds gave the air an ethereal feeling. It felt as if they were walking through a mystical garden in the night, rather than a stormy and desolate mountain.
It wasn't long before they arrived before an elegantly built gazebo with nothing more than a round table and several chairs around it.
Weng!
With a wave of his hand, Bai Hu utilized his qi to grab a small storage pouch hidden under the table. In it, he extracted an antique tea set, as well as several varieties of dried spiritual herbs.
Fwoom!
Igniting a purple flame on his fingertips, Bai Hu heated up some water, in which he set the herbs in. A fragrant aroma immediately wafted through the air as his guests sat down whilst watching his performance.
Within half an incense stick's worth of time, the tea was made and divided into equal portions, which Bai Hu controlled to flow delicately into everyone's cups.
Cheng Xia picked up his cup and took a sip of the tea. His expression lit up as the tea, despite just being brewed, gave off an aura of coolness and refreshment as it touched his lips and entered his Dantian.
"This is good stuff!" he exclaimed, "If you sell this it would likely be popular during the dry seasons"
Bai Hu clasped his hands together with a bow before he sat down, "It isn't much, I simply learned a few simple combinations of spiritual herbs that work well together from my Master"
The others tried the tea as well, nodding their heads at its quality.
Rue Ming set down her cup, "It's not bad at all, though I doubt higher level cultivators would purchase this due to their ability to naturally regulate their body temperatures. However, it would still generate a bit of profit"
Zhang Yun Guang waved his hand, "Enough of that," he looked at Bai Hu, "Fellow Bai, are you truly only 16 this year?"
Bai Hu nodded his head, "Yes that is true. If I can recall correctly, I should turn 17 by the time we reach the Hei Long Province"
Rue Ming smiled, "Your cultivation speed is truly something to marvel, even I only advanced when I reached 24 years of age"
The young man tilted his head, confused, "How old is everyone here?"
Cheng Xia smiled wryly, "I just turned 28 years old actually. I can't fathom breaking through to Foundation at the age of 16 in these desolate lands"
Zhang Yun Guang nodded in agreement, "Indeed, though we seem to have an outlier here. As for me, I will soon turn 27 within 3 months"
Bai Hu glanced at Disciple Ling, whose full name he still does not know. However, it seems that she wasn't inclined to give her age, or when she broke through to Foundation for that matter.
Cheng Xia sighed, slightly defeated, "I can't believe I am the oldest of us 3. If Bai Hu was a bit older and gathered more combat experience, perhaps it wouldn't be me who came out on top"
It was at this moment that the ever silent Disciple Ling spoke up, directly addressing Bai Hu.
"Its not possible to break through in such a short amount of time and possess a strong foundation at the same time under normal means. May I ask who your master is?"
Bai Hu nodded, taking out a piece of jade from his spatial pouch, "My Master is Elder Zhong Xian. You can check his information here"
However, Disciple Ling's eyes widened when she heard the name of Bai Hu's Master. Clearly, the old man wasn't a complete nobody within the sect.
"Your master is the Librarian!?"
It was the first time she has shown any significant emotion, and similarly, Rue Ming seems to be slightly surprised by the identity of Bai Hu's Master, though kept her emotions under control.
Bai Hu nodded, slightly shocked by her sudden outburst, "Yes that is true, is there something wrong?"
Seeing that Cheng Xia and Zhang Yun Guang were similarly confused, Disciple Ling sighed with furrowed brows.
"How can you not know one of the most knowledgeable Elders in the sect? The Librarian's vast reserves of knowledge can be rivaled only by the Grand Elders. This made him very popular among higher ranked disciples, though he never took any of them as disciples"
Rue Ming nodded, "Even I had gone to receive his teachings in the past. A shame that it was only for a short while, though I had learned a lot from the experience"
This surprised the trio, now realizing just how significant Zhong Xian must be if even Rue Ming had gone to him for instruction.
Of course, this was not the reason Rue Ming wanted to find a place to talk.
She waved her hand, drawing everyone's attention to herself, "Enough of that, lets hear how you all got to know each other. It's not everyday that you get to see 3 newly advanced Foundation level cultivators sparring with one another"
Zhang Yun Guang explained how the Grand Elders have offered them an opportunity to avoid competition, sending the three of them on a mission in the Hei Long Province for a duration of 2 years while performing some tasks.
Disciple Long furrowed her brows, "How can disciples simply disappear from a mortal province? At most, they would encounter low level rogue cultivators who have not yet established their Foundation"
"Perhaps this is the work of the demonic cultivators," Rue Ming said suddenly.
Everyone stiffened at the mention of demonic cultivators, understanding the potentially grave matter this may evolve into.
A conflict between the major sects and demonic cultivators may easily escalate, becoming a war between immortals and devils. A war of such scale would then implicate the lives of millions, whether you are a cultivator or a mortal.
Bai Hu's eyes darkened at the prospect of demonic cultivators being involved in this matter. The scene of desolation just a few years ago was still vivid in his mind, for he had burned into his very soul.
The young man clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms. It wasn't difficult for the others to notice that his composure slipped, as even a bit of killing intent slipped out unknowingly.
However, while the others aside from Rue Ming knew his story, they were smart enough to know better than to pry into another's past.
Bai Hu realized his loss of composure and took a deep breath, withdrawing his killing intent. However, the sharp light in his eyes did not diminish. A war or not, he wouldn't let demonic cultivators run amok, especially if there are people going missing.
Cheng Xia leaned back with a sigh, his brows furrowing in annoyance, though his eyes glinted sharply.
"It seems like the Grand Elders expected this, and we're going to have to get to the bottom of it all"
Zhang Yun Guang nodded, "It seems that we've got a lot more on our plates. Now when shall we head out?"
Bai Hu stood up from his seat, his eyes resolute, "We should prepare as best we can for our journey. Lets leave one week from today"