Chương 96: Chapter 47 – Somebody I Used to Know

POV Change:'What is this lunatic doing here? I thought he would stay in the outer sect for many more years. How did he manage to enter the inner sect so quickly?' Jian Feng had moved on to better things many months ago after breaking through to the foundation establishment realm. With his family's assistance and some challenging tasks he had undertaken, Jian Feng had advanced rapidly through the levels of the qi gathering realm. With 2nd order spirit roots, it was nothing less than expected of him.

His family had also found a way to keep a special mountain unnoticed until he could claim it. So after he moved into the inner sect, he thought he was rid of his rude and frivolous neighbor for good.

'And now here he is before me, with a stupid look on his face. Jian Feng barely managed to stifle a sound of disgust. When he had answered the call, this was the last person he expected to face. But now that he was here, face had to be given to a fellow disciple of the sect, so the boy was permitted to climb aboard his flying sword. He didn't have any time to spare here. Jian Feng had just returned from a pivotal meeting with his cousins and his elder sister.

The news he had learned there had filled him with fear and uncertainty. A sect migration?! What could that mean for him and the Jian family? Even his elders were still formulating a plan, but in the meantime, he had been told to focus on gaining strength. They had appreciated his efforts during the inheritance trial, and it only increased their reliance on his talents, and the Azure mountains might find a place for them if he were prominent enough.

What was more concerning was the sect's main leadership was threatened by the Jian family, so they couldn't be counted on for help. And although no one had said it outright, he knew of one other family that would be in a similar position. He wondered if it was something his family had considered already. An alliance would certainly strengthen both their positions, and it wouldn't be that hard for him to obey. She was a great beauty after all.

He shook his head to rid himself of the distracting thoughts, which was how he found himself in his current predicament to begin with. If his thoughts hadn't been in such turmoil, Jian Feng never would have stopped to assist a new inner sect disciple. He had always liked that custom of the sect even if he personally had never needed it.

With the flying sword his grandfather gifted him for joining the inner sect, he could reach his mountain with ease, but he pitied those poor ones who would have to brave days of dangerous travelling just to reach the inner sect and do it all over again to return. He sped up without thinking about it and felt two arms wrap around his waist for balance.

'This is what kindness gets you!' He slowed down again, if only to make the boy let go of his robes. The boy who had been silent thus far finally spoke.

"Forgive me for my rudeness, Senior, but how are you so strong? When I held on just now, I could feel my arms hurt before the resistance of your body." The boy was now annoying him with questions. At least he knew his place and asked properly. Jian feng deigned to answer him.

"Surely you have heard of the foundation realm trial that is to be held at the Golden Light Monastery in a few years? I have simply begun training my body in preparation." The awed look in the boy's eyes pleased Jian Feng. So when asked if he had already been selected for the trial, he only laughed and said.

"Fool! The selection begins a year before the event, but everybody knows a strong body cannot be rushed." Something about the look in his eyes bothered him, but Jian Feng didn't want to engage in further conversation, so he gradually reduced the barrier formation to allow the noise of the wind to roar louder. As they approached the marked destination, a sinking feeling formed in Jian Feng's gut.

'It's close. Too close. Don't tell me…' His fear was confirmed as they drew close. The fool boy had picked the befouled mountain near his own abode! They were but a few moments away from each other.

'Are the Gods mocking me by making us neighbors again?!! Zhao Ren climbed down from the intricately decorated flying sword to the sound of a long-suffering sigh. Curious, he turned to watch the Young Master of the Jian family take off and soar southward. Then before he could turn and head inside, Ren saw him land on a mount not two peaks away! His head whipped back to confirm because Ren couldn't believe they were practically neighbors once again. Unfortunately, it wasn't an illusion.

When Ren finally returned to his abode, his thoughts were still churning. He had heard that the Golden Light Monastery had a foundation realm trial. But it hadn't occurred to him to compete because every spare thought had been consumed by the Blood Moon elder's trial. But now that he was indeed a foundation establishment realm cultivator, why shouldn't he aim for the next trial too? This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

He did have some mixed feelings about trials at this point. The inheritance trial had betrayed his expectations by turning out to be a slaughter trial. He had desperately tried to survive and ended up making the best of a bad situation. In the struggle to live, he couldn't spare much thought to his dao leave something better than he found it. It was a firm reminder that only those who were strong could afford to choose their way of life.

But Ren was still a cultivator and competing for resources to grow strong was a natural part of life. Unlike the inheritance trial, the Golden Dharma trial was well known to be a pure opportunity for body cultivators. It would be a fair competition and any reward he received would be earned. The more Ren thought about it, the more he liked the idea.

Ren had been feeling like an arrow at the end of its flight after the trial, and it was only the immediate task of organizing his treasures and his mountain that had kept him going. Now the most vital parts were taken care of, and he only had to keep working on the rest over time. Without a goal to aim for, he didn't feel near the same level of motivation as he had when racing to break through to the foundation realm. Just like Bao Hua said, the pressure somehow amplified the effects of cultivation.

If someone his own age and of similar background could aim for a body cultivator trial, then so could he. Granted, he had never shown much interest in that field so far, but he had experienced the transformative might of trials. If this trial was even a fraction of the Blood Moon trial, then it was worth it. At the very least, it couldn't hurt to examine his options before discarding the possibility.

And if the trial was held at the monastery, then he could even visit his friend Subo and continue their conversation. Unless the sect provided the means of travel, it would take Ren many years to make the journey otherwise. Already Ren was feeling more motivated even though the number of things he needed to research had just increased. Since motivation didn't wipe out exhaustion, Ren prioritized sleep first. Over the next week, Ren visited the inner sect as often as possible.

He left messages for his seniors inquiring about a chance to grow herbs for them once more but hadn't heard back just yet. He sold the remnants of the cocoons of the Corpse Silk moths, but because they were split in half by the emerging insects, he only received 50 spirit stones. If they had been harvested properly and a single long silk strand had been extracted, he would have earned almost 400 spirit stones. The difference in price made his mouth dry, and he frantically formed plans to breed the moths.

He quickly traded in half of the spirit stones for contribution points. Using a portion of the remaining spirit stones, Ren purchased a Mutating Bamboo Sword seed to replace his current sword. It would grow quickly and was strong enough to last him a while in the foundation realm. Ren also spent a lot of time at the Hall of Scripture. He bought a cheap insect control technique for 10 points.

It would work because the moths were young yet, but he would have to look into a better method within a few months, or they would grow strong enough to leave if they wished. He looked into the Golden Dharma Trial hosted by the Golden Light Monastery and found it was indeed a body cultivation trial. It wasn't a huge subspace, and it was already completely explored. The main opportunity was the golden lake within. By submerging in the waters, one's body would be cleansed of sequelae and be reforged into a vajra.

It meant that anybody who practiced body cultivation would be able to get rid of any problematic impurities that their bodies naturally imbibed while cultivating. The purer the body, the greater its might, and so such opportunities were considered extremely rare. With that in mind, he began searching for body cultivation manuals. As always, there were downsides. The methods often had high requirements for materials and treasures that the body had to absorb.

It was too expensive or demanding to obtain in such large quantities. The other big problem was the sheer number of options to select from, which was crippling his selection process. There were elemental methods, manuals specifically for forging using beasts for ingredients, methods that required specific environments, and some that required specific flames. Ren's eyes stopped skimming. Methods that used a specific spirit fire to forge the body. This was something that was possibly within his reach!

The urgency to identify the yin flame intensified until Ren spent an entire night searching for it before he finally found it! The flame he possessed was called the Ossiferous Lunar Yin Flame. So elated was he that without stopping to rest, he launched right back into the search for an appropriate body refining method. With fewer choices to search through, he found two that were extremely suitable! A method that could use the flame he already possessed to purify his body. It was perfect for him!

He eagerly read the summary. The first was called Balanced Yin Body Refining Art. It used a yin flame to combust the yin qi within one's body and burn away the impurities. Ren faltered. Something was strange here.

"Be warned of developing a burly physique if overindulging in the method unless the body possesses great amounts of yin qi. Suitable for reducing the threat of death for owners of a Frost Yin Sacred Body or other such Extreme Yin bodies." Ren stopped reading and almost hurled the precious jade slip to the floor.

'This cultivation method is for women! Damn them for not writing it at the top!' He examined the second method, the Heavenly Fire Body Refining manual. It was meant to absorb astral qi from stars. Then using it to fuel the yin flame to burn impurities and refine the body. The method did warn that the astral qi could affect the yin flame, and no matter what kind it began as, it would begin to take on new properties.

The warning continued on to say the method was extremely slow, taking many years and providing incremental benefits. The methods also differed in cost. The Balanced Yin Body Refining Art was a lot cheaper at 750 contribution points, and the Heavenly Fire Body was priced at 1300 contribution points. Ren was torn. Caught between a cliff and a tiger. Between two unsuitable options. Ren was so tired that he gave up for now and left the choice for later. He was almost late to meet his friends at Mei Ling's mountain.

He had prepared the best of his dishes that he had created using spirit snake meat. How were they growing their strengths after the trial, and what were they planning on doing next? Perhaps he could tempt them to join him in training for the Golden Dharma Trial. Either way, he looked forward to meeting his friends!