Chapter 1708: Leaving the Sect, Entering the Valley

After arriving at the Five Immortals Sect, Li Yan was also granted a small tripod for entry. He learned that the entrance in the reed marshes was only a temporary one. It was actually the entrance to a killing formation, but it served as the “Life Gate” of the array, with the transition depending on the controller’s thought. Dong Fuyi also told him that only after reaching the Body Integration stage would he be given the true entrance and exit of the sect; that was the rule for everyone. For now, holding the small tripod wouldn’t hinder his movements. Like many sect tokens, if the person died, the tripod would shatter. Even if someone captured Li Yan and prevented his immediate death, the tripod would be useless to them. It required the use of Five Elements laws, which required at least a Nascent Soul cultivation to comprehend. And in this world, besides the miscellaneous-root cultivators of the Five Elements Sect, how many others could form a Nascent Soul?

However, this was only the maximum possible protection. If Li Yan’s mind were controlled, it was still possible for outsiders to enter the Five Immortals Sect. But the lake area where Li Yan appeared was a sky-reaching grand formation; even Dong Fuyi was sensed immediately upon entry. If Shi Ligui and the others acted then, let alone Body Integration cultivators, even Tribulation Transcendence or Grand Ascension cultivators would find it hard to escape the array’s lethality. This was a sect-guarding array painstakingly crafted by the Five Immortals Sect, no weaker than that of any top-tier sect in the Immortal Spirit Realm.

After returning, Shi Ligui spoke with Li Yan for several hours before taking him to an alchemy room. There, he began to test Li Yan’s alchemy attainments… Li Yan stayed in his Second Martial Uncle’s alchemy room for a full five and a half months without stepping foot outside. As an Earth-rank Alchemy Grandmaster, Shi Ligui could guess what level Huangqi Valley required for new disciples. After a final assessment, he let Li Yan return. The very next day, a voice transmission entered Li Yan’s mind.

“Come outside the sect!” It was Fairy Ning Ke’s voice. A smile appeared on Li Yan’s face. ‘Is it time to depart?’

When Li Yan exited the black gate of the Kui Water branch, he found Martial Aunt Ning Ke standing by the lakeshore. Her green palace dress fluttered with ribbons, as if she might take flight with the wind at any moment. This time, her gaze toward Li Yan carried a hint of astonishment. After Senior Brother Shi returned, he had described those three months to her with praise and envy toward Dong Fuyi. His conclusion was that Li Yan could easily scheme against Void Refining cultivators, especially those in the initial or mid-stage. Li Yan could likely kill them without much effort, while against a late-stage Void Refining cultivator, his chances were fifty-fifty. But that was just his judgment; he felt Li Yan hadn’t used his full strength, causing some error in his assessment. He could see Li Yan’s cultivation, but a person’s strength was a judgment of many factors, so he couldn’t be entirely certain. Such a performance meant that as long as Li Yan didn’t act recklessly in Huangqi Valley, no fatal problems would arise.

“How do you plan to implement your plan after entering Huangqi Valley?” Fairy Ning Ke asked softly by the lake.

“I have only considered a rough plan for now. I cannot rush this. For at least the first ten years, I will not stand out too much. Then I will slowly wait for an opportunity to enter the core elite disciples with a logical reason. After that, I will act according to the situation and refine the plan,” Li Yan replied respectfully. Such things were all too familiar to him; he naturally couldn’t show his brilliance immediately upon entering. He had to find the right opportunities to integrate himself into the sect bit by bit.

“With such a temperament, you will be fine! I also suggest waiting five to ten years before showing your talent. Any sect will surely observe new disciples in secret. This wait is not even enough for one meditation session for cultivators like us. Also, after entering Huangqi Valley, you can learn some of their techniques, but you must maintain your perspective. If you were going to another sect, your Master and the others wouldn’t be willing to let you go, fearing you would put the cart before the horse and focus on other techniques. Your involvement in body refining and poison refining, though it makes you very strong, has already affected your cultivation speed. Each takes up a lot of time. Fortunately, your Fragmented Poison Body does not require poison techniques to improve its cultivation, which saves much energy. Always be clear on where your foundation lies. However, our kind of cultivators must know some alchemy. Your Second Martial Uncle is proficient in this path, and you must have felt its depth over these months. After all, alchemy benefits all cultivators. Furthermore, Huangqi Valley’s alchemy truly has its merits; you can learn from it, but do not neglect the essentials. Just knowing enough for your actions there is enough!”

Fairy Ning Ke’s voice was ethereal like celestial music, but filled with warnings. She was getting him in there to see if he could find the herb, not to have him delay his own cultivation and become someone else’s disciple. However, Dong Fuyi had always said Li Yan was exceptionally self-disciplined; he hadn’t looked after his cultivation for centuries, yet the boy had reached his current level unexpectedly. Regarding this, the elders had seen Li Yan for themselves and believed it.

“This disciple will surely keep it in mind!” Li Yan bowed. They hadn’t mentioned soul-cultivating techniques, so his Master likely hadn’t revealed that. Either he was keeping it a secret for Li Yan, or he thought the soul arts Li Yan practiced were just superficial and not worth mentioning. However, his elders were right—his time was becoming increasingly insufficient. Looking at the cultivation of several techniques, the speed of their alternating breakthroughs was indeed being affected. After each advancement, his major realms often became a bit blurred; frequently, only one technique would advance, causing an imbalance in his strength. In a crisis during battle, a lapse in judgment could lead to fatal consequences.

“Enough, that is all I have to say. Follow me out now! Your Master has already entered seclusion and has entrusted us with everything. Rest assured, while you are in Huangqi Valley, we will also help you search for the Hazy Moon Purity Immortal Grass. Once it is found, we will notify you immediately, and you can simply leave! This jade slip contains information on Huangqi Valley and a background I fabricated for you. Return it to me after you have read it. If there are any problems, you can ask me anytime on the way. Do not let any flaws appear in your origin!”

…

Four years later, in a world of ice and snow, a faint phantom was weaving through the frost. This phantom seemed to have no substance, gliding through the wind and snow silently, not disturbing a single snowflake. Even the wind and snow blowing toward it passed right through. Li Yan stood behind a graceful figure, separated by a few feet. He was enveloped in a layer of invisible Qi, needing no spiritual power to glide through the world like a weightless shadow. The dense snowflakes hit him but passed through his body.

‘This is a powerhouse’s grasp of worldly laws—true integration with heaven and earth!’ Li Yan knew it wasn’t the snowflakes that were the problem, but the invisible Qi surrounding him, which made the environment unable to sense his existence. It was a certain law of heaven and earth that turned their physical bodies into something tangible yet unsubstantial. He believed that if she wanted to turn him truly intangible, it would be a simple matter. She was letting Li Yan experience the use of laws at different levels. Over these four years, Li Yan had received much guidance from Fairy Ning Ke. He felt he could find a quiet place and break through soon after a bit of cultivation. The instability in his realm from his last advancement had been solidified, but he couldn’t break through now—if he did, would he really go to Huangqi Valley as a Void Refining deacon? He continued to suppress his cultivation and compress his spiritual power. Consequently, his already powerful spiritual power underwent a massive change; every strand of it was like a rope condensed from refined steel. Now, when he used any technique to deliver a strike at the late-stage of Spirit Transformation, he used about twenty percent less spiritual power than four years ago. Most cultivators knew about compressing spiritual power, but truly doing it was exceptionally difficult. If Li Yan had relied solely on himself, he wouldn’t have reached this level in four years; even with his life on the line, he might not have compressed it by much. But with Fairy Ning Ke by his side, the situation was entirely different. This was the benefit of having a supreme powerhouse providing constant guidance. Over these years, Li Yan truly experienced what it was like to be cared for by a powerhouse; on the way, besides free cultivation, there was nothing he needed to worry about.

Li Yan’s Divine Sense saw that the endless mountains of ice and snow below were beginning to thin out. The terrain was gradually leveling. Large patches of flowers and grass—red, green, and yellow—suddenly appeared on the edge of the icy world. It was a different kind of world, colorful and dotted with life. Those flowers swayed in a warm spring breeze. Fragrance diffused through the air, giving this patch of the world a mix of refreshing icy coldness and a sweet scent. The cold wind blowing from the sky made the diffuse fragrance several times more intense.

“We are almost there. We haven’t been idle on this journey, but unfortunately, none of the marketplaces or sects I know have news of the Hazy Moon Purity Immortal Grass. It seems you really must enter Huangqi Valley!” Fairy Ning Ke’s voice echoed in Li Yan’s mind.

“Thank you, Martial Aunt, for looking after me all the way. This disciple will surely keep your instructions in mind. Please be at ease,” Li Yan said. He now had more and more powerful backers in the Immortal Spirit Realm. This made things that he previously would have had to fight and scheme for seem so effortless. He understood her concern.

“Mm,” Fairy Ning Ke responded. Dong Fuyi had entrusted his disciple to her; naturally, she would do her best. She wouldn’t tell Li Yan that after arranging his entry, she wouldn’t leave immediately but would observe from the shadows for a time. If something went wrong, she would take him away as quickly as possible.

…

Hu Quanjie looked at the ordinary-looking young man before him. His cultivation was only at the initial-stage of Spirit Transformation. It wasn’t the time for a broad recruitment of disciples, yet an inner valley disciple had come to arrange this. He was told to place this man in the outer valley to wait, and after four months, the man would participate in the inner valley entrance examination with other new disciples. That inner valley cultivator who arranged this was only slightly higher in status than himself, yet he had obtained an inner valley transit token from somewhere and was ordering Hu Quanjie around. This made Hu Quanjie quite unhappy. He was, after all, a deacon of the outer valley of Huangqi Valley, while the man who came was just an inner valley disciple, not even a deacon.

The outer valley was where all potential disciples had to stay. They had to pass three rounds of screening here before a list was finalized to decide who was qualified for the inner valley examination. Clearly, this cultivator named Li Yan had skipped those three rounds and was just waiting here with a slot. Li Yan looked at the black-clothed deacon before him. He appeared to be in his thirties, with a cultivation at the initial-stage of Void Refining. A pair of small, rat-like eyes were constantly scanning him.

Half an hour ago, Fairy Ning Ke had taken him to a certain place in the inner valley, where they met the Earth-rank Alchemy Grandmaster. She was a middle-aged female powerhouse. Li Yan couldn’t tell her cultivation, but excluding any concealment treasures, she was certainly above the Void Refining stage. Upon seeing Fairy Ning Ke, the woman’s attitude was very respectful, though she was curious why Fairy Ning Ke had brought someone here. In her interactions with Ning Ke, she knew the Fairy had no disciples and preferred to be a free rogue cultivator. This little fellow was only at the initial-stage of Spirit Transformation; for Fairy Ning Ke, he might not even be qualified to be a disciple. Fairy Ning Ke explained that Li Yan was the descendant of an old friend and that she had encountered him occasionally during this trip. She recognized his identity through a keepsake he carried.