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186-192 The Science of Cultivation [Xianxia]

Chapter 186: First Day of Class

The next day, the trio led their students to the new place selected as their new home. Their belongings were still stowed in the space rings, so there was a minimal need for packing. They simply rode over to the Southern Dark Spot, directly to their new residence.

Before they could rush in to assess the estate, Li Lang gave them some instructions first.

"You're all to be on cleaning duty for the entire morning. We must clean this place nicely before lunch, and we will then allocate the rooms based on your performance. Then, lessons will begin in the late afternoon. Are there any questions?"

The kids looked around at each other, but no one said anything.

"Then get to it!"

Immediately, a competitive glint could be seen from many of them. It was their chance to secure better living quarters, and many were eager to show off. After all, many of them had grade-one aptitude, so they were excited at this chance to cultivate.

However, the excitement quickly died down as soon as they entered the main house. It wasn't because they already felt daunted at the task of cleaning, but simply due to the lack of light inside. 

As the place hadn't had anyone living in it for some time, there were no lit candles or crystals to illuminate the interiors. Being located in a dark spot, the young children who had yet to master channelling Qi into their eyes could only wait for their eyes to adjust. Even then, they relied on the small bit of light leaking from the outside.

One of the more sharp-minded children quickly realized their predicament and ran up to Li Lang.

"Teacher Li, can you lend us a light source?"

Li Lang glanced down at the kid with an amused expression.

"Xiao Dong, was it? Sorry, but you kids will have to rely on yourselves. Search around for materials and use that brain of yours or let your eyes adjust. Just don't accidentally burn down the place. We'll be watching."

Hearing his words, a few of the kids persisted and swiftly got to work without any more complaints. Those few failed to realize that while their eyes adjusting could work near the windows, it wouldn't help further in where it was completely dark.

The trio watched this without muttering a word, as they had discussed this the night prior. It was to be a part of their training.

Moving at a leisurely pace, they stowed away their Skyrunners and slowly followed behind the children into the house.

"Have you gotten everything you needed for your travels, Wei Ping?" Li Lang asked. "Because you can go shopping if you want. Long Yi should be able to manage alone."

"Thank you. I w-will take you up on your offer, then."

As Wei Ping was walking away, Long Yi quickly turned to his companion.

"What do you mean, alone?"

"It means exactly as it sounds. You had previously said that while you can't help with recruiting, you can at least watch over the kids, right? I have some business to finish."

With that, they each split up to do their own tasks. Long Yi would supervise the children, Li Lang heading for the Brushweaving Guild, while Wei Ping prepared for his journey. 

The transaction at the Brushweaving Guild didn't take long at all. When Li Lang got there, he was quickly quoted a price, and he accepted it on the spot. He knew the quality of his products, so he had no complaints about the price. It was still profitable, and he managed to replenish his materials in bulk.

By the time he returned, the cleaning was already finished. With a dozen kids, it took no time at all.

They completed everything before lunch. It gave them enough time to spare to head out to purchase additional bedding and furniture for the home. 

The estate wasn't large. It only had one main house, along with a small, empty courtyard. People normally planted trees, dug ponds, and filled the space with gravel for decoration, but the group had other uses in mind. They would turn it into an open field, where they had ample room to cultivate various martial and Qi arts.

Inside the house, there was an empty main hall. It connected to several paths that led further into the building. It was where the living quarters lay. There were a total of four large rooms and eight smaller rooms. To be precise, they weren't rooms, but small houses with roofed walkways that were connected to the main hall. Between each room was even a small garden, though each was currently barren.

After stocking their pantry with supplies and furnishing the rooms with bedding, everyone had an idea of how the rooms would be split. Two of the small rooms were equipped with four sets of sheets, while another two only had two. It was obvious the high performers only needed to share a room with one other person.

It was a rare privilege in most places except for the wealthiest of sects. Even in those powerful organizations, a private room was only made possible by making the living area the bare minimum. 

Li Lang's room in Spirit Grove was a testament to that. It could barely fit the bed and desk.

"I won't keep you all waiting," Li Lang proclaimed before his gathered students. "There are four top performances today, and they are Wu San, Xiao Dong, Shi Yan, and Chu Qinghe. They will be split according to their gender. The rest of you can split up into two groups of four at your own discretion."

The two boys and girls stepped forward excitedly at being commended for their performance, while the others moaned at their misfortune. Only Ouyang Jie remained expressionless and silently stood there while the groups were formed. 

Li Lang could see his fingers twitch a few times, trying to interject himself into conversations, but never happened in the end. He simply pretended not to see and sent the kids off to their new rooms to get settled.

"Sucks for you kids!" Long Yi teasingly cried out. "An adult like me gets his own large house!"

His words caused the kids to jeer at him as they walked by, with some even whispering about a plot to get their revenge, but the mood was light-hearted.

Once they were all gone, Li Lang returned to his own abode, also one of the large houses, so he could return to his lab to continue his work. While he treasured his time, it still felt like it passed excruciatingly fast. It reminded him of his old busy schedules. With more to do, time flew by.

Soon, everyone in the new estate, even Wei Ping, gathered in the barren courtyard for their first lesson.

While the majority of them had already stepped foot onto cultivation, reaching the first stage of Energy Gathering, there were still a few who were completely new. To Li Lang, that didn't matter. He would still be explaining cultivation from scratch. After all, he would be teaching his methods from now on, not anyone else's.

"The first step to cultivation is to be able to sense Qi, the energy that allows you to wield the power of cultivators. For those who haven't learned to sense Qi yet, either I or one of the other teachers will assist you. For those who already know, I'll be going over the cultivation technique to absorb this Qi into your body so you may expand its capacity to store more of this energy. Be warned. It will be a painful process."

The lesson began, with Li Lang giving a detailed background on how cultivation works. Wei Ping even had to nudge him to get to the point, which was sharing the cultivation technique he devised. He knew the black hole method he used wasn't something he could teach after just a few weeks of education.

Even if he could, it wasn't that instrumental to their advancement, as it only shortened the cultivation time one needed to hit their limit. The key lay in the Cleansing Drug. Still, he didn't slack off in his teachings.

Instead of the black hole method, he explained a new cultivation method with the aid of a prop. This prop was made using the help of his Primordial Star Fire, some silica, and his artificing techniques. It wasn't an artifact, but it was a genuine microscope.

"Each of you will now take a look through this microscope. You must learn that the human body is full of holes called pores. They are there for various functions of the body. For example, the Eccrine sweat glands is where your sweat leaks out from. The Sebaceous pores are where your hair grows from."

At the sound of someone exaggeratedly clearing their throat, Li Lang quickly got back on track.

"What you simply need to do is retain an image of all these little holes around your body. You will use the image of numerous pores to absorb all the ambient Qi in the surroundings."

With only a dozen students, they each had a turn with the microscope within a few minutes. Some of them were confused at what they saw, needing further clarification, while others were surprised. However, none of them were particularly shocked, as it was something they mentioned during one of the previous lessons on human biology. 

"Now, allow me to demonstrate this technique. All of you, place a hand on me. I will direct some Qi through all of you before invoking the technique."

The students quickly gathered as told, placing a hand around his shoulders and arms. Then, Li Lang manipulated the Qi to course through each of their hands, allowing those who hadn't sensed Qi before an opportunity to do so. 

As someone in the eighth stage of Energy Gathering, this was only too easy of a task. After all, he could even move the Qi freely when it was outside of his body.

Just when the lesson was going smoothly, every student who could feel the gentle stream of Qi suddenly cried out in alarm. The gentle stream abruptly turned into a violent whirlwind. Seeing this, Long Yi quickly took action.

He dove into the crowd of students, pushing them all away.

"All of you, step back!"

Chapter 187: Start Line on the Horizon

The children all stared with their mouths agape at the unexpected turn of events. Their teacher's Qi spontaneously increased in intensity. It hadn't directly affected or hurt them in any way, but it didn't change the fact that it caught them all off-guard.

"Teacher Long, what is happening?" Xiao Dong shouted from amidst the shocked flock of students.

"Keep moving back. Li Lang is breaking through!"

"Isn't that a good thing? Why do we have to retreat?"

"When he finishes, he probably won't be in complete control of himself after breaking through. He'll likely jump up and release his pent-up power. It could easily hurt you, so you kids can't approach him!"

Without a word, Wei Ping had already begun dragging one student after the other back into the house. If he wasn't so mindful to be gentle with them, he likely would've picked them all up at once.

Despite his efforts, the curious children still poked their heads out from the building to continue spectating. Instead of pushing them back inside, Long Yi and Wei Ping positioned themselves between them and Li Lang.

Everyone then watched as they felt the ambient Qi twirl around them, rushing toward the man experiencing an untimely breakthrough.

It wasn't exactly Li Lang's fault, though. Spontaneous breakthroughs happened when one had adequate accumulation and luck. Some said it was when a cultivator had an epiphany. It was the preferable method of breakthrough, as opposed to the forcefully induced method. The only downside was that once it started, it couldn't be stopped. Otherwise, it could cause severe damage to the cultivator.

After all the training he had done in the past few years, combined with the creation of his first artifact, Li Lang obviously met the first condition. However, right now, Li Lang's mind was racing to understand what the trigger was. At the same time, he tried to memorize his experiences.

They do say teaching is the best way of learning. Is that simply it, or did my accumulation hit the limit, causing this breakthrough?

With so many thoughts going through his head, Li Lang visibly frowned with a scrunched-up expression.

To the onlookers, they suspected he was enduring unimaginable pain because of the breakthrough.

"Will Teacher Li really be okay?" one of the children muttered.

Their words caused the seed of anxiety to spread among the others. They were all worried about their mentor, who had only just begun his lessons. They all still needed him to become cultivators themselves, so they all cheered him on.

"You can do it Teacher Li!"

"Show us how to overcome a breakthrough!"

"Endure it! Teach us by example!"

Unfortunately, none of their words reached Li Lang's ears. He was too focused on what was happening to his body.

He could feel the Qi inside him constantly burst outward in all directions, trying to rip him to pieces, but then it would reverse its flow, trying to converge to his navel. While the change in pressure was torturous, it still wasn't worth his attention at the moment.

He was single-mindedly focused on how his body was changing. He felt like every possible part of him that had the potential to hold Qi was exhausted, and his navel was feeling strange.

Before he could grasp exactly what this strangeness was, it all stopped as quickly as it had started. The energies inside his body returned to being under his control. He was brimming with power.

Having experienced multiple breakthroughs by now, Li Lang didn't give in to the urge to just stand up and release everything. Instead, He gathered his power, made it exit his body, and had it whirl around him before calmly returning.

It managed to alleviate his urge for release, and everything soon returned to normalcy.

"Congratulations! It seems you've caught up to me!"

Li Lang turned to find Long Yi walking over with a wide smile.

"C-congrats, Boss. I'll make sure I-I make the most of my trip and catch u-up soon!"

Witnessing the adults relax, the children knew the danger was over. They all poured out of the building and surrounded Li Lang with excitement.

"Teacher, do you really have grade-one aptitude? How is it possible that you've reached the peak of Energy Gathering before your twenties, if that is true?"

Some barraged Li Lang with questions, while others suddenly got down to the lotus position on the spot and began cultivating themselves. They used the method they had just learned in a desperate attempt to follow suit. Some mistakenly believed the cultivation method was what was special.

They couldn't be faulted, as Li Lang had yet to release any details about the Cleansing Drug. It was just too sensitive of a matter when he couldn't predict how the cultivation world would react to it. Still, he resolved himself to reveal some of its secrets to his students. He needed them to cooperate with his experiments.

"Everything will be explained one step at a time. For today, all of you should focus on learning this new cultivation method and sensing Qi. Remember to call one of us once you've reached your limit. We will tell you the next step then."

The lesson soon resumed. Inspired by Li Lang's breakthrough, all the children worked extra hard toward mastering what they were taught.

One by one, they would raise their hands once they'd cultivated to their limits, and one of the trio would lead them inside. Only in the privacy of the house would they then reveal the white powdery substance to them, giving them a brief introduction and how to use the Cleansing Drug.

After teaching the student about the drug, Li Lang made his way back out to tend to the others when he happened to catch a glimpse of Long Yi explaining to yet another student.

"Don't sweat the details. Just stick to the dosage and cultivate without thinking too hard about it. You can dissolve it in water or directly consume it. Just don't snort it, or so I've been told."

It was at those words that Li Lang suddenly realized how sketchy their actions appeared. They each guided a child into the house and dealt them a white powdery substance in a bag for consumption. It was the result of Li Lang's attempt to save time by forgoing the film coating for the Cleansing Drugs.

Hmm, maybe it's time I refine this into a pill or at least get better packaging for it. It may be a drug, but I don't want to look like a drug dealer.

Many things were learned on the first day of lessons. The trio were new teachers themselves. They all gathered after dinner to discuss and refine their education plan based on the experiences from the day.

"I t-think we should hire some mortals to do t-the odd job. Even if the k-kids can do the cleaning, we still need a cook. It'll s-save us a lot of time."

"Wei Ping is right." Long Yi nodded in favor. "I didn't even get to have seconds today because we didn't make enough for the ravenous children!"

"Agreed. I'll ask around tomorrow. Hiring a regular person shouldn't be that difficult. I wanted to have the kids learn how to do everything eventually, as these are skills they need to survive. I guess I've been too hasty."

"Umm, I-I've decided to leave tomorrow. Sorry, I won't b-be able to help."

"No problem. Make sure to send regular letters to us through The Orchid Covenant if you stray too far from Emberglow. We'll be waiting for you."

"Ha, do pick up any interesting souvenirs if you travel to novel places," Long Yi chimed in. "As for now, let's drink and snack! It'll be some time before you return home, right?"

"Stop making it sound like we're drinking alcohol. It's just tea. Don't want to let those kids get the wrong idea," Li Lang reprimanded.

"As if drinking alcohol is a big deal. We're adults now. Plus, we won't be able to get drunk on mortal drinks once we reach the Foundation Establishment Realm. We should try things out while we still can."

Their conversation soon devolved into mundane chatter and the three friends partied amongst themselves. They merrily chatted and reminisced about everything they had experienced so far. The mood was melancholic, as they finally got to the point where things appeared would settle down. To them, it felt like a much-needed break after years of nonstop training and events. Like that, the three of them naturally decided to spend the night in Li Lang's room.

The large houses were spacious, and they had ample bedding in their space rings. While they regularly traveled together, Li Lang couldn't remember the last time they sat down and relaxed, like tonight.

There's a huge difference between going from inn to inn and finally having a place you can call home.

"You two asleep?" Li Lang muttered after being lost in thought for some time.

Only the sound of snoring came, so he soon turned in for the night himself.

This is nice. I'd love for this to continue, having a carefree life while I leisurely researched what I wanted. However, Zi Xi and Zi Xiaomei are waiting for me somewhere. I'm sure they're still alive if that demonic cultivator managed to earn the moniker The Abductress, and not The Killer.

I'm finally at the peak of Energy Gathering. I'm only a small step away from truly walking the path of a cultivator. I wonder if there are real immortals around?

Li Lang's thoughts began to wander, as he inevitably slipped into slumber.

Chapter 188: Observe and Learn

The next day, everyone gathered to send Wei Ping off on his journey. No one said much as everything that needed to be said had already been said the day prior. They watched as Wei Ping summoned a Skyrunner in the open courtyard.

"Are you sure you want to take the old Skyrunner?" Li Lang asked. "It's not like we plan on traveling anytime soon, so you can take my new one if you want. It'll save you a lot of time."

"It's o-okay. I'm not in a rush to go anywhere. Plus, I-I plan to finish my own Skyrunner s-soon."

As a woodsmith disciple, Wei Ping had naturally learned how Skyrunners were made. However, it was a process that took a long time, but it seemed it would soon finally bear fruit.

"Well then, have a safe trip."

Wei Ping nodded and boarded his transport. As he slowly took to the skies, everyone below waved. They continued to do so until his vehicle was just a blip in the distance.

"Okay everyone, since we're gathered here already, let's continue our training," Li Lang declared.

The students quickly changed gears upon hearing that. Only Long Yi complained.

"Can't we at least have breakfast first?"

"Take a Nourishment Pill if you can't stand it."

Li Lang threw over a small pill bottle at him. Long Yi immediately examined its contents and found a bright yellow pill.

"This a new flavor?"

"Yeah, try it and tell me what you think."

"Hmm, maybe later. Nothing beats real food."

"Then stand there and wait."

With that, Li Lang directed his attention back to his students.

"Since we have gone over how to sense Qi and use it for your cultivation yesterday, today we will be going over how to utilize this power. Before I proceed, if any of you are still struggling with what we went over yesterday, please go to Long Yi now. Remember, there's no shame in taking your time to learn properly."

No one moved. The ability to perceive Qi wasn't something difficult. There was a reason why almost anyone could cultivate if they wanted to. It was just that the efficiency was too low if they had low aptitude.

As for the cultivation technique Li Lang imparted to them, most of their questions were already resolved yesterday when they were receiving the Cleansing Drug.

"Okay, then I will proceed. Utilizing your Qi should be as easy as yesterday's lesson. The hard part is to use it efficiently, which is what martial and Qi arts are for. To start, we'll learn some easy applications that are most relevant to you right now."

The young teacher gestured for his students to come close.

"You may already have noticed, but our little manor here is within the Southern Dark Spot of Emberglow City. I know some of you were having trouble moving about last night, so we'll be learning how to see in the darkness."

Seeing the children nod attentively, he pointed at one of them at random.

"You'll be going first. Come stand in front of me."

The selected student, a girl by the name of Shi Yan, fearlessly did as instructed.

"What do you need me to do next?" she gallantly shouted out.

"Grasp some of the Qi within your body. Try to move it around."

The girl closed her eyes tightly and began sensing the energies in her body. Li Lang placed a hand on her back, tracking her progress. He patiently waited for her to get used to controlling Qi. 

"Good, you're moving it. Now try to bring it up to where your eyes are."

Shi Yan struggled less by the second, but she was still clumsy with her control. However, precision wasn't needed yet. She managed to successfully complete her task after a few seconds.

"Now, fuse that energy into your eyes. Remember, your intent is what matters here."

"Am I doing it right?" the girl asked.

"Just open your eyes and check."

While hesitant, as Shi Yan hadn't felt any changes, she still opened her eyes and started looking around. To her surprise, everyone appeared with more clarity than usual.

A few gasps of surprise sounded out beside her, as she wasn't the only one who had been doing as their teacher instructed. A few impatient students were also following along and they too successfully directed their Qi into their eyes.

"Feel free to walk around and get used to it. Teacher Long and I will go around to make sure you all get the hang of it."

Like that, the group was soon engrossed in their training, swiftly moving on from Wei Ping's departure.

They settled into a routine, and with the help of the Cleansing Drug, the newcomers broke through one after the other.

After an entire month, all of them were at least in the third stage of Energy Gathering, with several who were even in the fourth stage thanks to their grade two aptitude.

During this entire time, neither Li Lang nor Long Yi slacked off on their training. 

Li Lang also continued with his various research projects, studying the effects of his new Nourishment Pill to ensure its efficacy and mapping the meridians for each of his students to study.

While a dozen cultivators were a sizeable number, it was nowhere near enough to satisfy Li Lang for all his experiments. After all, he also had to continue his research into his poisons and all the other things that piqued his curiosity. There was no way he could get his students to act as test subjects for so many topics.

That was why, after a month of observations, he concluded he needed more test subjects. He wasn't going to find more cultivators right away, though. Instead, he went to procure Qi beasts just like many demonic cultivators would.

His trip also acted as a cover story for his students before they registered as members of The Orchid Covenant. It would only be too suspicious if a bunch of demonic cultivators had never ventured out or had a history of procuring Qi beasts to advance so quickly in their cultivation.

Before breakfast, Li Lang ordered everyone to assemble so he could explain to them the situation.

"Is everyone here?" Li Lang looked around the empty main hall, sitting in one of the only two chairs around.

One of his students, Wu San, politely stepped forward and clasped his fist toward Li Lang.

"We're just missing Teacher Long."

That Long Yi is only ever on time for breakfast.

"Someone go get him—"

Before Li Lang could finish his sentence, a distant voice interrupted him.

"Li Lang! I think I'm going to make my attempt!"

The familiar voice silenced the entire hall, as they all glanced in the direction it originated from. Then the students turned to the only teacher with them, waiting for his instructions.

"Everyone is dismissed. Do not approach Long Yi's house for now. I'll call for you when it's over."

Without waiting for his students' response, Li Lang briskly walked out of the hall and toward the house where Long Yi lived.

He charged in without knocking to find his friend sitting with crossed legs on his bed. He had his eyes closed with a solemn expression. In his hand was a pill that exuded an aura of energy. Li Lang would never fail to recognize the Foundation Pill the received as a reward for helping Tai Xilun from the Bloodwave Conclave.

He had been dying to study it, but it wasn't an item he could easily obtain. If he allowed Ruby to consume it, it would prevent them from using it for their eventual breakthrough.

"You're here," Long Yi said. "I have to start soon. I have a feeling I can do it, so I don't want to delay it any longer."

"Don't forget to cast the Tracing Origin Art every so often. Like we planned. I'm going to ask you questions as you go. You don't have to answer."

Long Yi nodded. He then threw the pill into his mouth and swallowed it in one go.

Seeing this, Li Lang retreated a few steps away and got into a meditative stance himself. While he couldn't monitor what was going on in Long Yi's body, he could still observe the surroundings.

Soon, the ambient Qi in the surroundings trembled as they whirled around the young man, attempting his breakthrough.

As instructed, Long Yi monitored the movement of this new gust of Qi by using the Tracing Origin Art. He had previously mapped out his meridians, so he was tasked with seeing if his breakthrough would change anything.

While watching this, Li Lang couldn't help but remember Sima Xue's words. She had said once they managed to step into the Foundation Establishment realm, they should immediately find an Earth-grade cultivation technique to complement it.

People say cultivation techniques become more important as they go up in realm, but why is that? It shouldn't just be different ways to absorb Qi. Sima Xue said we'll understand once the time arrives. 

Please succeed, Long Yi. I need you to tell me the secrets of cultivation techniques. Maybe then I'll be able to come up with a way to assist people with low aptitude like me to break through.

Chapter 189: Questioning the Breakthrough

Long Yi's breakthrough attempt continued under the watchful gaze of Li Lang. So far, nothing had deviated from the time they observed Tang Yulian's breakthrough back in the pocket realm. Long Yi had begun to glow as the ambient Qi formed a vortex around him.

The intensity at which the Qi rushed to Long Yi finally relaxed after some time. Instead, the spot on his navel that shone began to grow in size.

It was as if the light was slowly being stretched out like a balloon.

This went in line with what Li Lang knew about the process of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. One's Qi had reached a saturation point and now had to converge in the cultivator's dantian in the navel area.

This stage was also the most dangerous part of the ordeal. If the cultivator lost control, all the gathered Qi would be released all at once. It would result in a violent explosion within their body, certainly ending their lives.

It was why any sane cultivator would ingest a Foundation Pill before attempting a breakthrough. 

The Foundation Pill created a barrier around a cultivator's dantian and would prevent such a violent explosion. It was like a brace that would instead let the Qi leak up at a steady pace in the event of a failed attempt. It allowed the cultivator to safely fail, letting them try again later.

Even though Li Lang knew this meant his friend's breakthrough was deemed safe because of the pill, he couldn't help but worry. The Foundation Pill didn't prevent all the pain one had to endure as the Qi tried to converge on one point of the body. It then expanded, further adding to the discomfort.

Li Lang knew severe and unrelenting pain was dangerous. It could induce stress responses in the body that release large amounts of adrenaline and other stress hormones. That could lead to cardiac arrest or even organ failure. 

There were also various other conditions that could occur, like neurogenic shock and other mental health impacts. While he knew cultivators had a sturdier constitution, anything could still happen.

Hours passed as Long Yi continued to persist.

Sweat drenched his robes as Li Lang occasionally asked him a few questions.

"Are meridian channels still the same?"

No answer came, so kept quiet for some time before trying again.

"Can you feel any difference in your Qi yet?"

This time, he received a slight nod, but no words followed it.

Hours passed, and early morning soon became late afternoon.

Nine hours after the ordeal started, Long Yi suddenly grunted. He released an intense wave of Qi, accompanied by the sound of something crackling.

Li Lang couldn't even react to the noise before a flash of lightning suddenly struck down at his friend. It caused Long Yi to tense up and couldn't even open his mouth as he endured the pain. The lightning was only an instant, but the aftereffects remained for several long minutes before Long Yi's breathing steadied again.

The ambient Qi quickly returned to normal, leaving Long Yi silently sitting there, taking deep breaths.

Nothing happened after that for some time until his aura abruptly changed in an instant. Li Lang could now feel the formidable presence of a Foundation Establishment cultivator gushing out from his friend.

Long Yi had succeeded!

Others would be surprised at his successful first attempt, but no one present was. Long Yi had been steadily cultivating while in the last stage of Energy Gathering for years. His accumulation was more than enough.

Long Yi slowly opened his eyes and grinned upon seeing his friend.

"Looks like it all worked out," he casually blurted out.

He inspected his body for a moment before standing up to stretch out his body.

"You sure you're in shape to move around right away?" Li Lang asked.

"Yeah, I feel better than ever! Not counting how sweaty I am and the drenched clothes, of course."

"Did your meridian channels end up changing? You didn't exactly give me a precise answer earlier."

"Well, yeah. It took everything I had to make out your words. My meridians seem to be the same, just—thicker now. More Qi can pass through each of my spiritual roots."

Having answered one question, Long Yi was soon barraged with a dozen others. The questioning lasted for another hour until he was finally set free. He quickly went to wipe himself and change clothes while Li Lang went to gather his students once more.

He didn't beat around the bush and announced the news to them as soon as they gathered.

"Everyone, there the ordeal is over. Teacher Long has successfully broken through to Foundation Establishment!"

Gasps of admiration could be heard, as many of them began to dream about having similar accomplishments themselves. Li Lang swiftly continued before they got ahead of themselves.

"With that said, you can ask him about his experiences at a later date. He needs to rest and stabilize his cultivation right now. As for us, we have an errand to run today. We'll be going to Bloodwave Conclave's—"

"Woah, woah. Don't count me out so fast."

Everyone turned to find Long Yi approaching. Some wanted to run towards him to question his experiences, but the children all quickly reined in their excitement. Despite their age, they had become mindful of etiquette. It was due to their desire to respect their teachers, who had allowed them to progress their cultivation so quickly, at a pace they never dreamt of before.

"Congratulations, Teacher Long!" they shouted in unison.

"Long Yi—What are you doing here?"

"You were about to say you're bringing everyone to the bazaar, right? I want to tag along."

"Learn to rest already!"

"That's rich coming from someone who interrogated me for an hour immediately after my breakthrough. Plus, I need to grab a new cultivation technique, right? How else am I supposed to answer your questions?"

His words made Li Lang speechless, and he could only nod. He then proceeded to explain the goal of their trip to the Bloodwave Conclave bazaar to his students as if nothing happened.

"You're all to register as members of The Orchid Covenant soon. As demonic cultivators, you'll need to be seen procuring Qi beasts for your cultivation to dispel any suspicions."

"Umm, Teacher Li," Xiao Dong interrupted. "Do we really all have to go? We don't need to be there for the purchase, right?"

"Good question. You're right in that you don't have to go, but I thought this would be a good chance to bring you guys to shop for martial and Qi arts. You haven't learned anything yet, right?"

This caused a stir within the group of students. For the past month, they had done nothing but cultivate. Once they used up their quota of Cleansing Drugs for the day, they would then be ordered to clean around the manor or help with the kitchen staff. 

The young cultivators had long grown restless, wanting to practice something more cultivator-like. They had grown up hearing stories about what powerful cultivators could do and wanted an outlet for their newfound power.

"Don't get too excited. You'll be able to find more techniques once you officially become members of The Orchid Covenant, so you don't have to make a decision right away. Remember, it's better to practice and master a few techniques rather than a dozen. Those of you interested in crafts should also wait until then."

Despite being an official alchemist and brushweaver, Li Lang had declined to teach over the past month. He only had so much time, and he had to use it sparingly for the sake of his research. That's why he had his students seek out mentors like they had once done when they joined the organization.

After a few more reminders, the group set forth for the bazaar. They walked the entire way, as their only Skyrunner couldn't fit them all.

Even with all the wealth Li Lang had accumulated with his talisman business, he was hesitant to spend it. He was preparing for the expensive research regarding the path to the Foundation Establishment realm.

While it took some time, they safely arrived before the massive cliff wall that was the entrance to the Bloodwave Conclave bazaar. They blended into the crowd of people entering the lively market.

Long Yi then led the group down the path that led to the cultivation techniques library while Li Lang alone ventured toward the Qi beast area.

The Qi beast area was the largest section of the entire bazaar. After all, they were one of the most important resources for demonic cultivators.

Having been there before, Li Lang briskly walked around in search of his target. He wasn't after anything specific. He just wanted to buy the same type of beasts in bulk.

While he was conversing with one of the vendors, the shopkeeper suddenly paused mid-sentence, bowing respectfully at the person standing behind Li Lang. 

"Li Lang, it's been some time," a man's voice rang out. "It seems you've grown yet again."

Li Lang turned to find a familiar face wearing black and red robes. He was a little taken aback at the sudden appearance of his acquaintance, but quickly composed himself.

"Greetings, Senior Tai. I'm surprised you still recognized me."

The man before him was Tai Xilun, the head disciple of the Bloodwave Conclave. Li Lang almost wanted to ask why he was here, but then remembered this was their turf.

"Just because you've grown bigger doesn't mean I can't recognize you. Your distinct physique may no longer be so distinct, but your features remain the same."

Li Lang chuckled at the mention of his big head. His body's growth had caught up, so it was now only considered slightly larger than average. Still, he was surprised so many people recognized him like Elder Cao.

"Senior Tai, if you don't mind, I'll come formally greet you another day. I have to hurry today, as some people are waiting for me."

"Hmm, could you spare a few minutes? The reason I've come to find you today is because I've got an important message to relay to you."

What? He didn't accidentally stumble upon me and was searching for me?

Seeing Li Lang silent, Tai Xilun continued.

"We can't exactly delay it. It's an official missive from Nightmoon Valley."

Chapter 190: Official Missive

Li Lang followed the man in red and black robes as he mulled over the situation. He had just been shopping for Qi beasts when Tai Xilun approached him with a message from Nightmoon Valley that completely bewildered him.

He had no idea what the reason behind this missive was. In the grand scheme of things, he was just the tiniest of fish within the pond that was known as the Violet Isles. He believed there was nothing remarkable about him that could've drawn the attention of the de facto leader of the demonic cultivators.

He may have been friends with Sima Xue who had tremendous standing within Nightmoon Valley, but this premier organization should've been professional enough to keep their member's personal life away from official business.

A missive sounds too formal. It shouldn't be from Sima Xue, but then who? The only other person I am acquainted with is Jian Beiyun, but this doesn't seem like something he'd do either.

Tai Xilun continued to guide the young man without knowing his actions had caused him to fret. He walked facing forward, always with perfect posture. The two soon made their way out of the public area of the bazaar and into the private area of the Bloodwave Conclave. The two separate zones were divided by a small security checkpoint manned by a Foundation Establishment disciple of the conclave.

"Senior Tai," the guard called out and nodded respectfully. He only gave Li Lang a cursory glance before standing back at attention. He knew better than to question their head disciple about his guests.

Bloodwave Conclave's base was built inside the walls on the edge of Emberglow City. It was essentially an underground base with low ceilings, but every few paces hung a chandelier with the same orange crystal seen outside to illuminate the corridors.

Once they stepped further in, the ground was even adorned with velvet red carpets that looked brand new.

"So, I heard you ventured into Polarity City recently. How was it?" Tai Xilun asked without looking back.

"Um, it was my first time attending an auction, so there were a lot of things I'd never seen before."

"Hmm, I still remember my first time there. It felt weird peacefully sitting around those righteous hypocrites, but it was also eye-opening. It's a necessary experience for young people like you."

"Then—if I may ask. How come Huang Si and other disciples of the Bloodwave Conclave weren't there? I may have missed them with so many people, but I didn't see a single person wearing your conclave's robes."

"Huang Si has been there before. I'm not clear as to why the others didn't attend, as that is their respective master's business, but I assume most of them are still digesting their gains from the pocket realm. There are many things one needs to do both before and after breaking into the Foundation Establishment Realm."

"Hmm, any particulars I should know about? My friend, Long Yi, had just broken through recently."

"I know."

This prompt response caused Li Lang to slow down his steps. Long Yi had just broken through before they immediately headed here. There was no way news traveled that fast, even if his students leaked the news. That left him with the possibility that people had been monitoring them.

Sensing Li Lang lagging behind, Tai Xilun turned around but didn't say anything. It was as if he knew what was going to come out of Li Lang's mouth next and was only waiting for it.

"Senior—Where did you hear the news?"

"Before your thoughts wander, just know that a breakthrough is a very special occasion for any cultivator. Such a huge event would naturally alert everyone within several miles if you didn't set up a formation ahead of time to contain it. I presume every organization based in the city knows about the recent breakthrough. Then it would only take a little investigating to know who it was."

His words made Li Lang think back at the time his acquaintances had experienced their breakthroughs back in the pocket realm. Tai Xilun had been correct. Back then, their respective organizations guarded them outside and had erected a barrier around them. 

Li Lang had thought it was just a part of their security measure against any nefarious parties who wanted to interrupt the breakthrough. Evidently, there was more to it.

We should be more mindful next time. We need to start considering the possibility of someone monitoring us. Better safe than sorry.

The trio hadn't thought they had done anything to draw that much attention aside from those assailants who had ambushed them. Even then, they believed they would be focusing on their actual targets from the Eroding March Pavillion and not them.

"You can think about it later," Tai Xilun called out. "Let's go. You have people waiting for you, right?"

Ushered by the stoic expert, the two resumed their journey. They passed by several other onlookers who curiously glanced at Li Lang, but they didn't take any detours. They soon arrived inside a grand hall where three figures stood.

Li Lang expected them to be elders of the Bloodwave Conclave because a missive from a large organization would likely be treated seriously. However, contrary to his expectation, he soon realized the three people there had youthful complexions. The skin was smooth and full of collagen.

Tai Xilun didn't bother to wait for Li Lang's analysis and approached the three cultivators. He clasped his fist toward them politely.

"Elders, I've brought Li Lang."

Right. Experts can control their appearance. No—to be more precise, Foundational Establishment Realm experts maintain the appearance they had when they had broken through. But these elders should at least be in the Violet Core Realm. Does that mean cultivators in that realm can control their looks? 

I know too little about this realm. Li Lang sighed.

"Is something the matter?" the elder in the middle asked with a kind smile.

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm honored to be invited by your esteemed conclave. My name is Li Lang."

"I know you young people are always in a rush, so we'll cut to the chase. We're here to give you a formal invitation from Nightmoon Valley."

A letter suddenly appeared in the elder's hand. He gently flicked it toward Li Lang, causing the piece of paper to float over to him with precision.

"An invitation?" Li Lang parroted.

"That's correct. You've been invited to visit their Nightshade Valley, and we've agreed to take you there. You can read the details from the missive if you want, but we would appreciate it if you could give us a date when you could set off as soon as possible."

Li Lang quickly read over the letter in question, skimming past the flowery words of greetings. It was only a page, so he finished in no time, but he didn't learn anything new. It didn't include the reason for the invitation and just included instructions on how to reach their valley.

It caused Li Lang to wear a troubled face.

"Speak your mind, child. Things often resolve much faster that way."

"Umm, do any of you happen to know the reason for this invite? The missive doesn't say anything about that."

"We're not sure either," the female elder to the left replied. "But we do have our suspicions. The timing coincides with your friend's breakthrough, so it may have something to do with that."

"We can't say for sure, though," Tai Xilun chimed in. "We're just the messengers here. We created the missive word for word, so we don't know much more than you do. You'll have to find out from Nightmoon Valley yourself."

Long Yi's breakthrough has caused me specifically to be invited? How can this be?

"Just to be clear. Only I am invited?"

"That's correct," the central elder replied.

Well, it's not like I can bring Long Yi anyway. Otherwise, we'd have to bring all the kids and there's no way I'm going to do that. Long Yi will have to look after them. But still, why can't people just leave me alone? I'd like to focus on my cultivation for once.

"I assume declining isn't an option, right?"

Tai Xilun snorted. "You're free to do as you see fit, but realize that this is Nightmoon Valley courteously inviting you. If they're persistent in seeing you, don't say I didn't warn you when they take a more forceful approach."

"Now, now, Xilun. No need to scare our guest here," the female elder placated before turning to Li Lang. "Forgive him for exaggerating a little, but I advise you to accept the offer. Nightmoon Valley is renowned for its integrity. If you've done nothing wrong, there's nothing to fear from them."

While Li Lang was familiar with how Nightmoon Valley was seen as the peacekeepers of the Luminescent Domain, he was still reluctant to be summoned at their whims. However, for the sake of his peaceful life, he slowly nodded.

"How long will the trip take?"

"With my Skyrunner, it'll only take half a day," Tai Xilun answered.

"Very well, we can leave—tomorrow morning, then. I want to get this over with."

Chapter 191: Nightshade Valley

The next day, Li Lang headed out of Emberglow City with Tai Xilun, leaving Long Yi and the kids behind.

Traveling with the stoic head disciple of Bloodwave Conclave, Li Lang passed the time with Ruby instead.

"I wonder if there are any artifacts that can take photos or something," Li Lang muttered. "I wanted to take a picture of Long Yi's face when I told him I would be leaving the next day. He's now a high and mighty Foundation Establishment cultivator, but he's still the same. I had almost expected he would mature a little."

"Why would you think that, Master?"

"Hmm, all those experts usually act all stoic and serious. In the back of my mind, I suspected it was the influence of cultivation. Just like how demonic cultivators are influenced, but in a more subtle manner."

"Wouldn't you be able to tell yourself, Master?"

"Hmm, that's hard to say. Haven't you read my memories? A few studies say people are bad at noticing the influences of power can have over your own behavior and perception. They have reduced empathy and interpersonal sensitivity but don't even notice it. I wouldn't say observation of one's own behavior is the most accurate."

"I only skimmed the relevant part of your memories, Master. I wouldn't dare go through everything without your permission."

The conversation between the cultivator and artifact spirit broached many subjects. They discussed many random things in between reading the results from the auto-analyzer. It was something Li Lang rarely did unless he was traveling. 

While on a journey, he needed to stay alert and exit the space at any time. This was especially so when traveling with others. After all, they had no idea about the existence of Ruby.

That deterred him from getting into any serious sessions of crafts and experiments.

Like that, half a day went by without exchanging a word with Tai Xilun. He only broke his silence to declare their arrival.

"We're here."

It prompted Li Lang to stick his head out of the window to glance down at the scene.

Nightshade Valley was the home of Nightmoon Valley. Their similar names were easily confused, but upon looking down at the place in person, Li Lang could only say it was a fitting name.

The wide valley could almost be said to be a basin. With the sun still up, it should be brightly illuminated, but for some reason, none of the natural light reached its depths. It was as if there was an invisible barrier, blocking the light from reaching everything between the two mountains.

It looked as if there was a shadow monster engulfing the area up to the peaks.

Li Lang couldn't help but do a double-take at the crudely drawn map included in the missive. They were just east of Emberglow, which meant they were still somewhat close to the border with the righteous sects.

"Nightshade Valley really lives up to its name. Is Nightmoon Valley's headquarters somewhere down there?"

"No, that's just the city. Nightmoon Valley is at the peaks of the two mountains that form the valley. However, we'll have to land first. The only way into the Valley is through the entrances at ground level."

"What would happen if we tried approaching from the skies?" Li Lang couldn't help but ask.

"Let's just say, a fate worse than death."

His words only made Li Lang more curious. A strange phenomenon was only begging for him to investigate. The urge was only averted when Li Lang channeled his desire to finish the artifact projects.

Now that Long Yi had broken through, his need for an artifact had only risen. While he could only craft Mortal-grade artifacts for now, it was still better than being bare-handed. At the strength of Foundation Establishment cultivators, mundane weapons were no different from being unarmed. It simply couldn't support the strength they exert.

I also have to go see how their defenses differ from mortals. They say they can't get caught off-guard anymore. They don't need to consciously direct their Qi for defense, so my all-out attacks wouldn't be effective at that level.

Before Li Lang could deliberate what type of tests and how to convince Long Yi to participate, his vehicle pulled down and came up to a colossal stone wall. It was spherical, aligning itself with the darkness of the valley behind it. It was impossible to tell how high it reached as the darkness hid it.

The wide-open gates had a healthy amount of traffic, but Tai Xilun disregarded it and flew right over the line. He only landed at the base of the gate.

One of the guards immediately came up to greet him.

"Which esteemed master from Bloodwave Conclave has graciously come to visit us?"

"I am Tai Xilun. Head Disciple of the conclave. Here to fulfill a request from your valley."

The man materialized some paper and scribbled down a few things before waving us forward.

"Enjoy your stay, Head Disciple."

Going through the gates, they found themselves crossing a tunnel. Following the line ahead, it took the Skyrunner a full minute before they exited out on the other side.

Despite the view from outside, the city behind the wall wasn't consumed by total darkness. Instead, it appeared as if it was dusk. The muted lights made Li Lang look up to search for the sun.

The sky looked as if it was completely covered in clouds, with the soft orange glow of dusk being spread out across the horizon.

"There isn't much to see from down here. Try again when we arrive at the peaks," Tai Xilun commented.

With nothing holding them down, their vehicle took to the skies once more. Once they were passed the gates, it appeared it was safe to gain some elevation. It made Li Lang feel as if they had entered a dome of some sort.

Very soon, they climbed up the mountain and found a large resplendent building stretching across half the mountain, while the other half was blocked off by the hazy cloud wall that marked the border of the dome.

They landed at the entrance of this colossal building where two guards were standing guard. One of them naturally approached as the two visitors disembarked.

"You are Tai Xilun and Li Lang, correct?"

The two nodded and were guided into the building. It only stood two stories tall, but the area it spanned was enormous. After many twists and turns, they were eventually led into a large circular chamber. They walked straight into the middle, entering the center stage of the empty room. Elevated seats surrounded them, reminding Li Lang of ancient amphitheaters, except it wasn't constructed of marble but wood.

Li Lang thought he would be meeting someone important in such a grand room, but was quickly corrected. Their guide just paused momentarily before continuing to guide them into a small tunnel beside one of the elevated seats. They were soon led to a light brown door that was wide enough to fit four Skyrunners side by side easily.

As they approached, it automatically opened, but nothing could be seen behind it except a wall of dark clouds. The guard appeared calm, as if this was normal, and turned to Tai Xilun.

"This is as far as we can go. Only Li Lang can continue onward."

The head disciple of the Bloodwave Conclave didn't complain and just nodded.

"I'll go visit Brother Jian in the meantime. Come find me when you're ready to leave."

"Thank you. Please give Senior Jian my regards."

Li Lang was soon forced to part ways with his two guides and ventured into the wall of clouds. The moment he stepped through, he found himself in a small cozy office, reminiscent of the one room belonging to The Orchid Covenant's headmaster.

It had a decorated wooden desk with bookshelves flanking the room. Behind the desk was a fireplace.

There was only one person in the study, a middle-aged man with a clean-shaven face. He was head down, focused on some paperwork before him.

"Feel free to sit down. I'll be done in just a minute," his voice loudly proclaimed.

Li Lang knew the figure before him was someone of considerable authority. He didn't ask any questions and complied. He approached the finely carved desk and sat in one of the two open seats on the other side of the man.

He spent his time surveying the room, particularly curious about the huge collection of books in the room. He wondered if they contained the advanced cultivation knowledge he had been missing. Those that contained techniques of the Violet Core Realm, Spirit Divide Realm, or even the Heaven Link Realm.

"Curious about my collection here? You can go take a look if you want."

Looking at the speaker, Li Lang found the man's full attention was on him now. He awkwardly cleared his throat and greeted him.

"This junior wouldn't dare. I am already honored to be personally invited to the famed Nightmoon Valley."

The man chuckled at his reply.

"Li Lang was it? I am serious. All the books here are part of my proud collection of stories and folktales I collected over my lifetime. The joy of having such a collection is naturally to share them with others."

Li Lang was stunned for a moment, searching for how to decline. He couldn't exactly say he was too busy to be wasting time here, straight to the man's face. He quickly settled on pushing the blame onto Tai Xilun.

"Maybe next time when time allows. For today, I have the senior who brought me here waiting for me. I wouldn't want to take advantage of their kindness."

"Hmm, very well. I'm sure we'll have more opportunities in the future. Anyway, I believe I have yet to introduce myself. I am Sima Yueling, the current head of Nightmoon Valley. I believe you are on good terms with my daughter, Sima Xue?"

Being questioned so directly, Li Lang could only nervously nod. He had heard Sima Xue being hailed as a princess for years, but he thought it just meant she was one of the rising stars among their disciples. 

Sima Xue only said her master is someone of importance. She never said her dad was the head!

Chapter 192: Meeting with the Valley Master

"Relax," the head of Nightmoon Valley comforted. "My daughter has told me a lot about you, but I have no intentions of involving myself with matters among you young people."

Li Lang slowly nodded again before directing a question of his own.

"If that is so, then why did you summon me here? I do not believe I've done anything that warrants Nightmoon Valley's attention, not to talk about the esteemed Valley Master."

The middle-aged man before Li Lang simply grinned at him in response. The look clearly screamed, "Do you really think so?"

"Umm, Valley Master Sima?"

"You can just call me senior. We're not an organization that places much importance on formality."

"Then Senior Sima, about my question—"

"Don't you think you know the answer deep down inside?"

Various things suddenly flashed across Li Lang's mind. His heart started beating faster upon thinking of the possibility that Nightmoon Valley had discovered his role in the events in the pocket realm.

That shouldn't be possible. Stay calm. There's no way any of them found anything. At most, they should only be slightly suspicious of me for winning the betting after I came out. But given the one hundred-twenty permutations of the last five remaining cultivators, my chances were only slightly less than one percent. It's not that outlandish of an outcome.

Then something else? Maybe about how we're actually practicing orthodox techniques despite our aptitude? No, they're demonic cultivators. They wouldn't want to learn about how I did it, and if they wanted to prevent the orthodox sect from obtaining it, they could just eliminate us.

Is it the ambush we got caught up in that was meant for the Eroding March Pavilion? That mess got Sima Xue involved, so he may be angry about that!

"Umm, is this about the incident where Sima Xue got ambushed? I'm sorry about that. We never meant to get involved in another organization's business."

"No. That matter has already been addressed. It was just some political ploy by some reckless elements within the Drenched Earth Sect to earn favor from the Eroding March Pavilion. You don't need to worry about it anymore."

His words caused Li Lang to think of the incident of two elders who visited him upon the completion of his first artifact. He remembered that one of the elders was from the Drenched Earth Sect and the other from the Eroding March Pavilion. The former had been trying to get into favor with the latter, but he never expected it was related to the ambush he suffered.

They really attacked them to compel them to form an alliance with themselves?

"Umm, I really don't know what I'm here for, then," Li Lang muttered.

This caused Valley Master Sima Yueling to reveal a smile, but that smile only sent chills down Li Lang's spine.

"I did mention my daughter has told me much about you, correct? That means I am quite familiar with you and your little group."

"That—Don't tell me you sent your daughter to befriend us only to spy on us?"

"Spying is too strong of a word. I would say it's more of a keeping tabs situation."

"Why?" Li Lang cried out in alarm. "We're just nobodies."

"I've read enough stories to know many notable people started from just nobodies." The Valley Master opened his arms wide, gesturing toward all the books in the room. "You just happened to catch my interest when my disciple Jiang Beiyun mentioned about three strange boys from the righteous sects. I still remember his passionate retelling about the youngest alchemist he had ever met."

Having realized he had been monitored the moment he set foot within the Luminsecent Domain, Li Lang began to worry. Worried about what the other party knew and what their intentions were. He felt like he had been unknowingly trapped all along, at the mercy of others. 

Still, he refused to reveal anything. He shifted his objective from finishing the conversation quickly to figuring out just what the other party knew.

"What do you want from us?!"

"Calm down. I mean you no harm. We've indeed kept our eyes on you, but that is true for everything throughout the Luminescent Domain. It's our duty to keep the peace here. It just so happens your little stunt in the pocket realm has ruffled some feathers, and we want to make an offer with you to keep things in order."

So it was about the pocket realm, after all.

"What do you mean?"

"There's no need to put on a show. We've investigated every single participant in the pocket realm and our divinators have looked thoroughly into it. We know it has something to do with you. And based on our ancestor's experience, the phenomenon that caused the pocket realm to deviate from its usual routine is similar to a powerful artifact submitting to a new master. I've got to say, I didn't expect The Great Trial of the Water Crest to be an artifact."

Divination! I should've been more proactive about figuring out ways to prevent it. But it should require a biological sample from the target to use. It's why I hadn't cared about it that much.

"I question the accuracy of your investigation. When did you even manage to obtain something from me to use divination?"

"Young man, you're still in the Mortal Realm. It's a given that you wouldn't notice someone more powerful, like my disciple Jian, taking action."

Li Lang took a moment to breathe in deeply and compose himself. He told himself that at least the party who had uncovered one of his secrets was Nightmoon Valley. They shouldn't be bad people and could be reasoned with.

Seeing how hard the young man was trying to process his words, Sima Yueling continued.

"Our intentions are simple. We want to protect you from the other organizations who have also suspected something since the incident. We have worked to contain the news about you, so we should be the only organization that knows you have control of the pocket realm."

"Protect me how?"

"I know you do not have any intentions of joining us, or any group for that matter. My daughter has even said you plan on leaving The Orchid Covenant soon. That is too dangerous if someone finds out about the pocket realm you own. I intend for you to disguise yourself as a member of our organization so we can announce to the world it is our Nightmoon Valley that has taken control of the realm."

"You want to take the blame on our behalf? How in the world would that benefit you?"

"Isn't that obvious? On the surface, we'd control the quotas of who gets to enter. We just need your cooperation in the matter."

"You—Isn't it simpler to just take it by force if that's what you're after?"

This caused the Valley Master's kind smile to disappear.

"We're not thieves," he sternly remarked. "Besides, the pocket realm is a powerful Spirit-grade artifact, correct? That's not something many people on the Violet Isles can forcefully take away. For those who could, it's not worth it. It only contains inheritances left behind by someone who's reached the peak of Spirit Divide at the most. We'd rather peacefully deal with the rightful owner now that it has one."

Li Lang sighed. "It's not like I have a choice, right?"

"You do. It would just be very dangerous for you and your friends if this matter gets revealed. And trust me, it won't take long for the other organization to connect the dots once you try to make use of the pocket realm with those kids you've recruited. The entrance of the pocket realm is carefully monitored. Partnering with us is the safest way for you to make use of it."

Realizing he had underestimated the various organization's intelligence-gathering capabilities, Li Lang slowly nodded. He was determined to be a lot more careful from now on. Especially if he was planning on going independent.

From his talks just now, he believed Nightmoon Valley only summoned him for the matter about the pocket realm. It seemed Sima Xue didn't spread any rumors about their practice of orthodox techniques and the existence of something that could help them speedily progress in their cultivation.

After spending so much time with them, it was likely she noticed a few things, but he wasn't certain. He planned to confront her about it next time, but for now, that wasn't something he should be dwelling on.

"Very well," Li Lang finally blurted out. "How should we proceed? We will be signing a binding contract or something?"

"If you would like, sure. I don't mind either way. Oh, and I don't plan to make this a one-sided deal either. We can offer resources like Foundation Pills in exchange for your cooperation."

Li Lang immediately nodded, as he knew he didn't have a lot of leverage in the negotiations. He would take what he was given, but then a thought suddenly struck his mind. The mention of the Foundation Pills reminded him of his research into reaching the next realm. In order to carry out this research, he remembered the existence of yet another type of pill that helped people step into the next major realm.

"Umm, in that case, I'll take you up on it. Also, if you can, can you provide me with some Ascension Pills as well?"

His strange request caught even the Valley Master of the premier faction within the Luminescent Domain off-guard.

"What?! Ascension Pills? Why in the world would you need that?"