Chapter 04: Suspicious man

In a distant hidden cave, Lu Qi, the strongest cultivator, was meditating on a large rock. The cave was dark and silent, lit only by a small crack of light. The faint sound of the wind outside added to the peaceful silence.

Spiritual aura gathered around him, an immense and powerful aura. Just by looking at him, anyone could tell that he was a formidable cultivator.

Suddenly, Lu Qi felt a slight tremor and a significant surge of spiritual aura. Despite the distance, his power allowed him to clearly sense the powerful aura. He slowly opened his eyes, his expression grave. "Something is wrong," he thought.

He rose from his position, his long robe brushing the damp cave floor. "This tremor... This aura... It's not normal," he murmured. At over 2,000 years old, Lu Qi felt that the world might be facing a great disaster or change.

Lu Qi stepped out of the cave and looked at the sky. The wind was blowing hard, ruffling the surrounding trees. "I need to investigate this," he thought. "Maybe I need to deal with this ominous feeling before I ascend."

***

Li Wei stood at the edge of the large crater left by the recent explosion. Dust hung in the air, slowly returning to the ground. The explosion had cracked and scorched the surrounding earth.

He watched the crater with mixed feelings of amazement and confusion. "This technique barely drained my spiritual energy," he thought, contemplating other techniques he might learn in this world.

Suddenly, Li Wei heard a man's voice calling out to him.

"Kid, what are you doing?"

He turned to see a young man approaching. Li Wei couldn't sense his power, although it was clear that the man was flying. "Is he too powerful for me to sense?" Li Wei wondered anxiously.

The man scrutinised Li Wei, sensing the aura of demonic cultivation. "Are you from the demon sect?" he asked seriously.

Li Wei nodded, not wanting to lie. "I was just a slave there," he replied quietly but honestly.

The man smiled slightly and looked deeper into Li Wei's soul. "It is almost impossible for a slave of a demonic sect to escape," he thought. But Li Wei was far from the demonic sect's territory, which made the man curious.

When he tried to look into Li Wei's soul, his mind was blocked. He couldn't see Li Wei's soul clearly. "Something's wrong," he muttered. He tried to focus, but couldn't penetrate the barrier that protected Li Wei's soul.

The wind blew gently, bringing with it the fresh scent of the forest. Li Wei felt the breeze touch his face, bringing a bit of calm to the tense situation. He watched the man warily, unsure of what would happen next.

"He's suspicious. Will he kill me for practising demon cultivation?" Li Wei thought nervously as the man continued to stare at him.

The man sighed and said, "You have something unique. Be careful, this world is full of unseen dangers."

Li Wei nodded slowly, feeling slightly relieved but still cautious.

The man smiled, realising he hadn't introduced himself. "My name is Zhao Ling. What's your name?" he asked kindly.

Li Wei nodded, remembering his name.

"My name is Li Wei," he replied simply.

Zhao Ling become more and more intrigued by the boy in front of him. "How did you learn demon cultivation?" he asked curiously.

Li Wei answered honestly, "I just watched and imitated the breath of a guard."

Zhao Ling was taken aback by his answer. "Talent? It seems to be more than that," he thought. "Mimicking breathing techniques just by watching... that's truly remarkable," he murmured.

Zhao Ling then made Li Wei an offer. "Li Wei, how about becoming my student? I can teach you many things."

"Why?" Li Wei asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"I can teach you many techniques. I am an immortal who has descended to the mortal realm," Zhao Ling continued.

Li Wei frowned, sceptical. "How can an Immortal be in the mortal realm?" he asked.

From the novels he had read, it was impossible for an Immortal to return to the mortal realm. The Heavenly Dao would send any descending Immortal back to the upper realm.

Zhao Ling smiled bitterly. "I was punished by Heaven and had to descend back to the mortal world," he explained.

Li Wei was confused by his words; he didn't understand much about this world.

"And what is heavenly punishment?" Li Wei wondered.

Li Wei, still puzzled by this world, thought for a moment before accepting. Maybe it would be good to have a teacher. He folded his hands and bowed, "Thank you, Master Zhao."

Zhao Ling laughed, "From now on, call me Master."

"Yes, Master," Li Wei said, still bowing.

With a teacher who promised to teach powerful techniques, Li Wei felt hopeful that he would quickly become stronger.

***

As Lu Qi approached the explosion site, he sensed the strong aura near the demonic sect's territory. Tall trees surrounded the area, their leaves gently rustling in the wind.

Lu Qi thought, "Was the explosion carried out by a cultivator in the Demon Sect?" When he arrived, he saw a man and a small child standing there.

Noticing the arrival of an Immortal Cultivator, Zhao Ling quickly covered Li Wei's aura and breath.

Lu Qi descended gracefully on his sword and landed on the cracked ground. His sword glowed faintly in the sun light.

Zhao Ling greeted Lu Qi politely, clasping his hands, "Greetings, Master Lu."

Zhao Ling knew who Lu Qi was. Having been in the mortal realm for a while, he was familiar with the important figures.

Lu Qi looked at the man in front of him. "Who is this person?" he wondered as he felt Zhao Ling's powerful aura. "Did you cause that explosion?" he asked seriously.

Zhao Ling shook her head, "No, I came out of curiosity about the explosion." He looked at the explosion site.

Lu Qi looked at the dirty child next to Zhao Ling. "Is this child your slave?" he asked sharply, suspicion evident in his tone. His eyes showed a clear killing intent that Zhao Ling could sense.

Li Wei sensed his master's nervousness and answered truthfully without hesitation.

"He is my master and he is very kind," Li Wei assured the beautiful woman.

Lu Qi looked into Li Wei's eyes, searching for deception, but found none. He sighed, "I'm sorry for my accusation." He apologised to Zhao Ling for his unfounded suspicion.

Zhao Ling smiled slightly, "That's all right, Master Lu. Your caution is understandable."

The surroundings begin to quiet. A gentle breeze blew, birds chirped in the distance again, filling the silence with the soothing sounds of nature.

"I will continue to investigate the source of this explosion." Lu Qi finally said, his eyes still sharply focused on Zhao Ling and Li Wei. "Be careful here."

Zhao Ling nodded, "Of course Master Lu. We will remain vigilant."

With that, Lu Qi turned and flew away on his sword, leaving Zhao Ling and Li Wei in the peaceful forest.

"What is the full name of that beautiful woman?" Li Wei asked.

Zhao Ling chuckled and replied, gazing into the distance, "Lu Qi, currently the strongest cultivator in the mortal realm and the first cultivator to reach the Dao Seeking stage."

"Hoo..."