Spirit Cannons Roar

"Senior Brother, do you know when you'll return after leading the team to Guanghan Immortal City?"

Inside the cabin of the Xuanming Sect's spirit ship, Chen Jinshu sat across from Wang Quan, the senior disciple in charge of the ship. A tea table sat between them with a pot of Qingning Tea gently bubbling, releasing faint bluish spiritual mist. After swiftly finishing the brew, Chen Jinshu poured Wang Quan a cup.

"This top-grade Qingning Tea was personally cultivated by me, Senior Brother. I hope you won't find it lacking," she said with a faint smile, lifting her cup in a courteous gesture.

Her return to the family this time was mainly to settle some worldly matters so that she could focus solely on cultivation afterward. Though her fellow disciples hadn't completely cut ties with their families, their interactions had grown sparse.

Shui Huanmeng had taught them that once they embarked on the path of cultivation, they should reduce worldly entanglements to better pursue higher realms of Dao.

There was wisdom in their master's advice. Chen Qiaozhen, unable to sever ties with the Chen family, had hastily broken through to the Foundation Establishment realm and rushed back to save her fragmented clan—such attachments could be a hindrance.

And they already had consequences.

Though Chen Qiaozhen had shifted her focus more toward cultivation after awakening to her future dream, the constant distractions of mundane matters—possibly due to the absence of guidance from higher-realm cultivators—continued to affect her.

"Junior Sister, you're too polite!"

"Our sect's business in Guanghan Immortal City is significant and won't conclude anytime soon—at least three to four months, maybe half a year. Are you hoping to catch a ride back on the spirit ship?" Wang Quan sipped the tea, clearly pleased by Chen Jinshu's regard for him, and guessed her intent directly.

"I've accepted a mid-level mission nearby. It'll take me two or three months to complete, but I worry about the return trip. If there's no ship, traveling on foot will waste a lot of time." Chen Jinshu frowned lightly, clearly concerned.

"In that case, you can go to Guanghan Immortal City and look for fellow Xuanming Sect cultivators. The sect has a store there called Lingxiu Pavilion. If there are any spirit ships stationed, their schedules will be registered. You can ask around."

"Oh, here's my communication talisman. If I finish my business and prepare to return, I'll inform you. Of course, if you complete your mission first, you can contact me too." Wang Quan handed over a talisman to Chen Jinshu.

A few cups of spiritual tea in exchange for a communication talisman—fair trade.

"Thank you, Senior Brother." Chen Jinshu accepted it with a smile, surprised at how easily she obtained it.

After all, she would be taking her mother with her on the journey back. Traveling on a spirit ship or even a Shadowpeak Finch wasn't entirely safe. There was always a 10-20% chance of encountering cultivator bandits, even when riding sect ships. She'd heard stories—spirit ships, especially those far from the Xuanming Sect's domain, were often attacked by unknown rogue cultivators.

Of course, few of those bandits ever succeeded.

"Junior Sister, this tea really is quite remarkable. Would you be willing to spare me a little more?"

Just one cup had made Wang Quan feel his meridians expand slightly, his physical strength increase. It was well known that disciples from the Medicine King Peak all had outstanding skills in cultivating spiritual plants—clearly, the rumors were true.

"I've just picked this batch of Qingning Tea recently. I have five packets left, each about ten taels. How about ten spirit stones per packet?"

This Qingning Tea had been freshly picked, its medicinal properties well-preserved. Regular consumption was comparable to second-grade spiritual tea in enhancing physical toughness.

"Junior Sister, you're being far too modest. This level of tea goes for at least fifty spirit stones a pack in the market. How about thirty per pack?"

"Deal!"

...

Not long after finishing their transaction, they felt a faint jolt—something had struck the ship.

"An ambush?" Chen Jinshu immediately secured the tea set, frowning.

"Looks like rogue cultivators. We're already five to six hundred miles outside sect territory," Wang Quan said, glancing out at the scenery and sky.

"Senior Brother Wang! There's a group of rogue cultivators blocking the way ahead!"

A sect disciple from the ship ran over to report.

"These guys are bold—daring to block a Xuanming Sect ship." Wang Quan sighed, though his expression remained calm, as if this wasn't the first time he'd faced such a scene.

"Senior Brother, let's go take a look. These robbers must have a death wish." Chen Jinshu stowed away the tea set and cups and turned to him.

"Alright. Today, I'll let you witness this spirit ship's defenses firsthand."

Wang Quan nodded, exuding confidence. The sect had anticipated this scenario—that's why they sent him, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, along with two early-stage Foundation Establishment disciples, to escort the ship.

Sending a Golden Core elder would've been overkill, so instead, they had heavily invested in the ship's design—enhancing its defenses to tier-three, capable of withstanding even mid-to-late Golden Core attacks, and added many offensive mechanisms.

Once on deck, Chen Jinshu spotted eight black-robed cultivators ahead, casting spells at the ship. Fireballs and golden arrows rained toward the ship's barrier. But despite the barrage, the barrier didn't show the slightest crack.

"Senior Brother, this ship's defenses… are tier-three?"

"Sharp eyes! With just these eight Foundation Establishment cultivators, there's no way they'll break through. Even a Core Formation expert would take several hours." Wang Quan was composed.

"Now let me show you the ship's attack power."

With those words, Wang Quan took out a spirit control disk and infused spiritual power into it.

From the ship's center, three cannons rose up.

"These are Fire Spirit Cannons, crafted with fire-essence stones and other materials. A single shot is equivalent to a full-force strike from an early Core Formation cultivator."

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Three red streaks shot toward the enemy. The moment they hit, explosions erupted, red molten flames and smoke blasting in all directions.

"AHHH!"

Cries rang out as bodies were torn apart, pieces raining from the sky. Nearby disciples quickly used object manipulation techniques to snatch the storage pouches from the fallen.

"Junior Sister, how was the cannon's power?"

"Incredible!" Chen Jinshu nodded, visibly impressed.

No wonder Wang Quan stayed calm the entire time. This ship was safe—as long as they didn't face a Core Formation expert, there was no threat to their journey.

"Alright, let's return to our tea."

The two disciples handed over a few storage pouches. Smiling, Wang Quan invited Chen Jinshu to continue their tea session.

"Gladly."

Of course, he intended to split the loot, and Chen Jinshu had no reason to refuse such an offer.