Water Escape

Senior Brother Lin's goodwill.

Su Bai accepted it.

Because, for now, the Spirit Moon Lake mission was indeed the most suitable one for him.

The rewards were generous, he could spar with Demonic Beasts, and the resource point was close to the sect gate, so accidents generally would not occur.

"That's more like it!" Senior Brother Lin said with a grin as he registered Su Bai's information and accepted the mission for him.

Because this mission required leaving the sect gate, and could only be handed over after one year,

the reward of three bottles of Yellow Dragon Pills was also issued in advance.

Senior Brother Lin handed the Yellow Dragon Pills and the Water Escape Technique's cultivation papers to Su Bai together.

After thanking him, Su Bai accepted the items and prepared to return to Courtyard 32 to begin cultivating the Water Escape Technique.

Before long, Su Bai returned to Courtyard 32.

Courtyard 32 was silent and still.

As their cultivation levels rose, the Fellow Disciples had all gone to carry out Outer Disciple missions and earn spirit pills.

Naturally, there was not a soul in the courtyard.

Su Bai was happy to have some peace and quiet as well.

He returned to his room and began cultivating the Water Escape Technique.

At lunchtime, a Labor Disciple delivered spirit rice.

The Jade Talisman would notify them when it opened the courtyard's Magic Array, so the Labor Disciple still accurately delivered one person's portion of spirit rice.

Thus, after cultivating in his room for four days, Su Bai had initially grasped the Water Escape Technique.

This spell needed to be practiced in a place with water.

Therefore, Su Bai left the courtyard that day and came to a small lake in the outer court.

The lake's water flowed down from melting snow atop Qingyun Mountain's highest peak, clear enough to see straight to the bottom.

It was just right for Su Bai to practice the Water Escape Technique.

Su Bai formed hand seals and chanted the ancient sounds of the spell.

A moment later, a faint blue light rose from Su Bai's body.

Su Bai leaped down from the shore.

Once he entered the water, the blue light around him successfully blocked the assault of the currents.

The spiritual light of the Water Escape Technique could filter air, allowing Su Bai to breathe freely even underwater.

With the slightest exertion of force, he could shoot forward as swiftly as a fish and move freely through the water.

By using Spiritual Power, he could even swim faster than a fish.

Its only flaw was that Su Bai had not yet completely mastered this spell.

Therefore, while maintaining the Water Escape Technique, he still needed to form hand seals with one hand to keep it running smoothly.

This was not much of a problem. Su Bai felt that his aptitude for spells was fairly good; after using this spell for a period of time, he should become proficient enough to cast it continuously without forming hand seals.

After adapting to the Water Escape Technique in the lake for a while and confirming that he had grasped this Tier 1 Mid-grade Spell,

Su Bai finally leaped out from the bottom of the lake. Protected by the Water Escape Technique, despite moving through the lake for so long, he was still dry from head to toe.

"Steward Lin said I only need to set out within seven days."

"There's no need for me to rush over."

"I'll first familiarize myself with the Fireball Technique and Water Shield Technique in the courtyard."

"I'll head over on the final day."

"After all, the mission requires mastering at least three Tier 1 Mid-grade Spells..."

Su Bai, who had pulled strings, felt somewhat guilty.

Thus, Su Bai remained in the courtyard for another three days.

During those three days, he cultivated the Fireball Technique and Water Shield Technique, one an offensive spell and the other a defensive spell.

Although he had not completely mastered either spell, he had already grasped some key points.

After cultivating for a while longer at Spirit Moon Lake, he should be able to master them successfully.

Early Morning on the seventh day.

Su Bai left Courtyard 32.

Leaving the Outer Disciple Courtyard and heading right led to an open plaza with two or three ancient pavilions.

This was Jade Mist Sect's place for receiving guests, and also the location of the Main Entrance in the sect's mountain gate layout.

Further up from the Main Entrance plaza stood a long flight of stairs leading to the Inner Sect. Bathed in the morning sun, the stairs glittered like a gate leading to the immortal realm.

"Sooner or later, I'll enter the Inner Sect..." Su Bai muttered.

Su Bai showed his Jade Talisman to a steward in one of the ancient pavilions, proving that he was leaving to carry out a mission.

Then, using the Light Body Technique, he swept down the path leading from the Main Entrance.

Though it was called a path, Mortals could not walk it at all; it was filled with jungle and thorny brambles.

Only immortal cultivators using the Light Body Technique could leap more than ten meters at a time and make their way down such a path.

When Su Bai had first come up the mountain, an Inner Disciple had carried him along.

At the time, he had only felt the wind roar past his ears and the scenery fly backward, before suddenly arriving at the outer court entrance. He had not felt the perilous steepness of this mountain path at all.

But now that Su Bai was traveling on his own, even with the Light Body Technique protecting him, he nearly ended up covered in dust and disgrace.

Along the way, Su Bai crossed Jade Mist Sect's Mountain Protection Formation. Because he carried a Jade Talisman, the Mountain Protecting Array merely flickered slightly before Su Bai easily passed through that thin membrane.

Afterward, Su Bai spent a full half an hour before reaching the foot of Qingyun Mountain.

"The Light Body Technique is still far too inadequate. I'll have to learn better spells in the future."

At the foot of the mountain, he was still within the forests of the Qingshan Spirit Plain.

But at least the terrain was much flatter, making the journey somewhat easier.

After checking the map and confirming his direction, Su Bai swept toward Spirit Moon Lake.

A distance of a hundred li took Su Bai only half an hour to cover with the Light Body Technique.

Spirit Moon Lake covered several dozen mu.

Under the morning sunlight, the lake's surface shimmered and sparkled.

Su Bai gathered Spiritual Power and looked carefully. A faint aura of spiritual mist rose from the lake's surface.

It truly was a fine spirit lake.

A faint Magic Array Light enveloped the area around Spirit Moon Lake.

One was a Spirit Gathering Array, and one was a Warning Array.

At the center of the lake was Lake Heart Isle, about half a mu in size.

The disciples of Jade Mist Sect were stationed on Lake Heart Isle.

Looking into the distance, Su Bai could vaguely see several Thatched Huts on Lake Heart Isle.

Su Bai deliberately triggered the Warning Array.

Then he waited quietly where he stood.

Before long, ripples spread across the lake before Su Bai, and two Cultivator figures leaped out of the water.

"Eh, not a Demonic Beast—it's a fellow disciple!"

"You're here to take over for us, right?"

Seeing Su Bai's Outer Disciple robes, the two men spoke one after another and recognized his identity.

Su Bai clasped his hands slightly and displayed the mission currently recorded on his Jade Talisman.

"Junior Brother Su Bai, it's good that you're here. I can finally leave this dreary place..." said the shorter of the two.

Clearly, he was the Senior Brother Su Bai had come to replace.

"Junior Brother Su Bai, you've mastered the Water Escape Technique, right? Come with us to Lake Heart Isle and meet Senior Brother Zhao." the other Round-faced Senior Brother said.

Su Bai nodded. "I've already mastered the Water Escape Technique. Please lead the way, Senior Brothers."

These two were also Outer Disciples. They were somewhat older than Su Bai, and judging from the aura of their cultivation, both seemed to be at Qi Refining Layer Five. Calling them Senior Brothers was entirely appropriate.

The three of them jumped into the lake one after another.

Su Bai formed hand seals and activated the Water Escape Technique, following the two men as they swam toward Lake Heart Isle.